Ubisoft, the Australian distributor for Namco Bandai, has confirmed the Australian release date of Soul Calibur IV as July 31, 2008. John Parkes, Marketing Director at Ubisoft is pretty chuffed:

We are thrilled to be bringing Soulcalibur’s successful heritage to PAL territories as it sets into motion a new echelon of dynamic gameplay and exceptional game graphics on next generation platforms […] Offering players an ultimate fighting game experience, Soulcalibur IV will definitely be an owners ‘must have’ in building their game collection library

via PALGN

LucasArts has finally announced a release date for the much-anticipated Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - September 16, 2008 in the United States, September 17 in Southeast Asia and Australia, and September 19 in Europe.

Mike Masnick over at Techdirt posted an interesting article on the emotions that first person shooters evoke in players. The part worthy of mentioning is the possibility that players actually enjoy getting killed. Apparently, hunting other players increases players’ stress and dying acts as a sort of relief mechanism.

Check out the original post for the rest of the story.

Don’t expect us to hold back on any GTAIV news - since the official announcement of a release date, there’ll be videos, sneek peeks and screenshots galore.
The latest set of screenshots released today are nothing short of impressive, showcasing a stylized world that truly surpasses its predessesor.

In other GTA news, Digital Battle has reported, nay, speculated on the PC version’s release this October. The basis for their claim? Previous GTA games have made the transition to PC six to eight months after the console release date. But who’s to say these rules are set in stone, anyway?

via Gaming Today and PALGN

Quarterly financial statements are not exactly the kind of place where you would drop big news like this, but that’s how Ubisoft chooses to roll. According to said statement, fiscal year 2008 - 2009 will see the arrival of a new Prince of Persia title.

But that’s pretty much the extent of the details. Ubisoft are unwilling to divulge any information as to which platforms will be getting it, or who they’ve got working on the project

via IGN

Capcom has announced a release date for the long-awaited Devil May Cry 4 demo - Thursday, January 24, 2008. The demo will arrive at 2am PST on Xbox Live and between 2 and 3pm PST on the PlayStation Store.

via Capcom US

Acclaimed industry analyst Michael Pachter has speculated that 2008 will be the year of the PS3, which will soon begin to undercut Wii sales. Pachterdamus points at retail cost in being a decisive factor here - he believes that once the PS3 drops below US$300, it’s all over for the Wii. He also alludes to big titles such as GTAIV and GT5 Prologue playing some part in the trend.

These predictions arrive at a time where latest NPD figures reveal Nintendo’s trouncing of the competition in December 07.

While it’s not usually a good idea to take whatever Pachter says as gospel, its still pretty hard to see Nintendo keeping the overwhelming success of the Wii going for much longer than they already have.

via WiiFanBoy

You may have an N64 stashed away in a cupboard somewhere, along with a pining for some of those classic games that you never got to play. Or if you’re anything like me, you might have a desire for quick cash which far outweighs any trace of sentimentality. Either way, you’ll find the latest series at Racketboy really helpful: it’s a pricelist of the rarest or in-demand games for older consoles and handhelds, perfect for the potential buyer or seller.

Last week my ears immediately perked up when they came across internet rumors suggesting a merging of the Command and Conquer series with the first person shooter genre. Today, a press release from EA has finally confirmed these rumors, along with the above screenshot as further evidence.

Hit the jump for details

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Infinity Ward have posted details for the upcoming COD4 patch, whose arrival date is yet to be announced. Changes which involve playlists will not be addressed in this particular patch, but in one released soon after. Check after the jump for the full (and very extensive) list of changes to expect.

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