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Kinect Fun Labs to be Live Tonight; Leaked Video Hits the Web…

We still are about an hour away from the Microsoft conference, but new leaks are already starting to give us a glimpse of what will be shown and announced. The latest is Kinect Fun Labs, which will host several mini-games that all utilize the Kinect sensor. With the leak also comes a new video, revealing four of the mini-games (or “gadgets” )might be available as early as tonight.

The first detailed is “Build a Buddy”, an application that allows you to scan an object and then play with it using the motion controls. Next up is “Googly Eyes”, and as it sounds players will literally be able to tack on Googly Eyes onto objects. “Kinect Me” is another game shown in the video, letting the user do a face & body scan to completely re-design their avatar. Speaking of avatar apps, “Bobblehead” does as promised an turns your created avatar into an interactive bobblehead.

The gadget I am most curious about though is the finger-tracking “Kinect Sparklers”. With Sparklers, the sensor snaps a photo of the player, shoots a background image, and then allows players to use their finger to draw around their image from different angles.

A sharing service is also detailed, allowing for other users to share their videos and activity with the gadgets in the Kinect Fun Labs Hub. Check out the full video below for a better view of all this in action and if the rumors are indeed true, Kinect Labs might indeed be launching tonight. Stay tuned as we are sure a reveal is just hours away.

SSX Character Reveal Trailer from E3 2011

That’s right we have a killer new character reveal trailer for the upcoming SSX game straight from E3 2011! We get some awesome game play footage and get to see what is sure to be some “tricky” tricks as well as some characters. I for one had no clue that SSX even had characters apart from generic snowboarder and generic skier, but apparently we have this apparently god-like snowboarder named ‘Mac’. Radical name dude!

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Review

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Developer: Electronic Arts
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Racing
Platform: iPhone(reviewed)/iPad
Release: 6/11/10
Price: AU$5.99/US$4.99 Buy Now

Overview

Apart from Mario Kart, I’ve never really been a fan of racing games. I was never any good at the arcade style racing games when I was a kid, and stared on in disbelief as I continued to ram my car into a wall while all my peers and computer generated racers passed me by over and over. This trend continued into my early teens, where at friends houses I would embarrass myself with my poor attempts at virtual driving on PC, Nintendo and Playstation consoles. I’ve always attributed this to my extreme lack of interest in motor vehicles. Despite my long history of not enjoying racing games, I’ve found Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit to be nothing but enjoyable.

Gameplay

I’m sure it goes without saying that Need for Speed: Pursuit is a racing game. I mean, the name says it all. There are two career paths to choose from, either a cop or a racer, both with different level types fitting your chosen path. Similarly, there are different cars to be earned through the collection of bounty points in both careers. Stars are awarded based on how well you completed the level, with three stars being the best and earning the most bounty. A feature I really like in this game is that if you repeat a level or even fail a level you still earn bounty. Obviously if you don’t complete the level you aren’t awarded the allocated bounty, but you can still earn something. This comes in handy when you get stuck on a level and is a great way of boosting your overall bounty and unlocking new cars.

In terms of controlling the car, I think the game does a fantastic job. Taking advantage of both the racing narrative and the iPhones gyroscopic technology, you need to hold your iPhone, preferably with both hands at two and ten positions, safety first! Once you have a firm grasp on your iPhone, you can tilt it left of right in order to control the direction of the car, while also occasionally swiping your finger on the screen to either implement a nitro boost or the hand break.

Within the different career paths, there are level types specific your chosen drivers standing in society. Not to mention boosts to help you achieve these goals. Within the street racer career, most of the levels revolve around going fast and avoiding the police. The first type of level is ‘Road Race’. This is basically a straight up race between you and three other hooligans. ‘Hot Pursuit’ involves out smarting and out driving the police within a certain time frame. Within the racer career, this is definitely my favourite of the level types. It provides the most challenge and has the strongest and most engaging narrative. Not to mention, if you ram the police car it will crash and provide a spectacular cut scene! But I’ll discuss this in more detail later. Other levels include ‘Eliminator’ where the car in last position is eliminated when pass through a check point and lastly is ‘Speed Trap’ where the goal is to go as fast as possible through a check point to accumulate a speed score in order to gain bounty. Overall, I find the racer career a little boring. As I said, I grew up never being a fan of the racing genre. I think this is purely because the goal of placing first in a race isn’t enough motivation for me.

If you prefer to fight for the side of justice, then maybe the cop career is a better suit for you. Like the racer career, there is a straight up racing level type. ‘Power Struggle’ pits you against three other police officers in a race. For a different way to experience speed, ‘Rapid Response’ tests your driving skills, having to get through check points before the timer runs out. Heading into some of my preferred level types, ‘Interceptors’ main goal is ramming some punk speed racers off the road. Of course this needs to be done within a certain time limit in order to qualify for the highest amount of bounty. If stopping one racer from breaking the law isn’t enough, then try out a ‘Tough Justice’ level. Here you are given the opportunity to knock a number of racers off the road within the time limit. The more you take off the road, the hirer the bounty. I feel that the last two of these level types are the most engaging and goal driven in the whole game, and I’ve found myself replaying the levels over and over trying to get three stars in all of them. Or maybe I just have some road rage that I need to vent. Either way this is easily the best part of the game.

Graphics and Audio

Without a doubt, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit has the best cut scenes I have ever seen on an iOS based game. Whenever you destroy a car, be it from ramming it into a wall, a roadblock or laying down some road spikes, the game stops and there is a very cinematic cut scene featuring a crash. Most often, the car will flip over in the air and it is just spectacular. The graphics during game paly are up to the same standard as the cut scenes, but obviously it is all a bit fast paced and you tend to not really notice how much detail has actually gone into the landscape and the cars, especially some of the later cars you earn.

The audio is fairly typical of a racing game. It has fast paced music, roaring engines and due to the police verses racer theme is littered with police sirens. At times, I think it is all a bit much, but I’m aware it is just a convention of racing genres and I have learned to tolerate it. On the plus side, it is an iOS game and the sound can always be turned off. Having said, and also done this, you really notice the impact the sound has on motivating you to speed like you’ve never sped before, proving that while it may be all a bit much for me, the soundtrack for Need for Speed is an integral part of the game.

Conclusion

Bringing all the elements that make a good racing game, mixing them up to create new, more engaging and interesting elements, I think that Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit has anything a contemporary racing game should have. The means of controlling your car while racing is innovative and engaging, sure it might not look so cool on a bus, but I love the fact that it’s attempting to simulate a steering wheel. Overall, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit has fantastic graphics and some highly innovative game design. A must for an iOS owning racing genre fan.

Spider-Man: Edge of Time’s E3 Trailer Has Death & Anti-Venom…

Activision are preparing to unveil all of their full line-up at this year’s E3. I know many are anticipating news on MW3, which is sure to make an appearance, but for now a new trailer for Spider Man Edge of Time has been released which not only displays the action-packed gameplay and heavy choices of our webbed wonder, but also marks the debut for Anti-Venom for the upcoming multi-platform title.

Along with a phenomenal soundtrack that make the clip exciting until the climax, we also see moral choices being made that lead to the demise of a hero. I’ll just leave it at that for now, but you can check out the full trailer below for yourself and we will bring you more updates for Edge of Time when the game is displayed during Activision’s showing.

Madman’s Mighty Manga Stocktake Sale

Madman has announced that they will be holding a Manga Stocktake sale, with copious amounts of manga marked down to below the $5 mark. With some even being as cheap as $1! With titles such as Black Cat, Dragon Ball, Absolute Boyfriend and One Piece on sale, this is certainly something you don’t want to miss out on.

The sale ends on July 15th so you have just over a month to get your pocket-change priced manga. To jump in on the Mighty Manga Stocktake Sale action just follow this link and rummage your pockets and couch cushions for some spare change.

Activision Release FAQ Detailing Call of Duty Elite…

When word first broke of Activision’s new Call of Duty Elite service, the internet literally erupted with anger due to the sheer thought of having to pay for online services that (at the time) seemed to mirror Bungie’s (Free) Waypoint. To help control the situation and better inform their fans and critics alike, Activision have released a full FAQ that lists what will and will not be free, information on how the program will work along with all of the features that COD fans can expect.

Check out the FAQ for yourself below (WARNING! Long Read Ahead!!)

Frequently Asked Questions

Before we get to some FAQs regarding Call of Duty Elite, we want to share three guiding principles of the service.

GIVING YOU MORE THAN EVER BEFORE (AND TAKING NOTHING AWAY) – With over 30 million online players around the world, the Call of Duty community is too large and diverse to create a one size fits all approach, and Call of Duty Elite must be purely additive to the experience. The Call of Duty “out of the box” experience that our players expect: a great single player campaign, co-op missions, and the deepest and most accessible multiplayer anywhere – at no additional cost – remains the same as ever. Our promise to you is this: Elite only adds to the Call of Duty experience. Nothing will be taken away from the experience you know and love. If you want to continue to play Call of Duty as you always have, you will still be able to do just that, including the ability to buy Map Packs ala carte. With Call of Duty Elite, we’re adding a new choice for those who want to get even more out of the game. Even haters can play for free.

THE BEST FREE SERVICE ON THE MARKET – How can we say that this is the best? We believe that the free elements of Call of Duty Elite will be superior to any free service currently on the market because we are offering more features than any other service out there. Additionally, many of Elite’s free features which will debut with Modern Warfare 3 are industry firsts and offer a new level of innovation.

A selection of Elite’s free features will let you:

  • Access Elite through the web as well as Elite’s free custom iOS and Android applications for smartphones and tablets
  • Communicate any way you want across mobile, console and the web with your friends
  • Track and share thousands of stats with friends – k/d ratios, score-per-minute, win % and loads more, all represented in easy to understand charts and infographics
  • Create your own custom leaderboards to track friendly rivalries – who is moving up and down in your group of friends?
  • Analyze advanced heat maps detailing your match-by-match performance – where you killed or got killed, when it happened, and more
  • Analyze your weapons performance – which weapons you are best with in which situations
  • Upload and share videos of your greatest moments through our exclusive theater mode with the touch of a button
  • After you analyze your performance to your heart’s content – Customize your loadout – search through all the weapons, attachments and perks, and push them directly into the game menu from the web or your mobile device with the touch of a button
  • Join dozens of groups and find other players with common interests to play with and compete against – find people who make the game the most fun for you – TDM, Lakers’ fans, Weekend Warriors
  • Create a Clan with players who share your interests and taste for competition
  • Bring your Facebook friends right into the game, easily taking your existing network into the Call of Duty experience.
  • Seamlessly be placed into Groups with those who share your affinities and interests based on your Facebook profile.
  • Start tracking your Call of Duty career – everything you wanted to know about your performance across the franchise starting with Black Ops
  • And that’s just the beginning. The service will continue to evolve and we will continue to add new features.

    A PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP THAT RESETS THE BAR – The premium membership of Call of Duty Elite (which is completely optional) will set a new gold standard for what the multiplayer and community experience for a console game can be. Why are we not revealing all of the features that are part of the premium service today? Simple. Because the service was designed to be deeply integrated with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and will not be demonstrable until we are closer to the launch of the game. We know seeing is believing, and over the next few months we will be revealing and demonstrating more of the premium features and by the end of the summer, we will reveal the entire service in full.

    The reason we announced the service today was so we could begin recruiting for a free beta with the multiplayer community of Call of Duty: Black Ops, which will allow us to test the service at scale. This is a critical step to us launching the service successfully this fall. So we appreciate your patience.

    Is Elite a new website?
    ·         We’re on the web of course, but we’re designing Call of Duty Elite to be widely accessible and customized for a number of platforms – via web browsers, through the game, and through mobile applications as well – including iPhone and iPad, as well as Android tablets and smartphones.

    Will you be charging for multiplayer?
    ·         No, we are offering players more choice and are not taking anything away from our fans. If you like playing the way you always have, with a great campaign, co-op and multiplayer experience out of the box, then you can. Additionally, many of Elite’s key features that we’ve listed will be free to all Call of Duty players.

    What about stats? Do I get free access to my stats with Elite?
    ·         Absolutely. Elite’s Career section gives players an in-depth look at statistical details of their own performance and gameplay as well as that of the entire Call of Duty community, including heat maps, load-outs, stat trends, custom leaderboards, and integration of your Facebook friends. The Career section is free to all registered users.

    How will Elite compare to free offerings that currently exist?

    ·         We believe that the free elements of Elite alone will be better than any free service currently on the market today. Elite ups the ante of any free service by offering a range of innovations on well-established multiplayer features, such as leaderboards, heat maps, and rich player data. Additionally, other Elite features are completely new to the industry. For example, with Elite’s new Groups featured integrated with Modern Warfare 3, you will be able to join custom groups based on your likes, interests, or affiliations, and then have those groups follow you directly into the game. Soon you’ll be playing in a social group, making new friends (and rivals!) who play Call of Duty and share your interests, home town, or play style.

    Is there a beta? When can I try Elite for myself?
    ·         Elite will officially launch this fall with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but you can try key features earlier with our free public beta test. In order to deliver the best possible launch this fall, we need to test the service at scale and get your feedback on key features. The Beachhead team is working with Treyarch to hold a public beta this summer for Elite with the multiplayer community of Call of Duty: Black Ops. The earlier you sign up, the earlier you can play. All you need to do to sign up is register your email address and gamer tag. Sign up now at www.callofduty.com/elite.

    Will the beta include everything that comes at launch in November?
    ·         Because Elite was designed to be deeply integrated into Modern Warfare 3, not all of the features will be able to be part of the free beta with Call of Duty: Black Ops. You will get to try a number of key features, but the beta will still be just a slice of the full service that launches with Modern Warfare 3 in November. We plan to test some specific features, such as the Program Guide and Groups. However, a number of new features and services will be coming online specifically with Modern Warfare 3. Additionally, a number of our dedicated applications will be launching this November as well.

    Can you tell me more about what “Connect, Compete, Improve” means?
    ·         Connect: Elite willgive our players unprecedented control over their Call of Duty multiplayer experience, transforming it into a true social experience. Players can compete against friends, players of similar skill levels, players with similar interests. Connect will include:
    .   Find and join Groups of people with similar interests
    .  Create Clans, which are player groups that can compete with other Clans in organized competition
    .   Track your performance, progress and activity within your Groups and Clans through mobile and web interfaces
    .   Upload and share your videos with your Groups and Clans
    .   Access high-quality original video programming, tailored to people who love Call of Duty

    Elite will help players to connect with the Call of Duty community 24/7.

    .        Compete: Call of Duty players want to compete, but are looking for a way to do it that fits their skill and style.
    .   The Program Guide, gives players a choice of dozens of daily and weekly competitive Events, individual and clan Operations, official Leagues, and Tournaments all tailored to different skill levels
    .   These competitions will offer both digital and real prizes – everything from digital trophies and badges to a new Jeep

    ·         Improve: Everyone wants to improve their game, and Elite will be like having a personal online coach.
    .   It provides players with a dynamic strategy guide that tracks their statistics and performances – down to minute details – showing gamers how they stack up against their friends or others in the community
    .   Improve will offer continually evolving professional tips and advice. Tools and information are provided so players can learn and up their game, regardless if you’re a newer player or level 15 Prestige

    The Program Guide sounds cool, but I’m an average player. How can I have a chance to participate in competition?
    ·         Just like a sport, we believe competing in Call of Duty should be fun and accessible regardless of skill. Highly skilled players may want to join the most competitive Leagues and Tournaments, while a more moderate player can find Operations, Events and Clan competitions that are tailored based on their skill level or particular play style. We want all Elite players to find a range of competition that fits them, and gives them a chance to succeed.

    Is Elite only for hardcore players?

    ·         Connect, Compete and Improve are universal needs regardless of skill, and Elite has been tailored for Call of Duty’s diverse base of players. If you are a hardcore “Prestige” player or a casual weekend warrior, you can enjoy personalized communities, daily competition and events, community-generated video content, and a dynamic strategy guide that tracks your statistics and performance trends. Elite also will offer high-production value, original entertainment programming designed exclusively for the Call of Duty community. Different players will use Elite in different ways, but we want there to be something for everyone.

    Will Elite support Call of Duty: Black Ops?
    ·         Yes. Because Elite was designed to be deeply integrated into Modern Warfare 3, not all of the features will be able to be part of the beta with Black Ops this summer. When Modern Warfare 3 launches this fall, players will be able to have a unified relationship through Elite – they can create a single profile in Elite and build their career in Call of Duty that will carry forward as they play every supported Call of Duty game.

    How is Elite different with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3?
    ·         The Beachhead team has been working closely with Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games to build Elite from the ground up to support Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. When Elite launches this November, the service will include a number of all-new features and innovations being built directly by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Gamesinto the new game. For example, your Elite community Group and Clan affiliations and identity will be incorporated directly into Modern Warfare 3.

    When will Elite launch?
    ·         The service will launch with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 this November 8th, 2011.

    Where will Elite be available?
    ·         Elite will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. In addition, there will be custom Elite applications available on iOS and Android tablets and smartphones.

    How can I become a member?
    ·         With the roll out of the Call of Duty Elite beta this summer on Call of Duty: Black Ops, players can sign up on www.callofduty.com/elite to queue up for participation. Once the platform officially launches with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on November 8th, players will be able to enter the service in through a variety of ways, which we will be announcing later this year.

    So, if I just want to buy Map Packs standalone, I can still do that?

    ·         Yes. Call of Duty Elite has been built around the tenets of value and choice. To us that choice means that players who purchase Modern Warfare 3, who want to extend the game may prefer the option of a map pack. We will continue to offer that option. So if you want to just buy a map pack only, no problem.

    If I get the premium membership to Elite, do I really get all of the DLC?
    ·         Yes. Elite is an all-inclusive membership, and that means you get all of the playable game DLC for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 as part of your premium membership. No need to buy additional DLC.

    Will there be Customer Service?
    ·         Absolutely. It’s a priority for us that Elite membership comes with 24/7 worldwide customer service. We will have a team dedicated to programming, administration, and service, starting with our public beta this summer.

    Why announce now if you can’t show us all the Modern Warfare 3 launch features and pricing?
    ·         Elite was designed from the ground up to integrate with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Therefore, many of the services which will be a part of the premium membership will not be able to be demonstrated fully until the launch of Modern Warfare 3. The reason we launched the service ahead of that time was to invite people to participate in a public beta of the service using Black Ops, which will help to test the service at scale and fine tune it before its official release this November. The premium membership to Elite also will include many industry firsts, and will represent the ultimate Call of Duty experience.

    Are you letting people buy prestige weapons or levels through Elite?
    ·         No, players are not able to buy prestige weapons or levels through Elite. While Call of Duty Elite wants to help people become better players, there’s still only one way to level up to new weapons, XP and prestige, and that’s to earn it in game.

    When will launch details be released?
    ·         Throughout the summer we will be talking about Elite in detail, so stay tuned for more information.

    Who is Beachhead Studios?

    ·         Beachhead is a new development studio, who is creating the Elite service for the Call of Duty franchise. We are entirely focused on making Elite the best gaming service in the world, and improving it every day. Our Beachhead Studio will be supporting our Call of Duty games throughout the year.

    A few extra questions were also answered via Activision’s blog:

    Isn’t this just Bungie.net for Call of Duty?
    No, although Bungie also offered its players post-game stats and heat maps free of charge. Elite is going a lot deeper and is integrating the data in a different way. An official Activision quote from the FAQ: “Elite ups the ante of any free service by offering a range of innovations on well-established multiplayer features, such as leaderboards, heat maps, and rich player data.” This, arguably, is at least what Bungie.net offers, and depending on how it’s integrated, Elite might offer even more, still for free. But for sure, nobody on the Elite team is saying they invented heat maps or player stat tracking. Good ideas tend to pop up more than once…because they work and people like them. As long as what you enjoyed from Bungie for free is free in Elite as well — and really, it looks like it is — I don’t see this as a bad thing.

    How much is a premium membership? Is it charged monthly or annually?
    Not yet announced, and I am not expecting that news until later this summer.

    Is everything shown in the Legend of Karl video going to be free?
    No — in fact, go to 6:25 in the video and you’ll see a slate that says “Some Call of Duty features mentioned in video require a paid Call of Duty Elite membership.” You may have missed it because the wonderfully distracting lawyer song plays over that section.

    Will the beta include everything that I’ll get if I get a membership?
    No, because some of the stuff that the membership level of Elite will offer is tied to Modern Warfare 3 specifically, and full info on that game isn’t out yet. So everything you see in the beta will be in the final, but there will be additional things activated at launch.

    If I sign up for a premium Elite membership, do I get the DLC cheaper?
    They haven’t discussed pricing yet so I don’t know — again, I don’t think we’ll get an answer until late summer.

    Will premium Elite subscriptions enable dedicated servers for MW3 on PC (or console for that matter)?
    Infinity Ward hasn’t discussed its server plans yet. Follow Infinity Ward’s Robert “fourzerotwo” Bowling on Twitter for any and all MW3 details as they become available.

    Will Elite support Modern Warfare 2?
    Elite was built around Black Ops & MW3 and will support games beyond that, but I am unaware of any plans to integrate it into MW2.

    The page for beta signups is giving me a 404 error!
    Try again later. Lots of people went to the website as soon as they heard about it, so traffic was high.

    Is there a colon in Call of Duty Elite?
    No, but I thought there was at first. Proper style for you sticklers for detail: Call of Duty Elite is just four words with no punctuation (unless you want to say Call of Duty® Elite, which I personally do not.)

     

     

    I guess that’s that then. Nice to see a beta coming up though as at least fans of COD can preview the service before they lay down any income (Follow the link in the FAQ to get registered). While I am still unsure of the service, I can respect the honesty given by Activision, as at least the whole Waypoint issue was discussed.

    Now comes the question. With all the new details and features listed, do you feel a bit more comfortable about Call of Duty Elite? Planning to Subscribe? Leave a comment below and give us your thoughts.

    New Details & Trailer Emerge for Kinect Stars Wars…

    Kinect Stars Wars has been in production for quite some time as it was announced during last year’s E3. Fast forward to today though and new details have emerged to give us a better glimpse of what is to come for the anticipated Kinect title thanks to Entertainment Weekly. Kinect Star Wars is set to include several different modes set in the vast Star Wars Universe. “Jedi Destiny” mode will hold the plot for this new title, putting players in the shoes of one of several new characters to be introduced throughout the game with all sorts of references to the films in tow. As for a timeframe, Jedi Destiny is set to take place right after the events in The Phantom Menace and will conclude during the era of Episode III.

    Of course the gimmick behind this title is the Kinect controls, which will utilize the device to enable the player to swing or toss lightsabers, steer a pod-racer, fly an X-Wing and defend themselves from enemy fire. Along with all the details also comes a new trailer showing the game in action. Judging from the clip, everything looks to be clean and simplified as far as visuals go, but the idea of mowing through droids with movements is still an awesome one. Kinect Star Wars is scheduled for a “Winter” release. While you patiently wait for that date to arrive, check out the new trailer for Kinect Star Wars below and Microsoft should have even more information during their conference which takes place later today. Stay Tuned!

    EA releases new FIFA 12 E3 trailer

    With E3 less than 12 hours away, EA has given the world’s football fans a little taste to whet their appetite. The latest FIFA 12 trailer showcases even more gameplay and reveals a game that truly looks more stunning than FIFA 11 (and here’s me thinking that wasn’t possible!).

    Yes, I did choose this picture because it has Torres.

    The new trailer displays actual gameplay from aspects of the game, such as tactical defending, precision dribbling, and the player impact engine. The players look more lifelike, but more importantly the player movements really do simulate the movements of real-life players. EA have already made FIFA more and more like a true football simulator, and they know exactly how to sell FIFA 12 right before E3.

    Stay tuned for EA’s E3 updates in a few hours, and check out the FIFA 12 video below.

    Warm UP this Winter with Winter Stars


    Deep Silver, the games label of Koch Media, has announced Winter Stars, a sports game for Kinect for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 with Move support, and Wii including the Balance Board.

    Winter Stars, developed by 49 Games, kicks off with easy to learn motion controls on each platform. The “family mode” allows each participant to choose his or her own individual difficulty level. In single player mode, Winter Stars offers a campaign full of variety that allows players to experience all aspects of an athlete’s career.

    Winter Stars will enable players to compete with one another or against virtual opponents in eleven disciplines including: snowmobiling, bobsledding, downhill skiing, figure skating, biathlon, free ride skiing, snowboard cross, ski jumping, paraskiing, curling, and short-track with up to 4 players in online or offline competitions, championship titles or mini-games.. The story-driven single player campaign features a career system, training sessions and character development.

    Deep Silver plans to release Winter Stars in the fourth quarter of 2011 on Kinect for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 with Move support, and Wii.

    New Gundam Series to be Revealed



    The official Japanese Gundam website has confirmed that on June 13th 2011, a new series in the Gundam franchise is to be unveiled at a special live Gundam event in japan. They have announced that the setting, story, characters and mecha will all be revealed as well as much more surprises.

    As you’d expect Bandai has announced that they will be unveiling a new line of Gundam models and merchandise based off the new series. Bandai will also stream the event live on their Bandai Channel website. Unfortunately it’s entirely in Japanese, but if your browser has a translation function it shouldn’t be much trouble.

    The live streamed event will take place at 1:30, June 13th 2011 (Japan time). Be sure to check out what will surely be a historic event for Gundam fans, or just an ordinary day for those of you who aren’t.