It looks like layoffs are the "in" thing these days. While NCSoft lost less people than rumors previously said, Radical Entertainment was not so lucky. According to the Vancouver Sun, the studio's staff has been cut roughly in half. More in the full article.

Just how rough a year was 2007 for the Need for Speed franchise? Well, things with Need for Speed ProStreet (PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, Wii) got so bad that it forced EA's hand to reform the distribution of manpower in its Vancouver studios. There will be twice the staff and longer development periods to allow devs to increase quality on their projects. More in the full story up ahead.

Chances are, you've heard of how moms love the Nintendo Wii. If not, EA Sports president Peter Moore can let you know that it easily could be the first console your mom would ever like. To build on that, the recently established EA Sports Freestyle took up the Wii balance board and is now working on a game for said moms and everyone who want a fun workout. Just see the full article to learn more.

 With the closure of EA Chicago, some thought that the night may have ended early for the Fight Night franchise. Not so, says EA as it announces Fight Night Round 4 for the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360. Along with the comprehensive list of all-time greats, the devs promise us that plenty of improvements will be added. Controversial ex-champ Mike Tyson will also return here. Details in the full article.

When you're intent on promoting sports video games to an evolving market, which console would you employ to help you out? For EA Sports, it would be the Nintendo Wii. The company is very much aware of the fact that older gamers and female gamers have flocked to the machine, and it's hoping to work with that. More on the EA Sports initiative in the full article after the jump.

A recent report is hinting that Microsoft wants some of the industry's best people to work on its Gears of War sequel. One of their prime catches is among the cream of the crop in the gaming scene's free agent list. Find out who this former EA Chicago boss is when you read the full article.

We've just picked up word that Bungie Studio's Jay Weinland and CJ Cowan have been announced as the keynote speakers for next year's Game Design Expo. We imagine this news will be especially interesting for the Halo fans, as Cowan and Weinland are members of the third installment's development team. Those interested in knowing what they'll be discussing will want to visit the full article.

 

A new PSP homebrew developer in our forums, stevendlv, has just released Live 0.9 Beta, the dev's first homebrew release. Live is a "webcam/weather portal", much like PSP Earth but was not based on the latter's source code. As stevendlv put it, Live "is made of Div's and CSS while PSP Earth isn't for example".

This PlayStation Portable portal is connected to a number of locations worldwide. Here's the list from the dev's release thread:

• Finland: Helsinki, Tampere
• UK: Norwich, Manchester, Shetland Islands, Leeds, London
• Swiss: Geneve, Zurich Airport
• Holland: Den Helder, Schiphol, Eindhoven
• US: Nasa, Las Vegas, Massachusetts, California University, Golden Gate Bridge, Hawai. Sergo's Coffeeshop, Railcam
• Canada: Gordons, Vancouver
• Asia: Manilla, Hong Kong, Panda Cam, Shanghai
• Australia: Toorak, Perth, Perth

This release doesn't have a readme file as installation is easy. Copy the unrared file to the map PSP and then scurry on to your browser and type the file's address. That's it. Easy as pie, right? Check out the download below. Remember that this is still in beta, so for comments and suggestions you guys can go to the forums via the link below, or use the comments section.

Download: Live 0.9 Beta
Visit: PSP Development Forum

 

Bully would have to be one of the most innovative games we've seen last year. It's a sandbox action game - along with many others - but being set in the fictional Bullworth Academy is pure genius. For those who missed it on the PS2, Rockstar Games just announced that Bully: Scholarship Edition will be hitting the Xbox 360 and Wii.

The game puts players in the shoes of Jimmy Hopkins, a 15-year old suffering from a broken family . After his mother married his fifth stepfather, Jimmy was thrown to a new school while his folks enjoy their honeymoon. Thing is, Bullworth Academy's alma matter seems to be about turning students into criminals and corrupted politicians.

We aren't going to mislead anyone tough: Jimmy doesn't just bully everyone. In fact, he's more on protecting weaker guys that get harassed by preppies, greasers, and jocks. Of course, nerds with their ingenious weapons (rocket bottles, potato cannons), can be troublesome too.

Set for a winter release, expect Bully: Scholarship Edition to take you on a ride through the joys and "torments" of high school. New content were added to enhance the fantastic experience Bully delivered. With smart humor each turn and very realistic yet comical characters, this "T" rated title developed by Rockstar Vancouver is bound to win hearts of teens and teens at heart.

The Vancouver Police Department is gearing up to get new recruits. However, they're not doing it in the usual places or methods that you'd expect them to. Right now, they're undergoing Second Life training to try and wrangle in new cops from there.

The police force is looking for internet-savvy people who can aid them in operations and investigations which involve cyber crimes, fraud and abuse. Their avatars are draped in cop uniforms complete with badges and radios for easy and unmistakable identification.

Police Inspector Kevin McQuiggin says that the move is strategic because out of the 6.7 million people in the alternate universe, the majority of them are proficient with internet culture and protocol. These people are exactly what the force needs right now and the department is on the look-out for them.

"It's important for us, as an organization, to keep abreast of modern technology -- both from an educational standpoint and an outreach standpoint, and from an investigative standpoint," remarks the inspector.

Seminars within the virtual world are going to be held to orient the prospects on exactly what they'll be doing if they decide to get into the real job. As a reward, the cops give out shirts and doughnuts to those who show up.