Have you ever dreamed of being able to play like football greats such as Ronaldinho, Peter Crouch, and Gennaro Gattuso? Well, developer Electronic Arts may actually be able to bring you a step closer to experiencing just that. EA has just named these very football stars to grace the covers of its FIFA Street 3 games scheduled for release in February 2008.

Eager for more? Read to the full article after the jump.

 

Aiming to provide a more universal multiplayer gaming experience, Exit Games has developed a way of connecting multiple - not to mention very diverse - platforms using its new Flash Library technology.

Exit Games' Neutron multiplayer platform will enable players to get connected and play with each other using their mobile phone, browser, PC, Wii or even PS3. Sounds like a good deal? Yes indeed. "Cross-platform connectivity enables our customers to build game communities that reach over three billion devices, making Neutron a much anticipated multiplayer solution for true mass market casual gaming," said Harald Behnke, Exit Games' CEO.

Exit Games has an impressive track record on mobile gaming, including Penalty Cup 3D, where mobile users all over the world get connected and play World Cup over GPRS. The mobile games provider also hosts games in various Asian countries.

This cross-platform multiplayer function will be featured in the Leipzig Games Convention (Hall 1, Booth 151 in case you'll be able to drop by), and you can be sure that we'll cover it for you. Until then, stay tuned!

We don't know how many among you are cricket fans but for those who are, this next one is for you. A couple of months ago, we learned from Codemasters that it is porting Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play to the PlayStation Portable. The video game title was originally released on the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows platforms.

Anyway, the PSP version is being developed by Australia-based IR Gurus and the development studio's producer Rhys Quinert was recently interviewed by Gamespot about the game. According to Quinert, they really took the time to improve and add more features and that's why the handheld version wasn't released alongside the other versions.

Aside from the PSP-exclusive Pressure Play mode, the batting, bowling, and fielding controls were also modified to make Brian Lara 2007 more compatible with the handheld. In terms of additional features, the producer explained,

There have been a number of additions that differ from the console versions. Given the later release date, we were able to include last-minute squad changes, and some player abilities and statistics as they were recorded at the beginning of the ICC World Cup.

Rhys Quinert shared as well that IR Gurus did encounter some problems while porting the game to the PlayStation Portable. He said that in terms of hardware, the handheld was really different as compared to the Xbox 360, or to a PC for that matter. He added,

Most of the challenges were probably with the technology itself - going from a console to a PSP and making sure we get the frame rate up to speed. We also had to make sure we didn't overdo the long game modes - it needs to be short, sharp bursts of play, which is the reason for the inclusion of Pressure Play matches.

Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play is expected to come out this year.

An announcement made earlier today by Ascaron Entertainment claimed that the European game developer has just partnered with the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) Germany to provide exclusive competitive multiplayer matches and demonstrations of SACRED 2 Fallen Angel (for the PC and Xbox 360) in the upcoming Games Convention 2007 in Leipzig, Germany.

In accordance with this partnership, SACRED 2 will be made available during the Games Convention Developers Conference (GCDC) 2007 by the ESWC Germany booths on the exhibition floors. Excerpts of the title's multiplayer features designed specifically for the event can be experienced in a 16-player match-up in an exclusive arena set up by the ESWC.

A dedicated SACRED 2 registration page is scheduled to be available soon for interested applicants, and the event will periodically monitor and update rankings as the competition moves forward through the multi-day games exhibition. Nescho Topalov, managing director of Top Ideas Marketing & Events GmbH concluded the announcement, stating:

SACRED 2 Fallen Angel will definitely claim a prominent place within eSports. Many fans, including eSports fans, are already showing a high interest in this extraordinary action RPG. We are very pleased to be able to present this title exclusively to our visitors.

In an interview with one of the founding members of the Bitmap Brothers, Mike Montgomery has unveiled new features that not even Speedball 2100 was able to take advantage of: online multiplayer. Speedball 2 may be a graphically ramped up, realistic port of the original title, but now it has an extended online and multiplayer repertoire.

 

Montgomery has revealed to German publisher Frogster that the game will allow players to compete online for a virtual world cup. He boasts about an "advanced online community" and ranking system, all that will be accessible over the game's official online portal Speedball2.com. There are hopes the Kylotonn will be able to negotiate a possibility for the game to enter the pro-gaming scene, also.

Speedball.com will also provide instant messaging for gamers connected to it, including the ability to participate in the online community message boards and even access an online marketplace within the portal. Players may purchase additional special items, armor and weaponry, including additional merchandising and fan content.

The game isn't completely isolated for online play, as cromix of fansite SpeedballHQ points out. It will also offer LAN play for localized tournament action. And if that's not enough, Kylotonn also claims that online friends will be able to take the roles of your teammates, and play against the A.I. or another team of players.

Click on Full Article for the rest of the updates, including porting to consoles and screenshots!

Fancy a game of cricket, but you're always on the go and don't really have much time to spend outdoors? Then this is the game for you. Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play has finally been announced for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Released initially for the Xbox 360 and the PC, this video game promises to offer something different for gamers who want to experience their favorite sport on their PSPs.

We've uncovered a bunch of screenshots of Codemasters' sports game for the handheld, and it does look promising. Players will be able to compete as International Cricket stars in the full ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 mode of the game, as well as train themselves first via the Pressure Play Mission Mode which is an exclusive game mode included in the PSP version of the title. Codemasters'  Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play also comes with an ad-hoc multiplayer mode where two players can compete for the Cricket World Cup 2007 warm-up match.

Check out the screenshots of Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play below and start thinking of how it's going to be so delightful to finally have the game come its summer release.

    
  

More screenshots at the Full Article!

Codemasters has announced an all-new Brian Lara challenge heading for Sony's PSP handheld system. The newest iteration in the cricket series will be Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play, which will be coming this summer.

This new title is being specifically deigned for PSP gaming and will lead with the Pressure Play Mission Mode, a new and exclusive game mode consisting of bite-sized burst-play challenges that cover every nuance of cricket. Great for training and getting yourself familiarized with the sport.

The game also features a full ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 mode where players can compete as all of the stars of International Cricket in this ICC Officially Licensed Event. The game comes with 16 licensed international teams with official kits, 240 licensed international players and officially licensed ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 stadiums.

On the multiplayer side of things, Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play comes with an ad-hoc multiplayer mode where two players can battle it our in a one-on-one ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 warm-up match.

Cricket fans, it's time to practice your Brian Lara skills, because the Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 playable demo can already be downloaded as of now.

Xbox 360 and PC gamers will be able to download the demo from Microsoft in time for the official opening of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 this weekend. The demo plays a one-day warm-up match between England and Australia taken from the ICC Champions Trophy last year in India.

Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 will officially be launched March 23 this year. It is described to be the most authentic edition, with the most content in the series. This game is also the first ever to offer online play over Xbox Live and PC LAN online. We know you'd be scrambling to get the demo now, but in the meantime, check out the screen shots of the demo.

More demo screens over at Full Article.

 

Konami's Winning Eleven (Xbox 360, PSP, Nintendo DS) series has made football lovers believe that there is a good football game out there that they could enjoy playing hours with. Every release is met with excitement and enthusiasm from football/gaming aficionados. Now, the game's associate product manager, Colin Ferris, chatted with 1UP about what's next for the series, what's missing from it, and what makes it kickass.

He mentions that one thing that he is proud of is their accomplishments on the Xbox 360 version. He shares that:

In fact, all the screens and videos we have used for marketing the 360 version have been created using the in-game engine. There's no need to touch up the video when it looks this good....We truly did build the 360 version from the ground up. I'll repeat: this is not a port of the PS2 game. Besides amazing graphics, the next generation of consoles allows us to get more realistic in terms of physics and gameplay. In order to take full advantage of new features in coming versions for next generation, the development team felt the need to start over and not burden themselves with code designed for the last generation

Now, the inevitable question - what is Konami's plans for the PS3? He divulges that "WE: PES 2007 will not be released on the PS3, but Konami does support all the next generation consoles. You'll have to wait and see for future announcements."

Ferris also shared that they have worked very hard on including the licenses for the teams that they know that their fan-base would want. Unlike FIFA, Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 included all of the World Cup teams (FIFA excluded eight teams). He was also questioned about the lack of the USA National team license for a US release, which he answered by saying:

As with all sports games, licensing is always difficult. In the case of soccer, you have the leagues, the teams, and the team's sponsors all to deal with. Do we get everything we want? Absolutely not, otherwise every single team in the world would be in the game. However, we are very focused on increasing the presence of North American teams in the game. Personally, the addition of Argentina in WE: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 is one of my favorite new teams to play with.

You could check out the word-per-word account of the interview by clicking on our read link below.

You guys are probably too busy playing multiplayer on Gears, but just in case you care, here's the news: Andries Smit from the Netherlands emerged victorious from the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2006, after beating Austrian Wolfgang Meier in a grueling Grand Final that had its final score pegged at 6:4.

Here's what Smit had to say after receiving the prize money of $20,000:

I’m absolutely amazed, stunned and delighted! I thought that it was just great to be in the Grand Final, but here I am leaving with the title and a trip to Zurich to the FIFA World Player Gala! I can’t believe it! The whole tournament was just brilliant

Even though the football was all virtual (they were playing FIFA 07), Amsterdam's Westergasfabriek was tightly packed with 1,500 spectators. What's nice about this year is that this years' Cup can truly be called a global event. In addition to the qualifying events that took place around the world, players from 25 countries competed on Xbox Live for their place in the Grand Final. This year’s finalists also met the 16 final contestants from the two previous FIWC tournaments.

Too bad last year's winner didn't get as much as this year's did.