SCEA San Diego has just released a new PSP demo for the already available video game NBA '08 (PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable). Even though NBA '08 has been available for a while now, this will serve as a good preview for those who still haven't purchased a copy.

The good thing about NBA '08 is that aside from having the usual season mode and quick play, it also sports a lot of mini games such as HORSE, Dodgeball. More details after the jump!

Download: NBA '08 PSP demo

A two-month survey conducted by the National Institute on Media and Family (NIMF) involving 60 retailers in the U.S. show that 46% of retailers sell M-rated video games to teens. The East County Youth Coalition and other youth groups are now requesting retailers to provide employees with proper training and separate M-rated titles from other games.

More on this at the full article!

 

If you want to get the recent number of NBA games that have come out this year, then you'll probably want to do it in the best style possible. Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. is giving you a chance to look the part while playing your favorite NBA team as they plan to release NBA-themed controllers and other related accessories.

Darren Richardson, president and chief executive officer of Mad Catz, explains the brief history of the San Diego based company's renewed acquisition of the license since last April:

Mad Catz initially launched its line of NBA video game controllers and accessories during the 2004-2005 NBA season and these products have proven to be an important part of our strategy to offer gamers the opportunity to personalize their video game accessories with the world's leading sports, video game and entertainment images and brands.

The extension of this agreement with the NBA ensures that this valuable sports franchise will remain with Mad Catz for the next several years. We look forward to continuing to provide gamers and NBA fans with high-quality controllers and accessories for all current and prior generation consoles that bring the NBA arena excitement into the living room.

Mad Catz is planning to produce game controllers and faceplates for all 30 NBA teams, all of which will be available through NBAstore.com, NBA arena stores, and online game retailers. These peripherals and accessories will be made available for the Microsoft Xbox, Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo Wii, DS.

SCEA San Diego senior producer P.J. Snavely has posted a closer look at NBA '08, SCEA San Diego's upcoming sports title for the Sony PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, on the official PlayStation blog.

This particular blog post focuses on the PSP version's Conquest mode, a "basketball meets Risk" gameplay mode. Conquest goes like this: if you win against your opponents, you'll gain control of their city and all of its players. If you lose, your opponent can choose to steal one of your players.

For NBA '08, planning and strategy will be important factors in Conquest mode. According to Snavely, the development team has thrown in a few new gameplay twists. For example, if you gain control of all five teams in a division, you can "unlock a historic player who will come out of retirement and play for you".

For more details and updates about NBA '08, keep checking back here. You can also click on the Via link below to check out a video of the game. NBA '08 hits stores on October 2.

  

What we have below is a video interview for Level 5's Jeanne d'Arc done during Comic-Con 2007 in San Diego. The clip features American voice actress Kari Wahlgren who is already famous for her previous works on some animes like Naruto and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Wahlgren is also known for her role as Shino in Namco Bandai's .hack//G.U. series, Fatal Frame II, and even in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. In case you really want to know, she lend her voice to the character of soldier Teliko Friedman. During the clip, the actress talked about the main character and how it was kind of hard to produce a light French accent.

Anyway, we'll just leave you with the video. Jeanne d'Arc is already available in Japan. It will be released in North America this coming August 21.

Yoda was a tough but fair mentor to his padawan Luke Skywalker and he grew up as a kick-ass Jedi Knight. Now what would happen if your mentor was Darth Vader? Ok, imagine being raised by Darth Vader and then given a light saber and having mind-boggling control over the force. Result, Star Wars: Force Unleashed.

One thing's for sure, being padawan to Darth Vader can't be easy. Even though the apprentice says he is committed to the Dark Side, Vader won't be an easy master. You're gonna get a whoopin' from both your enemies and the guy who was the Dark Side's rallying point for years.

Vader even subjects his apprentice to psychological torment, playing him to an Imperial pilot named Juno Eclipse, to see how love would affect his alliances. Hayden Blackman, project lead of the game, comments: "He's Vader. He's like the worst father figure imaginable."

Developers explain during the San Diego Comic-Con that because the protagonist is a "secret apprentice," he is expected to kill Imperial troops as well as rebels to avoid being found out. They also said that there will be a lot of familiar faces although did not name specifics. As for being able to play Darth Vader himself, Blackman simply stated that we "stay tuned."

Expect an all out demonstration of the force in this game. Blackman describes it as "amped up, out of control [and] over the top." The game will be released spring of next year for the PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP and Nintendo DS.

There may yet be some hope of seeing the Metal Gear 20th Anniversary Collection in North American retail stores. According to Kotaku's Michael McWhertor, Konami USA's vice president of marketing Anthony Kraus said that bringing the collection to the US is currently being considered.

Kraus made the comment at the San Diego Comic Con, revealing that Konami's sales team is currently talking to retailers about potential consumer interest in the said collection. When asked if the stateside package would be the similar to the Japanese release, Kraus responded that it would be "very similar."

The Metal Gear 20th Anniversary Collection brings together the original Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops. It also includes the Metal Gear Saga and The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 DVDs. It's currently available in Japan for a mere 6,900 yen (US$ 58).

 

Probably one of the biggest independent game developer presence coming to Comic-Con International: San Diego, Foundation 9 Entertainment (F9E) has just recently polished up their list of game demonstrations for the San Diego show. And with their official announcement via press wire, they've chosen five new games in their portfolio for non-interactive and playable demonstrations.

Godzilla: Unleashed rampages first in their list of games, of which this city-stomping title of monstrous proportions will be offered as a playable demonstration for the first time since E3 2007. Sonic Rivals 2, The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008, and Super Puzzle Fighter II: Turbo HD Remix are also expected to make a showing in the event.

"We're excited to let fans get their hands on some highly anticipated releases and see what they think," said Foundation 9 CEO Jon Goldman. The company is also planning to continue its Comic-Con tradition of selling merchandise for games and games, especially action figures and comics on F9E's original intellectual property, Death, Jr.

Event fans will be able to spot Foundation 9's booth, number 4630, at the San Diego Convention Center from July 26-29.

If you're going to the San Diego Comic Con this July 26 to 29, then you're in for a treat. Nike any comic con there will be lots of flashing lights, gaming, and comic books. The big news for gamers, though, is the fact that a playable demo of Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron for the PlayStation Portable will be available at the event.

The game has a new storyline and multiplayer options that should keep Star Wars fans very happy. Your team in the game will be composed of some of the toughest SOBs in the galaxy. After all, what would you expect from a team created by none other than Han Solo himself? The game will also have online leaderboards and stat pages for online gamers who need to see their progress as compared to the rest of the PSP community.

Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron is slated to be out this October, so that's definitely something to be on the lookout for. If you can't wait that long, why not head down to the San Diego Comic Con to try out the game? That should keep you sated till it comes out.

 

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the organizers of SIGGRAPH, has announced that they will gain hose the two-day Sandbox videogame symposium on August 4-5, alongside SIGGRAPH 2007 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego California.

Gamasutra informs that the symposium will consist of keynotes, panels, and papers. A "Hot Games" session is also set to be run and in it unreleased titles from major game companies and independent developers will be previewed.

The goal of the event is pose these questions to attendees and participating organizers: What are the creative, technological and commercial challenges facing this medium in the future? How do we relate great stories that leverage advances in technology? What is the continuing impact of this medium on individuals and society?

For more information on Sandbox: An ACM Videogame Symposium and other events scheduled to take place alongside SIGGRAPH 2007, feel free to check out the official website via our "read" link below.