As 08-08-08 drums ever so near, it's not very surprising to find some Olympics themed video games in the works. Publisher Ghostlight has just released a batch of screenshots for one such title, International Athletics. It's slated for release on both the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS handhelds. More information and screenshots come after the jump.

Olympics 2008 is just around the corner. Maybe it's just the right time to celebrate each and every country's athletes even through our favorite handheld consoles. Publisher Ghostlight confirmed today that a title called Decathletes is currently in development for the Sony PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS.

A lot of sporting events will be featured in the title, all geared to make a player's desire to compete and win burn. Decathletes will have a single player mode as well as a multiplayer mode, and the latter is very important especially to video game titles of this nature.

The game will also highlight the development of in-game characters. Accordingly, players will receive rewards for winning events such as unlockable stadiums as well as other bonus events. Ghostlight Sales Manager Sam Collins commented,

Decathletes is an outstanding title with huge mass market appeal and further bolsters Ghostlight's expanding portfolio of high caliber titles for 2008. We are pleased to be able to announce the release of Decathletes on multi-formats in all PAL territories, reinforcing Ghostlight's position as a major publisher in the global games market.

Decathletes is currently under development with The Code Monkeys and will be available by Spring 2008.

It's been a while since we've brought you any updates for Activision Hits Remixed, but this slew of screenshots for the games included in the $19.99 USD package with a release date of Fall 2006, will definitely more than make up for the interval.

You can check out what to expect from old school games like Decathlon, Grand Prix, Private Eye, Stampede, and Tennis. Thank you so much to Wiebke Hess for sharing these goodies.

Decathlon

Requires discipline and sweat, stamina and speed, with muscles opposing muscles, compete in the most celebrated game of the Olympics: the ten events of the decathlon. Earn points for each event. Highest final score wins!

See more of Activision Hits Remixed after the jump!

Pre-Order: [Activision Hits Remixed]

Yeah, by now, every person that has seriously embraced video gaming as part of his/her life is aware of the sudden changes that'll prompt him/her to bid farewell to the E3 as he/she knew it. The Halls of QJ has been ringing with dead silence every single time the matter is brought up (it's happening right now). But we all have to move on as E3, arguably gamers' own version of World Cup and Winter Olympics, undergoes some major tweaks that'll indirectly affect all of us.

Entertainment Software Association president Doug Lowenstein, in an interview with Wall Street Journal, has revealed what exactly those "major tweaks" will be - a new name, a new venue and a new date. According to him, the event will be dubbed as the E3 Media Festival starting next year, cementing thoughts that the affair will now only be joined by members of the press from various media.

From last E3's groundbreaking attendance of 60,000 visitors, next year's event will have a toned-down population of around 5000 people. In fact, Lowenstein has cited that the huge number of participants is primarily the reason why all the changes are being made, saying that "some companies were frustrated because E3 was such a huge, sweeping event it became increasingly difficult to get their messages out."

Instead of the traditional May affair, the next E3 (if we could still call it that) will be held on July to give publishers more time to develop their projects and to strategically bring it nearer to Christmas where most games are usually released. The event will also say goodbye to the Los Angeles Convention Center as the ESA divulged plans to use two hotels, holding press events and meetings in suites and conference rooms - there goes our booths and the booth babes along with it.

As much as we want to present this news as an objective one, it's really hard not to choke out some disappointments while tackling the matter. The gamer in us conquers the inner writer/reporter as it cry for the game demos open for civilians, promos for the attendees, E3 booth babes, lost opportunities for smaller developers, and the shed "people image" of the event we used to know as E3...