Konami announced Metal Gear Online for the PlayStation 3 at today’s Metal Gear 20^th Anniversary Party. Here are some screens fresh off the press.

We have some juicy screen fresh from KOEI for their upcoming racer Fatal Inertia. The game is being developed by KOEI’s Toronto based team which is led by Producer Takazumi Tomoike, creator of the Dynasty Warriors series.

In Fatal Inertia, each craft has its unique weapon, power and skill which allow the player to manipulate force, velocity and time. Drivers will need to learn to outmaneuver explosive magnets and rockets which affect the stability of each craft if hit. The racecrafts in Fatal Inertia hover just a few feet from the Earth, and any errors at such intense speeds can end in serious disaster.

KOEI have designed some beautiful levels for this game which you can see in the screenshots. KOEI has revealed some levels which are: Lost Canyon, Deepwoods Pass, Paradise Isle, Devil’s Peak and Glacier Bay. This game is looking very nice and is somewhat reminiscent of Wipeout, which is a good thing. Fatal Inertia is due for release on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this September.

At E3 Namco released the first footage from Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation and has this week given fans of the series more reason to want this game by releasing screen shots. The video footage of Ace Combat 6 proves that this game has what it takes to be the next best air combat fighter. We were given a glimpse of the photorealistic graphics and the action packed missions which has left many wanting to see more.

In the new screens, Namco Bandai Games show off what is to be the first preview of the online battle mode system. The inclusion of online connectivity is very exciting news and I for one am looking forward to testing it out. Namco Bandai has so far revealed only two multiplayer modes, Battle Royale and Team Battle, both of which are set to light up the skies in Ace Combat 6.

Battle Royale mode is a free-for-all, where each player is on their own and must master control and technique to avoid defeat and emerge victorious. Team Battle involves group action. Players need to create a strategy and work as a team in order to take down the opposition.

Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation is designed to allow voice chat for easy communication with team mates. This will this help in strategy making and also add to the realism of the entire experience. Alongside this, Ace Combat 6 will feature leader boards and other essential tools for emerging victorious.

The Demo of Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation is now available for download on Xbox LIVE.

Check the marketplace fellow gamers because 2K Games, giving everyone who owns a Xbox 360 the chance to test out their new title – The Darkness. The demo is available via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and features three levels from the game, in order of the Tunnel, the Cemetery and Grinders Lane.

Having played the demo I can tell you that visually the game is impressive. I was only able to play through the Tunnel and Cemetery levels. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to pass the cemetery in the time available to me. In fact I constantly ran out of ammo, which rendered me vulnerable to what seemed like an endless amount of mobsters trying to shoot me down. I wasn’t able to use the ‘darkness powers’ which is disappointing but perhaps is available in the third level.

The Darkness is a first person action game where you will assume the role of hitman, Jackie Estacado. This game is very dark and set in New York City.  Jackie is heir to ‘The Darkness’, an unknown and terrifying power which awakens within him on his 21^st birthday. Jackie seeks revenge on his murderous family and must use traditional weaponry and master the evil powers of ‘The Darkness’ in order to complete his mission.

The Darkness was released On June 25^th for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.    

Producer of Final Fantasy XI, Hiromichi Tanaka is set to keynote this years Game Developers Conference (GDC), held in Austin. Tanaka, an executive officer at Square Enix and lead developer of the successful massively multiplayer online (MMO) game Final Fantasy XI, will discuss the challenges of designing and creating a MMO for multiple platforms. Final Fantasy XI is in fact the first in the series to allow both console and PC gamers to unite in the online world.

GDC Content Manager, Jane Pickard had the following to say regarding the announcement of Tanaka’s keynote speech:

We are honored to have Hiromichi Tanaka, a leading figure in the online game developer community deliver the International Keynote at this year’s event. Tanaka’s presence at our conference is indicative of the event’s global appeal. The Austin GDC attracts both national and international attendees due to its historically laid back and intimate environment, and specialized industry topics covered via the show program.

GDC takes place September 5-7, 2007 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin Texas.

On an annual basis the Casual Games Association (CGS), releases a report which outlines trends and shifts in the casual games industry. The 2007 Casual Games Report has revealed that the games industry has more offerings, increased investments and a general shift toward retail and online games by consumers. This is great news and suggests that the casual games industry has experienced strong growth which continues to steadily rise.

The 2007 Casual Games Report indicated that women still make up the majority (74%) of all paying players online while men take up about half of the non-paying gaming world, which is much larger. Competition has also increased in what is a dynamic market, meaning more and better gaming offers for consumers.

The number of titles being submitted has actually doubled over the last two years, as there has been an increase in publishers developing new games. I have noticed this trend evolve via the world wide web, where numerous websites cater to the casual gaming audience and also on consoles such as Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3, where casual gaming continues to grow via their online services.

The finding also revealed that over the past year, investors spent in excess of $200 million to gain interest in casual games industry assets. This strong interest in new capital investment had particularly widened in the MMO market with $35+ million invested in that casual games field alone.

The 2006 report found that the most popular casual games available were Diner Dash, Bejeweled, Cakemania, Slingo and Mystery Case Files.

Uncharted is one of my most anticipated games to come. We were introduced to the game over a year ago when it was an untitled project, however the first trailer left many including myself wanting to see more. Recently this year the games developer, Naughty Dog (creators of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter) named the game as Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

The story takes place with central character Nathan Drake, a modern-day fortune hunter. Drake along with companions set out to explore for the fabled treasure of El Dorado, which happens to lead them to an undiscovered island somewhere in the pacific ocean.

Drake and comrades quickly learn that the island is covered by deadly mercenaries. They must fight for their lives as they journey deeper into the island to uncover the hidden secrets.

Now I have watched the trailers and looked at the screenshots for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, and I can tell you that this is one game to look out for. Visually the game is looking amazing, with stunning environments set in a lush and vibrant jungle. The character models are excellent and although the developers at Naughty Dog haven’t applied all that much texturing, the character models look amazing. The gameplay appears very fluid and there are some very interesting combat elements as previewed in the trailers.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is ultimately a third person action/adventure game which is similar to a cross between Tomb Raider and Far Cry. So you can expect a lot of jumping, shooting and action scenes. This game definitely deserves to go on anyone’s wanted list – It’s already on mine!

Peter Moore has officially resigned from Microsoft Corporation. Taking over is former Vice President of Elelctronic Arts. (EA), Don Mattrick. Mattrick will assume the role of senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB) at Microsoft. Peter Moore has labeled the decision to resign as a personal choice, wanting to ‘move his family back to the bay area’. He has however secured another lucrative position in the video games industry.

Don Mattrick is the founder of private company Distinctive Software Inc., which merged with EA in 1991. Since this period, Mattrick had held numerous senior positions at EA, and his more recent role as president at Worldwide Studios, where Mattrick resigned in February 2006. Since this time he has been operating as an external advisor for Microsoft.

The president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, Robbie Bach, had this to say:

“Peter has contributed enormously to the games business since joining Microsoft in 2003 and we are sad to see him go, since that time, he presided over the global launch of the Xbox 360™, spearheaded a revitalized and rebranded Games for Windows business, and helped steer the console’s ascent.”

For the time being, Moore will remain at Microsoft through the transitional period, until the end of August where he will return to the San Francisco Bay area with his family. Mattrick, who has 23 years of experience in the gaming industry, will take full control of his position from that point in.

Mattrick had the following to say about the situation:

“Over the past two decades, and the past few months in particular, I’ve worked closely with many of Microsoft’s top leaders and I’ve always been impressed by their talent, passion and commitment… I’m thrilled to join an already strong team that’s delivering truly amazing gaming experiences to customers around the world. I’ve never been more excited about the future of the industry, and firmly believe Microsoft will lead the next great innovations in gaming.”

How this move will affect Microsoft’s gaming division is yet to be seen.

Recently, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced its plans to release the Playstation 3 Starter Pack in Europe. The pack represents high value for money including the console system, 2 SIXAXIS wireless controllers and 2 first party games, set to retail at £425.

The selection of first party games is dependent of the entertainment interests in the region where it will be sold and includes titles such as Resistance Fall of Man and MotorStorm.  This provides a great opportunity for those who purchase the system to test out the stunning graphics and gameplay that the PlayStation 3 hardware  allows.

The addition of the SIXAXIS wireless controller is also great news as it allows for multiplayer action, straight out of the box, in the gamers home. The Playstation 3 Starter Pack will be available in the UK from 18^th July and all other European territories from 1^st August.  The question is; will this pack push the sales of PS3 units in Europe? The reality is that it is very like to increase sales as the overall pack does represent value for money.

Microsoft offered a very similar deal some time back with their Xbox 360. Microsoft’s package included 2 games, an additional wireless controller and Live starter pack. It does seem that Sony is employing a similar strategy to Microsoft in order to gain greater market share. Personally I am very interested to see how Microsoft responds to this over the coming months.

Polyphony Digital has announced Gran Turismo 5 Prologue as a lead up to the much anticipated Gran Turismo 5. The developer recently released Gran Turismo: High Definition for the PlayStation 3 as a download. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue will however for the first time show the true potential of the racing simulator as it uses the full power of the Playstation 3 hardware. A new trailer and screenshots were of course released at E3 and from what I have seen it’s looking quite nice.