Game play your way to Wrestlemania

Can you play WWE Smackdown vs. Raw? I mean, can you play really, really well?

THQ Inc. and JAKKS Pacific are sponsoring an online video game tournament for the title via Xbox Live.

From now until February 28, gamers can participate in open ladder play, earning points for each match you win.

On March 3, the 64 players with the most points will go on to compete in an online single elimination tournament. The top two will get an all expenses paid trip to the 5th Annual THQ Superstar Challenge in Detroit, site of WrestleMania 23, where they will play the championship match in front of a live audience at the Gem Theatre on March 29.

The winner of that championship match will receive two floor tickets to WrestleMania 23, a WWE Championship Belt and other prizes. The runner-up will receive two tickets to WrestleMania 23 and a prize pack. In addition, the top 16 runners-up in the online competition will receive WrestleMania-themed prizes.

A list of official rules, tournament schedules and prizing can be found at www.ggl.com.

NEWS N NOTES

NVIDIA LAUNCHES NEW GEFORCE 8800-BASED GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA Corporation has released graphics cards based on the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS graphics processing unit (GPU). These new cards come with 320MB of video memory and have prices ranging from $299-$349.

GeForce 8 Series GPUs are the first shipping DirectX 10 GPUs, and are the reference GPUs for DirectX 10 API development and certification. Other graphics cards supporting DirectX 10 include cards based on the GeForce 8800 GTX for $599-$649 and GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB for $399-$449.

GeForce 8 Series GPUs include all required hardware functionality defined in the Microsoft Direct3D® 10 specification, with full support for the DirectX 10 unified shader instruction set and Shader Model 4 capabilities.

Battefield 2142 Hits GamePlay HD

Voom HD Networks’ GamePlay HD, the high-definition channel leading the next generation of television for gamers, will premiere Gamecaster’s Battlefield 2142 Invitational, Thursday, February 15th, 2007 at 10 p.m.

It's an eight-part half-hour tournament series utilizes groundbreaking new technology developed by Gamecaster that pulls viewers into the video game playing field of Electronic Arts’ Battlefield 2142, delivering high production values on par with professional sports broadcasts, as pro-sports camera operators and commentators make the tournament an exciting spectator event.

Eight teams of 5 players converged in Los Angeles in September 2006, to put their playing prowess to the test. Capturing all the close calls and dramatic moments from within the game, the Gamecaster’s Battlefield 2142 Invitational series is the first televised gaming tournament that truly puts viewers on the 50 yard line of this burgeoning sport.

'Mavericks' hope to rewrite rules of Video Game publishing

The former executives of Gathering of Developers (G.O.D.) have started a new independent game publisher, Gamecock Media Group.

Two of the most successful entrepreneurs in the history of the game
industry -- Mike Wilson, former CEO of G.O.D. and rooster enthusiast,
has joined forces with Harry Miller, former president of G.O.D. are behind the project.

The company claims it will be relationship-driven, offering its developers a high-degree of participation and the freedom and financial incentives to perform to their utmost abilities.

"The major publishers have been focusing on safe bets -- large budget
games often attached to major licenses or sequels," said Mike Wilson,
CEO of Gamecock. "This insufficient emphasis on the creation of
original game properties has created major dissatisfaction among the
industry's most talented game designers and has made the current system
unpalatable. In other words, things are getting stale. We aim to change
that."

'Sweet' New Website for Wii Gamers

The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company has launched wii.candystand.com, a new site designed specifically for use on Nintendo Wii. The new site can be easily accessed through Wii’s Internet Channel.

“The revolutionary Wii is making a profound impact on the console gaming experience,” said Scott Tannen, Wrigley’s Director of Global Digital Marketing. “We are excited to be one of the first to extend this new technology to our consumers by offering a free collection of our award-winning Candystand.com gaming content that is compatible with the Wii.”

The infrared technology in the Wii Remote makes playing games like Juicy Fruit Out of Bounds Tennis a truly interactive experience. Equipped with the intuitive control system, the user merely points the Wiimote at the TV and guides the racquet across the screen with a simple swing of the arm.

Five additional free games are available to Wii players: Big Red/Winterfresh HORSE, Altoids Sheep, Altoids Staxx, The Great Flying Mintini and Altoids Factory, all of which are compatible with the Wii Remote. Additional games will be added throughout the year.

DEF JAM: Icon Tournament announces tour stops

Electronic Arts' DEF JAM: ICON tournaments will be sponsored by GameStop and held in four major U.S. cities throughout February.

The tournament gives players a chance to compete as their favorite hip hop celebrities. Several stores in each city will host the tournaments but only one venue will also have a special appearance from one of the in-game celebrity fighters. Renowned hip-hop artist, Fat Joe, will be launching the tournament in Atlanta on February 13. He will be on location from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The tournament begins at 3:00 pm.

2007 DEF JAM: ICON tournament schedule (this list is partial and includes only the venues hosting celebrity appearances):

DATE
CITY
CELEBRITY APPEARANCE
2/13/2007
Atlanta –
5 GameStop locations and 1 EB Games location
GameStop –
Union City SWM
4731 Jonesboro Road
Suite 180
2/23/2007
Chicago –
5 GameStop locations and 1 EB Games location
GameStop –
The Brickyard S/C
6451 W. Diversey Ave.,#G-9
2/27/2007
Los Angeles –
5 EB Games locations and 1 GameStop location
EB Games –
West Side Pavilion
10800 W. Pico Blvd
Space 353
3/6/2006
New York City –
6 GameStop locations
GameStop –
1282 Broadway (Broadway and 33rd)

For tournament rules, information on the event and other tournament locations, please visit http://www.gamestop.com/defjamicon.

DEF JAM: ICON features an all-star cast and a soundtrack of hip hop hits as players live out the life of a hip hop mogul, fighting all the way from industry outsider to hip hop icon. The dream team roster spans the spectrum of music superstars such as Big Boi and Redman to industry legends including Russell Simmons and Kevin Liles.

Below is the entire cast from DEF JAM: ICON including playable fighters as well as celebrity special appearances:

Anthony Anderson
Jim Jones
Method Man
Sticky Fingaz
Big Boi
Kano
Mike Jones
Summer Walker
Bun B
KD Aubert
Nina Nicole
T.I.
E-40
Kevin Liles
Paul Wall
Tego
Fat Joe
Lil Jon
Redman
The Game
Funkmaster Flex
Ludacris
Robert Dolan
Young Jeezy
Ghostface Killah
Mayra Veronica
Russell Simmons
James Hong
Melyssa Ford
Sean Paul