Madden on Nintendo Wii: Groundbreaking?

The upcoming Madden football for Nintendo's Wii system looks like it could be groundbreaking.

Players will have more control over players than ever thanks to Nintendo's new two-piece control unit. You can use a jumping motion with your hands to jump, or a stiff-arm motion to stiff arm. It's the first big leap in videogame innovation in some time, or appears to be. I can't wait to test it.

For now, check out the demo video on You Tube

NOTES

DISNEY'S NEW FAMILY GAMES ON DVD

-- Disney has a new series of DVDs, "Disney DVD Game World" that are essentially video games that play on any standard DVD player. These family friendly games combine elements of classic board games and immesive 3D video games and are each tied to Disney characters and worlds.

The first two titles in the series will be "Disney Princess Edition" and "Disney Dogs Edition." In "Princess," gamers compete to be crowned as the new Disney Princess. In "Dogs," you go after a blue ribbon challenge.

Both games have all new animation and allow players to interact with Disney characters in games, activities and trivia questions.

DISH Network offers two-way high-speed internet
EchoStar, parent company of DISH Network, has introduced a new high-speed internet service delivered via satellite. DISH customers can bundle the high-speed internet service with their current DISH subscriptions.

The new high-speed internet is provided by WildBlue and is a two-way satellite service. EchoStar promises packages with up to 30 times faster speed than dial up.

It won't rival cable internet for speed, or the highest tiers of DSL, but the new venture offers choice, especially for those who haven't had it before.

"Our customers living in rural communities have endured the slower speeds of dial-up simply because they haven't had choices when it comes to high-speed Internet service providers," said Jim DeFranco, executive vice president at EchoStar. "Now have access to affordable broadband Internet via satellite with speeds comparable to DSL or cable modem - without the need for an additional phone line."

Consumers can sign up for service through authorized DISH Network retailers. Packages start at $49.95 per month and include multiple email addresses, web hosting space, and 24/7 DISH Network technical support. A separate satellite dish is required to receive the high-speed Internet service; however an additional phone line is not necessary.

EA: Big on PlayStation 3
Electronic Arts has more than 30 games in development for the PS3. At launch next month, EA will deliver Madden NFL 07, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 07 and Need for Speed Carbon. EA will release eight to ten games more games by late March, including Fight Night and Def Jam: ICON.

”This is only the beginning," said Paul Lee, president of EA Studios. "In the months and years to come, developers will take greater advantage of the PlayStation 3’s cell processors and blu-ray storage capacity to create games of stunning depth and texture.”

CPCC To Host Innovation Conference

Central Piedmont Community College is hosting the Consortium for Innovation on Friday, October 20. Founded in 1992, the Consortium is an initiative of ten community colleges in the Netherlands which tries to improve vocational education by simulating experiments and benchmarking with other community colleges internationally.

While in Charlotte, the group will visit CPCC on Friday and attend the League for Innovation’s 22^nd annual Conference on Information Technology (CIT), which will be held at the Charlotte Convention Center October 22-25. The CIT conference explores model programs, programs and services and allows educators in community colleges across the country the opportunity to share ideas and keep abreast of the latest in information technology.

Former Duke star Redick cover boy for new college hoops game

J.J. Redick is the featured cover athlete for 2K Sports' new College Hoops 2K7. The game will feature a new Chant Creator, an enhanced Coach Mode, and what the company calls an "even more realistic college game atmosphere."

The Chant Creator, allows the gamer to control the excitement of the crowd by constructing custom chants to play during key moments of play. Gamers are given a multitude of options to customize in-game chants, including drum percussions, letters, words, mascots, states/regions, and more.

In addition, over 200 fight songs have been added to further enhance the overall college atmosphere in College Hoops 2K7, as well as more than 50 new default crowd chants and new cheerleader routines, mascot dancing and new gyms. With Chant Creator, countless combinations can be created to give each team’s fans a distinct sound, immersing gamers even deeper into the emotional atmosphere of College Hoops 2K7.

The coach mode allows you to move up and down the sidelines as your favorite coach, call plays and make subs. 2K7 is the only college hoop title to include likenesses of actual college coaches including UNC's Roy Williams and Villanova's Jay Wright.

QUICK-HITS
-- By leveraging the PS3's SIXAXIS wireless controller, players on Tony Hawk Elite will be able to balance and steer skaters through every rail grind, manual, revert, ollie and combo, as well as control slow motion nail the trick moves as they compete to be a part of Tony Hawk’s elite project 8 team.

-- Ubisoft has launched the new Rayman Raving Rabbids website. Fans of this new Rayman episode will find themselves immersed in the crazy world of the Raving Rabbids, discover unforeseen situations, play exclusive mini-games and much more.

-- Is videogaming an art? Manifesto Games will host an online panel discussion on the topic next week at IRC.frrenode.net at the channel #gamesandart. It begins Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 9 p.m.

Expected to be the first in a series of IRC panel discussions Manifesto Games plans to offer, participants are by invitation, but the discussion and subsequent Q&A session is free and available to anyone with access to a computer and an internet connection. While all panelists in this upcoming discussion are in some way involved with games, they represent a range of skills and viewpoints and topics to be discussed will include:

• How is art defined in a technological society?
• Are games art and why or why not?
• Should game designers and developers aspire to art or is entertainment enough?
• If games are art, what should the aspirations of the field be?
• How does the growth of technology effect games as an art form?

-- OPPO Digital, Inc. (http://www.oppodigital.com/?partner=814) has released a 20-inch LCD TV/DVD combo, which it claims is "perfect for every gamer’s perfect multimedia center." The enhanced-definition (not hi-def) unit is $599.00.

Get Twisted Sister's latest: at Gametap

To celebrate its first birthday, GameTap, an online game and entertainment portal, is streaming Twisted Sister's latest CD, "A Twisted Christmas." It's the final album of the celebrated band's 30-year career. The stream is available five days, through next week, before the highly-anticipated CD debuts at retail outlets.

In addition, subscribers of GameTap will get exclusive access to all-new, original GameTap TV shows featuring Dee Snider and the band.

“With GameTap, we’re connecting with fans in a way you just couldn’t back in the 80s and 90s,” said Dee Snider, lead singer of Twisted Sister. “It’s about building buzz for our CD, sharing our story through the videos and interviews, and talking about the games and music we love.”

Along with more than 600 games and 400 shows that GameTap’s network currently offers on demand, starting now and continuing through Christmas, subscribers and Twisted Sister fans will be able to:

* Get inside the band’s head on October 17th, as Dee Snider and Jay Jay French talk about the band’s new album, their 30th anniversary and their 9000th performance on a brand new episode of Quick Hit
* Laugh it up while Dee Snider takes his turn in the hot seat with Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast on November 16th
* Watch an exclusive performance of Twisted Sister’s new song “Heavy Metal Christmas” on the new show GameTap Tracks on November 30th
* Experience the fun as the heavy metal legends get animated by the twisted minds at Soup2Nuts in a special Christmas episode of GameTap TV’s popular series Computer Lab

NEWS
The CMP Game Group, organizer of the industry-leading
Game Developers Conference (GDC) and producer of the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, has created GameCareerGuide.com, the first website dedicated to unbiased career guidance in the video game industry.

The site provides comprehensive editorial coverage of career and workplace issues and offer resources to get into the game industry, including school and employment listings, tips, and networking support.

REVIEWS
Clubhouse Games: Part of Nintendo's "Touch Generation" series this is perfect mindless fun for your DS. Nintendo says it's the perfect thing to play when you're spending an average of 23 minutes waiting on your doctor, or you're sitting at the DMV (that was me last month) in a long line.

Clubhouse games features hit board game titles like backgammon, checkers and bridge. This is video gaming anyone can get into easily. You can also play people using the wireless DS interface. At my buddy's house, I played chess with his neighbor next door -- while his neighbor was next door (Rating: 3.0/5)

Dance, Dance Revolution Supernova: People say videogaming leads to a sedentary lifestyle, right? Wrong. Konami's new PS2 game comes with a big mat you lay down on the floor and get on your feet and dance with.

On screen, you see vibrant 3D backgrounds, more than 70 songs and 100 minutes of music to get your groove on with. You try to keep your feet on beat by touching pads on the mat. It's kind of like Twister, only more interactive. You can even hook up with your EyeToy camera and go online with your moves. There's a simple tutorial mode to help you get started and a workout mode to help your chubby gamers get his or her groove back.

This is a fun addition to any game library (Rating 4.0/5).

NBA '07, The Life Vol. 2: This is actually three games in one. You practice, play and live. You do press conferences, sign an agent and play games -- albeit without play-by-play announcers. I don't see a lot different from the 2006 version, which wasn't the greatest game ever, but I like the new white halo effects which help you find soft spots in the defense and rebound.

The Life's weakest point is ease, it's too easy to beat. You'll find that out as you start your career with a series of mini-games to develop your skills. During gameplay, the white halo will light up for a guy who has the best shot. He almost always makes it if you get the ball to him. Even the best players in the world, the guys from Greece and Argentina (OK, I'm just kiddin'), miss open shots sometimes.

Something else that I could've done without was the emphasis on performing showtime moves. Do three in a row and your teams' levels are all boosted. You become like an all-star team and start creaming your competition. This one got old quick (Rating: 2.5/5).

Danny Phantom, Urban Jungle: My 6-year-old likes this game about a kid Superhero who fights a ghost and large weeds (seriously) in a Mario-style fun-fest for the DS from THQ.

This is a top-rated kid's show that attracts 33 million viewers to Nickelodeon each month. In the game, yo take control of Danny's Fenton Flier and will have to learn a new "Freeze Power" to defeat the evil enemy, dude named Undergrowth, who is trying to turn Danny's real world into a forest. (Rating 3.0/5)

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy: This game is based on the popular Cartoon Network show of the same name. Of course, it's popular to everyone but me. I've never seen it. Up to four players can play on PS2. You choose one of 15 characters from the show. You can play in "Mission Mode" where you try to reach 45 different goals, sort of Mario-like, or you can just try to beat the cartoon brains out of one of the other characters.

Each character is unique has his or her own set of abilities and I'd imagine in four player mode, for folks who watch the show, this could quite entertaining. Me? I just thought with all of the violence here, however cartoonish, this game should not have gotten an E for everyone rating (Grade: 2.5/5).

Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2: You've played this game before. You're a cartoon character with serious ninja skills and you battle other like-skilled characters, mostly from a side-on view. This is another TV show turned videogame that I've not seen.

The first edition ranked in the top five games for Nintendo's Gamecube every month since it shipped last March, so the sequel has been rushed out to capitalize on the success. The new game has twice as many characters, up to 23, and twice as many environments. You can have four-player battle royales and there are more game choices for single-person play. But even with all the cool training modes and skill development, this still feels like a lot of games I've played before. But it's done quite well (Rating: 3.5/5).

SOCOM: Combined Assault: Sony sent me a demo disc for this upcoming title. It's a sequel to one of the company's best ever game series. There's an all-new four-play cooperative play mode plus improved enemy tactics.

The final version will contain the full online SOCOM 3 online game and the new PS2 title will have 32 player maps and will have crosstalk functionality with the PSP version. This demo got me drooling for more. Looks good.

Near Wardrobe Malfunction, Great Music for Janet Jackson in "20 YO"

It's been 20 years since Janet Jackson's breakthrough CD, "Control," and in that time, she's become one of the most popular female artists of all time, the best in-concert female artist of all time, one of the most consistent female artists of all time and, in some circles, one of the most villified female artists of all time.

Since the infamous accidental wardrobe malfuction at the 2004 Super Bowl, Jackson has become a punching bag for media and cynical fans. There was supposed to be a piece of clothing left over her breast when Justin Timberlake pulled her top off but truth is, the whole move should've been left out. Jackson apologized for the incident, like Timberlake apologized for it, but for some reason, for Janet, apologizing isn't enough.

The incident introduced her to scores of people and media who hadn't heard her music and many media people bought into the fact that this "stunt" was somehow decided to re-engerize a sagging career, reporting it to the masses. Truth is, Jackson had a No. 1 album and No. 1 hit pop song, both called "All 4 U", in 2001 -- plus one of the highest-rated live concert showings in HBO history -- and was readying a summer 2004 release called "Damita Jo."

When she did the duet with Timberlake, Jackson didn't yet have a project to promote and her record company mistakenly rushed out a bad single, "Just A Little While."

Turns out the album, "Damita Jo," was another in a consisently strong line of work from Jackson. It was her "Dirty Mind," but Jackson has always talked about sex and shown off her body. This was nothing new. But to the new members of the media who were now covering her, it probably seemed like overkill, given what she'd just been through -- and they were probably right. Jackson should've toned down her image a bit, at least for awhile.

The album got strong reviews and had platinum sales. It didn't do Janet Jackson numbers, but if you believe what you read, Damita Jo was a flop. It didn't go multi-platinum mainly because radio wouldn't play it and MTV wouldn't play her videos for "I Want You" and "All Nite," two songs that would've been out-of-the-park hits at any other point in Jackson's career.

And now, comes her latest project, "20 Y.O." reflecting the 20 years since "Control." This is the best pop/R&B album to come along this year, breezing past strong efforts from Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake, a good record from Beyonce' -- and smashing lackluster efforts from Ciara, Rihanna and Fergie.

This is the album most of the young female pop stars want to make. It debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Top 100 album chart this week with sales of just under 300,000. It's chock full of hits. The car-bumping slow-jam duet with rapper Nelly, "Call On Me," is a toe tapper that's already shot to No. 1 on Billboard's R&B charts twice.

The current single, "So Excited," samples Herbie Hancock's classic, "Rock-it," and freshens it with good results. There really isn't a bad song on the album, save for the final track, "Love 2 Love", and throughout Jackson pays homage to her earlier work through samples and memorable cord lines.

I'm not sure if radio is going to be friendly to this project, but there are tons of potential mega-hit singles, mainly the fifth track, "Do It 2 me," a drum-less club-bopper and the kind of track Jackson hasn't done before. It's hard to get out of your head. "This Body" will remind you of "Black Cat" with a heavy bass line and finds Jackson playing the role of magazine centerfold for a man dreaming of her really coming to life.

On the second half, the album mellows out with great results. Just when you think "Daybreak" is the perfect happy song (and the perfect successor to "Escapade"), along comes "Enjoy," with its kids-singing-the-chorus ending and the solid ballad, "Take Care," which is something anyone who's been in a long distance relationship can relate to.

Virgin Records sent me a special DVD packaging of the CD, which includes a 20-page color booklet of Jackson pictures and lyrics. You also get a free online download to a remix of "Call On Me," which will fit nicely on your iPod. The DVD has tons of behind the scenes footage and shows Jackson filming the video for "Call On Me," dancing so hard she very nearly pops out of her top creating the aforementioned Wardrobe Malfuction II.

As soon as it happens, she smiles at the camera people, embarrassed and surprised. I think if people get past the Jackson backlash and listen to the music here, they might be surprised at how good it really is (Ratiing 4.5/5).

Pass the time with online Murder Mystery

I like a good mystery so I was happy to try SR Entertainment's new online live-action game, Mystery At Mansfield Manor

It's a live-action murder mystery acted by real people where you choose actions via a click of the mouse. Slow internet connections can be frustrating but the game is almost like watching and playing an episode of a serial TV show like "Vanished" or "Kidnapped" or "Lost."

You play as a detective, Frank Mitchell, who is about to retire. He's sent to investigate the murder of a weathly oil man and when you arrive at the mansion, you take control of Frank's actions. As you play, a clock in the upper left hand corner counts down the time you have to solve the murder.

For $7 you get unlimited access for four days and start by questioning the victim's maid and other suspects. You have to figure out who's lying and find the best clues. There's more than two hours of video and multiple endings.

It's a nice change of pace from slamming your thumbs all over your PS2 remote (Rating: 3/5).

NOTES
-- id Software’s DOOM is available now for the Xbox 360 via download from Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade. The game is available in most worldwide markets for 800 points and is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB.

Originally created by id Software, and developed for Xbox Live Arcade by Nerve Software, DOOM delivers all the original nightmarish demons and hellish zombies in enhanced graphics supporting High-Definition displays along with 5.1 Surround Sound. Gamers can also unlock a full array of achievements and access leaderboards featuring match-making capabilities for the ultimate Deathmatch competition.

-- NAMCO has released a new trailer for Snoopy vs. the Red Baron, giving fans a brand new look at the upcoming title featuring Snoopy, Woodstock and the rest of the Peanuts gang.

In the game, Snoopy imagines himself as a virtuoso flying ace on a gallant quest to defend the skies and save Charlie Brown from the evil Red Baron.

-- Mobliss has launched a mobile phone version of the TV hit, Deal Or No Deal. Timed with the fall launch of the hit game show on
NBC, casual gamers and hard-core fans can test their luck against The Banker while on the go. Click here for more info.

-- WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 demo is now available for free download via Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The demo will let players battle in a RAW arena exhibition match featuring World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) SuperStars Triple H and Kane in either single player or two-player, head-to-head game play mode. The demo comes less than seven weeks before the game's scheduled release on November 14 for the Xbox 360, PS2 and PSP.

-- Consumers can visit http://www.goldenram.com/ for a free assessment of what upgrades a computer might need. It's an interesting software that is often dead on, based on my tests using several different set-ups.

--

Please no Panthers on Madden 08

I've got some advice for Steve Smith or Jake Delhomme or Julius Peppers or Keyshawn Johnson or any Carolina Panther who might be offered the cover for the 2008 John Madden NFL Football videogame.

To borrow a phrase for a famous shoe company: Just (don't) do it.

There is a Madden curse.

This year's Madden videogame cover boy, Shaun Alexander now has a broken foot. The three players on the cover before him had similar problems: Donovan McNabb missed seven games last year with a sports hernia, Ray Lewis missed the final game of 2004 with a broken wrist and Michael Vick broke his leg in the 2003 pre- season.

The game is phenomenal every year but what happens to the cover boys is not. Perhaps it's time for EA Sports to go with a generic cover. Just so long as it doesn't feature anything about the Panthers, right?

DirecTV to be sold? Wii On Tour

It looks like Rupert Murdoch may be wanting to sell his 38 percent controlling interest in the DirecTV satellite service. According to one media outlet, Murdoch labeled DirecTV a "turd bird" and may sell to Liberty Media, which is buying larger and larger shares of his News Corp.

Murdoch wants to buy back his News Corp stocks and wants apparently to divest of satellite TV, which he views as having a poor future going against cablecos who are offering the triple play of phone/cable/high speed internet services.

I think satellite can prosper but it's going to have to focus on what it can do: deliver all digital signals at affordable prices. I'm not sure satellite is going to be able to compete any other way.

If I were Time Warner cable, I'd be signing a deal with TiVo like Comcast has done. That would lure thousands of local DirecTV customers frustrated by flagging customer services, poor DVR units and lack of HD channels. One reason many DirecTV customers are loathe to switch, however, is because of cable's rising costs and poor receiving equipment.

As for DirecTV, it's hurt itself in the marketplace by being slow to implement HD channels, though it promises to have the largest HD capacity next year. DirecTV has also gotten away from one of its biggest draws -- and biggest advantages over cable -- its TiVo-based receiver.

DirecTV is now offering an receiver based on News Corp technology that reportedly is not working nearly as well as advertised. A new HD model was recently released. But if NewsCorp sells, DirecTV would be smart to go back to TiVo, which had helped the satcaster scores literally millions of of loyal custumers.

There's been a lot of speculation already that DirecTV may again try to merge with DISH network, but FCC cthhairman Kevin Martin said regulators still would be reluctant to greenlight a mergee sat providers, who tried a similar merger in 2002.

NOTES
-- Want to catch an early glimpse of Nintendo's new Wii console? The company is launching a 35-city tour starting Sept. 27. At each tour stop, more than 35 Wii units will be hooked up for play.

The tour stops in Winston-Salem Oct. 10 and Myrtle Beach Oct. 11. No Charlotte stop is scheduled.

Gamers can pick up the unique Wii Remote controller and start playing, regardless of their video game experience. Some of the Wii titles scheduled to make the rounds on the tour include Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Wii Sports and WarioWare

-- NAMCO BANDAI Games America announced today that The Fast & The Furious has gone gold for the PS2. Inspired by the film from Universal Pictures, The Fast & The Furious allows fans to race in their own highly customizable cars. Players will have more than 100 cars with over 300 body kits to choose from. The Fast & The Furious will be released Sept 26

-- SEGA of America, SEGA Europe and Deep Fried Entertainment have partnered to create game content for the PSP. Based in Vancouver, Canada, Deep Fried Entertainment is an independent development studio launched in June 2005 by five industry veterans who have been key team members on such titles as Need for Speed: Underground 1 & 2, NFL Gameday, and Baldur's Gate.

"SEGA understands the handheld market like few other publishers," said Deep Fried Entertainment Chief Operating Officer Brenda Bailey. "This understanding of the market, coupled with SEGA's deep respect for creativity and innovation, makes the company an ideal partner for our team."

-- Norcent's LT -2090WPL and LT-2090WBK LCD TVs are aimed at college students with dorm rooms wired for Internet and cable access. To take advantage of the easy accessibility and to conserve space, the LT-2090 can be used as a television or computer monitor. The SRS audio enhancement can be used to clearly play back lectures, MP3 files and more.
Available in black or pearl white, the LT-2090 has a bright, high definition panel that will display crisp clear HD content with the addition of an HDTV tuner. The panel resolution is 1366 X 768 with a 16:9 aspect ratio, built-in NTSC tuner; high contrast ratio of 1000:1; and a brightness level of at least 500 Cd/m. Composite, Component, S-video, and PC inputs add to its versatility and multi-media functionality.
Other features include wall mounting capability (wall mount not included); V-Chip technology; parental control; sleep timer; and three on-screen menu languages. The estimated street price is $469.99.

Nintendo's Wii clobbers PlayStation 3 on price

Let the video console wars officially begin.

Nintendo's new Wii console will debut Nov. 19, two days after Sony's PS3, at a price of $249.99. The price includes one wireless Wii Remote controller, one Nunchuk controller and a collection of five different Wii Sports games on one disc, which anyone can play using simple movements.

Every Wii console includes a series of on-screen "channels" that make up the Wii Channel Menu, the starting point for all of the console's functions.

When connected to a TV, the Wii Channel Menu offers a simple interface, letting users pick games to play, get news or weather, view and send photos or even create playable caricatures of themselves to use in actual games.

Wii's new controller allows users to pinpoint targets in games or move through the Wii Channel Menu with precision and ease. For example, in the Wii Sports tennis game, players swing the Wii Remote like a racket to hit the ball, as in real life. They can add topspin or slice the ball just by angling their hands and wrist like they would in a real match.

"Wii reinvents games for the devoted player," says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "But more importantly, Wii breaks the wall separating players from non-players by delivering the best game experiences for the most affordable price. We believe the next leap is games for the masses -- young and old, gamer or non, alone, with a friend or with the whole family."

By Dec. 31, Nintendo will have 30 software titles available, including several big names at launch: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and EXCITE TRUCK.

Nintendo titles will sell for $49.99, about $10 cheaper than Xbox 360. Third party companies, such as EA, will set their own pricing for Nintendo titles.

Other key features? Wii's self-loading media bay can play the entire library of more than 530 Nintendo GameCube titles from day one.

"I believe the Wii will attract new and casual gamers to the world of interactive entertainment," says Larry Probst, Chairman and CEO, Electronic Arts. "It's a fun, easy and economical system that will become a bridge to gaming for mainstream audiences. At EA, we are putting more support behind the Wii than any Nintendo hardware launch since the Super NES."

The key strategy here, of course, is price. Wii is not the technical powerhouse that Xbox 360 and PS3 are, but you'll be able to buy it when it launches. PS3 will be in limited supply, much like 360 was when it launched late last year.

And at $250, Wii will be less than half the cost for the PlayStation 3. The XBox 360, currently, is $399 with a hard drive or $299 without. And you pretty much need the hard drive to really enjoy the unit.

Only 400,000 PS3s are scheduled to be available in the U.S. Nintendo plans to ship four million Wiis worldwide, about double what Sony is projecting for the PS3s. So when you go to Wal-Mart and can't find PS3, guess what will be sitting there waiting? Plus, according to published reports, you'll be able to surf the Internet on your TV with your Wii console, display digital photos and play DVDs.

A New York Times report said that classic Nintendo games will be downloadable to Wii for a cost of $5 to $10 per game and there will be 30 at launch.

I wonder if Microsoft will lower prices for its Xbox to compete. If so, PS3 would really be a heavy gorilla at $500 or more if the competition is all $300 or less. This could get interesting.

I keep wondering, though, if it would be better for Sony to drop two PS3s, much like Microsoft has done. Create one with all the bells and whistles, including the HD DVD player, and charge $575 or whatever for it. Then create a leaner version that doesn't have the more expensive parts and compete with the competition pricewise.

Is PlayStation 3 in trouble?

Throughout the internet, reports are that Sony's going to have some trouble with its new PlayStation 3 unit.

Just what the videogame world needs to hear, right?

Merrill Lynch reported this week that the PS3 may not launch in Japan until the fall and late 2006 or early 2007 here in the U.S., and then in limited supply. The holdup appears to be money.

For Sony to put in an HD-DVD player and the powerful new processor, the costs reportedly would rise to nearly $900 per unit and the machine is expected to go for $500. That's too much money to lose per unit. Spectulation is rampant that the PS3 we see this year (or next) may not be the PS3 we were expecting.

Thursday, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi announced that a half million PS3s would be available at launch in the US and Japan, but no Euro sales would occur until 2007. Japan will get 100,000 units and the US the remaining 400,000.

Sony reps still say they hope to get as many as 1.4 million units into the U.S. by year's end. That would still be more than double the amount Microsoft sold when it debuted Xbox 360 late last year, with problems -- mainly because there were not enough 360s available for sale.

Meanwhile, one website, GameKlip, has uploaded a funny anime depicting a mock trial over whether Sony has lied to customers.

Should be interesting. I just hope the system is as good as promised.

Geek Fest -- & FREE STUFF -- coming to CPCC next week

CPCC's third annual Geek Fest kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at CPCC's Levine Campus in Matthews.

The school says the festival will feature "cutting-edge industry, media, gadgets, hardware, software, services, innovations, education," plus vendor demonstrations, guest speakers, webcasts, video game tournaments, music, contests.

The school says, most importantly, there will be lots of FREE STUFF.

Student-focused content and activities run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Professional focused content and activities will be from 1-4 p.m.

At 1 p.m., keynote speaker Dr. Mark Benno, Education Development Executive with Apple Computer, will address the topic, “The Digital Age: Teaching and Learning for Tomorrow Today.” Benno will discuss skills students need in today’s digital workplace.

Of course, there'll be plenty of information on CPCC programs that can help the "regular people" learn more about technology, including automotive technology, music, computer programming, simulation and game development, engineering, eLearning, and more.

Participants can register to win big prizes including three Apple iPods, two Macromedia Adobe Studio 8 programs, games and software, gift certificates, free CPCC corporate and continuing education courses, shirts, gaming competitions and more.

NOTES

-- Aquaman has joined the characters on the upcoming Justice League Heroes video game. He joins Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Zatanna and the previously announced unlockable Green Arrow. JLH will arrive in Fall 2006 for the PS2, Xbox, PSP, GBA and DS.

Aquaman will aid his fellow Justice Leaguers in the fight to stop Brainiac and his evil forces, including Killer Frost and The Key, and restore peace to the world.

Ready, set, go: Create games

Microsoft has released the first public beta of its XNA Game Studio Express I told you about yesterday.

The software allows anyone to create videogames for XBox 360 and the Windows PC environments.

Novice game creators can download the tool today at no charge. The games built on Windows PCs can be migrated to the Xbox 360 console system starting this holiday season as part of the XNA Creators Club subscription for $99 a year, or a four-month trial cost of $49, opening up retail console game development to anyone for the first time.

Already, more than 100 schools have requested information on how they can incorporate XNA Game Studio Express into their curricula, including Southern Methodist University’s Guildhall and the University of Southern California’s GamePipe, Microsoft announced additional support from DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington, a leader in the field of digital interactive entertainment education.

Through its ProjectFUN software running on XNA Game Studio Express and summer workshops starting in 2007, DigiPen will bring Xbox 360 console game development for the first time ever to thousands of children ages 10 through 16.

“XNA Game Studio Express is an incredibly accessible tool for making games for Microsoft’s game platforms and will provide our university students with modern tools and console development experience,” said Claude Comair, founder and chairman of the board at DigiPen Institute of Technology. “And now with our ProjectFun for XNA Game Studio Express, we’re eager to extend our educational offerings on Windows and Xbox 360 to include young children.”

The final version of XNA Game Studio Express launches in time for Christmas with a professional version launching in spring 2007.

NOTES
-- Ubisoft has announced release of Brothers In Arms D-Day, a World War II squad-based action game developed specifically for the PSP system. Players will experience the intensity of WWII through the stories of Sergeants Baker and Hartsock and their squad of paratroopers during the Normandy invasion.

-- Gamer’s Gate announced release of Bad day L.A, a cinematic satire that plays off the “fear culture” of modern America by plunging players into a storyline where the city of Los Angeles is barraged with disasters. The game combines comedy, chaos management gameplay, a unique art style created by Kozyndan, an over-the-top ironic story and a cast of characters that find themselves in goofy, often surreal missions.

-- Capcom's Dead Rising, the company’s first game for Xbox 360, has shipped more than 500,000 units within the first two weeks of its launch. Dead Rising is an M-rated, action horror game that follows the harrowing tale of Frank West, an overly zealous freelance photojournalist in pursuit of the story of a lifetime. What he finds is a small suburban town completely overrun by zombies. He seeks refuge in the local shopping mall, but soon learns it is far from the safe haven he had thought.

-- Konami has shipped Bomberman: Act Zero for the Xbox 360. In the game, players are challenged to survive through 99 stages as they try to escape an experimental underground facility and destroy their opponents to fight for survival in a terrifying industrial future. Zero features a breakthrough “FPB” (First Person Bomber) mode that gives players complete control over the camera, allowing for a tight over the shoulder view of the action or a birds-eye perspective of the entire battlefield.

-- The latest official Oblivion plug-in, Spell Tomes, will be available for download on Xbox Live and at OblivionDownloads.com Thursday.

Want to design videogames for Microsoft?

You've been around the pool, at the mall, or in your best friend's living room -- spanking him in Halo -- and you've thought, "I can design a game this good."

I know you have, or at least some of you have (judging from my emails).

Now, Microsoft has created a way for you to create your own XBox 360 or PC titles with its new XNA Game Studio Express. The company says it will "democratize game development by delivering the necessary tools to hobbyists, students, indie developers and studios alike to help them bring their creative game ideas to life while nurturing game development talent, collaboration and sharing that will benefit the entire industry."

Sounds interesting.

The development tools drop in time for Christmas and will be free to anyone with a Windows-based PC.

By joining a "creators club" for an annual subscription fee of $99, users will be able to build, test and share 360 games and download materials to speed up the development process.

The XNA Game Studio Express beta will be available Aug. 30 as a free download on Windows XP, for development on the Windows XP platform.

Of course, there's always the chance that you'll create the next big thing and your title will be bought by Microsoft. I think it's a good move that -- like American Idol -- may deliver some new stars from unexpected places. Better yet, it may give us the groundbreaking games we've craved as well as present some new ideas to make current games better.

NOTES
-- Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson is the cover boy for EA Sports' upcoming NFL Street 3, due in November.

“This is a big honor to be selected for the cover since street football was the first step to learning our moves for our pro careers,” said Johnson, now sporting a blonde mohawk. “I really like this game and it is so much fun to play with all the new airborne moves you can do now.”

Johnson, a member of the Bengals since 2001, is widely regarded as one of NFL’s elite wideouts, leading the AFC in receptions and receiving yards in 2005-06 and has earned three straight Pro Bowl selections.

In the new game, players can now jump into the air to collect items and game modifiers that exist above the playing field which can change the way the game is played. Once airborne, players can pull off style moves that rack up even more points. Also new to the game is the ability to control the Gamebreakers and pull off extreme power moves that are available to both the offense and the defense.

-- The technology Paris Hilton used to instantly upload her video to YouTube is called ShoZu. ShoZu has given various Warner Brothers artists ShoZu enabled cell phones that instantly upload pictures and video to a wide assortment of photo sharing and viral video sites.

No longer is there a time delay and need to upload content from a PC, with ShoZu it is done straight from the phone with the click of a single button. The technology also lets the user add comments, tags and will notify them once somebody posts comments on the website creating a totally interactive experience strait from the cell phone.

-- DISH Network subs will have on-demand access to Warner Bros. current and catalog titles on the satellite net's video on demand service and its pay-per-view services, including HD.

DISH Network's On Demand service gives customers the power to enjoy movies and other programs whenever they want and is currently available on the DISH Player-DVR 508, DISH Player-DVR 510, DISH Player-DVR 625 and ViP622 DVR receivers.

"Warner Bros. is a great addition to both DISH On Demand and Pay-Per-View," said Susan Arnold, vice president of Programming for EchoStar. "Hit movies such as "V for Vendetta" greatly enhance the variety of movie titles available to our customers."

-- In the Xbox Live marketplace this week, you can play a demo of the new Madden game. You play 1 minute quarters, Pittsburgh against Seattle.

-- Electronic Arts selected the Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki, Memphis Grizzlies’ Pau Gasol, San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker and Phoenix Suns’ Boris Diaw to join the Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady on the NBA LIVE 07 All-Star team as worldwide cover athletes and spokespersons.

Scheduled for release September 25, NBA LIVE 07 introduces a new, more intuitive AI system, advancements to fan-favorite features like All-Star Weekend and Dynasty Mode, and for the first time ESPN Motion and streaming ESPN radio podcasts.

Nintendo ready to tangle with Sony, Microsoft?

With all the attention being heaped on Sony's upcoming PS3 and Microsoft's excellent XBox 360, I still have a feeling that the biggest winner from the upcoming console wars could be Nintendo.

I don't think the Mario Company is going to topple the big two in sales, but I think it's going to create its strongest niche market yet, harkening back the days of its original console machines.

And in the hand-held market, Nintendo continues to thrive. Last week, the two millionth unique player logged onto the company's wireless gaming service. Nintendo issued a press release claiming that the population of its Wi-Fi Connection now surpasses the population of 15 U.S. states, including Montana, Nebraska and New Mexico.

In just nine months, more than 70 million game connections have een made.

REVIEWS
Star Fox Command: One of my favorite Nintendo console games ever looks great on the handheld DS, where you play again as Fox McCloud -- leader of an elite team of space pilots.

Star Fox is now Wi-Fi enabled, so you can play up to five players over local wireless connections or take on three players around the world via Nintendo's Wi-Fi service.

But it's also cool to play the computer, using the DS touch screen to drop bombs, steer your plane and even rubbing the screen to send your craft into a barrel roll. The creativity allowed by the screen, at least in the console and handheld world, is unparalleled.

Overall, the game's cool, too (Rating: 3.5/5)

NOTES
-- PNY Technologies has released three new Verto GeForce graphics cards, which are built to support the upcoming Microsoft Windows Vista. These cards will allow gamers to run the latest releases at the highest resolution settings on PCs.

"Video card buyers demand the highest quality graphics they can afford based on their PC's hardware requirements and primary applications," said Nicholas Mauro, senior marketing manager for PNY Technologies consumer graphics cards and memory. "For instance, all cards that feature Microsoft DirectX 9.0 will allow users to take their Vista operating experience to the next level. The recent additions to our Verto graphics card lineup support DirectX 9.0 and provide users with the flexibility to enjoy the latest HD gaming and video applications without sacrificing dollars for performance."

A little about each card:

• Verto GeForce 7600 GS AGP 8X – Features high-definition, home-theater quality video via an AGP platform. The card includes a 512MB frame buffer, 400 MHz core clock, 128-bit memory interface as well as a DVI-to-VGA adapter, S-Video Cable and HDTV Break-Out Pod. MSRP $199
• Verto GeForce 7600 GS PCIe – Equipped with 512MB of frame buffer memory and NVIDIA SLI ready, users will enjoy increased bandwidth and up to 2x the performance of a single GPU configuration. By allowing two graphics cards to run in parallel, SLI dramatically scales performance on today's hottest games. MSRP $199
• Verto GeForce 7300 GT PCIe – Users will enjoy home-theatre quality video with the 7300 GT's 256MB frame buffer, 350MHZ core clock, 128-bit memory interface as well as a DVI-to-VGA adapter, S-Video Cable and HDTV Break-Out Pod. MSRP $149

-- Want to take your Hi-Def movies with you? Toshiba’s new Qosmio G35-AV660 laptop can do that. It's got an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, an enhanced version of its industry-leading digital entertainment notebook PC with HD DVD-ROM drive.

The increased processing power also enhances the standard capabilities of Toshiba’s Qosmio notebook line, such as viewing live TV from a cable or satellite feed with an integrated TV tuner, recording and pausing live TV or recording future programs through a digital video recorder (DVR), managing or playing video or audio files, or multi-tasking with other applications. In addition, the Qosmio G35-AV660 incorporates two 5400 RPM serial ATA 120GB hard drives for storage of TV programs, music and other files as well as 2048MB DDR2 memory.

Bottom line? It'll blow your desktop out of the water.

-- Time Warner Cable in Charlotte has debuted "Carolina On Demand," a new on-demand channel that produces its customers free, on-demand content from News 14 Carolina on Channel 814.

Nintendo selling eight games per minute?

The PSP is cool and all, but Nintendo's new DS Lite is the coolest hand held game you can buy right now.

On Sept. 13, Nintendo will add two new colors, Onyx and Coral Pink, to the roster, to go with the sweet Polar White, the one I am playing as am I writing this blog.

The smaller and lighter DS Lite fits into little hands perfectly (just ask my 6-year-old son who won't put it down) and it's helping Nintendo do some crazy sales figures. New Super Mario Bros has hit the 1 million sales mark in three months in the U.S. Nintendo claims that's eight games sold each minute since launch.

Overall, DS system and game sales are both up more than 300 percent in July alone.

"Not only are the DS Lite screen and battery life incredible," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "But the new colors just add another element of fun, allowing people to 'personalize' who they are by the color, or colors they pick."

Other hot DS games are Animal Crossing(R): Wild World (800,000--plus sold), Brain Age(TM): Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day (4 million units plus worldwide) and Big Brain Academy (nearly 2 million sold to date worldwide).

NOTES

-- 2K announced that Seth MacFarlane, creator and producer of the popular hit television series Family Guy, along with the rest of the cartoon's main cast, will voice characters in the first official Family Guy video game, which is scheduled to ship this fall.

-- By the time Microsoft Windows Vista operating system is launched in early 2007, an impressive lineup of titles will be available for gamers looking to get next-generation features, including quicker installations and increased platform stability. Vista will feature DirectX 10, which, combined with hardware provided by graphics processor creators, will result in the most graphically intense games experiences ever seen in a computer or video game.

LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts) is the sequel to the best-selling “LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game,” combining the fun and endless customization ability of the LEGO play pattern with the epic story, characters and action from the revolutionary “Star Wars.”

Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania (Microsoft Game Studios), the latest expansion pack for the award-winning “Zoo Tycoon 2” franchise, allows gamers to turn their dream zoo into an aquatic extravaganza with 20 new marine animals and the ability to create extraordinary aquatic shows.

-- Xbox 360 will be the only place players can experience the next generation of soccer games this holiday. FIFA 07 from Electronic Arts will take you to the pitch with an all-new soccer engine and online technology allowing you to play with and follow your favorite teams from around the world. Also, Konami will bring Pro Evolution Soccer 6 to Xbox 360, which will have gamers controlling their favorite teams in matches spanning the globe.

-- Guild Wars Nightfall, the next game in the award-winning and critically-acclaimed Guild Wars franchise, will be available in stores worldwide October 27. In the new game, players must fight to hold back the night as a mad ruler attempts to free an outcast god and bring darkness to the continent of Elona. But players won't fight alone.

Guild Wars Nightfall introduces new customizable Heroes who level up, follow player instructions in combat, and use skills and equipment of the player's choosing.

A special Collector's Edition will include the Guild Wars Nightfall game as well as a Making of Guild Wars Nightfall behind-the-scenes DVD, a collector's art book, collectible skill pins, a character mini-standee, a poster-sized map of Elona, the Guild Wars Nightfall soundtrack CD, and more.

-- SEGA's Virtua Tennis 3 will allow you to challenge top women's players as well as men's. You can now choose to play best-of-5 set matches.

Virtua Tennis 3 will be available in spring 2007 on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP. Players on the game include 2006 Wimbledon Champion Amelie Mauresmo, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, and Martina Hingis. Nicole Vaidisova, Lindsay Davenport, and Daniela Hantuchova.

Male stars include four time Wimbledon Champion Roger Federer, as well as Rafael Nadal, James Blake, Andy Roddick, Tim Henman, Lleyton Hewitt, David Nalbandian, Sebastien Grosjean, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Tommy Haas.

This time, Madden is worth the wait

Let's take care of this right off the bat. Madden '07, for the XBox 360 is the greatest video football game ever created. It's better than any previous Madden. It kills the first Xbox 360 version, released hurridly last season, and it stomps on NFL 2K5 and any other video football game you played.

It's does everything well. My only quip: No John Madden or Al Michaels in the game, again. This is probably due to the fact that Madden's partner wasn't named during much of the design of the game (remember, work begins on the new title pretty much as soon as the current one releases).

So next year, I'm expecting to see Michaels, Madden and the entire NBC feel integrated into the game -- plus the pre-, halftime and postgame shows featuring the new roster of NBC talent, or the kind of things that are present on a two-year-old game from 2K Sports, NFL 2K5 for PS2 and the original XBox.

That said, there are tons of new features on Madden 07, including the ability to control your lead blocker to open a hole for you. This is a complex operation that took awhile to master. But once you do, it opens up new doors.

In Franchise mode, you can scout college prospects and real plays from your favorite teams' defensive playbook are used.

The all-new highlight stick allows you to make moves that real players would make, that are specific to the type player you're controlling, i.e., a 300-pound defensive tackle is not going to dyke a 200-pound DB with a spin move.

On PS2, you can transfer an entire season in Franchise mode to your PSP system and take it with you.

You have the ability to create a player, take him through tryouts, hire an agent, do interviews and get drafted. Then you can control only that player during games. It's a neat feature to mess around with every once in awhile, but it didn't hook me.

What hooked me, on Xbox 360, was how beautiful everything was. This is one of the best looking videogames, of any genre, I've ever seen. You may remember how the first 360 Madden was rather cartoonish, as the new NCAA game can be at times.

This one looks so much better. It plays faster. Control is better. Animations are improved. I didn't see any players running through each other. I saw video Dan Morgan leaping over video Daunte Culpepper after video Julius Peppers had twirled Culpepper around in a realistic 360 degree tackle, slamming him hard to the ground.

Realism is way up and so is the fun factor. It's not hard to start playing this at 10 p.m. and forget what you're doing, and suddenly it's 3:30 a.m. on a worknight and you've got to get up in three hours.

Online play is fast and smooth with 360. I experienced zero lag times (though I did notice players fatigued very slowly online as compared to the real life type fatique in head-to-head or me vs. the computer).

There are a lot of people who complain about this game saying EA only updates the rosters each year. To an extent they are right. This is essentially the same game engine we've played on for years. But I think it's a smart move. People know how to play this immediately. They know what to expect.

And EA's plan seems to work. This game made $250 million last year and has earned about $1.5 billion since being introduced in 1989. Essentially, this is EA releasing a "Spider Man" or "Pirates" movie every summer.

There's been plenty enough tweaks to satisfy the hard-core gamer. Ultimately for me, I want the Madden experience to be as close to watching an NFL game as possible. The gameplay is about there right now. We need announcers and highlight shows to really take us to the next level, and I want the fans involved even more. Have them chant "DE-FENSE" at home when the home team needs a stop, boo poor play or get loud at the right times.

These new crowds are eons better than what we've seen in the past, but they mostly bounce up and down.

It's about the only thing I would change. But it'll have me waiting for next year. And right now, things are pretty sweet (grade: A).

Coaches Corner

Every year, West Charlotte High football coach Pete Gilchrist, the biggest Madden-head I know, offers his expert opinion of the new game. I gave him the Xbox version two weeks ago and let him have at it.

His thoughts:

"This game is made for all levels of Madden players. The "AI" is set up to take away the go-to plays -- used by those players who find one play and run it over and over -- and for the more experienced player the "A.I" defensive response is on the money with the defenses you call.

"The game checks are set up to help you change responsibiltys within a certain defense easier. The QB vision is still a part of this game (which I hate) but after a year of this unwanted feature it is not as distracting. The plays are more realistic: precision passing is a big, welcome return to the game. The juke moves were hard to work, mainly because I'm used to the PS2 controller.

"All in all, I would give this game a B+ , mainly because the QB Vision feature is a drawback. One suggestion? Allow the Vision to improve or falter as the season goes on depending how the season is going for that QB."

Madden Challenge Starts Sept. 1

Think you're a great Madden-ite? The 2006 Madden Challenge, the only official EA tournament, kicks off Sept. 1 to try to find the best Madden player going.

This year, the tournament expands from North America to Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Hong Kong.

The winners from 26 US cities and five international tournaments move to the finals, held during the Pro Bowl week in Hawaii in February. The winner pockets a check for $100,000. The regional winners each pocket $1,000.

The challenge will be played on Xbox and Xbox 360. It hits Charlotte Oct. 28 at Concord Mills.

• The full Madden Challenge schedule

Madden about to get some competition?

It appears that the folks from 2KSports are planning to launch a new professional football game, based on a fictional league called the PFL.

As you recall EA Sports, owners of the Madden franchise, signed an exclusive rights agreement with the NFL so that it would be the only company licensed to use NFL players, logos and stadiums in its games.

It essentially wiped out the competition.

Now 2K, which was nipping at Madden's heels with its excellent 2K series of NFL titles, is apparently planning to get back into the game with teams like the Miami Hammerheads, Pittsburgh Iron Men and New Orleans Soul.

Now we know the folks at 2K make an excellent sports game. In many ways their NFL games, when fully licensed, were a more immersive experience than Madden titles, and 2K's NBA line is clearly better than what we've seen on NBA Live lately.

But will gamers play with fake teams in fake stadiums? We know they're willing, to a degree, to have fake names, as we've witnessed from college games. And true gamers know who No. 89 from the Panthers is or who No. 12 for New England is.

This might get interesting. All that said, I'm not allowed to release my official review of Madden '07 until Aug. 22, but after first blush, the game is the best Madden ever, so 2K7 or 2K8, which I'm hoping comes out, will have to be on point. I think competition makes everybody better.

REVIEWS
Sudoku Gridmaster: Dude, I love puzzle games, especially this mindless game which has you arrange numbers in order. It's like Seinfeld, a game about nothing. Like Seinfeld was (at least to some people; I never saw a single episode), it's terribly addicting.

Do a google search on Sudoku and you'll find hundreds of games to play on your PC. You can find them in papers and paperbacks to play on the road. Played on the Nintendo DS with this game, you don't need a pen and paper anymore and you don't need to sit at your computer table, either.

There's four difficulty settings and hints (really cheats) plus more than 400 Sudoku puzzles to keep you busy. I am enjoying this one. Mindlessly (Rating: 3.5/5)

Barnyard: This is based on an upcoming movie that I'd heard nothing about and it is really one of those life-based games where you just walk around and talk to people, or in this case animals. You solve a few puzzles and check out your 'hood, sometimes on a bike.

I wanted more action, and the worst news of all, my 6-year-old son, Trey, didn't go for it, either. His response after five minutes? "Dad, where Tiger Woods?" (Rating: 1.5/5)

Magnetica: Kind of like pinball for your Nintendo DS. You use the little stylus thingy on the DS to deal with this game, called Puzz Loop, in the arcade.

Your mission is to fire marbles at each other and make them blow up, while not letting the chain reach the end of the line.

This is one of those games I usually play while I'm waiting for my barber, Bernard Monroe, to call me to The Chair. I got so into this thing, beeping and buzzing and exploding, I almost lost my turn. It moves fast and sucks you in. It's one of those, "I can't believe I'm into this but I am" type of titles. Give it a shot (Rating: 3/5).

Dead Rising: Now, this is a great looking title on the X-360 system. You play as a freelance photographer chasing a big story. He lands in a sleepy town only to find out it's Zombie-ville. OK you've heard this before.

What's cool is you find safe haven in a shopping mall and have to try your hardest to keep the bad guys out of South Park and figure out how all of this started. The zombies are truly gruesome looking and just about anything you see in the game can be used as a weapon. We're talking lights, poles, books.

Time is key. Zombies are stronger -- and faster -- at night. Time moves on even if your character is at rest. Inside the mall, you'll find a variety of stores with a variety of weapons to help you stay alive. You'll also find some other survivors who may help you out.

The time tool used here is really cool. You have a set time to solve the mystery and if you're not careful you'll miss key plot developments. Oh, and you got to eat, too, to replinish your strength (rating: 4.0/5).

Working out at home or in the gym? What do you say?

This year, I made a resolution to try to get back in shape. I bought some size 38 pants in the fall, and I took a picture with wifey over Christmas and my face was, well, a bit more rounded than in some I remembered.

I have been a member of the YMCA since 1988 and used to play basketball in the Dowd location like a demon. I met a lot of lifelong friends there, but after breaking my wrist badly in '95 -- trying to dunk a rebound -- I gave up hoopin' and hoopin' pretty much was my only exercise.

So I slowly gained weight because I ate the same. Finally I decided to do something after seeing that picture over Christmas.

Getting to the YMCA was going to be hard because I have two kids and a full time job that has me running all times of the day and night. I went to the YMCA and met with a trainer and got a workout regimen even though I knew it would be hard to follow.

I figured I'd better try working out at home. We have had a treadmill here for a number of years (one of my previous failed experiments), so I dusted it off and began using it. I found, for me, it was much easier to hop on, turn on "Golf Central" and go, any time I felt. Didn't have to get dressed or drive to the gym.

As it turns out, the people from EFI Sports Medicine recently sent me a Total Gym to test. It's much better than the cheapy version you'd buy at Dick's and better than the one you see Chuck Norris advertise on television, too. She's not cheap, at about $2,400, but EFI offers several payment plan options that make it cheaper than buying a gym membership in some cases.

And let me tell you, Total Gym works. I get just as much "burn" as I do on the YMCA machines and I don't have to wait in line to use them, so I get a consistent cardio workout too.

I asked two friends -- one who works out regularly and one who has never worked out -- to come by and test out the Total Gym with me. I'll be reporting the results here over the next few weeks. And, if you have home exercise equipment or prefer working at the gym, I'd love to read your comments here.

NOTES

-- iH7 has a couple interesting back to school products. One is an iPod alarm clock with dual speakers. So instead of waking up to your favorite radio DJ or some music you hate, you can wake up to music you love (and your parents hate). Plus, with the great speaker array, it'll sound better than any clock radio you ever tried.

The other gadget is iH31 boom box. Yes, it's a boom box for your iPod. I remember my first cool boombox. Used eight C batteries, which would last for about two hours.

I took mine to West Charlotte High, pumping some sweet go-go ("Drop The Bomb") and had everyone rocking -- until I ran into the assistant principal. He confiscated my box on a day when we were having an outdoor festival and I was going to be sure to have all the cute girls around me, plus that upperclass junior cheerleader I liked so much.

New twist on NFL Fantasy Football & Proof Women Play Games, too

You like Fantasy Football leagues? Well, CBS Sportsline has a regular league but is adding a new one this season, "Head's Up Fantasy Football," that allows users to challenge players, whether they are fellow league members, other friends or even total strangers to a head-to-head game of Fantasy Football on a weekly basis throughout the regular season and all the way up to the Super Bowl.

In Heads Up, the pool of draftable players consists of NFL teams participating in either the early or late Sunday games. From these pools, participants in the Heads Up game will hold a draft along with their opponent where each selects a starting quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, a tight end, a kicker and a team defense along with three reserves.

Participants conduct add/drops as well as activate and reserve players while live games are played. Changes are reflected in the following quarter of action.

Heads Up Fantasy Football launches August 31st and is free of charge.

NOTES

-- Capcom's Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting, the company’s first title for Xbox Live Arcade is doing big business on Xbox Live. Since debuting Aug. 2, it's become the fastest selling Xbox Live Arcade title to date with hundreds of matches being played every hour.

-- In the tradition of myspace, There.com is a social networking site, a virtual community giving users an online getaway. You can interact with others through text, voice chat and compete in games like paintball, get in an online fashion show or card games. Basic membership is free!

-- Soccer fans rejoice. FIFA 07 is coming Oct. 3 to North America.

All the top leagues are including, including MLS and 26 other leagues from 20 other nations. This year, Electronic Arts has added Interactive Leagues, a new online mode that enables you to pit your club against supporters of your real-world opponents.

The online interactive leagues feature the F.A. Premier League, Bundesliga, French League and the Mexican 1st Division. This allows games to play according to the real-world schedule. When they play, you play.

-- From the "you never would guess" files:

Thirty-eight percent of all game players are women. Women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (30%) than boys age 17 or younger (23%) according to the Entertainment and Software Association.

Thirty-five percent of American parents say they play computer and video games . Further, 80 percent of gamer parents say they play video games with their kids. Sixty-six percent feel that playing games has brought their families closer together.

On a similar note, women make up 59 percent of all consumers who play games on cell phones , according to Parks Associates, a research firm. And they drive more than 60 percent of the revenue in almost every genre of mobile games, according to research firm Telephia Inc. Women play cell phone games because they are easy to pick up and play and are not time intensive. That is exactly the types of games Nintendo is launching under their Touch Generations brand like Brain Age, Big Brain Academy and Nintendogs, a game where you raise and train these realistic and very visual puppies.

John Madden on his famous game

John Madden says his famous football videogame was never planned.

"I went from a player to a coach to a broadcaster and along the way the video game thing happened," he said. "We started the video game thing before they even had video games. It was going to be a computer game and more like a teaching tool but then all the hardware for video games broke out and we already had the software."

Madden says he always has to laugh at how he's recognized nowadays.

"The people that were around when I was coaching have known me as a coach," he said. "I'm known as a broadcaster from people who have been watching television, and I'm known as 'Madden' [to the gamers]. That's how I am always able to know the difference. Some call me 'coach,' and there is a group that says, 'Hey Madden.' When I get the 'Hey Madden,' it's the group that plays the video games."

NOTES
-- The World's First Internet age and ID verification system for kids is launching Wednesday, Aug. 2. The developers claim it will help prevent Internet "grooming" and make social networking and communication online safer.

A British company is developing the technology -- a virtual ID card that can be swapped online. More info as I get it.

-- SEGA announced Total War: Eras has shipped for the PC. Total War: Eras includes every currently available Total War title and also delivers limited edition content including "The Total War Story", a 40-minute documentary detailing the past, present, and future of the Total War series, exclusive preview material for the upcoming Medieval II: Total War, an art booklet detailing the creation and evolution of the Total War series, a collectable poster for Medieval II: Total War, and five art cards spanning the entire Total War franchise.

Rated "T" for Teen by the Entertainment Software Review Board, Medieval II: Total War for the PC is available at retailers nationwide for an MSRP of $59.95.

-- SEGA also released Super Monkey Ball Adventure for the PS2 and GameCube. Super Monkey Ball Adventure is an all-new platform-based journey through five amazing worlds filled with puzzles and quests.

Super Monkey Ball Adventure is the first platform adventure for AiAi and an all-new cast of monkey friends. The story begins when Prince Abe-abe and Princess DeeDee of opposing kingdoms fall in love but are forbidden from marrying. Rated "E" for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Review Board, Super Monkey Ball Adventure for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube is available at retailers nationwide for an MSRP of $39.95.

-- EA’s boutique studio in Montreal will be releasing a new third person shooter called Army Of Two for PS3 and Xbox 360 next year. Whether playing online or with the game's "parnter AI'' (artificial intelligence), the game focuses on two man play.

On or offline, players can seamlessly transition from AI to a live partner as they fight their way through war, turmoil and a conspiracy so vast it threatens the entire world. When one man is not enough, it’s going to take an army of two to save us.

NCAA '07 strong kickoff to hot video season

If you play PS2 or the old Xbox, you're going to love EA Sports' new NCAA '07 videogame. It will remind of you of last year's Madden '06, only better. Players are rendered better, game play is smoother, and every feature you can imagine is in the game.

But if you play the new more powerful Xbox 360 you may be disappointed.

You get eye-catching graphics, HDTV support and Dolby Digital sound but you're going to be missing some of the features that are included in PS2 and Xbox versions.

I can't figure that one.

There's no ESPN Magazine, no Race For The Heisman.

Shoot, there's not even a spring game, a cool new feature on Xbox 1 and PS2. There are more things missing, but you get the idea. How can your "franchise" product not have all the features. Let us hope that the new Madden is not so afflicted.

There is some good news for 360 people. The game plays better, as you might expect. There are new subtle animations that you really need the more powerful machine to appreciate. You can see arms churning and legs pumping in play. Tackling animation is much, much better.

This is the first year of the ESPN integration with EA games and you'll get dynasty results, conference updates and real-time sports scores and news updates with the ESPN ticker. It really looks like what you see during a real game.

There are a few new things I liked: you can save your highlights anytime to a NCAA photo album and share them online via Xbox Live, and there are new modes like defensive hot routes, smart routes and (thankfully) an improved kicking mode. Now you use the right analog stick to push up and down to create the action, like in Tiger Woods golf.

You can also switch to a computer controlled receiver to make a move on the ball on offense or defense without fear of ruining the play as in past years.

Best of all, you'll see fans come to life at the right times and do team specific chants. You won't believe how much reality this will add to your experience.

On all versions of the game, a momentum meter gives teams an advantage if they can string together big plays, defensive stops or even pull off trick plays. Another needed feature. And it's awful hard to bounce back when things are going against you.

And even with my quips with the 360 version, it's still the best. At the end of the day, when you play the game and see the stadiums come to life and see the graphics, you just get involved with the game itself. Most of the features missing are pre- and post-game.

With them, the 360 version may've been the best football game ever made. Withtout them, the 360 version still gets an A rating, as do the other versions. Let's just hope Madden on 360 is as complete as can be.

NFL Head Coach Whets Appetite For Some Football

If you tend to spend more time in the "general manager" mode of sports games -- trading players, making coaching moves, adjusting the price of hot dogs -- you're going to like EA Sports' new "NFL Head Coach" videogame.

If you're into running plays and banging on your remote control, you'd better wait for Madden or some of the college football games.

This one is short on action and quite long on strategy and your moves have a real impact on your team. You create game-day strategies and how you deal with players in practice will affect their moods and performance.

Honestly, this could be a really cool addition to the upcoming Madden game, which would give it more depth, but as a stand alone game, Head Coach will probably have a limited audience (Rating: 2.5/5).

QUICK REVIEWS:

The Da Vinci Code: Based on the controversial Columbia pictures film, gamers will try to unlock the code on a 2,000-year-old mystery. I haven't seen the movie but this game is said to have levels that are not in the movie, expanding its storyline. At its heart, this is an adventure game and a puzzle game where you must beat a convert society which seeks to keep an ancient secret. Rated T for teen (Rating: 3.0/5).

Field Commander: If you like war games, you're going to love this. The old PS2 can still kick out some pretty stunning visuals and it's nice to see that in a game that also includes some good strategy.

You must use your mind as much as your hand-eye coordination to guide your division to victory over a terrorist organization, and the game is really all about strategy. The enemy AI (artificial intelligence) is high, so you'd better master all 15 army divisions at your disposal (Rating: 3.5/5).

Monster Hunter Freedom: You are a hunter battling some big ugly beasts, something like the old movie, "Van Helsing." The creatures on this PSP effort from Capcom are rendered pretty well, though they won't really scare you. You can play alone or with up to four friends (a feature I discovered while waiting for a haircut and a teenager sidled up to me with the same game). (Rating: 3.0/5).

New Super Mario Bros: You know the deal here. It's Mario for the Nintendo DS system. Nowadays, though, mushrooms make Mario really small or really big depending on which one you pounce on. Touch a blue shell and Mario will turn into a whirlwind shell that wipes out your opponents.

All your favorite bad guys are here, along with a few new baddies for Mario and Luigi to take out en route to saving Princess Peach who has (again) been kidnapped by Bowser and Bowser Jr. All day fun (Rating: 4.5/5).