IGN: Analyst Picks Sony To Win Console Wars
Posted January 25, 2007 
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IGN.com reports, market research group Research and Markets predicts Sony to win the the new-gen console war. In their report “The Transforming Global Video Games Market: The Emergence of Next Generation Gaming” the firm predicts the PS3 to emerge on top in the console war based on current trends of growth in the industry:
“The group expects the PS3 to have an installed user base of around 75 million globally by the year 2010. While the study notes that both Sony and Nintendo offer unique products, Research and Markets still felt that Sony’s superior technology would give them the edge over the competition.
Although the group designated Sony as the future market leader this gen, they gave very little in the way of reasoning to back up this claim. The primary focus of the study was analyzing the impact of next-generation consoles on the online games sector, rather than determining the factors which might lead to dominance in the next-generation console market.”
The Def Jam series will take the jump to Xbox 360 and PS3 in March with Def Jam Icon and to this point still has the appearance of being another major improvement in the hip-hop fighting franchise.
to avoid and use to their advantage throughout a battle. The idea is that timing one’s attacks to the music in the game should reap great reward in the ability to damage opponents.
The analog sticks are essentially used as a virtual turntable wherein players use scratches to alter the background music and to move forward and back into a song to gain an advantage. On top of that, the better one fights, the louder their particular song (each player picks a song to represent their fighter before the fight) gets louder and boosts their attacks. It pays to be familiar with the songs played, however if you’re not there is the option to import your own music into the game.
As for Icon’s single-player story, players will attempt play an aspiring hip-hop mogul attempting to become build his musical empire and become an icon. Along the way the path of fighting, players will discover new artists, manage their careers and release their hit songs.
Of course, one of the biggest selling points of the Def Jam series is the roster of hip-hop artists and Icon will bring the star power. Confirmed so-far are hip-hop’s top-selling artist of 2006 T.I., Big Boi of Outkast fame, Ludacris, The Game, and Paul Wall.
Square Enix Ltd. announced today the March launch of the forthcoming German and French service of Final Fantasy XI. In early March Square will offer a language conversion download that will make it possible to play FFXI in French or German free of charge via PlayOnline. This will only be available for those using the EU version of FFXI on the PC or Xbox 360. The display language is automatically changed to the current Windows/Xbox 360 settings when the PlayOnline Viewer is activated. It will still be possible to switch between languages, including English.
Gamespot.com 
Three new packages of Lumines Live! content will be available for download on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 beginning Wednesday, 24th January at 2:00 EST. One will be available for free for Xbox Live Gold members while the other at a discount for a limited time.
In Puzzle Mode, players attempt to create a certain shape by using the blocks, while in Mission Mode they are given a mission to clear all blocks within a specified amount of moves. This adds an additional 90 puzzles to solve and 40 missions to clear on top of what’s already included in the Standard version.
Bethesda Softworks has announced The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles to be released later this year as the official expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Featuring over 30 hours of new gameplay, players will explore an entirely new plane of Oblivion – Madgod, the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. Shivering Isles adds to the existing world of Oblivion, gamers can use existing save game/character if they wish or create an all new character just to explore the new content in Shivering Isles.
As the story is told, psychotic and “sublimely creative” beings are currently inhabiting the Shivering Islands and Sheogorath enlists the player’s character to defend the realm. The story, of course, offers a branching storyline as players fight new creatures such as hideous insects, Flesh Atronachs, skeletal Shambles, amphibious Grummites. There will also be new items, spells and ingredients as well as new armour and weapons that can be gained from the craftsmen of Crucible and Bliss.
Electronic Arts will celebrate Europe’s most prestigious club soccer tournament, the UEFA Champions League, with the launch of UEFA Champions League 2006-2007, the only officially licensed videogame of the tournament. UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 will ship to stores worldwide on March 20, 2007 in anticipation of the real-world tournament that culminates in the UEFA Champions League Final in May.
“We celebrate the passion soccer fans have for their club teams by capturing all of the classic rivalries in-game and enabling players to win glory for their club teams in UEFA Champions League 2006-2007,” said Ken Sayler, lead producer on the Xbox 360 system. “This is the ultimate stage for club football in Europe and we’re giving you the power to build and manage your dream team by creating a unique virtual card system to collect, trade and use players on your way to glory.”
ease on Xbox Live of a patch to fix player complaints in Gear of War: