March 2007

After a month of teasing, Take Two controversy magnet Rockstar has released the trailer for its upcoming next-gen sequel Grand Theft Auto IV, currently expected to thrill Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 audiences in October. As expected, demand for this video is as a premium, so if the movie above is crawling, try your luck over at [url=http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=2924]GameTrailers[/url], [url=http://www.gamesradar.com/us/ps3/game/news/article.jsp?articleId=20070329151325712083&sectionId=1006&releaseId=20060313153735796095]GamesRadar[/url], and even the official [url=http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/trailer_splash.html]Rockstar website[/url].

Konami has announced that actor David Hayter is set to return to once again voice the iconic Solid Snake (now old and decrepit) in the upcoming PlayStation 3 release Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Hayter will be joined by other returning voice actors Quinton Flynn, Paul Eiding and Christopher Randolph who will continue their work as the voices of Raiden, Roy Campbell and Hal “Otacon” Emmerich, respectively. Kris Zimmerman will also return to the series to direct the voice acting sessions for the game.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this game. What I’ve seen of Metal Gear Solid 4 has absolutely blown me away. To bring the focus of the story back to Solid Snake, and to work with Kris Zimmerman and many of the amazing actors that provided iconic voices for the previous games, is like coming home,” said Hayter. “I’m so proud and grateful to have been involved with Mr. Kojima as the voice of Snake, for nearly a decade, on this legendary video game series. This game is going to plunge players into the ultimate Metal Gear experience. And personally, I can’t wait to play it.”

David Hayter is also serving as a special guest on [url=http://www.konami.jp/kojima_pro/english/]The Kojima Productions Report[/url] podcast today to discuss his involvement with the Metal Gear Solid series and his approach to portraying a very different Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4.

[img]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/news/2007/03/david_hayter.jpg[/img]

Wii Loop Machine

March 29, 2007

Yann Seznec aka The AmazingRolo has turned his Wii Remote into a wireless audio controller. His software, the [url=http://theamazingrolo.blogspot.com/2007/03/wii-loop-machine.html]Wii Loop Machine[/url], allows you to lay down tracks and manipulate the tracks all from the Wii Remote. The software isn’t the prettiest thing in the world, but what it lacks in aesthetics it makes up for in pure coolness. Here is a shot of the software and a video of Yann demonstrating his creation.

Microsoft Game Studios today announced the Gears of War 2007 Global Xbox LIVE Tournament. The grand prize of the tournament is an trip and invitation to the Grand Final in Prague, Czech Republic.

Registration for the tournament began today and extends through April 9th. Official play begins on April 9th and continues through May 6th. Players around the globe will compete in ranked matches for the four weeks of official play. The top 11 finalists in the world, with the highest individual scores, will be awarded the top prize, a four-day, three-night trip for two to Prague with round-trip air transportation, standard hotel accommodations, ground transportation, and a $200 Visa gift card.

Additional prizes include a three-day, two-night trip to their country’s 2007 World Cyber Games National Championship event, an Xbox 360 package (complete with a Premium console and Viva PiA

With the recent official announcement of LEGO Batman, we sat down with Jonathan Smith, development director of TT Games, and got a few answers to some of the looming questions concerning the new game and the direction of the LEGO video game franchise.

Details concerning some of the specifics of the upcoming game were not available at the time we talked, such as for which platforms the game was slated to be released on and, for example, how they planned to use the Wii-Mote on the Wii version of the game, assuming it is released for that platform.

We began the interview by questioning Smith on the concept’s origins, to which he responded, A