MCV Issue 510, October 24th 2008

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THE INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Friday October 24 2008 £3.25

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THE MARKET FOR COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES

Issue 510 Friday October 24 2008 £3.25

Trade rocked by HMV assault on pre-owned

...but could new registration system change everything?

Publishers reeling as entertainment giant guns for specialist retailers with trade-ins

SYSTEM 3 is launching new proprietary software that will allow any publisher to share in the additional sales generated by the second-hand market.

The Ferrari Challenge creator has developed the Key Code System – embedded software that registers the title to the consumer’s console and allows access to any additional online content. If the game is then sold second-hand, online

by Neil Long HMV HAS turned its guns on specialist retail and left publishers fearing for revenues on new and catalogue stock this week with the introduction of its pre-owned offering.

In a canny move that further cements its position as a specialist games retailer, HMV’s new Re/Play initiative will pile further pressure on publishers and rival retailers as the pivotal Christmas sales frenzy begins.

And highly-placed sources within the publishing community aren’t happy.

“Pre-owned cannibalises our catalogue sales without a doubt,” said one top publishing executive. “You could always rely on the likes of HMV and Zavvi to work with you on

new releases and catalogue stock. It’s disappointing that someone else is going down this route.”

HMV’s Re/Play manager Martin Baxter is confident that the new offering can take on

“

taking in increased footage, range and marketing focus,” Baxter told MCV. “We looked at the HMV offer as a standalone proposition, and although there is no doubt GAME and Gamestation are

We came up with a unique proposition that nobody else has – trade in against all the products we sell in-store.

Martin Baxter, HMV

the likes of GAME and Gamestation – and win.

“Our suppliers have known for some time about our proposal to move into this area, and we would therefore hope they view it as a part of our growing commitment to games,

”

experts in this area, we feel our offer is more tailored to the needs of HMV consumers.

“We came up with a proposition that nobody else has – trade in against all the products that we sell in-store, not just games.”

And HMV could even introduce a pre-owned offering online, added Baxter: “We are concentrating on the in-store launch, but I’m sure we’ll consider online activity when it’s appropriate for us to do so.”

GAME UK and Eire MD Tricia Brennan remains defiant, despite the increased competition, and emphasised the retailer’s pre-owned experience and range: “Trade-in and pre-owned have been part of the GAME offer for 11 years, and customers tell us they love it because it helps them buy more mint products,” Brennan told MCV. “We remain focused on giving excellent value on a massive range of pre-owned products, so customers can play more games for less.”

“Our Key Code tech means that we will get some revenue back when a game is sold many times.” access is barred unless the new user acquires a Key Code for around e10 from System 3.

The system will be introduced with the publisher’s upcoming Super Car Challenge on PS3.

“I’m not saying that retailers shouldn’t trade in second-hand games; I know that it’s a vital source of revenue for many,” System 3 CEO Mark Cale told MCV. “But I do think that publishers and developers get a raw deal. A system like our Key Code technology means that we, like the retailers, will get some revenue back when a game is sold multiple times.”

PERSONNEL 51 RETAIL BIZ 55 NEW RELEASES 74 HIGH STREET 76 CHARTS 78

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NEWS

[LEADER]

Christmas marketing

UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE board room to the High Street, October marks the time in the industry calendar when things get serious. Really serious.

We’ve heard stories of publisher execs threatened with the sack if a certain game doesn’t make the top three. And the amount of marketing cash sloshing around the industry currently is absolutely mind-boggling.

Girls Aloud, Fearne Cotton and Holly Willoughby combined might sound like an adolescent onanist’s fantasy, but for Nintendo and Ubisoft they represent key breakthroughs in their mainstream marketing campaigns – and the list of other big spenders goes on after that.

Konami is forking out over £2 million on PES 2009, and EA’s deep pockets will ensure FIFA and its handsome mascot Wayne Rooney will be difficult to miss as Christmas approaches.

MCV understands Microsoft is chucking more cash at promoting Lips than the total spend on the rest of its Christmas line-up. And Sony isn’t messing around either. Glowing reviews of LittleBigPlanet have more than made up for the slight delay in its release – and if anything, the recall has garnered even more column inches and anticipation for Media Molcule’s opus.

“

Brace yourselves for a Q4 scrap for sales that will easily eclipse anything the trade has ever seen before.

”

There’s no doubt that the stakes are higher than ever. And at retail, things got a little tougher for some this week with HMV’s move into pre-owned.

While some trade contacts expressed their doubts over how the specialist will handle the new system – Woolies’ fumbled crack at the trade-in market is a case in point – the significance of the High Street stalwart’s move cannot be underestimated.

It has the scale (and perhaps most importantly) a true desire to make a go of this. With healthy margins on offer, don’t be surprised if HMV’s main rival Zavvi is eyeing up this market too.

Brace yourselves for a Q4 scrap for sales and supremacy that will easily eclipse any other in the trade’s history. And MCV will be there every step of the way, every single week.

Meanwhile... this will mean little to you if you are currently trying to shift a bumper crop of triple-A titles, launching a multi-million pound marketing campaign or putting the finishing touches to a heavily-hyped blockbuster, but anyway: This is my last editorial for MCV. It’s difficult to do this sort of thing without sounding self-indulgent or a little bit twatty in general, so I’ll keep it short and to the point: sincerest thanks to everyone in the trade who has contributed to MCV during my tenure, and many, many more thanks to the outstanding team at Intent Media. That is all. neil.long@intentmedia.co.uk

Publishers reveal huge campaigns for crucial Q4 period Sega, Sonic and Mario boosted by fresh television-based, triple-A campaign THE MULTI-MILLION selling Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games will spearhead a massive marketing campaign from Sega in time for the Christmas period.

TV ads will form a key part of the marketing push, designed to help Sega’s runaway success of 2008 pass the two million mark.

“We have enjoyed immense success with this title over the last 11 months and to help sustain that in the run-up to Christmas we are re-investing heavily to support Mario and Sonic both on TV and instore,” Alan Pritchard, Sega Europe MD, told MCV. “We fully expect sales to go past two million by Christmas.”

Sega’s UK sales director John Clark added: “Nearly a year after its release sales are

strong. This will be the fourth TV campaign for Mario and Sonic since its launch. In isolation, this campaign is no different to the way we’d treat a new release title this Christmas; a triple-A campaign for a triple-A release.”

Sega also revealed it will be heavily pushing

Football Manager (see boxout) and Valkyria Chronicles in the run-up to Christmas, with the latter receiving a widespread online campaign taking in some of the UK’s largest gaming sites, including IGN, Eurogamer and Gamespot, all seeing specially designed skins on their PS3 pages.

Sega: 020 8995 3399

FOOTBALL CRAZY Sega’s Football Manager will also be the focus of a vast marketing effort from the publisher. For the first time the title will launch on PC and PSP on the same day, and Football Manager will have a Microsoft jointly backed four-week TV campaign, including 20 spots in key football matches in the Premiership and Champions League. The title will even be promoted with Ginsters, seeing five million pasties branded with Football Manager.

THQ signs sponsorship deal to partner with ITV’s top family series Britannia High PUBLISHER THQ is targeting the family market in a new sponsorship deal with ITV’s upcoming hit Britannia High.

The ‘Fame-style’ series launches Sunday October 26th and will promote titles De Blob, All Star Cheerleader, Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise and Bratz: Girlz Really Rock.

The family-friendly show will benefit from ITV’s biggest marketing campaign of the year, including prominent spots during ad breaks in the massively popular X Factor.

THQ has already supported the sponsorship campaign with tiein events, which featured stars from the show playing titles such as All Star Cheerleader.

ALL STAR: Celebs from the TV show have taken part in THQ events

“Britannia High has all the ingredients to be a huge hit for ITV and we’re delighted to associate with the show,” THQ marketing director John Webb told MCV. “The audience demographic is a perfect fit for the games included in the sponsorship, all of which are

focused on family fun and reflect the musical, colourful, vibrant and energetic tone.”

UK product marketing manager Emma Fifield added: “Well matched demographics make this deal a pivotal part of our pre-Christmas campaign.”

THQ: 01483 767656

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NEWS

battle goes into overdrive Nintendo, Ubisoft and THQ all reveal new initiatives to drive retail sales forward

[PRE ORDERS]

TOP 10 LITTLEBIGPLANET

Nintendo reveals Girls Aloud as the latest high profile celebrity signings in a drive to attract Christmas consumers PLATFORM HOLDER Nintendo is confident that its latest celebrity-backed ads have the ‘wow factor’ to further cement its standing as the trade’s market-leading games company.

New signings Girls Aloud and the Redknapp and Keating families join Fern Britton, Phil Vickery, Patrick Stewart and Julie Walters in the latest push, which marketing director Dawn Paine believes can make a huge impact in the mainstream.

“We have found that the right celebrity can create stand-out especially for consumers that might not

HERE COME THE GIRLS: Girls Aloud claim top billing in Nintendo’s new celeb-packed advertising campaign

normally consider video games and can also create real empathy with the audience,” Paine told MCV.

“With this year’s campaign, the addition of Girls Aloud brings a definite wow factor and gives our activity a real

‘of the moment’ aspect, driving communication strongly on titles such as Nintendogs for the female audience. At the family end of the spectrum, the Keatings and Redknapps continue to show the cross generational and social appeal of both the DS and Wii formats respectively.

“Patrick Stewart, Julie Walters, Fern Britton and Phil Vickery complete the line-up and help capture the messaging that Nintendo is a brand for everyone, whether they’re five or 95, male or female, actor or musician, or indeed parent or child.”

Nintendo: 01753 483700

PS3 SONY

2. GEARS OF WAR 2 360 ..........................................MICROSOFT

3. FABLE II 360 ..........................................MICROSOFT

4. FAR CRY 2 360 ..............................................UBISOFT

5. GEARS OF WAR 2: LIMITED ED 360 ..........................................MICROSOFT

6. FALLOUT 3 360............................................BETHESDA

7. FAR CRY 2 PC................................................UBISOFT

8. DEAD SPACE 360 ......................................................EA

9. FABLE II: COLLECTORS EDITION European publisher unveils plans to bring its Imagine range to shopping centres across the country in December, with celebrity-branded images and over 40 DS consoles...

UBISOFT will tomorrow (25th October) kick-start a national tour of its Imagine games that will see the DS range promoted to customers at key shopping centres up and down the country.

The Imagine shopping centre tour will show off all 11 of the range’s games, with a bespoke exhibition area that boasts 40 DS consoles and branding of the line-up’s celebrity faces Fearne Cotton and Holly Willoughby. Titles on show at key shopping sites will include Girl Band, Teacher, My Secret World, Fashion Model, Modern Dancer, Baby Club, Champion Rider, Interior Designer, Dream Weddings, Gymnast, and Figure Skater.

The tour starts at the Trafford Centre in Manchester on October 25th

360 ..........................................MICROSOFT

10. FAR CRY 2 PS3 ..............................................UBISOFT Week ending October 18th Source: SHOPTO.COM

IMAGINE NATION: Ubisoft’s family-friendly range will be promoted in key shopping centres across the UK

[MARKET VALUE]

£36.1m 40

30

for three days. It then moves to Meadowhall in Sheffield, the Bullring in Birmingham, The Centre MK in Milton Keynes, and finishes at Lakeside, Greater London where it runs from December 13th to the 23rd.

Ubisoft will also be offering limited edition Imagine goodies to visitors to the stand, including pink branded DS accessories and

key rings. The company also said that the tour gives it the opportunity to collect valuable market data from parents visiting the stand and help build the relationship between Imagine and its young girl gamer audience. “We’re extremely excited about this year’s Imagine tour,” Sally Cormack, Imagine brand manager told MCV.

“We’ve got more amazing games to showcase, great positioning in key shopping centres and a strong and established brand to push even further, whilst utilising our fantastic celebrity ambassadors. It’s fantastic to be able to give our consumers the chance to get so hands on with the Imagine games.”

Ubisoft: 01932 578000

20

10

£41.7m

£32.6m

£36.1m

1,446,325 Units

1,199,772 Units

1,440,713 Units

Week Ending October 10th

Week Ending October 17th

0 Week Ending october 3rd

Total UK Software Sales Source: ELSPA/ChartTrack and Intent Media

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LGF to grow beyond UK? Organisers target Pan-European recognition This year’s Festival to be the biggest yet

by Jonathon Harker AHEAD of London Games Festival 2008, which starts this Saturday (October 26th), the event organisers have told MCV that they want to involve all of Europe.

“Our long-term aim is to take it beyond the borders and make it one of the key highlights across the whole of Europe,” LGF chairman and EA vice president Keith Ramsdale told MCV.

“

taking place is incredibly high – perhaps the best since the Festival began three years ago,” continued Ramsdale.

“The gaming industry has come a long way in the last few years and is now considered to be the UK’s leading entertainment industry.”

Ramsdale added that the widening market for gaming will also boost attendance: “This LGF will showcase some of the finest gaming and interactive entertainment the

The London Games Festival 2008 is the UK’s premier event. It’s a true celebration of our industry.

Keith Ramsdale, LGF

“The LGF is the UK’s premier event for showcasing the finest in gaming and interactive entertainment. It’s a true celebration of our industry and consumer enthusiasm for video gaming.”

The organisers have heralded this year’s Festival as the best yet, with a broader range of events on offer: “The number of publishers involved has increased, the number of events organised is the largest yet and the calibre of activity

E3 WILL return in the first week of June 2009 and looks to reclaim its crown as the world’s biggest games event via a less restrictive attendee criteria.

As we went to press, reports claimed that the show would take place from Tuesday June 2nd to Thursday June 4th at the LA Convention Centre, with the expo potentially open to up to 40,000 consumers on the following Friday and Saturday. The move would echo a format that has made Germany’s Leipzig Game Convention and the Tokyo Game Show so successful.

The reports come after two botched years trying to downsize E3 in 2007 and 2008 with small, unpopular limited-attendance events in Santa Monica and LA. But it’s not yet clear if the new format will win back support from the UK trade, many of whom are already looking ahead to more local showings at Leipzig and rival Gamescom.

”

industry currently has to offer and further show that gaming is no longer a niche hobby carried out by a few, but in fact now appeals to the masses, from casual players to families to die-hard fans.”

LGF: 0207 534 05840

ATARI: HORSING AROUND

Can E3 win back UK next June?

RAMSDALE: LGF boss is delighted by this year’s events line-up

Atari rode into the 2008 Horse of the Year show at the Birmingham NEC last week as a part of the publisher’s marketing strategy for equestrian title, My Horse and Me 2.

Atari’s game, which is released October 31st, had a prime position at the main entrance of the show, and the event boasted an attendance of almost 100,000.

My Horse and Me 2 is officially supported by the FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale) and was joined at the show by Atari’s Family Trainer, giving kids and parents the chance to try out both the software and hardware.

Galaxy gets into gaming with THQ GALAXY Radio has teamed up with THQ for a gaming feature that will reach 1.5 million listeners. Broadcasting every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, Gamecom will include game reviews and competitions. THQ’s Saints Row 2 will feature in the shows as part of the deal.

“This is an exciting initiative for Galaxy and we hope it’ll deliver something unique and innovative for the games market,” said business manager for gaming media and press Athar Naser.

Galaxy: 020 7465 6099

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NEWS

TRADE BULLETIN

Treyarch: ‘We’ve got the best shooter this Christmas’ Call of Duty: World at War will beat Gears of War and Resistance 2, insists developer

by Christopher Dring ACTIVISION-OWNED developer Treyarch feels its latest Call of Duty title will top the likes of Gears of War, Far Cry and Resistance 2 to become the must-have shooter of Christmas.

World at War is the sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which topped the

“

strongly we have the best shooter this Christmas,” he explained. “There is a lot of people new to the Call of Duty franchise following COD4, and they won’t be disappointed.

“I’m looking forward to Gears of War, Far Cry and Resistance 2, and I’m sure they will be great games, but I am confident the consumer will come back to Call of Duty.”

I’m looking forward to Gears, Resistance and Far Cry, but I’m confident the consumer will come back to Call of Duty.

Noah Heller, Treyarch

Christmas charts last year and is still the most played game on Xbox Live. And Treyarch’s senior producer Noah Heller insists that fans of that game will not be disappointed with the follow-up.

“There’s a lot of competition this year, but I feel very

”

However, Heller admits that following Modern Warfare has been a massive challenge for the firm.

“Along with the ‘why are you returning to WWII?’ questions, we’ve been asked ‘how are you possibly going to follow up COD4?’ And the

OUT 31st OCTOBER PC DVD

After seven years, Red Alert is back! Go back in time and battle alongside your friends and Hollywood stars in an action-packed, over-the-top world, as the bestselling and most-beloved series of the Command & Conquer franchise returns.

TREYARCH: Noah Heller is confident World at War will be a big hit

answer to that question was not to focus on the previous game, But to make our own game on our own merits and our own strengths, and show people what we can do.”

Call of Duty: World at War will be released on Wii, PlayStation 2, PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Nintendo DS on November 14th.

Activision: 020 3060 1000

OUT 21st NOVEMBER PS2 and Wii

Hasbro Family Game Night features classic and party game modes of family favourites such as CONNECT FOUR, BATTLESHIP, YAHTZEE, BOGGLE, SORRY! and the all new, SORRY! Sliders.

Christmas comes early for CHIPS RETAILER CHIPS celebrated another stellar year with its seventh annual conference at Ramside Hall in Durham.

The event was the chance for CHIPS’ store managers to go hands-on with upcoming software and peripherals, and featured presentations from Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft.

“We always try to beat what we did last year,” enthused CHIPS’ joint MD Don McCabe. “A lot of people turned up, and this is the first year that we’ve had all three platform holders showcase their products. It’s great getting Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony here, and it shows that all

three are really firing on all cylinders this Christmas.”

McCabe is also confident that CHIPS’ enduring success can defy the credit crunch as the firm looks ahead to 2009.

“We have seen a slight slowdown recently,” he continued.

“Yet when the country goes into gloom people retreat

behind closed doors and play games instead.

“Every cloud has a silver lining. Yes, new sales are down, but secondhand sales are starting to fly. The world of retail is ever-changing, and we can’t stand still, we need to keep pushing the boundaries.”

CHIPS: 0870 0130028

OUT 21st NOVEMBER

CHIPS AWARDS 2008 Once again the best CHIPS stores and employees were honoured at the conference, with each winner claiming £250 and a trophy...

FRANCHISEE OF THE YEAR: Jon Doyle (Left)

STORE OF THE YEAR: CHIPS Dudley (Middle)

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR: Richard Pascoe

“I am thrilled and didn’t expect to win,” enthused Jon Doyle. “My staff is the reason for this award, and they are just wonderful.

Steven, Phil, Lee and Charles make for a great team.”

“It’s a big accomplishment for the team,” said store manager Gavin Pearson. “Lindsay and Paul have done a great job for us, and it is these guys that have kept the store going.”

“It’s well deserved for Richard but also for the team,” said business development manager Dave Jarvis (Right). “It’s a new team and they’ve done well, so congratulations.”

PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, PC-DVD, Wii, NDS

Race into an action-packed story of pursuit and betrayal. Fight off the cops and others as you chase down your prey in high-speed, high stake multi-car chases.

Trust no one. Outrun everyone.

ea.com

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Sainsbury’s sticks by lucrative gaming guns Chain reveals fresh enthusiasm for games market in light of impressive Q2 sales

by Jonathon Harker SUPERMARKET GIANT Sainsbury’s has renewed its commitment to gaming, following impressive sales growth in the second quarter.

The national grocer revealed an increase in sales of 8.4 per cent, with the nonfood category playing a vital role in the impressive results.

Gurdeep Hunjan, Sainsbury’s DVD and games buyer, told MCV: “Games hardware and software is one of the fastest-growing categories in Sainsbury’s and plays a critical role in the continued growth of our nonfood lines.”

“

Games and software is one of the fastest-growing categories in Sainsbury’s and plays a critical role.

Gurdeep Hunjan, Sainsbury’s

Despite challenging trading conditions throughout the UK economy, Sainsbury’s second quarter trading statement revealed that total sales for Q2

GOOD GAME: Impressive sales growth has further emphasised the importance of the games sector, says Sainsbury’s buyer Gardeep Hunjan

”

were up 8.4 per cent (or 5.3 per cent excluding fuel). Q2 like-for-like sales rose by 7.5 per cent (or 4.3 per cent excluding fuel) while like-for-

like first half sales jumped 7.4 per cent (3.9 per cent excluding fuel).

Chief executive Justin King said: “During the quarter we continued to develop our offer to help customers manage tighter budgets without the need to sacrifice food quality.

Customers have responded well and transaction numbers

continue to grow.”

The news comes two months after Hunjan told MCV that Sainsbury’s is “going after gaming big time” and is doubling its games hardware targets, signalling a positive attitude to gaming across the chain’s stores.

Sainsburys: 020 7695 6000

Play.com is voted best online retailer A WHICH? survey has revealed that Play.com is the most popular online entertainment store for games.

Highly-respected consumer champion Which? surveyed 51 websites across eight categories, judging each site on price, ease of finding products, usability and delivery. A massive 8,380 panel members took part in the comprehensive survey, with

results spanning a suitably broad range of retailers online sales offerings.

Play.com scored 88 per cent in the survey, narrowly edging out Amazon.co.uk which scored 86 per cent. cdwow.com followed with 77 per cent of the vote. Both HMV.com and Tesco.com achieved 74 per cent each, while GAME.co.uk was the lowest scoring shop in the survey.

The research, which also covered online book retailers alongside gaming sites, saw Abebooks.co.uk, a site that brings independent booksellers together, top the chart, whilst Play.com achieved an impressive final standing at second place overall.

Play.com: 0845 800 1020

© 2008 Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision and Call of Duty are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. ‘ ’, ‘PlayStation’ and ‘PLAYSTATION’ are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Windows, the Windows Vista Start button, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies, and ‘Games for Windows’ and the Windows Vista Start button logo are used under license from Microsoft. NINTENDO DS, Wii AND THE Wii LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved. Activision makes no guarantees regarding the availability of online play, and may modify or discontinue online service in its discretion without notice, including for example, ceasing online service for economic reasons due to a limited number of players continuing to make use of the service over time.

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PlayStation Network to bolster Q4 sales Online offering to prove crucial to end of year sales as SCEE places fresh emphasis on the network

by Jonathon Harker THE PLAYSTATION Network will form a vital part of Sony’s Q4 campaign, helping spur PS3 hardware and software sales, the firm told MCV. The platform holder said that the free PSN service will also help it target the growing casual market by attracting a wider range of consumers to the PS3. The firm added that educating customers about what the Network offers will be essential to help in that drive.

“We will kick-start a long term campaign to explain

holistically what the PlayStation Network brings to the PlayStation offering – first and foremost free online gaming, full game downloads, highlights of the best ‘snackable’ mini-game content, as well as usual bread-andbutter content of demos, trailers, wallpapers, skins and themes,” SCEE UK marketing manager Adam Boita told MCV. “This will be built around key IP and content launches on the platform throughout the next six months,” he added.

PSN will be increasingly important to Sony’s retail

PUSHING PSN: Adam Boita has placed the PlayStation Network at the forefront of growing PS3’s appeal to a wider consumer base

offerings, and the firm is aiming to break misconceptions about online gaming, as Boita explained: “The PlayStation Network and online functionality is built into nearly every product we sell, so inherently it is always present. But we want to break down the barriers and perceptions of online gaming for those consumers who have traditionally been put off.

“The likes of COD4 have made online gaming more acceptable to casual gamers and we want to build on the momentum of that.”

SCEE: 020 7859 5000

…as Platinum range declared a success SONY IS delighted at the success of its debut PS3 Platinum range, and the platform holder is already gearing up for its second batch of releases.

The first games to receive the £19.99 Platinum treatment included first party titles Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank and Resistance Fall of Man, along with Ubisoft release Assassin’s Creed. And Sony’s Platinum product manager Phil Lynch has highlighted retail as

the driving force behind the range’s success.

“We are delighted with the response to the Platinum campaign from consumers and retail partners alike,” he said.

“With Platinum ranges already established on PS2 and PSP, the addition of a PS3 range has been very well supported at bricks and mortar retail with dedicated Platinum bays instore. And on our online retail partners’ sites, many have created dedicated channels to

make it easy for consumers to find them.”

“A game becomes Platinum whenever it sells more than 400,000 units in the PAL territories,” he continued. “For

“THE MOST

consumers, it’s a great reference and a good seal of approval. This is especially useful for the gifting market, as there is so much choice these days within the range. The

iconic yellow stands out and the buyer knows that the game has already been enjoyed by several hundred thousands of other gamers.”

Sony: 020 7859 5000

Available November 2008

VISCERAL

CALL OF DUTY EVER!” - Xbox 360 The Official Magazine

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SouthPeak goes on the prowl after Gamecock acquisition Publisher looks to further strengthen portfolio in wake of recent surprise deal

by Neil Long AMBITIOUS publisher SouthPeak is eyeing up more acquisition deals after its shock move for fledgling firm Gamecock last week.

As revealed by MCVUK.com (14/10/08), SouthPeak snapped up Gamecock Media Group in a deal that means titles including Mushroom Men and Legendary will arrive at

“

everywhere, it was pretty clear who shared our beliefs.”

And although the ink is barely dry on the Gamecock deal, SouthPeak is on the lookout for further acquisitions in the near future.

“We have a lot of work to do right now but if the right opportunity presented itself, it would be difficult not to consider,” said Hales. “This deal definitely strengthens our portfolio – and let’s be honest

We have a lot of work to do, but if the right opportunity presented itself it would be difficult not to consider.

Jonathan Hales, SouthPeak

retail under the newlybolstered SouthPeak label.

“Gamecock’s titles were very attractive to us and we felt they would be a great asset to our expanding portfolio,” managing director Jonathan Hales told MCV. “Our business model is to find and work with high quality independent developers with unique IPs, and with Gamecock gracing the pages of news sites

Nancy Drew lands in the UK for PC

”

– product is king. We want to offer independent game developers a chance to shine and mixed with our commercial ability, this should make for an exciting business model.

“SouthPeak is willing to take risks on new IPs, like Two Worlds, and the gaming community responded. And therefore we really hope to continue with this approach and repeat the success.”

TWO BECOME ONE SOUTHPEAK Games managing director Jonathan Hales also told MCV that there’s no rush to integrate Gamecock’s business, promising a smooth transition: “This is very much work in progress at the moment. Both SouthPeak and GameCock operate with small, high quality teams and we both have an immediate job to do to bring games to market preChristmas - this is very much our main focus. We will of course sit down in time and work out how best to intergrate the teams and how best to utilise the individuals strengths.”

VALUE publisher Focus will be bringing three titles from children’s brand Nancy Drew to UK retail this Q4.

Nancy Drew, the 75 year-old teen detective franchise that has sold over 200 million books worldwide, will come to the gaming market with PC titles Curse of Blackmoor Manor, The Secret of Shadow Ranch and The Secret of the Old Clock, with all three titles priced at £9.99.

The series has moved an impressive five million sales to date in the US, and looks set to perform just as well here.

“Nancy Drew is a character that continues to experience growing success,” enthused president and CEO of Her Interactive Megan Gaiser. “We are excited to partner with Focus Multimedia to further expand our reach in Europe.”

Focus: 01889 570156

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MCV 24/10/08 13

NEWS

Sponsored by

[IN BRIEF] CODEMASTERS: Author Rhianna Pratchett has been enlisted to work on the Overlord series. Pratchett will work on Overlord II and extensions Dark Legend and Minions, which are set for release in 2009.

NINTENDO: Pokemon fans will be pleased to hear a new SKU will launch this Q4.

Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia will release November 21st on DS.

Entertainer hails Nintendo success Console trial at toy specialist yields impressive results Games boost the toy trade

by Ronnie Dungan HAVING completed a successful trial in six stores, toy specialist The Entertainer has decided to roll-out the Nintendo range across the whole chain of 47 stores.

The firm dipped into the console market in August, trialling both DS and Wii hardware plus Nintendo and third-party software titles in its Birmingham, Basingstoke, Kingston, Amersham, Wimbledon and Cardiff stores.

Such has been the success of the trial that Nintendo is investing a six-figure sum in refitting all the stores with in-

“

The Entertainer’s buying director Stuart Grant told ToyNews: “It has just been unbelievable. Every single piece

It has just been unbelievable.

Every single piece that ships, sells. It’s like popping peas.

store displays including plasma screens. Smaller stores will have one single wall bays, while the bigger stores will have double wall bays with two screens.

Stuart Grant, The Entertainer

”

that ships, sells. It’s like popping peas. It has definitely been worth our while.”

Grant says the firm is already looking extend its

offering to include accessories, but is taking a measured approach and wants to maintain it as incremental rather than core business.

Asked whether the firm is looking at other consoles, Grant believes that the older appeal of Xbox and PlayStation may not fit with the toy specialist’s family-oriented target market.

“The appeal of those consoles is a lot more hardcore gamer. It’s just not our market and it’s probably a step too far for the time being.”

Entertainer: 01494 737 000

RISING STAR: Popular series Harvest Moon gets a new iteration on December 12th – Island of Happiness.

The handheld title boasts multiplayer over wi-fi and will see gamers build a life on a deserted island.

LONDON GAMES FESTIVAL: Following LGF Video Games Live, the event where the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra play gaming tunes, EMI has released a compilation of classic gaming soundtracks.

The anthology is available from this week.

MICROSOFT: The firm has staked another claim for family gaming at Windsor’s LegoLand with the launch of an Xbox 360 Gaming Zone.

505 GAMES: Hello Baby!, the latest in the publisher’s growing line of family games will release on DS on November 7th.

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NEWS

Grainger expansion takes shape Northern retail chain delighted by explosive growth New staff in place ready for Q4

by Christopher Dring MCV Award winner Grainger Games opened its 19th store last week, and the firm is targeting more new sites as it gears up for 2009.

The northern High Street chain’s Washington store is its sixth opening this year, and the outfit has also increased its staff count and expanded its warehouse facilities.

“We are comfortable with the current rate of expansion,” commented Grainger Games’ MD Stephen Bowyer.

“Grainger Games is a forward thinking and developing company. We are excited about our new stores opening and look forward to further developments in the near future. The MCV Awards

MORE GRAINGER: The 20th and 21st Grainger Games stores will open in January and February next year, as expansion plans continue

helped our confidence and also raised our profile.

“Further sites have been identified and construction work is on going at locations

in Stockton on Tees and Newcastle upon Tyne, and these new stores will be opening in January and February 2009.”

Chris Deering signs up with PlaySpan

Already this year Grainger Games has opened outlets in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Bishop Auckland and Stockton, and its latest store’s opening day was greeted by long snaking queues and ringing tills.

“We opened our new Washington store last week,” said store manager Chris Sweet. “We were well prepared, with a good amount of stock in place, especially for Wii Fit. We had extra staff on duty to cope with demand. We were due to open at 9am and by 8.30 the queues were half way up the shopping mall.”

“There was a good mix of customers, with a lot of people delaying going to work in order to visit us.”

PLAYSPAN, the first publisher sponsored in-game commerce network, has bolstered its international ambitions by drafting in Codemasters’ nonexec chairman Chris Deering to join its advisory board.

“The PlaySpan microtransaction platform delivers the next big revenue stream to publishers,” said Deering. “The system is innovative, versatile and smoother than its rivals. This industry leading tech has gained rapid adoption by reputable game companies worldwide.”

Founder of PlaySpan, Karl Mehta added: “It is a great privilege to have such a reputable exec as Chris on our advisory board.”

Grainger: 0191 2181827

www.playspan.com

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MCV INTERVIEW JOHN SCHAPPERT, CORPORATE VP XBOX LIVE, MICROSOFT

Live 2.0

As Xbox Live users ready themselves for a ‘revolutionary’ update, we ask Live’s chief how the changes will affect the system’s appeal. Tim Ingham reports…

Why is something that’s effectively a software update being treated as so important by Microsoft?

My feeling is that this is our most important day since we launched the Xbox 360. It truly does reinvent the machine. It’s our goal to turn it from a pure games machine to a multimedia device, allowing more entertainment to come to your TV than any other device out there. This new update makes it easier to find things on your box on our service. It’s more accessible for navigation, and frankly, much prettier.

Then, of course, there’s a lot of great new content. Also, we’ve fixed a few complaints people had – making things much easier to find. In the US, we’ve teamed up with Netflix, allowing people to watch movies on demand for free.

This is the best broadband device for your television.

You’re helping fans without the requisite memory upgrade to cope with the software update. Can you promise this process will be completely hassle free?

We’re trying to make it as hassle-free as possible. Part of the new experience is that we require offline storage for catalogue information to help the great experience. 120MB is not a lot to ask of people, but we also recognise that there are some people out there that don’t have that storage.

We’ve launched a website, where we’ve targeted the users who are online who might not have enough storage – or have enough and have their system filled up. Those core members that have a smaller memory unit can get a free 512MB unit. The bigger win for both sets of users is the hard drive option – which is phenomenal. We wanted to make that option as attractive as possible, so we’ve cut the price and we are seeing a great response.

What might you to say to a Core owner who feels a bit left behind – the hard drive still costs a substantial amount for some consumers?

Well, so long as you have some memory, which everyone can have, you can still

resources and money and time behind Xbox Live, continuing to grow that service. It’s a huge part of our future and is very important to Microsoft as well. We get a new member every five seconds, so we’re certainly not shying away from that and see it as a great advantage we have. The reality is, we want to go even further.

MAKING THE MOST OF IT: Unlocking the potential of the 360 as a multimedia device is at the heart of Live’s new features, says Schappert

have a great Live experience. It’s going to be working to a smaller memory specification, but that’s not something that’s new to Arcade owners.

The majority of our bigger content exceeds that limit already. The Arcade system is a great entry-level system, but to truly enjoy all that Live has to offer, I’d heartily recommend a hard drive.

“

One of the major themes of your Tokyo Games Show announcements this month was that the update would make this a full entertainment package for your TV. Are you battling against the likes of Virgin Media and Sky? I don’t know if it’s as much as a battle as our goal. The consumers who own our box are games savvy people who like playing video games. But a lot of us – myself included – are digital media

consumers. We download video on demand, movies, we watch TV, we go to the movies. What’s great about Xbox 360 is the great online service – with 14 million members now – has afforded us new opportunities. We often refer to it as the largest social networking device in your living room.

The digital download sector is currently dominated by retro or niche games. Are you looking forward to more ‘adult’ releases, such as Warner Bros. Watchmen – for which the publisher is cutting out retail from its release?

That’s exactly what Xbox Live enables.

There are games coming that would not get the space at retail, and that’s a big part of why we’re refreshing the system.

We want to widen the content to make it more accessible for different users.

It’s pretty hard to get retail distribution these days, and shelf space continues to be a challenge and people are opting for that – Penny Arcade is a great example of that. Look at Geometry Wars 2, Castle Crasher and Braid. They’re seeing tremendous success. That’s exactly what we want on our service – when retail gets pressured, you can go online.

So would you expect the number of downloadable ‘triple-A’-type titles to increase on Xbox Live going forward?

We’re going to continue to see a great mix. At retail, you can find casual games, RPGs, action games. We are like an It’s our goal to turn Xbox from a online retailer in essence pure games machine to a with our Arcade, and you multimedia device. It’s the best are seeing those titles.

broadband device for your TV. John Schappert, Microsoft

Do you see a time when Xbox Live will become Microsoft’s main form of delivery to the consumer?

It’s certainly our goal for Xbox Live to be more than just an online gaming service and add new digital download opportunities. We’re putting a lot of

”

When will Xbox Live reach the magic number of 20 million members?

We certainly have our eye on that number and I think we’ll achieve it. We announced at this year’s TGS we now have 14 million members. We’ve exceeded our goals by a large margin.

The new Xbox Experience will really push us towards that number.

COMING 31st OCTOBER EXCLUSIVE TO PS3® www.ValkyriaChroniclesGame.com

www.sega.co.uk and PLAYSTATION are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. © SEGA . SEGA, the SEGA logo and VALKYRIA CHRONICLES are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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© 2008 Electronic Arts Inc. EA, the EA logo and Need for Speed are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved. ‘Nissan’ and the names, logos, marks and designs of the NISSAN products are trademarks and/or intellectual property rights of NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD. and used under license to Electronic Arts Inc. Porsche, the Porsche crest, 911 and Carrera are registered trademarks of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Licensed under certain patents. “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION”,“ ” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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MCV INTERVIEW JON ROSENBLATT, MARK SLAUGHTER AND JAMES O’REILLY, UBISOFT UBIQUITOUS: From left to right, Jon Rosenblatt, Mark Slaughter and James O’Reilly are the men behind Ubisoft’s wide-reaching marketing efforts

We three kings After the surprise success of Assassin’s Creed last Christmas, Ubisoft’s marketing team is looking for another smash festive season. Tim Ingham chats to the trio in charge of the purse strings…

Holly and Fearne have been a great face for your Imagine range. How long have you got them for – and how long do you want them?

Mark Slaughter: We don’t want to just cut and paste celebrities whenever it comes to promoting our titles. Nintendo has resisted that very well and use their celebs very cleverly.

We really researched that strongly via speaking to girls. We discovered information about young girls’ role models. The last thing we wanted to do is use celebs that don’t engage with the audience, and that all comes down to them having the right attributes.

Jon Rosenblatt: The girls who buy our Imagine titles look to Fearne and Holly for inspiration. They look at what they’re wearing, they look at what bracelets they’ve got on – whether they

can buy it at Next or New Look or whatever. It’s no different from the EA Sports strategy of getting Wayne Rooney in. It makes the brand famous. And that’s our number one objective with Imagine. There’s got to be a connection.

Jamie Oliver and Sainsbury’s have a connection; or Kate Moss and her fashion in Topshop.

If we just went out and got Paris Hilton, it would be a complete disaster.

We’ve got Holly and Fearne into 2009, and we’ll look into whether we want them for longer at the right time.

What can we expect from your Imagine games’ marketing campaign this Christmas?

MS: Well, a lot of Fearne and Holly for a start! We’re putting a lot of backing into Imagine: Dream Weddings, which we think is a perfect fit for the

“

DS for girls is a space that we really want to own. It’s going to be a £2 million spend this year up to Christmas on the Imagine range.

audience. We’ve got Holly and Fearne very much involved in that, living out their own dream weddings. We’ve lined up a big spend for that and our back catalogue. This is a space – DS for girls – that we really want to own. It’s been and is going to be a £2 million spend this year up to Christmas on Imagine.

There’s also an extensive three-month shopping mall tour starting this weekend in Manchester and ending up in Lakeside in mid-December. The stand consists of 40 DS consoles, plenty of Holly and Fearne branding – and free goodies for young female consumers.

Mark Slaughter, Ubisoft

”

The Rayman Raving Rabbids are becoming a very well known entity.

Are you thinking of bringing them to other media?

JR: I honestly think they can get huge.

Just look at their YouTube success, it’s

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MCV INTERVIEW JON ROSENBLATT, MARK SLAUGHTER AND JAMES O’REILLY, UBISOFT massive. They’re certainly crazy enough to be on TV: Mario and Pokemon are on TV. I know some of the Japanese licences were cartoons before games, but I genuinely believe that the Rabbids have a perfect crossover appeal for boys, girls and young adults. I’d like to see them on something like Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network in a year or two.

MS: They’re going to have a TV appearance this Christmas anyway.

We’re spending in excess of £1 million on a campaign that will takeover ad breaks on primetime shows.

We’ll aim to interrupt the viewer with three spots within the same break with a two x 10-second, followed by a 30-second finale. If you compare likefor-like with Rayman 2, we’re spending three times what we spent last year, as well as ensuring primetime spots on ITV1’s Saturday night.

will spread like fire, and the TV support will ensure that is galvanised.

On the budget front, there seems to be a lot of millions flying around.

What’s the complete figure for your Christmas spend?

JR: This is the biggest Christmas spend in Ubisoft UK history, and I very much think that reflects the best line-up of products in Ubisoft history. On TV alone, we’ve got a £5 million spend over the Christmas period.

What sort of scale of advertising do you think we will see from games companies this year?

MS: My background is in fast moving consumer goods. I’ve previously worked on chocolate, soft drinks – even health and beauty – and it was every bit as competitive. Share of voice is one thing, but you have to make sure you cut through. Spend-wise, from my background, the games industry is

we were part of Dawn’s [Nintendo marketing boss Paine] Touch Generations campaign. On Wii we have Shaun White Snowboarding and Rayman TV Party both of which are coming out this Christmas.

More importantly though, both games maximise the Wii Fit board so that you can snowboard like Shaun White and be totally whacky like the Rabbids by playing some of the games with your arse!

On DS I think we get the strategy more than others, and that came from the top down. We have exploited it brilliantly, and there are publishers out there that are mirroring our strategy, but maybe finding it more difficult to get into retail. We’re No.1 third party, and we’ll fight to remain there.

Can games like EndWar and its voice recognition system appeal to both core fans and less strategically Far Cry 2 is picking up special addicted gamers out there? reviews. How much of a JR: There are people big event for the who really enjoy an inActivision, Microsoft, Sony and industry is its release? depth tactical action EA have their FPS titles to James O’Reilly: Far Cry 2 game, with Ghost Recon come, but with Far Cry 2 we’ve really does advance the or the latest C&C. They got first mover advantage. genre. The map editor is want to be engrossed.

Jon Rosenblatt, Ubisoft the closest thing consumers EndWar straddles both will find to a professional the hardcore and the dev tool. It’s so palpably further ahead spending what I was used to in the mainstream because of its accessibility. than anything else out there. chocolate industry – it’s an FMCG If you’ve got a voice and a finger on A guy said to me at a retailer event: tactic, hitting the consumer regularly your left hand, you’ll immediately “It makes everything else look a bit with messaging. understand what it’s all about.

2007, doesn’t it?” I think that’s true. In terms of marketing, it’s huge. We’re Your success on DS – even JO’R: All of our core products share at spending over £1 million on TV, over outselling Nintendo’s software – is least some of that scalability. If you £250,000 online, with cinema on top of quite something… want to spend your days and nights that. We’re going for the second week JR: It’s a massive milestone for us and gaming to an obsessive degree, you can. of Quantum of Solace at the cinemas, the industry – a really big deal. We’ve But if you look at EndWar, Prince Of which should really pay off. always been highly successful in Persia, Far Cry 2, even Shaun White – pushing our back catalogue and we’re you can drop in for an hour and do that JR: It has something I haven’t seen also good at pushing promotions with as well. We have to make sure that, before. COD blew me away last year – the right price at the right time. On top when we target a broad audience, we it blew a lot of people away. But this of that, we have an excellent offer a choice of experiences. takes first-person to another level. We’re understanding of the DS consumer and kind of throwing the first punch this therefore bring out relevant titles with Assassin’s Creed did really well last year in terms of FPS titles. the right licences. year. Do you have the games to Activision, Microsoft, Sony and EA compete again with the FIFAs and have theirs to come, but I think we’ve Do you think the fact that you were Need For Speed s this time round?

J’OR: I actually think we’ve got a few. got first mover advantage. The way it’s one of the first publishers to back We’ve been given some amazing tools reviewing now, this game will continue Wii and DS has worked in your by the dev teams here. It’s up to us to to be picked up for months to come. favour on the Nintendo consoles? get a broad audience to identify with Look at how COD 4 has succeeded JR: Ubisoft and Nintendo have always them. I think End War’s popularity will over the last 11 months. I think we’ll had a very strong relationship, but I spread through word of mouth, and follow that. You won’t see the typical don’t think it’s any stronger than our nothing can compare with Far Cry 2 in week one, massive sales, week two, 40 relationship with the other two platform its genre. per cent drop pattern. Word-of-mouth holders. With My Word Coach last year,

“

”

UBISOFT’S CHRISTMAS BONANZA With a mix of casual and core titles, the highlights of Ubisoft’s festive lineup suggests it is the company’s strongest in years…

Far Cry 2 October 24th PC/PS3/360

Imagine Figure Skating October 24th DS Imagine Interior Design November 7th DS

Tom Clancy’s EndWar November 7th PS3, Xbox 360, DS, PSP

Imagine: Dream Wedding November 7th DS

Imagine: Champion Rider November 7th Wii

My Health Coach: Stop Smoking With Allen Carr November 14th DS

Shaun White Snowboarding November 14th Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Shaun White: Road Trip November 14th Wii

Rayman Raving Rabbids TV November 14th DS, Wii

Sam Power Firefighter Policeman/Handyman November 21st DS

Planet Rescue: Wildlife Vet/ Planet Rescue: Animal Emergency November 28th DS

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FESTIVAL PREVIEW

London’s With the 2008 London Games Festival promising to surpass last year’s in size and ambition, Jonathon Harker takes a closer look at what the week-long series of events has to offer…

THIS YEAR video games events have to make London Games Festival 2008 seen their fair share of troubles. While the biggest and best yet. publisher bosses brutally criticised E3 But fulfilling ambitions to surpass last for failing to come up with the goods, year’s event will be no mean feat – LGF the German-based Games Convention ’07 drew in crowds in excess of was deemed a success – only to be left 100,000, comprising members of the in confusion as to its future with public, games publishers and the trade.

Leipziger Messe fighting it out with GamesCom on The organisers behind LGF whether Leipzig or are aiming to make it the Cologne will stage the biggest and best yet, topping premier German event the huge crowds of last year. next year.

By comparison, the UK’s games event scene hasn’t seen anything like those kinds of It also managed to put on over 50 controversies, and the impending events that covered a wildly varied London Games Festival is set to kick off range of areas in the games world. this Monday (October 27th) without too And how exactly is London Games much of a fuss.

Festival going to top last year?

That’s not to say the event, now in its One of the key aims of the upcoming third year, isn’t ambitious though – the event is that it offers something for organisers behind the festival are aiming everyone, from hardcore gaming fans to

“

casual gamers. All the major publishers are said to be involved and there will again be a diverse range of activities lined up, including world record attempts, award ceremonies and showcases. London landmarks will also be get a gaming makeover, including Leicester Square and the Cabinet War Rooms. But LGF won’t just be a series of quirky consumer events.

Each attending publisher will hold events across the nation’s capital, not least of all EA’s ‘Be The One’ event at Trafalgar Square. Similarly the MCM Expo, set at the Excel Centre, will showcase material from across the entertainment spectrum. With the Golden Joysticks also taking place during the festivities, LGF 2008 will be packing lots in. Handily, MCV has listed selected highlights over on page 34.

”

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FESTIVAL PREVIEW

Capital plans Ahead of the festival kicking off next week, MCV speaks to LGF chairman and EA vice president Keith Ramsdale. Jonathon Harker asks the questions…

Which publishers are involved in this year’s event?

This year is the first time where we have seen the majority of publishers getting involved in one way or another, which is excellent news for both the Festival and the general public.

EA and Microsoft are putting on large-scale events in Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square respectively, and events like the Eurogamer Expo and London MCM Expo will host numerous other publishers such as Eidos, Bethesda, Ubisoft and Konami. LGF 2008 is perhaps the first year where the general public can experience a broad range of games and industry discussions and get a real feel of what is coming up in 2008 and beyond.

“

What are the benefits of attending?

It may sound cliché, but this year really has something for everyone. The

Festival features several events that will interest the general public, people involved in the industry and those keen to break into it.

For example, Video Games Live is a highly entertaining event, which I strongly recommend for all gaming fans.

It’s a spectacular orchestral performance

The number of events and publishers involved are the highest yet, with the calibre of activity incredibly high.

Keith Ramsdale, LGF of the finest video game compositions, from Mario to Halo to World of Warcraft. Combined with a spellbinding multimedia show, this is one event no gaming fan should miss. And it’s a great example of how music in gaming and the games we play has crossed over into mainstream culture.

For the industry there are numerous events to help equip businesses for the

future, such as Games 3.0, Skills Week and various Tiga and BAFTA activities.

Lastly, we have ensured there are plenty of family events that cover game launches, gaming tournaments and game safety.

Is the festival going to top last year’s showing?

We definitely hope so. The number of publishers involved has increased, the number of events organised is the largest yet and the calibre of activity taking place is incredibly high – perhaps the best since the Festival began three years ago.

The gaming industry has come a long way in the last few years, and is now considered to be the UK’s leading entertainment industry. This LGF will showcase some of the finest gaming and interactive entertainment the industry currently has to offer and further show that gaming is no longer a niche hobby

”

EA’S BATTLE FOR TRAFALGAR EA will be taking over one of London’s most famous landmarks in its signature ‘Be The One’ event during London Games Festival 2008.

Trafalgar Square will be completely taken over on Friday October 31st and November 1st.

A host of celebrities will join Nelson in the Square, and will face ordinary members of the public on stage in front of thousands, playing the latest EA and EA partner games.

The ‘Be The One’ BattleDome – one of the largest ever temporary structures to grace the famous landmark, will house consoles, screens, the finest tech to facilitate those gaming battles, and will play host to live music performances.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 will feature prominently in the televised official opening of ‘Be The One’ on Thursday October 30th.

Regular Off The Record readers will be pleased to learn that Gemma Atkinson, the ex-Hollyoaks actress who stars in the game, will be attending alongside other celebs.

Other titles featured at ‘Be The One’ will include FIFA, Need For Speed, The Sims and Harry Potter, amongst other new titles.

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www.Crashbandicoot.com

© 2008 Sierra Entertainment, Inc. Crash, Crash Bandicoot, Sierra and the Sierra logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sierra Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries and Activision is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Radical Entertainment is a registered trademark or trademark of Radical Entertainment Inc. in Canada, the U.S. and/or other jurisdictions. ‘ ’, ‘PlayStation’, ‘PLAYSTATION’, and ‘PSP’ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. NINTENDO DS, Wii AND THE Wii LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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FESTIVAL PREVIEW

carried out by a few, but in fact now appeals to the masses, from casual players and families to die-hard fans.

What will be the highlights?

We are incredibly lucky this year to have such a high number of quality events taking place during the two week period.

As I mentioned before, Video Games Live at the Royal Festival Hall is one not to be missed, the London MCM Expo is

“

be one of the largest infrastructures to have been built in the Square and is set to be a real extravaganza of gaming entertainment.

So is this event the UK’s premiere consumer and trade event?

In respect to gaming and interactive entertainment – totally. Our long-term aim is to take it beyond the borders and make it one of the key highlights across all of Europe.

LGF is the UK’s premiere event for showcasing the finest in gaming and interactive entertainment.

Keith Ramsdale, LGF

a spectacular and colourful exhibition showing how gaming has infiltrated other forms of entertainment, while the Eurogamer Expo features some of the finest titles launching this Christmas. In addition, there are some real gems organised independently, such as the Grl Gmr Tournament, Games Design London and the Infinite Lives event.

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to?

I’m afraid this might be seen as a shameless plug, but EA’s event in Trafalgar Square is really exciting. It will

LONDON GAMES FRINGE EVENTS LITTLEBIGPLANET Venue: Unit 1, 2 and 3 Thomas Neal’s Centre, Covent Garden, WC2H 9DP Tube: Covent Garden Date: Friday October 24th – Sunday November 2nd

LGF 08: Gaming contests, demos and orchestras – this year’s event has got a wealth of activity on offer

”

Finally, how would you sum up London Games Festival 2008?

The LGF is the UK’s premiere event for showcasing the finest in gaming and interactive entertainment. It’s a true celebration of our industry and consumer enthusiasm for video gaming.

This year will be the Festival’s best yet, with a broad and diverse range of events set up to interest the general public, people involved in the industry and those wanting to be. Games today are as mainstream as television – anyone that loves gaming or who wants to give gaming a try should attend.

VIDEO GAMES LIVE (www.videogameslive.com) Venue: Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX Tube: Embankment / Waterloo Date: 4pm and 8pm, Friday October 24th GAME CHARACTER WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT Venue: On the stairs to the entrance, Excel Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL Tube: Custom House Date: 12:30pm, Saturday October 25th GRL GMR TOURNAMENT & DS WORLD RECORD Venue: The Rocket, Holloway Road, N7 8DB Tube: Holloway Road Date: 11am - 5pm, Saturday October 25th (Grl Gmr 11am-5pm; DS Record from 5pm - 6pm) LONDON MCM EXPO Venue: Excel Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, E16 1XL Tube: Custom House Date: Saturday October 25th to 26th GAMES ART NETWORKING Venue: HTTP Gallery, Unit a2, Arena Design Centre, 71 Ashfield Road, N4 1NY Tube: Manor House Date: 12pm – 6pm, Saturday October 25th SKILLS WEEK (www.skillsweek.com) Venues: Various Date: Monday October 27th – 31st DARE PROTOPLAY Venue: Old Spitalfields Market Tube: Liverpool Street Date: Tuesday October 28th HELPING START UP, SMALL & MEDIUM SIZED DEVELOPERS Venue: David Lean Room, BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LN Tube: Piccadilly Circus Date: 9am – 4pm, Tuesday October 28th GAMESAID POKER TOURNAMENT Venue: Corbet Place Bar, Old Truman Brewery Tube: Liverpool Street Date: Wednesday October 29th

ZOMBIES HEAD FOR LONDON Capcom will be showcasing one of its most anticipated titles during the London Games Festival 2008. Survival action horror Resident Evil 5 will make its UK debut at the Eurogamer Expo alongside the equally eagerly awaited Street Fighter IV. The beat-em-up will be playable on six arcade machines and is sure to get fans pulses racing. Retro lovers will also be catered for with Xbox Live Arcade’s Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.

INDIE ARCADE Venue: Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL Tube: Liverpool Street Date: 11am – 10pm, Tuesday October 28th – 29th

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LGF EVENTS CONT...

GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR BATTLE OF THE BANDS Venue: The Rigg, London South Bank University Students’ Union, Thomas Doyle St, SE1 6NG Tube: Elephant & Castle Date: 6:30pm – 11pm, Wednesday October 29th INFINITE LIVES Venue: Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, 44-46 Pollard Row, Bethnal Green E2 6NB Tube: Bethnal Green Date: 8pm - 10:15pm, Thursday October 30th JONATHAN COULTON AT THE SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE Venue: Shepherds Bush Empire, Shepherds Bush Green, W12 8TT Tube: Shepherds Bush Date: 7pm, Thursday October 30th IGN TRANSATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP Venue: Trafalgar Square, at EA’s BE THE ONE Tube: Charing Cross Date: Friday October 31st BE THE ONE Venue: Trafalgar Square Tube: Charing Cross Date: Friday October 31st to Saturday November 1st THE 2008 GOLDEN JOYSTICKS WITH VIRGIN MEDIA Venue: Hilton Park Lane, 22 Park Lane, W1K 1BE Tube: Hyde Park Corner Date: Friday October 31st PLAYFUL: GAME DESIGN LONDON Venue: Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, WC1R 4RL Tube: Holborn Date: 9am – 5pm, Friday October 31st INFINITE LIVES: HOW VIDEO GAMES HACKED LITERATURE Venue: Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, 44-46 Pollard Row, Bethnal Green E2 6NB Tube: Bethnal Green Date: 8pm – 10pm, Friday October 31st THE PRO EVO PLAYOFF Venue: The Legion, 348 Old Street, EC1V 9NQ Tube: Old Street Date: 7pm – 12pm, Sunday November 2nd WHO WANTS TO BE? Venue: Unicorn Theatre, 147 Tooley Street, Southwark SE1 2HZ Tube: London Bridge Date: 8pm – 9:30pm, Friday November 7th

Greater London Event director Duncan Best tells Jonathon Harker about ELSPA’s role in LGF...

What is ELSPA’s involvement in the London Games Festival?

ELSPA is one of the founding organisations behind the LGF. The LDA (London Development Agency) originally approached Tiga and ELSPA about setting up a cultural festival for the games industry, and the Festival and trade bodies have agendas that cross over.

“

consumers to the world of video games.

With the increased mainstream coverage, it has become much harder for people not to be aware of video games. I don’t think the Luddite Press exists anymore, which makes reporting on gaming a lot easier and the art form more accessible.

London Games Festival encourages positive media coverage, which helps to grow the games economy.

Do events like this help broadcast the fact that the UK games industry is flourishing?

Any positive news about games help the industry as a whole. Not just because of economic recognition, but because it gives the media the opportunity to talk about gaming in a positive way.

Are events like these important for the trade?

Yes, positive media coverage helps grow the games economy and introduces new

Duncan Best, ELSPA

And do you think the games trade is starting to achieve the aim of being culturally recognised?

I think there are very few people nowadays who would suggest games are not culturally significant. But this is slightly different from them being cultured or adding to culture in an enriching sense. Most popular

movements aren’t recognised for their cultural contribution immediately and the video games industry has suffered in the media for this reason. I think all informed individuals would see interactive entertainment expanding the possibilities for art incalculably.

With the industry now gearing up for Christmas, how do you rate the year in terms of the video games trade and its perception?

The perception of the games industry is always changing, and certainly the media likes a story about a blockbuster or the latest musthave game. The industry has changed so much over the last couple of years and more families are playing games together. The sales performance for all games consoles has driven massive growth, which ultimately leaves the industry in a very positive position moving forward.

”

MOVE TO MIDDLE-EARTH...

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

O F F I C I A L E X PA N S I O N T O T H E C R I T I C A L LY A C C L A I M E D P C G A M E O F T H E Y E A R * T H E L O R D O F T H E R I N G S O N L I N E TM : S H A D O W S O F A N G M A R TM !

01279 822822

FOR MORE GAME INFORMATION VISIT TM

www.lotro-europe.com

THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE™ interactive video game © 2008 Turbine, Inc. and patents pending. All rights reserved. Middle-Earth Poster Map © 2007 The Saul Zaentz Company, d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises (SZC), under license to Turbine, Inc. All rights reserved. “The Lord of the Rings Online”, “Mines of Moria”, “Shadows of Angmar”, The Watcher logo, “Conquer the World Beneath”, “The Lord of the Rings”, and the names of the characters, events, items and places therein are trademarks or registered trademarks of SZC under license to Turbine, Inc. Turbine and the Turbine logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Turbine, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other jurisdictions. Codemasters is a registered trademark owned by The Codemasters Software Company Limited and the Codemasters Online Gaming logo is a trademark owned by The Codemasters Software Company Limited. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. *‘PC game of the year’ XXV golden Joystick awards 2007.

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GMA HALL OF FAME

The great and the good of the UK’s video games press filled Camden’s Jongleurs Comedy Club for the second ever GMA ceremony last Thursday. The night celebrated the cream of the specialist, mainstream, print and digital media – and for those who couldn’t be there on the night, MCV brings you the full run-down of the winners...

GAMES MEDIA LEGEND Sponsored by Atari STEVE JARRATT

“Thank you very much. It’s been a real pleasure being part of this industry for the last 20-odd years. I have to thank Future for letting me piss about with its money, and I'm just glad that it all turned out okay in the end!"

Steve Jarratt

GOLD SPONSORS

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GMA HALL OF FAME GAMES MAGAZINE EDGE

“Making Edge is obviously a team effort, so thank you to everyone who works on the magazine, and thank you to everyone we work with in the industry for your support.”

Tony Mott, Edge

GAMES WEBSITE EUROGAMER

“Thanks a lot, and thanks for all the support.

We really appreciate it. We love you guys.”

Tom Bramwell, Eurogamer

GAMES BROADCAST GAMES NIGHT ON XLEAGUE.TV

“Thank you for this. We really appreciate it. A lot of hard work went into it and thank you to Paul Vale – this goes to you.”

XLEAGUE.TV

www.gamescom-cologne.com

CELEBRATE THE GAMES 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 13/9/2009 COLOGNE

gamescom sends its congratulations to the winners of the Games Media Awards.

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GMA HALL OF FAME SPECIALIST GAMES WRITER, PRINT TOM FRANCIS, PC GAMER

“I want to thank my editor Ross Atherton and my deputy editor Tim Edwards, because I'm sure I wouldn't be getting this without them. Thanks!"”

Tom Francis, PC Gamer

SPECIALIST GAMES WRITER, ONLINE ELLIE GIBSON, EUROGAMER

“Thank you very much. Thanks especially to Eurogamer for letting me write things about video games on the internet. Thank you!”

Ellie Gibson, Eurogamer

RISING STAR Sponsored by Rising Star Games SIMON MILLER, X360

“'Thank you to everyone who voted and a special thanks goes to Imagine and the X360 team for their constant hard work and support.”

Simon Miller, X360

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GMA HALL OF FAME MAINSTREAM MAGAZINE GAMES WRITER SIMON MUNK, FHM

Sponsored by Ubisoft

“I don't deserve this award – Rory Buckeridge does. But hey, I’m going to grab it on behalf of my baby daughter and soon-to-be baby son!”

Simon Munk, FHM

NATIONAL NEWSPAPER – BEST GAMES COVERAGE THE GUARDIAN

“This one is for Keith, Aleks and everyone else who writes about games for The Guardian.

The Guardian gives a shit about games, which is a good thing!"

Greg Howson, Guardian

REGIONAL GAMES COLUMNIST DAVE COOK, THE SCOTSMAN

“Thank you very much to everyone who voted for me and to the industry. Here’s to another year working together.

Thank you.”

Dave Cook, Scotsman

CATEGORY SPONSORS

Mainstream Magazine Games Writer

Rising Star

Games Media Legend

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Event Partner

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A WELL DONE TO ALL THE MEDIA STARS OF THE INDUSTRY FROM XBOX

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MARKETING FOCUS: NINTENDO

Cause celeb FOR OVER three years now Nintendo has been no stranger to family-friendly, mass market appeal thanks to the widespread popularity of the DS and Wii. But a new marketing campaign announced this week plans to take that intense popularity to the next level.

Drawing in high profile celebrities, Nintendo UK wants to ram home the message that its consoles are ideal for anyone, with help from music stars Girls Aloud, singer/songwriter Ronan Keating, sporting family Redknapps, plus Fern Britton and husband Phil Vickery.

All feature in a marketing campaign that shows them playing Wii and DS titles. Key, however, is not just the celebrity clout of the new spokespeople, but the fact that the marketing clearly shows their close-knit friends and family getting in on the act.

“Families all over the UK are smiling, laughing and having fun together, whether they are flexing their mental muscles, unravelling mysteries or cooking a perfect meal on Nintendo DS or racing, hitting a strike, ace or hole-in-one with Wii there really is something for everyone and every family,” explains Dawn Paine, marketing director at Nintendo UK. FAMOUS FACES

On the DS, Girls Aloud can be seen playing Nintendogs and Mario Kart DS. Ronan Keating, meanwhile, indulges in some Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training before playing multiplayer Big Brain Academy with his family. Fern Britton is shown using Cooking Guide: Can’t Decide What to Eat? to rustle up something in the kitchen for husband Phil Vickery. Meanwhile, Patrick Stewart and Julie Walters compare notes on Brain Training.

On Wii, the Redknapp family can be seen playing Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wii Sports and Wii Fit. The thinking is that, with each being icons in their respective fields, the stars create a strong affinity with each game brand, and also prove that games can involve everyone of any age.

Plus, the campaign is aiming for ubiquity akin to that shared by its chosen celebs, with a wide-reaching TV and outdoor push that starts on Monday next week (October 27th).

Nintendo is cheering its entire catalogue of bestsellers with a new marketing push using big-name UK celebrities. MCV casts its eye over the firm’s plans…

“We all love our Nintendo DSes, whether racing with Mario Kart on the tour bus or looking after our Nintendogs in the studio at the end of a hectic day, there’s always something to keep us laughing and entertained – the different DS colours mean we never get them mixed up too!”

Girls Aloud

“I love my Nintendog; I can feed him, take him for walks and play with him every day, it’s just like having a real dog in my hand.”

Girls Aloud’s Nadine Coyle

“I love the Wii. It's great you can be active while having fun and Louise, Charley and I can all play it together. My dad's got into it recently too.”

Jamie Redknapp

“We all play as a family whenever we get together and can't stop laughing.

Mario Kart is a lot of fun – especially when I beat Jamie. There are some great learning-based games for younger children too.”

Louise Redknapp

“Big Brain Academy is great fun for all the family and it's fantastic that Yvonne and I can play it with the kids too.”

Ronan Keating

THE END BEGINS

07.11.08

“THIS GAME IS DEFINITELY WORTH EVERY PENNY. NOW I CAN’T WAIT FOR IT TO BE RELEASED TO DO THEATRE OF WAR. GOD, I CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT IT’S LIKE WITH UPGRADED UNITS” “I HAD A BLAST PLAYING THE DEMO. THIS LOOKS LIKE IT WILL LIVE UP TO MY VERY HIGH EXPECTATIONS” “THE VOICE COMMAND IS AMAZING IMO. I HAVEN’T REALLY HAD AN ISSUE WITH IT” “THE GAME PLAYS GREAT! NICE WORK ON THE VOICE TOO” “I REALLY ENJOYED IT, AND AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE FULL GAME BEING RELEASED!” “THE GAME IS AMAZING” “I LOVED THE MAP. HIGHLY DETAILED.” “THIS GAME IS PRETTY AWESOME” “THE DEMO IS AWESOME” “LOL, I AM A TOTAL LASER LOVER. WMD’S ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!” “THE VOICE COMMAND WAS AWESOME AND IT WORKS WELL.” “I LOVE THE VOICE COMMAND SYSTEM FINALLY FEEL LIKE I HAVE CONTROL.” “I’M DEFINITELY SURPRISED ON HOW THEY’VE BEEN ABLE TO ACTUALLY MAKE THE VOICE COMMAND WORK…” “LOVING THE VOICE COMMANDS RIGHT NOW. ITS REALLY GOOD.” “THANKS FOR THE DEMO UBI, I LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING THE REAL GAME! UNTIL THEN, I WILL KEEP PLAYING!!” “THIS GAME IS LOOKING TO BE GREAT. I’M SOOO GLAD THE VOICE COMMAND IS RESPONSIVE AND WORKS GREAT. THE DEMO WAS REAL FUN.” “REALLY REALLY FUN. I’L DEFINTELY BE GETTING THE FULL GAME MAINLY FOR THE ONLINE WORLD WAR III COMPONENT” “AT FIRST I FELT LIKE A BIT OF PRICK GIVING VOICE THE VOICE COMMANDS BUT VERY QUICKLY YOU OF THE BECOME TOTALLY IMMERSED” “THE VOICE COMMAND AND POSSIBILITES COMMUNITY SEEM GREAT. I LIKES A LOT.”

“SPEAKS VOLUMES FOR THE FUTURE OF GAMING” - NEWS OF THE WORLD

“IMPRESSIVE AND IMMERSIVE” - YAHOO! GAMES

“WE’RE NOT MASSIVE FANS OF REAL-TIME STRATEGY GAMES HERE, BUT WE HAD A F**KING BALL PLAYING THIS” - FRONT

“BRILLIANT WORLD WAR 3 STRATEGY” - LOADED

“UBISOFT [...] MIGHT BE ABOUT TO GIVE US THE MOST ACCESSIBLE RTS YET MADE, ON CONSOLE OR OTHERWISE, AND IF THAT’S THE CASE, CONTRARY TO ITS NAME, ENDWAR MIGHT BE ABOUT TO START ONE” - EUROGAMER

“TAKE IT FROM US, THE VOICE COMMAND SYSTEM RUNS AS SMOOTHLY AS THE FONZ ON ICE” - TOTAL VIDEOGAMES

“IT’S THE ONLY GAME IN THE WORLD THAT LETS YOU DEPLOY NUCLEAR MISSILES BY SAYING ‘WMD ATTACK HOSTILE ONE,’ AND IS THEREFORE WICKED” - VIDEOGAMING 247

THE VOICE OF THE JOURNALIST

“IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY FOR ENDWAR TO HAVE BEEN A GIMMICKY ONE-TRICK PONY, BUT HAVING PUT OUR LARYNXES TO THE TEST, WE’RE HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THIS IS NOT THE CASE” - VIDEOGAMER.COM

YOUR VOICE IS THE ULTIMATE WEAPON

DEMO AVAILABLE NOW ON XBOX LIVE COMING 7TH NOVEMBER TO PSN

Game features may vary on handheld formats. Š 2008 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Endwar, the Soldier Icon, Ubisoft, Ubi.com and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. The PLAYSTATION family symbol, PLAYSTATION and PSP are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. NINTENDO AND NINTENDO DS ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO.

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MCV 24/10/08 51

PERSONNEL

GAME snares top Boots exec New COO at GAME Two join Image Metrics Capcom takes on four D3P expansion continues apace GAME GAME Group has appointed of TERRY SCICLUNA as its new chief operating officer.

Scicluna joins from Alliance Boots, and until recently he was managing director of Unichem. He has also held senior leadership roles at Alliance Pharmacy, where he was chief operating officer responsible for £1.2 billion worth of turnover and over a thousand stores.

GAME CEO Lisa Morgan commented: “We are delighted to welcome Terry.

He brings considerable retail

SCI The Tomb Raider publisher has announced that AARON BROWN has resigned as non-executive director of the company with immediate effect.

TOP OF HIS GAME: Scicluna joins from Alliance Boots

and operational experience to GAME. His extensive skills will strengthen our team and help us develop our strategy in the future.”

IMAGE METRICS The facial animation studio has hired STEPHEN PEACOCK as vice president of product marketing and ERIC SCHUMACHER as vice president of marketing.

Peacock joins with 20 years worth of experience, having been employed by Emergent Game Technologies, NXN

We are managing all of Sony Computer Entertainment's games recruitment and the London office is a world class development studio. It has unrivalled development facilities and offers a creative and stimulating environment coupled with access to the best London has to offer from their Soho office.

Project Manager/Producer SCEE London Studio requires a Project Manager/Producer to work on the successful management and delivery of one of their most successful franchise titles.

Responsibilities include: -Supervising and coordinating internal resources to meet production schedules.

-Reporting development progress to the Senior Producer; highlighting problems and presenting solutions.

-Act as the main point of contact for the Central Operations department in relation to milestone deliverables ie. providing timely information on release dates and consolidating information from central marketing, studio management, local territories and music licensing.

You must have at least 2 years+ Project Management experience within a games environment.

Ideally this role needs someone more focused on practical/technical aspects of games production rather than creative.

Other Vacancies: QA Lead Senior Producer Producer

Guilford Southam Coventry

£DOE £DOE £DOE

Please get in touch for the full job specs sarah@datascope.co.uk

Help a Friend - Reward Yourself You refer a friend, we find them a job and we'll reward you with either £400 cash or vouchers of your choice or a donation to a charity of your choice

+44 (0)20 7580 6018 +1 312 940 5184

www.Datascope.co.uk www.DatascopeUSA.com

Software and Softimage.

Schumacher has signed up having served Image Metrics as a consultant since March 2008.

CAPCOM The Resident Evil publisher has hired exTHQ man MICKEY TORODE as European marketing manager. Torode had worked at THQ for six years in the role of European group marketing manager, and previously held similar UK positions at Sega and Ubisoft. Joining Torode is CHIARA WOOLFORD, who has signed up as senior online marketing and community

manager. The firm has also recruited new industry faces DANIELE CEDROLA, who has joined the firm as UK PR assistant and MAO SUGIYAMA, who has been appointed international coordination assistant.

D3P The firm’s sales team has received a boost with PETER SILVER promoted to assistant sales manager and TOM VICKERY signing up as sales executive. The firm has also promoted LIAM TAYLOR into the position of senior European sales manager.

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PERSONNEL The publisher has also boosted its marketing team, with MARLENE FITZSIMMONS joining as PR and marketing executive and REBECCA MASCHKE recruited as marketing and sales coordinator. Finally, CARLY KEY is the firm’s new operations administrator.

HMV The acquisition of Gamerbase by the retail giant has meant that the cyber centre specialists’ co-founders DOMINIC MULROY and SUJOY ROY have joined HMV. They will be tasked with pushing the Gamerbase brand forward and firming up plans to launch up to eight new centres.

CODEMASTERS As revealed by MCV, JEREMY WIGMORE has joined the Warwickshire-based publisher as UK general manager.

ZOË MODE The Brighton-based music and party game developer has unveiled its new team, with a whopping 60 new members of staff joining since the beginning of 2008.

“Since our rebrand in March last year, we have experienced an enormous

interest from publishers around the globe looking to place development projects with Zoë Mode,” explained studio head ED DALY. “This has given us the ability to expand our studio here in Brighton and grow our headcount by over 50 per cent. In the last nine months we have

taken on a wide range of new staff, from graduate programmers right up to highly experienced senior managers.

“As per our commitment to a diverse workforce, our new hires are widely varied in age and include a number of new female developers.”

xx MCVxxx_v1:Layout 1

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CONGRATULATIONS

TO STEVE JARRATT FROM THE ATARI TEAM

RSAwards_MCV_Ad

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RETAILBIZ RECOMMENDED GAMES PRICE CHECK CHARTS NEW RELEASES

DISNEY SPECIAL With a plethora of big-name titles including High School Musical, Sing It and ThInk Fast, we take a closer look at Disney’s cracking Christmas line-up...

Pages 56-61

ALSO THIS WEEK...

TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD P62 Eidos is back with another potential smash – we take a close look

It is an exciting Christmas for Disney Interactive Studios, our fourth as a publisher. Our release schedule contains some of the most popular and exciting family franchises in the world. There is something for the whole family whether they prefer performing their favourite Disney songs on the Sing It titles, testing their knowledge on Th!nk Fast or finding out which High School Musical character they are most like, there is bound to be a game for everyone.

“

Matt Carroll, Country Director, Disney Interactive Studios

”

TOM CLANCY’S ENDWAR P65 Ubisoft’s innovative voice-controlled RTS is ready to move out WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2009 P66 THQ oils up for another WWE outing – get your orders in now

WITH THIS ISSUE...

We round up Nintendo’s strongestever games line-up on Wii and DS in this week’s Recommended Extra

5.,%!3( -54!.4 &529

ACTIVISION ROUND-UP P69 A six pack of new titles from Activision are ready for retail A4T P72 A new range of shield kits get the Recommended treatment

WWW.MCVUK.COM

34 /#4/"%2

© 2008 Sierra Entertainment, Inc. Crash, Crash Bandicoot, Sierra and the Sierra logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sierra Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries and Activision is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Radical Entertainment is a registered trademark or trademark of Radical Entertainment Inc. in Canada, the U.S. and/or other jurisdictions. ‘ ’, ‘PlayStation’, ‘PLAYSTATION’, and ‘PSP’ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. NINTENDO DS, Wii AND THE Wii LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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Actually, it’s not just all singing and all dancing – there’s also a bit of thinking involved too.

Ben Parfitt tests his grey matter with Disney’s new console quiz title…

WWW.MCVUK.COM

FIRST THERE was the joytick. Then The PS2 version includes four the paddle. Then the joypad arrived, buzzers, whilst those playing on Wii can and somewhere in between folk also use the Wii Remote and nunchuck. started playing games with a mouse and Hosted by the recognisable Genie keyboard. Then, in the late ‘90s, things from Aladdin, users can choose from began to change. characters such as Mickey Mouse, his People started playing games using girlfriend Minnie, Goofy and Donald mats placed on the floor in front of the TV. Shortly What better entertainment after mats came cameras, and soon after that for Christmas when the microphones and the whole family can enjoy time stylus. And lest we forget together? the invention of the quiz Burcin Ergin, Disney buzzer controller. The joypad is most definitely under siege.

The latest title to take advantage of Duck in a competition including over the buzzer accessory is Disney’s Th!nk 15 rounds. As well as a range of Fast, which combines general multiple choice questions, also on offer knowledge with a liberal smattering of are a selection of fast paced mini-games Disney-themed trivia that is perfect for set in an assortment of recognisable the often agonisingly dull time known Disney themed locations from films such as Christmas day afternoon. In total, as The Lion King, Lilo & Stitch and The over 5,000 questions are included.

Little Mermaid.

“

RELEASED: NOV 21 (PS2), DEC 4 (WII) FORMATS: WII, PS2 PUBLISHER: DISNEY INTERACTIVE DEVELOPER: MAGENTA SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

“Th!nk Fast is a really fun game,” marketing manager Burcin Ergin explains to MCV. “It comprises both Disney and general knowledge sections as well as a vast array of rounds so everyone can get involved, what better entertainment for Christmas when the whole family can enjoy time together. It has made a huge impression every time we have it at a press and retail event.”

World-famous branding, a formula that has been proved successful and a major marketing push (see boxout) all add up to a perfect package.

”

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ALL SINGING, ALL DANCING So extensive is Disney’s Q4 software offering this Christmas that the publisher has pulled its key titles into one memorable advertising campaign, dubbed ‘All Singing, All Dancing, All Gaming – All Disney’.

“This Christmas we have a wide range of products in the social gaming and music category, including our Disney Sing It range, Dance and family trivia products coming out from October through to December,” marketing manager Burcin Ergin tells MCV. “It made sense to range these games at retail and present them in our media campaign under a unified umbrella campaign titled All Singing, All Dancing, All Gaming – All Disney.

This campaign will allow for increased stand out in one of the busiest times of the year” The marketing drive includes plenty of TV advertising, such as a key spot in ITV’s X Factor.

There’s unsurprisingly also plenty of cinema advertising planned, which launches alongside High School Musical 3. Another element of the drive is a national shopping mall tour, running in conjunction with AOL, which will be visiting five of the UK’s largest malls beginning on November 6th. Also look out for extensive PR activity targeting Christmas Gift Guides, the parenting press, kids and tweens publications and both national and regional print, broadcast and online media.

“The campaign sums up the philosophy behind our incredible line-up of products. TV and cinema advertising as well as mall posters will engage our key targets.”

Head of marketing Keely Brenner adds: “The campaign sums up the philosophy behind our incredible line up of products. The mall tour will allow budding performers to get seen on AOL – we might even find the next Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers. TV and cinema advertising as well as mall posters will engage our key targets of kids and families.”

MCV 24/10/08 57

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HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR Alongside the home console versions of High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance, Disney is releasing a bespoke version for Nintendo’s DS entitled High School Musical 3: Senior Year.

Like its console siblings, the title is rhythm-action based, and includes brand new music from the film.

It also offers themed quizzes based on the popular Wildcat characters and offers the chance to capture photos of the protagonists for the East High yearbook.

Most excitingly for DS owners, the game also includes a jukebox mode that allows players to listen to all the music from the film – even when the DS is closed.

“High School Musical on the DS promises to smash the records set from last year’s runaway success,” marketing manager Burcin Ergin enthuses to MCV. “Fans of HSM will love the gameplay which includes quizzes, a yearbook and increased interaction with the characters.”

RELEASE: OCTOBER 31 FORMAT: DS PUBLISHER: DISNEY INTERACTIVE DEVELOPER: GRIPTONITE GAMES DISTRIBUTION: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

DANCING QUEEN: The latest High School Musical is certain to capitalise on the success of the highly-anticipated movie, which has received plenty of press coverage

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It’s the film that redefined our preconceptions about what a ‘straight to DVD’ film can be like, and now High School Musical is looking to do to the games market what it has already done to home video. Ben Parfitt throws some shapes…

IT’S A REVOLUTION of almost after the arrival of HSM3 in cinemas – unparalled power. Bypassing the cinema the press hype has been huge, and and heading straight to DVD, it’s never has the brand been as prominent unlikely that even Disney knew the in the UK as it is currently. phenomenon it was about to create “This October saw the third when it unleashed High School Musical instalment of High School Musical hit onto the world. But now that the cinemas,” marketing manager Burcin revolution has happened, Disney’s Ergin explains to MCV. “It has already mammoth franchise has begun to target gaming.

HSM3 has already smashed With European games sales of 1.8 million units to pre-booking records, giving a date, HSM is already a clear indication of the major player in the games excitement out there. market – but the arrival of Burcin Ergin, Disney HSM3 is looking to take this to a brand new level. So far the franchise has been focused on Wii, DS smashed pre-booking records so this and PS2, but as the next-gen machines gives a pretty clear indication of the begin to penetrate deeper into the excitement out there for the franchise.” family market, Disney feels the time is HIGH SCHOOL DREAMING right to follow suit.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year It’s no coincidence that the publisher Dance is a fan’s dream come true. has chosen to unleash its new range of Featuring the energy, dancing and High School Musical games shortly

“

RELEASED: NOVEMBER 21 FORMATS: WII, 360, PS2, PC PUBLISHER: DISNEY INTERACTIVE DEVELOPER: PAGE 44 DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

music of all three HSM movies, players can use a dance mat to boogie to the trilogy’s tracks, with film footage from familiar locations and dance moves from the film’s top stars including Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad and Taylor.

Players are also free to create their own individual Wildcat character.

Multiplayer gaming is also supported and, although all versions of the game support dance mats, the non-Nintendo versions will also allow players to use the joypad. Progression through the game is rewarded with new songs, characters, clothing and accessories, too.

”

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Disney’s festive trilogy wouldn’t be complete without a bit of vocal gymnastics to compliment the quizzing and dancing. Ben Parfitt gargles with salt water and strains for the high notes…

WWW.MCVUK.COM

WITH DISNEY Th!nk Fast covering the quiz genre, and High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance ticking the dance game box, there’s still one casual console genre looking for some love – so step forward karaoke title Disney Sing It. In fact, Disney has two karaoke SKUs lined up for November.

Disney Sing It is based on the firm’s rich catalogue of modern day stars, whilst Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3 Senior Year is based on the big-screen Hollywood offering that’s become a global smash hit (see boxout).

“The last iteration of High School Musical Sing It was a worldwide hit and we are looking forward to building upon this success with Disney Sing It and Disney Sing It High School Musical 3,” Disney marketing manager Burcin Ergin

“

asserts. “This time around both games feature a fantastic Sing It Pro mode where players will be taught how to become pitch perfect.”

Featuring a huge range of stars from Camp Rock, Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, Jesse McCartney, as well as

In total, 35 tracks are included, all of which can be sung solo or against friends in a range of multiplayer modes including duet, versus and team play.

Also of note is the vocal The last iteration of High coach for the title, who is School Musical Sing It was a none other than High worldwide hit and we are School Musical’s Kelsi (Olesya Rulin), who looking to build upon that. guides players through Burcin Ergin, Disney some of the trickier content from High School Musical itself, elements of the title. the title draws upon tracks from Disney will also be offering a range of Hollywood Records artists, the Disney downloadable content for the game Channel Original Series and Disney post-release on both Xbox Live and Channel Original movies – the overall Sony’s PSN, including new themed target audience for the title is quite skins, new Disney song packs and obviously huge. various other bonus content.

”

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x

RELEASED: NOVEMBER 7 FORMATS: WII, PS3, 360, PS2 PUBLISHER: DISNEY INTERACTIVE DEVELOPER: ZOE MODE DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

DISNEY SING IT: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 SENIOR YEAR Alongside the broader Disney-themed karaoke offering, Disney is also readying a dedicated High School Musical 3 singing game currently lined up for release at the end of November. Fans of the brand are certainly in for a treat this Christmas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and considering the success of the franchise to date, it seems there are an awful lot of fans out there.

In fact, the High School Musical brand has a far wider commercial appeal than many imagine. Though the key target group is 11 year-olds, with a slight skew toward females, the truth is that High School Musical has plenty of appeal amongst parents and even boys. It really is the definition of a family franchise. The game focuses on the relationship between Troy (played

by Zac Efron) and Gabriella (played by

Vanessa Hudgens) as they struggle with the realisation that they will soon be separated from one another as they both head off to college.

Along with the rest of the Wildcats they decide to stage an elaborate spring musical reflecting their experiences. The game features new music and new dances taken from the new movie.

RELEASE: NOVEMBER 28 (WII DEC 4) FORMAT: WII, PS3, PS2, PC PUBLISHER: DISNEY INTERACTIVE DEVELOPER: ZOE MODE DISTRIBUTION: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

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RELEASED: NOVEMBER 21 FORMATS: PS2, PS3, 360, WII, PC PUBLISHER: EIDOS DEVELOPER: CRYSTAL DYNAMICS PRICE: VARIOUS DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

Eidos’ enduring mascot returns once more to raid tombs and please the eye. Rob Power has a quick rummage in Lara’s Underworld...

IF THERE’S one thing that’s for absolute certain in this big old scary world we live in, it’s that gamers old and new will never grow tired of taking control of Lara Croft.

Who knows what it is about her that makes the chaps of the world sigh so.

Her in-depth knowledge and passion for world archaeology, perhaps? Her uppercrust upbringing and cut-glass accent?

It’s a possibility. Maybe it is her death defying agility and physical prowess? It could be any of these things and more.

It could even be that she can shoot two guns at the same time and has a truly breathtaking rack.

Whatever it is, there really is something about Lara, and the world is just about to fall in love with her all over again in the latest instalment of one of the gaming world’s most iconic series: Tomb Raider: Underworld.

When the time rolls around for another dose of Lara, everybody gets excited. Like a new Bond movie or West Ham reaching a cup final, it’s an event, and one that everyone wants a piece of.

The new Tomb Raider is already causing eyebrows to raise, with all indications pointing towards one hell of a comeback for the old girl. It’s certainly not difficult to see why.

“Very few franchises can boast the instant recognition and positive appeal that Tomb Raider has,” says Eidos head of UK marketing Jon Brooke. “In Tomb Raider: Underworld, we are combining successes from the past two games into an action-packed, player-driven experience that independent observers are already describing as the ‘best Tomb Raider game ever made’. When we launched our new face of live Lara in

August, we generated more pages of national news than ever before including two key spots on BBC1 and Channel 5 news. The first trailer even debuted on BBC2’s Something For The Weekend. This shows that Lara Croft is hugely important to today’s video games market and the Tomb Raider franchise is still very relevant to today’s gamer.”

Excitement is, undoubtedly, riding high. The game itself, although not the first outing for Lara on next-gen, is being seen as a significant step up.

Utilising an all-new engine, Underworld looks certain to bring a smoother, more realistic and ultimately more believable Lara Croft into our lives.

“We are proud of how Tomb Raider: Legend appeared in the early days of next-gen consoles,” continues Brooke.

“Since then Crystal Dynamics has been dedicating their time to targeting

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GIRL POWER: Lara’s adventures take in everything you’d expect from a Tomb Raider title, with a few surprises thrown in too

THE LOWDOWN ON LARA

these high-end platforms, Tomb Raider: advertising across print and online through the roof. A contender for the Underworld is, simply put, more websites, all driving hype and consumer top spot at Christmas perhaps? advanced in every respect. The lush, momentum. On November 19th our “Absolutely,” concludes Brooke. “Try reactive, highly detailed environments, first TV spot will be broadcast in the and name a bigger all formats release wide-open exploration spaces and many England Vs Germany football match and this Christmas that appeals to quite so additional moves and abilities in Lara’s from there the TV campaign will run many demographics, is supported by a arsenal make this larger media campaign and adventure more beautiful comes with over 11 years Try and name a bigger all than anything out there.” of heritage. Tough, isn’t it?” formats release this Christmas As you might expect As with any truly that appeals to so many when one of the big boys successful brand, Tomb demographics... tough, isn’t it? rolls into town, there is an Raider will sell by the shed extensive marketing plan load thanks to its rich Jon Brooke, Eidos in place, with no expense history, huge fanbase, spared. “We’ve been pushing out stories right up until Christmas Day. This TV familiar lead character and all-round topand videos to the community all year spend, which is supported by Microsoft, notchness. Ask Eidos and they’ll tell you and of course you’ll have seen our new will be the single largest TV campaign that Tomb Raider: Underworld is a new live Lara, Alison Carroll, who was that Eidos has ever put behind a game.” benchmark for the series, so expect big launched to great success this summer,” So with an impressive marketing pre-orders and a glowing critical enthuses Brooke. “Now we’re moving campaign in place, not to mention the reception to boot. into the key pre-release months, we are fact that, well, it’s Tomb Raider for All in all, it’s looking like it’s going to ramping up our specialist press, running crying out loud, sales are expected to go be a Lara-shaped Christmas.

“

”

Lara herself is looking better than ever in Underworld. Fully motioncaptured (using a gymnast, no less), Tomb Raider: Underworld bears witness to a genuinely realisticlooking Lara who has a raft of slick new moves under her belt.

“Fans can expect to find everything they love about Tomb Raider and a whole lot more,” says Eidos head of UK marketing John Brooke.

“Lara has more moves, new gear, and greater ability to explore and master epic environments. Questions raised in previous games are answered, and some familiar faces from Lara's past appear to make this adventure more personal and powerful than ever.”

Graphics aside, there are plenty more new features for fans to get stuck into in Underworld. The plot carries on Lara’s search for mythical god-like chap Thor’s mighty weapon (insert bawdy pun here).

In search of Thor’s Hammer, she’ll be jetting off all over the place as per usual, with locations including Mexico, Thailand, the Antarctic and of course the bottom of the Mediterranean. And it’s all possible thanks to an all-new game engine which brings the game world to life. And renders Lara’s knockers beautifully, of course.

MCV-505-GMA-AD-CONGRATS.indd 1

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With no less than three hit franchises under his belt, Tom Clancy has been the boss of war games for a decade, but now he’s ready to spread his wings with the help of Ubisoft. Ben Parfitt barks the orders…

THE MARRIAGE between tech-based military author Tom Clancy and video games has proved a hugely prosperous one for Ubisoft. Beginning in 1998 with tactical squad shooter Rainbow Six, a string of hits have emerged from the partnership including war simulator Ghost Recon and spy-sim Splinter Cell. The Tom Clancy franchise is reaching out into new territory this year, though, with both the upcoming flightsim H.A.W.X and the voicecontrolled RTS EndWar on the way.

“The time is right to expand as there hasn’t been a new IP within the franchise since Splinter Cell,” Ubisoft’s senior brand manager Phil Brannelly explains to MCV. “We now own the Tom Clancy name and have the freedom to do just that.”

“

Ubisoft has also gone to great lengths to assure onlookers that EndWar is not a bastardised PC game that has been crammed onto consoles. “Ultimately it’s a futuristic war game set in the nearfuture Clancy vision,” Brannelly adds.

“Yes, it’s what we are determining as an

Of course, the main problem console RTS games have traditionally faced is the difficulty developers have had in translating a game suited to keyboard and mouse for use on joypad. Voice control eradicates this complication.

“The most exciting thing about voice command is you don’t have to fiddle with a We have ambitions for EndWar myriad of buttons to get to be the number one strategy anywhere,” Brannelly game on consoles and set the enthuses. “You simply pull benchmark for the genre. the trigger, in a walkiePhil Brannelly, Ubisoft talkie style, communicate your order and away you action strategy game but let’s be clear go. Everyone has a voice and everyone on this – this is purely designed for can follow on-screen prompts. This console and has been nowhere near a game is for everyone.”

PC. We have stripped away all the Alongside the game demo released last inaccessible elements of a standard RTS week, a heavyweight TV campaign is game and are left with an exciting and planned that is engineered to reach a huge accessible action strategy game.”

50 per cent of all 16-34 year old males,

”

RELEASED: NOVEMBER 7 FORMATS: 360, PS3 PUBLISHER: UBISOFT DEVELOPER: UBISOFT PRICE: £49.99 DISTRIBUTOR: TRILOGY CONTACT: 0845 456 6400

while at the same time specifically targeting all those 16-24 year olds who have bought a console over the course of the last 12 months.

“We have ambitions for it to be the number one strategy game on consoles and to set the benchmark for all strategy games going forward,” Brannelly concludes. “We have some big competition but we feel these really cater for the hardcore specifically and EndWar is all about broadening the reach of strategy games, while offering a completely unique way of playing games in general.”

FINDING YOUR VOICE Voice control has an interesting and colourful history in gaming, though it’s a history most noted due to its varied success. Of course, Nintendo’s DS has succeeded in bringing small snippets of voice control to gaming – be it simple commands for your dog in Nintendogs, courtroom objections in Phoenix Wright or cries of “blue, blue, BLUE!” in Brain Training.

There are previous examples of the technology in gaming, however.

Perhaps the most interesting is Sega’s 1999 Dreamcast curiosity Seaman.

Some have described it as a virtual pet, but that does a huge disservice to what is a deep, thoughtful and thoroughly unique game that oozes character. As is typical for the technology, however, it was also a pain at times – for every apparently successful moment of digital vocal communication there were dozens spent unsuccessfully trying to get

Seaman to respond to the most basic of voice commands.

Other titles of note include Konami’s 2003 PS3 outing Lifeline (which, like Seaman, was never released in Europe) that saw gamers aiding a stranded survivor from a remote control room.

There’s also Nintendo’s N64 outing Hey You Pikachu and Vivarium’s now hardto-find GameCube pinball title Odama.

Following on from the successes it had with voice control in its Rainbow

Six games, however, Ubisoft is confident that it has nailed the technology for EndWar, with senior brand manager Phil Brannelly telling MCV: “We wouldn’t be doing it if it didn’t work. I’ve played this a lot and it really does work.

“Go and try the demo that was released on October 15th. Why wouldn’t you want to try the first game using purely voice command? We really are very confident.”

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Q4 is here and it’s time for the true software big-hitters to step up to the plate.

Ben Parfitt attempts to perform a drop kick from the top turnbuckle, but loses his balance and cracks a rib…

YES, WE KNOW it’s not real. And yes, we know the winner has already been decided and the battling pair currently thumping ten bells out of each other in the large steel cage have already practised the off-the-turnbuckle suplex reverse that will end the fight. But to criticise WWE for that is ludicrous.

Regardless of its authenticity, knowing how to land a clothesline without beheading your opponent or missing an elbow drop without shattering your forearm is a real skill – and judging by the worldwide and ongoing success of WWE, it’s also ridiculously popular.

And seeing as there’s a significant crossover between WWE’s target audience and that of gaming, the success of THQ’s long line of WWE titles is no surprise. Since 1999 the Smackdown vs. Raw series alone his shifted over 37 million units worldwide – that’s up there with the world’s best ever selling games franchises. THQ’s game is undoubtedly one of the most heavy-hitting, and alongside other elite franchises such as FIFA, PES and Tiger Woods, remains a constant feature in the UK charts all year round.

The multi-platform release of last year’s game brought with it recordRELEASED: NOVEMBER 7 FORMATS: DS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, 360 PUBLISHER: THQ DEVELOPER: YUKE’S (DS – TOSE) PRICE: VARIOUS DISTRIBUTOR: ADVANTAGE CONTACT: 0121 506 9590

setting success for the franchise – and THQ intends to continue that trend this year with seven SKUs, new gameplay features and ongoing downloadable content.

Speaking of those new gameplay features, this year’s version includes an expansive Create-aFinisher feature that allows gamers to fashion their own trademark finishing move. This compliments the Create-aFighter mode, meaning players can bring their own trademark flair to the ring when squaring off against WWE’s biggest stars.

Also new this year is the debut of a recrafted tag-team mode in which players can build momentum to finish off opponents with hard-hitting double team finishers.

Along with the host of improvements included in the 360, PS3, PSP and PS2 versions, THQ has also introduced a body-slam’s worth of new features in the Nintendo versions of the title.

The Wii version builds upon the foundations laid by the franchise’s debut on the console last year by offering a greater number of match types. In addition, the console’s motion-sensing

“

Since 1999 the Smackdown vs Raw series alone has shifted over a massive 37 million units worldwide.

controller can be used for the spectacular interactive entrances and victory scenes – a feature dubbed ‘Superstar Control’.

Even more exciting for Wii owners is the prospect of online multiplayer for the first time ever.

On DS, the control scheme has been given a complete makeover to fully utilise the stylus and D-pad. A redesigned Season Mode sees a new RPG-like mechanic introduced, allowing players to complete missions, upgrade abilities and interact with wrestling superstars. There are also a number of new match types, new characters and a detailed Create-A-Superstar mode.

There’s literally no doubt that WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 will achieve great things. It’s the sort of franchise that most publishers would kill for, and retailers will undoubtedly be doing everything they can to get their hands on as many copies as possible.

”

STEPPING INTO THE SQUARED CIRCLE The WWE Smackdown Vs Raw franchise is huge news for THQ, so the extensive scope of its marketing plans for the 2009 version is not surprising: MARKETING Heavyweight four-week TV campaign covering terrestrial and satellite channels Sponsorship of all WWE TV programming on Sky Sports and Sky One Three-month print campaign in specialist and lifestyle magazines Huge online campaign Official sponsors of Survivor Series Tour in November National sampling campaign Cross promotions with WWE Licensees PR Specialist gaming media onslaught, including multiple front covers, an exclusive review programme and online initiatives Mainstream media sector targeted via feature-driven editorial, as well as competitions and reviews In September THQ held the European Superstar Challenge event in Madrid, which proved a massive success and has been a major coverage driver in both the specialist gaming press and also in men’s and lifestyle media

Congratulations to the GMA Winners from all of us at

Š 2008 Electronic Arts Inc. EA, the EA logo and SPORE are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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10/9/08 15:51:42

Codemasters sponsors the

Codemasters congratulates Ellie Gibson, Eurogamer, Specialist Games Writer, Online Eurogamer, Games Website

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MCV 24/10/08 69

With superheroes, spies, marsupials and fenders at the ready, Activision has a blistering line-up in store for Q4. MCV cracks open this stunning six pack of titles to give them the Recommended treatment...

THOUGH there have been a number of recent successes in the games industry that could argue their case for ‘phenomena’ status, none have more right to the title than Guitar Hero.

When it was first unleashed for PS2 in 2005, its appeal was instantly obvious.

It tapped into something that everyone has done – leapt around, pretending to be a rock star.

The game’s journey since then – and Activision’s acquisition of original publisher RedOctane – has involved plenty of change and expansion, but nothing has quelled the success of the franchise, which goes from strength to strength with every release.

This latest outing represents the biggest departure from the established formula to date, with the former guitaronly title now evolving into a fullyfledged band simulation.

EVER SINCE Call Of Duty first arrived on PC in 2003, the series has been the benchmark that other WWII first person shooters aspire to.

But not content with dictating the evolution of the genre on PC, the 2005 console debut for the series in the form of Call Of Duty 2 led the franchise down the path to world domination.

Its high point to date came last year with the release of Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – the title remains high in the charts almost a year after release, and continues to fight it out with Microsoft’s Halo 3 for supremacy in the Xbox Live rankings on Xbox 360.

The release of a fifth iteration in the franchise this Q4 is understandably huge news for everyone in the channel.

Built using the same advanced next-gen game engine as its predecessor, World at War again returns to the pastures of

THERE ARE few properties in the world of cinema as successful, popular and instantly recognisable as James Bond, and the upcoming theatrical release of the 22nd big-screen outing is sure to be one of the biggest hits of the year.

Activision’s Quantum of Solace will be Daniel Craig’s digital debut as 007, and the fact that the game mixes first person shooting with third person action elements means that fans will have plenty of opportunities to cop an eye-full of the star in action.

The game also covers the events of Craig’s first critically-acclaimed outing as Bond, Casino Royale.

Quantum of Solace puts gamers in charge of what Activision calls Bond’s ‘greatest weapon’ – his mind.

Players will be tasked with proving their skills in plenty of high-octane combat, chaotic gunfights and precise

RELEASED: OCTOBER 31 FORMATS: 360, PS3, WII, DS, PS2, PC PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION DEVELOPER: TREYARCH (PC, PS3, 360) EUROCOM (PS2) VICARIOUS VISIONS (DS) BEENOX (WII) PRICE: VARIOUS DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

stealth takedowns. Far from being a straight shooter, however, the game employs a refined cover mechanic, meaning gunplay is as tactical as it is brutal. Bond’s extensive hand-to-hand combat skills will also feature prominently in the title.

RELEASED: NOVEMBER 7 FORMATS: 360, PS3, WII, PS2 PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION DEVELOPER: NEVERSOFT (PS3, 360) VICARIOUS VISIONS (WII) BUDCAT (PS2) PRICE: VARIOUS DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388 Along with a new and redesigned wireless guitar peripheral, the game now supports an impressive drum kit accessory and microphone.

World Tour promises the biggest selection of on-disc music in any rhythm action game to date, and includes the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Oasis, The Doors, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and Coldplay.

RELEASED: NOVEMBER 14 FORMATS: 360, PS3, PC, WII, DS, PS2 PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION DEVELOPER: TREYARCH PRICE: VARIOUS DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388 WWII, this time focusing on the battlefields of both the South Pacific and Russia.

As you’d expect, the game’s online element looks set to be just as exciting as the single player campaign, with World at War the first Call of Duty title to offer online co-op, which allows up to four players to fight together. More traditional split-screen multiplayer is also available.

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THERE HAS been no shortage of superheroes of late, with mutants, aliens and even Christian demons hitting both the silver screens and consoles to fight for truth and justice.

But it is Spider-Man who has surely made the biggest impact in terms of video gaming.

Peter Parker has reached a whole new audience thanks to Activision’s Spider-Man series, with the freeroaming nature of the franchise, and the urban exploration it has encouraged, giving the super-hero genre a whole new lease of life – and raising the bar for other games based

on comic book characters and environments. There’s a choice of which side to align with – Marvel’s honoured heroes or its ferocious villains. The game’s narrative and ending are dependent on the choices made by the player.

Meanwhile, the combat system has been significantly overhauled, with far more scope for varying offensive attacks and combinations. A major change to previous games is also the emphasis on vertical combat, with Spidey able to winch enemies to the skies or fight on city walls, adding a whole new dimension to 3D fighting.

FILM AND entertainment companies are forever traipsing through back catalogues in search of brands that can be resurrected for the modern market. And Transformers has clearly proved itself, having stomped its way back to the big time.

In truth, Hasbro’s brand hasn’t faded away, but after a string of attempted resurrections it was the 2007 Hollywood incarnation that really thrust Optimus Prime and Megatron back into the mainstream consciousness.

In the same year, Cartoon Network debuted its animated take on the Cybertronian universe in the form of Transformers: Animated. Recognising the target market of both the cartoon and Nintendo’s DS, Activision’s handheld outing, Transformers Animated: The Game, is preparing to

RELEASED: OCTOBER 24 FORMATS: 360, PS3, WII, DS, PSP, PS2, PC PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION DEVELOPER: TREYARCH (WII) SHABA (PS3, 360) AMAZE (DS, PS2, PSP) ASPIRE (PC) PRICE: VARIOUS DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

RELEASED: OCTOBER 24 FORMATS: DS PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION DEVELOPER: A2M PRICE: £29.99 DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388 ride the crest of the battling robots’ popularity, and tap into the cartoon’s growing audience.

Playing as classic characters like Optimus Prime and Prowl, players must face off against Megatron and his evil Decepticons in a game infused with action and puzzle solving.

Seamlessly morphing between robot and vehicle forms, players must also race at break-neck speed through the streets of 22nd century Detroit.

RELEASED: OCTOBER 31 FORMATS: 360, WII, PSP, DS, PS2 PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION DEVELOPER: RADICAL PRICE: VARIOUS DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 0121 625 3388

THE RISE of the PlayStation and the birth of the 3D era brought with them the arrival of many gaming icons – and few can claim to have prospered so much from the boom times than Crash Bandicoot.

Mind Over Mutant will be Crash’s second next-gen outing following last year’s Crash of the Titans. As in previous titles, Crash maintains the

ability to ‘jack’ enemies and take control of their actions, but this time he can also store his favourite monsters in his pocket, upgrading and utilising their powers to his advantage. The cheeky scamp.

The game also employs the familiar free-roaming game mechanic, meaning players are able to explore Wumpa Island at their leisure, whilst the choice of jacked creature

determines what gameplay paths are available to the eponymous hero.

Another interesting twist is Crash’s new play partner, his sister Coco, who is available to a second player for a spot of in-game co-op action.

As well as trying to open the game up to female players, Coco also brings with her some exclusive abilities of her own – most notably her ability to hunt out treasure.

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As the DS continues to sell by the truckload, A4T is here to offer some stocking-friendly peripherals for the discerning handheld owner. Rob Power, a big fans of accessorising in general, takes a closer look...

GOOD OLD Nintendo. As we all know, thanks to those brainy chaps high up in Mario towers, the DS has led the way in a handheld gaming revolution.

Everyone loves the DS. It’s small, it’s got great games, it’s so intuitive that newborns are now able to comprehend it as they leave the birth canal, and we shall all be playing one when we’re awaiting the grim reaper, our eyes to shot for the TV and hearts too shaky for Halo. As befitting a device that has captured the hearts and attention spans of countless potential ASBOs and grey-faced commuters, there is money to be made from it, and be in no doubt, Accessories4technology have got this game all sewn up.

As is befitting a device so adored by the great unwashed, its care, protection, and general maintenance and upkeep is the source of vast sales opportunities.

We live in a world full of things that the human race simply doesn’t need to survive, but of all the useless items and feckless gadgetry, nobody could hold a grudge against DS accessories. They’re cute. They keep kids quiet. They save

haggard parents having to buy another DS after young frustrated Tommy accidentally sat on his third, or wee Charlotte decided that drawing on the screen probably wasn’t as good an idea as first thought. A4T sprang into life in May 2005 as the brainchild of allknowing industry whiz kids Andrew Shephard, Bill Sterling and Alison Granaghan. The company swiftly carved out an empire in the

“

previously mentioned, keeping a DS well protected (did you know that one in five handhelds will not make it through infancy?) is most certainly a Good Thing amongst owners. The DSL bundle is available in a number of suitably fruity colours, including turquoise and pink (as well as black and white, for folk who simply can’t bear to bring a bit of life into their worlds), having been updated to include all the

As Christmas looms ever larger, it shouldn’t be underestimated just how much money there is to be made from the DS.

accessories market thanks to its everexpanding lines gaming paraphanalia, covering everything from Nintendo branded cases through to Guitar Hero guitar straps.

The 4Gamers brand has been a perennial with A4T, and it’s because of products such as the DS Lite bundles that this has been the case. As

”

current DS colours available. The pack comes with a suitably hard wearing storage case, a couple of spare stylus, two games cases, a decent set of earphones and a cleaning cloth. As an add on, the DSL Bundle basically sells itself, and any self respecting DS owner with a bit of spare cash burning a hole in their pocket will, as will those

RELEASED: OUT NOW FORMATS: DS PRICE: £14.99 DISTRIBUTOR: CENTRESOFT CONTACT: 01204 369 220

desperately seeking a thoughtful yet inexpensive gift.

As Christmas looms ever larger on the horizon, it shouldn’t be underestimated just how much money there is to be made with the DS Lite bundle. A huge seller for A4T, it has obvious appeal to the shop weary Santa Claus looking for either a little bit extra to garnish a new DS with or a convenient stocking filler. It’s a competitive market out there, but A4T has managed continued success thanks to well-priced, trend-following products such as these that look the part and have an obvious functionality that has mass appeal. When belts are tightening all round, now is the time to boost those margins and make the most out of every sale. And for the growing army of DS owners out there, A4T clearly has the right product in hand.

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Check out MCVUK.COM/RELEASE-DATES for more

Shooting into October...

Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 makes its PS2 appearance this month, joining Rockstar’s Manhunt 2 which finally breaks into retail after spending twelve months on ice. So if hacking is your thing, then October’s your month...

TITLE

FORMAT

GENRE

PUBLISHER

TELEPHONE

DISTRIBUTOR

DS / Wii / PS2 DS DS / Wii / PS2 Wii DS XBOX 360 / PS2 / Wii / DS / PSP DS XBOX 360 / PS3 PS2 Wii XBOX 360 / PS3 DS DS PS2 / Wii / PSP DS DS DS Wii DS DS / PC / Wii DS DS PS2 360 / PS2 / PS3 / Wii / PC / DS PC PS3 Wii PS2 / PSP DS / Wii / PS2 Wii / PS2 PC PS3 PS2

Action Platform Action Mini Games Action Platform/Action Survival/Horror Action/Puzzle Fighting RPG Action Dance Imagine Action Puzzle Action Action Entertainment Self-Improvement Fun Pet Action Football First Person Shooter Action Horror First Person Shooter Compilation Action Action Flight Sim Action Fighting

THQ Ignition Entertainment THQ 2K Games Ubisoft Activision Blizzard Gamecock Bethesda Ignition Entertainment Square Enix Gamecock Disney Interactive Ubisoft Rockstar Midway Capcom Capcom Midway Ubisoft Atari 505 Games Phoenix Konami Activision Blizzard THQ Sony Midas Ignition Entertainment THQ THQ Just Flight Ignition Entertainment Ignition Entertainment

0121 506 9590 01344 451 507 0121 506 9590 01279 822 822 0845 456 6400 0121 625 3388 0845 234 4242 0121 506 9590 01344 451 507 0121 625 3388 0845 234 4242 0121 625 3388 0845 456 6400 01279 822 822 0845 456 6400 0121 625 3388 0121 625 3388 0845 4566 400 0845 456 6400 0121 506 9590 0121 506 9590 0031 40 3681005 020 8987 5730 0121 625 3388 0121 506 9590 0121 625 3388 01376 555 300 01344 451 507 0121 506 9590 0121 506 9590 0845 234 4242 01344 451 507 01344 451 507

Advantage Open Advantage Gem Trilogy Centresoft CDV Advantage Open Centresoft Mastertronic Centresoft Trilogy Gem Trilogy Centresoft Centresoft Trilogy Trilogy Advantage Advantage Open Open Centresoft Advantage Centresoft Open Open Advantage Advantage Mastertronic Open Open

DS PSP DS PC Wii / PS3 / PS2 / XBOX 360 DS XBOX 360 Wii DS DS PS2 / Wii DS / PC / PS2 PC DS PS3 DS DS PC / Wii PSP DS

Quiz Action Action Action Music/Rhythm Horse Action Lifestyle Action Action Racing Brain Action Puzzle Action Action Platform Sports Football Action

Mindscape Zoo Digital 505 Games 505 Games Disney Interactive Atari Microsoft Ubisoft 505 Games 505 Games Zoo Digital Zoo Digital 505 Games Midway Atari THQ Virgin Play Playlogic Konami Nintendo

0870 027 6510 01279 822 822 0121 506 9590 0121 506 9590 0121 625 3388 0121 506 9590 01279 822 822 0845 456 6400 0121 506 9590 0121 506 9590 01279 822 822 01279 822 822 0121 506 9590 0845 456 6400 0121 506 9590 0121 506 9590 0121 625 3388 0121 625 3388 020 8987 5730 08700 270 985

Koch Gem Advantage Advantage Centresoft Advantage Gem Trilogy Advantage Advantage Gem Gem Advantage Trilogy Advantage Advantage Centresoft Centresoft Open Koch

OCTOBER 31st Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno Boing! Docomodake Bratz: Girls Really Rock!

Carnival Games: Mini Golf Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs Crash: Mind Over Mutant Dementium Fallout 3 Fatal Fury Battle Archive Vol. 1 (4 in 1) Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon Hail To The Chimp High School Musical 3: Senior Year Imagine Interior Designer Manhunt 2 Mechanic Master MM Star Force 2: Zerker X Ninja MM Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian More Game Party My Health Coach: Stop Smoking with Allen Carr My Horse and Me 2 My Pet Dolphin 2 Princess Snow White Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Quantum of Solace Saints Row 2 Siren Blood Curse Skyscraper SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 (16 in 1) Spongebob Squarepants: Globs of Doom Tak and the Guardians of Gross Traffic X Vampire Rain: Altered Species World Heroes Anthology (4 in 1)

NOVEMBER 7th Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old? Barnyard Blast Blended Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason Disney Sing it!

Equestrian Training Stage 1 to 4 Gears of War 2 Hell's Kitchen Hello Baby!

I Did It Mum! Jeep Thrills Margot's Word Brain Men of War More Touchmaster Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Pass the Pig Pocoyo Pool Hall Pro Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Professor Layton and the Curious Village

MUSTSTOCK ..................................MANHUNT 2 Released: October 31st Format: PS2, Wii, PSP Publisher: Rockstar Distributor: Gem Contact: 01279 822 822

Rockstar’s Manhunt 2 has walked a long road to retail – the title was originally set for release a year ago. But with the ratings fuss over, nothing should stop the title from doing good business when it finally lands on store shelves today, October 31st.

MUSTSTOCK .....................................PES 2009 Released: October 24th Format: PS2 Publisher: Konami Distributor: Open Contact: 020 8987 5730

Konami’s massive footballing title comes to the PS2 in two weeks. While PES 2009 has already released on 360, PS3 and PC (with the PSP SKU releasing November 7th and the Wii SKU out next year), the huge PS2 installed base will mean big sales for this iteration.

MCV Pub quiz 24-10_final:Layout 1

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Book now for 2009 to avoid disappointment: February, May, September and December Contact: Orlaith.Kennedy@intentmedia.co.uk

PUB QUIZ INDUSTRY

“ … they just couldn’t understand how Sainsbury’s had beaten them.”

The next event (Wednesday December 3rd) is sold out, but includes representatives from HMV, HMV.com, EUK, Amazon, Sainsburys, The Sun, Future, GAME, PC World and our lovely sponsors…

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Sponsored by

INDIE CHARTS - ALL FORMATS THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

1

TITLE/FORMAT

PUBLISHER

FIFA ‘09 FORMAT: 360

DEVELOPER: EA PUBLISHER: EA

2

2

FIFA ‘09 PS3

EA

3

3

FIFA ‘09 PS2

EA

4

NEW

LEGO BATMAN PS2

5

8

MARIO KART WII WII

6

NEW

LEGO BATMAN 360

7

7

STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED 360

8

NEW

LEGO BATMAN WII

9

6

FIFA 09 PSP

10

NEW

LEGO BATMAN PSP

WARNER BROS

11

NEW

LEGO BATMAN PS3

WARNER BROS WARNER BROS

12

NEW

LEGO BATMAN DS

13

9

BROTHERS IN ARMS: HELL’S HIGHWAY PS3

WARNER BROS NINTENDO WARNER BROS LUCASARTS WARNER BROS EA

UBISOFT

14

NEW

FRACTURE 360

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

15

4

FAMILY SKI WII

NAMCO

16

14

STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED PS3

17 18

RE

15

SAMBA DE AMIGO WII WII PLAY WII

19

RE

HALO 3 360

10

RE

FIFA ‘09 WII

LUCASARTS SEGA NINTENDO MICROSOFT

Charts compiled by Game Guide/Complete EPOS Solutions. For more information about Complete EPOS Solutions call 01543 370002. For more information about the Game Guide call 01606 836347.

FROM THE FRONTLINE What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing your store at the moment?

Supermarkets advertising silly prices.

But then our customers report that when they go to buy from them, they can’t get the stock. This doesn’t do the industry any good. We just can’t compete with the prices they offer.

What’s your very first memory of gaming or the industry?

Playing Pong on an old console my Dad brought home from work – we thought it was totally cutting edge at the time!

How was the summer trading?

Slower than had been hoped for, but handheld games and console sales

EA

THE INDIE KNIGHT It became only the second movie ever to gross more than $500 million at the US box office, it was greeted by rave critical reviews and was voted the 15th greatest film of all time by Empire magazine. Yet, despite all this, there wasn’t a The Dark Knight video game. Not even a really rubbish one.

That’s not to say that publishers aren’t ready to capitalise on the Batman phenomenon. The caped crusader and friends are set to appear in Midway’s upcoming Mortal Kombat and Eidos’

“LEGO Batman holds six places in this week’s total sales, but not even that was enough to stop the dominant FIFA ‘09.”

Arkham Asylum is also shaping up nicely. However, Warner Bros got there first, with Travellers Tales’ second LEGO game this year.

LEGO Batman holds six places in this week’s Indie Top 20, accounting for nine per cent of the week’s total sales, but not even that was enough to stop the dominating force that is FIFA ’09, which took over 20 per cent of the week’s sales.

An interesting point to note is the continued success of the PlayStation 2 at the independent store level. The highest LEGO Batman entry was the PS2 SKU, which is nestled in fourth just behind the PS2 version of FIFA ‘09.

EA and Warner didn’t completly dominate this week’s Top Ten, though. Mario Kart Wii managed to hold on in fifth place, and the 360 edition of The Force Unleashed continues to hang around in seventh position. chris.dring@intentmedia.co.uk

This week MCV visited CHIPS in Letchworth to meet store manager Andrew Mahoney... took off at the start of the summer holidays. And then everyone traded them back in after the holidays!

Has any console/game performed below expectation at the moment?

WALL E was a very disappointing seller, considering all the hype and POS we had to support it. The PSP also performed below par, considering what an excellent little machine it is.

There are plenty of titles coming out over the next few weeks – what are your picks as the biggest game of Christmas?

Gears of War 2 will be a big release, but I think LittleBigPlanet will boost PS3 sales and will be a huge console game.

TO TAKE PART PLEASE CONTACT: CHRIS.DRING@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

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RETAILBIZ: HIGH STREET WWW.MCVUK.COM

MCV 24/10/08 77 Sponsored by

Check out RETAILBIZ at WWW.MCVUK.COM

PRICE CHECK TAUNTON

Fracture

NBA 2K9

Baja

LEGO Batman

LEGO Batman

PS3, LucasArts

360, 2K Sports

PS3, THQ

PS3, Warner Bros.

DS, Warner Bros.

£34.99

£39.99

N/A

£29.99

£24.99

£29.71

£39.71

N/A

£34.71

£19.71

£34.99

£39.99

N/A

£34.99

£24.99

£34.99

£39.99

£39.99

£29.99

£24.99

£29.99

£34.99

£29.99

£29.99

£24.99

£31.99

£40.99

£36.99

£23.99

N/A

£29.98

£39.98

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£29.98

£24.99

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£39.99

£32.99

£17.99

£17.99

IN STORE

ONLINE

MARGIN MAKERS

RETAIL PROMOTIONS

Mario Kart Wii has continued to perform well since it was released in April, and is still riding high in the Indie Top Ten. So Thrustmaster’s Kart Challenge NW steering wheel could be an ideal product to stock. The peripheral is preprogrammed to recognise Mario Kart Wii, has a Mario Kart

Pre-order any game, including LittleBigPlanet, Gears of War 2 and Far Cry 2, and gamers will receive £15 worth of games vouchers.

TM and © Nintendo 2008

Trade in Wario Land: The Shake Dimension and receive LEGO Batman Wii for £9.99. Or trade in Brothers in Arms on Xbox 360 and receive Fracture for £9.99.

The recent Microsoftpublished duo Too Human and Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise on Xbox 360 have both been reduced to just £19.99 in GAME stores.

inspired design and is fully compatible with all GameCube and Virtual Console games (along with Wii games that use the GameCube pad). The device also automatically re-centres like a real steering wheel, has adjustable sensitivity, vibration feedback and pedals. The Kart Challenge NW wheel is available now, with an SRP of £19.99.

Interactive Ideas: 0208 805 1000

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RETAILBIZ: RETAIL CHARTS 78 MCV 24/10/08

WWW.MCVUK.COM

Check out RETAILBIZ at WWW.MCVUK.COM

OFFICIALUKCHARTS NINTENDO DS THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

[1] [FULL PRICE]

TITLE

LEGO BATMAN

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DR KAWASHIMA’S BRAIN TRAINING NINTENDO PUZZLER COLLECTION UBISOFT MARIO KART DS NINTENDO GUITAR HERO: ON TOUR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD IMAGINE: TEACHER UBISOFT WALL E THQ NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. NINTENDO MARIO & SONIC OLYMPIC GAMES SEGA DRAWN TO LIFE: SPONGEBOB THQ

2 3 8 5 7 4 9 13 11

DEVELOPER: TRAVELLER’S TALES PUBLISHER: WARNER BROS.

PLAYSTATION 2 THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

[2]

PUBLISHER

TITLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

STAR WARS: FORCE UNLEASHED LUCASARTS GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK ACTIVISION BLIZZARD LEGO INDIANA JONES LUCASARTS MERCENARIES 2: WORLD IN FLAMES EA TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR ‘09 EA WALL E THQ KUNG FU PANDA ACTIVISION BLIZZARD CALL OF DUTY TRILOGY ACTIVISION BLIZZARD ROCK BAND EA

[3]

DEVELOPER: EA PUBLISHER: EA

[4]

DS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, 360 PS3, 360 PS3, 360, Wii DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, 360 DS PS2, PSP, 360, Wii, NDS DS, PC, PS2, PS3, Wii, 360 PC PC, PS3, Wii, 360 DS, Wii Wii DS DS DS, PS2, Wii DS, PS2, Wii Xbox 360, DS, PS2, PS3, Wii PS2, PS3, 360 DS, PC, PS2, PS3, Wii, 360 NDS NDS 360, Wii, PS3, PS2

PRO EVOLUTON SOCCER 09 FORMAT: 360, PS3, PC

LAST WEEK

Out Now Out Now Out Now Out Now Out Now 31 Oct 31 Oct 13 Nov 14 Nov 14 Nov 14 Nov 14 Nov 21 Nov 21 Nov 21 Nov 21 Nov 21 Nov 28 Nov Nov 2008 Nov 2008 Nov 2008

TITLE

PUBLISHER

2

1

FIFA ’09 DS, PS2, PC, 360, PS3, WII

EA

NEW

SAINTS ROW 2 PC, PS3, 360

THQ

4

2

LEGO BATMAN DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, 360

5

3

WII FIT Wii

NINTENDO

6

6

MARIO KART WII Wii

NINTENDO

7

4

STAR WARS: UNLEASHED DS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, 360

8

7

WII PLAY Wii

9

8

TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR ‘09 PS2, PSP, PS3, Wii, 360

10

5

BROTHERS IN ARMS: HELL’S HIGHWAY 360, PS3 UBISOFT

11

11

CARNIVAL: FUN FAIR GAMES Wii, DS

12

15

MARIO & SONIC: OLYMPIC GAMES Wii, DS

13

9

FAMILY TRAINER Wii

14

RE

BIOSHOCK PS3, 360

15

10

BIG BEACH SPORTS Wii

16

22

HALO 3 360

WARNER BROS.

LUCASARTS NINTENDO EA

2K GAMES SEGA ATARI 2K GAMES THQ MICROSOFT

17

12

GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS PS2, PS3, Wii, 360

18

13

DR KAWASHIMA’S BRAIN TRAINING DS

NINTENDO

19

19

SUPER SMASH BROS BRAWL Wii

NINTENDO

20

18

BEN 10: PROTECTOR OF EARTH PSP, DS, PS2, Wii

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

[5]

DEVELOPER: KONAMI PUBLISHER: KONAMI

3

PSP

RELEASE SCHEDULE Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Fracture Rapala’s Fishing Frenzy Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Transformers Animated Crash Bandicoot Mind Over Mutants Quantum of Solace World of Warcraft Wrath Of The Lich King Call of Duty: World of War Kung Fu Panda - Legendary Warrior Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance Barbie Fashion Show: An Eye for Style Barbie Horse Adventures: Summer Camp Shrek’s Carnival Craze Spyro Dawn Of The Dragon World Championship Off Road Racing Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Guitar Hero On Tour Decades Tony Hawk's Motion Guitar Hero: World Tour

1 THIS WEEK

[FULL PRICE]

FIFA ‘09

2 3 4 6 5 7 8 10 9

TOP 40ALL

PUBLISHER

1

[ENTERTAINMENT - FULL PRICE]

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

D3P

[FULL PRICE] TITLE

PUBLISHER

1

FIFA ‘09

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LEGO BATMAN WARNER BROS. STAR WARS: FORCE UNLEASHED LUCASARTS CRISIS CORE: FINAL FANTASY VII SQUARE ENIX TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR ‘09 EA LEGO INDIANA JONES LUCASARTS STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT: RENEGADE LUCASARTS WALL E THQ SECRET AGENT CLANK SONY NBA LIVE 09 EA

2 3 4 5 6 8 10 9 NEW

DEVELOPER: EA PUBLISHER: EA

BOND IS BACK… 31 OCTOBER 2008 www.007theVideogame.com

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RETAILBIZ: RETAIL CHARTS WWW.MCVUK.COM

MCV 24/10/08 79

L FORMATS Highest New Entry

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

Highest Top 40 Climber

21

14

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV 360, PS3

22

17

CALL OF DUTY 4 360, PS3, PC, DS

23

16

WALL E Wii, PS3, PS2, 360, DS, PSP, PC

24

20

THE SIMPSONS GAME DS, PS2, Wii, 360, PS3, PSP

25

28

MERCENARIES 2: WORLD IN FLAMES PC, PS2, PS3, 360

26

24

LEGO INDIANA JONES DS, PC, PS3, Wii, 360, PSP

ROCKSTAR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD THQ EA

27

26

PUZZLER COLLECTION DS, PSP, Wii

UBISOFT

27

SPORTS ISLAND Wii

KONAMI

29

RE

DE BLOB Wii

30

29

LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE DS, PS3, Wii, 360 LUCASARTS

31

21

SAMBA DE AMIGO Wii

32

33

SPORTS PARTY Wii

33

23

PURE 360, PS3, PC

34

RE

MARIO KART DS DS

35

31

NEED FOR SPEED: PRO DS, PSP, PC, PS2, 360, Wii, PS3

36

RE

37

34

COOKING MAMA DS, Wii

38

32

GUITAR HERO: ON TOUR DS

39

RE

ASSASSIN’S CREED PC, PS3, 360, DS

40

RE

BEIJING 2008 PC, PS3, 360

PC CD-ROM THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

THQ

SEGA UBISOFT DISNEY NINTENDO EA THQ 505 GAMES ACTIVISION BLIZZARD UBISOFT SEGA

PUBLISHER

1

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2009

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

SPORE EA BROTHERS IN ARMS: HIGHWAY UBISOFT X3: TERRAN CONFLICT KOCH MEDIA THE SIMS 2: APARTMENT LIFE EA WARHAMMER ONLINE: RECKONING EA CIVILIZATION IV: COLONIZATION 2K GAMES CRYSIS WARHEAD EA THE SIMS 2: DOUBLE DELUXE EA WOW: BATTLE CHEST ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

2 1 NEW

4 3 5 6 8 9

DEVELOPER: KONAMI PUBLISHER: KONAMI

“HAS THE SAME HIGH IMPACT FEELING AS COD4”

PUBLISHER

1

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2009

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

FIFA ‘09 SAINTS ROW 2 BIOSHOCK LEGO BATMAN BROTHERS IN ARMS: HELL’S HIGHWAY STAR WARS: FORCE UNLEASHED GRAND THEFT AUTO IV TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR ‘09 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE

1 NEW NEW

2 3 4 6 5 7

DEVELOPER: KONAMI PUBLISHER: KONAMI

WII THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

EA THQ 2K GAMES WARNER UBISOFT LUCASARTS ROCKSTAR EA ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

[FULL PRICE] TITLE

PUBLISHER

1

WII FIT

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

MARIO KART WII WII PLAY LEGO BATMAN CARNIVAL: FUN FAIR GAMES FAMILY TRAINER BIG BEACH SPORTS SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES FIFA ‘09

2 3 5 8 4 6 10 15 7

DEVELOPER: NINTENDO PUBLISHER: NINTENDO

XBOX 360

[FULL PRICE]

TITLE

TITLE

EA

LUCASARTS

28

RATATOUILLE PC, PS2, 360, Wii, PSP, DS

[FULL PRICE]

THIS LAST WEEK WEEK

TITLE

2K GAMES ATARI THQ NINTENDO SEGA EA

PUBLISHER

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2009

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

SAINTS ROW 2 FIFA ‘09 LEGO BATMAN BROTHERS IN ARMS: HELL’S HIGHWAY STAR WARS: FORCE UNLEASHED TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR ‘09 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE PURE

1 2 3 4 6 8 9 7

NINTENDO WARNER BROS.

[FULL PRICE]

1 NEW

NINTENDO

DEVELOPER: KONAMI PUBLISHER: KONAMI

“THE BEST BOND GAME IN YEARS” - VideoGamer.com

- GamesMaster

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THQ EA WARNER BROS. UBISOFT LUCASARTS EA ROCKSTAR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD DISNEY

[SOURCE]

PS3

(c) ELSPA, Compiled by ChartTrack

WEEK ENDING 18/10/08

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TO ADVERTISE CONTACT ROB BAKER ON: 01992 535647 OR DISTRIBUTION

DIRECTORY KEY CONTACTS

CREATIVE & PROMOTIONAL SERVICES Wrapstar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)7778 204970 DISTRIBUTION Creative Distribution . . . . 020 8664 3456 Gem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01279 822800 Ideal Software . . . . . . . . . . . 01767 689 720 Keyne Distribution . . . . . . . . 0870 1216051 Logic3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 471 000 Meroncourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01462 680060 Music Express . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 234 4112 GAMES CONSOLE REPAIR Total Console Repair Ltd . . 087 19 18 17 21

LOCALISATION Absolute Quality . . . . . . . . . 0141 220 5600 Partnertrans . . . . . . . . +49 (0)2104 172660 Testronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01753 653 722 Universally Speaking. . . . . . . 01480 210621 STORE FITTINGS AMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01924 507 217 DISC REPAIR Scratch Busters . . . . . . . . . . 01992 535 701 TDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01202 489 500 Perfect Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8778 5164 RTI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01895 252 191

Gem Creative Get your message out Gem Creative offer retail specific design and production support including trade & consumer advertising campaigns, Point of Sale, marketing collateral, repackaging, bundling and concept solutions.

Contact Neil Handa Gem Distribution Ltd St George House Parkway Harlow Business Park Harlow Essex CM19 5QF 01279 822822 www.gem.co.uk POS

Packaging

Publishing

One integrated solution Flyers

Brochures

Trade PR

Media Buying

GEM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01279 822800 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.gem.co.uk

CREATIVE & PROMOTIONAL SERVICES

DISTRIBUTION

WRAPSTAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 7778 204970 . . . . . . . . www.wrapstar-skins.com

IDEAL SOFTWARE . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1767 689720 . . . . . . . . . . www.idealsoftware.net

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

Keyne Distribution "Looking for a new reliable supplier! Look no further!"

All new customers will receive a 10% off their first THREE orders* with Keyne Distribution, when quoting this advert Software and hardware distributor All top platform new releases in stock Flexible next day delivery to the UK and most European destinations Over 500 different products in stock at all times Terms of trading will be 30 days on insured Customers Shipping is by Customers account, or on our UPS - Fedex or DHL account.

The fastest growing independent distributor in the United Kingdom

Tel: 0870 1216051 Fax: 0870 1216053 Email: phil@keynedistribution.co.uk Unit C105, MKTWO Business Centre, 1-6 Barton Road, Water Eaton Ind Est, Milton Keynes, MK2 3HU

*Discount will only apply within 6 weeks of the first order placed Discount is on software only

CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION. . . . 0208 6643456 . . . . www.creativedistribution.co.uk

KEYNE DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . 0870 1216051. . . . . . . phil@keynedistribution.co.uk

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ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK DISTRIBUTION

EDITORIAL PLANNER Some of the special issues coming up in MCV, the only trade publication that covers all sectors of the market...

FRIDAY OCTOBER 31st

30 UNDER 30 MCV provides the definitive round-up of the hottest up-and-coming talent that’s currently working within the video games industry. It will include promising young marketing managers, PR executives, journalists, retailers, games buyers, consultants and much, much more.

Will you make it onto this year’s list?

FRIDAY OCTOBER 31st

TERRITORY REPORT: MIDDLE EAST The Arabic gaming market may be young, but publishers and hardware manufacturers are increasing their presence in the Middle East. With THQ’s Arabic localised WALL E, a wealthy demographic and plenty of potential, MCV reports on the state of the region.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14th

CHRISTMAS PERIPHERALS FOCUS With Christmas looming, MCV takes a look at the top peripheral muststocks for the season. The peripherals market is booming across retail, and the question of what to stock is more important than ever before.

We grill the top peripherals manufacturers and find out which products are going to be essential for retailers ahead of Christmas.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28th

DISTRIBUTION SPECIAL FOCUS MCV takes an in-depth look at the big issues involved in the everimportant distribution sector. We speak to the major players about the future of the supply chain, and how they will be tackling the challenges ahead for the distribution side of the games trade. There’s also a comprehensive run-down of Christmas opening hours – enjoy!

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28th

TERRITORY REPORT: SPAIN MCV investigates the gaming market in Spain and Portugal with an indepth territory report. Boasting a significant ex-pat community and decreasing product costs in the sector, these southern European countries are expected to see increased growth in the near future.

MCV speaks to local industry faces and analysts for a detailed look at the present and future of video gaming in the territories.

FRIDAY DECEMBER 5th

CHRISTMAS MARKETING SPECIAL With the battle for Christmas number one well and truly in full swing by early December, we report on how platform holders, publishers and retailers are attempting to get the upper hand through marketing their wares. Expect interviews with key marketing players and a look at the most effective campaigns from years gone by. Who are you backing to take the top spot?

FRIDAY DECEMBER 12th

TERRITORY REPORT: ITALY Italy isn’t all about pizza, pasta and gondolas – it’s got a burgeoning games market too. The Italian video game sector has grown steadily over the past few years, and MCV will take a closer look at the territory following its first Video Game Developers Conference, which kicks off in Milan.

FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT:

JONATHON.HARKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK LOGIC 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 471000 . . . . . . . . . . . www.uksales@logic3.com

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TO ADVERTISE CONTACT ROB BAKER ON: 01992 535647 OR DISTRIBUTION

Develop is the only dedicated publication for the UK and European games development community. It reaches over 8,000 request-only subscribers every month.

STUDIOS 7 Seas Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.7seastech.com Atomic Planet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1642 871 100 Blitz Games Studios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1926 880 000 Broadsword Interactive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1970 626299 Fuse Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . careers@fusegames.com NC Soft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1273 872000 Oxygen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1933 446437 Razorback Developments . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 208 686 7332 Realtime Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1382 202 821 Stainless Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jobs@stainlessgames.com Strawdog Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1332 258 862 TOOLS bluegfx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1483 467 200 Epic Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +1 919 870 1516 Fork Particle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00 (1) 925 417 1785 Natural Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0)1865 250575 Perforce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0)845 345 0116 SERVICES 3D Creation Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 151 236 9992 Absolute Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0)141 220 5600 Air Studios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 207 794 0660 Datascope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 20 7580 6018 Enzyme Testing Labs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +1 (450) 229 9999 Gameindustryjobs.eu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +31 107 504 588 High Score Productions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1295 738 337 Partnertrans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +49 (0) 2104 172 660 Philips amBX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ambx.com SpecialMove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 141 585 6491 Testronic Labs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0)1753 653 722 Tsunami Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 207 350 2828 Universally Speaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1480 210 621 COURSES Goldsmiths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0)20 70785052 Liverpol JMU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 151 231 2267 University of Hull. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1482 465 951 To be included in the Develop Directory (which appears every month in Develop and every week in MCV) contact jaspreet.kandola@intentmedia.co.uk.

All subscription requests should go to mcv.subscriptions@c-cms.com

DISTRIBUTION

MERONCOURT . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1462 680060 . . . http://trade.meroncourt.co.uk

MUSIC EXPRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 234 4112. . . . . . . . . . . . www.music-express.co.uk

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ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK GAMES CONSOLE REPAIR

Insider’s | Guide

TOTAL CONSOLE REPAIR . . . . . . 087 19 18 17 21. . . . . www.totalconsolerepair.co.uk LOCALISATION

This week MCV sits down with Paweł Grzywaczewski of Cenega Service Team...

ABSOLUTE QUALITY . . . . . . +44 (0)141 220 5600 . . . . . www.absolutequality.co.uk LOCALISATION

Could you tell us a little about Cenega Service Team?

Cenega Service Team is the leading Middle-Eastern Europe localisation and outsourcing company. We offer services in translations, cultural adapting, quality assurance, implementation, porting, audio recording, post-production, and much more.

What’s been the secret to your success?

Hard work, understanding our customers’ needs, being available 24/7 and fierce basketball games every Wednesday.

What’s the best thing about your job?

First of all, it has to be the people. We’ve got really committed employees that’ll do their best to satisfy the customer.

They’re willing to work overtime, making sure everything clicks and that we meet deadlines. And of course, the

PARTNERTRANS . . . . . . . . . +49 (0)2104 172660. . . . . . . . . . . www.partnertrans.com

opportunity to take part in the best industry in the world is great. Whoa, playing games all the time and getting paid for it – I mean, that’s wonderful.

What are your future plans?

In 2009 we want to take over the world, naturally. We already work with the biggest names in the industry – such as Ubisoft and 1C (to name but a few), and we want to expand even further. With new offices in Hungary and Romania, we surely won’t be stopped. Other plans for 2009 include buying ourselves some new cars and even nicer offices.

If you were MCV editor for the day, what would you do?

I think I’d bring the cooperation with Famitsu to an even higher level. I mean – two of the best mags in the planet working together? That’s perfect! Oh, and I would make the logo brighter red. I love bright colours.

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TO ADVERTISE CONTACT ROB BAKER ON: 01992 535647 OR LOCALISATION

DISC REPAIR

TESTRONIC LABORATORIES . . . +44 (0) 1753 653 722. . . . www.testroniclabs.com

SCRATCHBUSTERS . . . . . . . . . 01992 535701 . . . . . . . . . . . www.scratchbusters.co.uk

LOCALISATION

DISC REPAIR

We’ll make sure your disc repair is up to scratch All the disc repair options you need, from entry level machines to state-of-the-art electronic systems.

Call or visit our website to find out more.

Disc-Go-Devil Devilishly good and only £666

TDR OneStep just £1295

01202 489 500

www.totaldiscrepair.co.uk

UNIVERSALLY SPEAKING . . . . . . . 01480 210621 . . . . . . . . . . . www.usspeaking.com STORE FITTINGS

TOTAL DISC REPAIR. . . . . . . . . . 01202 489500 . . . . . . . . . www.totaldiscrepair.co.uk DISC REPAIR

HIGH PERFORMANCE OPTICAL DISC REPAIR SYSTEMS Eco Senior Fully Automatic Repair System

Eco Smart

Entry Level Repair System

Call 01895 252191 for Introductory Offers Eco Master

50 disc Automatic Repair System

AMA DISPLAYS . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0) 1924 507217 . . . . . . . . . www.ama-displays.co.uk

www.rtico.com RTI-inbox@rtiuk.co.uk

High Speed Optical Disc Inspection System

RTI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01895 252191 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.rtico.com

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ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK DISC REPAIR

DIARY DATES ‘08 From the MCV PES Industry Tournament to the Develop Quiz, here are all the essential industry dates to stick in your diary…

OCTOBER

PERFECTPLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8778 5164 . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.perfectplay.co.uk

SUPPORT YOUR PRINT ADVERTISING WITH AN

ONLINE PRESENCE

LONDON GAMES FESTIVAL Saturday, October 25thNovember 2nd London, England www.londongamesfestival.com GAMECITY Thursday, October 30thNovember 1st Nottingham, England http://gamecity.org

£450 PER MONTH SITE WIDE BUTTON Size: 300x100 pixels File type: Animated Flash swf or animated gif

£550 PER MONTH TOP 4 BUTTON PLUS EMAIL NEWSFLASH Size: 140x120 pixels File type: Static jpeg or animated gif

GOLDEN JOYSTICK AWARDS Friday, October 31st London, England www.goldenjoystick.com

MCV PES INDUSTRY TOURNAMENT Thursday, November 27th Rex Cinema, Soho pesrankings.com/ industry Konami is now accepting teams interested in looking into the whites of their opponents’ eyes at the latest MCV PES industry Tournament. It is open to all MCV readers although, of course, there is a strict limit on the number of teams that can be granted a starting place.

You must enter in teams of two and you must work for the same company. Head to the site above for more...

NOVEMBER GAME CONNECTION EUROPE 2008 Wednesday, November 5th Lyon, France www.game-connection.com GAME CONNECT ASIA PACIFIC Wednesday, November 19thNovember 22nd Hilton Brisbane, Queensland, Australia www.gameconnectap.com

DECEMBER

MCV/XBOX 360 PUB QUIZ Wednesday, December 3rd AKA Bar, London dave.roberts@ intentmedia.co.uk

THE DEVELOP QUIZ Wednesday, December 10th AKA Bar, London orlaith.kennedy@intentmedia.co.uk

MCV provides retailers, suppliers and media the chance to show off their general knowledge skills in an appropriate arena for our industry – the local pub.

There will be thousands of pounds worth of prizes up for grabs to the best performers on the night, as well as lashes of topnotch booze and food.

For further online advertising information please contact

Lesley.Blumson@intentmedia.co.uk or call 01992 535647

MCVUK.COM March ‘08 Page Views 471,735 Sessions served 304,870 Unique Visitors 215,754

Feb ‘08 404,964 242,537 163,712

www.mcvuk.com MCV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01992 535647 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.mcvuk.com

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INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION 86 MCV 24/10/08

WWW.MCVUK.COM

International Distribution Guide AUSTRALIA

CYPRUS

All Interactive.................Helensvale Town Centre

Gibareio.............................................................Nicosia

AFA INTERACTIVE 66 Hughes Street, Mile End, South Australia 5031 Tel: +61 8823 41355

GOODTONES GREAT GAMES LTD 1 Alkaiou Street / Office 1 / Engomi / Nicosia 2404 / Cyprus tel. +357 22 666612 www.greatgames.com.cy

GERMANY

Coop Italia..........................................Sesto F.NO (FI) Digital Bros spa................................................Milano Leader Spa.................................Gazzada Schianno Newave Italia...................................................Firenze Promovideo SRL ...........................................Senago

DTP ENTERTAINMENT AG Goldbekplatz 3-5, 22303 Hamburg, Germany Tel: +49 (0)40 66 99 10 0 Fax: +49 (0)40 66 99 10 10 email: s.lass@dtp-entertainment.com Web: www.dtp-entertainment.com

DENMARK QVS

GREECE ENTERTAINMENT TRADING APS

THQ AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND & ASIA.

Stenholm 1, 9400, Norresundby, Denmark Phone: +45 70277640 Fax: +45 70277650 email: sales@entertainment-trading.com Web www.entertainment-trading.com

Gameworld BV............................Capelle A/D Ijssel Micromedia BV...........................................Nijmegen Favour Games..................................................Tilburg Rigu Sound B.V................2153 GB Nieuw Vennep

NEW ZEALAND Groß Electronic .......................................Rohrnbach Otto Group ...................................................Hamburg Playcom Software Vertriebs .......................Erfurt Vitrex Multimedia Großhandel.....................Erfurt

Australia email: paulelliot@qvsoftware.com.au Web: www.qvsoftware.com.au Tel: 61 2 9748 2555

NETHERLANDS

Centric ...............................................................Athens Nortec Multimedia.........................................Athens Zegetron S.A....................................................Athens

Gamewizz..........................................................Albany

NORWAY Pan Vision Norway.....................................Trollasen MPX.no .......................................................Sandefjord Platekompaniet....................................................Oslo Massemedia AS...........................................Notteroy Pan Vision Norway..............................................Oslo

POLAND

HUNGARY

CD Projekt Sp. z o.o......................................Warsaw

Antec .............................................................Budapest

Asia Pacific HQ - Level 8/606 St.Kilda Rd, Melbourne, Vic, Australia, 3004 Web: asiapac-sales@thq.com Tel: +6139573.9203

COMGAME 576 LTD Red Ant...................................Baulkham Hills, NSW

AUSTRIA Koch Media GmbH...............................Rottenmann Play Art Multimedia Handels GmbH....Rankweil

BELGIUM Horelec S.A. ...........................................Bruxelles CLD Distribution S.A. .........................Fernelmont

BENELUX Contact Data......................................................Breda

GATEWAY DISTRIBUTION APS Gateway Distribution ApS +44 1279 408 665 (UK) +45 7026 0870 (DK) dt@gatewaydistribution.dk www.gatewaydistribution.dk

Flight Forum 883, 5657 DV Eindhoven, Holland Tel: 0031 4023 93554 Web: sgoudsmit@atari.com

ESTONIA Andrico ..............................................................Tallinn

GAMEWORLD

TECHLAND Sp. z.o.o.

Kazmierza Wlk 27, 50-077 Wroclaw, Poland Email: business@techland.pl Web: www.techland.pl Tel: +48 71 341 76 95 Fax: +48 71 343 98 96

PORTUGAL ecofilmes...............................Sao Joao Da Madeira

INDIA TM

FINLAND FRANCE EMC GROUPE CASINO..........Croissy Beaubourg

INNELEC MULTIMEDIA

Cornusbaan 1, 2908 KB Capelle A/D IJssel Tel: +31 10 298 3838 Web: rishi@gameworld.nl

ICELAND Sena ................................................................Reykavik

Panvision Oy.......................................................Turku

ATARI BENELUX

1042 Budapest, Arpad UT 112, Hungary Tel: +36 1 369 2686 Fax: +36 1 272 0109 Email: bzsolt@576.hu Web: www.576.hu

45 rue Delizy, 93692 PANTIN Cedex France Email purchase: f_alglave@innelec.com Email export sales: g_armspach@innelec.com Tel: 00.33.1.48.10.55.55

MILESTONE INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE LIMITED

PLANETA DEAGOSTINI INTERACTIVE

Pramukh Plaza, 2nd Floor, Cardinal Gracious Road, Chakala, Andheri East, Mumbai 400 099, INDIA. Tel: +91 22 28203319 Fax: +91 22 28203334 email: distribution@milestoneinteractive.com website: www.milestoneinteractive.com

Diagonal, 662-664, 3ª planta D, 08034, Barcelona, Spain, Tel: +34 93 492 08 89 Web: distributioninteractive@ planetadeagostini.es

ISRAEL Hed-Arzi......................................................Or-Yehuda

ITALY Cidiverte Spa ...............................................Gallarate

v.2 PLAY. LDA Studio Office Marquês de Pombal – Avenida de Loulé nº 123 1069-152 Lisbon, Portugal Tel. 00351 21 31 46 51 0 Fax 00351 21 31 61 12 5

TO ADVERTISE IN THE INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION GUIDE

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INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION WWW.MCVUK.COM

MCV 24/10/08 87

The International Distribution Guide is dedicated to promoting companies outside of the UK. If you are looking for new customers overseas, then look no further...

RUSSIA

Basco Games New York, USA +001 917 627 3000 www.bascogames.com

SWEDEN Bergsala AB............................................Kungsbacka Panvision....................................................Stockholm SIBA AB ...................................................Gothenburg

SWITZERLAND ABC Software GmbH.......................................Buchs

AKELLA 12/1 Bolshaya Novodmitrovskaya st., 127015, Moscow, Russia Phone: +7 (495) 363-4612 Fax: +7 (495) 363-4615 http://en.akella.com Hitzona.............................................................Moscow Noviy Disk .......................................................Moscow Soft Club..........................................................Moscow Vellod...................................................................Mitishi

SINGAPORE Replay Interactive....................................Singapore

SOUTH AFRICA

TURKEY ARAL Import..................................................Istanbul Nortec Eurasia...............................................Istanbul

UNITED STATES BASCO, INC. 118-21 Queens Boulevard, Suite 509, Forest Hills, NY 11375 Tel: +001 917 627 3000 Fax: 1-718-228-4401 email: sales@bascogames.com Web: www.bascogames.com

Midigital ..............................................Johannesburg Nu Metro Interactive ......................Johannesburg

SPAIN Ardistel. S.L..................................................Zaragoza Distribuciones Videográficas Digitales ....MADRID Lamee Software S.L. .....................................Madrid

DREAMGEAR, LLC

FRIENDWARE

20001 S. Western Ave. Torrance, CA 90501 Phone: 310-222-5522 x 111 Fax: 310-222-5577 Contact: Moris Mirzadeh Email: moris@dreamgear.net

Marques de Monteagudo 18, 28028 Madrid, Spain email: juan.bustamante@friendware.es

U.S. GAMES DISTRIBUTION, INC. 16700 Schoenborn St. #2 North Hills, CA. 91343 Tel: +1 818 920 9393 info@usgamesdist.com www.usgamesdist.com

PLANETA DEAGOSTINI INTERACTIVE Diagonal, 662-664, 3ª planta D, 08034, Barcelona, Spain, Tel: +34 93 492 08 89 Web: distributioninteractive@ planetadeagostini.es

UAE Red Entertainment Distribution ..................Dubai

PLUTO GAMES VIRGIN PLAY Paseo de la Castellana 9 – 11, 28046 Madrid, Spain Tel: +34 91 789 35 50 Web: www.virginplay.es DistribucionesVideográficas Digitales ....Madrid Distribuye Palmera................................Las Palmas JC Distribuciones .............................................Getxo Shine Star, S.A...........................................Barcelona

PO Box 10705, Office 103-104 Emirates Islamic Bank Building,Dubai, UAE. www.pluto-games.com Tel: +971 4261 8111 Fax: +971 4261 8112

Modern Pluto Trading LLC...............Saudi Arabia NXT Global LLC .................................................Dubai Pluto Derinton Games LLC............................Egypt

DISTRIBUTOR PROFILE New York based wholesaler Basco Games specialises in bringing budget titles to the market. MCV spoke to spokesman Jaikishin Basantani to find out more about the US firm...

Can you tell us more about Basco Games?

We wholesale video games for all platforms. That includes all the major console format – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, DS, PSP and PlayStation 2. Basco also covers PC games.

Aside from those markets Basco additionally carries GSM phones and trading card games.

What are the benefits and challenges of working in the United States?

One of the biggest benefits to doing business in the USA is obviously the fact that it is the largest market for video games and there is such a huge demand for video game products. It means

that there are good opportunities for growth here.

As for challenges, the market is extremely competitive and sadly the margins are absolutely paperthin. That means that we have to do a lot of volume in order to break even.

What are your company's most important relationships?

All of our relationships are key – we mainly sell to wholesalers and retailers in USA. How do you think the global credit crunch will impact on the games business in the US? Historically the US market has grown healthily every year at an average rate of 10 per cent. But due to the global economic crisis we do not expect to see the same growth rate this year.

Having said that, there is new technology being used to create video games, and I am sure the market will continue to grow.

PLEASE CONTACT ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

casual games ad MCV

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October 30 2008 The Ambassadors Hotel, Bloomsbury, London

The Casual Games Forum is a new one-day conference and networking event designed specifically for anyone involved in or interested in the business of casual gaming.

Keynote Speaker Announced!

Mathieu Nouzareth CEO, café.com/Boonty Beyond the business model Mathieu Nouzareth, the casual games pioneer behind the new free social games service cafe.com explains why he believes that casual games developers need to be in every marketplace that their gamers are in, and let them pay however they like – from ads to micro-transactions, subscriptions to pay-for-downloads and more.

Places are limited.

Register today!

Come and learn what really matters when positioning your casual games business.

Speakers include: Kristian Segerstrale, CEO, Playfish The social gaming revolution: Why casual gamers like to do it in company and how you can help hook them up

Matt Spall, Studio Manager, Gimme5Games (Eidos) Flash forward: New evolutions in the flash games ecosystem Karl Fitzhugh, Design Director, Zoe Mode Session title tbc

Ed Fear, Deputy Editor, Develop Magazine (moderator) James Brooksby, Studio Head, Doublesix Games John Chasey, President, FinBlade John Cook, Senior Partner, Bad Management (Stainless Games) Mark Ettle, CEO, Cobra Games Paul Farley, Managing Director, Tag Games A Panel Discussion: Getting in touch with the iPhone games market

Dave Ranyard, Game Director SingStar, SCEE The future in their hands: How SCEE’s EyeToy and SingStar games are expanding social gaming on PlayStation

Eric Zimmerman, CEO, Gamelab Game design fundamentals for casual games

Steve Bailey, Research Analyst, Screen Digest Data download: The casual games market in facts and figures

Simon Jones, Managing Director, Game Jacket Online advertising: The easy way of paying to play

This is an unmissable opportunity to explore both the business opportunities and the technical challenges that developing casual games offers.

Register now at:

www.casualgames-forum.com Partners

Organised by

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MCV FORUM

DECISIONS, DECISIONS: Between Leipzig and Cologne lies a show that suits everyone...

What a Messe!

SO WILL NEXT year’s European trades how be in Leipzig or Cologne or both? It is imperative that a quick and clean decision be made for the industry as soon as possible.

Nobody wants to see a repeat of the farce that happened with ECTS and EGN in London that led indirectly to Leipzig’s original success.

It is shameful to think that in these mass market days where games revenue surpasses other entertainment formats that we may be descending into a war of words. The industry needs to present a united front, not just to its members, but to the outside world as well.

Leipzig has become a victim of its own success. It started life in 2002 very much as a German show morphing into a European show and then with the demise of ECTS/EGN and E3 becoming the mainstay for the industry globally.

In seven years, visitor numbers have more than doubled to over 200,000 while

trade visitors and journalists have roughly quadrupled. It has always been welcoming and inclusive for publishers of all sizes. Fairly priced, the Games Convention struck the right balance between consumer and trade, both of which contributed to the show’s success. While not

“

disappear as soon as possible, and it would probably be in Cologne’s interest to pay the Games Convention organisers to go quietly.

For Gamescom to succeed, there needs to be proper buy-in from the major players driven

by Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo which one would

The industry needs to present a united front, not just to its members, but to the outside world.

Doron Garfunkel, OK Media

always able to cope with industry expectation, the city was always appreciative of its presence, and so created an environment conducive to doing business. Alas, it does not have the infrastructure as a city to support such a show as most people who attended from overseas can attest.

To ensure that next year’s show is a success, either Cologne or Leipzig need to

”

expect to be a certainty as they are all members of the BIU, who are backing the show.

Sony’s continued support of the Games Convention over the last few years and its willingness to make key announcements of global significance at the shows has been a cornerstone of Leipzig’s success. Nintendo’s no-show at this years GC was a disappointment, especially

A call for clarity as two shows in two cities leads to uncertain times with industry show-goers...

considering the importance of the German market. And one cannot help but wonder whether Nintendo’s decision not to attend was as much political as strategic with the BIU-backed 2009 Cologne show in mind.

There will be a lot of people keen to compare Gamescom against the Games Convention’s success. Leipzig might have been a nightmare to get to, nor had the volume or quality of hotels that a global trade show might expect, but it was competitive both in terms of hiring floor space at the show and entertainment outside of it.

There have already been mutterings of discontent as to the cost implication of exhibiting in Cologne and the show organisers must price well.

Key retailers have also voiced concern that holding a show in mid-September is too close to Christmas and its impact will surely be diluted should there be a GC2009 in Leipzig a few weeks earlier in August as is presently planned.

The smart money says that the industry will be heading for Gamescom next year, but its organisers would do well to remember that it would not exist as a trade show at all if it had not been for Leipzig’s success. Cologne needs to get it right first time!

Doron Garfunkel, OK Media

LATEST NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR MOBILE Bookmark us in your phone:

MOBILE.MCVUK.COM

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Nintendo’s Rob Lowe looks on as Tom Stade does his best to keep the rowdy crowd chuckling

Stefan McGarry, Chandra Nair and Nick Jones assess the wisdom of the ONM editor’s choice of tie

OFF THE RECORD So now you know the winners – here’s what went on after the awards were handed out and the industry let its hair down. Plus some extra scurrilous rumour-mongering for good measure...

Ste Curran compliments Gary Penn on his choice of attire

These stubborn ravers simply wouldn’t leave the dancefloor, despite the pleas of the Jongleurs staff.

There wasn’t even any music playing

Pssst…

Which national newspaper journalist stormed out of the ceremony on hearing he didn’t win?

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Videogaming247’s Pat Garratt takes a fraction of a second to look away from his laptop as he live-blogs the event

Intent Media’s Michael French, Ben Parfitt and Rob Baker get ‘papped’. And they’re not best pleased. Especially Michael

COMPETITION COMPETITION COMPETITION COMPETITION

90-94 MCV510_final

WIN NINTENDO DS GAMES! Nintendo is giving you all the chance to pick up a copy of all the DS titles featured in this week’s Recommended Extra. Just answer the following question...

WHICH MEMBER OF GIRLS ALOUD IS MARRIED TO FOOTBALLER ASHLEY COLE? A. CHERYL COLE B. SARAH HARDING C. NADINE COYLE

EMAIL YOUR ANSWERS TO

DS@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

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Jonnie Bryant looks lovingly at OXM editor Jon Hicks. They were seen necking in an alley later that evening

Tom his do

Pssst…

Which staff writer from a specialist press mag was shamelessly scrounging food off the tables when no-one was looking?

Pssst…

Comic Tom Stade took a real shine to one of Intent Media’s glamorous girls – can you guess which one?

Joker Terry Alderton shows his love for the GMAs by attempting to hump the logo

Paul Vale is not impressed by the chit-chat from his contemporaries at Future

A gurning Nathan Irvine of PSM3 cuddles up to comic Ricky Grover

Gary Penn crowns Steve Jarratt as this year’s Games Media Legend

OFF THE RECORD

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MCV 24/10/08 93

Jesus Christ. Future, please never let this lot out again. Thanks

Pssst…

Which lethargic duo were found out the back of Jongleurs re-creating their very own Cheech and Chong movie?

COMPETITION COMPETITION COMPETITION COMPETITION

Tom Stade shouts his way through his set – Rory Buckeridge (below) doesn’t seem too impressed

WIN NINTENDO WII GAMES! Nintendo is giving you all the chance to pick up a copy of all its Christmas crackers – including new releases Wii Music, Animal Crossing and Disaster: Day of Crisis.

Just answer the following question...

HARRY REDKNAPP IS THE MANAGER OF WHICH PREMIERSHIP CLUB? A. PORTSMOUTH FC B. RANGE ROVERS FC C. NINTENDO UNITED

EMAIL YOUR ANSWERS TO

WII@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK

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WIN

N O I TIT

E P M

CO

S OF THE WIN 5 COPIE OLACE FS QUANTUM O VIDEO GAME

WHO PLAYS 'M' IN THE QUANTUM OF SOLACE MOVIE AND VIDEO GAME? 1. DAME JUDY DENCH 2. JENNA JAMESON 3. HELEN MIRREN

SEND YOUR ANSWERS TO:

SOLACE@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK EDITORIAL: 01992 535646

Managing Editor: Lisa Foster Lisa.Foster@intentmedia.co.uk

Advertising Manager: Lesley Blumson Lesley.Blumson@intentmedia.co.uk

Editor: Neil Long Neil.Long@intentmedia.co.uk

Art Director: Stuart Moody Stuart.Moody@intentmedia.co.uk

Online Editor: Tim Ingham Tim.Ingham@intentmedia.co.uk

Design: Adam Butler Adam.Butler@intentmedia.co.uk

Deputy Editor: Jonathon Harker Jonathon.Harker@intentmedia.co.uk

Production Manager: Suzanne Powles Suzanne.Powles@intentmedia.co.uk

Retail Editor: Ben Parfitt Ben.Parfitt@intentmedia.co.uk

Business Development: Dave Roberts Dave.Roberts@intentmedia.co.uk

Staff Writer: Chris Dring Chris.Dring@intentmedia.co.uk

Contributing Editor: Samantha Loveday Samantha.Loveday@intentmedia.co.uk

Contributors: Michael French, Ed Fear, Andrew Wooden, Ben Furfie

Circulation & Marketing: Hannah Short Hannah.Short@intentmedia.co.uk

ADVERTISING: 01992 535647

FAX: 01992 535648 Finance Director: Hilary Cole Finance Manager: Siobhan Cook Finance Assistant: Zarah Aslam

Please address all enquiries to: MCV, Intent Media, Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford SG14 1JA. Managing Director/Publisher: Stuart Dinsey Stuart.Dinsey@intentmedia.co.uk Telephone: 01992 535688

Printed By: Pensord, Tram Road,Pontllanfraith Blackwood, NP12 2YA

MCV is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation and the Periodical Publishers Association.

Membership of the ABC and PPA provides our advertising partners with confidence in our circulation statements. For the 12 months ending December 2007, MCV had an average weekly net circulation of 9,086. MCV’s circulation is 100 per cent named and zero per cent duplicated.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS United Kingdom £150 l Europe £175 l Rest of the World £250 To order your subscription via Visa, Mastercard, Switch or AMEX or to make changes to your subscription details, contact mcv.subscriptions@c-cms.com or call 01580 883848.

SAXON HOUSE, 6A ST. ANDREW STREET, HERTFORD, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND SG14 1JA Intent Media specialises in trade titles for entertainment and leisure markets. As well as MCV, Intent publishes PC Retail for retailers and suppliers to the computer trade, Develop Magazine for games programmers, producers and artists, ToyNews for all sectors of the toy industry and Mobile Entertainment.

Intent has also recently launched BikeBiz and MI Pro. www.intentmedia.co.uk

ISSN: 1469-4832 Copyright 2008

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