Gamertell

Shonen Jump is going to be 40 years old soon, and Shonen Jump magazine is going to be five years old as well. So Viz media is going to use this as an opportunity to celebrate some of the most popular series. There will be a special edition issue of Shonen Jump, a contest to attend Japan’s Jump Festa anime convention and hardcover, collector’s editions of the first volumes of six popular series.

The highlight will be the special, hardcover edition of the August 2008 edition of Shonen Jump. For $24.99, fans will get a hardcover version of the magazine that has all the manga chapters that appeared in the very first and second issues Shonen Jump in December 2002. It will also have interviews with manga authors, a special Yu-Gi-Oh card and a poster to collect character stickers that will be found in volumes of Bleach, Death Note, Naruto and Slam Dunk.

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EA’s popular Madden NFL franchise will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with Madden NFL 09 and EA has announced a special collector’s edition to mark the occasion. The Madden NFL 09 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition will include two games, Madden NFL 09 and NFL Head Coach 09, as well as bonus video content. Gamers will have to wait till August 12, 2008, to get their hands on the game.

“Featuring two deep and innovative new standalone games, as well as…

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Sony has long been claiming that all its consoles have a 10-year life cycle. Its claims of console longevity seemed inflated at first, but once you take into account the life cycles of its past consoles, those claims hold some merit. The PSP reached its third anniversary on March 24, 2008, in North America and if John Koller, senior marketing manager for the PSP, is to be believed then even the handheld is supposed to have a 10-year life cycle.

Jon Koller told IGN in an interview, “We’ve talked about the PSP being a 10-year product, but a 10-year product in the…

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November 22, 2007, marked the second anniversary of Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and what a year it has been. Not only has Xbox for the first time in its history turned a profit thanks to the success of Halo 3, but Microsoft has also done the unthinkable, surpassing Sony’s PS3 sales in Japan.

With another year under the 360’s belt, we thought it best to look back at some of the biggest news that helped shaped 2007 to be the most successful year in not only the Xbox’s life but also one of the best years in recent gaming history. With plenty of ups and downs this year, one can imagine what wonders there are to come in the months ahead.

Grabbing exclusive rights to Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable content

It is no secret that part of PS2’s original success was in part because of the Grand Theft Auto series. The GTA franchise would go on to become on of the biggest selling titles in recent history propelling Sony into the lead in the last console wars. Following the shocking news from E3 2006 that GTA would no longer be an exclusive title for Sony, Microsoft announced this year that they had locked exclusive rights to the first two pieces of original material developed by Rockstar Games as downloadable content through Xbox Live. 

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She’s back and she’s ready for her next adventure in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary for the Nintendo Wii system.

The Wii edition is already available in stores nationwide with more than three hours of special gameplay designed exclusively for the Wii using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck controllers to its fullest capacity to give players a unique and intense action adventure game for the system.

The game was developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Edios Interactive. Available now, Tomb Raider: Anniversary is rated “Teen” by the ESRB for violence and mild suggestive themes and retails for $39.99.

Morgan Grey, senior producer for Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary, explains how this game is played.

“Basically we let you, through Lara, touch the game world for the first time. We’ve added whole new tools and gears. We call it the archaeological tool kit. For example if Lara walks into a wall that’s sort of obstructive she can get a pickaxe and use it to open it up.”

There are other features of the game Grey is somewhat proud of that players will simply enjoy. In the tool kit players can help Lara pick a variety of items to help her uncover something hidden in the room, brush it off and reveal hidden panels, hieroglyphics and more. Then there’s the traditional Tomb Raider action of swinging through trees, encountering hostile environments and even fighting a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a tropical rain forest.

“What used to be walking up to a wall and pulling a switch, now there’s all these steps that really feels like this is what Lara does in Tomb Raider,” Grey continued. “We’ve even added a new way for Lara to sort of grab and spin these cryptic puzzles to find a combination lock ... actually with the Wii we’ve been able to add more Tomb Raider to Tomb Raider. With the new gameplay elements ... it’s probably a definitive realization of Lara Croft.”

The game looks gorgeous, with challenging levels and interactive puzzle solving. See for your self in this trailer.

According to a review posted by Ryan Davis on CNet, the game is totally worth it although, from what I gathered, the game falls short as far as bad camera angles. Being physically involved in the game using the Wii Nunchuck attachment, however, makes a world of difference.

The game series has always been a challenge for me on the PSP, PC and PlayStation formats and being a PlayStation fan I do sort of feel guilt ogling a Wii console. But then the thought of playing a game that requires too much effort just to cast a line into the river like the fishing games makes we keep walking down the aisle. With games like Tomb Raider, the temptation to buy the game and a Wii system is back. And it’s waiting with pitchforks, flamethrowers and angry villagers screaming my name.

Read [CNet] Site [Tomb Raider Anniversary] Site [Tomb News]