Electronic Arts and Hasbro have announced that Scrabble will be coming to Pogo.com and Facebook, making it the first officially-licensed version of Scrabble on the social network site. The two companies are also working to launch more of Hasbro’s properties on other social networks.

However, it may have some competition as Facebook already has two other Scrabble-like games, an "official" game licensed by Mattel for those living outside the United States and Scrabulous - which gotten several takedown notices but is still alive.

Now, unless Hasbro decides to ask Facebook to remove Scrabulous - it really does not stand a chance as Scrabulous has many more users than the Mattel application.

Aerosmith fans will now be able to act like Steven Tyler and Joe Perry as Activision released a brand new game under its Guitar Hero series.

Dubbed "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith", dozens flocked the Hard Rock restaurant in Times Square to see the band debut and try out the game for themselves. The game will also feature 30 of the band’s notable hits, like "Love in an Elevator" and "Sweet Emotion" - and will also include songs from other artists that Aerosmith collaborated or performed with.

The game’s controller will have the famous logo of the band emblazoned on the "guitar".

The bundle will be available for all Next-Gen consoles for $99.99, but for the game itself will cost $59.99. A PlayStation 2 version of the game will be sold for $49.99 - but a bundle will cost $89.99.

The company will also release "Guitar Hero : World Tour" during this Christmas season, and will include a drum kit and a microphone. This will bring it in competition with another title "Rock Band" - which is produced by MTV and EA.

Plans for a DVD-ready version of the popular Nintendo Wii gaming system have now been put on hold after President Satoru Iwata said that he is focusing on getting the Wii’s supply problem fixed.

According to the Nihon Keiza Shimbun, the company also showcased a new DS digital television tuner meaning that the device would be able to get television signals and played them on the DS. It his, however, sold exclusively online. It is also most likely to not reach Australia, as Australia and Japan’s digital broadcasting standards are different

The buzz on the game Super Smash Bros. Brawl is amazing and many people are going as far to say that it is the greatest game that will ever come out on the Wii console.

The old characters are still in the game like Mario and Link, but new inclusions like Wario and Zero-suit Samus have brought through new and more exciting prospects. Some aspects like all new finisher moves where each character has a different finisher as well as new added features of being able to create new levels. Brawl contains 41 selectable stages, with 29 initially available, the levels often change form and can even change season, day and night.

The game due to be released on the 26th of June 2008 in Australia could well be the game that proves the Wii is a good console rather than the stereotype that it is bad.

I should have posted this on Monday, but this will have to do - since it will be the final day of it. All of our editors are focusing on their exams, well except Stewart since we don’t know his exam days. Anyway, all of us have been slowly putting up news.

We will resume to normal soon, like Saturday. But, I think you are wondering - If I was exams, how can I still be typing this. And, No - there is no ghost writer. The only time I can update is early in the morning. I can still update in the afternoon - If I don’t fall asleep.

So - remember, we are back to normal transmission on Saturday!

- Terence

2K Games has announce that a version of its hugely popular game Bioshock will be made for the Playstation 3.

President of 2K Games has said, “Since BioShock for Xbox 360 and Games for Windows won countless 2007 Game of the Year awards, we are excited to see the impact of this stellar title for the PLAYSTATION 3 system when it debuts this fall.”

He also mentions to add more features and content to make it the must-have game for the console.

Bioshock was released in 2007 for the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista and has received many praise by reviewers, even ours. It has won several Game of the Year and Editor’s Choice awards.

“Ultimately, Bioshock is a blast and probably the best game this year. Some of Bioshock’s storytelling techniques are unprecedented and will perhaps set a new standard in gaming. Bioshock’s great story is framed by incredible visuals and solid controls as well,” Kenny Yeoh wrote in his review of the game.

“Overall, Bioshock is a game that you don’t want to miss out on.”

These are games to be reckoned with. Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six were notoriously difficult games. They were designed to give hardcore gamers their fix for the week.

The trend in games is more toward interactive movie than unbeatable forces. I must admit that I like this new trend, and not because it makes my job easier; it’s because it makes it a lot more fun. I think we’ve all had enough of replaying levels, trial and error, and leaps of faith. The games of today are more real-time. They envelop you in the moment, allowing you time to assess a situation and take appropriate action. The odds may be stacked against you from time to time, but they can usually be evaded with a little skill and intellect and not to say fire-power. That’s my kind of game.

Not only is Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 my kind of game, but Vegas is my kind of city. Bishop and his teammates didn’t, because terrorists are on the loose again and need to be dealt with before they get the upper hand. Things do get dicey.

Running on the same Unreal 3 engine as the original Vegas, this sequel seems more like an expansion pack than anything else. It utilizes many of the same locations, premises, characters, weapons, and situations. As far as pure entertainment goes, it’s almost a guilty pleasure. It’s entirely possible to get through the single-player campaign in one sitting. The action is addicting due to the variety of missions and the relatively fast pace. As far as the gameplay mechanics go, it’s darn near perfect. It’s a solid game. And even though the single-player story mode is not very long, there are a good variety of multiplayer modes that are definitely worth playing.

It’s all about diffusing the ultimate situation: the detonation of chemical weapons. To this end, a variety of missions are presented that will push your team to the limit. If you like feeling like a hero, you’ll revel in this gameplay as you literally call the shots in every situation. You should also be a big fan of shooting because there’s no shortage of gunfire.

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 is a tactical, first-person shooter where you are the main man in a trio. You can issue a series of commands to your teammates which they will follow very convincingly. You can have them follow you, hold their position, shoot at enemies, and even perform some tactical strategic maneuvers. They can even throw regular grenades with a good deal of accuracy. You can even use the duo to act as a human shield. But they will eventually die since they can’t take a steady diet of lead. They will take a bullet for you, but it’s not a feature that you can exploit, and rightly so.

There’s a symbiotic relationship between weapons and performance. You will be awarded weapons based on your favored technique. There are three categories: Marksman, Assault, and Close-Quarter Battle. You will earn points for your kills that will be attributed to any one of these categories. For instance, making headshots will increase your Marksman ranking, while any successful melee combat will build up the Close-Quarter Battle category. You can expect to earn weapons such as sniper rifle if you have lots of points in the Marksman category, or an assault rifle should you show a propensity for the Assault category. You aren’t forced into any particular category, so you’ll get to try a lot of different weapons and mix things up a little. The various unlockables, which include not only guns but armor and melee weapons as well, can also be used in the multiplayer modes.

Even though you can literally blast through the single-player mode in a day, the multiplayer modes will keep you coming back for weeks on end. The co-op mode is not an afterthought. Played with another person via LAN or online, it seems as though the game was built for more than one player. You even get the cutscenes with this mode. Up to four players can join in on the terrorist hunt, which is kind of like a frag fest version of an Easter egg hunt. Of course you can expect variations of Deathmatch and Capture the Flag, where you can customize the gameplay to your group’s desire, including respawning time, weapon restrictions, and when new players can join in.

Vegas 2 may cover a lot of old ground, it’s something that you just can’t stop paying a visit to every now and then.

The Entertainment Software Association is not having a good month. After the departures of Activision, Vivendi Games and LucasArts; id Software, known for its Doom and Quake games, has now confirmed that they have left the ESA.

Electronic Arts, however, is still supporting the ESA, with it criticizing the leadership of Activision and Vivendi after leaving the ESA.

“We can confirm that id Software has decided not to renew its
membership in the ESA. We admire their creativity and innovation. We
also respect their decision,” according a statement released today.

“The ESA continues to lead the thriving video and computer game
industry. We are dedicated to protecting intellectual property,
preserving First Amendment rights and fostering a beneficial
environment for the entire entertainment software industry.”

The newest game in the SingStar lineup has been given an Australian release date, with a preview of what’s going on. The new game will also feature a ‘harmony duet mode’ which will allow users to sing different lines of a song at the same time.

The game’s songlist is:

• Aerosmith - Dude Looks Like a Lady
• Blur - Country House
• Bobby Brown - My Perogative
• Eminem - Without Me
• George Michael - Freedom ‘90
• Gorillaz - Dare
• Gossip - Standing in the Way of Control
• Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing
• Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby
• Kool and the Gang - Celebration
• The Lovin’ Spoonful - Summer in the City
• Maximo Park - Our Velocity
• Morrisey - Suedehead
• Nirvanna - Lithium
• Panic! At The Disco - But It’s Better If You Do
• Paul McCartney & the Frog Chorus - We All Stand Together
• Pulp - Common People
• Radiohead - Street Spirit (Fade Out)
• Shakespears Sister - Stay
• Spandau Ballet - TRUE
• The Cure - Pictures of You
• The Killers - When You Were Young
• The Libertines - Can’t Stand Me Now
• The Mamas and The Papas - California Dreamin’
• The Offspring - Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)
• The Police - Don’t Stand So Close To Me
• The Proclaimers - I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)
• Tom Jones with Mousse T - Sexbomb
• Tone Loc - Funky Cold Medina
• Young MC - Bust A Move

Square Enix, the creators of Final Fantasy the Disney co-produced series Kingdom Hearts, is said to be considering taking stakes in rival game developers to combat the rising competition.

"Economies of scale and breadth of scope are getting important. It may be a business alliance or it may be us taking a stake in others, but we need to go beyond traditional Square Enix, said President Yoichi Wada to a summit in Tokyo.