THQ is making four new games for Xbox Live Arcade, including the horribly named (for those with dirty minds) SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam! The other games are Screwjumper, Elements of Destruction and Rocket Riot. SpongeBob and Screwjumper will release sometime in November.

To be honest, we know next to nothing about any of these games. We dug up an interview with the Screwjumper developers on XBLArcade. They describe the game as a "vertical action/racing game" which tasks the player "with destroying alien mining equipment and architecture while plummeting downward in continual, rapid, free-fall descent." They go on to say, "The objective of the game is to maximize score by crashing into and dynamiting as many alien structures as possible on the way down the mineshaft, then to initiate a detonation and race back to safety on the planet's surface." Well, if it's coming out in November, we don't have to wait too long to find out what that means -- thank goodness for XBLA demos.

This week the British-born Yahtzee, who harnesses his rage on the outskirts of Brisbane, Australia, takes on Super Paper Mario. Yes, he knows it's old, but apparently the Australians just got it. So, for many, this will be like a review down memory lane -- as others relive their own issues with the title.

Does Yahtzee like the "new" Paper Mario? You can find out for yourself after the break, but we'll tell you he liked the old ones better. Considering the Wii is fully backwards compatible with the Gamecube, it's worth reminding newcomers to the series of the excellent Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. It's not much of a step backwards in graphics and the gameplay is as good as ever.

Venturing outside your home can be a hazardous experience. Helicopters plummeting from the sky, volcanoes spewing forth magma and flocks of flesh-eating toucans looking for their next meal all threaten to end your existence at any moment. None of these dangers compare to the human beings frequenting your local Gamestop, however, always attempting to ensnare you in pointless conversations about who would win in a fight between Sephiroth and Blinx the Cat. Valve and Codemasters understand that you want to avoid all that.

Hence (via extremely long-winded and largely irrelevant opening paragraph)! The European publisher's games are now being digitally distributed on Valve's Steam platform. The critically acclaimed (also, panned) Jericho takes top billing, followed by evil minion sim Overlord and the superb racer Dirt. Future Codemasters titles such as Turning Point: Fall of Liberty will also be made available on Steam day and date with their retail release. Marvel at the convenience!

[Via press release]

Clive Barker's Jericho spawned from the depths of hell yesterday and reviewers are starting to chime in with their scores, which hold inconsistent numbers between outlets, but similar issues. For those who pay attention to our GameTap Thursday posts, you know you could've gotten the game on PC with almost no potential for buyer's remorse from the service for free yesterday -- well, technically, for the cost of the $10 monthly fee, but new subscribers would only pay a measly 99 cents. Jericho surprised us at E3, showing potential from a game we had heard next to nothing about. Although it's apparently not everything we were hoping for, it seems to get a passing grade -- with some angry exceptions. Surprisingly, scores seem across the board.

• GamePro (90/100): "While the stage design is awesome, there are some horrendously long load times involved. It makes sense given the game's graphical prowess but it really cuts into the sense of immersion that the game's atmosphere does such a great job of instilling. ... Jericho still manages to shine bright. Its slick style, amazing graphics, and dark atmosphere really make it stand out."
• Game Informer (60/100): "If broken gameplay mechanics and community college acting didn't weigh down the game, it might actually be worthwhile. Each environment features a macabre twist on a historical period, and they rival Painkiller in their haunting heavy metal video backdrop appearance. Unfortunately, the creepy locales and ultraviolent action don't translate into a frightening experience. And isn't that where Clive Barker is supposed to shine?"
• 1UP (30/100): "I'm also perplexed by the absurdly long (and frequent) load times, given that the game looks like complete garbage. Every level feels like it was made with an FPS construction set: boring, ugly, bland, ugly, dark, and ugly. (Did I mention ugly?) And yet, you work through the stages in ridiculously short chunks, as though the system can't handle the massive amounts of blandness. It's mysterious. ... But the thread holding Jericho above that pit of legendary awfulness is thin and fraying. Mr. Barker, you're better than this."

During TGS, we had the opportunity to visit the studios of Polyphony Digital and meet with the man behind the Gran Turismo series, Kazunori Yamauchi. We had just finished watching a demo of their video-on-demand GTTV service – which was announced during a Japanese-press only event at TGS the preceding day – and got to poke around their studios (check out Gamespot's fancy video tour) before sitting down with the man himself. We talked about GTTV (of course), the current status for Gran Turismo on PSP, how they reached the elusive 1080p goal, and if their PSP/PS3 connectivity ideas are any better than a rear-view mirror.



Thanks for taking the time to meet with us and show us the game and your studio. It's very much appreciated. Could you explain the rationale behind releasing GT5: Prologue before releasing the full Gran Turismo 5?

So there's basically two reasons behind GT5 Prologue. First one being, as we move with the franchise to a new generation of hardware, the PS3‚ and trying to extract the maximum out of it and being comfortable, it's already taken us three years to get to a point where we're almost happy with what we're delivering on the system.

The latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly has a few new details (via Gamers Creed) on the upcoming Xbox 360 bloodbath Ninja Gaiden 2. Developer Team Ninja has added plenty of incentive for dismemberment, as removed limbs will stay on screen (we can only hope this inspires a rather grotesque Katamari Damacy cross-over game).

Additionally, there will be "obliteration techniques" that the player can activate by pressing Y after removing a limb. The details are unknown except that the camera zooms in, but we can only assume that entails protagonist Ryu totally flipping out and killing people in some stylish fashion. The techniques vary based on what weapon you're using and what body part you just removed.

Some of the stages are modeled after -- and possibly named after -- real world locations, including Tokyo, Times Square and Venice. (The Statue of Liberty was previously spotted in the TGS demo.) Expect cooperative attacks from enemies and unfortunately (but unsurprisingly) no multiplayer in the final game.

Ninja Gaiden 2, being published by Microsoft, is due out Spring 2008.

[Via X3F]

The country of India obtains access to Xbox Live beginning November 5. A 12-month subscription to the service will cost 2200 rupees ($55 USD). 1600 MS Points (which is fake currency to begin with), normally $20 in the States, will cost 1070 rupees ($27). Indian XBLA will supposedly be tied into Asia, so if a game is available there, it should be available on the marketplace.

Apparently a key difference between India's Xbox Live and others is the "educational content." According to those at the event held at the Shangri-la Hotel in New Delhi, Microsoft announced India will be the first country with learning aids for grades 1-12. We have no idea at this point what that means, but if they being offering XBLA Number Munchers or Oregon Trail in the States, that's an automatic 400 to 800 MS Points spent right there. And, of course, Bollywood productions will be available through the Xbox Marketplace.

Read: Xbox Live, Games for Windows launches Nov. 5
Read: Microsoft India launches Xbox live

May the furries rejoice, the continuing adventures of a Lombax and his robot blows up the PS3 with Rachet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. Apparently everything old about Ratchet & Clank is still old, but it's gussied up and makes excellent use of the PS3 as something other than a movie player. Ratchet & Clank looks to be a boon for games on the system, even if it does amount to what Game Informer deems perfectly as "comfort food."

• GameTap (100/100): "It's rare that a game critic feels the way I do about this game, but in all honesty, I find it really difficult to find something that's not to like. The controls feel great. The graphics look great. The score sounds great. The weapon selection alone make me want to play the game over and over again, just to test out all the cool offered. And that's that's what happens when a smart development team has spent a long time imagining a game like this. It's obvious they've accomplished feats here that they've probably been wanting to do for a long time."
• Game Informer (93/100): "You know how we always say that it's not enough to make a prettier version of a last-generation title – that you really need to offer us something that wasn't possible five years ago? Well, leave it to Insomniac to make me a liar. Because, in all reality, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction sticks extremely close to the formula that made the series one of the PS2's best. There's not much here I haven't seen before. But I don't care, and neither will you, because this is an adventure packed to the brim with vivid characters, amazing gameplay, and heartfelt humor. In a way, it's the ultimate in video game comfort food – a familiar old favorite for those times when you're hungry for nothing but an expertly crafted good time."
• Gamespot (75/100): "Try as it might, Tools of Destruction doesn't achieve the same level of greatness as its predecessors. It's too easy, the story falls flat, and the "throw everything in including the kitchen sink" style of gameplay takes too much of the focus off the tight platforming and fun combat. That said, the gorgeous visuals and generally fun gameplay are enough to make Tools of Destruction worthwhile for the series' fans and newcomers alike."

The GameStop juggernaut just keeps on rolling along. No sooner do they report record quarterly profits than they triumphantly declare the opening of their milestone 5,000th store in Jackson, CA. For reference, the 16-country international chain is now nearing Wal-Mart levels of ubiquity (and yes, we know GameStops are a lot smaller than Wal-marts, but still). Don't worry, though, the store still comes up short against Starbucks' 12,000+ locations or McDonalds' 31,000 restaurants.

With remaining competitors like GameCrazy facing major financial problems, will it be long before GameStop is the only game-focused retail chain around?

When screenshots described as "work in progress" look this good, you know a game's headed in the right direction. It turns out that the version of Super Street Fighter II: Turbo HD Remix shown at Capcom Gamer's Day in London wasn't the most recent build available at the same. To make up for it, the developers decided to post some screen-captures of the game on their blog. The high-res images show off the Ryu and Ken sprites, two of the game's levels, and the character select screen.

Peep the gallery for more images.

Although the rumor started by Smarthouse that a non-Microsoft branded Xbox with built-in HD DVD drive sounds improbable, Stuff.tv got UK Toshiba to give a "no comment" on the matter. Despite the Stuff.tv headline saying, "Toshiba says no to new Xbox 360 HD DVD rumour," the word "comment" is actually missing between "no" and "to." Which, in essence, means we're actually right back to where we started -- with this rumor still floating out there.

An HD DVD built into the Xbox 360 is always possible, but even by the original rumor's timeline, the thing wouldn't even be announced until late next year. With so much extra stuff built into it and without Microsoft branding, it sounds like a load of crazy talk. Mind you, we're getting used to crazy talk around here, so anything is possible.

Could Nintendo's Animal Crossing for the Wii take the form of an MMO? Well, of course it could, but will it? Well, we don't really know for sure, but how cool would that be?

Next-Gen joins in the rampant speculation with some tiny tidbits that they feel point to the inevitability of an as-yet unannounced Wii Animal Crossing MMO with social networking elements. We don't exactly share their utter confidence in that point, so either they know something we don't, or they're just heavily invested in the scraps of information collected thus far.

In addition to the fact that Animal Crossing's universe fits well into massively-multiplayer conventions, Next-Gen reminds fans that Katsuya Eguchi -- the man heading up the game's development team -- has previously gone on record expressing a desire to expand connectivity to mobile phones and computers. Again, not the hard-hitting evidence we were hoping for, but we'll honor their enthusiasm for the sake of solidarity (and as an excuse to use the above image).

Forgiveness is the Christian way, so it's not too surprising that Manchester Cathedral officials have officially forgiven Sony for their use of the historic church in Resistance: Fall of Man. But the subtext of the public acceptance shows there is still some ill will behind the words.

Despite two apologies from Sony for any offense caused, Cathedral Dean Rev. Rogers Govender could only passive-aggressively tell the BBC that "we do forgive Sony for what they have done, even though they still believe they have done nothing wrong." Govender went on to urge the game industry to follow the "long held traditions of film and television" by "having courtesy, respecting the dignity of your subject, and admitting when mistakes have been made." Such traditions of filmic church respect can be seen in this action-packed church scene from Face/Off and this bloody church shootout from The Killer.

On the plus side, Govender admitted to the BBC that the controversy over the game has caused "an increase in visits from young people and tourists." It might not be the "substantial donation" they were looking for, but we're sure the Church doesn't mind the extra money.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts announced the winners for their British Academy Video Game Awards and BioShock came out on top, with Wii Sports winning most categories. The full list can be found after break. Wii Sports won six of 13 awards, Crackdown won two awards, as did Okami.

Crackdown developer RealTime Worlds was the most successful European studio at the event, winning Best Action and Adventure and an audio award. Phil Wilson, producer of Crackdown, said, "BAFTA's are awards that are recognized and respected both outside the games industry and internationally, so we're incredibly proud that everyone's hard work has resulted in not just one but two of the prestigious gold masks." Great, now does that mean you'll finally start working on a sequel?

After being bandied about for two years, a Paul W.S. Anderson produced Castlevania flick seems to finally have a full head of steam. Anderson told SCI FI Wire, "[I'm] hoping to get a script for it in two or three weeks. And I'm hoping it's great. Sylvain White is directing it, and we're hoping to kind of make it a pre-strike movie. So it kind of shoots in the next couple months." Oh, that's right. We forgot to mention that they're hurrying to get it in the can before the impending strike that will, effectively, stop Hollywood.

So let us get this straight: The man who produced DOA: Dead or Alive and wrote the Resident Evil movies joins forces with the director of Stomp the Yard and I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer. ... And it's a rush job? ... Seriously, is it too early to pre-order tickets?

[Via PSU]