Late Night Consoling

Microsoft Game Studios sent out a press release officially announcing that Jade Empire will ship on April 14, "with worldwide distribution occurring shortly thereafter." They also officially revealed the Limited Edition which was posted on EBgames.com not long ago. Like their listing stated, the LE will feature "a bonus character, a bonus fighting style and a behind-the-scenes "making of " video feature on DVD produced by G4 â?? video game television." It will sell for the same price of $49.95.

The press release also offered some details on the bonus character. "The bonus character, Monk Zeng, has the ability to channel his Chi, or spiritual energy, to fuel powerful magic attacks that manipulate both elemental and spiritual forces. Monk Zeng can equip himself with a special weapon called the monk spade, a deadly weapon useful for slashing foes at a distance and finishing them with lethal follow-up attacks."

Computer And Video Games is reporting that an anonymous source has revealed to them four titles that Activision is getting ready for the Xbox 2's launch. The titles are Quake 4, Call of Duty 2, Tony Hawk's Underground 3, and Ultimate Spiderman. That's a rather impressive list, especially if those are launch titles. Also, these games will cost $59.99. Activision is not making comments regarding the Xbox 2, so it's not sure how accurate this goblet of information is.

Speaking to students who showed an interest in game development at the University of Florida, Electronic Arts was pretty frank about what it had in store for the future. The rumored From Russia With Love James Bond game was demoed on a PC workstation, showing both the Connery and Brosnan Bonds doing crazy stunts. Other tidbits that leaked out were a sequel was in the works for Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, a couple new Sims 2 expansion packs, and a non-sports title coming out of Tiburon.

American Technology Research analyst P.J. McNealy reported that after talking with Microsoft management, it appeared likely Microsoft will wait until E3 to unveil the Xbox 2. Microsoft later confirmed the report. Although the Game Developers Conference is geared towards game developers as opposed to E3, which caters to retailers and press, Microsoft did showcase the original Xbox at a GDC.

Sony revealed in a financial conference call that the PS3 will be available for play at the upcoming E3. However, it's not clear how interactive the attendees can be with the device; the company suggested it will be as playable as the PSP was at last year's E3, which really wasn't that playable.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Polyphony Digital announced that Gran Turismo 4 will find its way onto European shelves on March 9. It's still unclear as to when it will arrive in the United States, but an announcement should be made sometime this week.

Game Informer interviews Koji Igarashi about the new Castlevania games. GameSpy chats with Marilyn Manson about his involvement in Area 51. IGN interviews a developer on Shadow of Rome. FileFront talks with the producer of NBA Street V3. 1UP has a write up of Nintendo's press event in Paris. GamersInfo.net chats with a producer of Cold Winter.