Late Night Consoling

GamesIndustry.biz is claiming to have confirmed that Xbox 360 will be the final name of the next-gen console and they also have a few details on its design. It will sport a concave design, described as if the console was "sucking in its cheeks." Their source also said the final color will be platinum white. These details come from a supposed Microsoft-released marketing sheet.

The only Ghost Recon 2 version worth buying will soon receive an expansion pack. Ubisoft revealed on the official website that an expansion for the game will release sometime in the summer and feature new content for both single and multiplayer, including 11 new missions and 16 multiplayer maps.

Namco officially confirmed that a Dead to Rights title will find its way onto the PSP. Called Dead to Rights: Reckoning, the game follows series' hero Jack Slate and his dog Shadow as they track down a kidnapped informant. Namco will develop the game itself. Also announced was Bomberman: Panic Bomber by Hudson Soft. This is a puzzle game akin to Tetris and will feature 4-player multiplayer. No U.S. plans as of yet, but it'll release in the summer in Japan.

The latest issue of Game Informer shed a couple of new details on EA's football franchises. Starting with Madden, the game will now institute "Vision Passing." The quarterback now has to be looking in the direction of the receiver to throw it to him. This will be accomplished through the use of a vision cone and QBs with less awareness have narrower cones. As for NCAA Football, a new feature is "Become a Legend," where you take control of a high school star, compete for a scholarship, work through drills, and work hard to eventually become a legend.

Couple of disappointing news items.. first, the PS2 version of Psychonauts will be delayed by an unspecified amount of time. Developer Double Fine Productions said via their newsletter that the game just needs some more time. As for our dear Aussie friends, their Office of Film and Literature Classification has banned the budget-title NARC from being sold in their territory.