Late Night Consoling

Electric Arts today sent out a list of its upcoming Wii lineup, consisting of custom-designed games from six of EA's major franchises. Madden NFL 07 and Need for Speed Carbon have already been announced for the system, but today's release also reveals previously unannounced entries in the SSX, The Godfather, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, and Harry Potter lines. The games are being developed by EA's Wii-specific dev studio located within EA Canada.

"Once we started to experiment with Madden on Wii, there was an explosion of innovation. Everyone in the studio is energized by the creative opportunity afforded by both the hardware and controller," said John Schappert, senior VP and general manager of the Wii dev team. "By reaching into our catalogue, we are able to bring a fresh and distinctive experience to some of EA's most popular franchises. Creatively, the game play possibilities are staggering and endless."

Today's list is conspicuously devoid of true Wii exclusives, which with its unique controls scheme are likely to be a draw of the system. However, it seems that this isn't all EA has in the works for Nintendo's new console. "Additional titles currently under development will be announced in the coming months," reads the announcement.

This week, the third content pack for Bizarre Creations' Project Gotham Racing 3 (X360) hit Xbox Live. Dubbed the Style Pack, the download includes 12 new cars, three new game modes, and the ability to upload Photo Mode images to the web for download onto a PC. The new modes are Free Roam Points, in which players attempt to accrue the most points by driving into cones scattered throughout the city; Team Free Roam Points, which is just as it sounds; and Cat and Mouse, a team game in which both teams have one Class E car which must cross the finish line before the opposing team's Class E car. The new cars included in the pack are 2006 BMW M6, 2001 BMW Z8, 2003 BMW M3 CSL, 2005 BMW Mini Cooper S, 2005 Gumpert Apollo Coupe 4.2 V8, 2007 Chrysler Firepower, 1968 Ferrari 365 GTB4 "Daytona", 2006 Ferrari F430 Challenge, 2005 Mercedes CLK-DTM AMG, 2005 Pagani Zonda F, 2006 Vanwall GPR V12. The 2006 RUF R.K. Spyder 3.8 is included in the pack, but is also available for free download.

The Style Pack is available for 400 Microsoft Points ($5); individual cars may be purchased for 40 Microsoft Points ($0.50) each. According to widespread reports from gamers this week, the Style Pack may have been mistakenly released for a short period of time at no cost, after which it was pulled and re-released at its intended price point.

Generally, Microsoft has painted the Xbox 360's prospects in Japan as being an uphill battle but one in which the company is confident it can make inroads by way of growing Japanese developer support and an attentiveness to the Japanes market. However, statements reportedly made today by Darren Huston, president and CEO of Microsoft's Japanese subsidiary, show a frankness that is uncharacteristic of the optimism usually displayed by Microsoft execs speaking on the company's prospects in Japan. "Globally we are doing very well but Japan has always been tough. We launched early and with not enough Japan-specific content," said Huston, adding, "I can't say I'm beaming with confidence in Japan."

Microsoft was likely hoping that by scheduling the Xbox 360's launch in the same time frame as the machine's release in North America and Europe, the company could grab some early market share long before Sony and Nintendo launched their own next generation machines in 2006. However, the move likely hurt Microsoft more than it helped, as it was accompanied by a markedly limited Japanese launch launch lineup which did not give the machine its needed early momentum. The machine has recently been outperforming Nintendo's waning GameCube on a weekly sales basis, but it has yet to approach the consistently solid sales figures of Sony's PlayStation 2.

Reports this week indicate that independent developer n-Space opened up an additional development studio named n-Space North adjacent to its existing studio, now renamed n-Space South. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the Geist (GCN) developer is producing games for Wii. Apparently, the company is narrowing its development to focus to concentrate on Nintendo systems; the new studio will be home to Wii development, while the original studio will house DS development. The studio is presumed to have multiple titles in the works for each platform.

Electronic Arts today announced that a playable demo of EA LA's Xbox 360 realtime strategy game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II is now available on Xbox Live. The demo consists of an introductory tutorial level, the first single-player level from the game's Evil Campaign, and a 1v1 multiplayer map entitled Buckland featuring the Goblin and Elven factions.

A demo of the PC version of the game is available on FileShack.

Next Generation has coverage of Q Entertainment designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Space Channel 5, Rez, Lumines, Meteos) speaking on his design inspirations and past works at this week's Develop Conference.

Sony Online Entertainment has launched an Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom (PS3) blog on IGN, with the first entry by producer Andy Sites.