Late Night Consoling

Speaking to trade publication MCV, Xbox Europe head Richard Teversham stated that Microsoft has "a number of surprises up our sleeve" to ensure that Microsoft enjoys a strong holiday season with Xbox 360 despite the launch of its two competitors in Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii. Though he obviously did not spell out what these surprises will be, his comments imply that the company may be offering some sort of new bundle option towards the end of the year. "We will ensure we are good value and we'll do that through having a variety of pricing on games, a variety of pricing on console offers," he said.

Teversham also had some less than glowing words for Microsoft's competitors. MCV describes the executive as claiming Sony is "abusing its fanbase to sell PS3s at 425 GBP," while Teversham says Wii is "almost a GameCube with a DVD drive." He also calls into question the ability of both Sony and Nintendo to supply an adequate number of units at launch.

More rumors regarding the release date of Nintendo's upcoming Wii console hit the internet today, thanks to some alleged insider tips as well as Nintendo's announcement of the Nintendo Fusion Tour music event. Nintendo-focused site Nintendo Now states, based on information purportedly gleaned from employees at the publisher's Comic-Con booth, that Nintendo will release some further significant information at Germany's upcoming Leipzig Game Convention to be held August 24-August 26, 2006. However, given Nintendo's claim that the system's final ship date and price will be released in September, it is likely that the information in question is something else--if, indeed, anything happens at all. Gaming blog Kotaku contributed its own rumor, stating that "sources" claim Nintendo is planning a United States tour this fall to allow gamers to get hands on time with the console before it hits shelves. Kotaku believes this is distinct from the Nintendo Fusion Tour.

Speaking of the Nintendo Fusion Tour, the schedule for the event, headlined by Hawthorne Heights and supported by bands including Reliant K, Emery, Plain White T's, and The Sleeping, was revealed today. It consists of about three dozen U.S. cities, starting September 27 and lasting until November 11. During the shows, Nintendo will be providing "a sneak peek at Nintendo's amazing Wii console," though the nature of said peek was not described. Some have speculated that the system will launch the same day as the tour's debut, on September 27, though such a date seems implausibly early. Others have pegged the release for the end of the tour, November 11, which is somewhat more reasonable. Still others have scoured the dates for gaps and inserted more speculative release dates. Try it yourself! Then start a blog and report your findings.

Vivendi Games today announced that a PSP game based on the Scarface film will be released later this year. Entitled Scarface: Money. Power. Respect., the game is in development at Farsight Studios. Unlike Radical Entertainment's console game, Radical's PSP offering is a game that combines turn-based strategy with realtime combat, true to the spirit of Brian de Palma's well known film.

Scarface: Money. Power. Respect. parallels the events of the movie, rather than continuing them them as in The World is Yours. "Scarface : Money. Power. Respect. will challenge players to strategically direct Tony MontanaÂ’s legendary and meteoric ascent to the biggest drug kingpin in Miami," said Vivendi marketing executive Cindy Cook. The game will include a single-player campaign as well as four-player local wireless matches.

Radical's Scarface: Money. Power. Respect. will ship this October for PSP.

A demo for Q Entertainment and Phantagram's large scale beat-em-up Ninety-Nine Nights (X360) is now available on Xbox Live. N3, as it is frequently abbreviated, is set for release on August 15. For more information on the game and thoughts from designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi, check out our preview.

Ubisoft sends over a Q&A about the multiplayer modes in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent (PS2, Xbox, GCN, PS3, X360, PC).

Ubisoft art director Stephen Bachelet has updated the Red Steel (Wii) developer blog, speaking on the game's visual style.

GameSpot has translated an interview from Famitsu with Q Entertainment's Tetsuya Mizuguchi.