Late Night Consoling

Confirming the latest previously PlayStation-exclusive franchise to go multiplatform, Sega today announced AM2's console version of the arcade fighting game Virtua Fighter 5 is in the works for Xbox 360 as well as PlayStation 3. This week, Sega nailed down release dates for the PS3 version of the game, which will be released on February 20, 2007 in North America and at the PS3's launch in Europe. The Xbox 360 version of the game is set to come a little later, arriving towards the end of summer in both North America and Europe. Sega did not give details as to if there will be any significant features exclusive to the Xbox 360 platform. Presumably, based on statements made by AM2 developers regarding pitfalls of online play, the game will not feature Xbox Live multiplater.

"SEGA delivers the most technical fighting game experience on Xbox 360 with this installment of the award-winning Virtua Fighter series," said Sega of America VP of marketing Scott A. Steinberg. "Virtua Fighter 5 takes full advantage of Xbox 360's hardware with action-packed gameplay, customizable characters, stunning graphics and highly detailed 3D fighting environments."

Coming as little surprise given the already multiplatform status of the game, Ubisoft today confirmed that Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Shanghai's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent will be seeing a release on PlayStation 3 early next year. Double Agent was released this year for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Xbox 360, Wii, and PC. Some kind of motion-sensitive control using the PS3's Sixaxis controller, as well as additional multiplater content, will feature in the PS3 game.

Ubisoft plans to ship the PlayStation 3 version of Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Shanghai's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent in March 2007.

Nintendo today revealed that, come Christmas Day, Wii's Virtual Console will be seeing five games added to its lineup--the biggest weekly growth of the service since it opened on the console's launch day. On December 25, 2006, the following games will be available for purchase:

- R-TYPE (Hudson, TurboGrafx-16, 1-2 players), 800 Wii Points ($8)
- Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, NES, 1-2 players), 500 Wii Points ($5)
- Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Capcom, SNES, 1-2 players), 800 Wii Points ($8)
- Super Castlevania IV (Konami, SNES, 1 player), 800 Wii Points ($8)
- Toe Jam & Earl (Sega, Sega Genesis, 1-2 players), 800 Wii Points ($8)

There will also be a smaller update to ring in the new year, with the following two games appearing on January 1, 2007:

- Baseball (Nintendo, NES, 1-2 players), 500 Wii Points ($5)
- Urban Champion (Nintendo, NES, 1-2 players), 500 Wii Points ($5)

Developer Bethesda today sent word that it plans to give away its popular Mehrunes' Razor content pack for the Xbox 360 version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion--but only for the rest of 2006. Between December 22, 2006 and December 31, 2006, Xbox Live users can download the content for free, adding a new quest and numerous new items to their world of Tamriel. After the free download period, the game will return to its regular price of 250 Microsoft Points ($3.13).

Realtime Worlds' futuristic GTA-inspired superhuman crime-fighting action game Crackdown now has a firm in-store date courtesy of publisher Microsoft. It will be available in North America on February 20, 2007. Notably, the game will run $59.99, making it the second game after Epic's Gears of War to break Microsoft's previously established precedent of charging only $49.99 for its own first party published Xbox 360 games. Consumers seem to have shown themselves to be price insensitive with current-gen software, and this trend may represent a general change in Microsoft's pricing policy.

On January 18, just over a month prior to the game's release, Realtime Worlds will provide a free demo via Xbox Live Marketplace, showcasing the game's online cooperative mode. For more on the game, check out our hands on look.

Faring significantly better than a great number of deserving but underperforming original titles, Blitz Games' budget-priced trio of Burger King-themed Xbox and Xbox 360 games has managed to convince a total of 2 million gamers to pay for their marketing (and mandatory fast food) within a mere six weeks of release. Big Bumpin', Pocketbike Racer, and Sneak King are sold in Burger King restaurants and run $3.99 after the purchase of a Burger King value meal.