Late Night Consoling

Following up on the mysterious Rev64.com website launched earlier this month, Ubisoft today announced the creation of its fourth franchise based off the work of novelist Tom Clancy (pictured left), Tom Clancy's EndWar. A strategy game set in the midst of World War III, EndWar is in development at Ubisoft Shanghai for unspecified next-generation consoles. This means PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions are a safe bet, with a possible Wii iteration as well.

According to the announcement, EndWar has been designed with the power of the unspecified next-generation consoles in mind, allowing it to surpass past artificial intelligence, graphics, physics and animation.

"Our success with Tom Clancy franchises is unparalleled in the next-generation and Tom Clancy's EndWar will be a marvelous addition to the already critically acclaimed library of games," said Ubisoft chief creative officer Serge Hascoet. "A strategy game like no other, EndWar will allow gamers to lead their own armies against hundreds of others online in real global locations on the massive battlefields of World War III."

While Tom Clancy's EndWar is not expected until the 2007/2008 fiscal year, more details will be available shortly as it is featured in the upcoming issue of print publication Electronic Gaming Monthly.

Publisher SCi Interactive revealed that both IO Interactive's Kane & Lynch and Pivotal Games' Crossfire will see a simultaneous release on the PlayStation 3 alongside the previously announced Xbox 360 and PC versions. Kane & Lynch, the co-op focused bad cop worse cop action game from Hitman creator IO Interactive, is slated to launch before Christmas 2007, with the CIA-centric co-op FPS Crossfire following from Conflict series developer Pivotal Games in early 2008.

Sony Computer Entertainment sent along word of its plan to release Clap Hanz's Hot Shots Tennis this July for $29.99. Much like the Hot Shots Golf series, also developed by Clap Hanz, Hot Shots Tennis is said to present a deceptively simple premise that offers a surprising amount of depth and strategy for advanced play. In all, the game will contain 14 characters, along with 11 courts of varying surface materials and five in-game umpires.

"Hot Shots Tennis draws from Clap Hanz's success with the Hot Shots franchise by providing a social gaming experience that will appeal to casual players and tennis gaming fans alike," said SCEA software maketing director Jeff Reese. "Whether it's playing head-to-head or in a four-player doubles match with family and friends, this is a game that PlayStation 2 fans of all ages can enjoy."

Koei set a July 2007 release for Dynasty Warriors DS: Fighter's Battle. The card-based rendition of Koei's popular strategic hack'em up Dynasty Warriors series (PSX, PS2, X360, PSP, GBA) offers over 400 playable characters, 11 different scenarios, and wireless multiplayer, with 2 player co-op and 3 player versus.

Always one to go the extra mile, Atlus has detailed the bonus contents of the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 deluxe edition to be released later this summer. Included with the RPG in its special collector's box is a full-color, 52-page art book and a "wicked-awesome" CD soundtrack. Presumably, the distribution of the Persona 3 deluxe edition will be similar to that of 2005's Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga deluxe box, which saw every copy of the game packaged in the special box and paired with an original soundtrack CD.