EA has announced that it will be closing its virtual world EA-Land down. Formerly known as The Sims Online, EA-Land was opened in 2002 but re-named and re-branded in February this year.

In a post on EA-Land’s official blog, EA commented “The lifetime of the game has drawn to an end, and now we will be focusing on new ideas and other innovative concepts in the games arena. We’d like to thank everyone who has taken part in this online community as a unique experience in the virtual world.”

According to EA it will focus these resources on future games once the EA-Land service closes on the 1st of August. EA will end members’ subscription billing now so at least 60 days will be for free but members can cancel their account or subscription at any time. EA also pointed out that starting immediately PayPal cash-in will not be available.

EA is offering one of two gifts as a token of their appreciation if you are a paying subscriber as of the 29th of April. You can either cash in a $15 discount off any game at the EA Store or get three months of Club POGO subscription time.

EA senior vice president Luc Barthelet had this to say “We share the sadness of the entire community in writing this blog to announce that the EA-Land experiment is being brought to an end. Decisions such as these are never easy and the rationale for closing EA-Land is particularly complex. Regardless, it is hard to see the end of the collective investment of emotion, time and friendship.”

Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV was released worldwide yesterday for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Grand Theft Auto IV was developed by series creator Rockstar North. Set in Liberty City, the latest installment in the popular series features a detailed and life-like city, narrative experience, original soundtrack and sixteen player multiplayer with over a dozen online modes.

Rockstar also launched the Rockstar Social Club, a new website that seeks to extend a players experience of GTA IV as well as future Rockstar games.

The site features “detailed, diverse and sometimes amusing” leaderboards, virtual events, player statistics as well as performance-based competitions and awards for players of all skill levels.

Players will be able to keep track of online multiplayer statistics, participate in physical challenges, try to earn a place in the Hall of Fame and keep a daily track of crime with the Liberty City Police Blotter.

If you are a “true GTA die-hard” keep an eye out for the GTA IV 100% Club Competition. Those players who attain 100% within seven days after the release of GTA IV will receive a limited edition ‘key to the city.’

To link your game to the Social Club Account (you can link either your Xbox Live gamertag or your PlayStation Network sign-in ID), simply log in, go to ‘Edit Profile’ and select the option to link your account to your gaming platform.

You can visit the website at www.rockstargames.com/socialclub.

A recent job posting by Sony of America has led to speculation that God of War III may include leaderboards, online or multiplayer features.

The rumour mill began turning after an SCEA job ad seeking an “online gameplay programmer to join the team behind the critically acclaimed AAA titles God of War and God of War II” was unearthed.

The job is based at Sony’s Santa Monica studio and responsibilities include designing, developing and maintaining portions of game and tools code as well as interacting with game play programmers to make existing and new code support desired network functionality.

However, SCEA does state in bold at the bottom of the job ad that “this job description may exist to simply gather interest, and may or may not ever become an approved open position.”

Watch this space.

If you, like me, are a PixelJunk Monsters fan then trust me you don’t want to miss out on the details which Q-Games recently released about the upcoming expansion pack to the popular tower defence game PixelJunk Monsters.

PixelJunk Monsters sees players building towers to defend their homebase from the onslaught of monsters, all the while unleashing lightning storms across the forest. The game was released on the PlayStation Network in late January 2008.

Encore details

First things first, according to SCEA’s PlayStation blog, PixelJunk Monster Encore will be released in May 2008. The expansion was released in Japan on the 24th of April but left the rest of the world craving in the wake of the first screenshots and scant details about what the expansion would offer.

Encore will be set on a new island, Toki Island, and will feature 15 new levels as well as five new music tracks by Octograph. Many gamers will be happy to learn that the Ice Tower is now a stock item meaning gamers will be able to purchase it as a starter gun along with the arrow towers, cannons and anti-air guns. In addition the Tesla Tower now sports a reduced price tag, it will cost just ten jewels.

Gamers will have to re-unlock all the abilities which they earned in the first game (for example running). Earlier Q-Games revealed that once you have beaten the expansion you will earn an exclusive unlockable. “Oh, and we’ve added an extra special feature for the best players out there who can clear every stage in the game (not necessarily with rainbows). It’s still a secret but it’s going to feed your addiction beyond an extreme.”

Deborah Mars, Senior Producer at SCEA Santa Monica Studios, caught up with Dylan Cuthbert, President and Executive Producer of Q-Games, to get the low down on Encore.

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Just a head’s up that El33tonline is giving away a copy of Mario Kart DS and Super Mario Galaxy.

Head over to our competitions page for more information. Simply answer a question and send us your details to be in the running, it couldn’t be easier!

We have even made it possible for you to secure two entries into each competition so be sure to make use of our generosity.

Thanks to Core Gaming who kindly sponsored the prizes.

Stay tuned for details of upcoming competitions soon.

Core Gaming recently launched Wii Fit in South Africa. With the launch tucked securely under their belts, we managed to catch up with The Nintendo Team who gave us the scoop on some dates to diarise.

Mario Kart Wii will be launching across South Africa in mid-May. The latest instalment in Nintendo’s popular racing series has yet to be stamped with a price but mid-May is just around the corner so you better start your engines! The game comes bundled with a new accessory, the Wii Wheel, which looks set to revolutionise your Mario Kart gaming experience.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is one of this year’s most hotly anticipated titles. It was recently announced that SSBB would be released across Europe on the 27th of June, but until now South African fans of the series have been in the dark as to when they can enter the brawl. While an official release date has yet to be announced, it looks like South Africa will follow the European launch of the game and SSBB will probably arrive in South Africa mid-year.

The question on many Wii gamers’ minds is when the Wii Shop Channel will be launching in South Africa. The Nintendo Team confirmed that it is definitely coming, but it is just a matter of when. Nintendo of Europe is currently working on the stars catalogue, which they hope will be released in 2008. It is going to take significantly longer to bring Virtual Console titles to South Africa but rest assured that it is in the works!

The Nintendo Team also confirmed that they will once again be at rAge this year, showcasing both the Nintendo DS and Wii. With great games like Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the cards, they look set to raise the temperature of the gaming circuit.

Once we get solid release dates and prices you will be the first to know.

Not content with just training brains, Nintendo is taking the world by storm with its latest exercise game Wii Fit.

Senior Managing Director of Nintendo Shigeru Miyamoto was the mastermind behind combining exercise and video games that resulted in Wii Fit. Inspired by his fascination to weigh himself and plot his weight and body changes on a graph, Miyamoto’s ideas led to the development of the pressure sensitive Balance Board which is used in conjunction with the game to participate in aerobics, yoga, muscle stretches and balance games.

Miyamoto has become a household name around the world, not surprising given that he invented many icons of the gaming world including Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong. The Times Online recently caught up with Miyamoto in advance of the launch of Wii Fit across the US on the 19th of May.

Computer games can be good for you

“Video games are bad for you? That’s what they said about rock and roll.” This is one of my favourite quotes from Miyamoto. His beliefs, it seems, have not changed as he commented to The Times “I want to show that computer games can be good for you, can enrich your life.”

This appears to have been his motivation behind creating Wii Fit. “People say video games are a waste of time and are bad for your brain and for your health,” he said. “We wanted to create something to answer that.”

Wii Fit follows in the footsteps of Wii Sports as it encourages (and requires) gamers to get off the couch and start moving. The game will track your weight and body mass index, encouraging you or reprimanding you as it deems necessary. Wii Fit was designed to be fun but also to draw in a larger audience that are being left out of the shoot ‘em up gaming market.

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One thing we know about the Rabbids, other than they are crazy, is that they are always on top of the latest advancements.

To prove this the next game in the Rayman Raving Rabbids series looks set to make use of the Wii Fit Balance Board. This juicy morsel was revealed through Ubisoft’s first teaser video on IGN.

Rabbids secrets to health and happiness

Currently the teaser video is all the information that Ubisoft has offered to the masses but we will be sure to let you know when more details surface.

It is not far fetched to think that Rayman Raving Rabbids 3 might use the Balance Board, after all Namco Bandai’s We Ski (known as Family Ski in Europe) will be using it and Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has confirmed that ten games are in development for the peripheral.

Don’t try this at home!

Fancy playing in online tournaments and entering competitions but don’t know how to go about it? Well, thanks to the efforts of Devon Stanton, aka koldFU5iON, and his partner DriftZilla they have created The Xbox Lounge to make online gaming easier for you.

The Xbox Lounge started as a community site covering all the usual aspects one would expect like news, forums and such. This was not enough for the tireless duo who wanted to create a unique experience and provide a top-notch service to the gaming community. The goal was straightforward yet a challenging one to solve. Create a site that makes it simple for people to communicate their desire to play a particular game at a specific time. Traditionally matches were being arranged through the gaming forums which could be cumbersome. This frustration presented the opportunity for improvement and after many design iterations they arrived at the “Match Creation” feature you can make use of today at The Xbox Lounge.

How it works?

Well it really is quiet simple to achieve and it all starts by navigating to www.thexboxlounge.co.za and looking for a match on the front page. If you cannot find a match that interests you or they are already full, you can create your own. It is as easy as choosing the game you want to play from a list and filling in some details. Now this is where the site does all the hard work and presents you with a form tailored to the game you selected, helping guide you through the process to achieve a sensible match set up.

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Mario Kart Wii is the latest installment in Nintendo’s popular racing series and marks the series debut on the Wii. The game comes bundled with the Wii Wheel and went on sale across North America this past Sunday, the 27th of April at a retail price of $49.99.

“Just like Wii Sports, Mario Kart Wii will have everyone in the household playing together, laughing and having fun,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With the Wii Wheel and ability to race with Mii caricatures, Mario Kart Wii literally puts players directly into the game.”

The game includes dozens of characters (each with his or her own collection of customised vehicles), 16 new courses as well as 16 classic courses from previous Mario Kart titles. Up to 16 players can compete online while up to four can race on one console.

In addition gamers will be able to race either karts or motorbikes and can choose to hurtle around the Mushroom Kingdom as their Miis. The game even boasts a new Mario Kart Channel which allows players to compete in tournaments, check rankings, keep tabs on friend’s online activity and download ghost data.

Whereas most publishers chose to avoid launching their games this week due to the launch of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV today, Nintendo fixed the 27th of April as the North American release date of Mario Kart Wii.

Many were dubious as to how Mario would fare against GTA but the bottom line is that these two games are aimed at two completely different target audiences, not to mention that GTA IV is only available on the Xbox 360 and PS3. The sales figures will speak louder than words and both publishers will no doubt flaunt them as soon as they have them.

Mario Kart Wii was released in Japan on the 10th of April and across Europe one day later on the 11th of April.

Sierra Entertainment has announced the third and final chapter in the Legend of Spyro trilogy will be released this fall on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2 and Nintendo DS.

Developed by Etranges Libellules, The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon will see Elijah Wood and Gary Oldman reprising their roles as Spyro and his mentor Ignitus. Other actors to join the voice cast include Christina Ricci, Blair Underwood, Mark Hamill and Wayne Brady.

The game sees Spyro teaming up with Cynder, his formal enemy, as he faces his “most challenging mission to date.” Spyro must unlock the purple dragon’s power within himself to stop the Dark Master’s (voiced by Mark Hamill aka Luke Skywalker) evil plan.

For the first time Spyro can fly at any time and players can drop-in/drop-out with a new cooperative feature. Players will be able to complete the game as either Spyro or Cynder thanks to the cooperative feature.

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Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV is available worldwide for the Xbox 360 and PS3 today.

Described as “a powerful crime epic set in modern-day Liberty City, a world with an unparalleled combination of scale, depth and detail,” Grand Theft Auto IV is expected to shatter sales records around the world.

Grand Theft Auto IV was developed by series creator Rockstar North. Set in Liberty City, the latest installment in the popular series features a detailed and life-like city, narrative experience, original soundtrack and sixteen player multiplayer with over a dozen online modes.

“This release marks a major milestone for the series and for Rockstar Games,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “Grand Theft Auto IV delivers on the vision we had when we began work on the game more than three years ago. Rockstar North has created an amazing interactive entertainment experience. We hope it will resonate with our audience around the world for years to come.”

Xbox 360 gamers can look forward to hours of additional game play by accessing exclusive GTA IV episodes this autumn.

Sierra Entertainment has revealed that Crash Bandicoot will be returning this fall in Crash Bandicoot: Mind over Mutant. Developed by Radical Entertainment, the game is scheduled to be released on the Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, Nintendo DS and PSP.

Crash Bandicoot: Mind over Mutant sees Cortex and N. Brio devising a new “text-messaging, do-anything device” which controls mutant and bandicoot minds. In addition to “new abilities and his signature Bandicoot hilarity,” Crash will be able to control his enemies when he jacks them and store his favourite monsters in his pocket, upgrade them and make use of their powers.

The game is set on Wumpa Island, a “free-romping” environment that allows players to explore different worlds, with different game play options being available depending on which creature accompanies you. Players will also be able to play as Crash’s sister Coco for the first time, adopting a new tactile treasure hunt ability.

Crash will feature new abilities including a roll and counter combat system (to dodge and inflict extra damage), digging (dig underground to unlock extra items) and climbing (climb vertically and jump side-to-side to access connected areas and avoid hazards).

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Microsoft will not be publishing a new Xbox Live Arcade game this week. The lack of new content this week seems to be due to the release of Grand Theft Auto IV.

The publisher’s Gamerscoreblog commented “there will be no new Xbox Live Arcade title this week, and we anticipate all Xbox 360 controllers will be busy with [GTA IV].”

Many gamers were less than pleased with this announcement prompting online community manager Nelson Rodriguez to respond. “We definitely understand the complaints about the lack of an XBLA release this week.”

“There are certainly people who won’t be playing GTA IV, and would want to see an alternative on the Arcade, but to be fair, any game released this week will not get a fair chance to reach everyone who the publisher might want to reach.”

“There are a ton of games out there to still try, and a publisher who might have released a game this week will probably be thrilled to have the entire public’s undivided attention when they do launch.”

Looks like thats that then.

Nintendo’s Wii Fit has topped the UK’s All Formats Chart for the week ending the 26th of April. According to Chart Track Wii Fit also notched up the sixth fastest selling UK debut ever behind top selling titles Grand Theft Auto, Halo and Gran Turismo.

Bundled with the Balance Board, Wii Fit was launched across the UK on the 25th of April for £69.99. Roughly 1 in 10 Wii console owners bought the title over its first two days of release and the game recorded an estimated £16.3 million, earning it the title of third largest launch in terms of value for a video gaming product (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas holds the top spot with £24.2 million in week 44 of 2004 followed by Halo 3 in week 39 of 2007 with £16.9 million).

Nintendo’s record-breaking launch of Mario Kart Wii just two weeks ago is eclipsed by Wii Fit which becomes Nintendo’s fastest selling title in the UK. Mario Kart Wii experienced a 62% drop in sales this week and the title moves down one place to number 2. This means that Nintendo boasts the top two games in the All Formats Chart, the first time since Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire on the GBA five years ago.

Wii Fit dominates

Sega’s Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games drops down one place to number 3. It is interesting to note that half of all the Wii software sold this week was Wii Fit sales and 79% was published by either Nintendo or Sega.

Sony’s Gran Turismo 5: Prologue moves down one place to number 4 while Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 falls one spot to number 5. Activision’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare moves up one spot to number 6 and Nintendo’s Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training climbs one place to number 8, the only two All Formats Top 10 titles to move up this week.

Sega Superstars Tennis drops two places to number 7 while UEFA Euro 2008 Austria-Switzerland from EA moves down one place to number 9. Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 rounds off the top ten, moving down from last week’s number 6 to number 10.

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