The Develop Industry Excellence Awards is apparently the only event that rewards Europe’s leading game development houses. Now in its sixth year, the Develop Awards 2008 stuffed 600 industry professionals into a hall to recognise some top game development talent.

Frontier Developments, headed by David Braben (known for Elite), won the Best New IP prize for Lost Winds on WiiWare. Traveller’s Tales took the Best Use of a License prize for Lego Indiana Jones, while Realtime Worlds (Crackdown) won the Business Development prize. Top studios include Splash Damage (Best Independent developer), Kuju’s DoubleSix (Best New Studio) and IdeaWorks3D (Best Mobile Studio).

Rockstar North, however, were the biggest winners, walking away with 3 awards; Visual Arts and Audio Accomplishment (GTA IV) and Best In-House Developer, as well as the Grand Prix awarded to Rockstar Games, Rockstar North’s parent company.

Other awards included the Publishing Hero award (won by Nintendo), Best Tools Provider (taken by Epic Games for Unreal Engine 3), Best Recruitment Firm (OPM), Best Services firm (awarded to Babel Media), Creative Outsourcing King (to Richard Jacques Studio) and the inaugural Games:Edu New Talent Award (won by University of Abertay & Dare to be Digital).

Metal Slug 7 will be arriving on European shelves this autumn, courtesy of SNK and Ignition.

Metal Slug 7 marks the debut of the popular franchise on the Nintendo DS and promises “fast paced and frantic ‘run and gun action’” that has become synonymous with the series.

The game includes 7 new missions, 6 playable characters as well as new weapons and features. Metal Slug fans will once again take on the forces of General Morden, but this time will have the “biggest and baddest SLUG vehicle to date” at their disposal.

“With a Metal Slug game you know that you’re going to have a hugely enjoyable experience,” Says Peter Rollinson, Product Manager, Ignition Entertainment. “The latest addition to this great franchise will continue that trend.”

Eidos has stamped a November 21st European release date on Tomb Raider: Underworld.

Tomb Raider: Underworld will be released simultaneously on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, Nintendo DS and PC. Developed by Crystal Dynamics (who also developed the Legend and Anniversary installments), Tomb Raider: Underworld is the first game in the series to be designed specifically for next generation consoles.

The game sees Lara Croft discovering proof that the hammer of the Norse God Thor, once thought to be a myth, exists. So begins a journey around the globe as Croft seeks to uncover this power, hunting for clues, solving puzzles and facing both animal and supernatural foes with advanced weapons and abilities.

The Nintendo DS and Wii versions include exclusive features; Wii owners can look forward to an archeological toolkit to excavate hidden areas and secrets with a compressed air gun, acetylene torch, chisel and pliers.

“We’re thrilled to bring back Lara Croft and Tomb Raider at Christmas time on all formats,” said Patrick Melchior, Head of European Distribution. “Lara Croft has never looked, acted or played so realistically before. Tomb Raider: Underworld will delight fans and gamers alike as well as being a great gift for the Christmas season!”

Konami’s Rock Revolution will be released across Europe in Quarter 1 of 2009. This music based party game will be released on the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS. Xbox 360 and PS3 owners can also look forward to song packs which will be released on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.

Konami is no stranger to rhythm action games, having brought gamers the popular Dancing Stage series, as well as Karaoke Stage, Beatmania and Guitar Freaks.

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Wario is back and continuing his quest for treasure in Wario Land: The Shake Dimension.

Wario Land: The Shake Dimension is Wario’s first dedicated escapade on the Wii. This 2D platform adventure promises classic Wario puzzle-filled action when it launches across Europe on the 26th of September.

The game sees players setting out on a journey across various continents in search of loot. Wario must rescue Queen Merelda from Shake King, a notorious pirate leader. But has Wario changed his ways or is he really after the Bottomless Coin Sack?

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Koei has announced that Fatal Inertia EX will arrive on the PlayStation Network on the 15th of July.

Fatal Inertia EX is a futuristic racer that is set across seven different environments and over 50 different race courses.

The game features a full single player campaign as well as head-to-head online racing for up to eight players.

For more information head over to our previous coverage.

Sony of Europe today announced that the Dualshock 3 Wireless Controller will be available across Europe on the 2nd of July.

The DualShock 3 Wireless Controller includes the highly anticipated rumble feature which gamers will be able to use on past, present and future PS3 titles which support the vibration functionality. The controller is also said to retain the “high-precision, high-response motion-sensitive aspects that have made SIXAXIS so popular” and is the only Bluetooth controller that combines the vibration function and Sixaxis features.

Sony also announced that “almost all future PS3 releases will support DualShock 3.” Gamers will be able to play many existing PS3 titles (including Resistance: Fall of Man; Gran Turismo 5: Prologue and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune) with the DualShock 3 as long as the PS3 is updated with firmware upgrade 1.94.

According to Sony, over 28 million DualShock controllers have been sold since the first DualShock was released for PlayStation in 1998.

David Reeves, President and CEO, SCEE, commented, “We are delighted to confirm that DUALSHOCK 3 will be released in SCEE territories in early July. We hope this will add to the intense gaming experience for our fans, as we continue to evolve PS3, its software and its peripherals.”

Atari and Eden Games have announced that action survival game Alone in the Dark has topped the Xbox 360 sales charts across Europe.

Since its release on the 20th of June, Alone in the Dark has secured the number one spot in the UK and Germany, which according to Chart Track and Media Control are two of the largest Xbox 360 markets in Europe. After a seven year hiatus the title debuted at number 3 on the UK’s All Formats Chart.

Alone in the Dark is now available across Europe for the Xbox 360, PC, Wii and PS2. The PS3 version is scheduled to ship later in the year.

Nintendo of Europe has revealed the Wii and Nintendo DS line-up for summer 2008.

First up is the highly anticipated Super Smash Bros. Brawl, out across Europe on the 27th of June. Next up is Wario’s first dedicated adventure on the Wii, Wario Land: The Shake Dimension will hit shelves on the 26th of September.

Step into the shoes of a Pokémon as Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness launch on the Nintendo DS or rattle your grey matter with Make 10, a mathematical game on the DS.

The full list of the 2008 line-up for the Wii and Nintendo DS follows below.

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Konami has announced that sales of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot have topped one million units within the first week across Europe.

Konami shipped over one million copies of the PS3 exclusive stealth game to retailers across Europe “to meet the exceptional demand.” Konami also confirmed high sales in all European territories and that the 25 000 copies of the limited edition MGS4 sets made available across Europe were bought almost immediately by MGS fans.

“The Metal Gear Solid series has again proved its huge potential, and we are delighted with the fantastic response the game has enjoyed at retail,” commented Martin Schneider, Sales and Marketing Director Germany for Konami.

“MGS4 is nothing short of a masterpiece – an epic conclusion to the Solid Snake story. We are extremely pleased with the positive feedback we have received from retail and consumers alike, and will keep satisfying their needs with updates to the game’s ‘Extra’ option, and via new content to Metal Gear Online.”

MGS4 was released worldwide on the 12th of June and marks the final adventure of Solid Snake. The game sees an ageing Snake taking on long-time enemy Liquid Snake who has taken control of various private armies. The disc also includes Metal Gear Online, a dedicated online game that features locations from MGS4.

Find out more about the game in our MGS4 review.

Last week Nintendo announced a new Nintendo DS bundle would be available across North America on the 22nd of June. It has since been confirmed that the limited edition Guitar Hero: On Tour bundle will also be available across Europe from the 18th of July.

The first portable edition in the Guitar Hero franchise will come bundled with a new silver/black Nintendo DS branded with the Guitar Hero Logo. The new silver/black DS will be available exclusively as part of a limited-time bundle with Guitar Hero: On Tour.

Guitar Hero: On Tour includes the new Guitar Hero Guitar Grip peripheral and custom designed Guitar Hero pick-stylus. Players will be able to rock to a wide variety of music including Blink-182, No Doubt, Het, Nirvana and Bloc Party. The game includes a career mode and players can also play cooperatively or go head-to-head in Guitar Duel using Battle items that are unique to the DS.

“Guitar Hero created a unique and strong link between music and videogames. It was a natural step that this great concept would come to the Nintendo DS, which itself has attracted millions of new players to the world of videogames, comments Laurent Fischer, Managing Director of Marketing & PR of Nintendo of Europe. “We know this title will provide another new and original way to be entertained on the go.”

The Nintendo DS Lite has just received a fresh coat of paint. It will be available in Red, Turquoise and Green across Europe today, each priced at £99.

As previously mentioned there are currently four colours available in Europe: White, Smart Black, Coral Pink and Platinum.

Show a little of your wild side and grab a new colour today!

Eidos has announced that Soul Bubbles for the Nintendo DS will be released across Europe this Friday, the 13th of June.

Soul Bubbles sees players stepping into the shoes of a young shaman apprentice as he saves lost souls and guides them to safety. Players must place the souls in a bubble to protect them as he transports them through a series of unfriendly worlds.

The game features 8 unique worlds, each with its own challenges, as well as over 40 levels. Draw the bubbles with your stylus, deflating, cutting and joining them to other bubbles to guide them through different environments. Fill the bubbles with water or gas and watch out for traps, fires and sticky surfaces.

“Soul Bubbles is an extremely creative and unique title which really pushes the physics capabilities of the Nintendo DS,” said Lou Fawcett, Head of Casual Games at Eidos.

“The reaction from the press so far has been incredible and we’re hoping the public are going to love Soul Bubbles every bit as much as we do.”

For more information on the game and screenshots head over to our previous coverage.

Sony will be releasing a Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII PSP bundle across Europe.

The bundle will include a limited edition Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII engraved silver PSP and a copy of the game.

It will be released on the 20th of June to coincide with the launch of the game and will cost 189.99 Euros.

Square Enix has issued a fresh batch of release dates for several RPG Xbox 360 games headed to Europe and PAL territories.

Infinite Undiscovery is first up on the 5th of September 2008 (2nd of September for the US and 11th of September for Japan) followed by The Last Remnant in winter 2008 and Star Ocean: The Last Hope which will be released globally in 2009.

Developed in collaboration with studio tri-Ace Inc, Infinite Undiscovery is an Xbox 360 exclusive with downloadable content in the pipeline. Star Ocean: The Last Hope was also developed for the Xbox 360 by tri-Ace Inc while The Last Remnant, developed by Square Enix, is headed to the Xbox 360 and PS3 although the Xbox 360 version will arrive on shelves earlier.

John Yamamoto, President And Chief Executive Officer of Square Enix Ltd comments, “Square Enix Is Expanding On Its Commitment To Deliver Exciting Gaming Experiences To Our Fans All Around The World. Infinite Undiscovery, The Last Remnant and Star Ocean: The Last Hope Represent Significant Steps In Bringing Our Titles To A Global Audience And To Make Each New Release A Global Event.”

For more information and screenshots of Infinite Undiscovery head over to our previous coverage.

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