Microsoft and Electronic Arts are planning a FIFA Interactive World Cup tournament - sanctioned by the sport's governing body - to be held between October and December of this year on Xbox Live and at real-life events around the world.
Announced at the Games Convention in Leipzig this week, the Interactive World Cup will combine a series of online tournaments with live meet-ups - featuring drills, tips and tricks sessions with international football experts, guest appearances, prizes and musical acts - and culminates at the FIFA Player of the Year Gala in Zurich this December where the finals will be played out.
The three-month tournament will involve players from all over the world, and uses EA's FIFA Football 2005 for Xbox, which is due out in Europe in October. PS2, Cube and PC versions are also planned for release at the same time, however the tournament - which also celebrates Xbox's position as official licensed console of the 2006 World Cup - will take place exclusively on Microsoft's platform.
News source: gamesindustry.biz
Announced at the Games Convention in Leipzig this week, the Interactive World Cup will combine a series of online tournaments with live meet-ups - featuring drills, tips and tricks sessions with international football experts, guest appearances, prizes and musical acts - and culminates at the FIFA Player of the Year Gala in Zurich this December where the finals will be played out.
The three-month tournament will involve players from all over the world, and uses EA's FIFA Football 2005 for Xbox, which is due out in Europe in October. PS2, Cube and PC versions are also planned for release at the same time, however the tournament - which also celebrates Xbox's position as official licensed console of the 2006 World Cup - will take place exclusively on Microsoft's platform.
News source: gamesindustry.biz
This leaves Nintendo, once again, with a lot of titles that are bound to gather critical acclaim - and almost certainly deservedly so - but with the exception of Metroid Prime 2 not that many that are likely to scythe through the competition during a hectic Christmas rush.
Any GBA owners bound to an elderly relative's couch this Christmas won't have too much to worry about, however, with a number of exciting titles due on the handheld - despite the impending launch of the Nintendo DS, which is due out in Europe in early 2005. In fact, it'll be interesting to see how GBA sales fare in the run-up to Christmas purely on that basis.
We'll be in the queue though, busily scrabbling to get hold of Mario Golf Advance Tour (Sept 17th), the eagerly awaited The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (Nov 12th), Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nov 19th), and - for the sake of working out what it is more than anything - "Super Mario Ball" (Nov 26th). Square die-hards will be pleased to see Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls down for early December, too.
Key exclusives due out on Nintendo platforms in the run up to Christmas:
GameCube
Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Party Game$ - September 3rd
Animal Crossing - September 3rd
Pikmin 2 - October 8th
Donkey Konga - October 15th
Paper Mario 2: The Thousand Year Door - November 12th
Tales of Symphonia - November 19th
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - November 26th
Game Boy Advance
Mario Golf Advance Tour - September 17th
Pokemon Leaf Green/Fire Red - October 1st
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap - November 12th
Mario vs. Donkey Kong - November 19th
Super Mario Ball - November 26th
Mario Party Advance - December 3rd
Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls - December 10th
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