One of the most anticipated and touted films this year would have to be that of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Along with that comes the notion that a new video game is not far behind, something that EA and Warner Bros. have officially confirmed.

Electronic Arts Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today confirmed that the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game will be in stores across the world from June 30, 2009, just ahead of the Warner Bros. Pictures’ film based on J.K. Rowling’s sixth book in the Harry Potter series.

In the game of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, players will return to Hogwarts to help Harry survive a fraught sixth year. They will also have a chance to engage in exciting wizard duels, mix and brew magical ingredients in Potions class and take to the air to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory. Players may even get sidetracked by Ron’s romantic entanglements as they journey towards a dramatic climax and discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince.

Developed by EA Bright Light in Guildford, England – the team behind the worldwide success of the Harry Potter library of games including the most recent game released in the summer of 2007, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is scheduled for release in North America on June 30, 2009 for the Wii, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, Nintendo DS, Windows PC, Macintosh and mobile devices.

(Source) Press

10 popular football players lead the pack of marquee names included in Electronic Arts’ exclusive covers of NCAA Football 10. Michael Crabtree, Brian Johnson, Brian Orakpo and Mark Sanchez will be featured on platform exclusive covers of EA SPORTS NCAA Football 10, available in stores July 14th. Each cover athlete led his team on a memorable run toward the BCS National Championship, helping to shape the competitive landscape of college football in 2008.

• Michael Crabtree, formerly of Texas Tech University, graces the NCAA Football 10 Xbox 360 cover. A top 2009 NFL Draft prospect and two-time recipient of the Biletnikoff and Paul Warfield Awards, Crabtree is a highly recognized wide receiver who led Texas Tech in a close race for the BCS National Championship up until the final weeks of the 2008 season. Texas Tech’s victory over Texas in Lubbock is considered one of the defining moments of 2008.
• The PLAYSTATION 3 cover features University of Utah’s former quarterback, Brian Johnson. In 2008, under Johnson’s leadership, the Utah Utes became the only undefeated NCAA Division I team, boasting a 12-0 record heading into the 2009 Sugar Bowl. In that game, #7 Utah upset #4 Alabama to finish the season with a perfect 13-0 record. Johnson was named the Most Outstanding Player in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.
• The PSP (PlayStation Portable) version of NCAA Football 10 will showcase University of Southern California’s former quarterback, Mark Sanchez. In his only season as USC’s starting quarterback, Sanchez led the Trojans to a near perfect 12-1 season, narrowly missing the opportunity to compete for the 2008 BCS National Championship title. Sanchez was named the Most Valuable Offensive Player in the 2009 Rose Bowl.
• University of Texas’ former defensive end, Brian Orakpo, is featured on the PlayStation 2 cover. In 2008, Orakpo was unanimously selected as a first-team All-American and named the Associated Press Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. In his final season with the Longhorns, Orakpo won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Ted Hendricks Award and the Lombardi Award. Under Orakpo’s leadership, the Longhorns were one of the most dominating teams in the college football last year, defeating numerous top 25 teams including eventual Big 12 Champion and BCS National Champion contender Oklahoma in a memorable Cotton Bowl confrontation.

Developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon, and licensed by The Collegiate Licensing Company, NCAA Football 10 will be available on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, the PlayStation 2 and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment systems and the PSP (PlayStation Portable).

(Source) Press

It was recently announced that SCEA and Global Gaming are offering a tournament for PSP title Resistance: Retribution. The prize? $25,000 worth of Sony gear.

The tournament will run both 2v2 and 4v4 ladders and goes today through May 10th.

Prizes, courtesy of Kotaku, are as follows:

2v2 Competition Prizes
• First Place (2 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards, and PSP® TV Prize Pack (32″ XBR TV, PSP®-3000, 16GB PRO Duo and Component AV Cables. ARV $1420) for each player
• Second Place (2 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards, and PSP® Pack (PSP®-3000, 16GB PRO Duo. ARV $370) for each player
• Third Place (2 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards for each player
• Fourth Place (2 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards for each player

4v4 Competition Prizes
• First Place (4 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards, and PSP® TV Prize Pack (32″ XBR TV, PSP-3000, 16GB PRO Duo and Component AV Cables. ARV $1420) for each player
• Second Place (4 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards, and PSP® Pack (PSP-3000, 16GB PRO Duo. ARV $370) for each player
• Third Place (4 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards for each player
• Fourth Place (4 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards for each player

More official information here.

Word has recently been released, thanks to cheif creative officer of Acclaim David Perry, that the PSP 2 is real, and could hit as early as this fall. However, the above picture will not be the PSP 2, bummer.

“I spoke to a developer who is working on it right now,” he said. “I know this developer is already working on it, so that means they have a prototype. That would sound like a fall release to me.”

But what’s different from the pervious version of the PSP? Well, according to Perry, Sony is planning on exclusively digital. This means that there is no UMD slot and games will be purchased through the Playstation Store.

Is this a good move for Sony or are they just jumping the gun in an attempt to be ahead of the competition?

Read (Kotaku)

Version 5.00 adds a PlayStation Network icon onto the XMB interface, which will allows gamers to perform all sorts of tasks, such as signing up for the PlayStation Network and accessing the PlayStation Store, directly from the console itself – provided they’re within a Wi-Fi signal.

The ability to access the PlayStation Store directly – something that Japanese PSP gamers can already do – means gamers can then download games, videos, music and wallpapers much more easily than before. The update will also add in a sleep timer option for conserving battery life.

A release date for the PSP firmware hasn’t been confirmed yet.