Video Games: PC, PSP, PS3, xBox, and Wii Gaming News

Lair, an action-adventure game designed for the PS3, pits you as a dragon-riding warrior.  Here are some of the key-features, as detailed by Sony:

· Engage in a struggle on an epic scale as your civilization repels the onslaught of an unrelenting army.
· A seamless combination of vast battles in air and on the ground, against other beasts, and armies of thousands.
· Unleash your might through large-scale battles that span both the sky and ground.
· Turn the tides of war with your ferocious dragon. Scorch the ground with flames and command the skies against vicious enemies.
· Immerse yourself in a living, breathing world of voracious beasts, a deep storyline and visceral gameplay.
· Fully supports the PLAYSTATION®3 motion sensitive controller.

 Here are some of the official screenshots:

 Take a gander at the official Lair trailer:

Egosoft, producer of both the X2 and the X3 space simulators, will now be selling both products on Valve’s Steam for $29.95 a pop.  From the Egosoft email newsletter:

In order to bring both X²: The Threat and X³: Reunion to the widest
possible audience, there is now a new way to buy them that means you
don’t even have to leave your seat. Just head over to Steam where you
can purchase both games for download directly to your PC. No more
disks and an excellent price.
Since the Steam version does not include a registration code, access
restrictions on forums and downloads relating to X³: Reunion have been
lifted.

This is great news for lovers of space sims.  Available now.

Rumor holds it that the budget for Spiderman 3 is pushing $300 million.  If that rumor has any weight, it makes the latest Spidey-flick the most expensive film to produce–ever, beating out both X-Men: The Last Stand ($210 million), and Cleopatra ($286 million).  To further put this into perspective, the combined budget for Spidermans 1 & 2 was $339 million, and together, they grossed $1.591 billion world-wide.  If Spiderman III’s earnings are even on-par with its predeccessors, then it will have grossed more than double its budget.  And you can bet that Sony Pictures is expecting mega-profits from their third and final installment of the Spidey series.

No doubt we’ll see many a game made in the likeness of this series in the times to come.  Set out for May 4th, 2007, Spiderman 3 is sure to be a blockbuster, but right now, it’s just a budget-breaker.

Call of Duty 3 was recently confirmed as a game that will be released for the Wii.  Scanned from a magazine, this is the first sceenshot of CoD 3 for the Wii ever released (click to see full image):

Of course, this game will utilize the Wii-remote controller (Wiimote) to give users as much control as possible of their character, movements, and weapons.  You can also view the Official Call of Duty 3 Trailer over at GameSpot.

From the producers who brought us the luscious Age of Wonders video-game series comes an official announcement of their freshest title, Overlord, which breaks away from their turned-based strategy mold, delivering what could possibly be their breakout hit for the PC & Xbox 360. 

From the press release:

Controlling a mysterious figure that has inherited the legacy of the evil, long-dead Overlord, the player emerges, near death, from the ruins of the old Overlord’s Dark Tower. Only the player’s actions will determine if they will rise to become the new all-powerful Overlord; it’s all down to how much of a bad ass they want to be in order to succeed… evil or really evil! Played out with plenty of black humour and dark irony, the game will immerse players in twisted parodies of classic fantasy scenarios and characters.Overlord’s key innovation is the introduction of an array of impish creatures – the Minions. They believe you are the old Overlord reborn and will use their unique skills to fetch, fight and die for you. Throughout the game players will actively control a horde of these gremlin-like critters and they’ll follow your every instruction no matter how despotic or, for the Minions, life threatening it is.