Infinity Ward and Activision have confirmed the multiplayer beta of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will take place this August. The announcement was revealed as part of the Microsoft press briefing in Santa Monica, CA, held on the eve of the E3 Media & Business Summit 2007.

The multiplayer beta will be for the Xbox 360 and serve as the first chance for gamers to get their hands on the action-packed, community-oriented Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multiplayer. Through the Xbox LIVE gaming and entertainment network, players will get to experience the party system and join in progress for

Genre: Rhythm
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: A2M
Release Date: August 2007

The wildly successful “High School Musical” made-for-TV movie seems to lend itself well to rhythm gaming, and not just because its title contains the word “music.” More notably, its original soundtrack has shifted more than four million units, making it the best selling album of 2006. With that kind of built-in market, not to mention the hugely anticipated August release of the Disney Channel sequel on the horizon, it would be foolish not to expand the license into the world of video gaming.

After seeing

Sierra Entertainment announced F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate, an all-new stand-alone expansion pack for Windows PC and F.E.A.R. Files, the complete stand-alone expansion pack series, for Xbox 360. Both products are scheduled to ship this fall.

F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate

Perseus Mandate is the second standalone storyline expansion to the award winning first person shooter franchise F.E.A.R. Fight fear with F.E.A.R. as you take point in a brand new team experiencing a new incident at Armacham with a story line that runs parallel to F.E.A.R. and Extraction Point revealing a new perspective of the event. Your job in this new adventure is to find out

THQ today announced Darksiders: Wrath of War -- an original action/adventure game that will plunge players into a near future world devastated by the apocalypse -- on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2008.

Developed by THQ's internal development studio Vigil Games, including founding member and legendary comic book artist Joe Madureira, Darksiders: Wrath of War gives players the ability to experience the supernatural destructive power of WAR, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, as he explores a demon ravaged world -- seeking revenge and ultimate redemption with a vast array of modern and mythical weaponry.

"Our internal studio

"Atari's 2007 E3 roster showcases some of the most exciting titles from our diverse fall line-up - from the fan-favorite Dragon Ball Z series to the graphically stunning The Witcher," said David Pierce, Chief Executive Officer, Atari, Inc. "We're excited to participate in the new E3 Media & Business Summit and look forward to having media and business partners spend time with the Atari Team and our titles."

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 combines the lightning fast fighting and action from 2005's Budokai Tenkaichi 1 and 2006's sequel Budokai Tenkaichi 2. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 delivers an extreme

Genre: Rhythm/Adventure
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: Avalanche Software (Wii), Gorilla Games (DS)
Release Date: October 30, 2007

So much of the press coverage of children's games is either overly snarky or noticeably brief, and the reasons for this are numerous. Some of it can be chalked up to a generational gap or a lack of knowledge or interest in the license, but I suspect that much of it comes from the sad fact that most licensed games developed for young audiences are surprisingly uninventive (check our High School Musical preview), often with disastrous results.

To my

NCsoft announced an exclusive game development deal with Sony that provides for NCsoft to create several online games for Sony's PlayStation platforms, including PS3 and PSP, accessible through PlayStation Network.

The announcement was made today at the E3 Media and Business Summit taking place in Santa Monica, California.

Although company officials did not divulge any details regarding the names or types of games in development, NCsoft officials did say the games would be created from both existing intellectual properties (IP) owned by NCsoft, as well as new IP.

"This is a great step forward for online gaming," said Geoff Heath, CEO of NCsoft

Genre: Action/Puzzle
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Namco Bandai
Release Date: Fall 2007

No seismic shift occurred between the original Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari for the PlayStation 2, and the PSP iteration, Me & My Katamari, did little to disrupt the balance of simplistic gameplay and quirky storytelling established back in 2004. Beautiful Katamari for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 looks to continue this trend of complacency, expanding the role of the multiplayer game while generally maintaining the same style and feel of its predecessors.

As in previous Katamari entries, the name of the game is

Genre: Fighting
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Namco Bandai
Release Date: TBA 2007

With Soul Calibur IV blazing a trail to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 next year, Namco Bandai wanted to bring the franchise to the Wii, as well, but according to Product Manager Wayne Shiu, a simple port wouldn't cut it — they wanted to take full advantage of the unique control scheme of the Wii to offer a new play experience to fans of the long-running series.

Which brings us to Soul Calibur Legends, the first entry in the franchise to focus solely on a

Trauma Center: New Blood (Wii)

Keep your hands steady and your mind focused – this time around there's a lot more on the line. Every cut of the scalpel, every pinch of the forceps, each and every second that ticks by is of the absolute greatest importance. If you think it's too much to handle alone, invite a friend to assist with the operation and work together to save patients from flat-lining. The adrenaline is pumping, lives are at stake, and only you can save the day. Have you got what it takes?

At a remote hospital in Alaska, Dr. Markus Vaughn