Sega’s Games Convention Plans

SEGA Europe and SEGA Germany are getting ready for Games Convention 2008, in Leipzig, Germany next week and today announced some of the things they have planned for public and industry consumption.

The new Samba De Amigo game will make its public debut next week, along with two Sonic games: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood on the DS and Sonic Unleashed. SEGA will also showcase Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Beijing 2008, Dinosaur King, and Space Siege.

Industry types will want to visit Sega’s booth in the Business Center (Hall 1, Booth I31), where the company will provide access to developers from Japan (Platinum Games), the UK (Headstrong Games, The Creative Assembly), and Australia (The Creative Assembly Australia), who will show off their latest games.

Games to be shown in the business area include Total War, Alpha Protocol, Platinum Games’ and Bayonetta, Madworld, Golden Axe, Valkyria Chronicles, and Stormrise – an all new strategy game designed for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.

Game Releases: August 4 - 8

Game releases for the week of August 4 - 8 in the United States are a reviewer’s nightmare fulfilled. With the exception of Braid and FATE: Undiscovered Realms, I would rather eat my own eyeballs than play most of these titles, but perhaps you come from braver stock than I, dear reader:

Xbox 360:

• Crash Time - August 5
• Braid - August 6

PS3:

• Monster Madness: Grave Danger - August 5

Wii:

• Summer Athletics - August 4
• Little League World Series 2008- August 4
• King of Clubs- August 5

PS2:

• B-Boy- August 5
• Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour - August 5

DS:

• Puzzler Collection - August 5
• Little League World Series 2008 - August 5
• Quick Yoga Training - August 5
• The Cheetah Girls: Passport to Stardom - August 5

PC:

• Beijing 2008 - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games - August 5
• Ford Racing: Off Road - August 5
• Baseball Mogul 2009 - August 5
• Fate: Undiscovered Realms - August 8

Beijing 2008 in Stores

Beijing 2008, the official video game of the Olympic Games, has shipped to retailers in North America for the Xbox 360 and the PLAYSTATION 3. The PC version of the game will ship later in July. Beijing 2008 features top U.S. gold medal contenders Amanda Beard, Tyson Gay, Nastia Liukin and Reese Hoffa on the cover. The game offers over 35 events from the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, online play, and control schemes that allow novice gamers to learn how to play the game.

Look for it in stores this week.

Sega Announces Beijing 2008

SEGA announced that it is developing Beijing 2008, the official videogame of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The game is being developed by Eurocom Entertainment Software for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, and for the PC. The game promises to capture all the pageantry, athleticism and magic of the 2008 Olympics in Bejing, China complete with 35 events, gameplay geared towards both newbies and hardcore players, online multiplayer on all platforms, and all the official venues like Beijing National Stadium and the National Aquatics Center. The games, including a mobile title, will be released this summer. Here’’s some more on these games:

Beijing 2008 will incorporate innovative control schemes that allow novice gamers to learn how to play the game, while providing experienced gamers the chance to set new records. Through the addition of superb online gameplay and a variety of game modes never seen in an official video game of the Olympic Games before, Beijing 2008? will be the new benchmark for the sporting genre and truly allow gamers to experience the Olympic Spirit.

Sega promises that Beijing 2008 will set a new standard for sports games in this genre. Let’’s hope that Sega and Eurocomm took the time to create a game that is worthy of the subject matter on which it is based. Most games based on the Olympics tend to, you know…suck.