Earthworm Jim is officially ready to make a comeback. Gameloft has inked a deal with Interplay, the original developers of the classic 16-bit game, to bring Earthworm Jim to Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, WiiWare and mobile phones. When the sidescroller debuted on both the SNES and Genesis, it quickly became a smash hit and even spawned a sequel and a few spin-offs. However, there hasn’t been a new game since 1999.

“We are delighted to partner with Interplay to bring Earthworm Jim to multiple downloadable platforms,” said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president, Gameloft. “The game, with its humorous and edgy style, is a great fit for today’s gamer who craves a fully immersive experience that is fun and easily accessible. We look forward to delivering a fantastic game.”

The new deal is a bit vague. A press release was sent out, but it made it sound like both companies are planning to bring out the original, and not new installments. If this is true, hopefully the title sells well enough to warrant a brand new incarnation of Earthworm.

Basically, if it ends up being the first Earthworm Jim and you want a new story — make sure you purchase the download. And hopefully we will finally see a new adventure featuring your favorite invertebrate.

When I think augmented reality videogames, I think about walking around a real world environment but interacting with computer visuals. For the most part, I’m pretty sure most people think closely to the way I do.

A group of programmers over at Georgia Tech have done something a tad different and developed a cool idea for an augmented reality shooter for mobile camera-phones. Although the title has rather basic gameplay mechanics, the team has created something which definitely has potential in the industry.

I’m sure most people have seen some sort of viral campaign for either movies or even videogames, where you hold up a piece of paper in front of a computer webcam. Once you do that, a 3D graphical image appears on the computer display. The technology used for those things, is the basic idea that the Georgia Tech team did with their game called ‘ARhrrrr.’ Although this game is much more interactive.

The story is rather simple. Civilians are trapped inside a small town square, where a zombie invasion has begun. It’s up to the player to shoot and kill the undead, who are terrorizing the town square. The way you do this, is by lying a special paper with images on it, which made for the game, flat on a table. You then grab your camera-phone, and simply point the lens towards the paper and it’ll reveal an interactive 3D world. By moving the phone around the paper, it’ll seem like your flying inside a helicopter overhead the town in a 3D landscape. From there you’ll see swarms of zombies trying to attack people, and its your job to shoot them down by aiming your phone towards an enemy. Pretty awesome stuff.

Check out the developers trailer above.

Living on the west coast, I really have taken for granted the amount of conventions dedicated to videogames. This side of the country represents some of the biggest and well-known expos in the world like: E3, GDC and even PAX. These shows have thousands of attendees each year, and they seem to grow year-in and year-out. However, for me it wasn’t always easy to access a gaming show.

You see, I grew up in the Boston area, where the local government is trying to lure videogames publishers and expand to the Bay State. Just recently, Penny Arcade announced they will be extend their PAX show to two times a year and one of them will be on the east coast, and Boston is the lucky city to host the show. In a way you can say it was the first major confirmation that Boston is trying to be a focal point for the videogame industry.

While PAX is certainly a welcoming sign that New England could bank on a never-ending industry, the show won’t be the first to entice thousands of gamers to visit the Bay State.

A few years ago, the largest Ebay videogame seller opened an independent game store in Framingham, MA; a suburb just west of Boston. The store, called Game Universe, sells everything from retro gaming machines like the original Atari 2600 and goes all the way to this newest generation. While the concept alone is worth visiting, the store’s owners wanted to make sure their customers also had an incredible experience when they came to explored the outlet as well.

They decided to attach six 50″ plasma screens on the walls around the store and even added 5.1 surround sound to some of them. Each display was capable of playing anything, so if you wanted to experience E.T. on the Atari alone before your friends who were supposed to met you but are running late to play a little Gears of War — it could be done.

Word got around fast and customers started to come into the store just to play games. Management thought it would be a great idea to start-up tournaments, in hopes it would lure even more customers. The theory ended up being successful; the owners had to purchase another eight smaller screens because of the high demand of customers entering exclusively for LAN tournament play.

Over the course of three years, the store has earned some great creditability; they even saw players as far as California come to participate in their gaming tournament. They noticed that gaming tournaments were not just some fad and if done right, could actually be held inside a convention. That is exactly what they are planning as I write.

“We have spent the last three years building our local reputation for running pro-level tournaments at Game Universe in Framingham, MA,” said James Jewett co-executive director. “We got to the point where we outgrew our venue so we decided take on a larger event.”

Game Universe has just recently revealed a gaming convention called GameUniCon and will take place at the 20,000 square foot Best Western Royal Plaza in Marlborough, MA. Get this, when the convention opens its doors on August 21st, they won’t close until three days later on the 23rd. That’s right, show organizers have confirmed it will be 24-hours long, and never close until the final day.

After the jump, read more about this newly announced convention.

Not only will the self-proclaimed “Biggest Video Game Convention in the history of New England,” run gaming tournaments, where the total prize money exceeds $10,000, they are promising thousands of screens, where players can enjoy everything from the NES to today’s systems like the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii and a wide variety games for each systems, without pressure tournament play. In the end, they are hoping the casual gamer to the most hardcore of hardcore gamers can enjoy the convention together.”What we are trying to do is make an event where casual gamers can have fun as well as hardcore pro-level gamers,”Jewett said.

Even if you consider yourself a casual gamer, you might want to check out some of the tournaments anyways. While the hardcore player will definitely want to test their skill against some of the world-famous pro-gamers in Halo 3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Street Fighter 4; the casual game can also participate in the adrenaline feeling you can get by playing in a playoff. They are offering Tetris, Air Hockey and other casual games in one-on-one competitions. Heck, they are even offering a Battletoads speed run, where the fastest player to reach the end wins a prize.

If a tournament is not going on, especially in the early hours, players can challenge other players in money matches. This means any gamer who think they can beat another attendee in an available game can do so, and even place money down to prove their greatness. All they have to do is let a representative from the show know they would be doing this and how much money is being challenged, from there the game is on.

Not only can you demo some of the latest games, or turn-back the clock and play Super Mario Bros., Jewett is promising there will be other attractions as well, “You can have an amazing time at GameUniCon even if you aren’t interested in entering any gaming tournaments or even play games.” During the 72-hours straight event, they will offer a pool; where attendees will watch movies while swimming, and cleverly called it a “dive-in” movie. The show will also have a dealer room; which will feature old and new videogames, comics, toys and anime, comedy and educational panels about the industry, OCRemix.org DJPretzel founder of OC Remix and Larry Oji SFHD Remix Soundtrack, KrushRadio will air a live broadcast, even Keith from Talking Classics on ScrewAttack and super hot TNA wrestler Velvet Sky will be in attendance. Over the course of the upcoming weeks, GameUniCon workers promise to announce much more.

Think she’s hot? Well, She will be at GameUniCon!

During the night time, planners are going to have a large concert which would make music enthusiast smile, but the concert definitely has an appropriate videogame feel. “Our concerts will be a mixture of bands that are featured in Guitar Hero and Rock Band such as Freezepop as well as bands such as Powerglove and The Megas that put their own spin on classic video game music,” James Jewett explained. Another band already confirmed for the show is Internet cult-hit group The Konami Kode, will be jamming as well. Jewett even said they plan to reveal even more bands, and announcements should happen soon.

Quite possibly the greatest band of all-time Freezepop, will be preforming at GameUniCon.

Tickets for the show is $40, however, if you plan on entering in any tournament(s), then passes to the show are only $30. Keep in mind, each tournament does individually cost extra, so make sure you check GameUniCon’s website for further instructions.

Below is everything you pretty much need to know about GameUniCon including many of the 30 already announced tournaments, plus more. Be sure to regularly check their official website or /gamer to get the latest news about the upcoming convention. We’ll see you there!
======Press Release======

Huge New England Video Game Convention and Concert Announced

The Biggest Video Game Convention in the history of New England is taking place this August 21st – 23rd at the Best Western Royal Plaza in Marlborough, MA.

GameUniCon 2009

Over $10,000 in Guaranteed Cash Prize Tournaments including

* Halo 3
* Street Fighter 4
* Super Smash Bros Brawl and Melee
* Soul Calibur IV
* Rock Band
* Battletoads Speed Run
* Tetris
* Air Hockey
* and more… (over 30 Tournaments)

A Video Game Concert featuring

* Freezepop
* Powerglove
* The Konami Kode
* The Megas
* more bands TBA!

So Much to Do!

* 24 Hours a Day for 3 Days
* Hundreds of Screens setup for Freeplay for Classic and Current Systems!
* A Dealer’s Room featuring Video Games, Comics, Toys and Anime
* Industry and Celebrity Guests
* An appearance by TNA Wrestling Knockout Velvet Sky
* World-Famous Players Competing in the Tournaments and Featured Matches
* Comedy and Educational Panels
* A Dive-in Movie Theater
* OCRemix.org DJPretzel founder of OC Remix and Larry Oji SFHD Remix Soundtrack
* KrushRadio.com Live Broadcast
* ScrewAttack.com’s Keith from Talking Classics
* and much more!

Passes are on sale now at www.GameUniCon.com

Full List of Tournaments and Prices

Convention Pass 3 Days $40 only $30 if You Enter Any Featured Tournament.

* Halo 3 4v4
* Halo 3 2v2
* Halo 3 FFA
* Super Smash Bros Brawl Singles
* Super Smash Bros Brawl Doubles
* Super Smash Bros Melee Singles
* Super Smash Bros Melee Doubles
* Super Smash Bros Plus
* Super Smash Bros 64
* 2 Street Fighter 4 Tournaments
* Street Fighter 4 3v3 Team Battle
* Soul Calibur IV Invitational Tournament
* Soul Calibur IV 3v3 Teams
* WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 Tournament
* Rock Band 2 Full Band
* Rock Band 2 Drums
* Rock Band 2 Guitar
* Rock Band 2 Vocals
* Guitar Hero Metallica Guitar Only Tournament
* Guitar Hero Smash Hits Guitar Only Tournament
* 1am Tetris Tournament
* 1am Air Hockey Tournament
* Marvel vs Capcom 2
* Tatsunoko vs Capcom
* Super Street Fighter II HD Remix
* Street Fighter III Third Strike
* BlazBlue
* King of Fighters XII
* Super Mario Bros Speed Run
* Battletoads NES Speed Run
* Guitar Hero and Rock Band High Score Battle
* More On-The-Spot Tournaments to be Added!

It is recommended that you get your passes soon before they sell out!

GameUniCon is a joint venture between Game Universe and Keough Enterprises.

Game Universe is the World’s Largest Video Game Seller on ebay.

http://myworld.ebay.com/egameuniverse/

Game Universe also has a retail store in Framingham, MA where they hold weekly tournaments for many of the games featured at GameUniCon. Game Universe is currently looking to franchise and expand their retail stores.

www.gameuniverseunderground.com

Keough Enterprises has run events including Marathons, Concerts and many other shows in the New England area. Keough Enterprises also hosts event sales offering our exclusive products in the health and beauty markets. Our business is supported with a patented auto-replenishment system. What you want, when you want it: The customer controls what they receive, and when they receive it, with delivery right to their front door.

http://www.keoughenterprises.com

In February, we told you about how Penn & Teller were going to dedicate a full episode about video games on ‘Penn & Teller: Bullshit!.’ We found out that the episode would try to disprove that videogames were harmful to children. It was also said that everyone’s favorite disbarred lawyer Jack Thompson, would be interviewed on the show and obviously speak out against the gaming industry. A promo trailer was released and it shows Jacko speak briefly and says:

“Grand Theft Auto is the worst assault on children since polio.”

Up top is a promo for season 7, and I guess it’s NSFW because Penn says “Bullshit” several times.

Thanks to gaygamer for the video.

Here is a quick note about Apple’s phone. The iPhone 3.0 update has just gone live. For us gamers, the new software upgrade will give access to developers to create games that can be played online. It will also allow gamers to purchase in-game content, which is essentially known asdownloadable content.

The update is roughly 300MB and for me, it only took about 15 minutes to download and install. Although, expect that number to increase as more people find out they can download it.

‘3.0′ is also available to iPod Touch owners as well, unfortunately they will have to pay a $9.95 to upgrade their device.

Image source: theiphoneblog

We already knew that id Software was bringing their Doom franchise to the iPhone. I suspected it would have been like the Wolfenstein incarnation, where the company developed a great port of the original game, but made it work perfect on the phone. Because of that, I was set to download it as soon as it is was released.

Things have changed a little bit for the mobile first-person shooter and it has turned for the better. Escalation Studios has been working closely with the creator of Doom John Carmack, and they are developing something that follows the events of Doom 3 and not the original classic game. Meaning, this will be a complete new title, and not some remake.

Titled Doom Resurrection, the game is visually inspired by Doom 3, however, it still maintains the classic doom feel, unlike the third installment which came out in 2004.

The controls will also have a overhaul. The game will use both the touch screen and the accelerometer. From what it looks like, players will aim their gun by slightly moving the phone in any direction, while they run and strife by using the touch display.

If you are curious about the game, you won’t have to wait much longer. According to Venturebeat, we should expect to see Doom Resurrection sometime next week.

The latest trailer for the latest game in the Need for Speed franchise, Need for Speed SHIFT, was released this week at E3. The game being developed by Slightly Mad Studios, is a ’shift’ from the Need for Speed games that you know and love. EA marketing boss Keith Munro told Eurogamer,

The urban underground was a manifestation of style in some past Need for Speed games for sure, but Shift focuses less on these style cues and more on mirroring the driver experience, that athleticism of being in a wickedly-intense race, and what it really feels like to be behind the wheel

The goal of Need for Speed: SHIFT was to be much more like Gran Turismo, to move away from the exagerated driving and try to become as real as possible. One of the major features of the game according to the official description and a representative at E3 is the first-person cockpit view,

Players are thrust into the heart of the action with immersive and exciting features including a stunningly realistic first-person cockpit view camera and an all-new crash mechanic, providing an unrivaled sensation of the speed and feeling of racing a car on the extreme edge of control.

Slightly Mad Studios did not do a bad job with this game, it works well, but it just isn’t Need for Speed. And for my money I would rather buy a game like Project Gotham Racing, Forza, or Gran Turismo. There is a point where a game can become too real. In Need for Speed: SHIFT, when you crash, depending on the severity of the crash a few things will happen. If you are in a light crash your view will turn black and white, and if it is a larger crash your vision will become blurry. This is just annoying and makes it difficult to recover from a crash. Now this wont be a problem for players that are good, but for those casual gamers that just like to go as fast as they can and bump into other cars and walls this game will not be fun.

Again this is not a bad game, it just is not the game that is going to revamp the Need for Speed franchise.

Do you remember that iPod killer thing that was manufactured by Microsoft, called Zune? Yeah, it certainly didn’t touch the iPod in terms of sales, but that hasn’t stopped Microsoft from retrying once again.

The company has just announced a new, sleeker version, now dubbed Zune HD. Obviously by adding the “H” & the “D” to the end of the name, they hope that will help people realize this is a high-tech device. Although, the features suggest it’s trying to be an iPhone, but without the phone part — so I guess its just an iPod touch.

This new version is going to have a few new elements, when compared to the older version. The biggest difference this time around is the touchscreen, which is something most handhelds will include in the future. I’m guessing Microsoft plans on including some kind of app-store, where games will be made available to owners for download. In the same press release, the company mentioned how they plan on integrating Xbox Live to the unit, but didn’t go into any other details.

However, they did mention how more information will become available at E3, next week. That alone tells me Microsoft plans on bringing some kind of mobile gaming to the Zune. Remember, E3 is for the most part — a video game convention.

I might even have more evidence to support this theory. Last month, Microsoft posted a classified ad on Careerbuilder.com. The posting was trying to find a suitable applicant to bring the Halo world to mobile devices. Could this Hale mobile device application be for the Zune HD? Maybe. If this is the case, what a great move on Microsoft’s part because that is something they have, that Apple doesn’t — first-party games. Of course, this is nothing but speculation.

Some other features the Zune HD offers include:

*HD Radio

*HD Video Output (720p)

*Wifi

*Accelerometer

*OLED Display

*480 x 272 Resolution

Microsoft expects the Zune HD to come out this fall, just in time for the holidays. However, I wouldn’t start thinking this is also going to be an iPhone killer too, and for a number of reasons. One, it is not a phone and two, it doesn’t really do anything innovative but copy many of the iPhone’s features. Also, Apple should be announcing the successor of their second generation phones, and I’m pretty sure it will update many features, as well include new and original ones.

After the jump, check out the full press release.

Microsoft Announces the Expansion of the Zune Entertainment Service to New Platform and Markets; Confirms New Zune HD Portable Media Player

Premium Zune digital entertainment service to be available internationally on Xbox LIVE.

REDMOND, Wash. – May 26, 2009 – Microsoft Corp. today announced the evolution of Zune, the company’s end-to-end music and entertainment service, to a new platform and new markets. Zune will extend its video service to Xbox LIVE internationally this fall. This marks an important development in the Zune strategy and brings the Zune brand to more than 17 million international Xbox LIVE subscribers. In addition, Microsoft confirmed the next generation of the Zune portable media player, Zune HD. Available in the U.S. this fall, Zune HD is the first portable media player that combines a built-in HD Radio receiver, high-definition (HD) video output capabilities, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touch screen, Wi-Fi and an Internet browser.

“The Zune music player is an integral part of the overall Zune experience, and we’re proud to be growing and extending our offering beyond the device,” said Enrique Rodriguez, corporate vice president of the Microsoft TV, Video and Music Business Group. “Delivering on Microsoft’s connected entertainment vision, this news marks a turning point for Zune as it brings cross-platform experiences and premium video content to living rooms around the world.”

Zune Service Expands to New Platform

Zune will be a premium partner in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, bringing an exciting catalog of TV and film to the platform. Zune will occupy the first slot within the Xbox user interface in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, exposing the Zune brand experience to millions of new consumers for the first time. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) next week, attendees will see firsthand how Zune integrates into Xbox LIVE to create a game-changing entertainment experience.

Introducing Zune HD

Zune HD is the next iteration of the Zune device family and brings a new level of listening and viewing experiences to the portable media player category.

* Zune HD comes with a built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go. Users also will have access to the additional song and artist data broadcast by HD Radio stations as well as additional channels from their favorite stations multicasting in HD. If you don’t like the song playing on your station’s HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming.
* The bright OLED touch screen interface allows users to flip through music, movies and other content with ease, and the 16:9 widescreen format display (480×272 resolution) offers a premium viewing experience on the go.
* The HD-compatible output lets Zune HD customers playback supported HD video files from the device through a premium high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) audiovisual docking station (sold separately) direct to an HD TV in 720p.*
* Zune HD will include a full-screen Internet browser optimized for multitouch functionality.
* Zune HD is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing for instant streaming to the device from the more than 5 million-track Zune music store.

More information on Zune and related images is available at http://www.zune.net/press and http://www.zune.net/ZuneHD.

About Zune

Zune is Microsoft’s music and entertainment brand that provides an integrated digital entertainment experience. The Zune platform includes a line of portable digital media players, elegant software, the Zune Marketplace online store, Zune Pass music subscription service, and the Zune Social online music community, created to help people discover more music. Zune is part of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division and supports the company’s software-based services vision to help drive innovation in the digital entertainment space. More information can be found online at http://www.zune.net/en-us/press.

About Xbox LIVE

Xbox LIVE connects more than 17 million members across 26 countries to each other and the entertainment they love. Home of more content from one remote than can be found from any device connected to the television, Xbox LIVE is also a unified online social network bringing friends together, no matter where they are – in the living room or across the world. More information and Xbox LIVE membership can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Supported 720p HD video files play on the device, downscaled to fit the screen at 480 x 272 – not HD resolution. Zune HD and AV Dock, and an HDTV (all sold separately) are required to view video at HD resolution.

HD Radio™ and the HD Radio logo are proprietary trademarks of iBiquity Digital Corp.

What is surly going to be a blockbuster and easily one of my most anticipated movies of 2009, is going to have a video game adaption. Amaze Entertainment, who is known to develop big budget movie based-games, has announced on their website that they are developing a video game based off the film ‘Where the Wild Things Are’. The film is directed by the talented Spike Jones (Being John Malkovich).

According to Amaze, the game will be released on “all console platforms,” which most likley means the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. I’m also guessing we’ll see it on at least one of the handhelds, along with the PS2.

Just like the children’s book with the same name, Where the Wild Things Are will follow a young boy named Max. While having a fight with his mother, Max is sent to his room with dinner. While bored inside his room, Max notices his room starts to turn into a forest wildly, which comes from his imagination. He then encounters large frighting monsters, but befriends them “by staring into their yellow eyes without blinking once”.

No word yet when the game will be release, but it is a safe bet it will be shipped around the same time the film hits theaters, which is on October 16, 2009.