Sims 2 finally done, Smackdown goes online, and EA signs up the Black Eyed Peas.
Black Eyed Peas getting down with The Urbz
When it initially announced The Urbz: Sims in the City back in April, Electronic Arts billed the game as The Sims' hip cousin. Today, the publisher announced a move to increase the game's street cred with the help of hip-hop act the Black Eyed Peas.

The multiplatinum act's involvement will be twofold. First, they will produce the official Urbz soundtrack, which will contain nine tracks from the Peas' upcoming album Monkey Business. Each track will be remixed by the Peas' lead singer Will.I.Am. into simlish, the game´s gibberish language.

“The opportunity for us to get involved in something like this is definitely hot. A lot of our fans play video games. We play video games...it seems natural for Black Eyed Peas music to be used in a video game, especially this one," said Will.I.Am. "This is an unprecedented collaboration,’ said Steve Schnur, worldwide executive of music and audio at Electronic Arts. “Never before has a band gone back in to the studio to rerecord their album in another language, specifically for a game."

Besides helping out with the soundtrack, the Black Eyed Peas will be part of the game itself. Band members Will.I.Am, Fergie, Taboo, and Apl de Ap appear in the game as musicians who instruct players' sims how to be hip to improve their social standings. When they complete enough reputation-enhancing missions, players will unlock the VIP spots in each of nine districts of The Urbz' metropolitan setting. Unlock all nine districts, and players will get access to a skyscraper penthouse in the sky, and they'll "acquire control of the entire city."

Monkey Business is currently due out around the same time as The Urbz' November release on the Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance. However, only the console versions of the game will feature the Peas' full soundtrack.

WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw going online, getting authentic voice talent
After months of "no comment," THQ has revealed that WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw will indeed have online play. Though THQ officials did not dole out many details, they did say SmackDown! vs. Raw would offer online head-to-head bouts. Since the game is PlayStation 2 exclusive, it will obviously not be on Xbox Live.

SmackDown! vs. Raw will be the first wrestling game with online play outside Japan -- in May, SmackDown! developer Yuke's and Enix released Online Pro Wrestling: The Champion of the Network for the Japanese market only.

Set for release in November 2004, WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw will combine characters from the WWE's Smackdown! and Raw franchises. It will feature an improved grappling and submission system, as well as new strategic elements, features, and mechanics. THQ also revealed that the game will feature the actual voices of almost all the wrestlers featured in the game. The only exceptions will be for classic mat warriors, such as the late Andre the Giant, who are obviously unavailable.

Thomas Jane to voice Punisher
At the THQ Gamers' Day event yesterday in Los Angeles, representatives of the publisher announced the lead voice actor for The Punisher. Thomas Jane will provide the voice for--but not the likeness for--the black-clad antihero. Since Jane also played the lead role in the Punisher film, his casting in the game would seem natural. However, given the critically lambasted film's disappointing box-office results--a mere US$33.7 million to date--the choice surprised some.

Based on the popular Marvel comic of the same name, The Punisher will chronicle the exploits of the titular vigilante. Unlike most superheroes, who have a gentler brand of justice, the Punisher lives up to his namesake, dispatching lowlifes in the most brutal of fashions. When it is released for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 later this year, the Volition-developed game will show his merciless work in all its gory glory.

Nintendo DS to feature undisclosed capability
TOKYO--In the latest issue of Nintendo Dream magazine, Nintendo spokesman Mitsuaki Hagishima revealed that there is a secret on the Nintendo DS' hardware. Located on the bottom-right side of the handheld, next to the earphone plug, is a square hole for which Nintendo has not given any explanation.

"There's a little secret to this [hole]," comments Hagiwara in the magazine. "It looks as though you can plug something in there, but the stylus pen is going to be connected to the back [of the handheld], so-we'll reveal more in the future."

Hagiwara also commented that Nintendo is currently considering the release of different colour variations on the Nintendo DS, which would be similar to how the company has released different colour models of the Game Boy Advance and GBA SP.

"There's nothing specific decided about the colouring [of the DS], except that it will be two-toned," says Hagiwara. "We released three colour variations when the GBA launched. We're still thinking about what colours variations of the DS to release, but while taking into consideration the production efficiency, we're thinking of releasing colours that are popular throughout the world, since it will be launched worldwide [at about the same time]."

Eidos to publish Lego Star Wars game
Eidos has announced that it has secured the distribution rights to a multiplatform Lego Star Wars game. The company will release the game with Giant Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC, and Game Boy Advance in April 2005.

Lego Star Wars will be an action adventure game based on the prequel trilogy of films in the Star Wars series: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and next May's Revenge of the Sith. While only Obi-Wan has been confirmed for the game, Lego versions of the other major characters from the films are sure to make an appearance.

Traveller's Tales is developing the Xbox, PS2, and PC versions of the game, while Amaze Entertainment is working on the GBA version.

The Sims 2 goes gold
After years of dominating the PC sales charts, the Sims is now set to enter a new era. Electronic Arts has confirmed that the Sims 2, the much-anticipated follow-up to the best-selling PC series, has gone gold.

One of the three biggest PC games of the year, the Sims 2 will rework the Will Wright-created series with new graphics and more detailed gameplay. The game's new engine will let players experience every detail of their Sims' lives in intimate detail, and there will be a new aspiration system that will give Sims desires that players have to fulfil.

Burnout 3 soundtrack revealed
Electronic Arts has announced the soundtrack for Burnout 3: Takedown. Like the other games in the Burnout series, Takedown puts players in the driver's seat of various high-performance vehicles and throws them into high-speed, ultra-dangerous races through city streets. The game will be released for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 in September.

The Burnout 3 soundtrack will play like a standard radio station, complete with a disc jockey voiced by DJ Stryker from the Los Angeles alternative station KROQ. The full list of songs is as follows, with the artist appearing before the song title:

    * 1208 - Fall Apart
    * Amber Pacific - Always You
    * Ash - Orpheus
    * Atretyu - Right Side of the Bed
    * Autopilot Off - Make a Sound
    * Bouncing Souls - Sing Along Forever
    * Burning Brides - Heart Full of Black
    * Chronic Future - Time and Time Again
    * Donots - Saccharine Smile
    * Eighteen Visions - I Let Go
    * Fall Out Boy - Reinventing the Wheel
    * Finger Eleven - Stay in Shadow
    * Franz Ferdinand - This Fire
    * From First to Last - Populace in Two
    * Funeral for a Friend - Rookie of the Year
    * Futureheads - Decent Days and Nights
    * Go Betty Go - C'mon
    * Jimmy Eat World - Just Tonight
    * Letter Kills - Radio Up
    * Local H - Everyone Alive
    * Maxeen - Please
    * Midtown - Give It Up
    * Moments in Grace - Broken Promises
    * Motion City Soundtrack - My Favorite
    * Mudmen - Animal
    * My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay
    * New Found Glory - At Least I'm Known
    * No Motiv - Independence Day
    * Silent Drive - 4-16
    * Sugarcult - Memory
    * The D4 - Come On!
    * The Explosion - Here I Am
    * The F-Ups - Lazy Generation
    * The Lot Six - Autobrats
    * The Matches - Audio Blood
    * The Mooney Suzuki - Shake That Bush
    * The Ordinary Boys - Over the Counter
    * The Von Bondies - C'Mon C'Mon
    * Yellowcard - Breathing

Rome: Total War demo tempts gamers
Activision and developer Creative Assembly have released the official demo for Rome: Total War, the highly anticipated PC strategy game, today. You can get the demo--a single-player demo containing a tutorial and the Battle of Trebia map (where you play as the Carthaginians)--on GameSpot.com's download service, DLX.

In Rome: Total War, you'll command one of three major Roman factions as you attempt to build up power and influence in the ancient world. The game has two parts: a deep, turn-based strategic game, in which you manage cities and manoeuvre armies around the Mediterranean, and a real-time battle mode, where you command thousands of units.

As the third game in the Total War series, Rome ushers in refinements and lessons learned with Shogun: Total War and Medieval: Total War. But one of the game's selling points is the new 3D engine, which brings the battlefields of Rome to life.

With the demo released, British developer Creative Assembly is now putting the final polishing touches on Rome: Total War, and the game should ship to stores next month.

Xbox Splinter Cell Chaos Theory trailer premieres
New teaser offers a taste of the story and gameplay in Sam Fisher's next console adventure.

After teasing the public with snippets of gameplay, Ubisoft has released the first full-length trailer for the Xbox edition of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory.

Clocking in at just under one and a half minutes, the trailer offers several clues as to Chaos Theory's story. It begins when, at 10:11pm on June 29, 2007, most of the United States' East Coast and all of Japan is hit by a massive power outage of mysterious origin. When the trail of clues leads to North Korea, Third Echelon operative Sam Fisher is dispatched to both find the cause of the blackout and neutralize those parties responsible for it.

Unlike previous Splinter Cells, where Fisher was instructed to minimize casualties, Chaos Theory will see the commando using deadly force more often--and more inventively. The trailer shows off Fisher's new repertoire of stealth kills as he breaks one guard's neck and flips another over a railing.