GTAIV Album; Castlevania DS; Sony’s Hand; Georgian Law

Of the many neat little touches to Rockstar’s action adventure Grand Theft Auto IV, the mind-boggling array of different radio stations to choose from while driving around Liberty City proved to be a big favourite with fans. The stations have some 200 songs on rotation, spanning a wide range of genres, and include The Beat 102.7 (hip hop), Electrochoc (dance/electronica), Jazz Nation Radio 108.5 (jazz), and Vladivostok FM (Eastern European). DJ Green Lantern, also known as The Evil Genius, who presents The Beat radio station, has announced a soundtrack album that includes eight tracks pulled from his in-game setlist, and eight more exclusive songs inspired by GTAIV. It will be different from The Music Of Grand Theft Auto IV which was included with the Special Edition. The album, Liberty City Invasion: Music From and Inspired by Grand Theft Auto IV, will span hip-hop, reggae, and R&B, with featured performers including Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, and Fabolous. It will be available to download from “all major digital retailers” on May 20, with a retail release is planned soon after.

The full tracklisting is as follows:

Styles P–”What’s the Problem”
Busta Rhymes–”Where’s My Money”
Wyclef, Uncle Murda & Mavado–”Informer”
Joell Ortiz & Dante Hawkins–”Alone”
Jim Jones & Juelz Santana–”Bustin’ Shots”
Maino–”Get Away Driver”
Uncle Murda–”Anybody Can Get It”
Fabolous & Fat Joe–”I’m So Fly”
Qadir–”Nickname”
38 Special, Fever & Dwayne–”Streets Raised Me”
Clipse feat. Re-Up Gang–”9mm”
Heltah Skeltah feat. Buckshot–”Can’t Trust Em”
Red Cafe–”Stick’m”
Immortal Technique–”Parole”
Tru Life–”Wet Em Up”
Johnny Polygon–”Price On Your Head”

As a portent of things to come last month, a rating for Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia turned up in the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s online database. Naturally published by Konami, the online listing indicated Order of Ecclesia would be the Belmont family’s third trek onto Nintendo’s DS behind 2005’s Dawn of Sorrow and 2006’s Portrait of Ruin. As part of its Gamers’ Day event today, Konami unsurprisingly confirmed Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia for the DS, saying the game would arrive on Nintendo’s platform this fall. The ESRB couldn’t be bothered with spilling details on the game when it rated it T for Teen, so Konami’s announcement today shined more light on what gamers can expect later this year. As a member of the oath, sworn Order of Ecclesia, players assume the role of a heroine named Shinoa, which producer Koji Igarashi called a code, name in an interview. Vampire hunting is once again paramount to the game’s story, and players will employ a number of tactics, including the new Glyph attack mechanic, to defeat Dracula’s minions. Order of Ecclesia’s single-player experience offers 20 different areas to explore, with environments ranging from forests to oceans. The game will also put to use the DS’s Wi-Fi Connection for head-to-head multiplayer battles, and players will also be able to go online to buy and sell items they acquire during their journeys.

At Sony’s EU PlayStation Day in London early last week, the publisher dropped a handful of heartening details, as well as a few downers for PlayStation 3 owners. Namely, the publisher said that two of its most anticipated exclusive titles, Guerrilla’s Killzone 2 and Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet, had been bumped from their projected ship dates, in Europe, at least, to February 2009 and October 2008, respectively. With Sony throwing a stateside Gamers’ Day event in Southern California today, the publisher confirmed that Guerrilla’s long-awaited first-person shooter and Media Molecule’s sandbox playground have indeed be furloughed to launch in proximity to their European counterparts. In addition to confirming the delays, Sony also laid out its lineup for the rest of 2008 and into early 2009. Of primary note, the publisher said Insomniac Games’ Resistance 2 will arrive on the PS3 this fall. The publisher stressed the game’s large-scale 60-player online multiplayer component, as well as the MyResistance.net community portal. PS3 gamers looking for a little less mayhem will also be interested to know Buzz! Quiz TV, featuring more than 5,000 questions in five categories, will also land on Sony’s flagship console this fall. A slimmed-down PSP version of the game, Buzz! Master Quiz, will be available in the same time frame, and include 3,000 questions spanning a variety of topics. In addition to its retail offerings, Sony also gave PS3 owners a heads-up on what will arrive on the PlayStation Network this summer. Before summer’s end, the publisher expects Sony Liverpool’s Wipeout HD, 8bit Games’ Elefunk, Q-Games’ PixelJunk Eden, and Sony Japan’s episodic series Siren: Blood Curse.

A full lineup of upcoming titles published by Sony is listed below.
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2–PSP–June 3
Secret Agent Clank–PSP–June 17
Wipeout HD–PSN–Summer 2008
Elefunk–PSN–Summer 2008
PixelJunk Eden–PSN–Summer 2008
Siren: Blood Curse–PSN–Summer 2008
SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Confrontation–PS3–September 16
LittleBigPlanet–PS3–October 2008
NBA 09–PS3, PSP, PS2–Fall 2008
BUZZ! Quiz TV–PS3–Fall 2008
BUZZ! Master Quiz–PSP–Fall 2008
MotorStorm Pacific Rift–PS3–Fall 2008
Resistance 2–PS3–Fall 2008
Killzone 2–PS3–February 2009

Earlier this week, Georgia’s Republican governor, Sonny Purdue, signed into law a proposal to offer greater tax incentives not only to game producers, but also to music video, movie, and TV production projects. Its latest goal, in the name of economic development, is to become the video game production capital of the United States. “The new incentives will put Georgia among the top five states in the US, in terms of financial competitiveness for entertainment projects,” Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said in a statement. “We expect to see an increase in the number of industry jobs and overall economic impact for the state in the coming years.” Under the 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act, eligible companies that spent at least $500,000 on production costs in the state would be eligible for a 20 percent tax credit on that investment, up from the 9 percent that was previously on the books. The companies can qualify for an extra 10 percent tax credit, too, but only if they agree to embed promotional ads and animated Georgia logos in their content. According to a statement from the Peach State, the entertainment industry has contributed more than $1.17 billion to Georgia’s economy since 2005, when the first wave of tax credits took effect. Georgia, of course, is home to Turner Broadcasting System, the high-power media empire that includes CNN, Cartoon Network, and game network GameTap.