This strange news item comes from The Escapist.

It seems that the Council of Derby (about 20 km west of Nottingham, England), made a misstep when they “went to the public for help in naming two sections of the city’s inner ring road that had just been built.” One of these inner rings will be called “Lara Croft Way.”

Maybe not well known for being a “Native Daughter” of Derby, as evidenced by Councilor Lucy Care’s response that, “The vote really captured the imagination of people from across the world and, despite my lack of gaming knowledge, I accept that a majority of 89 percent for Lara Croft is too overwhelming to ignore! She was created in Derby and deserves [to] stand alongside some of the more traditional icons of the city.”

The creators of Lara Croft (of the Tomb Raider series), Core Design, was located in Derby until “the studio was bought out by Rebellion in 2006 and, as Rebellion Derby, is reportedly being considered for closure.”

If Derby City Council is thinking ahead they should be mass producing Lara Croft Way street signs and selling them in gift shops because if they don’t they’re bound to go mysteriously missing from signposts.

Just about a month to go until the inaugural PAX East begins and they’ve released the full panel line-up, which includes:

Podcasting (f)or PR

Naga Theatre

Saturday, 5:30pm

Podcasting has become the new medium of choice for developers cultivating early relationships with “Alpha” gamers — those who influence the buying decisions of the unwashed masses. In this panel, we’ll talk about how firms like Irrational Games and Insomniac use in-house podcasts to keep their communities engaged, and how the media- and fan-affiliated podcasts rely on developers for a steady stream of content.

Panelists Include: Julian Murdoch [Freelance Writer, GamersWithJobs.com], Jeff Green [Editor-in-Chief, EA], Ken Levine [Creative Director, Irrational Games ], Larry Hryb [Major Nelson, Microsoft], Shawn Elliott [Podcast Producer, Irrational Games]

News on Splatterhouse always tweaks my sense of nostalgia so I thought I would share some screens just released by Namco Bandai:

Previously, Sega has sent press releases reporting that the spy RPG has been delayed. But today, Sega can confirmed a ship date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010.  I’d wager that the game is done at this point and developer Obsidian is going spend the remain months squashing bugs.

With a plot torn from today’s headlines and more twists than a season of “24”, Alpha Protocol brings a new level of modern day realism to the world of RPGs. Tasked with uncovering the perpetrators behind a tragic missile attack on a passenger jetliner, players dive into a story rich with characters and locations to discover an international arms-dealing conspiracy. Through their actions and choices, players direct the outcome of the game as they ultimately decide who to befriend, trust or kill.

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… onto retail shelves!

I’m one of those people that has been waiting for Heavy Rain for a very long time. As a follow-up (but not a sequel) to 2005′s Indigo Prophecy (or Fahrenheit, depending on where you live), this has been a long time coming. And now that day is here.

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Sonic and his pals over at Sega are racing to retail today with Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. It’s being released on almost every platform with console exclusive characters like Banjo & Kazooie (360) and Miis (Wii), so no matter what your gaming choice (even PC!) you’re covered, except if you rely on PSP. And as long as I get to drive Ryo Hazuki’s forklift, it’s all good.

Sony’s premiere tactical shooter makes another appearance on the PSP today with the launch of SOCOM: U.S. NAVY SEALs FIRETEAM BRAVO 3. Besides the new (up to) 4-player cooperative play, the game has a host of improvements and new features that fans are sure to appreciate: (more…)

Nintendo has announced that next week on February 22, 2010, Endless Ocean: Blue World will arrive on Wii. This one is promising better use of the Wii hardware and peripherals, since players can connect via the Internet and communicate using Wii Speak mics.

Here’s a little more information for those unfamiliar with the Endless Ocean series: (more…)

The popular Ace Attorney series continues with Capcom’s latest release, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, which is available at retail today.

Even after, what is it now, three games? It’s great to see that Capcom is changing things up a little and maybe the most significant ones are: (more…)

Kalypso Media has announced that Tropico 3 is now available for Xbox 360.

In case you missed our review of the PC version, Tropico 3 “puts players behind the cigar of “El Presidente,” the absolute ruler over of a small banana republic.”  Though AE didn’t score it as high, Gamerankings has the PC version sitting at “80.37%”. A few more press release details for you:

Tropico 3 includes a robust set of new features, including a powerful new mission editor, an online challenge mode and a new avatar function that allows players to customize their own unique El Presidente.  Once created, the new ruler is free to travel the island giving speeches, issuing edicts and exerting other means of influence.  A comprehensive campaign mode features 18 different missions, while a historical timeline editor, new buildings, industries and infrastructure provide players with a wide array of options for hours of in-depth gameplay.

Ubisoft has provided more details about the upcoming Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands (which the press release notes, “is built from the ground up for the Wii”) scheduled for a May 18, 2010 launch.

After leaving his father’s kingdom to prove his worth, the Prince is drawn towards a mysterious realm. He quickly discovers that he must harness his acrobatic abilities and powers over the environment to not only survive, but to save a mystic palace from unfathomable evil.  Game features include:

• Classic Gameplay Reinvented: By utilizing the Prince’s acrobatic prowess, players will be able to perform unparalleled feats from maneuvering through treacherous traps and combating massive enemies, to solving elaborate puzzles in an effort to survive. (more…)

A favorite since his PAX 2007 keynote address, it was announced today that Wil Wheaton is the keynote speaker for the first PAX East.

“We’ve always considered Wil as the keynote speaker for PAX, so it’s only appropriate he kick off the first PAX East,”” said Robert Khoo of Penny Arcade.  ”“Wil is one of us.  We accept him.  Wil speaks to all gamers, from the console jock to the keyboard fanatic to the pen-and-paper devotees.””

And if you haven’t registered for PAX East, the event is nearly sold out!  http://www.paxsite.com/paxeast/registration.php.

It shipped for Xbox 360 and PC back in November 2009 and today Electronic Arts announced that the game has “sold-in” 3.2 million copies worldwide. There’s no indication of the numbers broken down across each platform or how many copies were downloaded from the likes of Steam and EA’s Store, but what is of more interest to me is the use of this term “sold-in.”

Does that mean shipped?  Bought?  Put in a bathtub and pushed into Big Lake (just outside of Edmonton)?  Whatever this “sold-in” stuff means, 3.2 is a big number and puts Dragon Age: Origins right beside BioWare’s massive roster of hits, like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, and Jade Empire. Congrats to everyone involved!

The first full expansion pack for Dragon Age: Origins is expected March 16, 2010.

Set almost a decade after a grueling civil war consumed the once magnificent city of Rapture, evil reverberates through the halls and a wickedness once thought gone forever returns along the Atlantic seaboard. An unspeakable series of kidnappings from local seaside communities by an unseen monster leads to the repopulation of Little Sisters in Rapture’s failed utopia under the ocean. Players must step into the boots of one of gaming’s most iconic characters, the Big Daddy, as they traverse through the fallen city, fending off attacks from an army of genetically modified Splicers, while searching for escape and the key to their survival.

Major Nelson, a.k.a. Larry Hryb, a.k.a. Director of Programming for the Microsoft gaming network Xbox Live, has announced that April 15, 2010 will be the last day you’ll get to play over Live with your original Xbox. All support for Xbox games will be discontinued as of that date, including those Xbox games playable on Xbox 360. Why are they doing this, you ask? Well, Major Nelson has your answer, sorta:

While I can’t comment on the specifics, this change will allow us to continue evolving the LIVE service with new features and experiences that fully harness the power of Xbox 360 and the Xbox LIVE community. We did not make this decision lightly, but after careful consideration and review we realize that this decision will allow us unprecedented flexibility for future features.

That kind of sucks for all those Halo 2 diehards out there, but it might finally mean we get more slots on our Friends list.