THQ and JAKKS Pacific have announced the cover wrestlers for WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Wii, DS). They're none other than D-Generation X founding members Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Find out why and read other fun stuff about the two in the full article ahead.

When you've got a business going, it's a wise idea to keep track of your cashflow. THQ has been doing precisely that. In fact, the company has recently reported the fourth quarter results of the fiscal year, which ended last March 31, 2008. More financial statistics in the full article after the jump.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii, DS) has reclaimed the top slot in the Chart Track top 40 entertainment software list. Devil May Cry 4 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC) has slipped down to second place while Turok (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) is still at number three. Want to see the full charts? Scoot on over to the  full article.

Master Chief ordering take out at Burger King? Solid Snake wearing Speedos? These are just some hypothetical plugs that gamers might be seeing in the near future with the way in-game advertising has grown into a phenomenal industry nowadays.

As far back as the early '90s, we've seen games that have plugged, advertised or even coerced gamers into taking a gander at their real-life sponsors, as well as the products tied-in with them. The full article awaits after the jump!

Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) shot up to first place in the UK charts for the week of November 17, bumping off former top placer Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360, PS3, PC). The Simpsons Game remains at third place.

Another notable entry into the charts is Super Mario Galaxy which came in at fifth place. Check out the rest of the top 20 in the full article.

 

The last time we updated you on Jack Thompson's latest exploits to keep violent games out of children's hands, we told you about the lawyer from Florida allegedly posting a comment on the GamePolitics website, stating that he'll be going after Take-Two once more in response of the critically-acclaimed FPS for the Xbox 360 and PC, Bioshock.

Now, it seems that he's taken action indeed, in the form of a written complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about the game's ads, televised during WWE Smackdown. His letter, verbatim and snipped for brevity:

Take-Two… is aggressively marketing its newest Mature-rated video game to kids under 17 years of age… On this Friday’s night’s 8 pm Eastern time airing of WWE’s wrestling program “Smackdown,” there were repeated ads for Take-Two/Rockstar Game’s Mature-rated, incredibly violent BioShock…

A check of the demographics of the audience of that program reveals that teens under 17 years of age watch that program in huge numbers…

Remarkably, the video game industry is running ads for games like BioShock on teen-intensive television programs while at the same time its industry-captured “watchdog,” the ESRB, is running a self-congratulatory ad campaign to assure parents that the video game ratings system is working and that the industry can be trusted not to target their kids with these Mature-rated games. It is all a lie, as the BioShock ads prove.

This rampant fraudulent trade practice is precisely what “Big Tobacco” did with its “Joe Camel” and other teen-targeting ads, while at the same time lying to Congress that it was not marketing its adult product to kids.

Comparing a game rated Mature to an addictive and life-threatening substance? Certainly strong words coming from Mr. Jack Thompson. Although it's true that some children under 17 do get to watch WWE Smackdown, it is to note that pro-wrestling shows are also more violent, with risky and life-threatening wrestling moves and bloodletting.

And let's not forget the edgier, sexually-themed angles that WWE has taken in the past, of course. With these, doesn't Bioshock fit into the major demographic that WWE itself is aiming for?

In any case, Mr. Jack Thompson has made his move. What will Take-Two's be? Only time will tell. Let us know what you think about this recent development by your comments.

Back in the industry news, "creative hub" publisher THQ announced a first quarter sales dip of approximately US$ 34 million, while reporting a significantly lowered quarter net loss of US$ 9.3 million. Despite the drop from US$ 138.8 million to US$ 104.5 million in sales of Ratatouille, Cars, and WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2007, the publisher is confident about its US$ 240 million sales target for Q2 2007.

 

Achievements for the company during Q1 included a penetration of the online market in China, after THQ signed an agreement with Shanda, a local game operations firm, to deliver the long-standing PC game Company of Heroes to the blossoming PC market in the region. While details were scarce, it was hinted that the title would definitely cater to the online segment.

Brian Farrell, CEO of THQ, assured attendees at the recently concluded press conference that the current quarter performance appears to be as they expected. He remained confident that their lineup of family-friendly and casual games for the Nintendo Wii and DS will keep the company "well positioned" for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, de Blob, Stuntman: Ignition, and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, on the other hand, have been selected as for Game Critics' Best of E3 2007 Awards, while a whispered sequel for Red Faction back in February was confirmed at the conference call. Details on the sequel have not been revealed as of press time.

Future prospects of the company appear to be cautiously optimistic, after Farrell noted a faster pace of PlayStation 3 hardware sales that seem to outweigh the platform's software sales. The company also plans to dive into in-game advertising more so this 2008, claiming to be in talks with Nickelodeon and Pixar to discuss in-game ad revenue shares.

Brutal body-slamming and sledgehammer-smashing wrestling action in this gameplay video of THQ's WWE Smackdown Versus Raw 2008 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. While wrestling may be scripted, the moves themselves do hurt - and it's the same with this next-gen brawler, sporting moves that look painful to watch as they are fun to pull off.

In this video, we see Lashley and Jeff Hardy going at it toe-to-toe. We see the high-flying hijinks off the top rope that's typical of the Hardys from Jeff, as well as Lashley's signature cadre of dominating wrestling holds and moves. It's to note that the commentary this time around actually sounds very natural and convincing, unlike the robotic, one-liner descriptions of the game's previous iterations. The graphics are looking very sharp, with the animations slick, fast and awesome.

Enough from us, check out the video through the embed below. Enjoy!

Big titles like Gears of War which sold a lot for its mother console are bound to get awards from all places. A good example is Entertainment Merchants Association's (EMA) Video Game Home Entertainment Awards 2007, in which Gears of War racked up four awards.

GoW bagged "Xbox 360 Game of the Year", "Shooter/Military Game of the Year", "Best Game Graphics of the Year", and the ultimate "Game of the Year" awards. All games released between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2007 were eligible, but GoW took the cake.

For handhelds, Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories grabbed "DS Game of the Year" and "PSP Game of the Year" awards respectively. Lego Star Wars II' PS2 edition also took the win in its own category.

Resistance: Fall of Man dominated the PS3, while launch title Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was branded the best game on Wii. WoW: The Burning Crusade took both "PC Game of the Year" and "RPG/Strategy Game of the Year" awards.

Here's the rest of the list:

• Most Innovative Game of the Year - Guitar Hero II
• Casual Game of the Year: Guitar Hero II
• Fighting Game of the Year - WWE Smackdown! vs RAW 2007
• Racing Game of the Year - Need for Speed
• Sports Game of the Year - Madden NFL 07

Retailers and distributors from EMA's roster nominated and selected the winners. Their criteria on choosing, we would love to know. When Lego Star Wars II and WWE Smackdown! vs RAW 2007 are up there as creams of the crop, you know something special is going on.

 

Game publishing giant THQ follows suit after the flurry of financial reports from several other publishers and gaming companies have announced their financial performance standings for the fiscal year (FY) 2006-2007. According to a fearless press release by THQ, they have achieved record net sales and net income for FY 2007, ending March 31, 2007.

For twelve years on end, the "creative hub" publishing giant has kept up a steady revenue growth with a record total of US$ 1.027 billion, up 27% from the US$ 806.6 million recorded in FY 2006. Thanks to titles such as Supreme Commander, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl and WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007, THQ's net income reached US$ 68 million, doubling last year's profits of US$ 32.1 million.

"During a challenging hardware transition, THQ significantly outperformed the market in our major territories," said THQ's president and CEO Brian Farrell. According to him, the company's success for FY 2007 was greatly attributed to multi-million unit sellers Cars and WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007, including the launching of new IP Saints Row. Farrell concluded the announcement, (unashamedly and fearlessly) coupled with the company's relevant financial statements, with:

The industry is entering an exciting growth period as the new hardware reaches critical mass. In fiscal 2008, we plan to release an increasing number of titles for the growing base of new hardware, including owned original properties Frontlines: Fuel of War, Juiced: Hot Import Nights and Stuntman: Ignition.

With three 30-million unit licensed franchises and a growing portfolio of internally developed original franchises, we are well positioned to expand our leadership position in the video game industry.