When Paramount Pictures announced its intent to increase its presence in the video gaming industry, we sort of guessed that this will happen: Paramount is now expanding its interactive department to directly involve itself in the games that the studio will produce or co-produce with other gaming developers. More details in the full article.

Movie firm Paramount clued in its interest in the games after expressing its excitement over the progress of the video game sector. Paramount Digital's Alex Carloss, currently the division's general manager of worldwide distribution, stated that we're bound to see more of Paramount in games. In-game ads, perhaps? Find out more at the full story.

With 2007 coming to a close in a few more days, Midway is all set for next year's upcoming releases. But not without some changes to their marketing stance. in a recent interview, Midway CEO David Zucker his game launch strategy for 2008 as "fewer, bigger, better." Find out what he meant via the full article.

The game adaptation of the upcoming Beowulf movie will take the authenticity route like many other movie to game conversions. Ubisoft Entertainment has announced that Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins, Emmy Award winner Ray Winstone, Brendan Gleeson, and Sebastien Roche will be featured in voice and likeness in Ubisoft's Beowulf (Sony PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Microsoft Windows PC, Microsoft Xbox 360).

To extend the story two dozen decades further than the movie's plot, Anthony Hopkins (Red Dragon, Amistad) will take on the role of King Hrothgar, while Ray Winstone (Cold Mountain, King Arthur) will embody the player as Beowulf. The role of Wiglaf will be taken up by Brendan Gleeson (Harry Potter, 28 Days Later), and the character of Wulfgar (Christian) shall be Sebastien Roche's undertaking.

The Beowulf video game is currently under development by Ubisoft's Tiwak Studios in cooperation with Shangri-La Entertainment and Paramount Pictures, and this news would appear to herald the near-completion of the game development process. Beowulf's release will coincide with the premiere of Academy Award winner Robert Zemeckis' render of the tales of a legendary Viking hero, soon to be released on November 2007.

Buy: [ Beowulf (Xbox 360) ]
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It's hard not to be excited about this holiday season when great games are about to hit the shelves. We kid not when we say just looking at Ubisoft's line-up of upcoming titles will give any gamer a field day pondering which one to spend money on. If Assassin's Creed (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) and Haze can't get you riled up, others will.

Ubisoft didn't include solid dates in the list sent through the press wire, but most are coming before 2007 ends. Here are the games:

• Assassin's Creed: One of the most anticipated video games of the year will be coming to the Xbox 360 and the PS3 in November, while the PC version will be out in early 2008.
• Beowulf: Based on Paramount Pictures' and Shangri-La Entertainment's Beowulf, the upcoming feature film from Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis, Beowulf will be released in November on Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PS3 and PSP.
• Blazing Angels 2 Secret Missions of WWII: Currently available on the Xbox 360, experience World War II on the PS3 this coming holiday. Play as an elite pilot in the follow-up to the successful Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII.
• Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway: Previously expected to be released for holiday 2007, it will be released on next-generation platforms and the PC in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007 to 2008. Brothers in Arms Road to Hill 30 for the Nintendo Wii will be released in December.
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Hard Evidence: For the first time, CSI fans will be able to play CSI on the Xbox 360 and on the Wii this holiday.
• Haze: Free Radical Design teams up with Ubisoft to deliver the mind-altering, technologically superior game Haze, exclusively for the Sony PS3 this holiday.
• Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East: Enjoy the dramatic evolution and conclusion of the Heroes V experience this holiday on PC.
• Nitrobike: Navigate rocket-propelled motorcycles in this arcade-style game exclusively for the Wii.
• Naruto: Rise of a Ninja: In a game exclusively developed for Xbox 360 from the ground up, players will be able to experience becoming a shinobi as the game starts from the series' beginning. The game is given an October release date.
  
• Rayman Raving Rabbids 2: The bunnies are back and are crazier than ever in this new game specially developed for the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS this holiday.

Casual gamers aren't left behind, thanks to Ubisoft's massive library. Chessmaster series fans might want to look at Chessmaster: The Art of Learning (DS) and Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition (PC). Cranium Kabooki is a party game on the Nintendo Wii with fun minigames like jamming, drawing, and acting. Imagine games are set to capture the ladies with Fashion Designer, Master Chef, and Animal Doctor on the Nintendo DS.

Another line of games from Ubisoft is My Coach which has titles like My French Coach, My Spanish Coach, and My Word Coach that appear on Nintendo platforms to expand our vocabulary. There's also Petz that comes in all flavors of pet training for the DS, PS2, PC, and Wii.

After a couple of successful movies, Paramount Pictures is considering another Tomb Raider movie. According to creator Ian Livingston:

At this moment in time it's still not green-lit, but the signs are there. Paramount have talked about the film for a long time, and I've had meetings with them. They're willing to put a screenwriter on board. Angelina Jolie has an option to do a third movie.

The success of upcoming Tomb Raider: Anniversary would probably play a major part in creating the movie. As Livingston said. "I think when they see how successful Anniversary will be and realise that the world is still in love with Lara, they'll be more inclined to exercise their option."

True enough, some of us might be raring to see Lady Croft on the big screen once again with or without Anniversary coming out. But of course, some of us know of the tendency of series installments to petter out towards the second or third movie... Cross your fingers!

With Midway's BlackSite: Area 51 heading to the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 by summer of 2007, Hollywood buffs have geared up for more videogame-to-movie adaptations, with the video game franchise Area 51 which should come out soon under Paramount Pictures.

Paramount purchased film rights to Area 51 from Midway Games back in 2004, the first game from the franchise hit your local arcade on April 2005. Penn Station's Dean Georgaris wrote an early draft of the movie's story, although Grant Morrison was recently hired by Paramount to polish up the story from opening to curtain fall.

Grant Morrison, an author for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, is recognized for his works on "Fantastic Four," "New X-Men," Justice League of America," and "Doom Patrol." The story is set to the original premise of the arcade game, bringing back the viral infestation of the U.S. Air Force's research base, which is often the subject of U.F.O. conspiracies.

The movie will be produced by Christine Peters ("How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days") and CFP Productions, with Michael Aguilar and Stan Wilson, along with Georgaris.