Ubisoft is hell-bent on putting its foot down against piracy as they are targeting this year to come out with a piracy solution for their games on the various platforms. The publisher has admitted that their products have been dealt a heavy blow because of the piracy, and they are now working on a tool that should cushion the impact of the said problem.

Much to the delight of motorheads here at QJ.NET, demos for Codemaster's Race Driver: GRID (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC) is now available for download. In case you want to find out more about the demos, head on over to the full article by clicking on the "read more" link below.

Here's a strange tidbit about Clive Barker's Jericho (for PS3, Xbox 360, PC) of Mercury Steam. It turns out that the game's neat Steelbook Special Edition is only available in select countries, for specific consoles.

Here's how it goes: UK gets the Clive Barker's Jericho Special Edition for both PS3 and the Xbox 360, while US gets the Special Edition only for the Xbox 360. Spain and Benelux will be able to snag the SEs for the PlayStation 3 console. No word is out if there will be Special Edition copies available for the PC version of the game.

Just so you know, what sets the Special apart from the vanilla-flavored copies of the game is the artbook, packed with illustrations depicting the game's environments, monsters, and characters mostly drawn by Clive Barker himself.

Another distinguishing feature of Clive Barker's Jericho SE is its gorgeous Steelbook packaging, so that you'll be able to properly protect your valuable game discs. The neat Steelbook packaging already sounds like a valid reason to get the Special Edition of the game as it is.

More updates as they come!

Wondering if you favorite country will be included in Konami Digital Entertainment's latest Pro Evolution Soccer release? Erik Hansson over at the Level7 site has just picked up what appears to be a complete listing of the national teams making it to PES 2008 (Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, DS, PC).

That's all the details we've got on this news, which ties in nicely with the celebrities expected to make an appearance in the game. Stay tuned in case we receive more update - or if some lucky gamer confirms this lineup based on PES 2008's upcoming demo release. For now, here's the list (translated by the Winning Eleven blog):

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• England
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Israel

The complete list is available in the Full Article

So you're planning a road trip, eh? Finally decided to get out of the house, stretch your legs, and get some well-needed R&R after that ridiculously-long all nighter fragging loud thirteen-year-old kids in the Halo 3 Beta? Spiffing! The sunshine will do you a world of good, not to mention the physical rigors of an excursion will get the juices flowing again in those game-atrophied muscles.

While there are some ideal destinations that let you lounge beside a sparkling pool while being waited on hand and foot by beautiful, scantily-clad specimens of the female persuasion, there ARE a couple of locations you might want to mark off your list, or avoid entirely. This Videogame Enthusiast Survival guide is about those locations, and if on the off-chance you find yourself in them - well, you're pretty much beyond all help.

But don't lose ALL hope, though, as this IS a survival guide, and we have a few tips to share - just in case.

The full Survival Guide after the jump!

Proein has signed a deal with Capcom to distribute their titles in Spain. Proein, which is Eidos Interactive's publishing arm in the Spain, signed a pretty big deal which includes the rights to games such as the ever popular Devil May Cry 4, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Monster Hunter Freedom 2, Moto GP, and even new titles from the Mega Man franchise.

Mark Beaumont, the Executive VP and head of Capcom consumer software publishing in Europe and the US, spoke on this deal and why they made the decision to partner-up with Proein.

Capcom has successfully worked with Proein for a number of years and have been impressed by their professionalism and unrivaled market knowledge. We are really pleased to take the relationship to the next level by choosing Proein as our sole distributor for Spain.

Proein's MD Mercedes Rey shared the same sentiments saying that "We are delighted that Capcom has chosen Proein as its partner in Spain to distribute its games. Capcom is a leading worldwide developer that owns some of most renowned franchises in the history of gaming." Both groups should be happy considering Spain has a solid market for quality titles and Capcom has been known to deliver the goods with each one.

The PS3 has been in Europe for less than a month and its titles are sitting on top of the charts. Resistance: Fall of Man took the top spot in Italy and Spain. Germany on the other hand was taken by storm by S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (both the normal and limited editions).

The three countries definitely have different gaming tastes with the exception of Insomniac's Resistance, Evolution's MotorStorm, Formula One Championship Edition, Virtua Tennis 3, and the PS2's Final Fantasy XII. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars are surprisingly absent from the Spain and Germany charts even though it's a definite hit in the UK. Oh well, to each their own. Here's the complete list for Italy, Spain and Germany:

Italy (for week ending on April 1)

• Resistance: Fall of Man
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
• MotorStorm
• Formula One Championship Edition
• Final Fantasy XII
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
• Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
• Virtua Tennis 3
• Ridge Racer 7
• Pro Evolution Soccer 6

Check out the charts for Spain and Germany after the jump!

The European Commission is set to introduce a list of common sanctions against retailers that sell violent video games to minors. Perhaps, what's good about this is that the Commission has decided to leave it to member states to identify which games will be considered "violent."

EUobserver reports that the EU justice and security commissioner, Franco Frattini, has told journalists last January 10 that he would file new and stricter rules governing the sale of video games to children below 16 before this year's summer break.

Reuters informs that Frattini had this to say: "I do want to harmonize rules punishing people illegally selling products, people not controlling and checking identity." Frattini does however stresses that the EU executive would abstain from suggesting which kind of material should be banned. He adds: "We cannot judge from Brussels which videogames should be prohibited. "

It can be recalled that last December, Frattini suggested that the Brussels' package could include new age restrictions on certain games as well as stronger, more effective, parental advisory warnings. The commissioner is confident with the proposal, especially since he has so far received support from eight EU countries – Germany, Britain, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Finland, France and Spain.

It has to be noted that this initiative comes after last November's incident in Germany, where Sebastian Bosse injured eleven students at his school before killing himself, and that retailers in most EU countries are not legally obliged to restrict the sale of adult classified products.

Why should we bother to know about these things? Because some people might get some bright ideas.