It may not be raining cats and dogs in the gaming world this week, but that does not mean there' s nothing to look forward to for the days between August 3 and 9. We've got a little bit of racing (GRID, Crash Time) for daredevils out there, and an adventure that'll sure to teach a lesson or two to  those youngsters who do not believe in monsters and who throw house parties when their parents are away (Monster Madness: Grave Danger).

Crave Entertainment, yet another studio that had announced its departure from E3's host organization, the ESA, explains that its exit isn't due to the turbulent waters surrounding the event right now. Rather, its because the studio is being sold. Story in the full article.

We've picked up word of yet another departure from the Entertainment Software Association. This time, it's Crave Entertainment who's in the spotlight. Learn more about this new departure after the jump.

Crave Entertainment and Colorado-based international bull-riding organization Professional Bull Riders (PBR) announced today a new video game title named after the said organization.

It will be released on platforms Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, Games for Windows, and on the PlayStation Portable as a downloadable game. Professional Bull Riders Game offers different gameplay modes that test players' skills in either staying on for at least eight seconds or bucking off the rider before his time is up.

There's also a Season Mode that will allow gamers to unlock certain riders and bulls. It was said that Professional Bull Riders Game will be available October 2008.

More details after the jump!

We're hoping you guys saved up enough money for this week's releases. There's quite a lot of eye-catchers hitting the shelves and every single major platform out there - PS3, 360, Wii, PC, PSP, and DS - has at least one good title to offer.

Those who were able to try out the demo of BioShock can finally dive into the full game. Don't forget to take your daily dose of plasmids when you're there. Meanwhile, GRAW 2 will roll out for the PS3 and PSP as well. Tactical shooting has never been this orgasmic.

Handheld gamers get a heavy dose of RPG treatment with the release of Jeanne d'Arc and Dragoneer's Aria for the PSP. Whether you want to go for turn-based or SRPG, we'd still suggest you get both. DS owners get some bite-sized fun with more Brain Age 2 training and Turn It Around - another "mini-game collection" title that'll surely get heads spinning.

Let's get ready for the plunge! On Shelves This Week include...

BioShock. Take a dive into the not-so-dead underwater city of Rapture as you FPS your way through the horror of Big Daddies and Little Sisters. Hone your skill on controlling the destructive powers of the plasmids to fight for your survival.

• Xbox 360, PC - August 21, 2007
• US$ 59.99 (Xbox 360), US$ 49.99 (PC)
  
• ESRB M (Mature 17+)
• 2K Boston/Australia and 2K Games

Jeanne d'Arc. Another RPG heading to Sony's handheld platform, but this time in the form of a tactical RPG. The game is a historical-fiction retelling of the times of Joan of Arc. And because we know Milla Jovovich reincarnated the said heroine on the silver screen, this title will probably also have some of us awake at night seeing holy visions.

• PSP - August 21, 2007
• US$ 29.99
  
• ESRB T (Teen)
  
• Level-5 and Sony Computer Entertainment

More titles behind the Full Article link below!

* Originally posted at 06:34 AM, August 20, 2007

Here's the first E3 trailer video of Crave Entertainment's pinball title Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection for the the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo Wii platforms. The video game is scheduled to become available this Summer and is a follow up to Gottlieb Pinball Classics also for the above mentioned consoles.

Anyway, just like the name implies, The Williams Collection features a total of eight classic tables including the first ever talking pinball machine Gorgar, 1984 wonder Space Shuttle, and even the table named Black Knight which introduced Magna-Save and Bonus Ball.

If you want to know more, just watch the video clip below as it also reveals some of Pinball Hall of Fame's added features. The Wii version will be priced for US$ 29.99 while the PSP version will be sold for US$ 19.99.

Game publisher Crave Entertainment is letting the word out via press wire that they'll be hosting an open house this Thursday, June 28 in New York. Among other things, the presentation will have the company showcasing their line-up of games being prepared for the Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PSP:

• Brunswick Pro Bowling
• Napoleon Dynamite
• George of the Jungle
• Spelling Challenges and More
• Crayola Adventures
• Dave Mirra BMX Challenge
• Pinball Hall of Fame: the Williams Collection

Lunch and snacks are expected to be served at the event. Crave Entertainment's press day is expected to take place on the sixth floor of the Millennium Broadway Hotel, 145 West 44th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues), in New York City, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

There's actually a lot of anime-themed genres on the Wii consoles, if you look hard enough. We've got pre-pubescent snoops (Detective Conan), bad-ass ghosts (Bleach), space operas (Kidou Senshi Gundam), ninjas (Naruto Uzumaki), and even a harem-style romance/action comedy (Mahou Sensei Negima).

And for now, we'll be adding sentai (Spelled with an "S" - get your mind our of the gutter). We've just gotten word that there's a game being prepped for the Wii, titled Power Rangers: Super Legends. This game is actually a port of the PlayStation 2 action-adventure title of the same name by Disney Interactive, and will have players choosing their favorite Power Rangers, ranging from the original Mighty Morphine team, to the Operation Overdrive team.

That's all the details we've got for the moment, although we imagine the Wii port will carry Wiimote-centric functions to innovate gameplay...coolness if the devs manage to link the Wiimote's mic to gesture controls.

C'mon, Japan - where's our Ultraman and Kamen Rider swag?

Another game we've also picked up word on is Ultimate Board Game Collection, by publisher/developer Crave Entertainment. Originally released for the PS2 and PSP platforms, this game will carry 20 different board games, with the Wii version expected to release late this August.

Crave Entertainment's getting into the bull-riding scene, it seems, as it just announced the development of a bull-riding game for multiple, though currently unnamed, platforms.

According to IGN, this bull-riding title is being developed in association with Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR), perhaps to keep the authenticity of the game intact, as well as add some celebrity riders to the game itself.

Said Sean Gleason, CMO of PBR,

Crave has spent a lot of time getting to know the intricacies of the PBR brand and the sport of bull riding and they get it! We are looking forward to working with their creative team to translate the adrenaline rush and action inherent in our sport to the major console platforms.

We'd add a tidbit here about Crave grabbing the bull by the horns, but we're pretty sure you'd just think that's a load of... well, you know. Expect the game to come out sometime during fall 2008.

 

For an event that reportedly shrank down in order to give even the smaller voices some chance in the spotlight, the new E3's "complete" list of publishers and developers is a bit disappointing to say the least. Only 32 companies (far from last year's 400) are listed in the announcement made available to the press.

The companies are: 1C Company, Activision, Akella, Atari, Atlus, Disney Interactive Studios, Capcom, Codemasters, Crave Entertainment, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Konami, LucasArts, Majesco, Microsoft, Midway, Namco Bandai Games, NCsoft, Nintendo, Sega, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Online Entertainment, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, THQ, Ubisoft, Vivendi Games, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

The reformatted E3 will consist of an exhibit hall in Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, and company-run demos in nearby hotels. Third-party press conferences will be held in a common location while platform holders will have their own bashes. The big three, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, are yet to make any announcements regarding the event.

Invitations are expected to number between 3,000 and 4,000 a fraction compared to last year's 60,000.

The new E3 is set to take place on July 11 to 13.