This just in: 11-year EA veteran Neil Young left his position in the company. Details were kept pretty vague, but the word is that he's out for a "new project." Why did he leave and who's going to take his place? Details after the jump.

Granted, the video game console is rapidly becoming saturated with the same genres: shooters, action, sports, sandbox. Innovation did happen, but a lot of it was stove-piped, locked within the genre rather than in the greater world of console gaming itself.

Brave is a title that bucks conventions and is willing to take risks. One more recent development was bringing the traditionally PC-centric real-time strategy genre to consoles, which until games like Full Spectrum Warrior and Battle for Middle-Earth II, were rather clunky and painful affairs. But now, we have Command & Conquer 3, and Ensemble is spinning Halo Wars up to speed.

In the same vein I'm taking another PC-centric game genre and looking at its chances in console gaming. Except this time, unlike RTS games, I'm less confident about its chances - not because it can't be done, but out of the fear that just like innovation, interests in console gaming are rather stove-piped as well. And for the most part, the console is locked to shooters, action, sports, and sandbox.

Pity, really. Consoles could be a potential breakout ground for the submarine simulator.

Thar she blows up, Cap'n. Appreciation - and cynicism - for console subsims after the jump.

Recently we posted a bit of news regarding the Electronic Arts-Steven Spielberg collaboration for the Nintendo Wii. Both parties still won't reveal any game details, but GameDaily did manage to get a few new bits of info from EALA's Vice President and General Manager , Neil Young.

In our last post on this subject we mentioned some background details on the first of the three titles EA's cooking up with Spielberg. While the third title remains a mystery, Young revealed to GameDaily that the second title is "really not in [the Doug Church-produced game's] vein, and Lou Castle is producing that game." Castle is one of the co-founders of Westwood Studios and is one of those responsible for the Command & Conquer series.

It looks like the games are coming along nicely, too. Young said that the relationship between EA and Spielberg is "a very close collaborative relationship" and that "it's really wonderful spending time with him." We'll be keeping you guys posted as soon as more details emerge.

...And the Medal of Honor: Vanguard goodies just keep pouring in. Just a few hours ago we brought you all-new screens for the WWII-themed FPS from EALA, and while that was cool and all, we bet you're still curious as to how the battlefield warfare will play out on your screens.

So to satisfy that curiosity of yours, we're gonna share with you this action-packed trailer we found floating around GameTrailers. Watch and learn as the members of the infantry make no qualms about storming into various locations and blowing their enemies' heads off. You'll also be able to see whether EALA really delivers the cinematic moments and enhanced graphics system that they promise. But enough with the chitchat, we'll just leave you with the vid and you be the judge.

EA has remained pretty tight-lipped about this upcoming WWII-themed FPS that's currently cooking in their LA labs, Medal of Honor: Vanguard. And we gotta be honest, when it was first announced for the Wii, it was met with...meh...lukewarm responses. Some of you even said that unless it has a multiplayer feature, you wouldn't consider getting this game.

Well. While we can't do anything about that, or assure you guys that it will have a multiplayer mode, what we can do though is give you even more sneak peeks into this game to help you gauge and decide whether it will be making rounds on your consoles. How, you ask? Via these brand new screens!

Now just in case you've forgotten, MoH Vanguard will place players squat in the middle of the WWII where you'll take on the role of Frank Keegan, Corporal of the 82nd Airborne Division and lead your team as you go out in battlefields across Europe. The game will also feature Wii-specific combat controls wherein the Wiimote will be used for aiming and firing, while the Nunchuk's analog stick and two buttons will control player movement.

If at this point, your interest has been piqued, make sure you watch out for Medal of Honor: Vanguard when it hits shelves this March.

More stunning screens await in the full article!

Could we blame skeptics from saying that "console RTS" won't work? Real-time strategy (RTS) and its close cousin, real-time tactics (RTT), have always been the domain of the personal computer, with its mouse and keyboard. The traditional console controller is ill-suited for the rigors of battle strategy. And with some disappointing attempts to port PC RTS titles to consoles - including the early Command & Conquer titles to PSOne and StarCraft on the N64 - somehow the cry went up from both sides of the gaming world: stick to the status quo.

This is where Electronic Arts, stubborn EA, comes in. Criticized as they are for a number of gaffes in the past year (alone), we'd always held that sometimes, even they can get some things right, or at least good enough. Backing EALA's bold attempts to put RTS into console gaming (starting with The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth II) might be one of them. And now a bolt from the blue dev, Tiki Games, plans to craft a real-time strategy title for, among others, the handheld PSP.

A crazy effort - ludicrous, even? Or is it finally time some boundaries are breached, some lines blurred? Is the core idea of real-time strategy breaking free (because there's not a star in heaven that they can't reach)? Short of beating the 360 Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars out of EALA right now for a review, we try instead to deconstruct the idea behind strategy games, and see where they fit in the matrix of the gaming console.

Short version of the verdict: it can, and it will - if you're willing to be as wily as Sun Tzu on a coffee high, that is.

Sun Tzu says: Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for purposes of spying and thereby they achieve great results. Intelligence analysis of strategy gaming on consoles after the jump, Commander.

Gamespot was able to score an interview just recently with EALA's senior producer Matt Sentell. They talked about the company's upcoming WWII game, Medal of Honor: Vanguard.

The interview is actually pretty short and concise, so stay with us as we give you a quick run-through of the topics discussed:

How will Vanguard set itself apart from other WWII games?: Sentell remains positive that the game's features such as upgradeable weapons, extensive combat dialogue, cinematic moments, enhanced AI and graphics system will set Vanguard apart from the WWII-themed war games proliferating the market right now.

On the Wiimote and Nunchuk: The Wiimote will be used for aiming and firing, while the Nunchuk's analog stick and two buttons will control player movement. Also, Sentell says:

Jumping, crouching, aiming, reloading, and even turning around 180 degrees are all things you can do with the simplest of gestures. These functions are also bound to buttons, so players can choose between gestures and button presses in exploring their own play style.

Online features: Medal of Honor: Vanguard will have split-screen multiplayer for both the Wii and PS2 versions, two to four players in deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and King of the Hill. Vanguard will also have a new multiplayer mode called Scavenger Hunt, where you'll be racing against your enemies to gather the most supply drops that'll be scattered throughout the battlefield.

And just in case you're wondering whether you'll be able to use your Miis in the game, sadly the answer is no. It just doesn't go with the whole war theme, you know? When Gamespot asked which other Wii features the game will make use of, Sentell said that they actually focused on maximizing the usage of the Wii's unique controllers.

Sentell says that they will be revealing more game details as the game's March 2007 release date nears so we advise you keep checking back with us, you never know when these new info might drop. We'll keep you posted.

EA has just announced today a new WWII game for the Wii that is currently under development in their Los Angeles labs, Medal of Honor Vanguard.

Medal of Honor Vanguard is the latest installment from EA's Medal of Honor franchise (Airborne for 360 and PS3, Heroes for PSP) which has been said to be the pioneer in the whole FPS-WWII genre back in 1999.

So, what's in store for us in Medal of Honor: Vanguard?

Players will get to take on the role of Frank Keegan, Corporal of the 82nd Airborne Division and lead your team as you go out in battlefields across Europe. You'll also get to take on Operation Husky in Sicily and Operation Varsity inside Nazi Germany (among many others) as you struggle to liberate Europe. Vanguard will the first game from the franchise to appear on the Wii, and EA promises that the game will make full use of the console's unique controllers.

Medal of Honor: Vanguard is slated for release in March 2007 for the Wii and PS2.