Activision and Vivendi Discontinue Membership with ESA

Fresh on the heels of yesterday's news of Activision not attending E3, it seems Activision and Vivendi have discontinued their membership with the ESA.

The ESA's senior VP of communications and research, Rich Taylor had this to say,

"While the Entertainment Software Association remains the preeminent voice for U.S. computer and video game publishers, we can confirm that Activision and Vivendi Games opted to discontinue their membership. The ESA remains dedicated to advancing our industry’s objectives such as protecting intellectual property, preserving First Amendment rights, and fostering a beneficial environment for the entire industry. Our high level of service and value to members and the larger industry remains unchanged."

-- Rich Taylor, Senior Vice President of Communications and Research, Entertainment Software Association





-Ryizzel

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The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon

Spyro's back in the final chapter of the Legend of Spyro trilogy, Dawn of the Dragon coming to the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS.

In the final chapter of the trilogy, players find Sypro teaming up with an unlikely ally - Cynder, his former enemy, to face his most challenging mission to date. As the Dark Master's (voiced by Mark Hamill) evil envelopes the world like a plague, Spyro must fulfill his destiny and unlock the true power of the purple dragon within him to stop the Dark Master in his tracks.

The game features a few new voice actors too, the most notable one being Wayne Brady the once-was star of Who's Line Is It Anyway and now the host of Fox's game show, Don't Forget The Lyrics.

You'll have the ability to fly whenever you want, and also to play as either Spyro or Cynder at any point in the game. Both are firsts for the Spyro series.

We'll be sure to update you more on The Legend Of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon as information is revealed.

Spyro Trilogy Culminates with Premiere on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 ; Elijah Wood, Gary Oldman, Christina Ricci, Blair Underwood, Wayne Brady and Mark Hamill Provide Voice-Over Performances

LOS ANGELES (April 28, 2008) - Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced The Legend of Spyro™: Dawn of the Dragon, the third chapter in the popular Legend of Spyro trilogy. Developed by Etranges Libellules and Tantalus, the game will be released this fall for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Wii™ home video game system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and Nintendo DS™. Reprising their roles as the characters of Spyro and his mentor Ignitus, are two popular Hollywood leading men, Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Gary Oldman (Sirius Black from the Harry Potter films). Joining the Spyro roster this year are Christina Ricci, Blair Underwood, Mark Hamill and Wayne Brady, rounding out an all-star voice cast.



In the final chapter of the trilogy, players find Sypro teaming up with an unlikely ally - Cynder, his former enemy, to face his most challenging mission to date. As the Dark Master's (voiced by Mark Hamill) evil envelopes the world like a plague, Spyro must fulfill his destiny and unlock the true power of the purple dragon within him to stop the Dark Master in his tracks.



The game introduces two never before seen elements into the Spyro universe: Spyro can now fly at any time and players can drop-in/drop-out with the new cooperative feature. The co-op feature allows players to have the option of completing the game as either Spyro or Cynder, giving them more freedom to explore Spyro's world in completely new ways.



"Spyro has grown up a lot since his debut, and players are going to notice advanced gameplay, character design and story lines in Dawn of the Dragon," said Al Simone, senior vice president, Global Marketing for Sierra Entertainment. "The game takes some exciting twists and turns - fans of the series and newcomers alike will experience non-stop fun, a renewed sense of intensity and the type of challenging adventure only Spyro can overcome."



Developed by Etranges Libellules, The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon will ship this fall for the Xbox 360®, PLAYSTATION 3 system, Wii™ and PlayStation 2 system. The Nintendo DS™ version is currently being developed by Tantalus. Vivendi Games Mobile is also making The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon available for mobile phones throughout Europe and North America.

-Undrallio

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Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant

Here he comes, racing down the trails from Sierra and Vivendi Universal. Crash Bandicoot's latest iteration has been confirmed and is on it's way as Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant.

No date is listed, but you can visit the site HERE to view a bunch of screenshots from the game. There's screenies for Xbox 360, Playstation 2, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo Wii. ICGamers claims that it will see the light of day on the PSP as well, but I saw no facts about that.

Hit the jump for information on the game.

“In Crash Bandicoot: Mind over Mutant, a rejuvenated Neo Cortex is taking over the world one brain at a time! Cortex and N. Brio devise a new kind of evil; a text-messaging, do-anything device which controls both mutant and bandicoot minds. Armed with his quick-wits and lightning agility, Crash must free his friends, the titans and save the day!”

* Monsters on Demand! - Not only does Crash keep the ability to control his enemies when he jacks them – now he can store his favorite monsters in his pocket, upgrade them and utilize their powers when they are most advantageous;
* “Free-Romping” World Design - Wumpa Island is fully realized as a real location, with a “free-romping” design that allows players to travel and explore through intersecting worlds, with different gameplay options available depending on what creature you’ve brought along for the ride;
* Girl Power! - Your co-op partner is Crash’s sister, Coco, playable for the first time in the cooperative mode. Not only does Coco make the game that much more inviting for girls to pick up and play, she also brings with her a new tactile “treasure hunt” ability;
* New Abilities - Roll-and Counter Combat System: Crash will have a fun, agile dodge move and “counter” move which will inflict extra damage on his enemies; Digging: Crash can now dig underground as real-life bandicoots really do; this will allow for Crash to unlock bonus items; Climbing: Crash can climb vertical surfaces and jump side-to-side to connected areas and dodge hazards.

-Undrallio

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