Gaming News Round-Up: January 11th, 2005

Today's round-up includes news of a retro bonus for Namco's latest fighting game, further expansion by the Disney-related Buena Vista Games, and a welcome free re-release for classic Bungie titles. - The upcoming home version of Tekken 5 will include a nod to its roots by including earlier games in the series as unlockable bonuses, reports consumer website GameSpot. As yet, only the original Tekken is confirmed as an extra, but Namco is apparently considering the inclusion of Tekken 2 and 3 as well. Whether these would be the arcade versions of the game or the PlayStation releases, complete with bonus modes, went unmentioned. - Buena Vista Games, the videogame branch of Disney, has hired three new executives to oversee its European operations. Ed Bainbridge, formerly Head of European Production at Eidos Interactive, is the new Director of European Production; Sean Ratcliffe, formerly at LEGO Interactive and Electronic Arts, has been named Director of European Marketing; and Michael Jacob, formerly Executive Producer for Sierra Entertainment, assumes the role of Executive Producer. "Ed, Sean and Mike bring a wealth of games industry experience to the company, and will play a leading role in our continued growth," said Graham Hopper, senior vice president and general manager for BVG. - The maintainers of Bungie.net, the premiere Bungie Studios fansite, have landed permission to host freeware copies of all three games in the seminal Marathon series. Marathon, Marathon 2, and Marathon Infinity are currently available only to Mac users -- the files are archived using the StuffIt format -- but the site operators promise Windows-compatible files in the near future. Though the games are free to download, Bungie still retains the copyright, so players should exercise caution before using them in unsanctioned ways.