Gaming News Round-Up: October 25th, 2004

Author: by Simon Carless, Andrew Wilson

Today's round-up includes the final voice and soundtrack details for GTA: San Andreas, an expansion pack announcement for DOOM, nominations in progress for the Walk Of Game, and the Xbox's celebrity wining and dining tactics. - Ahead of the midnight release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and with consumer reviews of the game swiftly appearing on the web, consumer site GameSpot has taken some time to list the full list of voice actors and the complete soundtrack listing for the hotly awaited PlayStation 2 title, both previously kept a close secret by Rockstar Games. Alongside up-and-coming rapper Young Maylay as main character Carl "CJ" Johnson, voice co-stars include Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Penn, Peter Fonda, James Woods, Shaun Ryder of the Madchester group Happy Mondays, Charlie Murphy, and David Cross, among many others. The music and DJ line-up for the game is no less impressive, with DJs played by George Clinton, Chuck D, Sly & Robbie, and W. Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses. Elsewhere, American Technology Research analyst P.J. McNealy is suggesting that, at least in his estimates, the game may sell as many as 4.5 million copies in its first week, on its way to perhaps 13-15 million copies over the life of the game. Rockstar's last game in the franchise, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, has sold 12 million copies so far. - Activision issued word earlier today that it'll soon be releasing the first official PC expansion pack to DOOM 3, titled DOOM 3: Resurrection Of Evil. Closely following the recent PC debut of DOOM, calculated as the fastest selling PC first-person shooter game of all time in the U.S. by NPD Techworld, DOOM 3: Resurrection Of Evil picks up after the events of the original, following the discovery of an evil artifact endowed with the power of Hell. The expansion is currently being co-developed by id Software and Nerve Software, and will be host to new characters, weapons, locations and multiplayer support for up to eight players. DOOM 3: Resurrection Of Evil will require players to own the original title, and hasn’t yet been assigned a rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB). - The San Francisco-based Sony Metreon entertainment complex has announced the totals so far in nominations for its Walk Of Game permanent exhibit, "honoring the icons and pioneers of the videogame industry" with stars on the floor of the structure. The top standings for the 'Game/Character' category, for which four stars will be initially awarded, include: Halo - 11.5%; Link (The Legend of Zelda) - 11.5%; Mario - 10.9 %; Master Chief (Halo - 10.7%; Zelda (The Legend of Zelda) - 7.8%; Final Fantasy - 4.9%; Sonic the Hedgehog - 4.9%; Donkey Kong - 4.1%; Grand Theft Auto - 3.7%; Half-Life - 3.3%. For the 'Lifetime Achievement' category, for which two stars will be awarded this time around, the current standings are: Shigeru Miyamoto - 40.6%; Nolan Bushnell - 20.0%; Will Wright - 17.5%; Yu Suzuki - 12.5%; and Sid Meier - 9.4%. - Entertainment site MTV News has been discussing the Halo 2 Council, a "seven-member celebrity clique" specially formed to play (and help promote with their praise) the forthcoming Bungie-developed Xbox title. The Council includes rock bands Hoobastank, Incubus, and Linkin Park, as well as actors Wilmer Valderrama ("That '70s Show"), Benjamin McKenzie ("The O.C."), and Aisha Tyler ("Friends"), plus New York Giants star Jeremy Shockey. They receive a Halo 2 Pelican Case, a special suitcase featuring an Xbox alongside 15-inch, flat-screen, high-definition TV with hydraulic lifts, plus advance copies of the game and a a tour of Bungie Studios. The report also mentions the less exclusive, but still rather exclusive Playaz Club, offering free Xbox games and exclusive events to Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg, Jack Osbourne, Hilary Duff, and many other major celebrities, with the intention of getting the patina of 'cool' rubbing off on the entire Xbox line. However, Microsoft's Carlos De Leon argues the club isn't just for any old celeb, insisting: "To be a member of the Playaz Club, you have to have a religious, fanatical addiction to gaming."