Nintendo Wii, DS, PS3 Joining In On WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008
March 31, 2007
THQ Inc. and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. today announced that WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 is in development for multiple gaming platforms, including the franchise debut on Nintendo’s Wii video game console, Nintendo DS and the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. In addition, development is underway for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStationPortable) system and wireless devices. WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 will mark the largest cross-platform launch for the market-leading franchise and is expected to begin shipping to retail outlets worldwide this fall.
“We are extremely pleased with the success of the SmackDown vs. Raw franchise and its continued growth to a widespread audience, particularly in our European markets,” said Bob Aniello, senior vice president, worldwide marketing, THQ. “With the addition of fresh, innovative game play on the Wii, the tremendous capabilities of the PLAYSTATION 3 system and unique handheld experiences for Nintendo DS and wireless devices, gamers can now truly live the life of a WWE Superstar and choose from numerous ways to play.”
“We are excited about the incredible potential for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 as the franchise expands to six platforms,” said Nelo Lucich, vice president of interactive, JAKKS Pacific. “The game’s new Superstar Fighting Styles and Struggle Submission System, combined with year-over-year improvements, are certain to bring the sports entertainment video game experience to new heights with long-standing franchise fans and casual gamers alike.”
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 will let players take the fight into their own hands with the debut of Superstar Fighting Styles. The game features eight unique styles, each having its own strategy and exclusive attributes. A brand new Struggle Submission System will give players intuitive and natural control over their WWE Superstars by using the game’s popular analog controls. Realism and strategy are at the forefront, as players will now control the amount of pressure they apply to their opponents. In addition, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 will feature a significant Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) presence, including a variety of Superstars, arenas and weapons. The game is also packed with significant updates requested by fans, including new rosters, more environmental hotspots, a combined Season and General Manager Mode experience, improved out-of-ring action, enhanced online community support and much more. The Nintendo DS version of the video game will offer a unique game play experience, including touch screen control over Superstars, situation-based fighting with unique holds and a full year of nonstop action in WWE Season Mode.
Source: THQ
US Iraq Spending Bill With Troop Withdrawal Approved By Senate
March 30, 2007
The Senate has passed a war funding bill that includes wording on a troop withdrawal.
The final Senate vote (51-47) was largely along party lines, with majority Democrats declaring victory.
Only two Senate Republicans - Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Gordon Smith of Oregon - voted for the bill, which sets a goal of moving U.S. troops out of Iraq in about a year.
The legislation must now be reconciled with a version passed earlier by the House of Representatives, which mandates a pullout by the end of August of 2008.
President Bush has said any bill that contains a timetable for withdrawal is not only unacceptable, but a formula for disaster.
Shortly before the Senate vote, he met at the White House with all the Republican members of the House of Representatives - the first such meeting of the Bush presidency. They consulted behind closed doors, and then appeared as a group before cameras - the House members closing ranks around the president.
“We stand united in saying loud and clear that when we have got a troop in harms way, we expect that troop to be fully funded,” he said. “And we have got commanders making tough decisions on the ground, we expect there to be no strings on our commanders.”
But Democrats remain unmoved, and are vowing to press forward despite the threat of a presidential veto. Patty Murray of Washington State led the drive to pass the bill in the Senate.
“We are taking a major step forward in saying that we are no longer going to idly stand by without any debates, without any discussion, without any consequences and move continuously to increase the war in Iraq,” she said. “We have said it is time for us as a nation to tell the Iraqi people they need to stand up for themselves.”
Senate Republicans fought the bill to the last, warning that valuable time is being wasted, as the Pentagon waits for the money needed to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. They said Democrats do not have the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto, and are pushing the bill to make political points.
Republican Richard Shelby of Alabama said by passing the bill, the Democrats have named a “date for defeat.”
“We have taken a step backwards. We have put an arbitrary deadline on our military. It is the wrong message at the wrong time,” he said. “Surely this will embolden the enemy. It will not help our troops in any way. It is a big mistake.”
Moments after the Senate vote, a panel was named to begin negotiations with the House to reconcile their two different versions of the bill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she expects the compromise that will go to the president will include language on a troop pullout, despite his promised veto.
Source: VOA
Southern Africa Critical Of Robert Mugabe Clampdown
March 30, 2007
Southern Africa leaders are meeting the Tanzanian capital in special session called to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe and recent political events in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The meeting in Dar Es Salaam is being held against the backdrop a renewed crackdown by the Zimbabwe government on members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Senior opposition officials were arrested and brutally beaten by police. Dozens of mid-level activists have been detained and beaten before being released.
President Robert Mugabe seemed confident as he arrived in Tanzania, but the meeting is unlikely to be a comfortable experience for the 83-year-old ruler.
The head of the Capetown-based Transitional Justice-in-Africa Program, Brian Raftopoulos, told VOA regional leaders are losing patience with the deteriorating political situation in Zimbabwe, and in recent weeks some have shifted from private censure to public criticism.
“On the other hand, there is clearly a realization in SADC that this is no longer a sufficient position for him to take and one needs to find a way beyond the rhetorical excesses of Robert Mugabe,” he said.
Speaking during a special debate on Zimbabwe in South Africa’s parliament Wednesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Sue van der Merwe said that an absence of open political dialogue in Zimbabwe is sinking the country ever deeper into political crisis. Van der Merwe said her government disapproved of the actions of the security forces against Zimbabwean opposition leaders in recent weeks, and urged Harare to respect the human rights of Zimbabwean citizens.
The meeting of 11 regional leaders, including South African President Thabo Mbeki, is being chaired by Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete. The Southern Africa Development Community has asked Mr. Kikwete, along with heads of Namibia and Angola, to take the lead in dealing with the Zimbabwe crisis.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe police said they seized weapons and ammunition Wednesday in a raid at the MDC offices and the homes of some of the opposition party’s leaders. Dozens of people were arrested in the raids, and police also confiscated computers. The raids followed a series of bombings, mostly at police stations around the country.
The secretary-general of the Morgan Tsvangerai faction of the MDC, Tendai Biti, denied his party is stockpiling weapons or engages in acts of terror, and he repudiated suggestions it is behind the bombings.
Source: VOA