Michael thinks so too – in fact, in an interview on 60 Minutes he just let slip that there is indeed one in development. No further details were forthcoming and the sorry excuses for journalists they employ on Minutes these days didn’t pursue the point. Activision are yet to confirm that they are working on such a title, though they would seem to be the likely choice.

We are going to go out on a limb here and assume that the game will involve swimming in some form, allthough we strongly suspect that there is no physical activity that Phelps is not the best at – except perhaps failing – so who knows?

Michael Phelps game in development [Gaming Target]

Reason we bring this up is that Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 will be taking centre stage on Italian Serie A club Lazio’s jersey for their game next week (and that game only) against Inter Milan. Just in time for the Christmas shopping rush.

It’s a smart move on the part of Konami. FIFA has beaten Pro Evo at both the sales register and the reviews circuit for the first time since, oh, ever, so the more exposure the series gets in front of die-hard football nuts, the better.

PES 2009 e S.S. Lazio dal calcio virtuale a quello reale

Siglato l’accordo tra S.S. Lazio e Digital Bros S.p.A., distributore esclusivo per l’Italia del videogioco PES 2009, per la sponsorizzazione della partita Lazio-Inter del 6 dicembre p.v..
PES 2009, il videogioco di calcio edito da Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH, si conferma “il più amato d’Italia”, attestandosi al vertice delle classifiche di vendita italiana ed internazionale.
Continuando la tradizione, infatti, anche quest’anno PES surclassa il successo delle edizioni precedenti registrando, ad un mese dal lancio, oltre 675.000 copie vendute solo nel nostro Paese.

Grazie alla partnership con S.S. Lazio, oggi, PES 2009, raggiunge un nuovo record: è il primo videogame ad essere main sponsor di una squadra di calcio per una partita di Campionato di Serie A, passando così dai campi virtuali a quelli reali.

In occasione della 15° giornata di campionato, infatti, i biancocelesti indosseranno una maglia speciale – un vero “pezzo unico” – che riprodurrà il marchio di PES 2009.

Per Digital Bros e PES 2009, la collaborazione con la S.S. Lazio, rappresenta una scelta importante che apre un nuovo orizzonte sul mondo del calcio i cui dettagli verranno spiegati nel corso di una speciale conferenza stampa congiunta, che si terrà venerdì 5 dicembre alle ore 12.00 presso la sede della società sportiva a Formello (Roma), via Santa Cornelia, 1000.

If you did not like Rugby League 2 then in all likelihood you will not like this version, and you should consider purchase carefully.

The title has been popular with League nuts, so a refreshed line up of teams (hello Titans fans), players, stadiums, and ‘Twilight NRL Grand Final Stadia’, plus a World Cup mode, should mean fans of the sport and the game will have fun playing their own version of the event. No release date yet, but the tournament begins end of next week so I would hope this things lands before the tournament passes by or they’ll certainly have missed the window of interest.

Rugby League 2 WCE site and FAQ in its forums.

The Live edition will essentially be a football MMO, with multiple servers hosting different sets of competing teams. Players can subscribe for as little as 3 months (How will that work? Will AI take over for the rest of the season if they bail?) with free additional content available every few months.

SI’s Miles Jacobson said, “This year there’ll be a limited amount of game worlds launched, which are available for people to pre-order at the moment, and they should be released before the end of the year. Then there’ll be a proper push on FML early next year.”

Football MMO Coming from Sports Interactive [Softpedia]

Level-5 announces Inazuma Eleven 2 for the Nintendo DS [Gamekyo]

Just imagine your favourite player starts taking off, making a real name for themselves in the game. Kids on the playgrounds (they still have those, right?) start mimicking their moves, the team they’re in becomes a showcase for their talents. The Living Roster system will allow 2K to deliver their moves into the game, changing as often as the whims of the hardcore basketball crowd. Of course some of us won’t be satisfied until we get real-time facial hair growth, but it’s a good start.

2K Sports Gets More Real with Living Rosters in NBA® 2K9

Fans will receive the most up-to-date player attributes, player tendencies, and unlockable animations

September 22, 2008 – 2K Sports today announced details on Living Rosters, an exciting new innovative online feature for this season’s highly anticipated basketball title, NBA 2K9. Living Rosters will ensure dedicated fans are playing with the most up-to-date and complete basketball experience ever available in the NBA 2K franchise. In addition to delivering constant updates to player ratings and player tendencies, Living Rosters will also offer exclusive access to unlockable animation packages for players in the game. When a player starts to heat up and takes his game to the next level on the real courts, new animation packages will unlock for that player in the video game. As the NBA season progresses, so will NBA 2K9, as players will have the ability to pull off new moves never seen before in the video game, adapt their offensive and defensive rotations, and shift starting lineups as they occur. If it happens during the regular NBA season, it will happen in NBA 2K9 thanks to Living Rosters.

When the Living Rosters feature is activated and a gamer signs in online, the game automatically checks for Living Roster updates in order to download the latest real-life player information in a seamless process behind the scenes. Gamers will have an option to either have Living Rosters automatically update their in-game roster information, or they can choose to download new roster data manually.

Once Living Rosters has successfully completed an update, NBA 2K9 fans can then review the different player and gameplay updates from the NBA 2K Insider – a real person working behind the scenes, pouring over the stats and spreadsheets, and who is ultimately responsible for the content and accuracy of the Living Rosters updates. However, the Insider’s job is much more than just crunching numbers – they will interact with the community and listen to roster update suggestions to determine what the fans really want in each update. The NBA 2K Insider’s analysis and commentary will be available in-game and on the 2K Sports website, www.2ksports.com.

The Adidas Live Season add-on will use a network of real-world fact finders and stat-grinders to compile performance reports on all the players in Britain’s Barclay’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga BBVA, France’s Ligue 1, the German Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A and the Mexican Primera Division.

Phew. That’s a lot of stats. EA’s Andrew Wilson claims that

“The game will feel and play differently each week. With Adidas Live Season if Ronaldinho has a great match on the weekend you’ll feel the difference when you pick up the controller as his in-game attributes increase.”

Contrariwise, it might be a bit galling to be playing your favourite team only to find that real-world injuries rob you of your virtual dreams as well. So much for escapism.

Take a look at the full details after the jump.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – August 20, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced a new premium service for EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 09 called adidas Live Season that will redefine the soccer videogame experience by dynamically updating player form in-game on a weekly basis so that player attributes mirror real-world performances. FIFA Soccer 09 will now feel and play differently throughout the entire 2008-2009 season matching the weekly rhythm of soccer. The new service will be available for Barclay’s Premier League, La Liga BBVA, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A and Mexican Primera Division on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and PC.

FIFA Soccer 09 is now powered with dynamic real-world data and analytics, lifting the game to new heights of authenticity for soccer fans and gamers connected online. The adidas Live Season service is based on how real players performed in the most recent real-world matches. Gameplay will change dynamically as the performance of players and soccer teams in the real world experience the highs and lows during their campaigns.

“This is an ambitious and completely unique feature that has never been attempted before for football videogames,” said Andrew Wilson, Vice President & Executive Producer for the franchise. “The game will feel and play differently each week. With adidas Live Season if Ronaldinho has a great match on the weekend you’ll feel the difference when you pick up the controller as his in-game attributes increase.”

A global network of scouts will monitor every player in the adidas Live Season leagues throughout the season to supply accurate and in-depth player and team data each week. Player attributes will be impacted and player performance will change dynamically. The adidas Live Season service is downloaded into FIFA Soccer 09 each week and will run from the launch of the game to the end of the 2008-2009 season. Gamers will have access to one league of their choice for a free* trial from the moment they activate it to the end of the 2008-2009 season.

Today, EA also announced it has secured an exclusive licensing agreement with the Spanish Liga BBVA and Adelante. The exclusive partnership with the Spanish La Liga grants EA SPORTS sole rights to include every Spanish La Liga club and enables the EA SPORTS FIFA franchise to deliver the most realistic and up-to-date game with current kits, squads and player likenesses.

“La Liga is widely regarded as one of the most exciting leagues in the world and we’re delighted to have been able to secure this deal,” said Romain Rossi, Marketing Director, EA SPORTS. “The FIFA franchise has always delivered the most authentic game experience and this relationship will enable us to maintain the high standards fans have come to expect from EA SPORTS.”

A FIFA Soccer 09 demo will be available for download on September 11 worldwide on the PLAYSTATION®Network and Xbox LIVE™.

This year FIFA Soccer 09 delivers unique, platform specific experiences that takes advantage of the hardware specifications of each available platform– the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii™, PC, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and mobile.

To learn more about FIFA Soccer 09 visit www.FIFA09.ea.com.

For a mere five English pounds (or 7 Euros – weirdly, there are no US Dollar prices. Can’t think why) you can fill your PSP with 45 minute chunks of footy clips provided by Sky Sports as well as other sporting highlights in the Go!View Sports Pack.

Hit the jump for the full press release, with more details of what will be shown

Barclays Premier League Football available on GO!VIEW

Don’t just talk about the football – re-live it!

Football fans will be thrilled to hear that the best of this season’s Barclays Premier League will be available on GO!VIEW, the video on-demand service for the PlayStation Portable (PSP™). Following the big kick off this weekend, from Sunday 17th August, PSP™ owners will be able to transfer 45 minutes of extended highlights from Sky Sports matches to watch on the go – or wherever they want!

Throughout the new season, GO!VIEW customers will be able to watch a great range of Barclays Premier League football from hundreds of Sky Sports games. Sky Sports will show 92 Live Barclays Premier League games this season and a further 242 ‘near live’ matches, ensuring that all GO!VIEW customers will be able to access games involving their favourite Premier League team.

In addition, highlights from the season’s best games so far will also be available ongoing from October for fans to transfer to their PSP™ so they can relive the highs and lows of the current campaign.

The football content on GO!VIEW is available as part of the monthly ‘Sports’ subscription packs which offers content from across the sporting world, and includes cricket, golf, boxing and extreme sports. New GO!VIEW customers can get a one month trial subscription to the Sports Pack as well – as the two other Subscription Packs; Comedy and Entertainment – absolutely free!

In addition to the subscription packs, selected Movies to Rent and Latest TV to Rent can be transferred via the rental service on GO!VIEW. Subscription packs are priced at £5 (€7) for 1 pack, £8 (€11) for 2 packs and £10 (€14) for all three packs and with everyone who registers for the service at www.goview.tv receiving a free month’s subscription, there’s no better time to be a PSP owner!

www.goview.tv

GO!VIEW is a joint venture between Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Sky who have established the joint venture ‘GO!VIEW Entertainment UK’. This is being used to bring the PSP video-on-demand to market in the UK, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands & the Isle of Man. Sky is providing their expertise in building successful video-on-demand platforms as well as content acquisition. Sony Computer Entertainment is providing the marketing for the service.