“We want the venues to be more than just window dressing. If we’re gonna create all these venues we wanted them to offer something, an actual element of the gameplay itself,” line producer Sid Misra said.

“We have different physics of the walls themselves, so if you’re playing in a gym and you have like a standard brick wall on one side, and maybe more of a fence wall on the other side, the physics of the fence versus brick play quite differently. The surface also play slightly differently.”

See the full rundown in a developer diary below. FIFA Street launches on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on May 13 in the US and May 16 in Europe.

Bonus section: Because it’s apparently against the law for any publisher to ignore Valentine’s Day, here’s another, suitably cuddly trailer called Love Skills.

SSX releases on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on February 28 in the US, and March 2 in Europe.

Thanks, EvilAvatar.

“When I was on FIFA we wanted to do something similar to the dribble system we have in Street, the one where you’re always facing the goal,” creative director Gary Paterson told Eurogamer. “But it was always a challenge for us to do it, because there are so many animations involved in that system.

“Things like that they’re evaluating now, whether there are parts of it they can take. Standing ball control, is there something there? “It’s a very intuitive and elegant mechanic but it’s not something you see too often in real football. But maybe there are elements of it that can be shared and taken. It’s something they’re evaluating right now. I don’t think any decisions have been made.”

Paterson worked on FIFA for several years during the 2000′s, as the franchise’s popularity soared. On FIFA Street, he worked “very closely” with FIFA 12′s lead gameplay designer, Aaron McHardy.

“We took a lot of FIFA 12 functionality. The engineers and designers were in close contact. Now, part of what Aaron and his team are doing now is analysing some of the stuff we’ve taken,” Paterson noted.

If EA Sports is considering taking elements from FIFA Street back into the core FIFA franchise, then it must already be quite confident in the reboot’s charms – but Paterson said the newly-resurrected property hasn’t been locked into annualisation yet.

“There have been no conversations I’m aware of around that as of yet. Obviously we’re going to have to wait and see how gamers respond to the product we put out,” he said.

“If it’s a success it’s going to be evaluated. It wouldn’t be a decision I make, but if the game’s successful I’m sure there will be conversations around how that would work.”

FIFA Street is due on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 13 in the US and March 16 in Europe.

Thanks, StrategyInformer.

EA Sports had a bit of luck promoting Grand Slam Tennis 2, managing to secure an appearance by legendary Wimbledon champion, Pat Cash, at a launch party in Sydney last week. Cash is a household name in Australia, where televised tennis, along with swimming, is practically required viewing if you expect to have any water-cooler conversations. My mum had one of those troll dolls with a tennis racquet named Pat, and would often stare dreamily at as if its puggish features would resolve into the champion’s more chiselled visage; I grew up considering him a hero. I was quite excited to meet the man, and kept inconspicuously checking my dictaphone, ready for a global headline quote about the magnificence of the PS Move motion control or something.

In fact, I gathered quite a few pithy comments about the Move controls while warming up for the tournament. Unlike Wii Sports tennis and ping pong, most gamers’ touchstones for motion control racquet sports, Grand Slam Tennis 2 aims to give you one-to-one precision control over all aspects of the racquet’s positioning, ideally granting you the ability to do slice and top spin and other manoeuvres I don’t even know the name of because I stay indoors all the time.

In practice, in a small, cramped room full of people who rarely pick up anything handier than another beer bottle and are practising that motion quite a lot, this inevitably derails into flailing, and when everyone’s a bit tired, dispirited waggling. Counter-intuitively, Grand Slam Tennis wants you to wave your Move controller well before the ball reaches your player, making the full racquet sweep and twist noticeable moments ahead of the ball actually colliding with the strings. This disconnect takes some time to process, and if my own and fellow journos performances are anything to go by, even longer to master.

I haven’t mastered it. I arrived with the intention of taking photographs and eating cake, and was promptly press-ganged into a tournament, with the grand prize of a match against Cash himself. “Oh no, I won’t play,” I demurred, edging for the food, as I was pretty sure nobody was keen to watch me go through the hours of included tutorials or explain the rules of tennis to me. EA Australia’s charming but ferocious PR reps had other ideas and after a brief warm up against a friend, which I played to a tiebreaker, I took the court against my first rival.

“I haven’t even played the demo,” he confided in me, morosely predicting a short match with me as victor. I refrained from mentioning that my last tennis game was on the Master System, and that I had quit tennis lessons after three miserable years when my coach firmly told my mother not to bring me back for fear I’d infect the other children with my incompetence.

I served first. I aced once, lost a couple of brief rallies, and then double faulted – that was it for VG247′s chance at glory, but I roped in a couple of loose freelancers to take up our cause. One made it all the way to the third round before being smashed to smithereens by a man who explained that you had to twist your wrist just so and knew the names of all the players – real names, not “that lady who grunts” and “that guy who sounds like a hat” – which I consider an unfair advantage.

Arms race

Shamed and sent to the sidelines, I started madly Googling Pat Cash in the hopes of recognising him. He looks, it turns out, rather a lot like his in-game avatar – kudos to EA Canada’s facial scanning – and none of the increasingly sweaty men in my vicinity looked right. He’ll probably turn up in a limo, we decided, with all girls and champagne and such.

Nothing so dramatic. The man wandered in, barely noticed by anyone else, handed over a backpack to a PR rep, and was promptly whisked off to a “quieter” room – that’s a euphemism for a space less crowded with increasingly intoxicated gamers and inadequate ventilation, I’d say, having taken shelter near the only source of fresh air myself. Before he left, I got in a good old stare.

“Did you see his arms!” I exclaimed.

“I don’t make a habit of looking at men’s arms,” someone replied, which is a shame, because it’s not every day a world champion athlete is walking around in short sleeves for you to have a peek at. Pat Cash has biceps like armadillos cuddling to conserve body warmth. The veins on his wrists could serve as shelves for storing small items securely. I had already been hit in the face with a flailing Move controller three times, and had made a mental note to step back once the pro had one in his grasp lest I be left bloody on the floor. There is a world of difference between a fit gym bunny and a man who smashes projectiles across a net for a living, I decided.

And that is the appeal of Grand Slam Tennis 2 in a nutshell; that it grants us access to a world we’d never otherwise see. Only a handful of people have ever achieved a Grand Slam – wins across all four major tennis tournaments – and for most of us even a friendly match is a major effort. EA Sports has been throwing the word “aspirational” around a lot lately because it’s a very neat summary of the appeal of sports games; I’m beyond bad at sports, but I can press buttons, and that means I can diligently work my way through a decade career and take a Grand Slam. (If I had a Kinect, I could even do it with my own face, which is rather neat.)

There’s something special about that – call it the crack-like appeal of RPG elements if you like, but back at the console stations, a couple of writers had started getting seriously competitive with their matches despite the lack of any progress to take home. There were roars of triumph and shouts of horror, fists pumping in the air, and at one stage what looked like it might escalate into a fistfight, but was disappointingly diffused.

My little group of eliminated hopefuls was glumly stuck on the outskirts while the tournament ran its course, and when PR returned to hand us our consolation prizes – copies of the game – there was a general exodus. I didn’t get to talk to Pat Cash about the increasing realism of games. I didn’t get a photo to show my mum. I didn’t get past the first round of the tourney. I had to put up with being gender-balanced into dozens of photos. I didn’t get any cake and I professionally eschewed the champagne. But I got a copy of Grand Slam Tennis 2, and despite my long-standing disdain for sports games, I sincerely doubt I’m the only attendee skiving off home to fire it up and live the dream.

Grand Slam Tennis 2 launched on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with move and Kinect support, on February 9 in Australia and February 10 in Europe, and is expected on February 14 in the US.

The latest snowboarding fest arrives on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on February 28 in the US, and March 2 in Europe. EA Sports announced the soundtrack yesterday, but you’ll also be able to use your own tunes, and the game remixes them as you play, depending on what you do. Neat.

Thanks, GameInformer.

Elise is a badass. Opinion, or fact? You decide. SSX arrives on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on February 28 in the US, and March 2 in Europe.

Thanks, Evil Avatar.

“The rise of digital gaming provides an opportunity to align the studio with a rapidly growing market at a time when the games industry is undergoing a significant transition,” Sega Australia said in a statement.

“As part of this focus on digital avenues, there is a requirement to re-structure the studio resources accordingly and regrettably, we are announcing the loss of 37 staff. The decision to downsize was not taken lightly but this strategic re-structure will ensure we have a more effective and agile team that will enable us to quickly adapt to consumer needs and deliver strong content across multiple digital platforms.”

The Brisbane development team had been winding down production on the near-complete London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games, and the remaining staff will soon turn their attention to future digital titles.

“We can confirm that SSA has signed a multi-product deal focussing across the digital marketplace. We have commenced development on these titles and will announce more details in the near future,” Sega said, thanking former staffers for their efforts.

Sega Studios Australia was founded as an international arm of British-based developer The Creative Assembly prior to the latter’s buyout by Sega, and was responsible for Stromrise in addition to work on the Total War series.

Our sympathies and all the best to those affected. Sega’s lay-offs come on the heels of redundancies at THQ Australia and unconfirmed reports of cuts at two EA_owned Australian mobile developers.

Thanks, PlayerAttack.

Get the video below the break, via Ripten. SSX launches on February 28 in the US and March 2 in the UK for PS3 and 360.

EA Sports has already shown off the Australian Open, so we’ll presumably see the French Open and Wimbledon soon, too. That last one should be particularly good as the publisher has an exclusivity deal, and went all-out recreating the stadia in detail.

The US Open actually takes place in August and September, but Grand Slam Tennis 2 drops on February 10 in Europe and February 14 in the US, on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

First up is Double Fine Happy Action Theater for Kinect, which allows for up to five players ages 2 to 102 to participate in 18 various, mini-fun-time shenanigans It will run you 800 MSP, but there is also a demo available if you wish to try it first.

Rhythm Party is also new to the marketplace, brought to you by the find folks which created Dance Masters. The available exclusively for Kinect, the rhythm-action game allows you to be both the choreographer and the dancer. It will run you 800 MSP and there is a demo available as well.

Avatar Onslaught 2 is available now as well for 80 MSP in the indie games section. In it, your avatar is being attacked by a “massive onslaught of evil avatars” which you can take on solo, or with a friend via online co-op. The game contains global scoreboards and has a demo available for a trial.

Games on Demand titles this week include The Last Templar, Section 8, and Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures.

The Arena DLC is also available for The First Templar for 400 MSP, and the Seek and Destroy Map Pack for Section 8 can be yours for 560 MSP.

Be sure and check the XBLM for availability in your area.

GameInformer reports top ranking Global Event players receive hefty rewards in the form of in-game credits – provided they’ve activated an online pass.

But those who pick the game up second hand and therefore don’t automatically receive an Online Pass code can still participate in Global Events, and should they qualify for any rewards, these will be stored against their user account.

Should an Online Pass-less player find themselves racking up piles of credits during online events, they can grab an Online Pass for $10, and everything they’ve qualified for so far will be retrospectively awarded.

Credits are also awarded for Explore events, and everyone can get hold of these, Online Pass or no.

“EA Sports has made a significant investment to offer immersive online services and features. We want to reserve these online services for people who pay EA to access them,” a statement noted.

“Economy balance makes it possible to unlock all available content and allows you to participate in all event drops across both Explore and Global Events, with credits earned solely in Explore.”

SSX is due on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in early March.

Madden NFL 12 ruled the final score in Super Bowl XLVI as Giants 27, Patriots 24; the Xbox 360 version was used this year.

According to EA Sports, the Giants nearly had victory snatched from their grasp during the final ten minutes of the game; the Patriots were down 24-10 before Tom Brady scored two touchdowns in rapid succession, bringing the game to a tie with just 1:50 still to play.

Patriots kicker Lawrence Tynes secured the game with 40-yard field goal at the very last moment. Giants quarterback Eli Manning won most valuable player with 25 successful passes, two touchdowns and an interception.

The Madden NFL Super Bowl simulation has correctly predicted the winning team six times over the last eight years – notably choosing the wrong side in 2008, the last occasion on which the Giants and Patriots battled for the championship.

The Super Bowl, for those not of an NFL persuasion, is the ultimate match of the American football season, and this year kicks off on February 3. Not a football fan? It’s still definitely worth watching, because they’re going to show the full Bark Side and Ferris Bueller commercials.

Thanks, Evil Avatar.

SSX is expected on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on February 28 in the US, and March 2 in Europe.

Thanks, Evil Avatar.

It’s out on February 28 in the US and March 2 in the UK for PS3 and 360.

The Capcom 3DS horror entered at sixth following its release last week.

The rest of the line-up is all movers and shakers, with last week’s number nine Rayman Origins shunted out of the top ten. It’s now found itself in 12th.

The top ten for the week ending January 28 is below. Last week’s data is here.

• 1 – FIFA 12
• 2 – Modern Warfare 3
• 3 – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• 4 – Just Dance 3
• 5 – Battlefield 3
• 6 – Resident Evil: Revelations
• 7 – Zumba Fitness
• 8 – Saints Row: The Third
• 9 – Assassin’s Creed; Revelations
• 10 – Zumba Fitness 2

Grand Slam Tennis 2 arrives on February 10 in Europe, and February 14 in the US, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Check out our preview for more information.

FIFA Street is a reinvention of the series of the same name, and is the first to be built on the core FIFA engine. It’s expected on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in mid-March.

Batty said that the genre being dead was “something that I refuse to believe”.

“Arcade games are challenging to design. On one hand, many players expect instant gratification from an arcade title and have little tolerance for an overly steep learning curve,” he said.

“This is actually true of most games today, but is even more important in this type of game. On the other hand, with a shallow learning curve and instant gratification comes the perception (which is often true) that the game lacks depth and is therefore only going to be enjoyable for a short time.”

He continued the development team had adapted a creed during the development of the game: “make awesome easy, and make oh-my-god really hard”.

“Rather than following a more traditional zero-to-hero learning curve, SSX lets you feel like a hero from the first time you pick up the controller. And from there, with a little practice, or in some cases a LOT of practice, you can start to perform like a superhero.”

There’s a new video of it in action below, featuring the three main aspects of the game: Race, Trick, Survive. There’s also new screens and information of the PS3-exclusive mountain Mt, Fuji at the link.

The reboot launches on February 28 in the US and March 2 in Europe for PS3 and 360.

The tagline “defy reality” sure seems appropriate here, doesn’t it? Read more about Eddie on EA’s blog. SSX releases on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on February 28 in the US, and March 2 in Europe.

Thanks, EvilAvatar.

Street Network will “encourage social competition among players” and will allow users to capture videos of their “best tricks” and share with friends. In addition, friends will be able to track and compare each other’s progress throughout the game, including World Tour story mode and Head-to-Head Online Seasons and follow updated through EA SPORTS Football Club.

“Street football is all about the one-on-one battle, when you pull off a trick to roast your opponent,” said producer Sid Misra. “The Street Network brings that real-world swagger into the game by enabling players to capture video of those moments and share them with everyone in their street network to see, and providing friends with a way to compare each other throughout the game.”

According to the blurb: “The Street Network will enrich the World Tour story mode, where gamers create a team of friends and compete in a connected world against other FIFA Street gamers’ teams. Players will be able to follow each other’s status as they build their squads, unlock new tricks, and progress through the story of their journey to street football glory. Players will be able to share and compare progress with friends directly in the Street Network and it will also broadcast in-game videos like “Goals of the Week”, and alert friends to each other’s accomplishments throughout the game.”

FIFA Street will be made available for PS3 and Xbox 360.

Normally reserved for summer and autumn, sports is coming early to games this year thanks to EA. First up is the traditional winter knockabout: tennis.

Successor to the Wii-exclusive original, Grand Slam Tennis 2 is so-named because it is the only tennis game – among a respectable number of popular competitors – to offer players the chance to secure a Grand Slam. For those who don’t spend their summers glues to the TV getting neck sprain, that means emerging as champion from the four major tennis tournaments, or Slams – the Australian Open, the French Open, the US Open, and Wimbledon. Only five adult players have ever won a singles Grand Slam over the course of a single year, making it a sporting dream so far beyond the average joe’s grasp.

Nevertheless, you’re going to try. Your created character is carefully nurtured over a decade through to champion level. There’s a full suite of training tools to help you warm up to exhibition matches, unlock the career points necessary to compete in tournaments – forming rivalries with other stars and unlocking new gear along the way – and finally, to seed in the Slams.

If you’re not into fiddling with facial characteristics, but long to see yourself replicated on-screen, pick up the Xbox 360 version – the Kinect-enabled Gameface will do most of the hard work for you. Otherwise, the editor used to create your would-be champion is quite robust, even giving you the chance to specify how often, via slider, your rising star should grunt while exerting themselves (on a scale of Roger Federer to Maria Sharapova, producer Liam Miller suggested). You can select from a number of demeanours, too, opting for a restrained, dignified facade or a showier, more emotional type.

Just like John McEnroe, then; but if your efforts to build a colourful sportsman don’t match up to the real thing, why, the real thing is available, too. Grand Slam Tennis 2 doesn’t take itself as seriously as the niche fanatic audience might like, instead opting to provide a kind of every man’s tennis experience, packing in names from several decades of tennis history. Of the 23 characters, there’s almost certain to be on you’ve heard of, from Lleyton Hewitt to the Williams sisters, famous rivals Federer and Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras and Pat Cash.

While star athletes can’t risk injury performing the exhaustive motion capture required for true authenticity, EA Canada took body scans of the real deal, and then hired high-level professional players for the performance grunt work. The attention to detail extends past looks and animation to gear – players are dressed and equipped in the most up-to-date and accurate way possible.

The Australian Open models are almost eerily exact replicas of the players flinging themselves about in Melbourne this month. The animation on hair and clothes is robustly physics-powered, an aesthetic whimsy which Miller credits as essential to the “fluidity” and “elegance” of high-level tennis play.

Equal attention has been lavished on the grounds. EA Sports has licensed all four Slam tournaments, and has an exclusivity deal for three of Wimbledon’s courts. This gave the development team the freedom to go nuts on details, collecting thousands of photographic references. How far down does the detail go? Right down to the colour and kinds of flowers at Wimbledon, Miller asserted.

It’s not just skin deep, either, because EA Canada wants a healthy dose of simulation accuracy with its order of tennis fantasy. Players slip on the clay of Roland Garros and bounce on the grass at Wimbledon; very different prospects to the hard surfaces in Melbourne and New York.

On that note, the transition from WiiMote to control pad seems to have gone well. The PlayStation 3 version supports the Move controller, and EA Canada is pretty pleased with the tech, but its the analog sticks Miller seems most proud of.

It’s pretty simple; the left stick sends your player running back and forth across the court, while the right stick does everything else – and “everything” is quite a lot. With a stab or a slingshot motion, you can specify the power of the shot, its placement, and spin, all by controlling – in a more accurate use of the term “analog” – the position and movement of your racquet. This is no WiiSports; if you’ve never held a racquet in your life (or just play like you haven’t), you’ll probably want to spend a few hours in those training modules.

Tennis isn’t everybody’s cup of tea but EA Sports has applied the same aspirational simulation model which has been so successful in its other titles, so that even a hardened sports hater like myself can’t help but feel the lure.

Once you’ve mastered it, though, there’s plenty more to do beyond tucking a Grand Slam or two under your sponsored belt; you can unlock Classic Matches, for a start, and either relive – or rewrite – real world match-ups dating back to the 1970′s. While probably of most interest to tennis buffs, thanks to the breadth of the cast even a cursory familiarity with the sport’s history should yield an interest, and successfully completing Classic match unlocks more, up to 25.

After that, you can take your game online. Singles and doubles matches mean you can play with up to three friends, and EA Canada swears by its netcode, promising a “virtually lag-free experience”. The developer has also taken inspiration from the success of Football Club and Autolog to launch a Battle of the Nations in addition to regular global and local leaderboards, pitting nation against nation.

Tennis isn’t everybody’s cup of tea but EA Sports has applied the same aspirational simulation model which has been so successful in its other titles, so that even a hardened sports hater like myself can’t help but feel the lure. There’s something about the RPG-like progression teamed with sufficiently challenging controls, and the incredibly lofty goal of netting a Grand Slam – perhaps, collectively, more Grand Slams than the US – which speaks to the competitive gamer lurking in my out-of-shape heart. Be right back – gotta practice my backhand.

Grand Slam Tennis 2 arrives for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on February 9 in Australia, February 10 in Europe, and February 14 in the US. A demo is available now.

“I think the size and scope of our world and the number of tracks is an order of magnitude bigger. I think our game is bigger than all the other SSX games combined, in terms of levels and tracks you can ride,” SSX creative director Todd Batty told CVG.

Batty name-dropped a number of games as inspiration for various aspects of SSX. Need for Speed and Burnout both have high-octane racing in common, but other choices are a little more obscure.

Plants vs Zombies, Batty explained, was the inspiration for SSX’s growing inventory of tactical equipment, and World of Warcraft gave EA Canada the idea to rank equipment in tiers.

Borderlands also spiced up the gear system.

“We looked at the procedurally generated weapons and we thought, we could do that with snowboards,” citing the “literally millions” of items available to buy in the in-game store.

Even call of Duty: Black Ops left its mark, on SSX’s global events, which players can earn in and bet credits on.

SSX launches on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in late February in the US and early March in Europe.

The utterly fantastic Ubisoft platformer enters at nine, just ahead of Bethesda’s RAGE.

For FIFA, it’s now on its seventh week at the top if you include the two weeks it was there since its launch in October last year. It’s now the highest grossing sports game in the UK ever.

The rest of the top five consists of Skyrim, Just Dance 3, Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3.

Find the top ten for the week ending January 21 below. Last week’s data is here.

• 1 – FIFA 12
• 2 – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• 3 – Just Dance 3
• 4 – Modern Warfare 3
• 5 – Battlefield 3
• 6 – Zumba Fitness
• 7 – Saints Row: The Third
• 8 – Zumba Fitness 2
• 9 – Rayman Origins
• 10 – RAGE