SKATE

GPB writes: It looks like the party's over for EA's Skate as far as making movies is concerned. According to an update at the official Skate Reel Share page, the servers will be shut down on March 1st for both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. Servers for the skate.Reel feature will be shut down on March 1st, 2010. No word yet if this'll effect Skate 2 at all, but it doesn't look like it at the moment.

Bungie's Halo 3 took top Game of the Year honors during the G-Phoria awards last night, broadcast by game-oriented cable television network G4. Xbox 360 was named the station's favorite system -- which falls in line with the award distribution. Of the show's 18 game awards, only four went to titles not available on Microsoft's system: Best Graphics and Best Voice Acting for Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Best Racing Game for Nintendo EAD's Mario Kart Wii, and, by default, Best Handheld Game for Ready at Dawn's God of War: Chains of Olympus.

Electronic Arts has confirmed that the second iteration of popular skateboarding title Skate is in development for PS3 and Xbox 360.

IGN reported earlier today that Skate It, a spin-off planned for the Nintendo DS and Wii, was in the works. Curiously, IGN has since pulled that report, hinting that either that information was wrong or not yet deemed fit to print by the powers that be.

US Games * Condemned 2 * Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 EU Games * Turning Point: Fall of Liberty Asian Games * Skate * Winning Post 7 Maximum 2008

At EA's Meet the Makers event held in Singapore yesterday, Tech2 had a chance to talk to John Doyle from EA's Black Box studios, Vancouver, Canada. In case you didn't know, Doyle and his team are the people behind both the Need for Speed series as well as last year's Skate.

EA Games president reveals extension of driving and skateboarding series in next fiscal year, commits long-term to Mass Effect, and says next Need for Speed will return to series' roots. Another new franchise EA is prepping a sequel for is Mass Effect, which was announced for the PC today. From the very first time now EA-owned developer BioWare showed it off in 2005, the role-playing game franchise was touted as trilogy. EA Games president Frank Gibeau's presentation today suggested it may not end there, as he told analysts that it will be a franchise for [EA] for a very long time. He also said that going forward, EA will take over publishing duties on the Mass Effect franchise from Microsoft Game Studios, which handled the game's initial release on the Xbox 360.

Yahoo has announced their Games of the Year awards, which culminated in their 2007 Overall Game of the Year. Here are the categories, winners and runners-up: ¿ Best Action Adventure Game: Super Mario Galaxy ¿ Runners-Up: Assassin's Creed, The Orange Box ¿ Best Online Multiplayer Game: Halo 3 ¿ Runners-Up: Call of Duty 4, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade ¿ Best Racing Game: Forza Motorsport 2 ¿ Runners-Up: DiRT, Project Gotham Racing 4 ¿ Best Sports Game: skate ¿ Runners-Up: FIFA 08, Madden NFL 08 ¿ Best Shooter: BioShock ¿ Runners-Up: Call of Duty 4, Halo 3 ¿ Best Party Game: Rock Band ¿ Runners-Up: Guitar Hero III, Warioware: Smooth Moves ¿ Best Role-Playing Game: Mass Effect ¿ Runners-Up: The Witcher, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade ¿ Best Strategy Game: Supreme Commander ¿ Runners-Up: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, World in Conflict ¿ Best Overall Game: Super Mario Galaxy ¿ Runners-Up: BioShock, Rock Band

Nov 14, 2007 With its revolutionary Flick-it controls, huge open world, endless trick permutations and realistic over-the-shoulder visuals, Skate shatters Tony Hawk's vice-like grip on the genre. Skate's fictional city of San Vanelona is ripe for grinds, gaps and complex combos, but the locations (or "spots") listed here offer the maximum potential for points. We've rounded up the best of the in-game "spot bible," plus our favourites from around the city. Own... The Right Grind This

The mysterious industry insider Surfer Girl reveals why EA Black Box is not working on Skate DLC, the timing behind the LucasArts-BioWare partnership, and a major studio is interested in making the Halo movie.