The Sims 2: Castaway Stories, the new tropical island-themed entry in the series, may be heading to DS. Gamefly, the online rental service, has the game listed on its site. According to the listing, it's due for an October 11th release.

It's a shame this is coming out in October, as this would make a great summer title. Who wouldn't want to sit on the beach, stylus in one hand, cocktail in the other, designing the perfect holiday island paradise?

The stylus should suit the series perfectly; getting that beach furniture in just the right spot should be a cinch. As well as the usual Sims fare, there will also be a story mode wherein you'll be able to guide your character through life's various challenges; don't be surprised if there's a whole heap of romance in there, too.

[Via Siliconera]

Fanboy reader and Xbox360Achievements.org Staffer DAKing240 posted an interesting rumor. The italics are necessary because while his source is directly from EA, he was asked to be kept anonymous. So really, it's kind of confirmed yet kind of not. The rumor itself, is that aside from Boom Boom Rocket, EA has more Xbox Live Arcade titles in the works. The one he got specific information about was a Xbox Live multiplayer Asteroids knock off, that is currently in beta testing. Also gleaned from the source's statement is that there are various weapons and power ups as well as the multiplayer sounds like it supports more than 2 players. That's all we have for now but evidently EA may be releasing more information in the near future. We'll keep you posted. So, does "4 player Geometry Wars" pique your interest? Or do you expect there to be Marketplace downloads required for each weapon, power up, and life?

Games Workshop's Warhammer franchise has provided the setting for multiple PC strategy titles over the past ten years including Shadow of the Horned Rat, Dark Omen, and the recently released Mark of Chaos. Next year, Electronic Arts plans to bring the popular fantasy realm into the MMO market with Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.

Speaking with GameSpot earlier this month, lead designer Steve Marvin said Reckoning will be the "best-looking massively multiplayer RPG out there". See if you agree with him by checking out developer Mythic Entertainment's (Dark Age of Camelot) massive gallery, which was just updated with over a dozen new screen shots.

Now that Electronic Arts is dual wielding the Tolkien movie and literary rights, we can expect plenty of return trips to Middle-earth from the über developer. So far, we've seen two action platformers, a turn-based RPG, a portable tactics entry, and an RTS series that have each incorporated the look and feel of The Lord of the Rings films.

Scheduled for a late 2007 release, The White Council promises to deliver an Oblivion-style roleplaying experience from the perspective of a human, hobbit, dwarf, or elf. Only this time, the adventure is set 100 years prior to events depicted in the books and films, which puts EA in the precarious position of inventing some believable derivative fiction that won't upset the Tolkien fan base. To see how things are progressing, check out the relaunched web site that features new details on some of White Council's characters.

See also: Steve Gray discusses LOTR: The White Council

Electronic Arts has released the box art for The Battle for Middle-earth 2: The Rise of the Witch-King, and it looks like the top game publisher hasn't yet bought into the whole Games for Windows promotional strategy. EA continues to use the standard bland, redundant bar label that has adorned their PC packaging since earlier this year -- which most likely means their games don't meet all the branding guidelines set forth by Microsoft (widescreen, parental controls, 360 controller support, etc.). Competing standards basically defeats the purpose of easier product recognition for consumers, and you have to wonder if Microsoft should have just called their marketing initiative what it really is, "Games for Vista".

Witch-King is scheduled for a Nov. 28 release, but an Xbox 360 version hasn't been confirmed. Read GameSpot's recent interview with EA producer Amir Rahimi for more details.

See also:

• Middle-earth expands to the Middle Kingdom
• Steve Gray discusses LOTR: The White Council

See Sim Spot run. See Sim Spot chew your Sim's shoes and then chase the Sim neighbor's Sim cat up a tree. Life is about to get a lot hairier for your Sims, but at least Mac gamers will be getting their creature comforts in November, just a few weeks after PC owners. The Sims 2 Pets is the fourth expansion pack in the series, and will feature over 80 breeds of dogs and cats. Better get out the Sim vacuum.

See also: Sims on a plane

Electronic Arts has tapped former Vivendi Universal executive Hubert Larenaudie to be the new president of EA Asia. Larenaudie became the president of VU Games' Asia Pacific operations two years ago, and it's rumored that the strong ties he developed with The9 during that time will result in the Chinese publisher licensing EA's popular FIFA series.

See also:

• EA's plan to rule Asia
• EA's admirable beginnings remembered
• Joystiq interview: Hoyt Ma (The9)

This past week, Next Generation continued its gaming industry retrospective with a look back at the formative years of Electronic Arts. Originally conceived by industry luminary Trip Hawkins to be an independent publishing house for fresh talent, EA now resembles more of a Matrix-like incubator of human wage slaves producing endless, disposable iterations of worn-out franchises.

But the company everyone loves to hate wasn't always that way. The article stirs up fond memories of some of the best computer games the early eighties had to offer. Who needed ABC afterschool movies when you could play Archon, M.U.L.E., and The Bard's Tale until dinner? But the publish-only model eventually gave way to development aspirations, and then the fun began! Read all about some of EA's most infamous acquisitions, and what steps the über developer needs to take in order to repair its tarnished image.

For instance, EA is doing its part to make gaming more attractive to the female demographic, so the company can't be all bad. Right?

GameSpy has posted an extensive preview of The Rise of the Witch-king, the new expansion pack for The Battle for Middle-earth II. Expected to arrive on PCs this holiday season, the RotWK campaign takes place in the years after the One Ring leaves greedy Isildur, and the Lord of the Nazgul rises to power over the kingdom of Arnor (Aragorn's peeps). In addition to the 12-mission evil campaign, the new Angmar faction introduces the spellcasting Thrall Master and Sorcerer units, the latter of which can convert fallen enemies into servants of the Witch-king.

An Xbox 360 version of RotWK has not been confirmed, but hopefully EA will save some holiday cheer for Xbox Live Marketplace shoppers.

Last week, Electronic Arts announced the re-named Lord of the Rings: The White Council, an open-ended RPG that is drawing comparisons to Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Following the press event, CVG spoke with producer Steve Gray on a wide range of topics including the central story arc, playable races, and the inclusion of Maxis' Sims technology for The White Council's NPCs.

Regarding the plot, Gray had this to say: "We have the rights to create derivative fiction from both the books and the films, and that's given us a lot of freedom to create new characters and stories. However, it always has to make sense within the confines of Tolkien's world." EA expects The White Council to ship in Fall 2007 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A PC version has not been confirmed, but Gray hinted at its likelihood.

Just before its summer press event, Electronic Arts officially unveiled Lord of the Rings: The White Council, the next gen RPG formerly known as Project Gray Company. Scheduled to ship at the end of 2007, White Council features an original storyline based on J.R.R. Tolkien's literary works, and will include an open-ended world with gameplay elements from previous LOTR console titles.

At the beginning of the year, EA developer Jim Norwood confirmed the existence of a new LOTR RPG -- and even dropped the name, "The White Council". After the game's web site launched in April, keen observers may have also noticed that many members of The Return of the King and The Third Age design teams were on board with Gray Company. It was just a matter of putting two and two together, although many of us still missed the connection (like an M. Night Shyamalan flick). A new introduction on White Council's web site explains: "We really wanted to get the web site up and running so we could start talking with everyone about what makes a cool RPG." Hopefully, you've all given EA some good feedback on constructing the ultimate RPG before they apply the Tolkien license.

Electronic Arts has confirmed their release list for the remainder of the year, and according to studio president Paul Lee, "this is an extraordinary time to be a gamer."

EA Sports titles include 07 editions of NCAA Football, Madden NFL, NASCAR, NHL, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, and NBA Live, while the EA Sports Big label will deliver the third iteration of NFL Street. FIFA 07 has not been confirmed, but even though EA has already released two other FIFA games this year, plan on seeing the franchise's flagship title updated in Q4.

Next gen and portable versions of The Godfather are also due to arrive in September, followed by Need for Speed Carbon, Superman Returns, and shooters Battlefield 2142 and Crysis. How many of these games are on your list?

See also:

• World Cup keeps EA at top of sales charts
• EA's plan to rule Asia
• EA E3 lineup includes playable Wii, PS3 Madden

[via Pro-G]

Electronic Arts has announced they will acquire Virginia-based developer Mythic Entertainment, which should be finalized by Q2 of next year. Mythic is best known for MMORPG Dark Age of Camelot, and is currently working on Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.

According to Mythic co-founder and CEO Mark Jacobs, "EA's commitment to the online market as well as its focus on creating games of unsurpassed quality, scope and scale gives us opportunities and resources we could only dream about in the past."

This move strengthens EA's role-playing lineup, with Project Gray Company expected to arrive on next-gen consoles in early 2007.

Not content with simply having a presence in the lucrative Asian gaming market, Electronic Arts is looking at everything from Pachinko parlors to arcades in an effort to spread its influence across the Far East. GamesIndustry.biz spoke with EA regional boss Joe Niermann at E3 to get an idea of how the top game publisher is shifting its consoles-centric strategy overseas. The former Disney Asia executive cites online development, mobile projects, and localized content as being the "three pillars" that will help the gaming giant's future growth across the Asian markets.

According to Niermann, "Our strategy is really build to buy. We have to build the expertise, we have to build that ability to make the games locally, to publish the games ourselves, to operate the games if it's online. We can bring in great tools, great technology, great IP, great management - but we need the other half of the equation, which is somebody that has actually built a game in the local market. I think together, that makes us much more powerful."

To that end, EA is teaming with Korean developer NeoWiz for an online version of the popular FIFA franchise. Time will tell if the Shandas and Webzens of the world agree to play along with EA's plan for global domination.

On Friday, Electronic Arts launched a web site in support of their next gen fantasy RPG, tentatively titled Project Gray Company. Details are few, but executive producer Steve Gray (LOTR: The Third Age) says his all-star development team is filled with RPG vets who have been working on the game for over a year now. There's also a designer diary video with creative director Chris Tremmel (LOTR: Return of the King).

It sounds like EA is trying to build an Oblivion-killer with talk of a massive open-ended world, advanced AI (based on Sims 2 technology), and the availability of numerous story quests. Hopefully, more information will be revealed at E3.

[via GameBanshee]