Games retailers are bracing themselves for a massive price war as Asda and Argos put FIFA 2006 on sale at £24.97 despite only being released today. The price point advertised in national press yesterday and today by Asda means a third has been slashed off FIFA 2006's price on release.

The slashing of the game's price, one of the major releases for the period running up to Christmas and the launch of the Xbox 360, is extremely worrying for retailers such as GAME and Gamestation.

In the US, Asda Wal-Mart is the market leader in video games retailing controlling around 30% of the market, compared to the 2nd and 3rd place Gamestop and EB who each control around 10%. Asda has cited it aims to be the number one non-food retailer in the UK by the end of 2006; one of the key areas named in an internal report was video games.

It is possible that this price point is but the first step in Asda's challenge to GAME, the current market leader in the UK. Despite the price drop, GAME has continued selling FIFA 2006 at its £34.99 price point. Supermarket rival Tesco could only drop the price to £29.97.

Although it is currently unclear if this is a one off, it is unlikely to be the last game to receive this treatment by Asda.

After Ridge Racer's successful outing on the Sony PSP, the series has had some what of a revival over the past few months. Eager not to lose any momentum, Namco has announced it will co-publish Ridge Racer 6 in PAL regions with EA.

The series that brought 3D racing to home consoles, is now at the forefront of the next audio-visual revolution with full High-Definition support, 5.1 Dolby Sound Surround and improved nitrous system that promises to provide a sense of speed never before experienced.

With over 130 cars including 8 special cars, and 30 circuits; more than any previous game in the series, Ridge Racer 6 will last long beyond the launch of the Xbox 360, with over 230 races in the "World Explorer" mode alone.

And for the first time ever, the series will be going online with Xbox Live support, featuring head to head racing, as well as the usual online scoreboards.

Break dancing is one of those things everyone would love to do, but very few ever actually manage to learn.

Well fret no more, because French publisher Ubisoft have announced Flow: Urban Dance Uprising, the worlds first break dancing and hip-hop game. Developed by Artificial Mind and Movement, the game will be available exclusively for the Playstation 2 this Christmas.

Featuring music from the Sugar Hill Gang, Kurtis Blow, and Eric B & Rakimm, gamers will be able to bust their moves against up to 7 other players.

"Ubisoft is excited to bring the first hip hop dance experience to the Playstation 2," said Jay Cohen, vice president of publishing at Ubisoft. "Flow: Urban Dance Uprising's infectious hip-hop soundtrack, authentic b-boy moves and rich 3D environments will make it one of the most exciting dance games to play."

Players of Guild Wars will soon get the opportunity to showcase their skill in the Guild Wars World Championship.

Sponsored by NCsoft and developers ArenaNet, the championship starts this weekend, with teams from across Europe, America and Korea in with the chance of travelling to Taipei to take place in the finals.

The finals, to be held in Taipei during the week of the Taipei Games Show, 16th - 20th of February 2006, will see the best teams from Europe, America and Korea fight to win the title of Guild Wars World Champions.

The season begins on the 1st of October, when servers are reset at 7am GMT. The season will last 3 months, and culminate in the World Championship finals in Taiwan.

The top teams from each region will then be selected to take part in the play-offs; with the two top 8-player teams from each region qualifying for the finals.

"Players have been clamouring for a tournament ever since we launched Guild Wars in April," said ArenaNet Co-founder Jeff Strain. "This sort of global competition has been in our plans from the start, and since the emphasis in Guild Wars is on player skill, the game is perfectly suited for tournament play."

"We are pleased that the inaugural championship playoffs will take place in Taiwan where we'll be able to celebrate the launch of Guild Wars, which will take place just a few weeks prior to the finals," said ArenaNet Business Director Tommy Park.

NCsoft Europe has announced new retail packaging for Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle; as well as a collaboration with US band "The Killers".

The promotion with The Killers sees Lineage II used to create the video for the band's Mr Brightside.

The video is currently only available on in the US on MTV2, but the NCsoft are planning a micro-site so that European gamers don't miss out.

Dirk Metzger, marketing director at NCsoft Europe, said: "The inclusion of Lineage II in the MTV2 series is evidence that MMOs are breaking through into the mainstream and this is an ideal time for us to be representing Lineage II to a new audience."

Don't you just hate it when the bad guys lose? Well now's your chance to beat up those good for nothing punks, the Heroes!

Join NCsoft and Cryptic Studios as they open the gates to the City, in the City of Villains beta.

"We're looking for megalomaniacs, masterminds and even genuine gamers to help us push the servers to capacity in this final run-up to launch," said Stephen Reid, Content and Community Manager, NCsoft Europe. "Plus, it's an excellent opportunity to see City of Villains early, and get in on the hero vs villain action."

If Piper Jaffray is to be believed, then Microsoft's belief in the first mover advantage will very much be vindicated, with the console leading the market till at least 2008. Analysts Anthony Gikas and Stephanie Wissink have published their latest investor report into the video games industry, predicting that Microsoft's Xbox 360 console will lead the market till at least 2008.

The report, the latest in a long line of investor and financial reports into the next generation of gaming suggests that the Xbox 360 will take the initial lead in a market that will see substantial growth in the coming years. Leading the market, the Xbox 360 is expected to have sold 19.6m consoles worldwide, by 2008, with the Playstation 3 and Revolution trailing behind with 15.5m and 5m units worldwide respectively. It also expects both consoles to launch in a late 2006 period.

The report also suggest both Microsoft and Sony have little to worry about from the Revolution, with the Nintendo console predicted sales of only 500,000 in 2006, and only 2m and 3m in 2007, and 2008 respectively. However, the report suggests that Microsoft may not end up controlling the market as Playstation 3 hardware becomes more easily available, with the Playstation 3 expected to sell 8.5m consoles in 2008.

However, if Sony suffers a repeat of the stock shortages that plagued the launch of the Playstation 2 (a problem some have suggested was a marketing ploy), then Sony may find themselves losing sales to Microsoft as parents especially try to purchase a next generation console for Christmas 2007.

Project Gotham Racing 3 (PGR3) is burning next-generation rubber with over 90 licensed tracks in the game!

Microsoft Game Studios has sent over a press release providing us with a wealth of information on Project Gotham Racing 3. The game features some of the most lavish digital cars ever seen in a video game, but now also features a number of distinct tracks from over nine genres of music!

Head over to the Official Project Gotham Racing 3 website for more information on the cars and of course the tunes!

As we await the Next-Generation buzz to the PS3 Koei have announced Fatal Inertia for the PS3. The game will be a launch title for Sony's Next-Generation console, which is apprantly due to launch in the spring of 2006.

About Fatal Inertia
Set in the 23rd Century Fatal Inertia mixes street racing, demolition derbies and rallying with a futuristic setting where machines no longer need wheels and the laws of physics govern all. The sport is called Inertia and it's one that offers a heady mix of speed, combat and real world environments that can be used to make your victory and break your opponents.

Fatal Inertia is the dynamic opening salvo from Koei's brand new Canada studio. With a distinctly Western flair, this game represents the first step into an all-new genre for Koei. Fatal Inertia presents the stunning contrast of vibrant, futuristic vehicles battling and racing in a variety of beautiful, natural environments. There are a wide range of physics-based weapons, and you'll discover new ways to use them every time you play. Harnessing the power of the PlayStation 3, this game offers a physics engine that is core to the gameplay, and that offers complete interaction between vehicles, weapons, and environments. Combining speed, technique, and customizability, Fatal Inertia will bring players combat racing unlike anything they've ever experienced. This is truly the next generation!

A realistic world based on physics
The foundation of Fatal Inertia is its physics engine, which uses the power of the PS3 to create weapons and environments that are unlike anything seen before. The beautiful natural environments aren't just scenery - they are there to be used in combat, and rock walls can quickly become avalanches to use against your opponents. You'll have unparalleled freedom, and with all the possibilities the physics-based engine has to offer, you'll never have the same play experience twice.

A variety of physics-based weaponry
In this game, weapons are not something you use to directly damage an opponent, but are items used to create a variety of physics-based effects. A single weapon has a variety of uses, and you'll discover new ways to use them every time you play.

Completely customizable vehicles
The vehicles in Fatal Inertia are highly customizable, and with the large variety of designs and parts at your disposal, you can truly inject your own personality into your ride. You can also save your custom vehicles to a memory card, and take them on the road.

Wipeout it's not!

In a recent Forbes article, it has been revealed that Microsoft made a $4billion loss over the past 4 years on its Xbox console. Microsoft has continuously made a loss on the console, in no small part due to its troubled relationship with graphics card manufacturer, NVIDIA.

Microsoft is determined that it's next generation console, the Xbox 360 will not suffer the same problems as the original Xbox.