Last week we reported on the pull out of Universal and Fox for the Halo movie and today it has hit yet another snag. WingNut Films issued a press release confirming the delay:

As was previously confirmed, we deeply regret that both Universal and Fox did not choose to move forward with financing the Halo film under the original terms of the agreement. At this time Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, along with their partner, Microsoft, have mutually agreed to postpone making a feature film based on the Halo video game universe until we can fulfill the promise we made to millions of Halo fans throughout the world that we would settle for no less than bringing a first class film to the big screen. We are fully supportive of Director Neill Blomkamp's vision of the film. Neill is a tremendously gifted filmmaker and his preliminary work on Halo is truly awe-inspiring. While it will undoubtedly take a little longer for Halo to reach the big screen, we are confident that the final feature film will be well worth the wait.

THQ have released an update for Saint's Row on Xbox Live. The update addresses a number of known issues in the game and full details of the update can be viewed via the developer's website.

Our friends over at GameXplore have announced a European distribution deal which will see The Book of Games available in stores in time for Christmas. The announcement is posted below:

The first annual compendium on video games, hardware and trends is set to hit stores in Europe in time for Christmas sales. The 448-page hardcover collector's book features facts and illustrations about current and upcoming game titles, hardware, as well as in-depth feature stories about gaming. It will be distributed in the USA and Canada by Independent Publishing Group (IPG), and in the UK and nearby markets through Computer Bookshops Ltd.

Sony has released a new Halloween themed demo for LocoRoco. The demo weighs in at 8MB and can be downloaded via the official PSP website. Currently the website is extremely slow but bear with it and you should be able to download the demo at some point this evening.

Ubisoft has announced that the PC version of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent has gone Gold. The game is due to hit the stores on the 9th November 2006.

In the highly anticipated sequel to the 2005 game of the year, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent, play as a double agent spy for the first time ever. Take on dual roles of covert operative and ruthless terrorist, where your choices of whom to betray and whom to protect actually affect the outcome of your game.

Experience the relentless tension and gut-wrenching dilemmas of life as a double agent. Lie. Kill. Sabotage. Betray. All to protect the innocent. How far will you go to gain the enemy's trust? As covert operative Sam Fisher, you must infiltrate a vicious terrorist group and destroy it from within. You'll need to carefully weigh the consequences of your actions. Kill too many terrorists and you'll blow your cover. Hesitate and millions will die. Do whatever it takes to complete your mission, but get out alive.

AlienPants has announced a partnership with the organisers of XL LAN 2006. You can pre-order your tickets to the UK largest Xbox, Xbox 360 LAN via Matchbox360's website.

London, England. Friday 27th October 2006: AlienPants Ltd, a leading innovator of community and mobile solutions in Europe, and MatchBox360, a UK-based producer of game events and media content, have entered into an agreement to collaborate on the UK's largest Xbox LAN event which is taking place at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre (NEC) on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th of November 2006.

AlienPants will be providing marketing support to the MatchBox360 management team as a Mobile Media Partner and will be utilizing its vast experience to service the needs of mobile users interested in the event.

MatchBox360 XL is set to ignite the Xbox Live Community by offering gamers the first competitive Xbox and Xbox 360 LAN in the UK. Gamers will be able to experience the latest and greatest games at the prestigious event. XL LAN 2006 will feature competitive Halo 2 tournaments - Free For All, Double Team and Four vs. Four - and the first ever Pro Evolution Soccer 6 tournament in the United Kingdom. With cash and material prizes worth over £2000, XL aims to up the ante for competitive Xbox tournaments in the UK.

Having worked together on a number of online events, the MatchBox360 XL team of Chris Barnes, Ryan Hughes and Stephen Greenaway welcomes the support of AlienPants: "We have been overwhelmed by the response and positive feedback for XL, and we aim to provide the best possible LAN events for the gaming community. With the support of AlienPants we will be able to showcase exclusive titles, and allow gamers to interact directly with the developers."

"We recognise the importance of LAN events not only as a means of recreation, but also as a means of communication with gamers. The guys at Matchbox360 have already proved themselves to be fantastic organisers of events such as this, and we're thrilled to be part of the experience." Says Luke Newcombe Marketing Director - AlienPants Ltd.

The Official Xbox Magazine 360 has exclusive access to XL and will be providing magazine coverage on the XL events. Ben Talbot from OXM had this to say: "We're very excited to be involved with Matchbox360 for their first tournament. Members of the OXM360 team will be there on the day to take part in the competitions and join in the fun."

MatchBox360 XL is a chance for the Xbox Live community to meet and compete all under one roof for a marathon weekend of gaming... have you got what it takes to XL?

Ubisoft has announced a deal with Bethesda Softworks to publish Star Trek: Legacy Xbox 360, Star Trek: Tactical Assault on Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable, and Star Trek: Encounters for the PlayStation2 in Europe. The games are all due to be released in December 2006.

This weekend the 10th Movie Comic Media Expo will be taking place at the ExCel Conference Centre London. A number of games publishers will be attending the event and will be showcasing a range of games which include VU Games FEAR, Eragon and Activison's Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Ubisoft will be on hand throughout the event and will be distributing promotional Red Steel discs.

For further information, head over to the London Expo website.

Cue all the jokes about it taking another 5 years, but according to a post by Scott Miller, CEO of 3D Realms, Prey has proven to be a spectacular success, and a sequel is in the works.

Real quick, some good news: Prey is a success. We know that within the first two months it passed one million units sold worldwide. And for a game on two platforms that's pretty darn good. There will be a sequel, and we think we have a interesting follow-up story to tell and some all-new innovations to bring new excitement to the table.

Reviews

• Mercury Meltdown (PSP) - Pro-G
• Singstar Legends (Playstation 2) - Pro-G

• 2Moons (PC) - Acclaim

Following on from Sony's win in it's UK High Court case against Hong Kong based company Lik Sang, the company has announced that it is ceasing trading with immediate effect.

As of today, Lik-Sang.com will not be in the position to accept any new orders and will cancel and refund all existing orders that have already been placed. Furthermore, Lik-Sang is working closely with banks and PayPal to refund any store credits held by the company, and the customer support department is taking care of any open transactions such as pending RMAs or repairs and shipping related matters. The staff of Lik-Sang will make sure that nobody will get hurt in the crossfire of this ordeal.

Blizzard has announced that the first add-on to World of Warcraft has been delayed and won't see the light of day until at least January 2007.

"We appreciate the enthusiasm surrounding World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, and we’re excited about putting the finishing touches on all of the new content," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We feel confident that the extra time spent polishing the game will result in the high-quality experience that our players expect and deserve."