EA Sports has apologized for putting "The Soldier's Song," traditionally sung at United Ireland games, in place of Northern Ireland's national anthem, "God Save the Queen," in UEFA Euro 2008. Northern Ireland's Londonderry Sentinel reports fans were surprised to hear the anthem representing their country's victory in the game.

What we're surprised to hear is that it took until now for this faux pas to come out. UEFA Euro 2008 released back in April. Was nobody playing as the Northern Irish team?

[Via MCV]

The Economic Times reports that Sony is preparing to launch a new "slimer, sleeker and more suave" version of the PlayStation 2 in the Indian and European markets by Diwali – the festival of light – scheduled for October 28 this year. In addition to the new Slimer™ look, ET reports "there will be no more external AC adapters" and the price will remain the same, Rs 6,990 ($162).

If you're wondering why Sony keeps pushing the PS2, we'd be quick to point out that it keeps selling. A Sony rep might tell you that it feels the "PS2 has the potential to penetrate further into the Indian and Russian markets" because "console gaming is in its nascent stage in India." Maybe true, Mr. Sony rep, but not so nascent as to be unable to enjoy the PS3! The same ET report also announces that Sony will be launching the PlayStation Network in India by the end of the fiscal year.

IT security firm Sophos reports that someone has been messing around with the official US PlayStation website. "Messing around" as in fitting its SingStar and God of War pages with fake ads that tried to make (and may have succeeded in making) visitors believe their computers were riddled with viruses.

Phobos says that the bogus pop-ups prompted those who saw them to purchase what turned out to be equally bogus anti-virus software. The "scareware" has since been exterminated by Sony's IT jockeys, but we can only wonder how many hapless gamers were drawn into the hacker's insidious ... web of lies before it was too late.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Eager bookworms visiting the Washington-Centerville Public Library in Centerville, Ohio, will face exposure to the new-fangled "video game" entertainment medium, as the library will now be loaning PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 games. According to the Dayton Daily News, the library will carry two categories of games: Titles aimed at families, and ones aimed at players aged 10 and up (sans adult-only games). Each game will be available for one-week loan with the option of one renewal.

You can check for yourself which games are available in the library's online catalog, though the Dayton Daily News has gone and confirmed the presence of Guitar Hero, Kung-Fu Panda, Madden NFL 08 and, err, Iron Man. That one's probably meant to frighten the kids into reading books again.

[Via Shacknews]

Looks like Sony's planning to hog even more of your sweet, sweet download bandwidth via the PlayStation Store, if a rumor posted on the N4G forums is to be believed. According to the post, downloadable PS2 games will be announced at E3 next month and will appear on the store this summer.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is prominently featured in the "leaked" image; the other games we can make out are Fantavision, Red Faction, Ridge Racer V, Smuggler's Run, SSX, and ... well, we're not quite sure what that last one is. Keen-eyed readers to the comments page! the last one is The Bouncer. Thanks, readers!

The info supposedly originates from a Sony Europe insider, who informed the poster that the roll-out will actually occur in Europe before the rest of the world. (Which is contrary to Sony's usual M.O.) This rumor comes on the heels of an actual official announcement by Sony that it will finally introduce a movie / video download service for PS3 this summer. It seems like this summer will see the PS3 experience evolving quite a bit, especially if this rumor pans out.

While IGN simply reports that Rock Band 2 is "set to ship for Xbox 360 this September and PS3 later in the year," the AP says it will be "available for Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 as well as Nintendo's Wii later in the year." While the two at least agree about the "later in the year" detail, neither answer our biggest question about this arrangement: Is this presumably brief period of Xbox 360-exclusivity a business arrangement – as it was for Rock Band in Europe earlier this year – or simply a development reality?

Sure we've got other questions – like will the PS2 and Wii releases be similar to the watered-down experiences currently available – but with Guitar Hero IV coming out for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, and PC in late October, details on the nature of the timed exclusive seem paramount. We've asked the hard-rocking folks at Harmonix to let us in on the nature of the arrangement.

Well, it's the end of an era. We've had a lot of fun over the last few months making fun of Aerosmith, both for their membership among the ranks of the walking undead and for passing mediocre music on an unsuspecting public for decades. But today we must report that, despite our most acerbic cursing into the blogging darkness, Guitar Hero Aerosmith is, in fact, being released. You win this round, Tyler.

So why are we featuring it? Well, you ever see that scene in Hook where Peter gives Hook the dignity of having his hair back, even though they're mortal enemies? It's sort of like that. ... And yes, the closest contender is Purr Pals on Wii. Little bit of column A, little bit of column B.

With all the recent buzz surrounding big-budget film adaptations of major video game licenses, we began to wonder -- if films based off of games can find funding with movie production companies, why couldn't a film based off of a video game news column? As our minds began to race with thoughts of cross-promotional T-shirts and licensed cereals, we recklessly ran to our laptops, and wrote out a hasty plot synopsis for "Japanese Hardware Sales: The Movie". We're pretty proud of it, and the agent we hired at a local flea market is convinced we can eventually squeeze a trilogy out of the initial concept. Don't worry, gentle readers. We won't forget you when we make it to the big time.

The still night air wafting over the Hardware district of the bustling metropolis of Salesbury, Japan, is punctuated with the crackle of gunfire. The town's many residents realize with a start that Sunday's midnight hour has come, and quickly retreat into their bullet-riddled homesteads. From the shadows of the city's seemingly endless alleyways emerge the six gangs who fight weekly for the unspoken control of Salesbury: the powerful reigning champs known as the "Park Street Pistols", the young and lively contenders known simply as "The Wii-vils", the once invincible "DoorStep Lighteners", the mercenaries of "The Third Order of Private Soldiers", their once-parent organization "The Second Order of Private Soldiers", and the mysterious, poorly-funded outfit known as "The Xterminators of 360th Street".

Who will come out on top at the end of this four-hour-long cinematic masterwork? Only time, and the purchasing habits of the people of Japan, will tell. Starring Samuel L. Jackson as Coolidge, the leader of the Park Street Pistols; Kevin James as Archie, his carefree sidekick; Rose McGowan as Belladonna, the feisty captain of The Wii-vils, and a guy who kinda looks like Bruce Vilanch as the menacing "Red Arrow".

- PSP: 59,351 5,324 (8.23%)
- Wii: 41,037 4,527 (9.94%)
- DS Lite: 36,599 2,602 (6.64%)
- PS3: 20,336 54,975 (73.00%)
- PS2: 6,346 951 (13.03%)
- Xbox 360: 2,555 392 (18.12%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The bullet-riddled archives

Honey, your coffee just got cold. Lawyers who sued Take-Two Interactive over the hacked "Hot Coffee" sex scene in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas claim that only -- wait for it ... no, really, wait for it -- 2,676 claims were filed. GTA: San Andreas had sold approximately 12 million copies according to Take-Two when the scandal broke in mid-2005, meaning that 0.022% of consumers were actually "offended and upset."

The New York Times writes that, awkwardly, the only real winners in this whole situation are the lawyers who triumphed in the "Hot Coffee" suit against Take-Two. They are seeking $1.3 million in fees, when Take-Two may only pay out about $30,000 in claims. For our international readers, despite what you may have heard about our litigious society, it's not par for the course that lawyers walk away with more settlement cash than their clients. A hearing is scheduled today in the Federal District Court in Manhattan to conclude whether the lawyers will get their money.

Update: Changed GTA: SA sales figures to when "Hot Coffee" hit in mid-2005. Altered percentage.

Variables
a = Call of Duty: World at War for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 & PC
b = Call of Duty: World at War for Wii
c = Call of Duty: World at War for PlayStation 2

Proof
If a=b, and variations of c have been known to equal corresponding variations of b, then does a=c?

... Yes? Well, the problem is c doesn't exist. Call of Duty: World at War will be "next-gen only baby!" Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia confirmed with Joystiq, correcting an earlier report that the game would mark a return of the series on PS2; the first since Treyarch's Call of Duty 3. Despite claims that World at War is "not a different game on Wii" (with, um, a few exceptions) -- and therefore, wouldn't be all that different of a game on PS2 -- Activision and Treyarch have apparently retired PS2 from duty ... for good.

Check out our full interview with Treyarch right here.

After the New Games crown was sullied by Jimmy Threenames last week, Justin McElroy has pulled a Kerafyrm and awakened from his slumber, seething with rage. But, before the rampage could even begin in earnest, the beast has been soothed by the music of loads of new games.

You've got Battlefield: Bad Company, Alone in the Dark, Supreme Commander, Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath, Guitar Hero: On Tour and it's the middle of June! What's going on here? We don't know, but whatever it is, we hope it never ends.

With Tomb Raider: Underworld set to be among the quartet of titles to be shown by Eidos during next month's E3, the publisher has launched the game's official website, simultaneously slapping a November release date on Lara Croft's latest trip underground for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PS2 and PC.

In addition to offering a narrowed release window, Eidos also shed a few details on the busty heroine's "exploration-based" escapade, revealing in a statement that the game will see Ms. Croft seeking "the secrets of the Norse underworld and a forgotten power." This immediatly makes us think that she'll be hunting down Thor's hammer, because really, who needs guns when you're packing Mjolnir?

The gaming journalism world is an ever-changing maelstrom of high-stress deadlines and headline-making breaking news, so it should come as no surprise that we here at Joystiq absolutely adore routine. Like a freshly-fluffed down pillow, we find comfort in mundane repetition, as it so rarely comes our way. For nearly three months now, we've sat down to compile the sales figures of consoles in Japan, and as sure as the turning of the tide, Sony's gaming handheld would come out on top. It was a simplistic sort of routine, and one we found great solace in.

Alas, this repetition is no more -- with the recent release of a particular cutscene-laden stealth title came an onslaught of PlayStation 3 purchases; a swell that billowed above the trustworthy handheld, cascading over its unsuspecting crown. Will the new king hold down the fort in the following weeks? It is too soon to tell, but regardless, the damage is done. The PS3 has burgled this week's link from the PSP's expansive chain -- and as any blacksmith worth his salt will tell you, a chain with a missing link is not a chain at all, but rather, multiple smaller chains. Unless that link was at the beginning or end of the chain, then we guess it's still a chain. Blacksmiths say that kind of stuff all the time.

Yes, the c-c-c-c-combo is broken. It lies sundered, torn in twain -- as do our hearts.

- PS3: 75,311 64,455 (593.73%)
- PSP: 62,016 2,659 (4.29%)
- Wii: 45,564 925 (2.07%)
- DS Lite: 39,201 4,181 (11.94%)
- PS2: 7,297 1,018 (16.21%)
- Xbox 360: 2,163 117 (5.13%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The chained archives

We've had a love/hate relationship with past iterations of titles featuring our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, though one aspect of every title that we felt was never quite right was the manner in which the beloved web-slinger placed the beatdown upon unsuspecting thugs. Sure, certain games have had entertaining, intuitive combat systems, but none truly captured the way the arachnid protagonist whips up on baddies as he does on ink and paper.

However, a recently released video from Shaba Games, developer of the upcoming Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, has boosted our spirits significantly, displaying the kind of aerial acrobatics and swift brawling we've always hoped to see in a Spidey title. Now, as long as they can avoid any glaring graphical issues or frequent cutscenes showing Peter Parker bawling his eyes out, Web of Shadows could be one of the better adaptations of the Spider-Man comics to ever hit the market.

Disney Interactive Studios announced yesterday it will release a video game based on its upcoming movie Bolt for pretty much every system currently available -- except Mac, natch. Bolt is the latest Disney CGI film -- no, that's not the same as a Pixar CGI film -- and stars John Travolta as a TV-star dog with an identity crisis ... blah, blah, blah.

Why are we even bringing up this totally random licensed game that reviewers will automatically give a 7 to? Well, it's only a few more weeks until E3 2008 and we wanted to remind everyone of last year's Disney press conference. Let your imaginations run free gentle readers, what horrible thing tied into this game could Disney make journalists experience this year?