EA will be rolling out a new addition to the Need for Speed series this fall which the publisher promises will take the series in a new direction. We’ve dug past all the hyperbole to break it down to a short and sweet description: Need for Speed Pro Street (in development for the PS3, 360 and Nintendo Wii) will primarily focus on the first head-to-head street racing simulation which I am sure will retain the tone showcased in past “Underground” installments.

“Need for Speed ProStreet accelerates street racing culture by providing the ultimate stage for the pursuit of street racing supremacy,�? said Executive Producer, Larry LaPierre. “This is a game about building the ultimate performance-tuned battle machine, taking it to multi-disciplinary showdowns all over the world and pitting your skills and reputation against the very best street racers.�?

EA Vancouver will be taking refining the Autosculpt feature by allowing players to directly adjust the car’s performance as well as personlize it’s appearance. Fans can look forward to an aggressive AI system which promises to deliver a robutst challenge and a spectacular online mode which will “redefine the meaning of competitive social play”. If that means less cheaters and less morons — I am all for it.

Stand up! The Art of Fighting Anthology was just the beginning. SNK Playmore USA has decided to roll out some more hard-hitting SNK history with the announcement of the Fatal Fury Battle Archives: Volume 1. The original Fatal Fury was the very first 2D fighter I ever had the pleasure to play in the arcade, so I’ve got a pretty strong attachment to Terry, Andy, and Joe, seeking to take down the king of all badasses, Geese Howard. While everyone else was practicing their hadokens, I was grinding joysticks to master the Buster Wolf. How it’s held up over the years, I can’t say for sure yet, but I’m eager to find out.

Coming this Summer, you’ll be getting Fatal Fury 1, 2, and Special on the Playstation 2. If we also get volume 2 (featuring the Real Bout series) later on I just might need a vacation, and if the rumors of King of Fighters XI coming to our shores are true…well, I’ll buy it all over again as a start. Then I’ll probably die of 2D fighting bliss.

Though the “new” E3 will be a consolidated event, the organizers at IDG (they’re the guys who are responsible for GamePro) are already taking steps to launch a new expo to be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Announced earlier this year, E for All 2007, set to take place during October 18 - 20 will be solely aimed towards consumers, giving them a first-hand experience to check out the latest games. Consumers or qualified press planning can look forward to registering soon… currently the section is still unavailable. We should point out that those looking to attend under press channels will only be accepted if they’re working with a commercial news organizations.

For many, the “death” of the former Electronic Entertainment Expo has been considered a positive step in the right direction for the entire industry. Last year, the attendance reached a new record high, but the real sour notes came in the form of negative reports that mocked Sony’s press conference, PS3, among other highlights. With a new smaller event focused specifically for media, publishers would have better control over how the information was disclosed, which has reportedly was a huge concern.

Meanwhile, IDG is already thinking ahead for the future and has planned for the next E for All event to be held between August 28 - 30. No other specific details were announced, but attendees can look forward to this year’s event to include tournaments, an art exhibition and Video Games Live to represent in full effect.

[Via GameIndustry.biz]

Looks like Vista users eagerly looking forward to playing Halo 2 will have to wait a little bit longer on account of some “partial nudity”. An official statement was released earlier this morning stating: “It has come to our attention that an unfortunate, obscure content error which includes partial nudity was included in our initial production of Halo 2 for Windows Vista. As such, we have updated the initial game packaging at retailers with a label, so customers are aware before purchasing the game… This packaging will only be labelled for the initial run of games; subsequent shipments will not include the content.”

Microsoft also released a patch on Halo2.com in which consumers can obtain a patch to remove the questionable content.

Ever since the “Hot Coffee” controversy, the industry hasn’t been the same. The aftermath endangered Take-Two Interactive’s financial state, facing lawsuits at every corner. Obviously Microsoft doesn’t want to be put in an negative light as concluded in their response which offered an apology to its customers. “At Microsoft we take the Entertainment Software Ratings Board guidelines very seriously and hold ourselves to high standards, with our customers always in mind.”

[Via GameIndustry.biz]

From the “Yup, it’s another sequel” department, Empire Interactive released new footage of Flatout Ultimate Carnage, set to hit the 360 next month. If you’ve never played any of the previous iterations, think “Burnout meets Destruction Derby”. Fans can look forward to several new features and refined gamplay components including 12 car racing action, five single-player modes as well as two new XBL multiplayer modes. That will sound a lot more exciting once you’ve actually played it, believe me.