Sega bags Beijing 2008

Friday 11th January 2008 - 17:00

Official Olympic licence goes to veteran publisher, GoldenEye rumoured for Xbox Live Arcade and Top Spin 3 PS3 screens

Sega is having a real good run of it at the moment. The veteran games publisher has not one but two decent Wii titles out next week (Ghost Squad and Nights) and now also has landed the rights to the official Olympic Games! Keen games fans may remember that Sega already topped the Xmas charts with its Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games title. Now by all accounts, it's hoping to achieve the same success with the real-life version.

The game is being developed by Eurocom for the Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles and for PC. Sega hopes that the online functionality of all of these platforms will ensure that fans of the Olympic Games will be able to compete against other gamers across the globe.

Beijing 2008 will be an authentic simulation of over 35 events from the upcoming Olympic Games and will allow gamers to of compete in many of the official venues ranging from the famous Beijing National Stadium (the "Bird Nest") to the National Aquatics Centre (the "Water Cube"). If it is half as fun as the Mario and Sonic version then we're in for a real treat.

Meanwhile, if rumours are to be believed the Sega Olympic title isn't the only treat in store for gamers. According to several websites and blogs the original GoldenEye 64 game is set to receive a release via the Xbox Live Arcade service. There is no official word from Microsoft to confirm this particularly juicy piece of Internet gossip but as Microsoft owns the original development company (Rare) it doesn't sit outside the realms of possibility We live in hope - especially as the rumour suggest full Xbox Live functionality and updated graphics.

Speaking of updated graphics, cop an eyeful of the volley of brand new Top Spin 3 screens we've just received from Sega. In Top Spin 3, players compete online and offline to rise in the ranks against current top ranked professional players. Adding a unique user-generated component, players can also use new player creator features that include free-form body sculpting, makeup and tattoos. The game is set for release in March on Xbox 360, Wii, DS and PS3 - judging from the screenshots, it looks very pretty indeed.

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