July

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The second half of the year started with a bang, bemoaning the PS3's "whipping boy" status, while it became increasingly apparent that all was not technically perfect with the 360. would later have to right-off more than one billion USD to extend warranties for faulty systems.

Sony's Jack Tretton continued the firm's fightback by criticising Microsoft's heavy-handed approach to exclusivity, claiming that Sony were not prepared to pay through the nose to secure games, but preferred partnerships and support, instead.

As we raced into the middle of the month, used a special event in to reveal a new multiplatform release, The Remnant, also revealing early details on XIII. On the same day we also heard the first news of a a limited edition 3 console. The limelight was stolen, however, by Sony, who cut the price of the PS3 in the middle in the month - prompting an immediate rise in sales.

Sony continued a pivotal month by announcing the new Slim and Lite, which would deliver a streamlined console with new TV connectivity options. A range of new exclusivity deals were also made official. Later in the month, MS stalwart shocked the by revealing that he was off to join Sports as the firm's new boss. The big cheese would receive record remuneration for his defection.

Away from business discussion, film critic Roger Ebert dismissed games as an art form, while the industry as a whole readied itself for the Leipzig Games Convention. As the month drew to a close a number of new games also entered the spotlight, Indiana Jones, FM 2008, Godfather 2, Beowulf, and Prototype among several. creator David Jaffe, meanwhile, got his independence.

August

With August kicking-off, found themselves still battling for the right to release Manhunt 2. Rockstar's difficult month continued with word on GTA IV's into 2008 going public, much to the consternation of eager gamers.

In Japan, the seemed to have turned a corner, too, while stateside Arnie was found battling to save America's youth from violent videogames. Speaking of which, August also saw id further detailing their new engine tech, the brainchild of genius John Carmack.

The future was also looking increasingly bright for the console, while Interplay pinned their fading hopes on a Fallout MMO. Oh, and we learnt that the stunning BioShock might have been tropical as well.

As the month entered its closing stages, also unveiled ambitious plans to heavily invest in games, while it became increasingly apparent that festive demand was likely to outstrip supply for the Wii console. Late August also saw the great and good of gaming jet of to for all manner of fun and frolics of the Leipzig Games Convention. New PSP features were confirmed, a number of new games, and we play-tested several festive debutants while getting drunk in an ex-Soviet airbase. And why not?

As August drew to a close, Nintendo's dominance seemed to be growing by the day, while MS began the ramp-up to the launch of Halo 3 en masse.

September

The build up to began in earnest with the arrival of September, the Wii growing increasingly comfortable with the 'king in making' role, while talk (which has so far come to nothing), swirled around SCi. The firm had themselves acquired Interactive in 2006.

Former Xbox exec Peter Moore, meanwhile, was busy eying the mainstream with EA Sports, talking up the opportunities offered by the brand. Not that we've seen much in the way of expansionism just yet. Speaking of mainstream, the second half of 2007 saw politicians increasingly aware of the public's concern over gaming - new PM Brown ordering a violent games review.

David Karakker, a Sony marketing exec, also chose September to depart the platform holder - opting to Join a Vodka firm. At the time, critics suggested the boss had been blamed for a number of the PR misdemeanors which had plagued the company's year. Perhaps the most far-reaching news of the month came when the banned version of Manhunt 2 was leaked online, precipitating a potential Hot Coffee scandal as US purchasers of the edited game were able to revert to the original, illegal version.

The middle of the month saw one over-eager Halo fan banned from Live for 7,000 years. Rockstar, sensibly, were already found considering a 2. As the month wore on it also became apparent that Sony's was also taking shape - the launch of the social network would still be pushed back after admitted his disappointment with the game. In more cheery news, Halo 3 made it to the streets at last, garnering record review scores in the process.

As the month drew to a close, Clive Barker's Jericho was banned in Germany, while Activision bought Bizarre Creations; the publisher promising big things for the racing genre.