Archive for May 23rd, 2008|Daily archive page
Moto Racer to return to DS
Leave a CommentThe “Moto Racer” anthology is taking a new and radical turn!
With 7 million units sold to date, the motorbike franchise is back with an astonishing version for the Nintendo DS™.
Faithful to the original game concept, Moto Racer DS will be the first true multi-discipline motorbike game, for the Nintendo DS™. Moto Racer DS features 4 different disciplines: “Moto GP”, “Traffic”, “Freestyle”, and “Supercross”.
The exciting arcade gameplay is now powered by the use of the stylus, and the multi-player mode up to 6 riders using WiFi!
Many other hot revelations to come …
Till then get a glimpse on www.motoracer-thegame.com
Retro Gamer magazine in the UK gets exclusive gold Zelda cover
Leave a CommentImagine Publishing joins forces with videogames giant to celebrate one of its most cherished gaming franchises
On Thursday 22 May issue 51 of Retro Gamer goes on sale across the UK and the world with a stunning gold foil cover celebrating Nintendos popular The Legend Of Zelda franchise.
First released in 1986, The Legend Of Zelda is one of Nintendos most treasured series, with its hero Link having appeared in over 20 critically acclaimed games. With Phantom Hourglass currently riding high in the DS charts, theres never been a better time to take an in-depth look back at the hallowed series, and Retro Gamer has been able to join forces with Nintendo to deliver a cover that will capture the spirit and imagination of the original games. With its glorious gold foil cover treatment and iconic stained-glass imagery, issue 51 is instantly noticeable, and the issue offers in-depth coverage of the franchise in a way that only Retro Gamer can.
Editor Darran Jones said of the collaboration: Im incredibly pleased that Nintendo was so willing to collaborate with us on such a beautiful cover, and it proves that Retro Gamer occupies a respected and unique place in the UK gaming press.
Retro Gamer was the natural and obvious place to celebrate the history, story and passion behind one of the worlds best loved gaming series, continued Nintendos Senior UK Manager, Robert Saunders. The team at Retro Gamer have created a fantastic cover that really captures the character and theme of the games in a creative and original way.
Retro Gamer is the UKs only magazine that is fully dedicated to retro gaming, and is highly respected within both the games industry and the retrogaming community.
Imagine Publishing is one of the UKs fastest growing consumer specialist publishers. Formed in May 2005, it now publishes 20 magazines and 20 websites in the videogames, computing, entertainment and photography markets. An Imagine magazine is purchased every ten seconds.
Name: Retro Gamer
Price: 4.99
Pagination: 116 pages
Frequency: 13 issues pa
Website: www.retrogamer.net
Playlogic moves to new HQ
Leave a CommentAmsterdam, 22 May 2008 – Today, Playlogic International N.V., a subsidiary of Playlogic Entertainment Inc. (Nasdaq OTC: PLGC.OB) and an independent worldwide publisher of entertainment software, announced that it is moving its operational headquarters from Concertgebouwplein in Amsterdam to its new 10.000 square feet office in Amsterdam’s World Trade Center, contributing to its ongoing expansion in business activities.
The improved facilities will help Playlogic to further develop its publishing activities and capitalize on its broadening catalogue.
Virtual Villagers 3 now available
San Francisco, Calif. — May 20, 2008 — Last Day of Work (LDW), is proud to announce that Virtual Villager 3: The Secret City, the latest entry in the award-winning Virtual Villagers® series, is now available to download and play. A brand new chapter in the best-selling franchise, this virtual life simulation game will put players on the northern shores of the fabled island of Isola. This latest offering has a larger map, all-new puzzles and mysteries, and introduces innovative new features such as a Tribal Chief and Real-Time Weather.
“We’ve all been wondering what our little villagers have been up to these past months” said Arthur Humphrey, founder of Last Day of Work. “It appears that they have found some kind of a ruined city on another part of the island. I think they could use some help.”
The award-winning Virtual Villagers series is one of the most popular and best selling casual games in recent years, remaining on top-ten lists for months at a time. The games are a unique blend of simulation, adventure, and virtual pet. The game is set on the fictitious island of Isola, where a lost tribe has landed on its shores. As the village grows and prospers, the villagers become curious about their mysterious island home and the secrets it holds. Players guide the villagers past starvation and danger into a thriving prosperity, through exploration of the island and careful management of resources.
Virtual Villagers – The Secret City is available immediately for download for both Mac and PC at http://www.VirtualVillagers.com/virtualvillagers3thesecretcity
For our community, please visit www.ldwforums.com
2K Sports to announce NBA 2K9 cover athlete during NBA Finals
Fans can now visit new 2K Sports Community Site to predict next cover athlete and win exclusive prizes
New York, NY – May 22, 2008 – 2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), today announced that the cover athlete for the highly anticipated basketball video game NBA 2K9 will be revealed through a 30 second TV spot scheduled to air during the NBA Countdown pre-game show for Game One of the 2008 NBA Finals, June 5 on ABC.
As part of revealing the new cover athlete, 2K Sports has launched a new community web site, www.2ksports.com/nba2k9, where registered participants can predict the cover athlete for NBA 2K9 from a selection of 16 NBA players. Fans who predict correctly will be entered into a special drawing for the opportunity to win exclusive prizes.
“We’re extremely excited to offer this online promotion to our loyal community of 2K Sports fans, as we think it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to interact more closely with them through a refreshingly fun and rewarding experience,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “The NBA 2K franchise is king among basketball players and passionate fans who know and understand basketball. Revealing our cover athlete prior to Game One affords us a unique opportunity to capitalize on the anticipation surrounding the NBA Finals while simultaneously generating excitement for the release of NBA 2K9.”
To enter in the NBA 2K9 cover athlete reveal sweepstakes, participants must register from May 22 – June 4. Official contest rules and other important information can be found on www.2ksports.com/nba2k9. Fans will guess the NBA 2K9 cover athlete from a list of NBA players provided, and all entrants that are correct will be entered into a random drawing to win the sweepstakes prizes on June 5. One grand prize winner will receive the NBA 2K9 cover athlete’s authentic, autographed NBA jersey, along with a copy of NBA 2K9 on the platform of their choice. Ten other first prize winners will also receive a copy of NBA 2K9. All winners will receive their copy of NBA 2K9 upon release of the game.
NBA 2K9, which is being developed by Visual Concepts, is not yet rated by the ESRB and will be available this fall for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. For more information, please visit www.2ksports.com.
The 2008 NBA Finals are currently scheduled to tip off on June 5 at 8:30 p.m. EST on ABC.
Rookie Madden Bowl hosted by EA on May 16th
Washington Redskins Rookie Devin Thomas Claims Crown
May 22, 2008 – On Friday, May 16th, over 30 NFL rookies gathered in the Arcadia Ballroom at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel for the EA SPORTS 2008 Rookie Madden Bowl. The second annual Rookie Madden Bowl brought together top NFL rookies to compete on Madden NFL 08 to see who would be crowned the 2008 EA SPORTS Rookie Madden Bowl Champion. The eight-man tournament included New England Patriots quarterback Kevin O’Connell, Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brian Brohm, Washington Redskins wide receiver Devin Thomas, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, New York Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Dexter Jackson. Devin Thomas came out victorious, proudly taking home the 2008 Rookie Madden Bowl trophy.
Madden NFL 09 marks the 20th anniversary of one of the best-selling and most critically-acclaimed videogame franchises of all time, and the game will feature adaptable gameplay tailored to every type of gamer, online enhancements and a broadcast style presentation delivering an authentic NFL experience. Madden NFL 09 will be available in stores across North America on August 12.
The graphical enhancements of Madden NFL 09 are extremely impressive and bring the emotion of NFL football to life. Madden NFL 09 features amazing detail to stadiums, weather effects, player models and a whole host of other elements.
Texas teen beats Guitar Hero III World Record on first try
TEEN BEATS GUINNESS WORLD RECORD GUITAR HERO SCORE
(Dallas, TX) – On May 17th, 13 year-old Grapevine native Daniel Johnson beat the Guinness World Record for high score on a single song for “Guitar Hero III” when he attended the Guitar Hero 24-Hour Marathon presented by Blockbuster. Daniel played on a XBOX 360 and scored 890,971, beating the previous record by more than 10,000 points while playing “Through the Fire and Flames” by Dragonforce at the Expert Level on his first attempt.
When asked what he thought about breaking the world record, Daniel said, “I’m glad that I had the opportunity to break the record and help people learn about Education is Freedom.”
The previous record was held by Chris Chike who achieved a score of 880,920 in March 2008.
The Guitar Hero 24-Hour Marathon, presented by Blockbuster was an event benefiting the Dallas non-profit foundation, Education is Freedom, which is part of the “Igniting Opportunity for the Children of Dallas Campaign (IOCD),” a cause dedicated to increasing the educational achievement of children in Dallas. Several Dallas CEO’s, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Jim Keyes, CEO for Blockbuster all participated at the event.
First- through fifth-place winners received an array of prizes from Southwest Airlines, Activision and BLOCKBUSTER.
EVE Online election results posted
Unprecedented democratically-elected council aims to take developer/player collaboration to a new level in the evolution of virtual worlds
Reykjavik, Iceland – May 22, 2008 – CCP, one of the world’s leading independent game developers, has announced the results for the election of nine delegates to the Council of Stellar Management (CSM), a democratically-elected representative council of players chosen by fellow EVE Online players after an exciting two-week voting period that ended May 16.
“Since the earliest days of EVE’s development, we have relied heavily on collaboration with our playerbase regarding world issues. CCP has followed and nurtured what governing and organizational structures emerge within EVE and also brought best practices from the real world into the virtual world,” said CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Petursson. “The formation of the Council of Stellar Management signifies to us that that EVE has extended beyond the parameters of being ‘just a game’ into something more meaningful. As this first group of Councilors works with us over the course of the next six months, we look forward to seeing how our combined efforts can further expand the potential for virtual worlds to entertain, educate and inspire.”
The men and women of the assembly will travel from their homes in the United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands and Denmark to Iceland in June for their first face-to-face summit with CCP representatives at the company’s corporate headquarters in Reykjavik. Speaking on behalf of the players that elected them, the Councilors will discuss EVE-related issues, offer suggestions and exchange ideas to continue the evolution of EVE, which recently celebrated its five-year anniversary.
Election results were announced on the official EVE Online website in a blog published Wednesday by Petur Oskarsson, Project Lead for the CSM and a member of the Research and Statistics team under the guidance of Lead Economist Dr. Eyjo Gudmundsson. “CCP is dedicated to making the CSM a lasting, meaningful way to remain connected to our community,” said Oskarsson. “It is our honest belief that this is a logical step in the natural progression of CCP’s continuing efforts to not only improve EVE, but as pioneers in the rapidly-growing genus of virtual societies.” Oskarsson’s blog, which also includes demographics and statistics related to the election, may be viewed at http://myeve.eve-online.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&bid=562.
Ubisoft to allow access onlie to Ubidays conference
UBIDAYS Opening Conference to be Broadcast Live Via Uplay.com Wednesday 28th May
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Thursday 22nd May – Today Ubisoft announced that the UBIDAYS® 2008 opening conference will be broadcast live on www.uplay.com on Wednesday 28th May at 7 p.m. Paris time. Taking place on the 28th and 29th May in the heart of Paris’ world-famous Louvre museum, UBIDAYS is Ubisoft’s unique yearly event which presents the company’s upcoming line-up to press and business partners.
The opening conference of UBIDAYS, an innovative, customer-oriented event, will be dubbed simultaneously in four languages: French; German; Spanish and Italian, allowing gamers around the world to take part in this exceptional experience.
Gamers will also have the opportunity to watch all UBIDAYS 2008 videos on Uplay.com, Ubisoft’s new video portal which launches on the 29th May. This new video portal will feature all of Ubisoft’s videos, as well as additional interviews which will be released exclusively on Uplay.com.
Opening live conference schedule:
London: 6 p.m. 28th May
Los Angeles: 10 a.m. 28th May
New York: 1 p.m. 28th May
Paris: 7 p.m. 28th May
Shanghai: 1 a.m. 29th May
Sydney: 3 a.m. 29th May
Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell announcement
This new video game brings the popular Disney Fairy, Tinker Bell, and her magical world to life for girls nationwide
LONDON, England. – (May 22, 2008) – Disney Interactive Studios today announced Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell for Nintendo DS™ will be available nationwide this 2008 Christmas season. For the first time on the handheld platform, fans of Disney Fairies and beloved Tinker Bell can explore the delightful world of Pixie Hollow and play as the popular Fairy herself. Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell allows girls to interact with dozens of enchanting Disney Fairies, including Silvermist, Iridessa and Fawn, and explore Pixie Hollow through time-based activities and mini-quests.
“Disney Fairies has become a phenomenon all around the world,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “Bringing the game to DS allows fans to play as Tinker Bell and take the Fairies world everywhere they go, while having fun learning about the importance of creativity, teamwork and responsibility.”
Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell is a color-rich, deep and detailed game that mirrors the beautiful Fairies world that girls have come to love and cherish. In the game, Tinker Bell invites players to discover her mystical world, embark on adventures, explore their fashion tastes and complete fun quests to prepare for the coming seasons.
Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell game features:
- Choose from hundreds of dresses, costumes, shoes and accessories to fully customise Tinker Bell.
- Create new designs featuring hearts, flowers and other patterns to place onto outfits.
- Barter and trade items collected in Pixie Hollow with other Fairies for new clothing and accessories.
- Create trends by gifting outfits to friends and watch as Pixie Hollow becomes filled with Fairies dressed in those outfits.
- Earn medals and form new friendships when completing special tasks for other Fairies in Pixie Hollow, including repairing broken items using Tinker Bell’s special tinkering power and locating missing items.
- Engage in challenging and fun mini-games, such as catching dew drops, painting ladybugs and tickling silkworms.
- Utilizes the DS real-time clock, so environments will reflect time of year or time of day. Girls will witness snow falling in the winter time, fireflies coming out at night and Fairies throwing a huge bash on their birthday.
Published by Disney Interactive Studios and developed by Genius Sonority, Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell will be available Christmas 2008 on Nintendo DS.
For more information on Disney Interactive Studios, visit http://www.disney.com/videogames.
Product names, dates, pricing and platform availability are not final and may be subject to change.
CDV’s Theatre of War now offered for sale in retail box
Theatre of War offers a fresh take on the WWII Real-time Strategy genre by combining the look, feel, sounds and historical elements of WWII to create the ultimate warfare simulation. The game engine features realistic shell ballistics, armor penetration calculations and damage effects coupled with destructible environments, trenches, fortifications and individually tracked weapons, equipment, ammo and vehicles. More than 50 battles spread across seven different campaigns (US/UK, Soviet, German, French, Polish, Battle for Moscow and Panzer Lehr in Normandy), along with eight non-campaign scenarios, five Training scenarios and 11 different multiplayer missions are available in the game to offer a rich and challenging combat experience to players.
Lunch Break for mobile platforms released
Dutch/Indonesian developers Xing Mobile are pleased to announce their latest J2ME game “Lunch Break”.
This MIDP-2 game which runs on all mobile phones of this type with a screen size of 176×208 lets you run a lunchroom/restaurant just like in the popular On-line PC games. Prepare your tables, seat customers in an orderly fashion without placing them too close to noisy kids or loud talking businessmen and most importantly: serve their food in time. This is challenging game which will enable you to get through your own lunch break quickly while forgetting to eat at all….
Bethesda Softworks announces Development partnership with Splash Damage
Splash Damage has been recognized by the industry for the quality of its titles and particularly for its skill in creating cutting-edge multiplayer games. The studio has received numerous accolades and awards for Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory™, including Game of the Year nods from GameSpy, IGN, and PC Format. Their latest game, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars™, won over 80 Editors’ Choice, E3, Most Wanted, and Game of the Year awards and nominations.
Bethesda Softworks continues to expand its development and publishing reach, with investments in a library of AAA titles and the opening of new offices in Europe and Japan in the past year. Best known for its 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion®, Bethesda has in development a number of compelling titles, including the highly-anticipated Fallout® 3 due in Fall 2008.
“Bethesda Softworks has repeatedly been responsible for outstanding games as both publisher and developer.” said Paul Wedgwood, Owner and Creative Director of Splash Damage. “Both of our studios share a passion for creating great games, and we’re confident that this partnership will result in even greater experiences for gamers. We’re really looking forward to working with Bethesda.”
“This could not be a more perfect fit,” said Vlatko Andonov, President of Bethesda Softworks. “We are extremely impressed with Splash Damage and the quality titles they produce. They are highly creative and innovative, and have demonstrated a high level of dedication to their projects. We are confident that gamers everywhere will be thrilled with the offerings from this collaboration.”
More details about Splash Damage’s brand-new project will be provided in the coming months. For more information on Bethesda Softworks, visit www.bethsoft.com. For more information on Splash Damage, visit www.splashdamage.com.
Audiokinetic releases new Wwise tools
Latest solutions confirm the company’s technological advance
Montreal, Canada – May 22, 2008 – Audiokinetic Inc., a leading audio solution provider for the video game industry, announced today the release of a new version of its award-winning audio pipeline solution, Wwise, and the official launch of its highly-expected motion solution for games, Wwise Motion.
As for previous versions of Wwise, Wwise 2008.2 includes an impressive set of new features that will help game developers create more immersive audio for their games. Among these new features, the following can be outlined:
• Multi-channel source: Wwise now supports files up to 5.1 channels;
• Source control: in addition to Perforce, Wwise now supports Subversion for workgroup.
Another essential aspect of this new release of Wwise is the introduction of Wwise Motion, the first and only motion solution for games. Presented by Audiokinetic at the 2008 Game Developers Conference, Wwise Motion allows game developers to efficiently create, customize, and manage motion in their games, using the same functionalities and streamlined workflow as Wwise. Wwise Motion supports all next-gen platform controllers, as well as D-BOX Motion Code™ gaming systems developed by partner Wwise Motion was released along with Wwise 2008.2.
Wwise 2008.2 and Wwise Motion reinforce Audiokinetic’s position as the most innovative company in the industry. “Wwise Motion demonstrates once again that Audiokinetic is always a step ahead of the competition in terms of innovation and advanced production pipeline,” said Simon Ashby, Product Development Manager, Audiokinetic.
In order to illustrate the functionalities of Wwise and Wwise Motion, Audiokinetic collaborated with partner Emergent Game Technologies. Audiokinetic was responsible for the entire audio aspect in Emergent’s new demo, The Forbidden Terror on Station Z (Zorsis), which was also presented at GDC 2008. Audiokinetic worked with long time partners Michael McCann and Soundelux Design Music Group: McCann created an amazing music score for the demo, and Soundelux Design Music Group provided all the sound effects to include weapons, creature voices, ambiances and the UI. ”Working with McCann and Soundelux was extremely satisfying,” commented Simon Ashby. “These guys are so pro; most of the content they deliver is right on target and almost never need retakes.” The assets were then integrated and managed in Wwise to create the final audio in Zorsis. Audiokinetic then used Wwise Motion to generate the motion effects in the demo.
Wwise 2008.2, Wwise Motion and Zorsis are available for download on Audiokinetic’s web site.
Archlord reaches 500,000 players
Since moving to free-to-play, ArchLord has seen explosive new player growth over recent months with more players than ever taking on the challenge to compete to become the all-conquering ArchLord and with it rule the entire game world.
Ed Relf, Director of Marketing, Codemasters Online commented, “This is a key milestone in the growth of ArchLord. ArchLord is a premier free-to-play MMORPG offering significantly more depth and quality than most other free-to-play games and this recent achievement solidifies our commitment to the ongoing development and success of ArchLord.”
To cope with the increased popularity for the game, Codemasters Online will shortly be opening an all-new game world to cope with the game’s substantially increased demand as they gear up for the next free content update Episode 3 due in the coming months.
ArchLord is a premier free-to-play online role-playing game allowing players to download and play the game for free with no monthly subscriptions or commitments. The online game challenges thousands of players each month to raise an army, to compete to become the game’s all-ruling ArchLord and with it control of the entire game world impacting on the lives of thousands of ArchLord players.
To download ArchLord the premier free-to-play MMORPG visit the game’s official website www.archlordgame.com
