HMV to open specialist PC gaming centre

Trocadero store in partnership with Gamerbase.com

High Street retailer HMV is teaming with Gamerbase.com to open a dedicated PC gaming centre in the heart of London.

Located at the Trocadero centre in Piccadilly Circus, the store will boast 80 multiplayer PCs allowing users to try games ahead of release, as well as take part in tournaments and promotional events.

"This represents a tremendous opportunity for HMV to further develop its specialist credentials as a destination store for games and for gaming," offered Tim Ellis, head of games for HMV.

"I'm optimistic the Gamerbase gaming centre will meet with a very positive response, which would then allow us to consider extending the concept to other stores in the chain in the not-too-distant future."

The Gamerbase gaming centre will operate on a concession basis within HMV's Trocadero store, which occupies 2300 square foot of trading space.

One of the founders of Gamerbase, former ELSPA boss Roger Bennett, says that publishers are already keen on the set up, which will allow them to trial games and gain real consumer feedback ahead of a titles release.

"This is the first centre to combine the entertainment aspect of a consumer gaming experience with a retail solution where customers can try gaming titles before they buy," he said.

"Games publishers are keen to work with us to allow HMV customers to play the newest games before anyone else, and then pre-order the titles at the HMV games retail store just a few feet away from the gaming centre.

"Never before have we been able to track gaming directly with purchases. Now we will be able to see what gamers play, how long for, and how this influences their purchasing habits," he added.

Gamerbase marketing director and professional gamer Sujoy Roy reckons the centre could also act as a talent spotting operation to find some of the UK's best games players, who could then go on to enter professional events.

"This is the first time that a PC gaming centre has been built in conjunction with a major High Street retailer, and we look forward to providing a true consumer experience that will hopefully find the UK’s next top gamers to represent our country at Worldwide competitive events," he said.

Last week HMV opened a dedicated console gaming environment in its Edinburgh store, with Microsoft supplying over 25 Xbox 360 consoles and Samsung hi-def TV screens.

Access to the Trocadero centre will be via a membership scheme, with doors due to open next month.

Source: Games Industry

NARUTO Wii Ramen Noodle Eating Championship

Top Pro Eaters Compete for $5,000 in Cash Prizes

On October 27th, the world’s hungriest competitive eaters will gather for the first-ever NARUTO™ Clash of Ninja™ Revolution World Ramen Noodle Eating Championship, the culmination of a multi-faceted launch event for the new Wii™ video game. Major League Eating have initiated a mandatory chopsticks rule for the competition, in keeping with the traditional method of consuming ramen.

The contest will feature not merely an all-star cast of competitive eaters, but a virtual cornucopia of interesting characters to boot. The focus will be on 4th-ranked Tim “Eater X” Janus of New York City, the face-painting tiramisu champ who recently ate 20 pounds of grits in ten minutes. Nipping at Janus’ heels will be his roommate and training partner, Crazy Legs Conti, a man who once ate his way out of an 96-cubic foot box of popcorn, earning the nickname, “the Evel Knievel of the Alimentary Canal.” Arturo “Grande” Rios, the 13th-ranked pigs’ feet-eating champ from New Jersey, will be fending off best friend duo Eric “Steakbellie” Livingston and Micah “Wing Kong” Collins, as well as 18th-ranked Justin Mih, a Harvard graduate student and chopstick specialist.

The contest will be the cornerstone of an entire day’s worth of activities surrounding the launch of the most exhilarating fighting game yet for the Wii™ home video game system: NARUTO: Clash of Ninja Revolution from TOMY and D3Publisher of America. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Nintendo World® Store in New York’s Rockefeller Center will be filled with gaming stations and collectible card game areas. The first 1500 fans to arrive wearing a NARUTO headband will receive an exclusive free gift. Also involved will be card games, Q&A sessions, mini-tournaments with prizes, and a raffle for a one-of-a kind NARUTO DS!

Based on episodes from VIZ Media’s hit anime series SHONEN JUMP™ NARUTO, NARUTO: Clash of Ninja Revolution ships to stores on October 23rd, 2007.

Major League Eating (MLE), the world governing body of all stomach-centric sports, conducts more than 70 events annually, including the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July

International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, N.Y. The competitive eating community, which numbers more than 8,000 veteran and rookie athletes, travels the nation in search of top titles and the glory that they provide.

With U.S. headquarters in Santa Ana, California, TOMY Corporation is one of the worlds’ oldest and most endearing toy companies. For more than eight decades, TOMY has developed and manufactured a broad portfolio of exciting and educational toys, games and video games for children of all ages.

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content.

D3Publisher of America, Inc. is a subsidiary of D3, Inc. with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. D3Publisher of America’s strategic focus is on licensed and original titles from leading third-party developers that appeal to mass-market consumers or gaming enthusiasts.

Gamerpics for Bomberman Live Xbox Live Arcade This Week

Second Batch of Gamerpics for the Popular game available October 24

Today Hudson Entertainment announced that it is releasing a second batch of gamerpics (pictured below) for Bomberman Live on Xbox Live Arcade. The gamerpics will be available starting this Wednesday, October 24th and include:

A bomb, Mr. Destructoid, Bomb of Doom (the executioner), Debbie Downer (the goth girl), and Bomb the Fool (the jester).

Bomberman Live delivers frantic 8-player online play. Fans can also play with their friends in 4-player local action on one system. In addition, Bomberman Live features new character customizations, which allow players to personalize their Bomberman from over 10,000 possible combinations. Bomberman Live offers gamers the chance to finally prove that they’re the best Bomberman player in the world.

To download the image of the gamerpics vist: http://www.clevercomm.com/Gamerpics/

For more information on Bomberman Live visit www.hudsonentertainment.com

Microsoft Lauches New Xbox 360 Console For Families

New Console Includes Five Games, Wireless Controller And Storage To Save Games, All For An Estimated Retail Price Of £199.99

Just in time for the festive season, Microsoft today released a new Xbox 360 console that delivers games and content to everyone in the family for an estimated retail price of £199.99. Available in stores in the United Kingdom from Friday 26th October 2007, Xbox 360 ‘Arcade’ is the first Xbox 360 console to include five family-friendly games. Xbox 360 Arcade also includes a wireless controller, an HDMI connection to enable high-definition output if desired and 256MB of memory--useful for storing games and other entertainment content. At an estimated retail price of just £199.99, the Xbox 360 Arcade console will include the full versions of the five best-selling games from the Xbox LIVE® Arcade including “PAC-MAN Championship Edition,” (NAMCO BANDAI Games), “Uno,” “Luxor 2,” “Boom Boom Rocket™” (Electronic Arts), and “Feeding Frenzy.”

“As European families gather together this Christmas, it’s the perfect time to launch a family orientated Xbox 360 package that plays games, video and music for everyone to enjoy,” said Stephen McGill, Head of Gaming and Entertainment for Microsoft UK. “In addition to offering an incredible all-in-one package for families to get right into the fun, the Xbox 360 Arcade system features the industry leading family settings that allow parents to control what their kids are watching and playing, and we know how important that control is to families around the world.”

The news of Xbox 360 Arcade comes as part of a broader initiative by Microsoft to bring the Xbox 360 experience to families everywhere. Microsoft also announced today that “SHREK-N-ROLL™” (Activision) will be coming exclusively to Xbox LIVE Arcade, the place to download games for Xbox 360 over Xbox LIVE, adding more fun for everyone in the family.

Microsoft’s commitment to family entertainment is complimented by the largest library of more than 200 family-friendly games available at retailers in the United Kingdom this Christmas, including “BEE MOVIE™ GAME” (Activision), “Guitar Hero III®: Legends of Rock” (Activision), “Naruto: Rise of a Ninja” (UbiSoft) , “Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action” and “Viva Piñata: Party Animals.”

Hong Kong Raid Nets 10,000 Products Used To Play Pirated Nintendo Software

Illegal WiiKey
At Nintendo's request, the Hong Kong High Court has intervened to help stop a global distribution operation involving game copying devices and modification chips ("mod chips") that violate its copyrights and trademarks in the Nintendo DS and Wii systems.

On Oct. 8th, the court ordered the raid of Supreme Factory Limited facilities. During a three-day period, Nintendo representatives seized more than 10,000 game copying devices and mod chips. The game copying devices connect to the Nintendo DS and are used to copy and play game files offered unlawfully via the Internet. The mod chips allow the play of pirated Wii discs or illegal copies of Nintendo games downloaded from the Internet.

The search also turned up volumes of documents reflecting the scope of the operation. The Supreme Factory Limited has ties to a French company, Divineo SARL, and its principal, Max Louarn, who are also named in the legal action initiated by Nintendo. The High Court prohibited the companies from further distribution of the devices and from disposing a portion of their assets worldwide, and ordered that such assets be frozen pending outcome of the legal proceedings.

"Piracy affects the entire video game industry, from large companies to independent developers," says Jodi Daugherty, Nintendo of America's senior director for anti-piracy. "It can destroy years of hard work by a team of very talented software developers, who strive to create games consumers enjoy playing. Copying the developers' work and spreading the game files globally is blatant stealing."

Piracy not only affects Nintendo, but also more than 100 companies that independently create, license, market and sell Nintendo video game products. Nintendo and these companies lost an estimated $762 million in sales due to counterfeits in 2006.

This action is one of several that Nintendo has initiated over the years against game copiers and mod chips. In 2005, Nintendo was awarded more than $5 million in damages from the Hong Kong High Court against Lik Sang, a company responsible for the widespread distribution of game copying devices. In another case, a U.S. judge ordered Bung Enterprises to pay Nintendo $7 million in damages in connection with its involvement in manufacturing and distribution of such products.

The SIMS 2 Castaway OUT THIS FRIDAY

For the first time ever, your Sims can survive and thrive on an uncharted island

Electronic Arts announced that The Sims 2 Castaway for the Wii, the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system will be available in all main UK retail outlets from October 26th. The PSP (PlayStation Portable) system will follow closely on November 2nd. New and old fans of The Sims will now be able to leave the urban jungle for an uncharted island filled with sandy beaches, blue lagoons, explosive volcanic mountains and more! Will your Sims choose to survive and thrive on a tropical island or begin planning their escape back to civilization? The choice is yours in The Sims 2 Castaway!

As The Sims 2 Castaway begins, players will have the opportunity to create a crew of Sims. And in true Sims fashion, each character brings a unique skill, humor and quirkiness to the crew, promising an entertaining adventure in this new island environment! Upon setting sail, a storm quickly approaches casting your Sims overboard on a beautiful beach all alone. Having no other items but the shirt on his back, your Sim will embark on a tropical journey, choosing to either subsist on the beautiful island or flee altogether. Will your Sim choose to reunite with the crew and enlist the help of clever monkeys to make a flourishing community with the Musician, Doctor, Park Ranger and more? Or will they follow the treasure map island to island in search of clues that will eventually lead them to freedom? How your Sims survive, or thrive, is up to you.

Studio Head of The Sims Label, Rod Humble said, “Whether you’re spending hours collecting resources to build the ultimate island hut, or passing time taming wild boars with your crew, there is a new adventure for all types of players this holiday season in The Sims 2 Castaway. The gameplay is magnificently tailored to each of the four platforms – we can’t wait to see how players are going to help their Sims survive and thrive on this beautiful, uncharted island.”

Regardless of their destiny, your Sims will explore a variety of new environments, from lush green jungles and dark spooky caves to forbidden plains and more! In addition to new environments, Nintendo DS players will also hone their Sims survival skills such as spear fishing, fire starting and bug squashing in one of the six fun mini-games. Whether your Sims are collecting unusual shells for crew members, crafting furniture out of palm leaves or creating dry shelter out of bamboo, what you build and collect makes all the difference!

The Sims 2 Castaway ships today on the Wii, Nintendo DS and PlayStation2 to retail stores across North America and Europe. The PSP version ships today across North America and on October 26th across Europe. For more information – and to check out the hilarious, recently-launched webisodes – please visit The Sims 2 Castaway website at www.foundthesims.com

Codemasters celebrates Halloween early with release of Jericho

Just in time for the fright-filled holiday of the year, Codemasters today announced that its long-awaited action horror game Clive Barker's Jericho is now shipping and will be available from retail stores this Friday, 26th October, for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows.

Clive Barker's Jericho is a spectacular blast from Barker's cannon of nightmares and an interactive experience that mingles the darkest elements of his creative works with an ambitious, age-spanning story for mature gamers and horror fiction enthusiasts.

Clive Barker's Jericho dispatches gamers to the Middle-Eastern city of Al-Khali, where the most ancient of evils has resurfaced; causing intense paranormal activity that has caught the eye of the military. Controlling the Jericho squad, an expert strike team skilled in both conventional and paranormal warfare, players fight their way through slices of time on a gruelling journey as they make their way toward the heart of the evil.

En route, gamers encounter the horrific armies of hellish denizens that now rule the city and corrupt everything they touch. As the squad incrementally approach the source of evil, players will have to rely less and less on traditional weapons and instead focus on the combined psychic talents of the Jericho team.

Assassin's Creed at HMV Oxford St, London

Personal Appearance by Jade Raymond and Demonstration of Assassin's Creed at HMV Oxford St, London this Saturday 27th October

As part of London Games Festival, Jade Raymond, Producer for Assassins Creed by Ubisoft, is set to make a special appearance at HMV's flagship store on Oxford Street, London this Saturday 27th October. New levels from the latest version of the game will be presented at this one off event in anticipation for the release of the game next month.

The presentation is open to all members of the public and will take place at 3pm and then again at 4.30pm on the day. Jade will meet and answer questions from the public and also sign merchandise available for the game.

Details of event:

Attendees: Open to all public on the day
Address: HMV Level One, 150 Oxford St, London W1D 1DJ.

Details can also be found here on the London Game Festival website:

London Games Festival

For more information on Assassin’s Creed please visit www.assassinscreed.com

For more information about Ubisoft please visit www.ubi.com.

ChartTrack UK weekly games charts

All formats

(Full price) Week ending 20 October 2007
POS TITLE PUBLISHER
1 FOOTBALL MANAGER 2008 - SEGA
2 FIFA 08 - ELECTRONIC ARTS
3 THE ORANGE BOX - ELECTRONIC ARTS
4 THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: PHANTOM HOURGLASS - NINTENDO
5 HALO 3 - MICROSOFT
6 PROJECT GOTHAM RACING 4 - MICROSOFT
7 RATATOUILLE - THQ
8 TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 08 - ELECTRONIC ARTS
9 RESISTANCE: FALL OF MAN - SONY COMPUTER ENT.
10 CRASH OF THE TITANS - VIVENDI GAMES
11 MYSIMS - ELECTRONIC ARTS
12 HEAVENLY SWORD - SONY COMPUTER ENT.
13 MOTORSTORM - SONY COMPUTER ENT.
14 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: MAKIN' THE CUT! - DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
15 JUICED 2: HOT IMPORT NIGHTS - THQ
16 FORZA MOTORSPORT 2 - MICROSOFT
17 RUGBY 08 - ELECTRONIC ARTS
18 SEGA RALLY - SEGA
19 SKATE - ELECTRONIC ARTS
20 MARIO PARTY 8 - NINTENDO

Guitar Hero tracks available on iPod

Do you wanna rock like a hurricane with your iPod? Of course you do! Check it:

Activision, Inc. announced that starting today a series of compilations featuring music from the hit franchise Guitar Hero will be available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store. The tracks will be featured in iTunes Essentials for Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

From “Surrender” to “Welcome to the Jungle,” to “Carry On Wayward Son,” nearly every song to appear in the Guitar Hero franchise has been gathered. A newly recorded version of "Anarchy in the U.K." which the Sex Pistols recently recorded for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, is also available as a separate track. The series also includes Artist and Genre Essentials custom-created especially for guitar fans. Titles include Shredders, Live Guitar Heroics, Killer Guitar Solos and Guitar Anthems of the ‘80s with tracks from Aerosmith, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Rage Against the Machine, Metallica, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Pearl Jam. Additionally, iTunes will be offering guitar-themed playlists from guitar legends Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols and Slash of Guns ‘N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver so fans can download the legends’ favorite anthems.

MySpace add Games

A day after announcing its first foray into Web video production, News Corp.'s MySpace is now planning to become an online gaming destination, too. The social network is striking a deal with game distributor Oberon Media to feed its new MySpace Games section, set for a January launch.

MySpace, with 110 million-plus worldwide members, is already a major player in interactive music and video. Casual gaming, the fastest-growing sector of the gaming industry with the largest audience, is a logical next step. The area will include hundreds of free, easy-to-play, time-waster, puzzle, quest and card games. "This was a very clear area for us that answered a need for enhancing the fun factor on MySpace," said MySpace vice president of business development Amit Kapur.

However popular, casual games brought in just $380 million in revenue in the U.S. last year, according to research from Pacific Crest Securities and NPD Group Inc., compared with $4.78 billion in sales of console games. This is largely because casual games are free, relying on advertising to make money. The sector's growth rate is more than double that of the console gaming business, expected to reach $512 million this year.

XBox DVD drive movies giveaway extends to UK

In the high-def war, the HD DVD camp has been taking a kicking in the publicity stakes [and sales, apparently] from its Blu-ray rival.

As a result, Microsoft has extended its US offer of free HD DVD movies to the UK. If you buy the HD DVD player for the Xbox 360 between now and the end of January 2008 you will get five free HD DVD movies. Just buy your HD DVD add-on for the 360, then pop over to this page on the Microsoft site and enter in your details along with the barcode from the player and your movies will be winging their way over within 28 days.

Choose from the following:

Serenity
The Chronicles of Riddick
Hulk
Children of Men
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Troy
Full Metal Jacket
Corpse Bride
The Prestige
Swordfish
Black Rain
Dreamgirls
Word Trade Center

The offer is also extended to anyone that bought a HD DVD after Oct 1st [as long as you have the receipt] but early adopters of the HD DVD are left out..

Wii Takes Video Game Industry by Storm

Getty Images
With the holiday shopping season just around the corner, what's the best video game system—long wait lines notwithstanding—on the market? Currently, three major video game consoles are vying to rule gamers' sleepless nights: Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360, Sony Corp.'s Playstation 3, and Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s Wii.

The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are the most thrilling and technologically advanced. They have state-of-the-art computer chips onboard with spectacular graphics, and hundreds of third-party games are available filled with imagination, intriguing story lines, and action-packed game play.

On the other hand, Nintendo's Wii system doesn't have the high-end specs. However, its offerings to consumers are something the gaming industry has never before seen, and has caught on with those outside the usual gaming crowd—housewives, busy professionals, and even senior citizens.

For traditional gamers, the quality of graphical aesthetics tends to be the main draw. According to Microsoft, its newest Halo 3 video game for Xbox 360 —a "first-person-shooter" with immersive 3-D graphics—sold more than 5 million copies within the first week of launch. One GameStop store in New York City was open until 1 am on a weeknight selling the Halo 3.

Due to the popularity of Halo, Xbox has outsold the Wii in the month of September,

Following 2001's GameCube, the Wii is the 5th video game system developed by Nintendo. It's differentiated through its unique wireless controller where players use three dimensional movements and physical gestures to determine game control. This selling point was heavily marketed by Nintendo to a broader demographic—even senior citizens have taken on a great liking to the Wii.

Game developers have introduced titles that utilize the Wii's virtual motion control flawlessly. For example, a bowling game actually requires players to lower their knees and swing their arm as if the Wii's wireless controller were a bowling ball. A tennis game requires the player to execute precise swings and backswings using its controller during a tennis match. Playing the Nintendo Wii goes even beyond playing video games, as there are even titles on personal fitness, home budgeting, cooking, and brain training.

If you're thinking about getting a Wii for Christmas, you better start looking right away. Its level of graphics is noticeably lower than competitors Xbox or Playstation—then again, at $299, so is its price. But for the Wii, addictive game play itself is enough to get a broader range of consumers hooked.

Wii's popularity has also helped Nintendo's bottom line and its stock. Nintendo has tripled in market capitalization since the Wii's launch last year. It's now Japan's 3rd most valuable listed company. Many analysts have a positive outlook on Nintendo in its ability to expand market share and keep up innovation.

Since its introduction, Nintendo has sold over 12 million Wii consoles in less than a year. In short, Nintendo's well executed marketing campaign and its innovative game play has just about redefined video gaming. Only one question remains: is the Wii a mere "fad" or a "golden standard" for the future of the video game industry?

Source: Epoch Times

Atari founder calls today’s video games “trash”

Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, “father of electronic games,” called today’s video games “pure, unadulterated trash.”

Bushnell told Electronic Design in an interview published on Friday that "Video games today are a race to the bottom.”

He says that a lot of the games today are too isolating and missing the important social element. Bushnell, the creator of Pong, now focuses on social games that involve the whole family just as they once did instead of the single player games he helped pioneer.

He also recently criticized Sony, calling the company “arrogant” and “difficult to deal with from a developer standpoint.”

Halo cheats face ban

Halo 3 cheaters: you know who you are.

But so does Bungie, and they are not pleased. Last week, the company left an ominous warning on their message boards that they intended to do something about this select group of people. Now, apparently a Bungie employee has confirmed that the ban hammer is being polished up and will be ready to use soon. They just want to make absolutely sure that the people being banned are really cheating and not abusing game issues:

Network attacks, by and large. Hard to prevent, easy to detect, but we’ve had to wait and make sure there were no game issues that could be confused for abusive behavior.

Banning a false positive is worse than missing several legitmate bridgers, DDoS’ers, and their ilk. So our process has been pretty methodical so far.

If you’ve cheated in the past, they’re probably onto you already, so prepare to say goodbye to the Halo 3 multiplayer. That’s right, I’m talking to you, guy-who-killed-me-in-one-shot-with-an-assault-rifle-five-times-in-a-freakin’-row. Your days are numbered. Ahahahaha!

Source: File Front

Korn to Release Original Song Haze by Ubisoft

Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that the multi-platinum selling, ground-breaking hard rock band Korn has written and recorded an original song inspired by Ubisoft’s upcoming Haze video game. The song will be launched to radio and video in November 2007, to coincide with the launch of the Haze video game. The single, entitled “Haze”, will be available for purchase via online music download sites.

Korn, who released their debut in 1994, has sold more than 30 million records worldwide, releasing seven consecutive multi-platinum selling albums. Their latest untitled album was released in July of this year, debuting at #2 on the US album charts and #3 on the European album charts. Lead singer Jonathan Davis has often mentioned a love for video games, including games from Ubisoft like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2.
“Gaming for me is a religion and Haze is the shit!” said Jonathan Davis. “I had to come up with a track that can hit up that kind of rush I get from the game and I think we really rocked it!!"

Image: Gaming Today

The deal with Korn is a first for Ubisoft and marks a new strategy of creative partnership with different figures in the music industry. “This partnership with Korn is original in the video game industry in that the song will be released and promoted as a full-fledged single, and not just as a download with the video game,” stated Christian Salomon, vice president of worldwide licensing at Ubisoft. “It is a testament to the synergy possibilities between music and video games, which often share the same audience.”

XBox 360 tops charts in US

September charts see Microsoft’s console outsell rival Wii thanks to Halo 3 surge
The successful release of Bungie’s hugely popular Halo 3 saw Microsoft’s Xbox 360 propelled to the top of the US hardware charts for the month of September, CVG reports.

Figures from the NPD Group claim that Xbox 360 sold 528,000 units in the period, slightly above the 501,000 Wii consoles that were sold.

Unsurprisingly, Halo 3 also topped the monthly software charts – with Nintendo duo Wii Play and Zelda: Phantom Hourglass claiming second and third spots.

Student Develops Robin Hood Game to help Sherwood Forest Bid

A postgraduate student has created a new computer game designed to support Nottinghamshire's bid to regenerate Sherwood Forest into a world-class tourist destination. Adam Duncan designed the game, Outlaws of Sherwood, as part of his MSc Multimedia Games Engineering course at Nottingham Trent University.

Outlaws of Sherwood will be officially launched by a Robin Hood-lookalike and Heritage Ranger Ade Andrews on Thursday, October 25 in Nottingham's Market Square. The event is being staged and hosted by Nottingham's GameCity festival, a week-long celebration of the modern culture of videogames. Nottingham Trent University is the lead partner for the festival, which features an extraordinary array of gaming events and aims to explore videogames in new and exciting ways.

The game will also form part of a drive to secure£50m investment from the Big Lottery Fund to transform Sherwood Forest into a top sustainable destination and inspirational community resource. The longstanding vision - Sherwood: the Living Legend - is being backed by a consortium of stakeholders and is shortlisted for the funding along with five other major projects nationwide. Shorlisted projects will go to a public vote in December.

Outlaws of Sherwood, which can be accessed via Sherwood: The Living Legend website ( www.robinhood.co.uk), features four stages which gamers need to guide their hero through to support and protect the forest. These include avoiding various obstacles while collecting gold, picking out the Sheriff's knights with a bow and arrow, and seeing how far you can throw a nobleman.

People who visit the website and play Outlaws of Sherwood will be encouraged to pledge their support to vote for the project. This can be done by registering at www.robinhood.co.uk or texting robin to 81025.

Adam said: "Outlaws of Sherwood was designed with the intention of appealing to as large an audience as possible. Using a game for the purposes of promotion gives the project the potential to draw people in who might not otherwise find out about the bid; it also shows how games can be used as tools to support worthy causes."

He added: "I'm proud to have had the opportunity to be involved in a project that helps the local community and I hope that the game goes on to contribute towards a successful bid."

James Lewis, Adam's tutor and Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, said: "Adam's done a great job. This project highlights the high standards achieved by students on Nottingham Trent University's computer games courses. We hope to demonstrate that computer games can be used as an effective campaigning tool. I'm delighted that the university has been able to help spread wordabout the Sherwood Forest project in such an innovative way."

If the Sherwood Forest bid is successful, the money would be used to pay for a range of improvements. These include creating an environmentally-friendly visitor complex in the form of a 100ft-high tree, giving visitors amazing views of the Sherwood landscape from a treetop viewing gallery; doubling in size the core of the ancient Oak Forest; and creating a 250km network of walking, cycling and horse riding paths.

Finally, at least 50 Nottinghamshire communities would be given the opportunity to enhance the place where they live by choosing a scheme to improve their local environment and illustrate their unique connection to Sherwood. Ideas could involve interpretation boards for important natural or historical features, new community designed village signs, creating nature trails or historical walks, or tree, hedge and wildflower planting.