Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack Arrives in April

The Fight Continues - Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack Arrives in April

The award-winning "Halo 3" multiplayer experience continues to evolve with three new maps available only on Xbox LIVE Marketplace

More than 7.3 million copies of "Halo 3" have flown off store shelves, upwards of 500 million hours of online gameplay have been logged on Xbox LIVE and the Heroic Map Pack has been downloaded by 1 million plus gamers and counting. But it's not over yet…

Microsoft and Bungie today announced that 15th April will mark the release of the next wave of "Halo 3" downloadable content. Available exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points, the Legendary Map Pack will introduce three new maps to the title's award-winning multiplayer experience, Ghost Town, Avalanche, and one map yet to be revealed. And with the addition of some exciting Forge options, fans can explore new ways to create and share their custom "Halo 3" content.

Ghost Town is a battle-scarred maze of narrow passages and dangerous ruins outside the once-prosperous city of Voi. Collapsed ceilings and shell-battered buildings provide both valuable cover and deadly traps, as catwalks and stairways take the fight from claustrophobic ground combat to dizzying rooftop battles. Ghost Town is a mid-sized map ideal for Team Slayer games and smaller, objective types.

The second map, Avalanche, is a tribute to Sidewinder, a "Halo: Combat Evolved" fan-favourite. This massive, vehicle-oriented objective map adds a twist to its classic predecessor with all new interiors, dramatically reshaped exteriors and brand new vehicle variants. Take a ride and admire the visual variety from the cockpit of the retuned Hornet.

The third map to be included in the Legendary Pack has yet to be announced, but stay tuned to Bungie.net for full details on another returning classic… fans of smaller Slayer maps, it's time to get excited.

Be sure to check out www.xbox.com and www.bungie.net for all the latest information and screenshots of the new maps.

2ND ADD-ON FOR THE GUILD 2 PC GAME

JOWOOD PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES 2ND ADD-ON FOR THE GUILD 2

Until now, only the cities of Germany, England and other Nothern regions were part of the successful The Guild series. JoWooD Productions is now working on the new Add-on for The Guild 2 which will take the player to the most fascinating city of the 15th century: Venice. Built on more than hundred islands and popular for the gondoliers with their famous songs Venice is still the pearl of the Adria.

“The Guild 2 – Venezia“ will show the fascinating ambience of Venice. Small Sidestreets, Gondolieres and the mystical carnival promise many hours of game fun. Live your life in The Guild 2 – Venezia like the medieval population did – build up your family, earn money and enjoy the romance of Venice. Maybe you will meet the famous Casanova.

Enjoy the fascinating history of Venice – the city which is to day as fascinating as in the past. Release of the standalone Game will be End of September 2008.

Commander – Europe at War is Updated v1.06 update

Commander – Europe at War is Updated

New v1.06 update offers better performance and gameplay improvements

Matrix Games and Slitherine Strategies are proud to announce yet another update is now available for their critically acclaimed WWII grand strategy game, Commander – Europe at War.

This 1.06 update comes with a large number of improvements, ranging from a 30% increase in frame rates and reduced loading and selection times to scores of balance tweaks and changes. The update also includes some map changes like the addition of Belfast as a city on the map, new rules like garrison units can no longer be transported by sea, convoys redirecting to Canada if London falls and much more!

David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said “It’s not hard to see why Commander – Europe at War has earned so much acclaim from anyone who has had the chance to play it. This new update is another significant improvement to an already very solid and enjoyable game.”

Iain McNeil of Slitherine Strategies also added, “We’re confident that Commander – Europe at War keeps getting better and better with each update. Our goal has always been the perfect blend of historical gameplay and a streamlined, elegant interface. We’re glad to work together with Matrix Games to bring this title to as many wargamers as we can worldwide.”

Commander – Europe at War allows the player to command the armies of the Axis or the Allies in World War II. With only two goals at hand, survive and conquer, the player is charged with building and commanding the combined air, land and sea forces of his side. Advance your research to the cutting edge of technology in order to best your opponents and either conquer or liberate Europe!

Commander - Europe at War is easy to learn and elegant, but deep in strategy and hard to master. Players will find themselves glued to their chairs from the beginning when all mayhem breaks loose across the continent with the invasion of Poland in 1939. Research new technologies, manage your manpower reserves, improve your industry, husband your oil supply and manufacture armies, fleets, and bombers to use all available strategic and tactical might to bring about victory. Commander - Europe at War includes realistic combat resolution that models supply morale, terrain, leadership, equipment, training, strategic weapons and fog of war. To capture the immense scope and distance of WWII, Commander - Europe at War includes 6 epic scenarios with different starting points, including the famous Barbarossa campaign, D-Day, the battle for France, and finally the Grand Campaign that will let the player refight the entirety of the Second World War the way they see fit!

Get more information on Commander – Europe at War from its product page. This update is comprehensive and will bring the version of the game up to 1.06.

King of Clubs Golf game for the Nintendo Wii ships

King of Clubs for the Nintendo Wii is shipping to a store near you!

Oxygen Games is pleased to announce that the wickedly fun and devious party game, King of Clubs, is shipping and will be in-store from 28th March 2008.

King of Clubs is an innovative action-puzzle game, combining the challenge of the traditional ball-rolling puzzler with the classic tacky seaside pastime of mini-golf. As an evolution of the puzzle genre, each level has multiple solutions, and as further equipment is unlocked, new paths through each hole become viable. Building on the great tradition of sorry-looking mini-golf courses, the game is set in a dilapidated theme-park which takes decaying kitsch to new extremes.

Never the same game twice, this wacky puzzle game allows you to play with a ball that looks like an eyeball, leaves a purple trail and moo’s like a cow when you hit it! Not only that, but you can choose from a selection of clubs that will defy physics and chip your ball over all sorts of eclectic obstacles that may even score you a hole-in-none!

“Weird and wacky golf game that makes a dull sport hugely entertainingI”

- Nuts Magazine

“It´s even more maddening and addictive than the real thing!”

- 5/5 - BBC Focus Magazine

“It´s a pun that´s impossible to defy; King of Clubs has got lots of balls.”

- Virgin Media

Possibly the wackiest golf game on the Nintendo Wii will be in shops from 28th March 2008.

Viking: Battle for Asgard Theme Packs Available Via Xbox Live

Viking: Battle for Asgard Theme Packs Available Via Xbox Live

SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced that a limb-severing Viking; Battle for Asgard Theme Pack and Picture Pack are available via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Developed by The Creative Assembly, creators of the award-winning Total War series, Viking: Battle for Asgard is their second console game, but first title to hit this generation of hardware. The Theme Pack is filled with beautiful artwork of characters like Skarin, Freya and Hel to use as wallpapers, whilst the Picture Pack features similar character imagery. The Theme Pack is available for 120 Microsoft Points and the Picture Pack for 80 Microsoft Points. Also, there are 5 free videos available on marketplace, which show off Viking: Battle for Asgard in all its gory beauty.

Viking: Battle for Asgard throws the player in the middle of a fierce struggle taking place within the realm of the Norse Gods. The Goddess Hel has been banished for defying Odin, Lord of Asgard. Angry at her fate, Hel has raised an army of resurrected Viking warriors to wipe out all of humanity in the mortal realm of Midgard, seeking to bring about Ragnarok - the apocalyptic battle that will destroy Asgard and the Gods themselves. The task of stopping Hel and defending the future of mankind falls to Skarin, a promising but deeply flawed young warrior, ignorant of the true reason for his favour with the Gods…

Viking: Battle for Asgard is set for release across Europe on March 28th, 2008 for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system.

tank simulator for PC WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs Tiger - delayedT34 vs. Tiger delayed

T34 vs. Tiger delayed

Publisher Lighthouse has announced that its tank simulator for PC ‘WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs Tiger', originally scheduled for April 2008, has been delayed. A new date has not yet been set.

Raymond Snippe, Development Manager for Lighthouse Interactive, said: "T34 has a lot going for it. The combination of gorgeous graphics, realistic physics models, interactive environments and exhilarating multiplayer gameplay justifiably makes this a highly anticipated simulation.” He went on to say: “Because it is so highly anticipated and because of the community feedback that reached us after the Russian release, we wanted to give the developer the extra time to polish the game to make sure we deliver the best product possible. We expect to announce a new release date in the near future."

Game summary

The tank simulation ‘WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs. Tiger' takes place in Belarus during the summer of 1944, in which the Soviet Union launched "Operation Bagration", the Belarusian offensive, against the retreating German Wehrmacht. After Kursk, this was the most significant struggle of the two tank armies and resulted in the complete destruction of the German Army Group Center and the Soviet recapture of all territories within their 1941 borders.

The player can experience the battlefield from within the Russian T-34 and the German "Tiger", with fully animated 3D interiors and playable Driver, Gunner and Commander positions. The tanks' dynamics include realistic physics, accurate ballistics and elaborate damage models. Interior models feature historically accurate gun-sight optics.

The vast Belarusian landscape of the early 20th century, with its rolling hills, villages and large forests was carefully recreated from historical reference photos and maps. The rich battlefield environment includes AI controlled Russian and German tanks, infantry, armored-personnel-carriers, anti-tank-guns and airplanes.

Stunning special effects, such as explosions, fires and smoke, the ability to completely destroy vehicles and buildings, all combine to create a lifelike combat environment. The action can be viewed from various camera angles in first or third person view.

‘WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs. Tiger' includes two single-player campaigns and two multiplayer modes (skirmish and team-play) for LAN and Internet play for up to 16 players.

Features

• German and Russian Campaign missions are based on "Operation Bagration", the codename for the Soviet Belarusian Offensive during World War II.
• Playable tanks: The Russian T-34/85 and the German Sd.Kfz. 181 "Tiger" Ausf. E.
• Control your tank from fully modelled and animated 3D positions. (driver, gunner and commander).
• "Napalm Engine" 3D technology allows for impressive effects, such as dynamic shadows, self shading, bump mapping, specular maps, glow and bloom.
• Stunning graphics and huge realistic landscapes to explore.
• Interactive environment with various levels of destruction: Buildings, trees and vehicles can be damaged or destroyed by cannon, MG fire or ramming attacks.
• AI controlled vehicles include: T-34/85, T-34/76, Tiger, Sk.Kfz.251, M3A1,ZIS-5, Opel Blitz, ZIS-3, Pak. 40, IL-2, FW-190.
• Multiplayer options include: LAN and Internet play for up to 16 players; Two multiplayer modes: Skirmish and TeamPlay.
• The game is GameSpy Arcade ready for online multi-player sessions and uses DirectPlay TM technology for direct IP multi-player connections via LAN and Internet.
• "TrackIR TM" support immerses the player in hands-free first person views for all available crew positions.

UK video computer games chart

CHARTTRACK WEEKLY CHART

All formats

(Full price) Week ending 15 March 2008

1 MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES SEGA
2 ARMY OF TWO ELECTRONIC ARTS
3 BULLY: SCHOLARSHIP EDITION TAKE 2
4 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE ACTIVISION
5 GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK ACTIVISION
6 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008 KONAMI
7 COOKING MAMA 2 505 GAMES
8 FIFA 08 ELECTRONIC ARTS
9 MX VS ATV UNTAMED THQ
10 WARHAMMER 40,000: DAWN OF WAR SOULSTORM THQ
11 FRONTLINES: FUEL OF WAR THQ
12 TURNING POINT: FALL OF LIBERTY CODEMASTERS
13 NO MORE HEROES RISING STAR GAMES
14 NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. NINTENDO
15 LOST ODYSSEY MICROSOFT
16 ASSASSIN'S CREED UBISOFT
17 LOST: THE VIDEO GAME UBISOFT
18 BURNOUT PARADISE ELECTRONIC ARTS
19 THE SIMPSONS GAME ELECTRONIC ARTS
20 NEED FOR SPEED: PROSTREET ELECTRONIC ARTS

CBS and Gameloft Use Real Phone Calls to Unravel Clues and Solve Crimes in CSI Crime Scene Investigation - The Mobile Game"

CBS and Gameloft Use Real Phone Calls to Unravel Clues and Solve Crimes in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — The Mobile Game"

Mobile Characters Based on the Popular TV Series Call Players and Provide Investigative Tips for Sin City Murder Case

Gameloft, a leading international publisher and developer of mobile games, today announced the U.S. release of “CSI:Crime Scene Investigation — The Mobile Game,” based on the CBS primetime hit television series. The new game allows players to investigate the sinister side of Las Vegas, and adds excitement by incorporating an optional level of interactivity whereby characters in the game place phone calls to players to help them with their sleuthing.

“We are very excited to be launching CSI: Crime Scene Investigation with all of its innovative features,” said Gonzague de Vallois, Senior Vice President, Gameloft. “Our mission has always been to push the envelope on game development and we are confident we have succeeded with this game.”

"This CBS Mobile game is the first of its kind utilizing outbound calling, which literally calls players to action,” said Cyriac Roeding, Executive Vice President, CBS Mobile. “Your cellphone rings, and a detective calls you to the scene — just like a real CSI detective. This combination of game play with popular content and a whole new level of interactivity represent enormous entertainment and business potential for the mobile world."

When signing up, players have the option of activating the interactive phone call feature; if activated, they receive a specialized call during the game for clues and tips that lead them to new crime scenes. The mobile game also delivers more realism than ever before with detailed locations, spontaneous interrogations, 3-D views of evidence, and clever laboratory mini-games to help solve crimes. The game plot was a collaboration with CBS Mobile and CSI Series Creator, Anthony E. Zuiker to ensure the storytelling represented the sanctity of the show.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — The Mobile Game is available on most U.S. carriers. A version of the CSI game will be available internationally though it will have slightly different features. To check the game’s availability with your carrier, text “SUSPECT” to 82174 on your mobile phone.

NEVES WINS CHILDREN'S EXCELLENCE AWARD AND ANNOUNCES PRICE DROP TO $19.99 - Play Flash Demo

NEVES WINS CHILDREN'S EXCELLENCE AWARD AND ANNOUNCES PRICE DROP

New Price Point to Drive Accessibility for Award-Winning Title

YUKE'S Company of America, subsidiary of Japanese game publisher YUKE'S Company Limited, announced today that NEVES, published by Atlus for the Nintendo DS, has received the highly coveted "Editor's Choice Award" from the editors at Children's Technology Review, a leading professional source of unbiased reviews of interactive technology for children. Additionally, YUKE'S announced that the unique puzzle game will receive a reduction in price to $19.99, effective immediately. NEVES is currently available at select retailers nationwide, including Amazon.com and GameStop.com.

"Receiving this award signifies NEVES' universal playability and educational convention for all ages," said Shane Takahashi, CEO of YUKE's Company of America. "NEVES' new price point will help to reinforce that our intellectually stimulating title reaches a broader audience of casual and hardcore gamers alike."

Developed and published by YUKE'S and distributed by Atlus U.S.A., Inc., NEVES is a unique tangram puzzle game that challenges players to think critically as they align seven wooden block pieces and build figures that correspond to a silhouette, which range from a simple item like a sword or key to more complicated images such as birds or airplanes.

Utilizing the touch screen feature of Nintendo DSTM, NEVES offers a challenging but relaxing puzzle experience to a broad audience of gamers. With over 500 different puzzles to choose from and four different modes including puzzle mode, count mode, time mode, and versus mode, players will have countless hours of fun solving puzzles of varying difficulty.

To play the Adobe Flash demo of NEVES, please visit: www.yukes.us/neves/html/about.html?label=demo_start

OBSCURE: THE AFTERMATH GOES GOLD ON Nintendo Wii Sony PLAYSTATION 2 SYSTEM AND PC

LET THE NIGHTMARE BEGIN! OBSCURE: THE AFTERMATH GOES GOLD ON WiiTM, PLAYSTATION 2 SYSTEM AND PC

Ignition Entertainment's Highly Anticipated Survival Horror Title Will Ship to North American Retailers on March 25th, 2008

Ignition Entertainment Ltd., a worldwide publisher and developer of videogames, and co-publisher Playlogic today announced that Obscure: The Aftermath has reached Gold Master status! It is scheduled for release on March 25, 2008, for Wii home video game system from Nintendo ($29.99), PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system ($19.99) and PC ($14.99).

“Survival horror gamers have been anxiously waiting for this game, and we’re pleased to announce that it is ready to go,” said Ajay Chadha, president of Ignition Entertainment USA. “We are all excited about this release. Retailers are anticipating its arrival and gamers are ready to get playing. We have had phenomenal feedback with our live action trailers from hardcore gamers, industry professionals, and the public at large. It has been a pleasure working on this title and exercising our diverse marketing techniques.”

The story of Obscure: The Aftermath follows the survivors from Leafmore High, now enrolled at Fallcreek University, where the unsuspecting student body has a new addiction – strange black flowers that have suddenly sprung up all over campus. As the students begin experimenting with the substance they realize there is more to these flowers, turning their bad trips into a horrible reality. Obscure: The Aftermath is heavily inspired by teen horror movies with an onslaught of creepy gruesome imagery. This title includes mind-bending puzzles, an all-new 2-player co-op gameplay mode, and an awesome hair-raising soundtrack

To learn more about Obscure: The Aftermath visit the official website at www.obscureaftermath.com.

Obscure: The Aftermathis rated ‘M’ for Mature by the ESRB.

Diary Girl Nintendo DS game launched in US

Team 3 Games are proud to announce the release of 'Diary Girl' in North America. Diary Girl is an original IP created by Team 3 Games and published by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.

Konami Digital announced that Diary Girl has shipped to retail stores in North America. Developed for Nintendo DS system, this title provides girls of all ages the ability to interact with friends through their own customizable avatars, as well as organize a calendar and address book in their own password-protected electronic journal.

"The Diary Girl package gives young gamers an organizational tool, mini-games, and a social interactive component, all on their personal DS handheld system," said Rozita Tolouey, Director of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "Kids increasingly crave games with a social networking aspect and Konami is dedicated to giving them that and more with this new title."

Diary Girl packs friends, fun and organization in a password-protected electronic journal for Nintendo DS. Featuring a daily calendar and an address book, Diary Girl is a lifestyle accessory for the busiest girl around. Players are given their own avatar to customize with various clothes and accessories, as well as make-up and hair. For the girl on-the-go, advanced DS capabilities allow young gamers to talk to their friends in real time without a cell phone using the WiFi voice chat function of the game, and instant message with the Picto-chat style text messaging service. To complete the Diary Girl package, players can also participate in mini-games including mazes, jig saw puzzles, card matching, and personality quizzes. No girl's DS collection can be complete without Diary Girl.

Diary Girl is rated "E" for Everyone by the ESRB and is available for an SRP of $29.99. For more information, please visitwww.konami.com.

PC PlayStation3 Microsoft X360 Capcom Bionic Commando - The Park location details.

The Park

In contrast to the gray, stark shapes of the downtown area, the FSA Memorial Park brought nature and greenery to the urban jungle. An expanse dedicated to recreation and natural beauty, the park’s hills and forests spread for miles, home to entertainment areas such as amusement parks, the city zoo, and the great glass structure of the National Greenhouse.

In the Avenue of Heroes, colossal statues reached to the sky as tributes to those who had served the glory of the FSA. Built after the conflict with the Imperials, the Avenue housed statues of such luminaries as Joseph Gibson and Nathan Spencer. The Avenue was considered one of the premier tourist spots in Ascension City – until the terrorist attack which turned the city into a desolate graveyard.

The park landscape took on an alien appearance in the wake of the bombing. Mighty cracks tore the hills apart and mashed huge areas together, creating hundreds of green isles of vegetation. Yet there is still a certain beauty to the desolate park, the unscathed trees and grass testament to the fact that even though the explosion eradicated hundreds of thousands of lives, some things still cling to life. BioReign have set up outposts throughout the park, though what their goal is in this strategically unimportant location is unclear.



DRAYTON AA-9 "HIKER"

Caliber: 12.7mm / 15.5mm
Weight: 17.5 kg empty
Fire Mode: 9-Round Burst
Magazine Capacity: 6 x 9-Round Cartridges
Effective Range: 50 meters
Manufacturer: Drayton Arms Company

The AA-9 HIKER (High-Impulse Kinetic Energy Round Weapon) is a shoulder-fired, burst-mode anti-armor weapon with unique design characteristics.

A single trigger-pull releases a rapid-fire burst of eight 12.7mm copper-core Penetrator slugs followed by a single 15.5mm round.

A single oversized cartridge houses all nine rounds in individual rifled chambers. The cartridge corkscrews backwards through the mechanism as each round fires in rapid sequence, with a friction-damping system absorbing most of the heavy recoil. The empty cartridge is ejected from the rear of the weapon over the user’s shoulder.

When aimed from the shoulder from a tightly-braced stance, all nine shots will typically group with a reasonable degree of accuracy and precision. The initial eight slugs successively penetrate even the toughest vehicle armor to cause massive internal secondary fragmentation, followed by the high-explosive round to deliver the final coup de grace.

Bejeweled 2 for Palm OS and Windows Mobile - major update!

Bejeweled 2 for Palm OS and Windows Mobile gets a major update!

Astraware and PopCap Games are very excited to announce a major update to PopCap's best-selling, flagship game, Bejeweled 2.

In version 1.30, Bejeweled 2 adds much-requested support for 240x240 square screen Windows Mobile devices such as Palm TreoTM smartphones and includes support for 320x320 Windows Mobile Professional and Classic devices such as Samsung's SGH-i780 smartphone.


This update also sees the very first release on Windows Mobile Standard devices. Bejeweled 2, version 1.30, supports 240x320 and 320x240 resolution non-touchscreen devices including the HTC S710, HTC StrTrk, Samsung Blackjack & Blackjack II, and Motorola Q and Q9.

The game has been brought fully up-to-date on Astraware's current games framework and controls have been optimized for play with either 5-way or stylus. Bejeweled 2 is recognised by both public and media as the must-have puzzle game for your Palm OS or Windows Mobile device, and this update supports an even wider range of devices than ever before!

Bejeweled 2, version 1.30, is a completely FREE update for registered users. Players who haven't yet experienced this award-winning classic can purchase a copy, priced $19.95, from the Astraware website: http://www.astraware.com/bejeweled2

Flyboys Squadron PC video game available now from Matrix Games

Flyboys Squadron Now Available from Matrix Games

Fly the legend... Flyboys Squadron thunders off the runway and onto hard drives everywhere!

Matrix Games and Interactive Magic are pleased to announce that Flyboys Squadron is now available for purchase from Matrix Games in a new special combined bundle that also includes Warbirds as a bonus game. Now gamers can experience the intensity of WWI aerial combat with a blend of historical accuracy and fantastic action, including both single player and online subscription-based play.

As an added bonus, Flyboys Squadron comes with a free one month of online play for both Flyboys Squadron and Warbirds, a World War II air combat simulator with over 100 aircraft and ground vehicles!

David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said “Whether its manning the gunner’s seat and fending off another wave of enemy aircraft or piloting a legendary Nieuport 17 yourself, Flyboys Squadron brings good fun and plenty of action in a conflict that isn’t covered nearly enough. We’re pleased to offer this new bundle with two classic Interactive Magic air combat titles, which offer both World War I and World War II air combat in a package geared for online play.”

Join the brave knights of the skies in this World War I flight combat simulation, developed by Interactive Magic. Fast, fun and furious action takes you to the skies above no man’s land in the first air war in history, where you’ll exchange machine gun fire with enemy pilots in desperate turning dogfights. Based on the motion picture “Flyboys”, a twelve mission campaign will take you through the immersive single player storyline and prepare you for the next step – online play.

Forge a mighty tradition of strength and courage for your air squadron by besting opponents in over 10 authentic World War I aircraft and prove you’re the best in the world by surviving the infamous close range dogfights over Western Europe. In the rugged French Nieuport 17 biplane players must protect the homeland as either the pilot or rear gunner and use teamwork and sheer courage over 12 single player battles and several hidden missions.

Flyboys Squadron is part of the Warbirds community of massively multiplayer online flight simulations and comes with a month of free subscription time, after which further online play requires a paid subscription. Once you connect to the online community, you’ll find a virtual world with dynamic online missions and events. Ranks, points and medals will track your performance against human and AI pilots as you rise from rookie aviator to the “Ace” and Squadron Commander.

EA REVEALS FIRST DETAILS OF SIMS 3 FLAGSHIP PC GAME

EA REVEALS FIRST DETAILS OF NEXT-GENERATION FLAGSHIP PC GAME, 

COMING IN 2009

The Sims 3 Gives You Complete Freedom, Inspiring You With Endless Creative Possibilities

Electronic Arts announced today the first details on one of interactive entertainment’s most anticipated games, The Sims 3. Featuring a brand new engine that has been in development for nearly three years, The Sims 3 allows you to immerse your unique Sims in an open living neighbourhood right outside their door. The initial feature-set unveiled includes the new seamless, open neighbourhood, new Create-A-Sim, new realistic personalities and new unlimited customization. The Sims 3 will launch globally in 2009.

The Sims franchise has long been recognized for its appeal to a universal audience, both male and female, and at any age. Its broad appeal and loyal The Sims community has vaulted the franchise to an impressive 98 million games sold around the world and translated into 22 different languages. Celebrated for its creativity, humour, and community, The Sims franchise has become a global and cultural phenomenon since its inception in 2000.

Now, The Sims 3 is being designed to be the next-generation flagship game from The Sims Label.

“In The Sims 3, Sims can go beyond the boundaries of their home lot, and immerse themselves in an open, living neighbourhood, interacting with other Sims using our new deeper personality system,” said Rod Humble, Head of The Sims Studio. “It is this type of open-ended gameplay that inspires endless creative possibilities. In addition the new goals and rewards systems will give players of all kinds from core gamers to storytellers the ability to enjoy long-term game play.”

New Seamless, Open Neighbourhood—Explore the Neighbourhood Freely.
See the sights with your Sims! The new seamless neighbourhood architecture allows your Sims to roam freely around the neighbourhood and visit their loved one and friends—or foes. Discovering other Sims homes and families, traveling around to new locations like City Hall or the local park will create a whole new way of life for your Sims. Storytelling options will multiply as your Sims stroll downtown to meet new acquaintances, head across town for lunch, spy on their neighbours and bump into the boss when they least expect it.



New Create A Sim—Create Any Sim You Can Imagine.
In addition to the open, living neighbourhood, the all-new Create-a-Sim interface will feature easy-to-use design tools that allow you to make truly detailed Sims that are more realistic than ever. Create-a-Sim gives you the incredible freedom to customize just about any Sim you can imagine. From thin to full-figured to muscular—everything in between and even the extreme! In addition to determining your Sims body shape and size, you will also be able to fine-tune every feature on their faces, customize their hair style and select their skin tone, all from a vast selection of options. With so many choices to choose from, it is fun to create more realistic characters that look like you, someone you want to look like, or even a famous personality.

New Realistic Personalities—Every Sim Is A Unique Person, With A Distinct Personality
With the innovative and proprietary Realistic Personality System in The Sims 3, you can attribute each character with five distinct personality traits, helping shape your Sims behaviour and how they interact with others and their surroundings. This new system will empower you to create extremely complex and diverse in-game personalities. Will you create the nosy, inappropriate, kleptomaniac grandmother who loves to meddle in other people’s business? Or the commitment-phobic, hot-headed punk rocker whose rude nature and childish disposition keeps him from scoring a date? In The Sims 3, Sims will go beyond the basic set of day-to-day needs to be distinct individuals with multifaceted personalities, who can focus both on short-term opportunities and long-term goals. With a wide selection of personality traits to mix and match, more than 700 million combinations of Sims await. You never know who’ll meet in The Sims 3!



New Unlimited Customization—Everyone Can Customize Everything!
New and accessible creativity tools in The Sims 3 make it simple for anyone to customize anything, anywhere! From floors to flowers, fashions to sofas, wallpaper to window shades and more, The Sims 3 gives you all the flexibility and options you need to be the architect of your dream house or explore your interior design skills to outfit your ultimate home. Your Sims can make home an ultra-deluxe mansion, a cool bachelor pad, family’s dream home or charming cottage. The choice is yours in The Sims 3.

”The new engine and technologies in The Sims 3 are designed to unleash the player’s imagination with realistic looking Sims who have distinct personalities and a seamless living neighborhood for them to discover,” added Ben Bell, Executive Producer on The Sims 3. “Players are going to be thrilled by the level of realism in The Sims 3!”

For more information visit www.TheSims3.com.

METAL GEAR SOLID MOBILE CELLPHONE GAME NOW AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY TO VERIZON WIRELESS CUSTOMERS

METAL GEAR SOLID MOBILE NOW AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY TO VERIZON WIRELESS CUSTOMERS

Popular Video Game Franchise Hits Verizon Wireless Phones With 3D Graphics and Original Game Play

Verizon Wireless, the leading wireless company with the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, and Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties, today announced Metal Gear Solid Mobile is available for purchase exclusively through Verizon Wireless.

Metal Gear Solid Mobile is an award-winning game, having recently received the Grand Prix and Operator's Choice awards at the 2008 International Mobile Gaming Awards. Metal Gear Solid Mobile features never-before-seen dramatic 3D art displays and camera work that greatly surpass the current standard of mobile games and allows players to shift the viewpoint from first to third person and to control a variety of weapons. The game also takes advantage of the camera functionality - for example, Verizon Wireless customers can use their camera phones to capture images and the game will incorporate the image colors into the players' camouflage system.

Designed by the same team behind the Metal Gear Solid console games, Kojima Productions, and developed in conjunction with Ideaworks3D and utilizing its Airplay™ 3.5 SDK, Metal Gear Solid Mobile is an original game designed specifically for the mobile platform. Players face the same extreme tension of solitary infiltration that fans of the classic tactical espionage action game have come to expect from the Metal Gear Solid series, previously released to the PlayStation® and PlayStation®2.

Verizon Wireless customers can purchase Metal Gear Solid Mobile in the Get Fun & Games shopping aisle in the Get It Now® virtual store. The game is available for $4.99 monthly access or $10.99 for unlimited use purchase. Verizon Wireless customers can get Metal Gear Solid Mobile on more than 20 popular Get It Now-capable phones, including the Voyager™ by LG and the LG VX8700. Download charges for Get It Now applications vary and airtime or megabyte charges may apply when browsing, downloading and using certain applications. Customers need a Get It Now-enabled handset and Verizon Wireless digital service to access the Get It Now virtual store.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, customers can visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or visit www.verizonwireless.com. For more information about Metal Gear Solid Mobile, please visit www.konamimobile.com.

Big Bang viodeo game explodes onto Nintendo DS

SouthPeak Explode a Big Bang Onto Nintendo DS

Big Bang Mini Announced; Fireworks-Themed Shooter To Bring Explosive Action to Handheld

SouthPeak Games today announced another title for its 2008 Nintendo DS line-up, in the form of fireworks-based shooter Big Bang Mini. Based around filling the night sky with brilliant bursts of fireworks to take out encroaching enemies, Big Bang Mini will be released for Nintendo’s handheld this autumn.

Big Bang Mini’s main objective is to use the stylus to create fireworks in order to deal with waves of enemies that loom overhead. Miss and you’ll be forced to tackle another challenge - avoiding falling sparks created by your missed explosions. The end of each level comes with a unique opportunity for would-be fireworks designers to make the ‘Final Bouquet’ – a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that will proclaim your victory. With over 90 levels to complete, Big Bang Mini offers players huge scope for its special brand of fireworks fun.

“We usually only get to see fireworks displays happening high above us, but with Big Bang Mini you get to make them yourself,” said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Interactive. “You’ll also be creating them with each stroke of the stylus and watching your dazzling display unfold across the screen. It’s an amazing experience that is sure to give an adrenaline rush every time players set off a huge display.”

“I have yet to find anyone who doesn’t love fireworks,” said Camille Guermonprez, Managing Director of Arkedo Studio. “With Big Bang Mini, we’re trying to combine the thrill of an intense action shooter with the beauty of a grand fireworks display. If there’s anything players won’t like about the game, it will be that they’re too involved in striking and dodging to appreciate the light show they’re creating.”

Big Bang Mini will be released for Nintendo DS in Autumn 2008.

Microsoft Xbox Price Cut Prompts 40 Percent Sales Boost

Showing a seemingly effective period of lowered prices, the Microsoft Xbox 360 showed a dramatic sales increase, with U.K. sales charts revealing sales numbers going up by 40 percent.

The trend follows the Xbox's announcement of its three console variants, the Arcade, Premium and the Elite, dropping their prices down to $299, $399, and $499. Experts see this as a very favorable response, considering the price cut was announced only a week before.



"Xbox 360 is up 35-40 percent - that's from Friday, when the price cut came into effect, up to midnight Saturday," XBoxer quoted Dorian Bloch, head of the U.K.'s chart producer Chart-Track.

Dorian said the Xbox 360 will now have to continue the trend until Easter in order to reposition itself as a worthy competition in the war of the consoles, where it is pitted against the Sony PlayStation 3, which has outsold the Xbox for two consecutive months, and the Nintendo Wii, which is the console to beat.

Keeping ahead of the PS3, however, comes with the imminent challenge, according to GamesIndustry, in the form of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, set to come out for console.

The game's hype has reportedly led to a million pre-orders, and upon the prediction of analysts, a boost in PS3 sales.

Sony PS3 manufacturer to build Microsoft Xbox 360

Microsoft has signed a deal with Sony's PlayStation 3 manufacturer to build "around 500,000 Xbox 360 consoles a month", according a report by Digitimes.

Asustek-owned manufacturing firms Pegatron and Unihan have signed the deal with Microsoft in an agreement that will see the next-gen console built at bases in China.

Celestica and Flextronics are the current US-based manufacturers of the Xbox 360, but Microsoft recently blamed its American hardware sales defeat on 'supply constraints' and said it was actively looking for a new supplier.

Alienware Area-51 desktop now features the NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard and GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics for the ultimate in PC gaming

The Alienware Area-51 desktop now features the NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard and GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics for the ultimate in PC gaming

Alienware’s flagship system, the Area-51 7500, has received a full overhaul and has re-launched as the Area-51 desktop. Alienware, the leading manufacturer of high-performance desktop, notebook and entertainment systems, stands for excellence and advancement in the PC gaming and home computer markets, and the Area-51 continues to leads the market in desktop innovation. Now featuring the NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI-based motherboard as well as an NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 dual GPU single graphics card, the Area-51 supports the most robust gaming platform in the industry

“The Area-51 is every gamer’s dream system,” said Brian Joyce, Senior Vice President at Alienware, “With support for PCI-Express 2.0, DDR3 memory, a completely open and higher BIOS overclocking than its predecessor and now the industry’s most advanced graphics solution, the Area-51 sets the pace for desktop performance. Everyone else is just trying to keep up.”

The nForce 790i Ultra SLI is the motherboard that gamers and enthusiasts have been waiting for. It is the only nForce platform to support DDR3 memory up to 2GHz for record-breaking memory speeds. Compatible with 1600MHz FSB Intel CPUs, it also provides the Area-51 with the impressive next-generation Intel 45 nanometer CPU capabilities. Best of all, the nForce 790i Ultra SLI allows for NVIDIA 2-way, 3-way and Quad SLI technology for unmatched visual computing.

One of the most exciting editions to the revamped Alienware Area-51 is the inclusion of the NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics card. Housing dual GeForce 9800 GPUs, the 9800 GX2 delivers SLI power on a single card. Up to 50 percent faster than the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra, the GeForce 9800 GX2 is the fastest consumer graphics solution on the planet. Teamed with the nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard, the 9800 GX2 delivers the most lifelike high definition PC gaming, the highest possible frame rates, and ultra-smooth Blu-ray Disc playback.

“We’re excited about the introduction of the next-generation Alienware Area-51, which incorporates the upper echelon of PC components to deliver the ultimate visual computing experience,” said Ujesh Desai, general manager of the consumer GPU business group at NVIDIA. “The sheer genius of the GeForce 9800 GX2, which sets new performance records for consumer PC graphics, paired with the extremely overclockable nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard, delivers an unbelievable and unbeatable platform for enthusiasts and gamers alike.”

“Alienware users expect top-tier graphics,” said Joyce. “By blending the NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 and nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard technology with Alienware’s unique and superior architecture, we can continue to deliver the best each and every time.”

For more information on the Alienware Area-51 desktop, please visit: www.alienware.co.uk/790i

Area-51 Desktop

• Features the NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI-based motherboard
• NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 dual GPU single graphics card
• Only nForce platform to support DDR3 memory up to 2GHz for record breaking memory speeds
• Compatible with 1600MHz FSB Intel CPUs
• Allows for NVIDIA 2-way, 3-way and Quad SLI technology for unmatched gaming speeds

Price: Area-51 Desktop from £1,349 Inc VAT and free delivery - Also available on AlienFinance packages.

Wonderland Online - Alpha Test Invitations

Wonderland Online: Alpha Test Invitations

The Wonderland Online Alpha Test will be held at the end of March. This test will be focused on finding and fixing as many bugs as possible. Therefore, IGG will only send out a limited amount of test accounts. IGG would sincerely appreciate any help from game guilds who want to join the test.

Game guilds are alliances of people with similar hardcore gaming habits who often play games together. Players who have a guild and a group of members can sign up for the Alpha Test.

Sign up time:

Mar 18th to Mar 25th
How to sign up:
Send an email to edwin@igg.com
Or post in the Wonderland Forum Guild Zone:
http://wl.igg.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=782

The email should include the following information:

A: Guild name
B: Number of guild members
C: Guild website
D: Number of Guild members participating in the test
E: Contact email

Rewards:

The selected guilds will get these rewards
A: A test account for each member
B: After the test, each guild will get a certain amount of item mall points valued at about 100 US dollars. (IGG will give these points to the guild leader and then the leader will distribute them to their members at their own discretion.)

Notice:

1. All character data will be wiped out after the test.
2. The selected guilds should add the Wonderland Online link and log to their website.
3. IGG will send out an email with the exact time for the test.
4. Selected guilds should make sure all characters reach level 15+, or the guild will not get any rewards.

For more, please visit here: http://wl.igg.com/news/newscontent.php?aid=316

Smash Bros Mario Kart Nintendo Wii dominate Amazon best-sellers

Nintendo Wii products dominated the top rankings in the Video Games division at Amazon.com on strong demand for a range of products.

The fighting title Super Smash Bros. Brawl held the No. 1 rank, followed by the Wii Nunchuk Controller at No. 2, the Wii at No. 3, Mario Kart Wii at No. 4, the Wii Remote Controller at No. 6, and Wii Play with Wii Remote at No. 8.

Nintendo said that Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii home video game system has sold 1.4 million copies in one week at U.S. retail.

The title sold 874,000 on launch day alone and sold at a rate of 120 copies per second between Mar. 9 and Mar. 16.

Additionally, advanced orders for Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel spiked 282,600 percent over the weekend. The racing title, due out Apr. 27, sells for $49.99.

The title will include 16 new courses and 16 classic courses from previous titles, a choice of karts or motorbikes, and the option to place a Mii character in the driver's seat.

NPD Group Inc. this month recorded sales of 432,000 Wii units in Feb. U.S. sales to rank as the No. 2 best-selling video game hardware for the month.

GameStop / EB to open 600 new games stores

GameStop reported the rise of its quarterly profit due to solid sales of games software, and said it plans to open up to 600 stores.

GameStop, whose headquarters are in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas ) is the world's largest video game and entertainment software retailer. The company operates 5,000 retail stores throughout U.S., Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Austria, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Portugal and Sweden.

Retail stores operate primarily under the GameStop and EB Games brands. In addition, the company runs two e-commerce websites, GameStop.com and EBgames.com, and also Game Informer magazine, GameStop's proprietary video and computer game publication.

In addition to video and computer games, GameStop sells magazines, strategy guides, entertainment DVDs, and other related merchandise. A major source of the company's profit is also buying used games and movies from its customers and selling them back at an increase. A new store concept called MovieStop, which focuses on selling movies rather than games, is currently building and operating stores in the Southeastern United States, including the Dallas area.

The company's net earnings were $189.8 million, or $1.14 a share for the fiscal fourth quarter ended Feb. 2, up from $129.8 million, or 81 cents per share, a year earlier

Revenue rose 24.4 percent to $2.87 billion from $2.30 billion.

No escaping adverts inserted into Microsoft XBox 360 or Windows PC games via Internet

There's no way for online video game players to avoid these ads.

The ads are integrated into games for XBox 360 and Windows-based PC platforms and can be specifically timed and tailored as the games are played online.

Known as "dynamic in-game advertising," it's a fairly new trend that advertisers are hoping will reach the target audience of 18-to-34-year-old men, a demographic that is often hard to reach.

"Ads are geared to the type of game," said Cory Van Arsdale, CEO of Massive Inc., an in-game advertising firm owned by Microsoft Corp.

Massive Inc. announced Tuesday it has a two-year extension of its deal with California-based Electronic Arts Inc. to offer dynamic in-game advertising for EA video games.

Electronic Arts is the publisher of the "Madden" and "Need for Speed" series, among other game franchises.

Massive says video games are the medium of choice for young men. The gamers could see ads for upcoming movies, or a Coke machine, or a billboard for Castrol motor oil, all blending in with the scenery as part of the gaming experience. They could also see ads in a football stadium or on a racing track in video games.

"It's a lean-forward experience," Van Arsdale said from Seattle. "Users don't pause or fast forward or go get a snack or go to the restroom during the ads."

Van Arsdale said that when a user connects to the XBox Live online platform, Massive can download ads to be inserted into a game, and can change those ads often.

If a gamer buys a game and doesn't connect to the Internet to play, ads in the game don't change, but Arsdale noted that an increasingly large percentage of gamers play online.

Digital media expert Ian Bogost said that while the ads can make the gaming environment realistic, it's not certain they are having any affect on the young gamers' habits as consumers.

"It would sort of be the same thing as asking the football player or the NASCAR driver in the real world, 'Gee what did you think of that ad?' "said Bogost.

"They are going to tell you: 'I am playing my game. I am racing my race. I am not thinking about that,' " said Bogost, who teaches at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

"I think that the dynamic ads are a kind of hopeful fantasy of the advertising industry that don't really connect yet to the way that video games work, and especially the way that they work differently than print or even than television."

Van Arsdale defends the ads, saying gamers find the video games' environments less realistic without them.

Massive says its Canadian clients include the Rogers Sportsnet and Rogers Wireless divisions of Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications, Telus) and Bell Sympatico. American and European clients include 20th Century Fox, General Motors and Puma.

The agreement with Electronic Arts will also include more titles and the next two releases of EA Sports franchises, including "Madden NFL" football, "NBA Live" basketball, "NASCAR" racing and "NHL" hockey that would be available to advertisers.
Dynamic in-game advertising in PC, console, mobile and casual games is expected to grow to 84 per cent of the overall in-game advertising market in 2012, up from 27 per cent in 2006, says U.S. based Parks Associates, a market research and consulting firm.

In-game advertising will experience the highest growth rate among the various categories of game advertising forecasted, increasing to more than $800 million in 2012 from $55 million in 2006, according to Parks Associates.
While in-game branding has been around since the 1980s, Massive says it pioneered dynamic in-game advertising and served its first ads three years ago.

Analyst James Belcher there will be resistance to this kind of advertising by hardcore gamers.
"It's a huge group," said Belcher, senior writer at New York-based EMarketer, which publishes Internet market research.

"The word 'sucks' will be used a lot. Count on it."

Belcher said Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced the creation of a new in-game advertising business unit.

Source: Canadian Press