Test your driving skills and race through the streets of seven of Europes principal cities including Moscow, Warsaw, London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin and Hamburg.
Construction sites, traffic, pedestrians, obstacles, speed cameras, and more danger than you can possibly imagine at high speed await you. Choose from a selection of modified super cars, tuning options, day and night racing modes. Drive as fast as you like and beat your mates on LAN and Internet you will race against real players all over Europe!!! European Street Racing is the fast and furious new street racing game from XIDER Games.
The only racing game with 7 original European cities
12 car models inspired from the hottest European cars
Destructible cars and objects, day und night modus, spectacular stunts, tuning options
SEGA’s classic arcade racer returns, but this time it’s in stunning HiDef and available via PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Developed by acclaimed Sheffield studio Sumo Digital, OutRun Online Arcade, will be available early 2009.
Test your time, speed and handling ability as you race through vibrant, colourful stages and rediscover the 15 glorious OutRun courses. From the steep streets of San Francisco to the beautiful beaches of California, it’s mile after mile of unrelenting acceleration, thrills and action. Feel the kick as you put your foot to the floor in one of the 10 high-performance, fully licensed Ferrari cars as you race your way across the U.S. to a killer soundtrack.
For the first time on PlayStation Network and Xbox LIV, OutRun Online Arcade delivers online multiplayer racing for up to 6 players, with fast paced OutRun, Heart Attack and Time Attack modes, the draw to the open road has never been so appealing. OutRun Online Arcade on Xbox LIVE will feature achievements and voice; and on PlayStation Network will include trophies, voice over IP and leaderboards.
Which route will you choose on your drive for the highest possible score?
Using real-life player averages and incorporating professional player character traits, playing against the top talent in PDC Darts Tournaments couldn’t feel more realistic. Immerse yourself in the experience: You’ll be able to match or beat their stamina, anticipate their strategies, hit the doubles and the triples, then go in for the kill and check out when they’re close to the wire!
PDC World Championship Darts 2009 on Wii™ gives you the feel of the true darts physics, providing a more natural throwing experience, realistic dart collisions and bed bouncing sound FX – “It’s back to back maximum magic”!
With “player cam” zoom-ins and Wii Remote™ vibration feedback for those all important 180s & check outs, you’ll be feeling the oche heartbeat.
With over 4,000 lines of commentary using TV’s voice of darts, Sid Waddell and raspy voiced scorer Russ Bray, PDC World Championship Darts 2009 on Wii™ will prove to be a double top darts experience.
PDC World Championship Darts 2009 is released on 29th May 2009 on both Nintendo DS™ and Wii formats.
The Games Company is going to release the sinister action-thriller Dark Sector on the PC in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, this summer.
In this mailing we would like to introduce you to the unique weapon of the main protagonist Hayden Tenno - the GLAIVE:
Agent Hayden Tenno belongs to a special unit of the CIA and is known for his uncompromising operation methods. No matter how dangerous the job might be, he takes care of it with deadly precision. His latest mission takes him to Lasria, a city in Eastern Europe, where he is being infected with the treacherous Technocyte virus. While the virus transformed Lasria’s civilians into Zombies, Tenno develops supernatural abilities. One of the side effects of the virus is the so called GLAIVE, a boomerang-like weapon, which is growing out of Tenno’s arm, early in the game. The GLAIVE consists of three razor sharp blades and can either be used as a close combat weapon or for long distances. After thrown, the GLAIVE returns automatically to Hayden and can be used as much as he likes. During the game Hayden gets access to the following upgrades of the GLAIVE, which are making it even more powerful:
- ability to remotely control the GLAIVE in midair and kill multiple enemies - shield, reflecting all kinds of threats, such as projectiles etc., back to the enemy - ability to charge the GLAIVE with electricity, fire and even ice - ability to make Hayden invisible for a limited amount of time.
In Dark Sector the GLAIVE cannot just be used to incapacitate the enemy but also to solve mini-puzzles or to collect items. For additional firepower a variety of firearms can be used parallel to the GLAIVE.
The lovable and always lecherous Larry is back in his latest, innuendo-filled adventure as Leisure Suit Larry - Box Office Bust launches into stores today* for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC with a S.R.P. of £19.99 on the Funsta label.
Marking a return of the trademark humour that has brought joy (and sniggers) to millions of teenagers for over two decades, Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust brings the series to current gen consoles and PC.
Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust sees players take control of the misguided Larry Lovage as he spends his vacation working at his uncle’s film studio. Excited at the hope of picking out his perfect lady from Tinsletown’s most endowed, Larry soon uncovers a plot from a rival studio that threatens his uncle’s latest movie success; now it’s up to Larry to save the day (as long as he can concentrate on the right assets for long enough).
Developed by Team17 and laden with illustrious voice talent from Hollywood’s glamorous glitterati, players will meet and interact with outrageous characters like Ginger Vitus (Carmen Electra: Starsky & Hutch) and Hugh Jassdick (Tom Arnold: True Lies, ER, Roseanne) as they tackle exploration, platforming, racing, puzzle-solving and seduction challenges to get the girls and save the studio.
Additional voice talent in Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust includes an all-star cast of actors and actresses, including Jay Mohr (Last Comic Standing), Dave Attell (Insomniac), Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie), Artie Lange (Mad TV), Patrick Warburton (Family Guy), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development), Nikki Cox (Las Vegas), Peter Graves (Mission Impossible), Jane Lynch (The 40 Year Old Virgin) and Josh Keaton (The Spectacular Spider-Man) as the voice of Larry Lovage.
Join Larry on the studio tour that Hollywood never wanted people to see as Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust launches for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC today*, with a PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system version to follow.
Oxygen Games announces the release of the first two titles in a new range of games designed to relax and stimulate your mind; Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles and Challenge Me: Maths Workout!
Relax, Play and improve your mind. Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles and Challenge Me: Maths Workout, with their extended gameplay and variety of features, give you the chance to test yourself while having fun.
Guaranteed to stimulate and surprise with hours of gameplay to keep you entertained, the Challenge Me range is a relaxing and entertaining way to keep your mind challenged and stimulated.
Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles not only offers a thousand puzzles of all challenge levels, it incorporates two of the most popular number based puzzles, Sudoku & Picture Logic! Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles will not only bring you hours of fun and relaxation, it may also improve your mental skills.
Challenge Me: Maths Workout, incorporating two number puzzle games, will not only bring you hours of fun and relaxation, it may also improve your Maths skills. By playing Hidden Logic! and Formulate! you can sharpen up your arithmetic skills while relaxing at home or battling the hordes on the tube or bus!
Relax, Play and Improve Your Mind with Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles and Challenge Me: Maths Workout! Out now!
Prominent Australian developer Halfbrick today announced its brand new IP for the Xbox Live Arcade - Raskulls. Joining the heritage of the most popular XBLA titles such as Braid, Castle Crashers and The Maw, Raskulls is an entirely original and exciting puzzle platformer with a rich single-player campaign and an incredibly addictive online multiplayer component.
Gameplay is a unique blend of platforming, puzzle and racing. With hundreds of blocks arranged in Tetris-style fashion throughout each world, players must use a block-smashing wand to find their way through the level in the most efficient way possible. Some levels are simple point-to-point or lap footraces, while other modes involve diffusing bombs and conserving block-bashing "ammo". Up to four players can race with heaps weapons and powerups in a huge variety of levels and modes.
Games developed with a variety of genres in mind during the creation process often fail to provide enough focus and longevity for the player. Lead designer Daniel Vogt confidently believes that Raskulls will be a one-of-a-kind experience with quality gameplay to back it up. "It's difficult to categorize Raskulls, but instead of using that as an excuse, the whole dev team knows it's an advantage," he said, "Everyone is familiar with simple block-based gaming, but we've taken it to the next level by placing the player directly into the puzzle-based environment – and given them heaps of gameplay options. Combine the variety of powerups, the lengthy story mode and addictive multiplayer, and we know we're onto a winner."
The stars of the show are the Raskulls themselves. Cute, costumed skeleton characters with individual personalities, the humor and art style of Raskulls is tongue-in-cheek and constantly hilarious. Two teaser images have been launched to showcase the unique art style and mischievous humor found throughout the game. Screenshots, gameplay trailers and a whole roster of character profiles will be revealed soon!
Raskulls is scheduled for a worldwide release on Xbox Live Arcade in Q3 2009.
Hazardous Software unveiled Achron, the world’s first meta-time strategy game, at the 2009 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California. The next revolution in time travel gameplay was demonstrated at the Experimental Gameplay Session. Designed to reinvent the real-time strategy genre by allowing all players to travel through time, Achron is a futuristic science fiction game. Players and units have the ability to jump to and play at different times simultaneously and independently. Time travel is free and unlimited but it costs energy to change the time line. Players will be challenged to invent new strategies in a world where it is possible for them and their opponents to undo mistakes, change a strategy after committing to it, and alter the outcome of past battles.
“Time travel transforms the strategy game landscape,” stated Christopher Hazard, president and cofounder of Hazardous Software. “It opens up new dimensions of strategies and gameplay. For example, imagine being able to see when and where your opponents are going to attack before they do.”
Achron features both a captivating single player campaign and an online multiplayer mode. In addition to being able to build, expand, and attack as in typical RTS games, new mechanisms such as command hierarchy and smart-idling ease the management of a complex time travel environment. An intuitive user interface depicts events in the past and future allowing the player to navigate the time line.
“Achron signifies the creation of a brand new sub-genre of video games that utilize gimmick-free time travel as one of the core gameplay mechanisms,” said Mike Resnick, lead developer and cofounder of Hazardous Software. “The popular type of time travel abundant in science fiction is now available to the gaming community.”
Further information about the game will be released in the upcoming months. To learn more about Achron, please visit the official web site at www.achrongame.com.
Get a taste of DiRT’s new flavour as Codemasters today unveiled the World Tour teaser video for Colin McRae: DiRT 2, the sequel to the award-winning off-road racer.
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 is set to deliver a thrilling new off-road racing experience with an extreme sports attitude that borrows from snowboarding and skateboarding culture. The heart of the game is the World Tour – a roster of contemporary off-road events held at stunning new locations, from canyon racing and jungle trails to city stadium-based races, complete with big event atmosphere.
Immersing the player in the World Tour, players will travel the globe in their own massive Recreational Vehicle (RV); the interior of which will form both the game’s front end and the gateway to new locations. At each location the RV will park up ahead of the race event, with the awaiting scene visible through the windows. The video opens as our bleary-eyed driver wakes to this scene one World Tour morning.
“Through the Colin McRae: DiRT 2 World Tour we’re creating a new career journey for players; one that will capture the spirit of contemporary off-road racing. It’s all about travelling the world in your RV, hitting off-road festivals, competing at major spectator events and building your rep as a driver,” said Gavin Raeburn, senior executive producer at Codemasters Studios. “As players progress through the World Tour, friendships will be formed with hero drivers from the off-roading world and these relationships will, in turn, help players accelerate their way up the rankings ladder. The more players impress and bond with the big names, the more invitations they’ll get to the cooler events and even receive offers to team up with the pros for major competitions.”
In addition to the World Tour, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will come complete with full online functionality, with head-to-head competitive online play and new social features to engage the racing community. Prepare for mud, gravel, dust and dirt too in Colin McRae: DiRT 2, coming this September for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Games For Windows LIVE, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP= (PlayStationPortable) system. Catch the video and more at www.dirt2game.com
ABOUT COLIN McRAE: DiRT 2 Melding turbo-charged off-roading with extreme sports attitude, the eagerly anticipated next chapter in the legendary racing series, Colin McRae: DiRT 2, will deliver a thrilling and stylish off-road racing experience. Colin McRae: DiRT 2 takes off-road racing games to a new level with thrilling new race types, big event atmosphere, stunning locations, a new breed of off-roading heroes and feature a peerless line-up of super-charged speed machines covering seven vehicle classes.
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will take players on a World Tour of adrenaline-fuelled extreme off-road events in stunning real-world locations. Events include exhilarating rally cross in the massive Los Angeles sports stadium’s “Stadium King Shootout”, edge-of-control canyon racing of Utah’s “Creek Trailblazer” event, the “Rawang Rally Run” along treacherous Malaysian rainforest tracks and the “Battersea Battle”, where night races are staged at the iconic London power station. Building on the technical and gameplay benchmark of Colin McRae: DiRT and borrowing from snowboarding and skateboarding lifestyle and culture, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will also add full online multiplayer and social networking functions, inviting players to become part of an extreme sports community.
More information about ARMA II. This latest intel takes an in-depth look at the huge selection of weaponry in this highly-anticipated military simulator, and can be immediately analysed at http://www.arma2.com.
ARMA II features 40 accurately-modelled weapons and more than 80 variations on man-portable rocket launchers of both Western and Eastern origin, as well as a range of aiming devices and accessories. The accuracy and power of each weapon has been matched to real-life ammunition specifications, as well as incorporating feedback on weapon behaviour based on the real-life experience of Bohemia’s military advisors. Not only does the ammunition type influence the power of a round, but also the number and colour of tracers, which also follow real-life specifications.
Each faction the player meets in the game uses their own assortment of pistols, assault rifles, rocket launchers, sniper rifles and machineguns. Special Forces use unique personal weaponry, including silenced and camouflaged weapons, or specially designed configurations typical of the Russian Spetsnaz. Government troops will use advanced anti-air and anti-armour rocket launchers, while Guerrillas stick with older design guided rockets and the proven RPG-7, together with commonly used sniper rifles, as well as high-calibre sniper rifles in camouflaged variants to go with sniper ghillie suits.
All weapon models have been matched to real world schematics with extreme precision and, accompanied by a short description and image, are being declassified in thematic groups every 12 hours starting this morning.
Unity Technologies today celebrates the first no.1 hit game created with its Unity 3D tools. Mika Mobile's Zombieville USA has become the No 1 selling game and No 2-selling app, with sales reaching over 100,000 in just a few weeks.
Kelli Noda, co-founder of Mika Mobile said, "We chose Unity for the project because it's the single most empowering tool I've ever come across. It may sound like hyperbole, but I compare the workflow advancements of Unity to that of Photoshop and how it revolutionized 2d artwork."
Nicholas Francis, Chief Creative Offer of Unity Technologies added, "This is a very exciting moment and comes in the same week that we've launched the Windows version of Unity. We are thrilled for Mika Mobile. We have great expectations of what the established dev teams and new talent like Mika can achieve with our Unity."
Over 100 Unity-made games have now been released with more being added almost daily.
About Zombieville USA
Zombieville USA is a deceptively simple survival game, where the goal is merely to fight off hordes of zombies as you make your way through a ruined midwestern suburb. The game combines simple arcade gameplay with stylishly animated visuals, an arsenal of over-the-top weaponry, and a large helping of cartoony violence. www.zombievilleusa.com
Blizzard's Rob Pardo has confirmed that his company has had talks with Microsoft about the successor to the Xbox 360.
Speaking at the Luminaries Lunch today during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Pardo would only state that Blizzard is actively in discussions with Microsoft, seemingly confirming the development process of new console hardware is under way.
However, other developers at the lunch have not spoken to either Microsoft or Sony about future plans, which has raised concerns that content isn't a priority for format holders as they plan the next-generation of home machines.
"How many designers in the games industry do you think they are rounding up to [talk to], because this is going to make or break them this time around," said Acclaim's David Perry.
"I'm not aware that they are putting a big amount of effort into finding out how to make the games. The people who are actually physically going to make the games are all going to get a surprise," he added.
Warren Spector, boss of Disney's Junction Point Studios and responsible for classic titles such as Deus Ex, said that he believes format holders are too concerned with the wider entertainment market to focus on games.
Ubisoft and GOG.com, the games-on-demand platform dedicated to DRM-free classic PC games that’s just too cool for school, announced an agreement to deliver Ubisoft's best back-catalogue games via GOG.com.
The agreement brings classic Ubisoft titles like Beyond Good and Evil, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, Far Cry, Heroes of Might and Magic and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell to gamers around the world via GOG.com’s DRM-free games catalogue. As with all GOG.com releases, the titles are affordable and accompanied by mounds of extras, including soundtracks, wallpapers, forum avatars and much more.
“We’re incredibly happy to welcome Ubisoft and their much-loved games to GOG.com,” said Adam Oldakowski, managing director of GOG.com. “Ubisoft has long been breaking new ground with innovative and award-winning games, and is strongly reinforcing that trailblazing image by bringing its titles to GOG.com. The warm welcome of GOG.com by gamers convinced us that there is huge demand for classic games at a low price and packed with bonus materials. With more titles from leading companies like Ubisoft we will be able to achieve our goal of becoming the ultimate destination for fans of classic PC games.”
As part of an ongoing national grassroots tour, the developers of the self-titled post-apocalyptic MMO Fallen Earth announced a contest in which their fans will have the opportunity to choose the final tour stop. Slated for May 2 at an undetermined location, the culminating fan event will give players a chance to meet the dev team, demo the game and collect a surprise in-game item. Official contest rules will appear on the Fallen Earth site on April 2, 2009.
The grassroots tour included previous stops in Raleigh, N.C., Baltimore, Md., and earlier this week at the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) networking event as part of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. The tour takes Fallen Earth on the road to meet fans and game enthusiasts through IGDA chapter meetings and other local gaming events.
“GDC provides us with an excellent opportunity to showcase the in-game elements we have been working on since we went into closed beta,” said Lee Hammock, lead game designer for Fallen Earth. “Our testing community has been instrumental in helping us develop a more compelling game environment and we are excited to give them the opportunity to choose the last destination on our national tour.”
In addition to Hammock, Fallen Earth Project Manager Colin Dwan, Associate Project Manager Dave Haydysch, Content Team Lead Marie Croall and Product Manager Jessica Orr will be at GDC to discuss the contest and show recent updates to the game.
Fallen Earth is a massively multiplayer online game that strategically combines first-person shooter and traditional role-playing game designs. Set in the Grand Canyon after a lethal disease destroyed most of mankind, Fallen Earth features 70 towns, six competing factions, a classless advancement system and a crafting system in which players can make 95 percent of game items.
Fallen Earth is currently in closed beta testing and is set to launch later this year. For more information about the contest or to participate in closed beta testing, visit www.fallenearth.com. Contest rules will be posted on April 2, 2009.
MTV Games, Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and distribution partner Electronic Arts, announce that the Rock Band franchise has officially surpassed $1 billion dollars in North American retail sales in 15 months, according to The NPD Group. In addition, over 40 million paid individual songs have been sold via download through the Rock Band platform furthering its position as the music video game leader in paid song sales and downloadable content with over 600 songs available to date in the Rock Band catalogue.
Originally launched on November 20, 2007, Rock Band is the multi-million unit selling, genre-defining music game platform that allowed music fans and gamers to interact with and discover music like never before by choosing guitar, drums, vocals, or bass to start a band and rock the world. Developed by Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game development company, and published by MTV Games, the Rock Band platform has had a positive impact on the overall promotion and sales of music, benefiting artists included in the game both directly through royalties associated with game sales and indirectly by causing the sale of more songs and albums.
Key Stats for the Rock Band Franchise
Sales
• Rock Band franchise has officially surpassed $1 billion dollars in North American retail sales in 15 months, according to the NPD Group • Rock Band was the No1 title of 2008 by revenue across all game genres (NPD)
Music / Downloadable Content
• 614 songs offered via the Rock Band platform, both on-disc and in-game music store, as of March 24, 2009 • 269 different artists / bands offered via Rock Band franchise as of March 24, 2009 • Over 40 million paid songs have been sold via download since Rock Band launched on November 20, 2007 • 11 albums released to date via the Rock Band platform including AC/DC Live, The Cars, Judas Priest, Pixies, Mötley Crüe, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megadeth, Rush, No Doubt and Stevie Ray Vaughan, as well as special compilations from The Who, Nirvana, The Grateful Dead, Boston and more
Critical Acclaim
• Average Metacritic score of 92 [2] for both Rock Band and Rock Band 2 • Rock Band and Rock Band 2 have garnered more than 50 industry awards including: • IGN’s “Best Music/Rhythm Game of 2008” • Gamespot.com’s Editor’s Choice Winner for “Best Rhythm / Music Game of 2008” • Spike TV’s 2008 Video Game Award Winner for “Best Music Game” and “Best Soundtrack in a Game” • Gametrailers.com “Best Music and Rhythm Game 2008” • PlayStation: The Official Magazine’s “Best Rhythm Game of 2008” • Yahoo’s “Best Party Game of the Year – 2008” and named one of Yahoo’s “Best Tech Products of 2008” • G4 TV’s X-Play “Best Music Game of 2008” • Named as one of Entertainment Weekly’s “Entertainers of the Year 2008” • Called “Best party game of the year” by the Associated Press • Named as one of USA Today’s “Top Video Games of 2008” • Cited as one of MSNBC.com’s Top Video Games of 2008 and one of the Best Xbox 360 Games of 2008 • Heralded as “hands down the best party game ever” by Time magazine and named as one of Time’s Top Video Games of 2008
Rock Band Franchise Innovations
• First full band music video game to hit consoles • First music video game to offer export of content library from disc and cross compatibility of downloadable content (DLC) in sequel games. • First music video game to offer weekly downloadable content (averaging more than 3 songs per week since its launch on November 20, 2007) • Lead the way for full compatibility and interoperability between competing peripherals • First music video game to allow for export of avatars and other game data to create real life merchandise • First music video game to offer full albums as downloadable content: Judas Priest’s “Screaming for Vengeance,” released in June 2008 • First music game to offer a new song day-and-date with its release to radio, with Mötley Crüe’s “Saints of Los Angeles”
Gentlemen Start your engines!
