Reliance Big Entertainment, India buy half of Codemasters UK

Codemasters announce that Reliance Big Entertainment has acquired a 50 per cent shareholding in the Codemasters, alongside existing investor, Balderton Capital, the leading European venture capital firm that first invested in Codemasters in 2005. RBEL’s gaming division, Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd. will oversee the Codemasters investment.

Codemasters Online video game customer service contact moves in-house plus job application

In-game support moved entirely in-house to provide un-paralleled customer service
Codemasters Online today announced its latest expansion move that sees all in-game customer support staff brought in-house.

F1 2009 and 2010 video game coming to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii PSP and PC

British publisher confirms fully licensed 2009 and 2010 titles for Wii, PSP, PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton will make his video game debut this autumn, MCV can reveal.

Codemasters will launch F1 2009 for PSP and Wii this year, which will feature official tracks, cars, teams and drivers, including Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel – and UK world champion Hamilton.

This will be followed by the high definition F1 2010, which will hit shelves in spring next year for PS3, PC and Xbox 360.
This title boasts an ‘authentic’ F1 experience, and makes use of Codemasters’ EGO Engine technology, which powered the BAFTA award-winning Race Driver: GRID.

“Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsport,” said Codemasters chief executive Rod Cousens. “We are producing a series of games that will deliver the passion, glamour and exhilaration that fans deserve and we know how to do that.

Name your child Jason and win a year's worth of games...

Leading videogame publisher Codemasters is embarking on a quest to re-populate the nation with Jasons.

The firm, whose videogame Rise of the Argonauts launched on February 6th 2009, is looking to knock Jack, Thomas, Oliver and Joshua from the top of the UK’s favourite boys' names by encouraging parents to name their sons after the game’s hero.

The name ‘Jason’ is from Greek origin, meaning “healer”. It has been considered an English name since the 17th Century, yet – whilst it consistently ranks as one of the US’s most popular names – its popularity has faded in the UK over recent years, dropping down out of the top 50.

It’s now time to bring it back: Codemasters’ goal is to elevate Jason’s ranking in the end-of-year boys names, issued in December 2009.

Over the coming weeks, Codemasters will be running editorial at www.bringbackjason.com in an effort to rejuvenate the popularity of the name. The blog will look at naming and social trends as well as asking: just what has the UK got against Jasons these days?

Any parent who names their new son “Jason” will be eligible to win a year’s supply of the firm’s videogames on their chosen platform. All they have to do is fax, post or email a copy of the birth certificate to bringbackjason@codemasters.com for the opportunity to enter the prize draw. *

“These days, babies names are influenced by celebrities – and there aren’t that many famous Jasons any more,” says Richard Eddy, Director of Communications, Codemasters. “We hope our Rise of the Argonauts hero can act as a ‘virtual’ star, encouraging new parents to rejuvenate this one-great English name. Jasons, friends of Jasons, and anyone interested in onomastics should keep an eye on the blog over the coming weeks, as we document our quest to re-populate the nation with Jasons.”

Rise of the Argonauts is available now 2009 for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and the PC.

The campaign to bring back Jason can be followed at www.bringbackjason.com

Damnation video games - Fact Sheet plus Screenshots

Changing the landscape of shooters forever with a revolutionary blend of movement and combat in all three dimensions, Damnation is a non-stop test of reflexes, decision-making and action. Taking the shooter vertical, Damnation features massive streaming landscapes that set the stage for postindustrial battles between humanity and an unstoppable corporation in the wastelands known as Damnation. With the freedom to go anywhere and kill anyone to reach a goal, players create their own routes using vehicles, acrobatics and climbing to get around the huge maps.
In Damnation, players take control of Captain Hamilton Rourke, a member of the guerrilla resistance force known as the Peacekeepers. A veteran of the Great War, Rourke has his own personal agenda in avenging the death of his fiancé.

KEY FEATURES:

Huge Scale - With vast, streaming environments, Damnation’s levels are truly organic 3D spaces that cover miles of horizontal distance and thousands of vertical feet. Players choose from multiple paths and tactics in gigantic landscapes that unfold in all three dimensions. Using exhilarating combinations of swift, flowing movement and combat, players will be faced with frenetic all-action attacks that can come from any direction.

Player Choice and Freedom - It could take up to three hours in real-time travel to get from one end to the other and another three hours to climb to the top. But with acrobatics and vehicles, players are able to get their own routes, as they look at the massive map ahead, above and below them.

“Spirit Vision” - Players can activate the hero’s “Spirit Vision” power to see through walls and
anticipate the enemy’s movements.

Daredevil Stunts – Players perform stunning moves at the limits of human ability to jump between ledges, swing on ropes and chains, and traverse vertical surfaces. Zip, slide, vault, shinny, swing and jump through the environment with intelligent AI attacking from all sides, above and below.

Multiplayer – Play through the entire singleplayer campaign in co-op or take it to the next level online with multiplayer. Experience action and tactics in vertical environments with fully enabled “Spirit Vision.”

DEVELOPER: Blue Omega
RELEASE DATE: Fall 2008
PLATFORM: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC

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Codemaster free archlord expansion pack - Episode 3 - Spirits Awakening

Codemasters Online are pleased to reveal that their highly popular, free MMORPG ArchLord has gone live with a new expansion available now free of charge to all new and existing players.

Episode 3: Spirits Awakening adds 30% new game content to the existing game including 3 extensive new zones and over 80 new skills and abilities.



ArchLord Episode 3: Spirits Awakening adds a number of new features and free game content including:

• Expanded world – 30% all-new game content
• All-new zones – 3 new zones for players to explore
• New class skills – Over 80 new skills • ArchLord abilities – New ruling ArchLord skills and abilities • New armour & items – New collectible armour sets with unique stats • New monsters & enemies – New monsters and zone bosses

Available now, Episode 3 is available either through an automatic patch for existing players when logging into the game or included within the full free game download on the game’s official website for new players at: www.archlordgame.com

Ed Relf, Director of Marketing, Codemasters Online commented, “This is an exciting time in the ongoing development of ArchLord. ArchLord has never been more popular with almost 750,000 players now playing with this number increasing almost 20,000 new players each week! ArchLord is going from strength to strength and we are assessing the need right now to open new servers just to cope with the increased levels of demand for this great, free MMORPG”.

ArchLord is a premier free online role-playing game allowing players to download and play the game with no monthly subscriptions or commitment. The online game challenges thousands of players each month to raise an army, to compete to become the game’s all-ruling ArchLord and with it control the entire game world impacting on the lives of thousands of players online.

To download ArchLord, the premier free MMORPG and experience the all-new Episode 3 expansion visit the game’s official website www.archlordgame.com

Operation Flashpoint 2 - Dragon Rising E3 Fact Sheet

DEVELOPER: Codemasters Studios
PUBLISHER: Codemasters
RELEASE DATE: 2009
PLATFORM: Major console platforms & PC
WEB: www.flashpoint2-game.com

Welcome to a new flashpoint: Codemasters reveals the US Marines against the Chinese PLA in a battle for the possession and oil riches of the 220km2 Russian island of Skira.

Taking gamers as close to war as they’ll ever want to get, Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising is the much anticipated return of the genre-defining military conflict simulator. Set to deliver the total combat experience, Operation Flashpoint 2 will challenge players to survive the chaos and rapidly evolving situations of modern warfare in a new contemporary theatre.

Players will experience the intensity, diversity and claustrophobia of a modern conflict from the unique perspectives of an infantry marine, a helicopter pilot, a Special Forces officer or a tank commander, each engaged against the full force of the Chinese PLA on a scale never previously experienced in a military action title. Gameplay simulates an immense conflict between advanced forces and provides unparalleled scope with different military disciplines, vehicles and equipment for players to utilize.

Freedom of Play – Operation Flashpoint 2 will give players the freedom to handle military crisis situations on their initiative. Unscripted missions will task players with real objectives, such as laying down covering fire, covering a friendly unit’s retreat or conducting short-range recon patrol. Armed with cutting edge military hardware, players will need to balance brute force with intelligent use of tactics. Once players have completed the campaign, a Mission Editor enables gamers to create their own single player and multiplayer missions.

The most realistic modern military conflict game – Operation Flashpoint 2 features unparalleled levels of realism and variety of military forces, equipment, weapons and tactics. Fully loaded weapons and individual ammunition types will be simulated with detailed ballistic physics, based upon individually-crafted mechanics. Players will command and control a wide variety of multi-component, multi-weapon vehicles, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, APCs, attack and utility helicopters. The character damage system authentically depicts the terrible wounds and injury from modern weapons to communicate the reality of combat.

Platoon-Based Combat - As an epic campaign weaves the narrative, players will fight as infantry soldiers in battle, drive tanks in armored assaults, pilot helicopters in air strikes, and infiltrate the enemy in covert special operations utilizing a wide variety of realistic military weapons from knives and rifles to machine guns, grenade launchers and laser designators for air strikes. In whichever role the player chooses, they will experience the fierce and brutal reality of warfare and the shock and awe of contemporary firepower unleashed on the arresting scale of modern combat.

Redefines the Size of Battle - Immense play areas of more than 135 square miles give players a multitude of tactical decisions on how to best accomplish missions. Densely packed with environment detail and objects, valleys, mountains, coastlines, towns, villages and industrial complexes all combine to deliver a rich and challenging tactical environment. The world is persistent, so that buildings destroyed in one campaign mission will be destroyed in the next.

Stylised Cinematography - Operation Flashpoint 2 will model the environment, objects and people in realistic detail, but its visual styling will embrace documentary techniques. The camera work through cut-scenes will be heavily influenced by television war reports that are often shot under extreme circumstances delivering a unique look with incorrect exposure, severe camera shake and loss of focus.

Rise of the Argonauts game on Xbox, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC

Inspired by the greatest Greek myths and legends, Rise of the Argonauts will enable players to live a hero’s life, fight a hero’s fight and sculpt a hero’s legacy. With a distinctive blend of epic narrative and brutal real-time combat, players will be immersed in a story of lost love and a quest for personal vengeance in world of gods, kings, magic and awe-inspiring mythical beasts.

Embarking on a quest to find the Golden Fleece and revive his beloved slain wife, Jason and his trusted band of Argonauts explore the vast Aegean - a dynamic world of luscious islands, shining cities, lush jungles and deep forests - in a vibrant realisation of ancient Greece. As Jason, players will carve a unique journey through the game world as their choices incur the god’s wrath or favour, shape the plot, change the outcome of each quest and open up new story arcs.

“We want players to be completely immersed in Jason’s epic adventure, to feel like they are Jason and to connect with him in a tangible way,” commented Ed Del Castillo, President of Liquid Entertainment. “By revolutionising the action RPG with a slick, exhilarating combat system, drawing upon rich stories and profound characters from classical literature and removing invasive health bars and stop-start menu systems, players are visually and emotionally absorbed into the game world. The result is an RPG experience that is much more captivating, enthralling and ultimately, entertaining.”

An action RPG unlike any other, Rise of the Argonauts’ intuitive real-time combat dispenses with cumbersome menu systems that have become intrusive staples within the genre, providing seamless, spectacular battles. As a true weapons master, Jason has instant access to any of the four upgradable weapons he carries with him at all times; shield, mace, sword and lance. Switching weapons mid-fight at the touch of a button, players can string together stunning and deadly combos, taking out enemies in a blur of cold steel and crimson blood.

Mixing deep exploration, grand-scale quests and gladiatorial combat in a story powered by the timeless motives of love and vengeance, Rise of the Argonauts is coming this autumn for the Xbox 360, the PLAYSTATION 3 system and Games For Windows.

Rise of the Argonauts developers reveal Ares, Hermes, Apollo and Athena in new videos

Rise of the Argonauts developers reveal Ares, Hermes, Apollo and Athena in new videos now available from www.rise-of-the-argonauts.co.uk (age restrictions apply)

Get to know the gods of Rise of the Argonauts, the epic action RPG being created by Liquid Entertainment, with two new developer commentary videos released today by Codemasters and now available to view and download fromwww.rise-of-the-argonauts.co.uk

In the Gods Profile video, Lead Designer Charley Price reveals the four patron deities that watch over Jason throughout the course of the game, along with an overview of the weapons, personality traits and skills that players will acquire by dedicating deeds to particular gods.

“Gaining intimate knowledge of each of the gods is key to Rise of the Argonauts’ gameplay experience,” said Price. “Players will need to constantly be aware of each god’s personality and abilities in order to make the most of the deeds system in the game.”

The theme of deeds is picked up by Liquid Entertainment’s President Ed Del Castillo in the second video, which details the game’s unique experience points system. Using a brand-new system for RPGs, experience points will be tracked as a series of deeds that can be dedicated to a particular god as a way to earn favour and level up with the skills and abilities of that god.




Each of the gods – Ares, Apollo, Hermes and Athena – has his or her own skill tree that gives the player a flexible and dynamic system for acquiring skills and improving their character. Players will also be able to align themselves with a god by choosing the dialogue that best fits the god’s unique disposition.

“Gods are watching all the time, and we wanted the player to feel that,” said Del Castillo. “With the ability to choose which gods to align with, each player’s experience is going to be a little bit different.”

• Ares, the god of war and the mace, is suited to throwing himself into battle with no regard for his own life. By dedicating deeds to Ares, Jason will not only become more brutal with the mace, but also more aggressive in dialogue choices with other characters. Following his wife’s assassination, Jason is viewed as a weak King unable to protect those around him, so he will need to prove his toughness with the help of Ares’ powers.




• Hermes, the god of swiftness, will reward Jason with increased quickness and agility in battle. His weapon of choice is the sword, so dedicating deeds to Hermes will provide players with quicker and faster-paced combat. He is also the god of cunning, and is very manipulative, so Jason can win back the hearts and minds of his fellow Iolcans by gaining an intellectual edge over them.

• Apollo is the god of knowledge and philosophy, and dedicating deeds to him will make Jason more empathetic and less aggressive as he continues his journey. Accordingly, he is tied to Jason’s shield. However the shield is not purely a defensive weapon like in other RPGs, existing solely to fend off attacks. Jason can earn powers that allow his shield to be used as a weapon.

• Athena reigns over wisdom and judgment. When players align themselves with Athena, they gain the ability to judge other characters, allowing Jason to determine whether they should be rewarded or punished for their actions. In combat, Athena is associated with the spear, and as the goddess of timing, can help Jason transform into a warrior that is as efficient as he is deadly.

In Rise of the Argonauts, Jason and his trusted band of Argonauts embark on a quest to find the Golden Fleece and revive his beloved slain wife while exploring the vast Aegean – a dynamic world of forbidding islands, shining cities, lush jungles and deep forests – in a vibrant realisation of ancient Greece. As Jason, players will carve a unique journey through the game world as their choices bring favour with the gods, shape the plot, change the outcome of quests and open up new story arcs.

Mixing deep exploration, grand-scale quests and gladiatorial combat in a story powered by the timeless motives of love and vengeance, Rise of the Argonauts is coming this autumn for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Games For Windows. For the videos and more, head over to the website at www.rise-of-the-argonauts.co.uk.

Codemasters Raising Hell in Hunt for UK's Worst Boss

Win a PlayStation 3 and a copy of Overlord - Raising Hell by revealing your hilarious stories about terrible bosses

To celebrate the upcoming release of Overlord: Raising Hell on the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Codemasters is calling on the hardworking employees of Britain to lift the lid on their terrible boss – with one lucky person walking away with a PlayStation 3 and a copy of the game.

Overlord - Raising Hell, sees players take control of the all-powerful Overlord, a mysterious figure who commands a group of slavish Gremlin-like creatures who do anything for their big bad boss. They’re happy to savage sheep, throw themselves into the claws on enemies and even sacrifice their lives in a bid to carry out the desires of the Overlord.

But now Codemasters wants to find out if UK employees have been forced - just like Minions - to do the bidding of their mean manager and is asking them to anonymously submit their own stories and bizarre boss experiences. Codemasters will print the weirdest and funniest on www.codemasters.co.uk/worstboss and the author of the best tale wins a PlayStation 3 and a copy of Overlord: Raising Hell.

Submitting your story couldn’t be easier, just email worst.boss@codemasters.com and then wait to see if your awful experience makes it onto the website. All anecdotes will remain anonymous, so participants can be as frank as they like about their laughable leader.

Overlord - Raising Hell is available in Europe on June 20th

Troll Bashing, Unicorn Slaying Minions back on The Attack In Overlord Raising Hell

Sheep-worrying trailer of PLAYSTATION 3
system special edition unveiled here

A devilishly delicious trailer of the summer's must-play for megalomaniacs, Codemasters revealed an all-new trailer video for Overlord Raising Hell, the extra evil edition of Triumph Studios' twisted fantasy blockbuster, coming June 20th† exclusively for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system.



In the video, now available from www.codemasters.com/overlordraisinghell, unicorn slaying, troll baiting and sheep worrying is all on the agenda as the Overlord, ably assisted by his loyal band of demented minion warriors, lays waste to all he surveys. Perfect for anyone who ever wanted to grow up to be an evil, despotic tyrant, Overlord Raising Hell will take players on a seriously warped fantasy adventure that's packed with dark humour and loaded with smart satire on established RPG convention and cliché.


On a tongue-in-cheek journey of death and destruction where evil is enlightening and tyranny's a treat, Overlord Raising Hell has players venturing deeper into the world than ever before. In a series of hellish new levels, each a supernatural abyss, the undead denizens are on the attack. There's only one thing for it: assemble the minions, descend into these kingdoms and embark on a fresh wave of oppression to become the Overlord of the underworld.

With exclusive content and a host of gameplay improvements, Overlord Raising Hell is the Overlord's definitive outing and is set to launch for the PLAYSTATION 3 system on June 20th. Discover why being evil has never been so much fun with the new video and more available online at www.codemasters.com/overlordraisinghell and sign up as part of the Overlord's army on Facebook†† (or the sheep gets it).

Design a Poster for GRID - win a scolarship

In anticipation of Codemasters new racing game GRID, Codemasters has teamed up with Brickfish to launch the “Design a Poster for GRID” campaign located here.

The campaign invites entrants to design a poster that captures the thrill of the race and the intensity of the competition.

The grand prize winner, selected from the top 100 highest scoring entries, will win a $1,000 scholarship or cash equivalent, a version of GRID on the platform of their choice and have their entry featured on the GRID website as downloadable wallpaper.

Codemasters will also give away prizes for two runners-up, most viral and sign-up sweepstakes.

ArchLord subscription-free MMORPG pass half a million players mark

Codemasters Online is pleased to announce they have opened the doors to their 500,000th player of its popular subscription-free MMORPG, ArchLord.

Since moving to free-to-play, ArchLord has seen explosive new player growth over recent months with more players than ever taking on the challenge to compete to become the all-conquering ArchLord and with it rule the entire game world.

Ed Relf, Director of Marketing, Codemasters Online commented,

“This is a key milestone in the growth of ArchLord. ArchLord is a premier free-to-play MMORPG offering significantly more depth and quality than most other free-to-play games and this recent achievement solidifies our commitment to the ongoing development and success of ArchLord.”

To cope with the increased popularity for the game, Codemasters Online will shortly be opening an all-new game world to cope with the game’s substantially increased demand as they gear up for the next free content update Episode 3 due in the coming months.

ArchLord is a premier free-to-play online role-playing game allowing players to download and play the game for free with no monthly subscriptions or commitments. The online game challenges thousands of players each month to raise an army, to compete to become the game’s all-ruling ArchLord and with it control of the entire game world impacting on the lives of thousands of ArchLord players.

To download ArchLord the premier free-to-play MMORPG visit the game’s official website www.archlordgame.com

ArchLord, the free MMORPG exceeds half a million players

Codemasters Online is pleased to announce they have opened the doors to their 500,000th player of its popular subscription-free MMORPG, ArchLord.

Since moving to free-to-play, ArchLord has seen explosive new player growth over recent months with more players than ever taking on the challenge to compete to become the all-conquering ArchLord and with it rule the entire game world.

Ed Relf, Director of Marketing, Codemasters Online commented, “This is a key milestone in the growth of ArchLord. ArchLord is a premier free-to-play MMORPG offering significantly more depth and quality than most other free-to-play games and this recent achievement solidifies our commitment to the ongoing development and success of ArchLord.”

To cope with the increased popularity for the game, Codemasters Online will shortly be opening an all-new game world to cope with the game’s substantially increased demand as they gear up for the next free content update Episode 3 due in the coming months.

ArchLord is a premier free-to-play online role-playing game allowing players to download and play the game for free with no monthly subscriptions or commitments. The online game challenges thousands of players each month to raise an army, to compete to become the game’s all-ruling ArchLord and with it control of the entire game world impacting on the lives of thousands of ArchLord players.

To download ArchLord the premier free-to-play MMORPG visit the game’s official website www.archlordgame.com

12-player online races with full car damage – Race Driver: GRID's multiplayer

Reflecting the ethos, spirit and attitude of the offline game, Race Driver: GRID will bring a world of motorsport to life online as Codemasters today announced that the game's multiplayer content will feature 32 exhilarating online race events on 80 circuits at 15 intercontinental locations.

Featuring up to 12-player events with incredible full car damage, Race Driver: GRID's online multiplayer races will see gamers competing in aggressive races on iconic city streets and famous championship circuits across Europe, the U.S. and Japan.

"Race Driver: GRID online is the ultimate expression of what the game is all about – incident-packed, aggressive, wheel-to-wheel racing," said Ralph Fulton, Chief Game Designer, Race Driver: GRID. "Our wide range of motorsport disciplines, stunning locations and full damage 12-player races make for a uniquely spectacular race experience and our immersive new ranking system rewards player skill and deepens the challenge online."

Players will be able to take their custom livery online and make it feared and respected by competing in a huge range of racing disciplines; from drifting around Yokohama Docks, charging through the mean streets of Detroit, racing touring cars around Spa-Francorchamps to competing in chaotic demolition derbies.

The pure race experience is at the heart of Race Driver GRID's gameplay and, in online multiplayer, everything is geared towards maximising player time spent on track and minimising time spent in lobbies. Players can rapidly find the event they want and a slick voting system, matchmaking mechanism and seamless host migration means gamers find competitive races quickly and sessions stay together longer.

An innovative new online ranking system charts players' progress as they advance from Junior Rookie to Legend, with experience points being awarded based on a wide range of achievements, from events won to beating higher ranked opponents.

As players rise through the rankings, online leaderboards record the fastest laps for each track and gamers can download ghost cars to test out their skill against the best in the world in Test Drive mode or check out the competition in Spectator mode. Players can also fully customise their game including switching damage on or off, enabling catch-up mode, setting driver aids and allowing public and private games.

Race Driver: GRID is coming May 30th (Europe/PAL) for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Games For Windows®. A Nintendo DS edition will follow. Race Driver: GRID playable demos – featuring two online multiplayer events – are now available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace, PLAYSTATION Network and, for the Games For Windows demo, please visit www.racedrivergrid.com

Book 13 - Doom of the Last-King for the Lord of the Rings Online

Turbine, Inc. and Codemasters Online announced the details of the fifth content update for subscribers to The Lord of the Rings Online - Shadows of Angmar. Book 13 - Doom of the Last-king continues the epic story of The Lord of the Rings Online, adds an entire new region to the world of Middle-earth, a new Monster Play class and the introduction of the hobby system. Book 13 - Doom of the Last-king is available now to subscribers of The Lord of the Rings Online in North America and Europe.

“The Lord of the Rings Online has grown dramatically in scale, content and the size of our community in its first year of operation,” said Jim Crowley, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. “We’ve received a very positive response from players about the new region of Forochel and the long-awaited addition of fishing that adds an entirely new level of fun and enjoyment to the game. It’s been an incredible first year and we are hard at work finishing up Book 14 slated for release this summer. All of us are very excited for our journey this fall into the Mines of Moria.”

"We have seen a huge increase in overall players over the last few months as more people than ever move to Middle-earth", said David Solari Vice President of Codemasters Online. "After a fantastic first year we look forward to continued momentum as more and more people try this incredible game".

NEW FEATURES:

• New Region — In the far, frozen north of Eriador lies Forochel, a land unlike any other in Middle-earth. This new region lets players see the ocean for the first time and introduces several new temperature based landscape effects. Players will need to be mindful of the cold due to a new damage type - frost. Frost will slowly damage their character until they find a source of warmth in the form of shelter or a campfire.
  
• New Faction — Beneath the brooding skies of Forochel dwell the hardy tribes known as the Lossoth. Suspicious of outsiders, they have long warred against other folk - especially the Guaredain, bloodthirsty wolf-loving barbarians in league with the forces of Angmar. Players can earn favor with the Lossoth by helping them in the struggle against their ancient enemy in this latest addition to The Lord of the Rings Online’s (LOTRO) reputation system. Lossoth reputation rewards include unique armor sets, weapons, a new mount, housing decorations, and class specific items.
  
• Introducing the Defiler — The first new class for Monster Players debuts in Book 13. The Defiler is a healer that will round out any War Band in their quest to dominate the Ettenmoors. The Defiler uses new healing skills such as Fertile Slime and Fungal Bloom to aid its party in battle and has a host of new Debuff skills including Curse of the Lethargic Heart to defeat their enemies.
  
• The Hobby System — The player hobby system is introduced in Book 13. Fishing is the first hobby being introduced in LOTRO. From the Midgewater Marshes to the Shores of Evendim, players will find fishing to be a relaxing, entertaining and beneficial pastime. Players can earn deeds and traits as they improve their fishing prowess and captured fish can be used to cook in recipes or be mounted as trophies in a player’s house.
  
• The Epic Continues! — At Elrond’s urging, players venture into the frozen wastes of the north to continue Laerdan’s search for the remnants of the ring Narchuil. Aided by the Snowmen of Forochel, players will uncover the fate of an ancestor of Aragorn and strive to thwart the terrible aims of Angmar.
  
• Over 100 New Quests — The story continues for players as they aid the Fellowship and encounter new adventures in Middle-earth.
  

Codemasters and Sega Racing Studio

Codemasters today announced that it has reached an agreement with Sega that facilitates accelerated growth for Codemasters Studios. With immediate effect, Codemasters is to take over the Sega Racing Studio, based in Solihull, central England.

“In seizing this opportunity, we have created additional resources to escalate our plans in the racing segment,” said Rod Cousens, chief executive, Codemasters. “We hope to welcome more than 40 people to the company and we have enjoyed the full co-operation of our friends at Sega in making this happen. It is good business for Codemasters, an exciting prospect and there will be more to come as we are not content to stand still.”

Race Driver - GRID from Codemasters - racing just got exciting again

Get ready for a revolution in racing with official Race Driver - GRID.

Bringing the world of motorsport to life, from muscle cars charging through the iconic streets of San Francisco and prestige marques competing in the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race through to drift cars racing around Yokohama docks.

GRID features the most exhilarating racing cars.


Aston Martin and Pagani Zondas are there, racing around, on your screen.

Race Driver - GRID arrives on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and Nintendo DS this summer.

EMERGENCY MAYHEM on Nintendo Wii

The city’s on fire and there are monkeys everywhere - it’s bedlam in Codemasters’ Emergency Mayhem.

Duck for cover as Codemasters puts players in charge of the emergency services in the most accident-prone city of all time! Set to put the urgency into emergency, Codemasters today announced Emergency Mayhem exclusively for Wii.

Coming Q2 2008, Emergency Mayhem puts the player at the helm of the three emergency services in a frantic race against time to hold together Crisis City, a mad metropolis falling apart at the seams.

Combining chaotic driving sequences with arcade mini-games, you’ll be in stitches controlling the frenzied police, fire service or paramedics as they dash around the city from one emergency situation to the next. With over 30 missions, it’s a non-stop time crisis where you’ll be rescuing people from burning buildings, defusing bombs and more. However, in this city, the emergencies are of a decidedly slapstick nature; crazy situations will have you hurling bananas at out-of-control monkeys, using a trampoline to bounce escaping prisoners back into custody and herding penguins to safety with hilarious consequences.

In a city where there’s always an urgent situation calling out for your attention, even those mischievous monkeys will get in your way In Emergency Mayhem time is your enemy, relentlessly counting down as you take charge of a fire truck, ambulance, or police car to speed through the city’s eight different districts to the next emergency. Have you got the nerves necessary to beat the clock and save the city? Find shortcuts to get there on time and save the day.

When you reach the scene of the emergency play switches to one of over 30 mini-games which take unique advantage of the Wii Remote to solve crazy crises. Using the Wii Remote, you’ll have to pump to practice CPR, point it to direct water from a powerful hose, mimic a wrench to bring bursting water-hydrants under control and aim it to fire bananas into on-the-rampage monkeys!

Get ready to put down those monkeys and put on the uniform in Q2 2008 when Codemasters launches Emergency Mayhem to the sound of sirens for Wii. If in urgent need of emergency assistance please visit www.codemasters.com/emergency for more information.

Codemasters launch first race driver grame GRID

A new world of motorsport is brought to life as Codemasters reveals the first gameplay video for Race Driver - GRID the video is now showing online at www.racedrivergrid.com.

Featuring aggressive wheel-to-wheel racing, spectacular crashes and a taster of the jaw-dropping damage engine, the unmissable trailer showcases Race Driver - GRID as the game that will make racing exciting again. With footage captured from the dramatic in-car view and powerful replay camera, the stunning new video shows the game’s broad range of race events, breath-taking cars and striking locations.

In Europe, touring cars jostle for position at Spa, the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR races in the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race at dusk and the Aston Martin DBR9 charges around the historic city-centre of Milan.

In Japan, gamers catch their first glimpse of Race Driver - GRID’s open-wheel racing series as Formula 3 cars battle around the new Otakuma circuit. At Yokohama docks, the Nissan Silvia and Subaru Impreza demonstrate the awesome exhilaration of drift and night-racing is revealed as the RE Amemiya RX-7 takes on the neon-lit streets of Shibuya in Tokyo.

Finally in the United States, the Dodge Viper roars through the iconic streets of San Francisco, Plymouth Barracudas and Chevrolet Camaros battle for supremacy in Washington and Jupiter Eagleray Mk5s smash their way through the chaos and carnage of the destruction derby in Detroit.

From its huge, challenging career mode to thrilling, incident-packed online races featuring up to 12 players, Race Driver: GRID will deliver an unparalleled competitive experience when it launches early summer for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Games for Windows, and Nintendo DS.