'Take Arms: Bot War' Indie Video Game To Receive Free Offline Port

Discord Games, whose debut title Take Arms was featured in the Indie Games Summer Uprising, have released Take Arms: Bot War, a free offline-only Windows port. The game is available worldwide today on Indievania as a Pay What You Want title with no minimum.

Take Arms is a match-based evolution of the classic platformer for Xbox Live Indie Games and Windows PC. Featuring stunning high-definition artwork and sound effects, the game aims to immerse you in its fast-paced world of 2D class-based shooting. Set in the near future, the world’s two remaining super powers are at war, and both sides are nearly decimated. With their cities charred and ruined, each side is down to the last of their soldiers. The best of the best. The only ones able to survive. Join the fight in the final battles of this last great war!

Gamers Lobby Group Back Keith Vaz on Video Game Ratings

Gamers’ Voice, the national computer and video gamer pressure group, has today welcomed Keith Vaz’s new Early Day Motion (EDM) regarding parental awareness of violent video games and their age ratings. Keith Vaz is a former critic of the computer and video games industry and Gamers’ Voice is very happy to note that the former Minister will now constructively engage with it. Gamers’ Voice supports Keith Vaz’s intervention and looks forward to meeting with him to discuss how the ‘pro video games ratings’ agenda can be taken forward.

Playrix Launches 'Royal Envoy' video game for Mac OS

Playrix Entertainment, developer and publisher of Fishdom, Royal Envoy, Call of Atlantis, Gardenscapes and other casual games, made its award-winning title Royal Envoy available for the Apple Macintosh line of personal computers. This universal binary game runs on Mac OS versions 10.4 and later, and is currently available for a free trial play or paid download exclusively on the developer's web site www.playrix.com. The game has been released as a Collector's Edition featuring exclusive bonus content.

Mad Catz Announces Shipping of the Cyborg R.A.T. Professional Gaming Mice

Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz” or “the Company”), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider today announced that it has begun world-wide shipment of its highly-anticipated R.A.T.7 and R.A.T.5 gaming mice under the Company’s Cyborg professional gaming brand.

Prepare for the Goblin Invasion in Majesty 2: Kingmaker

Starting off the Paradox Interactive Convention 2010, Paradox Interactive is proud to unveil Majesty 2: Kingmaker, the first expansion to the heralded fantasy strategy title, Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim.

Blitz 1UP and Remode announce Mole Control release for PC

Mole Control, created and developed by Remode, combines unique mechanics and a charming style to bring the logic-based favourite Minesweeper into the 21st Century. Pilot a crazy buggy through a mind-bending adventure to unlock the mystery behind the runaway moles or enjoy a frantic time attack challenge in the village Mole Control competition. Either way your aim is to rid one town of its exploding moles!

Cocktail Mania: a hard-core match-three video game, right on your PC !

Everyone knows match 3 games, and we all love nightclubs! Joining this two elements, 7th Sense Studios created “Cocktail Mania”, an amazing puzzle game meant for hard-core match-3 players.This exciting PC challenge shows all the classic features of the genre, plus an incredible number of “drinking themed” amazing additions!

Global Game Development Event 'Global Game Jam' has More than 125 Locations

The Global Game Jam (GGJ) an IGDA event, today announced that the countdown to the 2010 Global Game Jam has officially begun with the event a mere 240 hours away from starting. The premier event promoting international game development and teamwork has also grown even larger to 127 venues as it becomes more global each day.

Optical Innovator addresses unfilled need for prescription and premium 3D users with i-AMP lenses!

GUNNAR Optiks, the leading manufacturer of digital performance eyewear, announced today that they will be offering a collection of 3D glasses enabled with components of their i-AMP lens technology. Versions will be available for the most widely used 3D platforms in gaming and video. For the first time ever, premium consumers will have a chance to view 3D technology with ergonomically correct and distortion free optics.

Cricket Video gaming Awards 2010 - and the best cricket game is...?

CricketGaming Network presents the inaugural Cricket Gaming Awards 2010. The awards will feature the best cricket games of all category. In year 2009, many new cricket games were released but the Cricket Gaming Awards will feature the best of best. The main purpose of this Awards is to recognize the best cricket games released last year. The award is just an honor for the companies who have worked hard on their game.

'Fast Food Panic' for Nintendo DS is Hot off the Grill and Available Now, Wii Version to Follow on 1/19/2010!

Leading video game publisher, SouthPeak Games, in collaboration with Nobilis Games, today announced the arrival of Fast Food Panic for Nintendo DS, and coming to Wii on January 19, 2010. Fast Food Panic puts players behind the grill as an entrepreneur of a small, lively new restaurant. Those who impress customers with superior service and fantastic meals will find their restaurant growing, their kitchen overflowing with orders and turning their hole in the wall restaurant into a culinary empire.

Kids can play as Stitch and friends in new music-rhythm video game on Nintendo DS!

Experiment 626 is rearing his adorable blue alien head once more in a new video game. Disney Interactive Studios today announced the upcoming release of Disney Stitch Jam, a rhythm-based music and adventure game being developed exclusively for Nintendo DS™. Scheduled for release March 2010 in North America, the DS game will introduce players to the latest adventures set in the popular world of Stitch, a classic character from the Walt Disney Pictures’ 2002 film “Lilo & Stitch.”

'Pro Cycling Manager/Tour de France 2010' video game: the first images!

Cyanide and Focus Home Interactive are extremely pleased to reveal the very first images of Pro Cycling Manager/Tour de France 2010. These images testify of the great improvement added to this ever-more popular sports game series.

Benefiting from a new more beautiful and more powerful graphic engine, Pro Cycling Manager/Tour de France 2010 marks one of the most important steps since the beginning of the series. Check out the screenshots after the break!

Blood donors given Dracula video game on Halloween

Software Publisher Donating Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon

The American Red Cross is partnering with Encore, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, to hold a "Dracula Blood Drive” to celebrate the release of the first computer game in Encore’s Mystery Adventure Game line, Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon. The Dracula Blood Drive will take place on Friday, October 31, at five blood centers throughout the Bay Area. Each presenting blood donor will receive a copy of Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon for the PC.*

"Many donors have jokingly called our phlebotomists vampires so we decided to use the theme on Halloween," said Sara O’Brien, Communications Manager of the American Red Cross Northern California Blood Services Region. "We love having this opportunity to provide a fun gift to help encourage potential donors to let us collect their blood so they can tell any vampires they already gave to the Red Cross.”

"We held a very successful Dracula Blood Drive in Southern California at the beginning of October, and we are very excited to bring the Dracula Blood Drive to Northern California," said Cal Morrell, president of Encore. "We look forward to another successful blood collection and encourage people who have never donated blood take this opportunity to make a difference."

The Dracula Blood Drive will take place at the following locations from 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

• Oakland Red Cross Donor Center, 6230 Claremont Avenue
• San Jose Red Cross Donor Center, 2731 N. First Street
• Newark Red Cross Donor Center, 39227 Cedar Boulevard
• Pleasant Hill Red Cross Donor Center, 140 Gregory Lane
• Pleasanton Red Cross Donor Center, 5556-B Springdale Avenue

To make an appointment, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (800-448-3543) or go online to beadonor.com.

Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon, a game produced by Microïds and developed by Kheops Studio, is the newest installment in the original Dracula series. Based on Bram Stoker's universe, Dracula 3 takes players to Europe on a suspenseful quest to discover the reality of vampires and come face-to-face with Dracula. As Father Arno Moriani, players must travel to Transylvania to investigate a potential candidate for sainthood. Along the way players are submerged into a gripping storyline with numerous challenging and engaging puzzles to solve that leads to a final confrontation with Dracula! More information for the game can be found at www.mysteryadventuregames.com.

Digital Premiere for WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs Tiger

The worldwide digital release premiere of the highly anticipated Tank Simulator WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs Tiger from publisher Lighthouse Interactive. WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs Tiger takes place on the Eastern front during World War II, in which the Soviet Union launched "Operation Bagration", the Belarusian Offensive, against the retreating German Wehrmacht.

Among many other features, WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs Tiger includes the following:

• 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).
• 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 technology for direct IP multi-player connections via LAN and Internet.

SRP for WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs Tiger is $39.99 / €39.99

Will Wright not offended by explicit SPORE creatures

The AP reports that the creator of the SPORE video game that allows users to create their own creatures is not offended by the explicit monsters they create.

He says when you give people control over video games then you have to expect some users will create creatures that resemble human organs...

The game SPORE due to be release on September 7th on Windows PC and Mac lets players create and inhabit their user generated universe. SPORE has been eight years in the making and the maker produced a stand-alone creature creation program released earlier this year.


Electronic Arts EA explain how the game works - the user can evolve their own universe from single cell organism to full civilisations.

Will Wright is famous for his other multi million selling video game simulator series The Sims. It became the best selling video game series of all time on PC and has generated millions of dollars revenue for EA.

You can read the full AP story here...

Mulver - Pure platform fun released

Spelagon is proud to announce that 3D Jump and Run game Mulver is out and available for PC. Mulver is a family friendly game that concentrates on the pure platform fun of the good old days. The 3D platform genre has been somewhat neglected on the PC market and Mulver is here to fill that spot.



Uncle Miggles has been taken hostage by sneaky King Porco. Mulver can rescue him only by collecting the three precious Yre Crystals that are hidden throughout the kingdom. Explore strange worlds, collect coins, gems and crystals while avoiding grunts, spikes and other hazards that awaits along the way.

Features:

• True 3D gameplay
• 15 unique levels to explore
• 5 different environments
• More than 200 coins to collect
• High score and badges offers great replay value

Watch the game video on YouTube here...

Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest present Multiwinia Mondays!

As the release of Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest inches ever closer, we bring you the launch of Multiwinia Mondays!

For the next 6 weeks, we dedicate Mondays to showcasing all that's new in Multiwinia. Each Monday, we will be bringing you a whole host of new content, including video tutorials of each of the 6 game modes, the latest screens, wallpapers, artwork, and interviews with the developers themselves.

This Monday 11th August, we dedicate to the first of Multiwinia’s game modes: Domination - an epic tale of stickman slaughter where you must fell your enemies’ armies by controlling as many spawn points on the map as possible! Click here to view the first of our fantastic animated walk-through.

About Multiwinia

Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest is Introversion’s fourth stand-alone title due to be released on the 19th September 2008. With a choice of six action-packed multiplayer game modes, and 40 unique maps set in one of the most beautiful, retro-arcade inspired game environs ever created, Multiwinia promises to be the ultimate homage to the halcyon days of gaming. Challenge your opponent to a game of stick-man slaughter, and watch digital-war unfold, as your Multiwinian army struggles to complete a chosen task faster and better than your rival’s. It’s fast, it’s furious, and only the flattest will survive!

Multiwinia will be available to demo and buy from the Introversion Store, Steam and all major retailers.

Games Screenings for Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2008

Looking to get into the video games industry? 

Want to check out the latest games and listen to some of the most influential people behind those titles? This year’s Edinburgh Interactive Festival screenings programme has a stellar line-up of speakers, amazing games screenings and workshops designed to help open the door to arguably the most creative industry in the world.

Sunday 10th August
Game Screenings
Dare ProtoPlay
Public games area and retail site

Monday 11th August
EIF Conference
Game Screenings
Dare ProtoPlay
Public games area and retail site
Conference Networking event

Tuesday 12th August
EIF Conference
Game Screenings
Dare ProtoPlay
Public games area and retail site
Digital Interactive Symposium

Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2008
Edinburgh International Conference Centre
150 Morrison Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EE
UK

Fable UK release date set for October 24

Critically-Acclaimed Xbox 360 Exclusive "Fable II" Arrives at 

UK Retailers on Oct. 24

Begin the Epic Journey! Critically-Acclaimed Xbox 360 Exclusive “Fable II” Arrives at UK Retailers on Oct. 24

“Fable II” Pub Games get release date and Limited Collector’s Edition contents are revealed

Today, Microsoft Game Studios and Lionhead Studios announced that the highly anticipated action role-playing game “Fable II” will ship to U.S. retailers on Oct. 21, 2008 and UK retailers on Oct. 24, with subsequent release dates throughout the rest of the world in the coming months. Combining thrilling action, heart-wrenching emotional experiences and a genre-bending Xbox LIVE multiplayer mode, “Fable II” is the must-have blockbuster for 2008.

Developed by Peter Molyneux and Lionhead Studios, the creators of the critically-acclaimed “Fable” and “Black & White,” “Fable II” offers an infinite amount of choice in an open world environment, allowing gamers to become the most heralded of all heroes or reviled of all villains. Ringing in new heights of innovation for the genre and expanding upon the rich experience of the first title, “Fable II” immerses players in the expansive world of Albion.

“Fable II” pioneers a new combat system designed to allow players to truly master hand weapons, ranged combat weapons and magic, each using a different single button on the Xbox 360 controller, making the game approachable and accessible to both casual and hardcore gamers. Players will live out personal and emotional experiences like never before, whether playing solo or co-op together with a friend or over Xbox LIVE, with their constant dog companion by their side.

Fans eager for a head start will have the opportunity to test their luck in the Xbox LIVE Arcade title developed exclusively for “Fable II,” available on Aug. 13; those who pre-order a copy of “Fable II” at participating retailers will be given free access to download the “Fable II” Pub Games, or they can be downloaded without pre-order via Xbox LIVE for 800 Microsoft points. The high-stakes casino-style pub games, titled “Fortune’s Tower,” “Keystone” and “Spinnerbox” will offer players the opportunity to start earning a bounty of gold and treasures to fund their adventures in “Fable II,” ahead of the title’s release on Oct. 24.

In addition to the standard retail version, “Fable II” will be offered in a Limited Collector’s Edition through participating retailers and will feature:

• Bonus DVD – Includes new ‘Making-of Feature’ with Peter Molyneux and the team at Lionhead Studios and concept art viewer
• Bonus In-Game Content (Requires LIVE account) – Includes “The Hall of the Dead” Dungeon, “The Wreckager” Legendary Cutlass Weapon and Otherworldly Bonus
• Collectible Hobbe figure with accessories – From the Qee Collection comes this one-of-a-kind Hobbe figure. Nasty, brutish, and short, he roams the countryside, preying on travelers and spiriting away the children of the unwary.
• 48-hour Xbox LIVE Gold Trial Card – With Xbox LIVE Gold, players can show off their individual hero by inviting friends into their unique version of Albion or they can visit their friends’ Albion, and earn additional gold, experience and renown to take back into their own.
• Five printed Fate Cards – These five beautiful cards foretell the Hero’s great destiny to journey across all of Albion, encountering deadly enemies and enigmatic allies. The path leads to a choice that will change the world forever.

The standard edition “Fable II” will have an estimated retail price of £44.99 and the Limited Collector’s Edition will retail for an estimated price of £49.99. “Fable II” is rated PEGI 16+.