Exclusive PS4 Alpha demo of NIOH - Download and Play plus Exclusive DLC

Samurai-centric, dark fantasy Action-RPG, Nioh. Developed exclusively for release on the PlayStation 4 the Alpha Demo for Nioh will be available for download and play via the PlayStation Store only between the 26th of April and the 5th of May.

Both download and play of the demo will be disabled on Thursday, May 5th, giving interested fans a very narrow window of opportunity to take an early look at Team Ninja’s under-development title.

Contrast: 1920s film noir dreamscape puzzle platform game E3 2013 - PS3 PS4

In a 1920s film noir dreamscape, you must become your shadow to help a little girl heal her troubled family.

Puppeteer: Story Official HD game trailer - PS3

Puppeteer is a brand new franchise developed exclusively for PlayStation 3 by SCE JAPAN Studio. Set in a magical puppeteer’s theatre, this title will introduce you to a strange and fantastic world, where the environment is constantly changing. Players will enjoy a rich, dark fairytale where surprises lurk around every corner.

Totem Destroyer - Cool Jenga-style Physics Free Flash game

Your mission is to destroy the totems without letting the golden Idol (aka Tot) fall into the ground. Use balance to keep Tot up. It’s a mix of strategy, hand-eye coordination, and luck, with the goal being to blow up blocks in the right order to gently lower the totem to the ground. A cool physics based puzzle game!

read more | digg story

Fallen Empire - Legions Play Now! FPS in your browser

Play high velocity FPS action is playable in your browser exclusively on InstantAction.

Play with up to 16 friends.

"Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?" Web video Game play online

Interactive software developer Bright AI today announced the creation of “Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?” interactive PC web game accessible on the Sky One website. This comes just a few months after the successful deployment of the Sky web game, “Carol Vorderman’s Mind Aerobics”, also developed by Bright AI (www.sky.com/carol).

Designed to test your knowledge of various school subjects, including French, English, Maths, Science and History, ranging from the ages of 6 to 10 year olds, the game will give you the perfect opportunity to prove you are smarter than a ten year old! The interactive game is versatile enough to cater for a complete spectrum of players regardless of background, age or trivia game experience and is great to play with the family.

Using the internet as its medium, the “Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?” PC game, launched in October on the Sky One website. It complements the start of Sky One’s brand new television show “Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?” hosted by Noel Edmonds. The Web game recreates a faithful interpretation of the show where it is expected to have a far-reaching effect for many viewers requiring just an internet connection to have a go themselves.

The fun and addictive nature of the game is enhanced by the ability to record your score on the Leaderboard, allowing you to compare your performances with your friends. This has proved enormously popular; evident by almost 12,000 signed up users and 230,000 game plays in the 1st month alone. Bonus medals are awarded to top performers for an added incentive.

David Lane, Managing Director of Bright AI says,

“We are absolutely delighted at being involved with the “Are You Smarter?” game, the straight forward and fun nature of the game, coupled with the TV show appeal, encourages even the non-gamers among us to have a go, enjoy, learn and improve their score. The web game is ideal for all the family and friends, and is so accessible; anyone with a PC and internet can play and get started straight away.”

Rob Darvill, Games Development Manager at Sky, agrees “With versions for PC and Sky television, “Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year old?” offers a way for everyone to keep their mind stimulated and active. It also gives viewers of the show the chance to show off their knowledge and see how successful they are.”

“Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?” is available on Sky One’s website from October 2007 Visit: www.skyoneonline.co.uk/areyousmarter/

About “Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?”
PC/Online - simply go to www.skyoneonline.co.uk/areyousmarter/
Free to play, users must register their email address and name for the Leaderboard
“Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?” is a registered trademark of BSkyB Ltd.

Be the first to play Nintendo Wii - Mario Kart Wii at Games stores

Be amongst the first in the World to play Mario Kart Wii at a GAME store near you!

Start your engines and get racing in the Mario Kart Grand Wii tournament for your chance to win great prizes including your very own Mario Kart VW Beetle Convertible

To celebrate the launch of Mario Kart Wii, Nintendo and GAME are challenging the nation to take part in the Mario Kart Grand Wii, a tournament set to find the country’s best Mario Kart driver. Keen drivers will be first off the grid, trialling the new game before it goes on sale anywhere in the world and could win themselves their own Mario Kart VW Beetle Convertible.

Thirty GAME stores across the UK will be opening their doors to fans old and new of one of the world’s best loved racing games from Saturday 5th April. Heats will be taking place at each of the specially selected GAME stores throughout the day and the finalist from each location will go forward to race for a chance to win a Mario Kart Wii inspired VW Beetle Convertible.

Prizes up for grabs at GAME stores include copies of the game and £250 of ‘Experience Vouchers’ for activities including Karting, Paintballing, Quad Biking and other action packed family adventures. In addition, each GAME store will feature its own prize draw with the winner receiving a Mario Kart Gift Card worth £50 to spend in-store! The ‘Grand Wii’ final will take place at an exclusive racing day event at Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands, Surrey on the 12th April which will see a winner cross the finish line and claim their prize.

You may think you’ve been racing as the Mushroom Kingdom’s finest for a long time, but now there’s a new racer in town: Your Mii! Put your Mii behind the wheel and take on all comers! For those who want to get into the game even more, Mario Kart Wii comes packed with the Wii Wheel. Shaped like a steering wheel, you place the Wii Remote inside the Wii Wheel’s casing and get ready to ride! In addition to the Wii Remote, you can also use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers in combo, or use a GameCube Controller to take those tight turns and challenges Mario Kart Wii throws at you.

Those looking for world ranking domination can take on up to 11 players simultaneously worldwide using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service which will offer them the chance to race other players across the globe in a nail-biting contest of speed and skill! Prefer to keep the rivalry a little closer to home? Try the Multiplayer Mode, in which up to four people will be able to challenge each other in the comfort of their own living room, bringing the on screen excitement into a whole new dimension.

MARIO KART GRAND Wii EVENT DETAILS:

WHEN: Saturday 5th April 2008

WHERE: GAME Stores at the following locations:

• MANCHESTER Unit 59 Arndale Centre
  
• TRAFFORD 124 Peel Centre Trafford Centre
  
• BOURNEMOUTH Unit 4, Avenue Centre Commercial Road
  
• PORSTMOUTH 226 Commercial Road Portsmouth
  
• STEVENAGE Unit 4A The Forum
  
• MERRYHILL Unit 87, Lower Mall Merryhill Shopping Centre
  
• READING Unit 18 Oracle Shopping Centre
  
• BASINGSTOKE Unit 15 Festival Place
  
• BRAEHEAD Unit 57 Braehead Shopping Centre Kings Inch Rd
  
• GLASGOW 146 Sauchiehall Street Glasgow
  
• MILTON KEYNES 15 Crown Walk Milton Keynes
  
• NOTTINGHAM Unit 308A Victoria Centre
  
• LEEDS 50-52 Albion Street Leeds
  
• LUTON 142-144 Arndale Centre Luton
  
• CHELTENHAM Unit A 100/104 High Street
  
• CRIBBS CAUSEWAY Unit LR53 Cribbs Causeway
  
• CARDIFF 92 Queen Street Cardiff
  
• NEWCASTLE FENWICKS (GAME CONCESSION) 39 Northumberland Street Newcastle
  
• GATESHEAD
  

• METRO CENTRE 17 Red Pathway Metro Centre
  
• BLACKBURN 10-12 Market Way Blackburn
  
• WIGAN 27 Standish Gate Wigan
  
• HANLEY 214-215 The Potteries Hanley
  
• LONDON HAMLEYS 188-196 Regent Street London
  
• LONDON 100 Oxford Street London
  
• THURROCK Unit 106 Lakeside Shopping Centre
  
• ROMFORD Unit 15 Liberty 2 Centre
  
• TAUNTON 45-46 Fore Street Taunton
  
• EDINBURGH 127 Princes Street Edinburgh
  
• DUNDEE 51 Murraygate Dundee
  
• KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES 3rd Floor The Bentalls Center
  

Mario Kart Wii launches in the UK on the 11th April at the estimated retail price of £35

THQ Wireless Inc. And Playboy Enterprises Sign Global Agreement For New Mobile Games Launch

THQ Wireless Inc., a subsidiary of THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI), today announced that it has signed a worldwide agreement with Playboy Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: PLA, PLAA) to exclusively develop Playboy-branded mobile games. The multi-year Playboy agreement covers the development and publishing rights to multiple Playboy-branded, lifestyle themed, non-nude mobile games featuring bikini-clad Playmates to be released worldwide. The first title, Playboy Games: Pool Party, is scheduled to launch in summer 2008.

“Given the extensive appeal and popularity of the Playboy brand, mobile games based on this license are sure to provide a fun and entertaining experience,” said Adam Comiskey, vice president, international, THQ Wireless. “THQ Wireless is ideally positioned to provide engaging games with the hallmark of the Playboy lifestyle.”

“The number of Playboy fans around the world has never been greater and that popularity is reflected in the growing sales of Playboy-branded products and services,” said Ed Lang, senior vice president of mobile, Playboy Media Group. ”Given the growth of the mobile industry, we’re excited to join THQ Wireless in offering this next-generation form of entertainment to consumers."

Playboy Games: Pool Party will include a set of mini-games depicting animated, bikini-clad Playmates at the famous Playboy Mansion engaged in “pool party sports” including poolside water balloon fights, waterslide slaloms and aquatic mechanical bull riding. Developed by THQ Wireless internal studio Universomo, Playboy Games: Pool Party is based on actual events held at the Playboy Mansion and immortalized in the Playboy Home Entertainment DVD release, Playmate Playoffs, hosted by Chuck Woolery.

Teenager paid £245,000 to play computer video games

A plymouth teenager has just been made one of the UK's first full-time professional gamers.For the layman, this means Pete Wright, aged 19, gets paid to go to LA and compete against the best gamers in the world for a sweet $500,000 (£245,000).

For the gamer, this means the man's razor-sharp reactions make him one of the UK's five specialists at Counter-Strike: Source, a tactical first-person shooter video game.

He claims he's nothing like the anti- social, nerdy, unwashed and vaguely freakish stereotype which springs into many people's minds.

But he still managed to fight off hundreds of competitors to be selected as part of the UK's first Championship Gaming Series team to compete in the World Finals, against teams from the USA, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South America and Australia.

"I was working for a laptop manufacturer and saw this opportunity and thought 'I've got to try my best'," Pete explained.

"It's a dream come true. Lots of people love playing computer games, but I get paid money to play.

"I'd love to do this for the rest of my life," he added.

Pete travelled to Birmingham for a four-day gaming job interview where he competed in tournaments to impress the general managers of two franchises.

He made the last 40 and travelled to London where Sky TV filmed a series of shows about the hopefuls which is set to be on Sky One at 9pm every night in the week running up to Christmas.

Pete's skills got him drafted into the Birmingham Salvo franchise as part of a five-man Counter-Strike force.

His teammates are from York, Liverpool and Brighton.

Pete explains that the game is played on the internet and requires quick reactions and good communication with your colleagues.

"It's teamwork; everyone has got to be on the same page. You can be doing really well, but if someone in your team isn't you could lose."

Pete has been playing Counter-Strike for four years.

"People think we're nerdy and sit in front of a computer all day every day," he said. "That's not the case. I play about four nights a week from 7pm to 10pm."

But in the run-up to the contest in Los Angeles Pete's training regime will get more intense, with sessions of up to seven hours a day.

The Championship Gaming Series is the only worldwide professional video gaming league and a joint venture between BSkyB, US satellite TV provider DirecTV and Star, broadcasting by satellite to viewers in Asia.

Pete is set to head out to LA on November 25 and said the UK had a good chance of winning the 500,000 though he would also receive a 30,000 (£14,700) gaming contract and would be able to attract more money through sponsorship.

"Previously the UK hasn't been that good next to the Scandinavian countries and Asia, but we're good now. Latin America and the USA are our biggest challenge," Pete said.

"Australia tend to be the worst because their time zone means they don't get much practice against European and American competitors."

New PS3 starter pack is for France only

Sony has confirmed that the rumoured new PlayStation 3 starter pack is genuine - but the bundle is only intended for the French market.

An image surfaced yesterday of a starter pack that replaced Motorstorm and Resistance with Heavenly Sword and F1 Championship Edition. At the time, Sony declined to comment.

In a clarifying statement, a Sony spokesperson has now said: "The choice of which titles to include in the Starter Pack, and the freedom to change the titles is up to the individual markets based on their unique market conditions."

"The F1 and Heavenly sword pack is only being introduced in France for the time being, and will be available from the launch of Heavenly Sword in France on 19th September."

EA to launch Sims Stories

Electronic Arts Inc announced a new line of video games called "The Sims Stories" aimed at the laptop-toting youth market as it strives to deliver a bigger proportion of titles based on more lucrative company-owned material.

Players of "The Sims" control virtual people called Sims as they sleep, eat, cook, socialise, buy things and work.

"The Sims" is the No. 1 franchise at EA, the world's biggest video game publisher, which has sold more than 70 million games globally since 2000. It also has a broader audience than most games. Half of its players are female -- unlike most commercial video game audiences, who are mostly male.

"The Sims Life Stories" is the first in the new series and is due in the United States and Europe in the first week of February.


"The Sims Pet Stories" and "The Sims Castaway Stories" are scheduled to ship in mid-2007 and late 2008, respectively.

EA aims to use the new titles to expand the "Sims" audience to more casual players and is targeting multitasking MySpace teens and consumers in their early 20s with the new games.

"The Sims Life Stories" has a comic-romantic plot and offers a new story mode, which runs through 12 chapters of a set story line, while also supporting the franchise's traditional open style of play.

All of "The Sims Life Stories" games are designed to run on laptops and do not require upgraded graphics cards, as many PC games do. The games can also be played for hours or minutes in a window while other programs, such as instant messaging or e-mail, run simultaneously.

The games have a "Teen" rating and will retail for $40.

American Technology Research analyst Paul-Jon McNealy said the franchise-expanding move comes at a time when "The Sims" was due for a refresh and fits in with EA's goal of creating more games with internally owned properties -- which have better margins than games based on licensed material such as films.

It also comes amid changes in the laptop market.

"The laptop market has opened up to a younger demographic in the last seven years," McNealy said.

HMV unhappy at wii allocation

HMV said the Nintendo Wii was one of its hottest Christmas products, but the lack of stock available has left the chain frustrated.

HMV were chosen as the UK launch partner for the Wii, and its flagship Oxford Street store hosted a midnight event attended by Nintendo UK boss along with several celebrities.

Pre-ordered stock quickly sold out - and HMV could have shifted many more units had there been enough.

Centre of Excellence plans to support future UK

Trade body TIGA has welcomed recent statements made by MP Shaun Woodward, on the need for a dedicated 'games academy' to benefit the UK industry.

The idea of a games academy, or Centre of Excellence, was first put to the MP last July, and is part of the three-pronged initiative by TIGA to address skills shortages in the videogame sector - along with encouraging the development of new IP, and a scheme to assist research, debate and innovation in industry technology.

TIGA has been in discussions with independent and developer-owned studios across the country in order to understand industry requirements, as well as researching initiatives in other European countries to see what can be learned, and to look at possible collaborations.

"The industry is crying out for more suitably skilled people to enter the sector. Skills needed to cope with the next-gen transition to larger studios and changing patterns of production are needed now."

"There are potential gains to be made by looking at how techniques and know-how from other closely related industries can inform the way we develop product. These are the issues we are exploring with companies and partners," he said.

"Most training is done in-house or on the job, which is a large investment for companies and partly explains why there is general anxiety at the poaching and tempting of staff away from studios."

TIGA's long-term goal is to to develop strategies for the continued success and competitiveness of the UK games industry in an ever-changing global market.

Wii for All

An all new, active way to play. Become more connected to the game than ever before. Wii provides an experience like no other. You don't just play Wii. You experience it. Experience Wii.



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