THIRD BOMB-UP ADD-ON PACK FOR BOMBERMAN video game on XBox Live

Hudson Ups the Arsenal for Bomberman LIVE with Bomb-Up Pack 3

Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm for Hudson Soft, today announced that they are releasing Bomb-Up Pack 3, the third add-on pack for their “IGN Editor’s Choice Award”-winning Bomberman LIVE game for Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. This new add-on pack will add more than a dozen new features, including ten new characters, two additional levels, two new leaderboards, and a brand new game mode. Bomb-Up Pack 3 is expected to launch on December 26 and will cost 250 Microsoft Points.

With these latest additions, players will be able to further enjoy the non-stop, explosive action of Bomberman LIVE in new arenas, including “Cavity Land,” a delicious candy land, and the fully-automated assembly lines of “Robot Factory.”

“We’ve enjoyed great success with Bomberman LIVE and all of its additional downloadable content,” said John Greiner, President and CEO of Hudson Entertainment. “We strive to give gamers what they want, including tournaments, and providing content via Xbox LIVE is a great way to do so.”

This Bomberman LIVE add-on pack will add the following features:

• Ten New Characters – With new characters like “Shinobi Bomb” the ninja and “Bomb2-D2” the robot, players can customize their in-game Bomberman in even more new ways.



• Two Additional Levels – New arenas include “Cavity Land,” a sugary sweet candy land, and the industrial “Robot Factory.” Both levels allow users to select any gimmick to use.



• One New Game Mode – In “Friendly Fire,” there’s no place to hide as you race to get the most frags. Players start with the “power bomb” power-up and hard blocks are replaced by holes, leaving nothing to stop explosions, except Bombermen!



• Two New Leaderboards – Gaze down upon the Bomberman masses from atop two new ranking systems on the Xbox LIVE network. The new leaderboards will track performance on both a weekly and an all-time basis for the new “Friendly Fire” game mode.

About Bomberman

Originally launched in the US in 1987, the game captured gamers’ hearts with its simple yet challenging gameplay. With over 60 iterations on nearly all major consoles since then, and over 10 million units sold, winning accolades as the best multiplayer game of all time, this classic game has stood the test of time. The overall design appeals to gamers of all ages, and to both men and women. The game is simple enough: from a top-down perspective, you compete against other players in a grid-like arena. Your only weapon is a bomb, which you can drop to clear out obstacles or to knock out your opponents. Players can pick up upgrades, which become available when they clear obstacles, to increase their chances of winning. The game is fun, yet frantic, and brings out the most competitive spirit in all of us!

SAMURAI WARRIORS: KATANA FOR NINTENDO Wii goes GOLD

KOEI's First-Person Action-Adventure Will Ship to North American Retailers on January 15, 2008

KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games, today announced that Samurai Warriors: KATANA for Nintendo Wii has reached gold status and is set to ship to North American retailers starting on January 15, 2008. Players can pre-order the game now at GameStop.com, EBGames.com and Amazon.com.

KOEI has also launched the official minisite for Samurai Warriors: KATANA at: www.koei.com/katana. On the site players can learn more about the game, watch exclusive movies and more.

About Samurai Warriors: KATANA

Using an exhilarating first-person perspective, Samurai Warriors: KATANA is based on the hugely popular Samurai Warriors series and delivers total arcade-style action right into your own home. By mastering different weapons using the motion-sensitive Wii Remote™, veteran and first-time players alike will discover a whole new dimension of excitement to the Samurai Warriors series of games.

On each mission, legendary samurai and allies will serve as your guide. Prevent pirates from invading your ships, rescue maidens from a burning castle, and explore mysterious caverns stalked by ninjas. These and many more challenging missions require quick reflexes, fast thinking, and precision marksmanship.

On the battlefield ninja assassins will be poised to strike at your every turn, but with close-range and long-range weapons, you’ll be well equipped for your counterattack. Combat gets up close and personal with the classic samurai sword, spear, and mighty war hammer, but you can still target enemy soldiers in the distance using a bow and arrow, a gun, and even a cannon.

Samurai Warriors: KATANA offers three different modes of play. Action-packed with nearly 30 hours of game play, Musou Mode takes you on an incredible adventure through Feudal Japan. Samurai-in-training can prepare for battle with a multitude of challenges in Trial Mode. Here you’ll earn gold which can be used to purchase weapons and precious items. And in Vs. Mode, you can go head-to-head with a friend in eight exciting mini games.

Developed by KOEI’s award-winning internal team, Omega Force, Samurai Warriors: KATANA is rated “T” (Teen – Mild Language, Violence) by the ESRB. Samurai Warriors: KATANA has three difficulty levels for players of all skill levels, and is for up to 2 players (in Vs. mode). This game features Dolby Pro Logic II audio. Media can find watermark-free assets at gamespress.com. For more information about Samurai Warriors: KATANA, visit www.koei.com/katana.

Giant GameBoy with tetris game for sale

Item for sale is an extremely rare Game Boy Display Station for stores to demo the original Game Boy during its release years. The Display Station plays Tetris and displays it (as pictured) on the large screen as well as on the Game Boy itself. The sound comes out strongly from the working speakers built into the station. The Tetris game, including all buttons, work great without any set time interruption/undesired resetting. There is a red "reset" button. There is no on/off switch. As soon as the 3-prong (standard) plug is plugged in, the Display Station turns on.


The screen quality is great, considering how old this unit is.

I have not had the unit on for over two hours in order to preserve the life of this historic piece.

The screen quality looks better than the pictures can capture. The figures are not as fuzzy as Picture 2 represents. That "bright line" or "discoloration" that you may be able to see in Picture 2 appears there because of the effect of taking a screenshot with a camera.

Since I don't have the key to open the lock (pictured) I cannot interchange the games. Even with the key I'm not sure if you can interchange the games. But I'm pretty sure that if you can operate a screwdriver you can change out the games, assuming that you have a key made by a locksmith. Using an allen wrench, I unscrewed the unit from the stand to show that unit can be picked up in a normal size car.

2008 video games we most want to see ...

Supreme Commander ^ - coming to XBox 360


Alone in the Dark ^


Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution ^


Hail to the Chimp ^


Culdcept Saga ^


Halo Wars ^


Universe at War: Earth Assault ^


Brütal Legend ^


Silent Hill 5 ^


Tom Clancy’s EndWar ^


World in Conflict ^


Too Human ^

Free Kane & Lynch: Dead Men Demo on Microsoft XBox 360 Live

Just look at the traffic on those roads....

A demo for Kane & Lynch: Dead Men has surfaced on Xbox Live, provided you have a gold membership and want to download it this week.

It comes in at 520 megs of pure naughtiness.

[ESRB: M (Mature) BLOOD,DRUG REFERENCE,INTENSE VIOLENCE, STRONG LANGUAGE]
A flawed mercenary and medicated psychopath in a brutal tale of hate, loss and revenge.
Featuring hard-edged criminal action, co-op play explosive squad-based combat and back-stabbing online multiplayer experience that will blow you away.

Atari - Driver - GTO model car - press gift on EBay

Promotional only GTO for the Driver Parallel Lines game by Atari.

Excellent condition.

Buyer pays $15 shipping.

Given out only to freelancer and video game magazine editors!

Sales in Japan: Nintendo Wii Fit Beats the other Wii Games Up

The weekly software sales in Japan are in, and it seems as if Nintendo's exercise game Wii Fit is not only causing a run on Wii hardware: It's significantly spiking sales of other Wii games, too.

Did you think Wii sales were on the decline in Japan? Did you think Super Mario Galaxy was going to tank outright? I myself was guilty of these transgressions, but I stand corrected.

Two weeks ago, Super Mario Galaxy only clocked in at No:11 on the charts, selling fewer than 34,000 copies. But look at the numbers now:



01 Mario Party DS (Nintendo) - 180,000 / 826,000
02 Wii Fit (Nintendo) - 124,000 / 535,000
03 Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (Sony) - 116,000 / NEW
04 Prof. Layton and Pandora's Box (Level 5) - 74,000 / 444,000
05 Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo) - 74,000 / 550,000

It's pandemonium. Especially when you consider the second half of the chart:

06 Dragon Quest IV (Square-Enix) - 73,000 / 868,000
07 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Nintendo) - 64,000 / 212,000
08 Wii Sports (Nintendo) - 55,000 / 2,341,000
09 Wii Play (Nintendo) - 55,000 / 1,921,000
10 Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon: the Labyrinth of Forgotten Time (Square-Enix) - 41,000 / NEW

Yep, Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Mario and Sonic both pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and sold tens of thousands more copies than they did over the last couple of reporting periods. Near as I can tell, Wii Fit is causing more people to go out and buy Wii, and they're picking up a couple few games with it, too.

There's also just the general year-end excitement that happens 'round this time, and we'll see more boosts in sales overall as the week goes on. I wonder what kinds of legs Mario Galaxy et al will have throughout the year.

Will Mario drop off after New Year's, or will it soldier on at 30,000 copies per week? Has it finally caught on with Wii owners? Are traditional video games dead, or were they just waiting for Mario to come back?

Not one XBox game made the chart.

Source: WIRED Blog

Rail simulator for PC direct download with free Thorn pack - Jan 17

Drive a train through the legendary Cajon Pass and across the rolling expanses of scenic desert between Barstow and San Bernardino in Rail Simulator.

In the Thorn Pack available only in this pre-order campaign - you’ll get seven unique locomotives and rolling stock as well as the exclusive Thorn Reversal scenario.

Deliver a rake of mixed freight to the sidings at Thorn, then stop off at East Victorville on the way to pick up a new set of wagons.



The next evolution in railway simulation - Enter the most authentic, customisable railway simulation, from the pioneering team that shaped the world of train simulation.

Accurately re-created routes and rolling stock - Travel over 1900km of track on faithfully reproduced UK and continental routes, driving eight great trains of today and yesteryear.

Your imagination is your only buffer - Create and share new content with powerful, user-friendly editors; expand your rail world with a range of professional add-ons.

Developed by enthusiasts for every simulation user - Simple, family-friendly interface delivers an authentic railway experience; you’ll drive and design in Rail Simulator for years to come.

Direct download here: http://eastore.ea.com:80/servlet/ControllerServlet?Action=DisplayPage&Env=BASE&Locale=en_US&SiteID=ea&id=ProductDetailsPage&productID=81893300

Free Crysis demo direct download PC video game

Get in the game faster than ever by downloading the latest EA games straight from the EA Store. It’s easy.

It’s fast. It’s secure.

Look for this icon to purchase and play games the second they hit the market!


http://eastore.ea.com/store/ea/DisplayHomePage/?sourceid=ea1272

Controller free video games systems say Intel ...

Intel predicts camera-powered, controller-free game system

While waggling your Wii remote around provides a decent approximation of natural motion, Intel predicts a future where cameras will provide highly accurate motion data to a game system. "We imagine some future generation of [Nintendo's] Wii won't have hand controllers," Intel Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner, told Business Week. "You just set up the cameras around the room and wave your hand like you're playing tennis."

It should be noted that there's nothing in the article to indicate that Rattner has any insider info on Nintendo's plans -- more than likely he was just theorizing about what he'd like to see in a future system. Still, the idea of a camera-based 3D motion-sensing setup has incredible potential for gaming. More than the simple video transposition of the Xbox Live Vision Camera or the PlayStation Eye, a multi-camera system could model your three-dimensional movements in real time, in effect placing a digital version of you in the game. The result could revolutionize the way we play games and even how they're made -- after all, why should developers use motion captured performances when the players can provide them for themselves?

Such a theoretical system would take quite a bit of processing power, though, which might explain why Intel is talking it up -- after all, they already have a chip that can perform one trillion calculations a second. The future's so bright, we're using our Wii remotes as makeshift shades.

Source: Joystiq