More exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV content for MIcrosoft XBox 360 - 2009

In addition to episodes due 2008

Take-Two has announced in a conference call that it intends to release more exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV episodes for the Xbox 360 in 2009.

The company revealed earlier this year that it would be supplying two extra episodes for Microsoft's home console in 2008, but this is the first time it has spoken of extra content beyond the initial deal with Microsoft.

"In fiscal 2009 we'll also be offering additional episodic content for Grand Theft Auto IV on Xbox 360," confirmed Ben Feder, CEO of Take-Two.

The publisher also reiterated the full game will be released next year, with two exclusive episodes due before the end of 2008.

"We're eagerly anticipating the release of Grand Theft Auto IV in our second quarter. The game looks terrific and we're confident it will be every bit as ground-breaking as previous titles," added Feder.

Source: Games Industry

Codemasters pulls Sensible Worlds of Soccer from Xbox Liv

"Incorrect" version of game made available

Codemasters has pulled Sensible World of Soccer from Xbox Live Arcade as the game disconnects users attempting to play online.

The developer has promised to put a fully functioning version of the game on Microsoft's online service shortly.

"It has come to our attention that an incorrect version of Sensible World of Soccer was made available on Xbox Live Arcade," said Codemasters Online Gaming.

"We are currently investigating the issue and will have a correctly functioning version of Sensible World of Soccer available soon.

"Any users that have already downloaded Sensible World of Soccer will need to delete their copy of the game and download it again when the correctly functioning version is available in order to enjoy online play via Xbox Live," detailed the company

Sensible World of Soccer was released on Xbox Live Arcade today, although Codemasters had originally hoped to release the game in the first quarter of 2007.

Game Group see profit jump to over £70 million

British computer and video games retailer Game Group said it expected its full-year profit to be ahead of an average market forecast after continued strong sales in the run-up to Christmas, boosting its shares.

Shares in Game Group, which have outperformed the UK general retailers' index by around 184 percent this year, were 9.5 percent higher at 254 pence at 3:08 a.m. EST, valuing the company at around 870 million pounds ($1.74 billion).

The company, which earlier this month said it was performing slightly ahead of expectations in the run-up to the key Christmas trading period, said profit before non-recurring costs and tax for the year to January 31 would be no less than 70 million pounds, up from 29.5 million the year before.

Game Group had been expected to report an underlying pretax profit of about 58.9 million pounds this year, according to the average forecast of 12 analysts polled by Reuters Estimates.

On December 11, Game -- which sells computer and video games, consoles and accessories to more than 800 shops in Britain and abroad -- said like-for-like sales rose by 44.1 percent in the 45 weeks to December 8.

The company said it would report fully on Christmas trading for the six weeks to January 12 on January 15.

Source: Reuters

Sudden Strike 3 Arms For Victory PC video game Patch released

Fireglow Games Publishing releases a small yet pleasant pack (97,5 Mb) consisting of two multiplayer maps (all control points can be captured only one time) and a single-player mission. The pack (97,5 Mb) also contains a patch with numerous improvements and bug fixes.

Description of the maps:

Tongs - This peculiar map contains a large island in the middle. It can be played by 2 to 6 people. There are 5 bridges on the map and a lot of flags to fight for.

Elimination - This map features kill-em-all style on a flat map.

Untermehmen VII "C" - This hardcore single mission features the old good Sudden Strike play. You have limited amount of reinforcements ... and the enemy has much more. You will like it.
This pack requires the original Sudden Strike 3 Arms for Victory DVD.

About Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory:
Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory is the latest installment in the award-winning, critically acclaimed and hugely popular Sudden Strike series. It features historically authentic models built to scale, fully interactive giant maps and full 3-D state-of-the-art graphics in the popular Sudden Strike style. Only Sudden Strike plays like the 'real thing'. WW2 gaming at its best: on land, at sea and in the air!

Features:

• Fully interactive landscape (all objects can be destroyed, all buildings and pillboxes can be used as shelter)


• Massive operations on big maps, strategic scale of the maps (front line can be a few kilometres long)


• Thousands of units fighting in real time


• More than 300 tanks, ships, soldiers, guns and planes with original weapons built to scale


• Great sounds, 5.1 supported, nations speak native languages


• New feature - advanced Micro AI-behaviour allows your troops to act exactly as you plan


• Joint naval and ground operations, air raids, artillery strikes etc.


• State-of-the-art technology to render 3D landscape, realistic lines of sight and fire


• Spectacular visual & lighting effects


• Multiplayer mode: up to 8 players, GameSpy® supported


• Five campaigns playable for American, British, German, Japanese and Soviet sides

Download from here...

Battle Rage PC video game - beta test

Battle Rage, the latest production of Teyon, is coming into beta tests and balancing phase.

The game is officially announced to be completed in the first quarter of 2008.

Soon we will reveal all the details concerning the game's mechanics and gameplay. Until that time we would like to present the first official trailer from the game allowing you to feel the climate of Battle Rage.



The game is a TPS with elements of the beat'em up game and allows a player to control giant robots. Battles between the robots take place on carefully selected battlegrounds. The player can fight alone (versus one, two or three opponents) or in the team with one sidekick. Every machine has its own weapons for melee and distance combat, additional weapon types can be found on the maps. The player has also a possibility to tweak parameters of the robot to fit them to his preferences. The game offers the player three modes: quick game, arcade and multiplayer.

If you want to know more about the game, visit its official website: http://battle-rage.com

Load Inc. partnership with Assassin Studio

Today, Load Inc. announced a partnership with the serious folks at Assassin Studio in Seattle. The two companies are teaming up to give a fresh start to Mad Tracks PC. After tremendous release on Xbox 360™ Live Arcade this summer, Douglas Boze, CEO of Assassin Studios will be on the lookout for a distribution and retail partner in North America for the great PC version. Now why ‘Assassin’ you wonder? Our award winning AD, Herve Nedelec, has his own version: “no doubt about it, Douglas kills the competition”.

“There’s a great thing about Mad Tracks PC once you start you can actually stop! And that comes in handy when it’s time for a New Years Eve dinner” says Thomas Leinekugel, VP project manager at Load Inc. and fine food enthusiast.

“With over 1.2 million downloads of the trial version of Mad Tracks on PC and over 630,000 XBLA downloads, we are very excited about the possibilities of coupling this product with the right distributor in North America”, says Douglas Boze, CEO of Assassin Studios.

Reflexive Entertainment releases PC video game The Great Tree

Fly into a magical world of mystery and adventure told through beautiful drawings and mesmerizing gameplay with Reflexive's newest game: The Great Tree.

Whispers speak of something sinister in the shadows. The time of the Great Descent draws nigh, but the Great Tree is failing. Stripped of its source of energy, its life force is running out. The fairy Wren, whose lives are intertwined with the tree, must find a way to collect the pollen that can save The Great Tree...and themselves.

Reflexive Entertainment (www.reflexive-inc.com) is proud to announce the release of The Great Tree. A grown-up story of good and evil that puts the survival of an enchanted world into your hands.

Drawn and painted by the same award-winning artist behind Wik: Fable of Souls, The Great Tree transports players into a beautifully dark world full of magic and mystery. The story of the faeries known as the Wren is one fraught with intrigue and danger. Told through elaborate drawings and poignant voice, the epic story has been carefully put together through blood, sweat and tears, to bring players a unique gaming experience.

Taking on the role of one of the Wren selected to collect pollen, players hear the story through cinematic interludes and then live it through the levels. Using magical powers and agile movements, players must avoid powerful and innovative enemies that literally come alive from the background in ways that are both exciting and horrifying.

"Watching a mushroom that you thought was just a pretty picture in the background open its eyes, change its expression and then open its mouth to try to eat you is just one of many amazing moments in this game that will startle, surprise and in the end simply amaze you," said Ion Hardie, Director of Product Development. "It contains moments that are as unique and enjoyable as anything I've ever seen in any game."

Featuring stunning locales, surprising enemies, and 100 wondrous levels, The Great Tree provides an amazing gaming experience, which feels akin to an epic film. More information, including the game's demo, can now be found at The Great Tree game's website: http://www.thegreattreegame.com/.

Cost headache for game developers

Next-generation consoles have wowed gamers with breathtaking graphics, surround sound and stunning gameplay since coming on to the market in the past year.

Halo 3 has been a massive success for Microsoft
Cutting-edge video games might be a dream come true for consumers around the world, but for many companies developing them, it's been a nightmare.

The movie-like productions on Sony's Playstation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 games have meant that the cost of producing them has risen sharply.

Halo 3, an extremely popular game produced by Microsoft, is estimated to have cost $30m (£15m). However, the American software giant was able to recoup that, and the millions more spent on marketing, straight away.

On its first day of sales, it brought in $170m, setting the record for the most money earned in a day by an entertainment product. It far outstripped the money made in a day by Spiderman 3, the biggest-grossing Hollywood film.

More from the BBC

Video games reduce blood flow to the brain!!!!

People who spend too much time playing video games, especially violent video games, may risk damaging brain function and affect their learning and emotional control, a study released yesterday showed.

Chou Yuan-hua, a doctor in the Department of Psychiatry at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, enlisted 30 youngsters -- all aged 25 -- as research subjects for the study.

They were given physical examinations to monitor changes in blood circulation in their brains before and after each played a video game for 30 minutes.

The study found that the act of playing video games obviously caused decreased blood flow to the brain, and that the effect is even more pronounced in those playing violent video games.

Source: Taipei Times

Glasgow Scientists say Silicon Chips are holding back Game Development

According to researchers at Glasgow University and the US Semiconductor Research Corporation, silicon chips are restricting the advancement of videogames.

Because the chips have reached their limits of speed and performance, say the scientists, progress in game design is being held back.

Professor Iain Thayne is leading the team that's researching a new breed of "super chips," that could theoretically allow designers to "develop games that make you feel as though you are part of the synthesised world.

"Thayne says that many current games "still feel very unrealistic and flat."

In addition to increasing the speed of computers, these new chips could lengthen battery life for cell phones and digital cameras.

Source: Wired

From the Yorkshire Post...

Super chips to boost computer games

A new generation of "super chips" is being designed to make computer games more lifelike.
Scientists say silicon chips that power computers and games consoles have reached their peak in terms of speed and ability.

Now an international team of experts is working on a new breed that will allow game designers to create more complex, lifelike graphics.

The new chips could also lengthen battery life for mobile phones and digital cameras and increase the speed of computers.

The project, supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, is the result of a £1.2m partnership between electronics specialists at Glasgow University and the US Semiconductor Research Corporation.

Lead researcher Professor Iain Thayne said: "A lot of computer games still feel very unrealistic and flat. What gamers want is to develop games that make you feel as though you are part of the synthesised world.

"It is the silicon chips installed in games consoles which are holding this development back and so by increasing the power of chips a whole new generation of computer games can be launched."

Games makers could get them within three years.