Turner Broadcasting System Inc. sponsors UK premier video games design competition – Dare to be Digital

Dare to be Digital 2008 has secured sponsorship from one of the world’s biggest media giants, Turner Broadcasting System Inc.

Dare is the UK’s premier competition for young computer games designers, attracting students and recent graduates from all over the world in 2007.

Turner Broadcasting System Inc, owners of major news network CNN and part of the Time Warner group, is the first new sponsor to be announced for Dare 2008.

The company’s sponsorship comes soon after confirmation that the University of Abertay Dundee, originators and promoters of Dare, would continue and increase its support for the competition this year.

Paul Durrant, Director of Dare to be Digital, welcomed Turner Broadcasting System Inc. as the first new sponsor for 2008, saying: “We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with TBS this year.

“Their support is a huge boost to our plans to raise £1 million to support Dare to be Digital for the next two years, and a measure of how seriously the contest is now regarded by major creative and media businesses around the planet.

“We plan to greatly increase the scope of this year’s competition, with almost twice as many students as in 2007, taking part in several host centres across the UK and perhaps even overseas as well.”

Turner Broadcasting System Inc. is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

Casey Harwood, Senior Vice President for Digital Media at Turner Broadcasting System Europe said, “We’re delighted to support ‘Dare to be Digital’ and any initiative that fosters talent and diversity within our industry. Gaming is a particularly high growth area, complementary to our own target audiences and digital output, and this sponsorship presents us with yet another opportunity to build on our understanding of the format and the range of emerging digital platforms.”

Acclaimed by the UK government as an example of best practice in linking universities and the games industry, Dare to be Digital is a proofing ground for young talent. In its eight-year history, Dare has generated five companies, two product deals and seen 80% of its participants get hired by high profile employers in the video games industry. One of the winning teams, Voodoo Boogy, won a BAFTA award Ones To Watch in 2007.

VF5 Update Available for Microsoft XBox 360

SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced it has released a new downloadable patch for Virtua Fighter™ 5, the critically acclaimed arcade fighting game now available for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The patch will include a number of gameplay additions and enhancements including:

-Some characters will now be able to select costume-specific pants in alternate costumes, for example equipping Costume A pants in Costume B.
-Replays of online battles can now be saved.
-One additional item per character (appear as "Downloaded item" in Costume settings/Item edit dialog).
-Gamer pictures will now be shown in online battles.
-After winning the World Tournament Final, it's now more likely that rivals you have not defeated will be playing in arcades.
-When someone joins an online match, you can now see their connection quality.
-Various fixes for minor bugs, including a texture bug.
-Easier sorting of rankings.
-Rematches in Online VS. Player Matches now possible even when the players haven't added their opponent to their friend list

The Xbox 360™ version of Virtua Fighter™ 5 is based on the latest arcade version update and features both analog stick and D-pad control, as well as vibration support. The game also includes an improved Quest mode featuring more CPU rivals, items, and emblems for character customisation. The DOJO mode has added features including leaderboards, training move settings, improved throw escape training, and the option to change your opponent's position and recovery type. These all work to create a more refined DOJO mode where players can improve their fighting strategy.

Square Enix Announces Prequel To The Most Famous Final Fantasy Of All Time

Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, today announces that CRISIS CORE® -FINAL FANTASY® VII- will be released across all PAL territories in Spring 2008, exclusively on the PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) system.

CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- is the highly anticipated prequel to the biggest selling FINAL FANTASY of all time, taking players on an exhilarating adventure filled with grandeur, excitement, characters that captured the hearts of a generation and many new secrets to discover hidden within the world of FINAL FANTASY VII.

With awe-inspiring visuals, full 16:9 widescreen presentation, an engaging battle system, and additional gameplay challenges not included in the original Japanese version, fans and newcomers alike can experience the world of FINAL FANTASY VII from an all-new perspective.

John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Ltd. comments, “CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- is one of the most anticipated FINAL FANTASY releases of all times. The game pushes the boundaries of the PSP hardware and will offer a truly fantastic gameplay experience for new fans and fans of the original instalment.”

About CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII-

Story
Set seven years prior to the events of the first FINAL FANTASY VII, the Shinra Company is rapidly increasing its influence through its monopoly on mako energy and military might. With the burgeoning city of Midgar as its base and symbol of prosperity, Shinra is on the verge of establishing absolute dominance over the world.

SOLDIER is a group of skilled combat operatives within Shinra. The elite within the group — those strong enough to be deemed SOLDIER 1st Class — are respected and idolized by the citizenry.
Zack is a young SOLDIER 2nd Class who aspires to become a 1st. He spends his days carrying out assignments under the guidance of his 1st Class mentor, Angeal. During an operation in Wutai, a large number of SOLDIER member, led by 1st Class operative Genesis, go missing. The severity of the situation prompts Shinra executives to deploy even more SOLDIER operatives in hopes of bringing an end to the war with Wutai—and conducting an investigation into the mass desertion. The ones assigned to the mission are Zack, Angeal, and the 1st Class hero who is known the world over as Sephiroth...

What truths lie behind Genesis's disappearance? What secrets bind the three SOLDIER 1st Class operatives? For Zack, a cruel and fateful struggle awaits...

Features:
-Complete the FINAL FANTASY VII experience and reunite with the most recognised RPG characters created by world-renowned character designer Tetsuya Nomura
-Witness stunning graphics and CG cutscenes coupled with top-notch voice acting in a 16:9 widescreen presentation, made possible by the PSP system hardware
-Innovative D.M.W (Digital Mind Wave) system enhances the action-packed real-time battle system, allowing players to unleash special attacks or call upon iconic FINAL FANTASY summons
-Take on challenges with the all-new “Hard Mode” which was not in the original Japanese release
-Acquire unique accessories, items and abilities made available through 300 side missions to further enrich the gameplay experience

Crab Sticks Games Criminal In Pinch

A man who sold copied games, films and music to trawlermen returning to Troon Harbour, South Ayrshire after an extended fishing trip in exchange for a box of crabs has been fined £3,000.

On 5th November 2007, 61 year-old George Clarke of Snowdon Terrace, Seamill, North Ayreshire pleaded guilty to ’specimen’ (a representative sample) charges presented to him by Ayr Sheriff Court pertaining to the illegal sale of copied games, films and music.

Clarke, who originally approached the returning fleet on 3rd February 2006 with the intention of exchanging his copied and counterfeit discs for cash, soon discovered than none of the crew were carrying any cash so had to make do with a fish supper in the form of a selection of fresh crabs instead.

Later that day, Mr. Clarke’s premises were searched by officers of Strathclyde Police - Ayrshire Division – and investigators from North Ayrshire Trading Standards, where three computers and over 200 discs containing illegally copied games for PC, PlayStation®2, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), Xbox® were seized. The PCs and discs were later examined by ELSPA (the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association) investigators.

Michael Rawlinson, managing director of ELSPA commented: “The copying of computer and video games software and any other multimedia product is illegal and has a negative impact on both local and national businesses. ELSPA would like to thank the efforts of North and South Ayrshire Trading Standards in their attempts to remove illegal products from the marketplace.”

Ultizen Games Acquires Mo-Star Mobile Game Developer

Ultizen Games Ltd., a leading game development and outsourcing company, announced today they recently completed an acquisition of Mo-Star, a mobile game development company based in Beijing that owns an extensive and growing catalog of over 200 mobile games.

"The mobile game industry in China is thriving and Mo-Star has established itself as a premiere vendor to China Mobile, the leading telecom company in China," said Ultizen Games CEO Mr. Lan Haiwen. "They are an amazingly efficient and productive studio that adds a significant addition to our development capacity. They can produce high quality mobile games for any market, localized to the taste and requirements of the region"
Mo-Star is the fourth full time studio that Ultizen owns and brings their total work forced to over 280, making them one of the ten largest game development companies based in China.

In other news, Ultizen announced they will be sponsoring Information Table at the new Outsourcing Summit on February 18th at GDC 2008 in San Francisco. "The outsourcing model has become highly evolved, today's software publishers demand highly integrated partners that can act as a seamless extension of their own development," commented Michael Devine, Vice President of North American Business Development. Ultizen will be providing developers and publishers with advice and guidance on all aspects of game development outsourcing.

Monster Madness: Extreme Reveals Itself for Sony PlayStation 3

SouthPeak Games has released the fresh screens from its upcoming PLAYSTATION 3 release, Monster Madness: Extreme. Set for release in spring 2008, SouthPeak Games’ first PLAYSTATION 3 title will be an enhanced and updated version of its riotous comedy-horror arcade shooter Monster Madness: Battle For Suburbia, which saw 2007 releases on PC and the Xbox 360™ entertainment system from Microsoft.

Monster Madness: Extreme overhauls the best features of its predecessor and adds huge amounts of new content, including customisable character costumes with power-up properties, 4-player co-op either online or offline and 25 new co-op challenge missions. With this new functionality adding to the original’s 18 story mode levels and its fully-featured 16-person online competitive multiplayer, Monster Madness: Extreme is set to become the co-op favourite for PLAYSTATION 3 owners looking for a big slice of frenzied comedic arcade action.

Melanie Mroz, CEO, SouthPeak Games comments: “We’re thrilled to be giving gamers a glimpse of Monster Madness: Extreme in action and as these screen shots show, we’re putting everything we can into making Monster Madness: Extreme as wildly fun and frenetic as possible. It’s also great to be entering the PS3 market – Monster Madness: Extreme is just the beginning for us.”

Monster Madness: Extreme will be released for PLAYSTATION 3 in spring 2008.

Flagship Studios Unveils New Mythos Gameplay Trailer

Ping0, LLC, a joint-venture between Flagship Studios and HanbitSoft, Inc., today announced the release of a new gameplay trailer for Mythos its highly anticipated free-to-download and play massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

The trailer features footage from the cities of Stonehill and Tulin’s Hope as players begin their epic journey in the world of Uld.

Mythos is an online, action role-playing game that is free to download and free to play. Set in the land of Uld – a fantasy world arising from the ashes of an epoch-long war of darkness – players assume the roles of fantasy heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest through entirely randomized dungeons and environments. With an elegant point-and-click interface and an accessible “isometric” perspective, Mythos is poised to have near-universal appeal. The game allows thousands of players to interact within the same world while using mostly “instanced” dungeons to create unique gaming experiences suited for both solo and group-minded players.

As players journey into Mythos’ ever-expanding universe, they select one of three races (Human, Satyr, or Gremlins) and one of an expanding number of character classes. Through heroic quests players search for gold, gems, armor, and weapons using a huge variety of skills and items, whilst unlocking the secrets of Uld. Mythos presents a constantly expanding, continuously updated world where something new lurks around every corner. To join the closed beta, interested gamers should sign up at the official site http://www.mythos.com/join_kingdom.jsp

Mythos is an online role-playing game developed by Flagship Seattle, a subsidiary of Flagship Studios. Mythos is currently exercising the online technology and services behind the multiplayer component of the highly-anticipated action role-playing game Hellgate: London. Mythos will be digitally distributed in North America and Europe in by Ping0. HanbitSoft, Flagship Studios’ partner in Ping0, will be responsible for distributing Mythos in Asia.

For more information please visit the official Mythos site at www.mythos.com

Nintendo Wii software update caused wireless network problems

My network problems, unable to connect to blogger or Google (a big problem!) was due to my Nintendo Wii wireless connection.

Previously we had network drop outs when the Wii was plugged in all the time but this was different.

After a few minutes of the Wii sitting on standby but allowed wireless access I couldn't connect to Google or other related site, YouTube, Blogger etc. All other sites worked OK.

After unplugging the Wii the problems have not re-occurred.

So, check out your Wii if you have network difficulties.

Bollywood Shifting Some Focus Towards Video Games

At this point, very few people haven’t heard about the movie scene in Bollywood. FXLab Studios partnered with Yash Raj Films in India to develop a full-length offline computer game based of the movie Dhoom 2.



This may not sound like big news, but it’s the first time in history that an Indian film has been made into a full-length video game. With a majority of India’s population being in their 20s, combined with the rapidly increasing demand for video games in the country, it only makes sense for Bollywood to cash in on the opportunity.

Source: FileFront

Toshiba cuts HD DVD price in US to combat Blu-Ray

Manufacturer attempts to minimise Warner Bros damage by halving some prices

Toshiba has reacted strongly to last week's news that Warner Bros had defected to Sony's Blu-ray camp by cutting prices on its HD DVD players in the US by up to half.

According to a report on CNN Money the suggested retail price of its three standalone players will fall by as much as $200 - the HD-A3 falls from around $300 to $150, the HD-A30 drops from $400 to $200 while the HD-A35 goes from $500 to just $300.

The company already marketed one of HD DVD's key advantages as being cheaper than Blu-ray, and Toshiba is taking drastic action to keep its format in the next-generation DVD race.

Following Warner's decision Blu-ray now boasts five key players on its side of the divide, while Paramount and Universal support HD DVD.

Toshiba America's group vice president of digital audio and video explained: "While price is one of the consideration elements for the early adopter, it is a deal-breaker for the mainstream consumer."

The company also plans a lengthy advertising campaign to promote HD DVD on TV, print and online.

Source: Games Industry