The Trend Continues: Glyphic Entertainment Signs Exclusive Representation Agreement with FOG Studios

Ohio-based development studio Glyphic Entertainment has signed a multi-year, exclusive representation agreement with industry leading business management firm FOG Studios.

Formerly known as Pocket PC Studios, in 2002 the studio adopted the name Glyphic Entertainment in order to reflect their growth into other platforms of development. Renowned for their excellent consumer software on the Smartphone and Windows Powered Pocket PC platforms Glyphic has since established some new tricks up their sleeve – namely in becoming licensed developers for the hugely popular Nintendo DS and Wii. FOG Studios will be offering its suite of services in order to better position Glyphic Entertainment with regards to new business initiatives, of which there are many.

Glyphic Entertainment is currently developing the much-anticipated Warlords DS – a title fans of the series have been frothing at the mouth over for a while now. Warlords DS will mark the second instalment of the Warlords franchise on the Nintendo DS platform after last year’s hit Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords from Infinite Interactive.

Glyphic Entertainment CEO G.R. Moore said, “What’s great about the Nintendo DS and Wii platforms is that they challenge developers in terms of creating a truly unique interactive experience for the player. Thinking outside of the box is something we do on a day-to-day basis in our studio so bringing that sort of work ethic and creativity to these new platforms was a no-brainer for us. One of the reasons we signed on with FOG was that they can handle the business side of things while we concentrate on what we do best – developing great games.”

One of these great games is a new project creating some stir behind closed doors titled “Marker Man”. The concept behind the game is a mash up of a classic side-scroller with a puzzle game in the vein of Lemmings or The Incredible Machine. Currently planned for release on the DS and Wii, the hook is that Marker Man will only be able to reach his goal with the help of the player - who will be responsible for drawing in the mechanisms Marker Man needs to avoid an untimely demise.

FOG Studios CEO, Ed Dille said, “We’ve known about G.R. and his group for a while now, having worked with them through our client Infinite Interactive in the past. We’re thrilled that the stars have finally aligned and they’ve decided to come onboard as a client. Glyphic Entertainment has a reputation as being both highly capable and creative team. Those are two of the most important ingredients we look for in terms of breeding a truly successful relationship with our clients. G.R. and his team at Glyphic are coming out of the gate strong with some of the most compelling content we’ve seen.”

A Vampyre Story: New Screenshots That Will Raise The Dead!

Focus Home Interactive is pleased to present 6 new screenshots of its highly awaited forthcoming adventure game A Vampyre Story developed by Autumn Moon, Bill Tiller’s new studio. The new screenshots show young opera singer, Mona De Lafitte and her bat companion Froderick, in superb environments from the game. The unique graphical design is similar to the much loved works of Tim Burton and Edward Gorey.

This graphic adventure game, with traditional point-and-click gameplay, tells the tale of a beautiful gifted opera singer Mona De Lafitte, whose life is brought to an abrupt end by a vampire baron named Shrowdy Von Kiefer. Henceforth, she is doomed to a miserable existence as a creature of the night in Von Kiefer's gloomy castle in Draxsylvania. Confronted with her seemingly hopeless fate, she decides to run away and try to fulfil her dream of singing at the Paris Opera. Accompanied by her mischievous bat Froderick, Mona must face a number of challenges in her odyssey and learn not only to accept her vampire nature, but also to use the abilities she has acquired to her advantage.



A Vampyre Story was penned by Bill Tiller, the founder of Autumn Moon Entertainment. A former employee of Lucas Arts, Tiller won himself a place in the hearts of adventure fans through his work on titles such as Steven Spielberg's The Dig, the legendary The Curse of Monkey Island, and Indiana Jones. A Vampyre Story combines modern 3D animation with the qualities of classic 2D adventure design and a unique graphical style.

A Vampyre Story is scheduled for release on Q3 2008 on PC DVD-ROM.

Visit the official website
http://www.vampyre-story.com

Battle Of The Century Invades Eolia As Two Ferocious Armies Clash

The clash of swords, the chink of metal armour and the cries of the wounded can be heard for miles, echoing around Eolia. The inevitable battle has finally erupted into a horrific clash of humans and orcs fighting for their lives and their territory. Prepare for Fantasy Wars, an exciting new battle strategy game for PC…

Choose brute strength, size and evil spells…
Play as Ugraum Grableg using your extensive and fearless orc army to mercilessly tear through the human opposition. The orcs have physical strength and brute force on their side and grotesque goblins to unite with them, smashing through the human troops. Powerful orc shaman Ash-hoon summons evil spells to inflict nasty impediments upon the human enemy: magic that makes feet rot, and potions to create deadly poisonous venom.

Or choose tactics, skill and weaponry…
Play as Derrick Pfeil, the leader of the skilled human army. Feel the ground tremble as your archers take down orcs from a safe distance and hear swordsman roar as they slice through hideous goblins. Flying war eagles circle above, making unsuspected attacks on the enemy below. Noble mage Alfred Brennock can also conjure up spells to freeze the orcs, whilst his Wizard Eye spell spots enemies from afar, useful in the surrounding mountainous terrain where enemies lurk.

Unlock the Alliance!
After battling your way to complete both the orc and human campaigns, the option to play as either elves or dwarves is now unlocked. The elves and dwarves are independent and pacifist races that ally when needed to fight a common danger. Play as Teya Essente, the renowned elven sorceress, or take charge of the dwarf clan, through the small but mighty Dwarnrock.

Fantasy Wars is a turn based battle strategy game for PC from Ascaron Entertainment. Take on campaigns or missions as either the humans or orcs, later unlocking the elf army. Complete set tasks to win your mission, defeating the opposing enemy. The faster you complete missions, the higher your score.

www.fantasywars-thegame.com

Pimp My Orc
Pimp an orc online by downloading the Orc heads supplied at www.pimp-my-orc.com. Edit and upload pictures of your own orc hybrid creations and you could win a copy of Fantasy Wars along with the latest gaming kit from Saitek.

The Family Business Is Fun And Games As Majesco Entertainment Announces 'Toy Shop' For The Nintendo DS

Turn the fledgling family toy store into a toy business empire! That’s the premise behind Toy Shop, an exciting new simulation for the Nintendo DS™ announced today by Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market. Developed by Gameinvest, Toy Shop puts players at the helm of a struggling toy shop where they’ll need to create fun toys that sell while managing store inventory, customers and budget.

“The concept for this unique simulation is like Santa’s workshop meets retail tycoon,” said John Merchant, Marketing Manager, Majesco Europe. “Toy Shop combines creative toy-making with overall store management to give players insight into the challenging, yet rewarding, business of fun. We believe Toy Shop has the same type of appeal as successful casual games like Cooking Mama and Cake Mania.”

In Toy Shop, players can choose their style of play—whether it’s assuming full control of all aspects of the family toy business or just making toys to sell in the store. As the business grows, seasonal holidays will attract new customers that will in turn help the business grow and unlock additional store locations. A true hands-on management approach is the key to success as players use the stylus to make toys, adjust prices, manage merchandising and review customer habits that affect buying patterns. An unhappy customer just might spread the word and compromise your reputation so service is a critical component to the burgeoning business. Shop owners can create more than 30 toys for the store, including teddy bears, action figures and board games, and a tutorial helps future entrepreneurs learn the ropes of the business.

PDC DARTS 2008 – VIRTUAL CHAMPIONS SHOW OFF NEW FEATURES

PDC Darts 2008 for PlayStation®2 and PC will be hitting the shelves on 25th Jan, and Oxygen Games are pleased to unveil two gameplay movies to demonstrate the enhancements in PDC Darts 2008. Starring new World Champion John Part, his semi-final rival Kevin Painter, and long-time adversaries Phil Taylor and Raymond Van Barneveld, the movies reveal:

•All new engine for enhanced throwing physics, meaning darts now move more like real life than ever before - see them flutter through the air and stack as on a real board.
•PDC Pro animations - throw styles and walk ons - have been mo-capped and are fully integrated.
•All new graphic enhancements – player improvements and real-world sets and tournament locations, based on the locations from the PDC calendar.
•Enhanced audio including calling, commentary, convincing dynamic crowd sounds, and darts atmospherics.

Additional New Features for PlayStation2 and PC include:
•Enhanced A.I - player AI is calculated using real life averages from major tournaments and also based on actual playing characteristics i.e. stamina, belief, pressure, complacency and accuracy.
•Improved and indepth career mode, realistically reflecting a player’s progress through the PDC calendar, featuring 7 of the major PDC tournaments each season.
•Three difficulty levels for extended play and learning curves; Amateur, Professional and Master.
•6 additional PDC professionals; Roland Scholten, Ronnie Baxter, Terry Jenkins, Kevin Painter, Andy Hamilton and Andy Jenkins, join original stars: Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld, Peter Manley, Wayne Mardle, Dennis Priestley, Adrian Lewis, Alan Warriner-Little, John Part, Colin Lloyd and Mark Dudbridge.
•All new character editor, supplying a greater range of options to customize your pro. Elements include male and female character models, skin tone, eye colour, nationality, name, hairstyle, hair colour, eyewear, shirt style and colour, throwing angle, level of difficulty and preferred checkout. As well as options for dart barrel weights and flight designs.
•Compatible with USB PC gamepad.
•Gameplay movies are available from the Oxygen press site.

Infinity - Get ready for the Closed beta!

Discover the new wild world of Infinity!

GameTribe has launched a dedicated minisite (http://www.gametribe.com/gt/infinity.do) to give you a chance to read in advance some fresh content about this game. Have a look at screenshots, watch the trailer, discover the characters available in the game: absolute hack-and-slash action is coming on GameTribe!!!

We know that lots of gamers are waiting to play this game so get ready: closed beta will begin by the end of January!

Register to GameTribe to get your chance to be selected as one of the lucky beta testers: http://www.gametribe.com/gt/registerUser.do?dispatch=startRegistration

So get ready to fight! Infinity is coming…..

GameTribeTeam
www.gametribe.com
Time to Play!

A Stroke of Fate new screens

A Stroke of Fate, Akella’s new adventure to place you into the world of the 1940s when Germany was making its way to the wreckage of hopes the Third Reich had built so far, has more new assets to show off. Remember the alleged “authentic locations” described in the game synopsis? So feel free to see by yourself – surroundings recreated for you according to real documents and photos depict the offices as they were at that time. Find out more at the game gallery: http://en.akella.com/Game.aspx?id=20&mode=screenshots

About A Stroke of Fate

Genre: Adventure
Platform: PC
Publisher: Akella
Developer: SPLine
Release date: Q1 2008

A Stroke of Fate is an interactive detective story framed in authentic surroundings of the fascist Germany in the 1940s. A gamer has a unique opportunity – to conduct a compelling investigation of the most mysterious secret veiled by the 20th century – Adolf Hitler’s preterm death.

The main character, a special sabotage and espionage agent is making every effort to squeeze into Adolf’s closest minions. You’ll need to act as a true patriot Germany has ever seen – attentive Gestapo eyes are watching you all the time! A most challenging task to fulfill - to prepare an assassination of “Lieber Fuhrer” himself – will show whether you have learned what it is to be a good spy! The Stroke of Fate will take you to the authentic landscapes and surroundings relevant to 1941-45 and controversial but still powerful personalities like Hitler, Himmler, Muller, and Goebbels. But what is even more important – you’ll even be able to breathe that time…

Key features:
•Compelling pseudo-historical plot;
•Ingenious brainteasers and quests to reflect German peculiarities of the 1940s;
•Realistic graphics;
•Authentic places and historically derived personalities: Muller, Goebbels, and Hitler;
You can walk along the Secret Police building and Hitler’s private study

SAMURAI WARRIORS: KATANA FOR Nintendo Wii AVAILABLE NOW

Burlingame, CA –January 16, 2008 - KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games, today announced that Samurai Warriors®: KATANA for Wii™ is available now at North American retailers.

“Samurai Warriors: KATANA is an incredibly fun way to step into the world of the Samurai Warriors,” said Amos Ip, Senior Vice President of KOEI Corporation. “By using the motion-sensitive Wii Remote™ to control a variety of weapons, run past deadly traps, or even ride on horseback, this amazing first-person adventure lets players enjoy the thrill of battle whether they are new to games or battle-hardened veterans.”

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 as you battle invading pirates, rescue maidens from a burning castle, and explore mysterious caverns stalked by ninjas. These and many more challenging missions require lightning reflexes, quick 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.

Atari Announces the Next Generation Chapter for Dragon Ball Z Video Game Series

Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) one of the world's most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher and distributor, today announced that Dragon Ball Z®: Burst Limit is in development for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Exploding into the next level of intensity with next-gen graphics, online gameplay and lightening fast action, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit is being developed by NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. and is slated for a 2008 release.

Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit is revolutionizing the series by entering the realm of next-generation gaming. Complete with fierce online battles and radical 3D graphic effects only possible on Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit will blur the line between video game and iconic anime series. Jam-packed with graphically enhanced playable characters, realistic battle stages and environments, players can take hold and experience Dragon Ball Z® as never before.

"Atari is excited and ready to offer fans the next iteration of the Dragon Ball Z video game series on the next-gen consoles," said Donny Clay, Producer, Atari, Inc. "With explosive cinematic graphics and online gameplay, fans of the series and of the fighting genre will surely enjoy Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit."

The immensely popular Dragon Ball Z® series is the gold standard of anime-based video games, with more than 30 different games and over 11 million units sold since May 2002.

For more information on Dragon Ball Z® video games, please visit http://www.atari.com/dragonballz

PlaySpan Expands Closed Beta of its Gamer-FriendlyTM In-Game CommerceTM Network for US Gamers

PlaySpan announces the release of its “gamer friendly” in-game commerce platform for closed beta in the US, after receiving overwhelming response from gamers since its introduction in some Asia-Pacific markets in late 2007.

The company has chosen Global MU Online, a globally popular MMORPG published by K2 Network in the US, due to its loyal user base of millions of gamers and strong microtransaction-based model. PlaySpan’s platform provides real gamers to connect with other real gamers and reduces fraud from gold farming by providing a secure and reliable way for players to buy and sell goods without leaving the game through an in-game widget

“I was sick and tired of running into all the gold farmers in my favorite MMOs,” said accredited MMORPG journalist Brian Perry, Jr. “With PlaySpan's new platform, publishers and players can avoid and fight the rampant fraud that these people are known for. Players get a secure place to legitimately trade their in-game swag and currency, while publishers can reduce the amount of fraudulent deals that scammers and gold farmers pull and take a fair portion of the proceeds being made off their hard work.”

“We have received great response from the gamer and publisher community to use PlaySpan as a secure marketplace and help real gamers reach others. Based on field data, we are seeing players spending more time in-game and doing more secure micro-transactions with our platform,” said Karl Mehta, CEO of PlaySpan Inc. “We have over 20 titles that has licensed our platform and we expect to continue leading the in-game commerce market and provide a very compelling user experience for our game publisher partners and gamers.”