Blast Off With Planet Busters

Many videogames feature explosions – big explosions - but none of them have ever come close to the big bang of Planet Busters, the brand new PC title from Slam Games.

Planet Busters is a new casual game that combines fast, simple gameplay, with the chance to avenge mankind, rearrange the universe and – well – blow a lot of it up.

After a sneak attack by the evil Scourge, Earth is gone. Disintegrated. Vapourised. Nothing more than a slowly drifting cloud of interstellar dust.

As one of the few survivors of this unprovoked assault – you're pretty much furious. Thankfully you have a well-armed spaceship and time on your hands for a spot of revenge.

So you swear to chase the Scourge to the ends of the galaxy, communicating in the only language they understand – violent destruction.

Planet Busters’ gameplay couldn't be simpler. Sets of extremely dangerous missiles flash up the screen, messing up the space-time continuum. Players have to move the missiles to create matching groups. This creates chain reactions and triggers some ridiculously powerful explosions. Once a sufficiently large group is made, they flash away into the inky blackness and explode, shattering enemy ships, battle stations and even planets – leaving destruction on a massive scale – and teaching the Scourge that mankind is not to be trifled with.

Lets face it – blowing up the enemy who obliterated your home planet is FUN! The ravening hordes of Scourge flee before your awesome fire power and missile matching skills. Where heavily armed, tentacled alien scum and fleets of mighty spaceships have failed to make even a dent in the galaxy, Planet Busters makes it simple and fast enough to fit world-shattering punishment into your lunch break.

Planet Busters is suitable for every PC running Windows XP or Vista. The game can be played – for FREE – for one of your Earth hours. So players can get their world-destroying wits about them before they decide if they have what it takes to pursue the Scourge to the far end of space and time.

Once the game has been played for 60 minutes, the full game can be unlocked online.

“Planet Busters is a whole new universe for us,” says Slam's Linda 'Star Commander' MacKellar. “Over the last few months, we've released games based on spelling and language and games for the female market, but we've not had anything which has featured lots of really, really big explosions. We're delighted with the results. I've always wanted to be an all-powerful force in the galaxy and now I can be – all without leaving the comfort of my PC.”

Planet Busters is due for release in Quarter 1 2008 and is rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB. It will be available for download from from selected casual games sites, motherships and invading alien armies.

“Mwaah hah ha ha haaaah!” added MacKellar, as she obliterated the ancient worlds of Omicron Reticuli IV, V and VII.

PlayStation 2 video game NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: RISE TO POWER goes GOLD

KOEI's Simulation of the Conquest and Unification of Feudal Japan to Ship on February 5, 2008

KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games, today announced that Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rise to Power has reached gold status. The historical simulation from legendary game producer Kou Shibusawa will ship to North American retailers starting February 5, 2008, exclusively for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.

Gamers looking for the latest information on Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rise to Power, can visit the newly launched minisite at www.koei.com/risetopower.

About Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rise to Power
Set during the 16th century, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rise to Power sends players back in time to the Sengoku (Warring States) period of Feudal Japan. It was during this time that the visionary Nobunaga Oda assembled the most advanced military force in Japan, and instituted new policies that stimulated the growth of the nation’s economy.


In Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rise to Power, players will assume the role of Nobunaga, or of a rival warlord, in their quest to unite Japan under one rule. Packed with 7 dramatic scenarios - from the 1551 Struggle for Power to the events following Nobunaga’s death in 1582, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rise to Power lets players embark on their quest from more than 300 different starting points.

For the first time in the series, military campaigns are carried out using an explosive 3D real-time battle system. Plus a new command lets players go “all in” and risk their entire empire in battle. If victorious, players will expand their empire, but a defeat could mean the total loss of their land.

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rise to Power is more than just a game of military domination. Life in Feudal Japan is brought to life with remarkable detail. In vibrant castle towns the daily lives of characters will unfold while players nurture their village into a flourishing empire. Players will also manage government affairs and develop critical infrastructure such as ninja camps, blacksmiths, and markets. A robust character edit function features a wide variety of character faces, the ability to edit stats, and let’s the player choose when and where the characters will appear.

Originally released in Japan as Nobunaga’s Ambition: Tenkasousei, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rise to Power marks the return of the series to North America. Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rise to Power is developed by KOEI Co., Ltd and produced by Kou Shibusawa, the mastermind behind the legendary Romance of the Three Kingdoms and P.T.O.™ historical simulation series.

PIRATES OF THE BURNING SEA PC game launched Online

Online PC Game Delivers Unique Swashbuckling Action Experience

Grab your parrot, raise the gang plank and ready the cannons with Pirates of the Burning Sea™ (PotBS), the hotly anticipated online PC game where players can clash on land and sea. This new title from Sony Online Entertainment LLC’s (SOE) Platform Publishing label, and Flying Lab Software LLC (FLS), is available today at participating retail outlets worldwide and as a digital download through www.station.com and www.direct2drive.com for a suggested retail price of US$49.99, with a monthly subscription fee of US$14.99 plus applicable taxes.

“After years of hard work by our top-notch crew, we are thrilled to announce players can now conquer the virtual Caribbean, circa 1720, in Pirates of the Burning Sea,” said Russell Williams, CEO of Flying Lab Software in Seattle. “Working together with SOE’s Platform Publishing, we are able to launch this game simultaneously in the U.S. and Europe and release localized versions in English, French, Spanish and German, allowing players from all over to captain a ship in this world full of swashbuckling and high-seas adventure.”

Players start by joining the French, Spanish, English or Pirate nations as a naval officer, freetrader, privateer or pirate. At sea, players can blow enemy ships out of the water. On land, players can engage in a world of action and peril rife with sword fights. A unique economy lets players become captains of industry, running mines, lumber mills, shipyards and other large-scale operations. Players produce all the various goods needed to supply others with the raw materials to conquer the Caribbean, one port at a time. A player-generated content system lets gamers create their own sail and flag designs and even model their own ships.

Set in the New World circa 1720, PotBS recreates a dramatic time of conflict and riches with action for every play style, from epic ship combat to building an empire. With more than one thousand missions per nation, dozens of ports to explore, and the entire Caribbean as their domain, players will find an online experience like no other.

Pirates of the Burning Sea game features:

• Join one of four nations (Pirate, English, French, or Spanish)
• Every player is the captain of their very own ship in massive naval battles
• Duel other players to control more than 80 conquerable ports in the Caribbean
• Explore the world and make a name for yourself with more than 1,000 missions per nation
• Economy driven by players, who manufacture and sell all ships and equipment found in the game
• Take command of more than 50 historical ships
• Design your own flags and sails
• Build your very own or customize any of the ships in-game to your liking
• Choose from three different combat styles – deadly and formal Fencing, flashy, dual-wielding Florentine or rowdy and treacherous Dirty Fighting
• Participate in epic PvP sea battles with up to 25 players per side

For more information on Pirates of the Burning Sea, log onto www.piratesoftheburningsea.com or the community site at www.burningsea.com

SwitchBlade Coming To Guild Wars, Hellgate: London And Half-Life 2

Blue Orb Brings its Custom-Tailored PC Gaming Controller Software to Scores of New Titles While Further Refining its Original World of Warcraft Solution.

Blue Orb, Inc., the company that brings the console controller experience to PC games with SwitchBladeTM, has announced plans to add support for Guild Wars, Hellgate: London, and Half-Life 2 on January 29.

The game-specific solutions, called "Blades," are being fine-tuned by Blue Orb's user experience team, and promise to bring gamers a whole new way to play these popular titles. In addition to the new offerings, the World of Warcraft Blade has been upgraded, with new class-specific templates that offer a better controller experience to individual classes.

"The WoW Blade launch exceeded even our own expectations," said Aaron Levin, Vice President of Business Development for Blue Orb. "Its success has only reaffirmed our goal - to provide something that many people have been demanding; the console experience with their PC. It goes beyond just slapping on controller support. Our team creates a finely tuned experience."

SwitchBlade is now available for free download from SwitchBladeGaming.com, FileFront.com, FilePlanet.com, Curse.com, and Xfire.com. For more information, please visit www.switchbladegaming.com.

The Kamael PC video game MMORPG hits the shops

Latest Version Of Lineage II Available To Purchase Across Europe
Tuesday 22nd January/... Brighton, England (January 22nd, 2008) – NCsoft® Europe today announces the retail launch of The Kamael, the latest addition to the hugely popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), Lineage® II: The Chaotic Throne.

The Kamael introduces for the first time an entirely new playable race, additional and evolving pets to train and fight alongside characters, fortresses to lay siege to and terrifying, high-level zones to conquer. This coupled with enhanced visuals and modified gameplay makes this update the largest in the game’s four-year history. Priced at £14.99 / €19.99, Lineage II: The Chaotic Throne - The Kamael will be available at retailers across Europe from the 1st February 2008.

Lineage II is revered as the premier player-versus-player (PvP) MMO and, since its launch in 2003, has enticed more than seventeen million players worldwide. Active subscribers to Lineage II automatically received The Kamael update in December 2007 and already the player feedback to the new race and game additions has been overwhelmingly positive, with active player figures increasing across Europe.

New players to Lineage II will be able to take advantage of over four years of game refinements, making The Kamael the most engaging version of Lineage II to be released. Top of The Kamael’s feature list is the aforementioned new playable race. With an affinity to dark magic, these single-winged warriors have finally been freed from their age-long exile. Through deadly and decisive combat skills, they aspire to attain their almighty ‘final form’ as a dual-winged demon.

Pivotal to Lineage II’s gameplay has always been the gargantuan castle sieges, where hundreds of players on either side lock swords in deadly PvP combat. The Kamael’s Fortress battles offer a more dynamic, smaller scaled version of these events; granting smaller clans the opportunity to conquer new territories, elevating their clans in the larger political and military background.

Lineage II veterans above level seventy will relish the addition of two new zones: the Isle of Prayer and Hellbound. Only the most formidable of Lineage II’s monsters inhabit these two new areas, providing a deadly new challenge for the brave or foolish.

Lineage II: The Chaotic Throne - The Kamael includes a 15 day time card in addition to the standard 30 days play; giving players a total of 45 days play time. Monthly subscription fee to the game is £8.99 / €12.99. To purchase the game or other Lineage II merchandise, go to the PlayNC store at: http://eu.plaync.com/eu/store/ .

Namco's Pole Position II is revved up for iPods

'Prepare to Qualify' as Namco Networks Unveils Pole Position: Remix Designed Exclusively for iPod

Namco's Pole Position II is revved up for iPods with video to celebrate 25 years as a top-selling racing classic

Namco Networks, the leading publisher and developer of mobile games and entertainment for mass-market casual gamers, today announced the worldwide release of Pole Position: Remix, now available for purchase and download from the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com) for play on iPod. Pole Position: Remix is based on Namco’s popular racing classic Pole Position II, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The iPod title includes completely new game play, graphics, soundtracks and an entirely new course exclusive to the iPod. Pole Position: Remix is available from iTunes for $4.99 and can be played on the iPod nano with video, iPod classic and the fifth generation iPod.

In the game, players race to the finish line while avoiding explosive collisions with cars, billboards and other obstacles. Pole Position: Remix includes updated 3D versions of the four classic Pole Position II tracks and the brand new Misaki Point track available only on the iPod.

“Pole Position: Remix takes the classic game play of one of Namco’s most popular racing series and combines it with new themes, designs and more integrated game play,” said Scott Rubin, vice president of sales and marketing, Namco Networks. “The iPod Click Wheel is a perfect control pad for steering in a racing game and the device’s portability gives consumers access to this quality game experience anywhere, anytime.”

Each track in Pole Position: Remix can be played across four types of racing: practice, single race, grand prix and sudden death. Points are earned for the distance traveled and for passing enemy cars. If players race well they can unlock reversed or mirrored versions of the tracks and themes for tracks, cars and billboards, including those based on favorite Namco games such as PAC-MAN. Players can also choose to listen to their music library on their iPod while playing the game. Exclusive to the iPod, players can take advantage of Pole Position: Remix’s album art feature which randomly displays album art on roadside billboards from the player’s personal music collection. The feature will automatically display album art from the song that is currently playing as well as randomly pull album art from other songs in the player’s iPod.

Guitar Hero No1 best-selling video game of all time and makes a billion say Activision

Calendar Year North American Retail Sales for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Set New Industry Record

Activision, today announced that the Guitar Hero franchise has set an industry record, surpassing $1 billion in North American retail sales in just 26 months, according to The NPD Group.

Additionally, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was the No1 title in units and dollars for calendar year 2007, making it the No1 best-selling video game of all time in a single calendar year.

Since its initial release in fall 2005, the Guitar Hero franchise has sold in excess of 14 million units in North America alone, according to The NPD Group. In 10 weeks since the game's launch, consumers have already downloaded more than five million songs.

"Guitar Hero is one of the biggest brands and one of the most powerful distribution platforms in all of entertainment today," said Michael Griffith, President and Chief Executive Officer, Activision Publishing, Inc. "Guitar Hero's popularity with broad audiences is a confirmation that video games have become a true mass medium."

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $1.5 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's World Wide Web site, which is located at www.activision.com.

Nintendo Wii launch ADVENTURES OF LOLO 2 and SUPER STREET FIGHTER™ II: THE NEW CHALLENGERS on shopping channel

Let's take a quick personality test. Are you the type of person who likes to solve problems by analyzing clues, collecting information and methodically reaching your goal? Or are you more the type to thrust a double-footed kick into someone's face and follow it with a few body blows? Your answers to those questions should help you decide which popular game to choose this week.

Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

ADVENTURES OF LOLO 2 (NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Lolo and Lala are back in this sequel to the popular puzzle game THE ADVENTURES OF LOLO. On their return from the Haunted Castle, the Great Devil kidnaps Lala and challenges Lolo to rescue her again. Now he must take on the challenge of the Great Devil's Tower and Castle mazes. Fortunately, Lala was able to analyze each of the mazes as she was taken to the tower and left clues in the Jewel Boxes in each room. Each Jewel that Lolo collects contains information that will help him in the next room. In order to succeed, he'll also have to push tiles, pick up Heart Framers, temporarily turn enemies into Eggs with his Magic Shots and ward off enemy attacks by moving Emerald Framers. With your help, Lolo and Lala will work together to escape the Great Devil's clutches and defeat him.

SUPER STREET FIGHTER II: THE NEW CHALLENGERS (Super NES, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen - Violence, 800 Wii Points): When SUPER STREET FIGHTER II: THE NEW CHALLENGERS debuted, the fighting-game genre was forever changed. Along with a revolutionary combo system, the game introduced a new set of challengers to fight alongside the original Street Fighter II cast. In addition to the classic characters of Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, Blanka, E. Honda, Zangief, Dhalsim, Balrog, Vega, Sagat and M. Bison, take control of four brand-new characters in exciting head-to-head fighting game play. Choose T. Hawk and his unmatched strength to crush your opponents, use Deejay's unrivaled kickboxing ability to defeat your opponents, unleash your inner dragon with the furious kung fu of Fei Long and drill your rivals with the deadly beauty of Cammy. Get ready for the Street Fighter tournament and the fight of your life.

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

Quake4 HaptX Multiplayer Mod for the Novint Falcon

Reachin Technologies is pleased to announce that its Quake4 HaptX Multiplayer Mod for the Novint Falcon will be available to the public as of February 11th.

The HaptX Mod promises to raise adrenaline levels to new heights with intense online combat providing unique physical recoils and characteristics of all the weapons in the hands of the gamer. The player will also be able to feel the direction of enemy bullets and explosions, including the ability to physically feel the damage inflicted by the Gauntlet weapon for those up-close personal attacks.

The Novint Falcon has won numerous awards worldwide including IGN’s BEST OF E3: GEAR AWARD, and is an entirely new type of game controller. By replacing the mouse or joystick, the Falcon is, essentially, a small robot that lets the player physically experience the game through the sense of touch unlike any controller in history.

The HaptX Quake4 Mod will be available for free, but requires a valid Quake4 installation and a Novint Falcon. The HaptX Mod will be available for download through www.haptx.com and www.novint.com. Videos on HaptX enabled games are available at: http://www.haptx.com/games/index.aspx.

AVENCAST: Rise of the Mage Demo Competition Sponsored by SoundBlaster

Leading computer software publisher Lighthouse Interactive, game developer ClockStone Software, and Creative, a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products, are looking for the most famous adept among all AVENCAST demo players! Today they announced a player competition for their unique Action RPG game, AVENCAST: Rise of the Mage. The competition begins on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 and ends Tuesday, February 5, 2008 (inclusive). AVENCAST combines role-playing with a fluid combat system found in beat-em-up games, which is unique to the RPG genre. AVENCAST is Windows Vista compatible and is available at major retail stores across Canada, the US and Europe.

What is it about?

One of the features of AVENCAST is a player’s Fame Points. It is a score that evaluates a player’s battle skills as they try to avoid being hit and use their spells with maximum effect to gain lots of points. If players beat the game, their hero will appear in the game’s Hall of Fame. They can compare their scores to those of other characters. If they have their Fame Points Display activated while playing, players can permanently observe their current competence in gaining fame points.

Players will have the chance to win one of the following prizes:

How to participate:

1. Download the latest game demo at www.avencast.com.
2. Download the competition tool at www.avencast.com and save it on your computer.
3. Play the demo to the very end so you hero is found in the Hall of Fame.
4. Enter the competition by starting the competition tool, which submits your hero stats and contact details.

You could win one of the following SoundBlaster prizes:

1st Prize – 1 qty. Sound Blaster XtremeGamer sound card
2nd Prize – 1 qty. Sound Blaster XtremeGamer sound card
3rd Prize – 1 qty. Sound Blaster XtremeGamer sound card
4th Prize – 1 qty. Sound Blaster XtremeGamer sound card

Plus... 5 winners by random draw, each receiving a deck of Avencast branded cards

TOTAL WINNERS = 9

The 1st and 2nd prizes will be awarded to the top 2 players with the highest "fame scores." The 3rd and 4th prizes will be awarded by random draw among the Top 20 best players. The 5 winners of the Avencast decks of playing cards will be allocated by random draw among the Top 100 players.

To view the full contest details, visit www.avencast.com.