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Friday, January 25, 2008

Hudson Entertainment Brings Bomberman Land games Series to Mobile and cellphone Phones


Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm for Hudson Soft, announced today the release of Bomberman Land: Battles, which will be available for all major BREW and Java mobile phones. An award-winning series on gaming consoles, Bomberman Land: Battles follows the million-unit-selling mobile game Super Bomberman.

Fresh off his hit console game, Bomberman is back on mobile phones, in Bomberman Land: Battles, with an all-new adventure mode featuring 32 huge maps that have branching paths. With a gameplay style similar to other games in the Bomberman series, players will begin the game with a basic Bomberman, but will upgrade their character as they make their way through themed levels. Once each level is cleared, the player can pick one of three different paths. Paths should be chosen carefully, as each of the 15 unique power-ups is found in a specific path. Use those power-ups wisely to win each of the five enormous boss fights. Once each boss is defeated, they are unlocked as opponents in VS. Mode, in which players fight against other Bombermen in classic Bomberman battles!

“The Bomberman franchise remains one of Hudson’s best-selling and most-recognized properties,” said John Greiner, President and CEO of Hudson Entertainment. “By bringing the Bomberman Land series to mobile phones, we are continuing to expand the fan base of this adventure-oriented series while also introducing some of the franchise’s longtime console supporters to the mobile game market.”

In addition to Bomberman Land Battles, gamers can look forward to Bomberman Land for Nintendo Wii™ and Sony PSP® (PlayStation® Portable), and Bomberman Land Touch 2 for the Nintendo DS™ shipping on January 29, 2008.

For more information on Hudson Entertainment or Bomberman Land Battles please visit

www.hudsonentertainment.com.

Dejobaan Games Releases the Wonderful End of the World


Dejobaan Games, LLC has released its 12th title, The Wonderful End of the World, for Windows desktop PCs.

You can't save the whole world. It's going to be eaten by a mythological demon with the head of a fish. But as a puppet that absorbs all it touches, you can try to rescue as much of Earth's greatness as you can before the end arrives. The Wonderful End of the World is a new game for Windows PC available for $19.95 at www.dejobaan.com/wonderful.

In the beginning, you roam the Earth, capable of absorbing only the tiniest of objects. A glass marble you collect becomes your head, and a pair of jellybeans becomes your hands. Small creatures overwhelm you, with rats kicking you around and golden retrievers threatening to stomp you to pieces. But with every object you collect, your puppet self grows larger. Eventually, you'll become a towering behemoth with fire engines for arms and the ability to absorb entire buildings.

The Wonderful End of the World takes you through 12 unique locations, with over a thousand treasures to gather before the end comes. Steal some sweets from the candy store, where gummi fish swim in a blueberry river; visit a surrealist library to find that the words have literally leapt out of their books; and explore the Megalopolis, where you'll watch a lively end-of-the-world parade and then gobble it up before making your way to grab the tallest skyscraper ever built.

Availability and system requirements: The Wonderful End of the World is available as a demo and for purchase online at www.dejobaan.com/wonderful. The game requires Windows 2K, XP or Vista; a 1.5GHz processor; 1GB system memory; a 3D card with 128MB video memory; and Microsoft DirectX 9.0c or higher.

Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed video game


Among the hallmarks of the Destroy All Humans franchise are weapons and Crypto’s mental powers. If you’ve played either (or both) of the previous games, you know the weapons in the games are exotic, over the top, and often just plain hilarious. And the second game offers a good number of weapons the first one didn’t. So when it came time for our team to begin designing Big Willy Unleashed, we wanted a whole new way to play the game and still remain true to the franchise.

What better way to do that than to offer even newer weapons.

Time-Tested Fundamentals

The first two games (taking place in the 50s and 60s respectively) have shown that when it comes to destroying all humans while simultaneously harvesting their DNA, it’s always the “right tool for the right job.” Even in the modern era of ‘70s, the flying saucer’s Death Ray is just about the best thing around to rain down pain and terror from above, just like it did in prior decades. The Sonic Boom is still the weapon of choice to send enemy tanks a message of “greetings from outer space.” And nothing still says “take me to your leader” like the Quantum Decontructor, the ultimate weapon for any Furon invasion for turning a thriving metropolis into a smoldering redevelopment zone.

But wait, that’s not all!

For Cryptosporidium-137 (affectionately know as Crypto), his Zap-O-Matic delivers gig-a-volts of tooth-rattling electro-shock goodness as it did in the first two games. His Ion Detonator continues to pack a plasmatic wallop that’ll break up any family picnic. The Anal Probe, a recurring favorite, remains the best instrument for both harvesting a brain stem AND eliminating a pesky combatant – all with a single shot! And the Disintegrator still turns matter to a mere memory.

Mental Powers

So let’s start with our hero, Crypto. Even without weaponry, his mental powers give him a devastating advantage over any pathetic human. Psychokinesis allows him to turn a propane tank into a concussion bomb, or to toss a dump truck into an angry mob – more fun than Bowling for Dollars. Crypto’s mental powers also allow him to hypnotize a person to carry out a specific command or even transform inanimate objects into ammunition. You gotta love those Furon genetics!

And for not extra cost, Big Willy Unleashed gives your a whole new collection of ways to slice and dice your target more effective than a Ronco Food Processor.

New Toys For Crypto

Among what’s new for Crypto in this new installment are a few side-arms. The Ball Lightning Gun is a fire and forget electrically charged ball of, er, lightning… that hovers like St. Elmo’s Fire over carefree masses, automatically discharging on nearby targets until nothing is left of its victims except perhaps their shoe-laces and a strange ionized smoky odor.

The Zombie Gun (or as it’s known by its technical name, the Reanimatron) hurls projectiles of green goo at a target, which transforms a human target into a zombie – a simple concept really. But the best thing about zombies is that other enemies will attack your zombie, effectively making a zombie a decoy – the perfect means for distracting a bouncer as you sneak into the disco.

The final “boom” stick in Crypto’s toy box is the Shrink Ray, ideal for transforming a hulking ballistic missile launcher into matchbox-sized action figure. The shrink ray is only awarded when you reach a particularly impressive level on the carnage-o-scope, so don’t expect to wield this wonder weapon very early in the game.

Improvements to the Saucer’s Armaments

The saucer has one new weapon this time round - the Electro-Cone, which clears out enemies directly beneath the flying saucer with shocking results. This is the only saucer weapon that is capable of destroying all humans while leaving structures in tact! Now that’s value!

Big Willy, The New Kid On The Block

In front of every Big Willy’s fast food restaurant stands a cheery rosy-cheeked irresistible mascot named Big Willy. It’s no wonder there are over ten million humans served! But Big Willy has few secrets of his own, not the least of which is the fact that this oversized marketing icon is really a devastating war machine armed up the wazoo with Furon weaponry, capable of wreaking havoc in an up close and personal way! And who doesn’t love all those wazoo armaments!

Never mind the fact that a twenty foot tall rampaging kid will send even the bravest among us fleeing with fear into the hills. And forget that when Big Willy jumps, he lands with concussion-inducing thud that’ll give everyone nearby an Excedrin headache number 27.

Big Willy is armed with three implements of devastation. First, is the Heat Beam Eyes – similar to the saucer’s death ray, but this system can be aimed freely at unsuspecting targets while Big Willy careens through the streets of an otherwise quiet neighborhood.

Often, Big Willy finds himself surrounded by cranky skirmishers. But with one quick discharge from the Regurg-a-tron, that well-armed militia is reduced to a chunky smoldering puddle that even seagulls won’t touch.

To round out his arsenal, Big Willy can also be upgraded to activate the WindBreaker, an odoriferous explosive blast that’s emitted from the south end of a north facing Willy.

Even though Big Willy is indestructible and has the most advanced weaponry imaginable, alas his power system is still Earth technology and prone to run down. Fortunately, DNA can replenish Big Willy’s charge; so it’s a simple matter of grabbing a nearby human, and harvesting his or her DNA by popping the heads open like a Pez dispenser and consuming the brainstem.

System 3 Challenges PlayStation2


Friday 25th January/...System 3 has announced that its upcoming racing simulation, Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, will be heading for the PlayStation®2 this spring. The announcement comes ahead of a special issue of Official PlayStation Magazine, which sees Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli taking pride of place with a special wrap-around cover and Ferrari-branded packaging framing a world-exclusive preview.

Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli is System 3’s labour of love – a re-creation of Ferrari’s own racing series, which sees both professional and amateur drivers taking to the world’s most famous race tracks in 430 Challenge race cars. Developed by racing game specialists Eutechnyx, Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli draws upon the developer’s years of experience with racing titles and includes a uniquely magical touch from GP2 driver Bruno Senna, nephew of F1 legend Ayrton and technical consultant on the game’s handling.

Previously announced for PLAYSTATION®3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli on the PS2 will match the PS3 version in terms of game features. 50 expertly-modelled Ferraris are available, along with the full complement of Ferrari Challenge series tracks, exquisitely balanced handling, remarkably lifelike opponent AI and the most comprehensive custom vinyl editor yet seen in a PlayStation racing title. With online multiplayer for up to 8 racers and System 3’s innovative Card Challenge mini-game also included, Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli’s PS2 incarnation proves itself to be no poor relation to its bigger cousin and is in prime position to become the definitive racing experience for the platform.

In-depth analysis of the game’s features and development process can be found in issue 95 of Future Publishing’s Official Playstation 2 Magazine, which goes on sale on the 30th of January. Spanning six pages, the preview describes Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli as “a total dream come true for any Ferrari fan”, noting that the cars “handled beautifully”. Rounding off with a closing comment that “established PS2 racing games do face a real Ferrari challenge”, the enthusiasm and optimism of the feature is matched by that of System 3 CEO, Mark Cale.

“We want Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli to reach as many gamers as possible and the PS2 version is instrumental in achieving this”, remarks Cale. “Despite technical limitations, the team at Eutechnyx are doing an outstanding job in translating the exceptional features of the PS3 version to its predecessor, maintaining an excellent standard of visuals and keeping that incredible handling intact. We’re confident that Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli will set the standard by which other PlayStation 2 racing titles will be judged”.

Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli will be released for all formats in Spring 2008.

Shoot Halo's Master Chief Your Way And Win A Trip To Tinseltown With Xbox 360


Microsoft today announced the launch of a unique European competition looking for fans across the region to help create and show the unseen adventures of Master Chief. Whether its Master Chief’s “Meet the Parents”, a Spartan high school reunion, or even break dancing to MC Hammer, the “HALO: RECUT” contest is encouraging gamers and filmmakers alike to be as creative as possible, with the lucky winner scooping a once-in-a-lifetime master-class trip to Los Angeles.

Microsoft is looking for innovative movie makers to construct their own original video of Master Chief, which sees him taken away from the Halo universe and remixed into different scenarios. Whether created using a traditional video camera, gaming footage, old school animation or the latest video editing software, the point is just to be creative.

To enter the competition participants simply have to visit the following site www.xbox.com/en-GB/halorecut and upload their video from 31st January until 21st March 2008. The entries will then be judged by a panel of experts from the gaming industry to find the most creative concepts. One winner from each country will win themselves an Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and a copy of Halo 3. Terms and conditions apply, please visit www.xbox.com/en-GB/halorecut for details.

Each country’s winning video will then be put through to the European final which will be judged by the creators of the game, Bungie Studios. The overall European winner will win a trip to Los Angeles to study for one month at the New York Film Academy, where they will learn all they need to know about making movies. The prize includes return transatlantic flights, accommodation, car rental and $2,000 spending money.

Brian Jarrard, Bungie Studios added: “This competition is a great way to showcase the creativity and passion that drives the Halo fan community. We can’t wait to see how people infuse their own style and personality into Master Chief and deliver a whole new take on the Halo phenomenon. May the best Spartan win!”

For more information about the project please visit www.xbox.com/en-GB/halorecut

Ex-Naughty Dogs Form Steel Penny Games, Become WiiWare Dev


Steel Penny Games, an independent Austin, TX-based game developer, announced their acceptance into the Nintendo WiiWare developer stable, and is busy at work on an original IP title set to release in mid-2008. Steel Penny Games states that the upcoming title blends a challenging puzzle game with dramatic fantasy environments and appealing characters for an exceptionally satisfying experience. Other details about the upcoming product are not available at this time.

The company, organized in early 2007 by former Naughty Dog veterans Jason Hughes and Andrew Gilmour, joins the ranks of studios initially focused on digital distribution. Steel Penny Games president Jason Hughes described their strategy as "the modern equivalent of the garage method for an independent to gain a foothold in the industry-a unique opportunity WiiWare presents that we appreciate." At Naughty Dog, Hughes was a senior graphics tools engineer, and Gilmour was a senior background artist.

The team at Steel Penny Games have spent the past year building a proprietary engine geared toward the Wii platform's capabilities, and creating a new intellectual property to span a series of games. Hughes elaborated, "I am impressed with the egalitarian approach Nintendo has taken toward WiiWare developers. It allows the risk burden to shift back onto the creative developers."

Thursday, January 24, 2008

R44 helicopter for Flight Simulator X and 2004 released


Take a rotary route to the air in Just Flight's R44!


Just Flight is pleased to announce the release of its R44 helicopter for Flight Simulator X and 2004. This latest addition to the prestigious Flying Club hangar has been developed by the same team as the rest of the critically-acclaimed Flying Club series. It is packed with features and is now available to download exclusively from Just Flight's website.

The high level of detail in the Flying Club R44 is the result of extensive research and testing using real-world aircraft and the simulation comes with an authentic set of instruments, 2D and 3D cockpits, realistic avionics and the huge range of liveries and international aircraft options results in 221 variations to fly.



Just Flight's Marc Siegel commented: "The real R44 is the World's most popular GA helicopter and we're confident that our Flying Club R44 will have similar success is the FS world."

Key features

  • Includes the skid equipped R44 Raven II, and the Fixed Utility and Emergency Float equipped R44 Clipper II.
  • Authenticity on the ground as well as in the air! With the engine off and the 'park' icon clicked, the pilot and passenger figures are removed, the manoeuvring wheels are in place on the skids and the main rotor tie down is secured to the rotor and the rotor moves up and down gently in the breeze.
  • Top quality custom sound set for interior and exterior created from recordings of the real aircraft.
  • Operating emergency floats allows you to lift off from a hard surface and fly along with the floats packed. You can deploy the floats, which will pop out inflated, and then land on any water surface.
  • Custom flight model is incredibly accurate and reflects the performance of the real aircraft as closely as possible in FSX (SP2). Users of the FS2004/FSX/FSXSP1 version can still take advantage of the SP2 flight model by choosing an 'Expert' option on their R44.
  • Highly immersive virtual cockpit with mouse-clickable instruments, levers and knobs; operating cyclic and collective with throttle and mixture controls. An accurate 2D cockpit is also included.
  • Animation is state-of-the-art and includes main and tail rotor rotations and pitch, swash plates, tail rotor pedals, cyclic control, collective and rotary throttle, all four cabin doors and port/starboard engine bay access doors that animate and come with fully detailed interiors.
  • Detail extends to small but important items like the door hinges, door air vents (they even open and close), NAV radio antennas, detailed rotor heads, skid wheel attachment points, fuel caps, navigation lights, operating emergency landing lights; even the door handles work!
  • Comprehensive colour illustrated PDF electronic manual is included that covers aircraft description, panel and gauge descriptions, Avionics description and operation and the realistic in-sim checklist shows the normal operations checklist and operation limitations. There is also a descriptive tutorial to enable you to take flight as quickly as possible.

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
Microsoft Flight Simulator X or 2004 – Windows Vista or XP

MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
PC with 2.0GHz (3.0 for FSX), 512Mb RAM (1.0Gb for FSX), graphics card with 128Mb (or higher) video memory, DVD-ROM drive, Hard disk space 1.0Gb

FSX Just Flight VFR Real Scenery Series Now Complete for download


Publisher: Just Flight
Developer: Just Flight
Format: Download
Price: £14.99 / €22.95 / $29.99

Our VFR Real Scenery series of photorealistic scenery add-ons for FSX is now complete - Volume 4 (Northern England) is available today.

This new volume includes all those great features which have made Volumes 1 - 3 so popular...

  • Hand-drawn night lighting effects
  • Custom 'landable' water features
  • Superb 9.6m mesh terrain to provide accurate terrain elevation
  • No patches, no upgrades, and no promises about features which will be included at a later date - all these are integral features of each add-on and are automatically installed as part of the program. What could be simpler?
As well as a variety of demo areas and videos (see the VFR Real Scenery Information Page or the individual product pages for full details) we have got some great offers running at the moment...

You can buy all four volumes of VFR Real Scenery for only £74.99/€111.95/$149.99 and earn 500 Just Rewards points.

If you don't yet have Flight Simulator X, we're offering the Deluxe version along with either two, three or four Volumes of VFR Real Scenery at greatly reduced prices.

Save £40 on the retail price of FSX + Volumes 1 & 2, £50 on FSX + Volumes 1, 2 & 3, or you can make a saving of £60 if you buy our FSX + Volumes 1, 2, 3 and 4 bundle!

First person shooter, NecroVisioN, Video Game for PC


505 Games today announced it will publish the first person shooter, NecroVisioN, for PC across Europe under the newly created 1C Label.

Developed by The Farm 51, NecrovisioN is a first person shooter which immerses gamers in the claustrophobic trenches and bunkers of the First World War. Reminiscent of a Lovecraft horror, NecroVisioN seamlessly mixes the harrowing battlefields with a nightmarish demon and vampire underworld, unleashing a truly visceral experience.

The year is 1916 and the Great War has been raging for two long years when Simon Bunker, a US army soldier, joins the front line with the allied forces. During the ferocious fighting, Bunker and his battalion get lost behind enemy lines while trying to break through to allied positions. While being pushed back into defensive positions they stumble across a series of mysterious trenches where all is not as it seems. As they push forward they discover that there is a greater evil hiding underneath the battlefields of the Great War, an evil which is forcing its way to our world and threatens to change the delicate balance of power.

Battling his way through the trenches, Bunker uncovers an enemy more deadly than anything he has ever encountered. Demons and vampires wage a brutal underground war, which is spilling into the human world, and Bunker finds himself fighting not only for his own survival, but the survival of Mankind.

Key features include:

- a stunning mix of WWI and Hellish underworld environments
- intense and explosive first person combat
- 18 different weapons with a mix of authentic WWI and Underworld mystical
- hordes of enemies including human, demons and vampires
- 12 visceral missions to challenge all abilities
- huge, brutal boss battles
- online/LAN gaming for up to 16 players
- six maps with three game modes, including deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag/artefact

PDC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DARTS 2008 FOR PLAYSTATION 2 & PC


Pure excitement, Pure pressure, Pure Darts - Game On!

PDC Darts 2008 for PlayStation®2 and PC hits the shops tomorrow. Starring even more PDC Champions, a full line up of electrifying tournaments, exceptional graphic enhancements and even more play modes, PDC World Championship Darts steps up to the oche to industry acclaim:

GAME OF THE WEEK 4/5 - Nuts

‘A definite bull’s eye for the Wii’ 4/5 – The Daily Star

“Oxygen Games’ latest darts simulation is perfect for Wii…” – Games TM

"...it's nearly as much as a test of skill as the real thing." - GamesMaster

Calling on darts, sports and Wii fans PDC World Championship Darts 2008 is bringing the spectacle and excitement of the nation’s best loved sport to your home - this week for PlayStation 2 and PC, and in Feb 8th 2008 for Wii.

Pure excitement, Pure pressure, Pure Darts - Game On!