Early Registration Opens for the 2008 ION Game Conference

Game industry professionals looking for an upscale exclusive event to attend this year need look no further: the 2008 ION Game Conference is now open for early online registration. The discounted early registration rate will only be offered until March 17, 2008. Attendees can save $500 off the full registration price by registering online before the cutoff date. Attendees are encouraged to register early, since ION will have a limited capacity and is likely to sell out.

The ION Game Conference will take place at the first-class Seattle Waterfront Marriott Hotel in Seattle's picturesque waterfront district from May 13 to May 15, 2008. ION will feature a broad array of in-depth level lectures and panels, networking events and an expo area exhibiting cutting-edge products and services relevant to the industry for 2008 and beyond.

The Seattle Marriott Waterfront hotel, the site for the 2008 ION Game Conference and all official event activities, is offering a special discounted rate for attendees of $209 for single or double occupancy. The rate is available until April 14, 2008.

“We’re enthusiastic about being able to be to open our doors again for 2008, so game industry veterans can see for themselves all the exciting changes we have planned under the new ION Game Conference banner,” said Peter Freese, Conference Director for the 2008 ION Game Conference.

The 2008 ION Game Conference is shaping up to be an exciting, ground-breaking experience for the online game industry, as the lectures, panels, networking events and more take form. Confirmed speakers for the conference include:
Allison Luong - Managing Director, Pearl Research
Bill Fulton - Founder, Ronin User Experience
David Ryan Hunt - Game Designer, Flying Lab Software
Geoffrey Zatkin - CEO, Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR)
Osma Ahvenlampi - CTO, Sulake

The ION Game Conference is an annual game industry event designed for an international attendee audience, for those who strive to network and learn about new online game development and business trends, at the highest level. Visit the official website http://www.ionconference.com for the latest news and information about the ION Game Conference. To review the global and diversified advisory board supporting the ION Game Conference, visit http://www.ionconference.com/advisors.html. To keep informed about the latest news about ION and the online game industry, sent straight to your e-mail Inbox, sign up for the free ION Connection newsletter at http://www.ionconference.com/signup.html.

First person shooter - NecroVisioN, PC video game

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

Sony PlayStation 3 overtaking Microsoft XBox 360 In Europe?

A million PS3s sold in PAL region in December; Gap closing quickly on 360
PlayStation 3 is set to overtake Xbox 360 in Europe by the summer of this year, despite launching well over a year after its rival.

That was the bullish claim of SCEE president and CEO David Reeves this week, who revealed that PS3 has already outsold 360 in certain territories such as France, Spain, Germany and Italy.

In an exclusive interview, Reeves told MCV that in December PS3, PSP and PS2 all sold over a million units each in the PAL region.

And although Sony Corporation is yet to announce full global sales figures, Reeves provided a snapshot of PS3’s PAL performance so far, whilst predicting the leap ahead of Xbox 360 within the next few months.

“In December we sold just over a million PlayStation 3s during the month,” he told MCV. “That’s across all PAL territories and that’s a sell-through figure. About 20-22 per cent of that figure was sold in the UK alone.

We’re very happy with the performance of PS3 in the UK.

“We don’t often mention the competition, but I will give you some interesting data: In terms of installed base in some of our major markets, such as France, Spain, Germany and Italy – plus some distributor territories in smaller markets like Switzerland – our current cumulative installed base is now higher than Xbox 360.

“It has not yet reached that in the UK. But the team here expect to overtake the installed base of Xbox 360 across all PAL territories in late summer. It’s also worth mentioning that last week we outsold Xbox 360 in PAL territories by a ratio of three to one.”

Full interview from MVC

Mass Effect sex-show Fox News to EA: Let's Talk…On Camera

Electronic Arts asked Fox News to correct false statements the publisher believes the channel made about Mass Effect on a recent installment of Live Desk With Martha MacCallum.

The news channel's response? Come on the show, and we'll talk about it.

As first reported on MTV's Multiplayer gaming blog, an unnamed Fox News spokesperson says the network has "extended several invitations to EA through a company representative to appear on 'Live Desk With Martha MacCallum' to discuss 'Mass Effect' and the segment which aired on Monday. We have received no response."

Today, Fox News sent that same statement to IGN, declining to comment further on the matter.

In light of the way EA feels the show's reporters presented their game, an appearance on Live Desk may be the last thing the company has in mind. In a letter this week to Fox News, which is owned by IGN parent company News Corp., EA VP of communications Jeff Brown accused the show of being reckless, ignorant and unfair in its treatment of Mass Effect, a BioWare role-playing game released last year to wide critical acclaim.

Brown took Fox to task for unfairly judging Mass Effect against other Fox properties and asked the channel to correct what EA says were errors in its reporting and presentation of the game:

"As videogames continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness.

"Do you watch the Fox Network? Do you watch Family Guy? Have you ever seen The OC? Do you think the sexual situations in Mass Effect are any more graphic than scenes routinely aired on those shows? Do you honestly believe that young people have more exposure to Mass Effect than to those prime time shows?

"This isn't a legal threat; it's an appeal to your sense of fairness. We're asking FNC to correct the record on Mass Effect."

We've contacted EA for an update, but have yet to hear back. We'll keep you posted on the Mass Effect mess.

Source: UK media box

SEGA Bass Fishing on Nintendo Wii out in February

The Nintendo Wii has crappy fishing games. What's up with that? Three fishing titles have come out and none of them have managed to be more fun than the fishing minigame in Twilight Princess. At the end of February SEGA will throw its hat (and line) into the ring when it releases SEGA Bass Fishing, a sequel of sorts to the popular arcade and Dreamcast series. They came by the office and dangled the game like a lure in front of our faces until we bit.

Though the series doesn't have numbers attached to the titles, players can think of the new Wii title as SEGA Bass Fishing 3 ½. In addition to seven completely new levels, the game features eight remade levels from the arcade and Dreamcast versions. So long time fishing fans will get to see some familiar spots along with the new ones. We got a chance to check out the Dam, Country, Spring, and Castle levels. Each one has a distinct feel to them, even when underwater. It doesn't become the same thing once the lure dips below the surface.

The levels have different variables that can be selected by the player before starting. The Season, time of Day, and Weather can all be selected from a variety of options, and the gameplay changes based on the player's choice.


As far as the fishing mechanics go, SEGA Bass Fishing operates similarly to other fighting games. Player's hold the Wii remote in their left hand like a fishing pole, and fling it to cast. By rotating the nunchuck in their right hand the player can drag their lure, or reel in fish. There's also a Wii remote only mode of play, where reeling is controlled with the A and B buttons. It works, but seemed to be far less fun, especially since SEGA Bass Fishing is a series based on being a very tactile fishing experience.

One of the biggest additions to the new Bass Fishing is the incorporation of four species of bass, instead of just one. There's Florida Large Mouth, Red Eye, Small Mouth and Northern Spike Large Mouth. That's four times the fish! The extra types of fish will hopefully add new levels of depth and complexity to a pretty basic series. Already we got to see some of the fish AI, and how they react different to different lures. The separate species have unique strategies for trying to get off the hook.

SEGA Bass Fishing features four different game modes: Arcade, Tournament, Practice, and Nature. The first three should be pretty obvious, especially for players of the previous games, but Nature is a new mode. It's like a Free Play mode where players can fish as long as they want without the timer, objectives, or dramatic fishing theme music. It's designed to create a more casual, realistic fishing experience that doesn't require the player to wake up at 3 a.m.

Those competitive fishing enthusiast gamers who are hoping to get some multiplayer fishing action in will have to wait. SEGA Bass Fishing is single player only. It's designed to stay true to the arcade roots of its predecessor. Perhaps they will appreciate SEGA's effort to make the game more accurate by getting fishing experts to confirm the names for the various fishing terms and 20 different lures.

Source: ign

Professor Layton - Curious Village game on Nintendo DS

And now, here we are: Nintendo of America has localized the first Professor Layton game, titled Professor Layton and the Curious Village, and is readying the game for its February 10th street date in the US. The publisher recently handed over a final version of the game so that I can see for myself what the hubbub is all about, and so far in my short hands-on with the game I really like what I've played.

The game opens up with an extremely well-produced video complete with equally quality voice acting. The animation is almost theatrical quality with an almost French-inspired art style, something that might remind people of The Triplets of Bellville. The characters, the puzzle hungry intellect Professor Layton and his eager young apprentice Luke are traversing the backroads of a European country towards St. Mystere. The duo is intrigued with a Golden Apple, a treasure that has sprouted up in the late Baron Augustus Reinhold's will.


For those that miss the point-and-click genre from the days of the PC, you'll find a lot to like in this Nintendo DS game. The game focused both on exploration as well as puzzle solving, though – at least in the early part of the game – many of the puzzles are more detached from the adventure than incorporated into their environments. What I mean is, in these early puzzles, you're not running around finding different pieces to a puzzle and trying to use these items in some fashion to move on in the adventure. Instead, you're given brain teasing challenges that revolve around a certain object that you find

All this could change as I get deeper into the game, but it definitely seems like all puzzles you discover are stand-alone challenges based upon the location you happen to be in. The first puzzle the player's given is to circle the village on the map based upon the clue that's given on the top screen. In another, you have to pick the proper slot to put the crank based upon the crank's shape. And in another, when you click on a clock you're tasked to figure out how many times a non-military, 12-hour digital clock will display three or more of the same numbers in a row during a 24 hour day.

Each puzzle has a specific value and every time you answer a puzzle incorrectly that value goes down, lowering the amount of points you can earn. However, you can use hint coins to help you solve particularly tricky puzzles, coins that are earned by poking at specific areas in the environment. The game warns that there are only a finite amount of coins to be used in the adventure, so it's best to only use them when you need to.

Though the game's challenging, it's easy to cheat the system by guessing, getting the right answer, then turning off the system and restarting at the last save point to answer the question without the guesses. But you're not going to do that, right?

And even when the adventure's over, it's not. Nintendo plans on putting one puzzle a week on the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. In my playtest there was already one on the server: a puzzle where you have to rearrange matchsticks in such a way that turns five squares into four.

The game looks to be extremely extensive with several dozen puzzles in the adventure, and then the extra puzzles that'll only be available when you hop online with the system. In all, there seems to be several hours of gameplay in Professor Layton's first adventure in the US. Watch for my full review when the game ships in just a few short weeks.

Source: ign

Death Track: Resurrection PC Video game lauched

European release of Death Track: Resurrection, the successor to the legendary Deathtrack, considered by many as the founder of the modern combat racing genre. Developed by SkyFallen Entertainment, Death Track: Resurrection is due to release on PC in early 2008 and will be published under the new 1C Label.

Death Track: Resurrection is a racing/action title set in the not too distant future where traditional sports have been replaced and a new, violent entertainment rules. The attention of the world’s population is drawn to the main event of the year, ‘The Survival Race’, the biggest and most brutal race on the calendar. This is a world tournament that takes place in the largest cities across the globe and attracts the most powerful vehicles and world-renowned drivers on the circuit. Spectacular road battles and insane driving keeps the crowds screaming for more and the lure of fame and fortune attracts more rookie drivers every race.

You are one such rookie who enters the tournament for the first time. Soon enough it becomes clear that the battle on the track is not always a fair one and to achieve top results you must use every ounce of driving skill and every weapon at your disposal. On your way to the top you’ll have to win treacherous races and brutal battles, eliminate all who stand in your way and bear witness to great treachery. Do you have what it takes to survive?


Key features:

· 10 cities of the future including Bangkok, Vatican City, London, Moscow, New York, Paris, Prague, San Diego, Istanbul and Tokyo.
· Cutting-edge graphics and stunning visuals.
· Five racing modes with over 100 km of tracks.
· 10 powerful cars with different upgrades options and skins.
· Deadly weapons, mines, guided robots and a huge range of bonuses.
· Breathtaking aerial stunts.
· In-game videos reveal the thrilling plot.
· Next gen graphics and physics engine.
· Exclusive soundtrack.

Death Track: Resurrection will be published by 505 Games under the 1C Label for PC across Europe in 2008.

Microsoft XBox 360 Three Red Lights Error

The XBox 360 is a great gaming console with one significant problem. It is prone to hardware failures and errors. One of the most well known of these is the Three Red Lights Error. You'll recognize it when it happens to your XBox 360 by the three red lights that light up in the ring around your power button.

The XBox 360 three red lights error indicates a general hardware failure and almost always it means that your XBox is dead in the water unless you send it back to Microsoft to repair or undertake the task yourself. It took them long enough, but Microsoft finally has admitted what a problem they have created with the XBox 360 and so have increased the length of time on the warranty so it is a good idea to give them a call and see if yours is within the warranty repair period. If it isn't, then you can either have it repaired at your own expense or undertake the repair yourself.

With the wait times that are often involved getting your XBox back from Microsoft, up to 12 weeks in some cases, you may just want to just fix it yourself, even if it is still under warranty. It really isn't that difficult, but it will require opening up the console unit. You'll also need a couple of torx screwdrivers to get it open and to remove some of the components, such as the hard drive.

There are a variety of possible causes of the three red lights error, so it is generally useful to use an XBox 360 repair guide to help you diagnose what exactly the problem is with your console. Disc failures are one culprit and video failure is another. Nearly any problem with the XBox 360 indicated by those three flashing lights, however, is usually something that you can easily repair yourself in an hour or two at the most. So don't be afraid to do it yourself!

And once you know how to fix the Xbox 360, you can probably make your friends pretty happy by repairing theirs too!

The Mario Birthday Party You Wish You Had

I was impressed and a wee bit jealous last year when I posted about four year old George's Mario themed birthday party but these photos from Ethan's Mario/Video Game themed party have left me longing for the days when I could have a cool themed birthday party without people looking askance.

An awesomely decorated cupcake table (above), Mario and Luigi papercraft favors, homemade Boo and Kirby pinatas, Mario and Luigi hats, a Yoshi Egg Hunt and a tastefully and detailed decorated back yard.

If only cool stuff like that had been available when we were kids we might have been spared the horrors of party clowns.

Source: Kotaku

Pirates of the Burning Sea Guide Comes with Free (Virtual) Parrot

Prima, the purveyors of game guides everywhere has announced that their latest guide for Flying Lab Software's new MMO Pirates of the Burning Sea will come with some freebies.

The guide, which can be purchased at stores ($19.99) or downloaded digitally ($14.99) will include a code for an exclusive code for an in-game red parrot and the chance to win a limited edition 8"x10" high gloss ship print signed by the Flying Lab development team.

Prima promises an in-depth guide that features details of every ship, a career guide, tables of all skills and recipes, and tips on taking advantage of the user-based economy and trading systems.

The print version will also include a pull out map to help pave your way to massive pillaging and booty on the high seas.

Source: Kotaku