Cryptic Studios Announces Champions Online

Cryptic Studios, one of the leading independent developers of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), announced today Champions Online, their first ever self-developed and self-published MMORPG. Champions Online, based on the popular pen-and-paper Champions RPG, will give players the power of total customization of their hero experience while they explore a vast universe of richly detailed 3D environments. Champions Online is slated for release in Spring 2009.

Cryptic Studios also announced today that it has acquired the Champions intellectual property (IP) from Hero Games. First published in 1981, the Champions role-playing game is one of the first RPGs to forgo the traditional dice-rolling system of character generation in favor of a point-based system. Cryptic Studios has licensed back to Hero Games the rights to produce Champions RPG books, and the sixth edition of the HERO System and Champions, set to release in 2009, will include rules on how to recreate Champions Online characters and scenarios.

“We thought carefully about which IP to select for our next game,” said Jack Emmert, chief creative officer of Cryptic Studios. “I’ve been playing the Champions RPG since it first came out and I love both the rich history and wide array of compelling characters which made this an obvious choice for Cryptic Studios.”

“I am very excited to be working on Champions,” said Michael Lewis, president of Cryptic Studios. “We have a powerful development team, a better engine, more resources, and a vision for a new kind of MMO experience. Bringing the operating side of the business in-house enables us to be more efficient, get our developers even closer to the customer, and ultimately make a better game and long-term experience.”

Champions Online is all about total customization – it will offer a near infinite amount of character customization so that all players will have a unique game experience. Gamers will be able to create their hero’s name, back story, costume, powers and abilities as well as design their own personal arch-enemy and his or her back story, which will guarantee a truly unique experience.

“Champions Online brings a lot to the table. Gamers have literally billions of options to create their own fully customized hero,” Emmert said. “Couple that with the unique character generation system and tons of beautiful, expansive environments in which to roam, and Champions Online is going to be unlike anything MMO fans have seen before.”

For more information on Champions Online and Cryptic Studios please check out the feature story in the March issue of Game Informer magazine on newsstands now, www.crypticstudios.com, and www.champions-online.com to view character profiles, gameplay trailers, and forums.

WorldGaming.com Allows Console Gamers To Flaunt Their Skills For Cold Hard Cash

World Gaming today announced the imminent launch of WorldGaming.com, the premier online destination for console gamers from around the world to network and challenge one another in tournaments for REAL money. Currently, gamers can sign up at www.worldgaming.com for a chance to participate in the site’s closed beta, as well as an opportunity to win up to $50,000 in cash and prizes!

WorldGaming.com users will be able to meet and compete on all of today’s top consoles (Sony PlayStation® 2, Sony PLAYSTATION® 3, Microsoft Xbox™, and Microsoft Xbox 360™). At launch, WorldGaming.com will offer one-on-one challenges and multiplayer tournaments in a variety of games across multiple genres, from first-person shooters like Halo 3 and Resistance: Fall of Man, to the most popular sports titles, including Madden ’08, NBA Live, FIFA Soccer and many more – with new titles added regularly.

WorldGaming.com will also offer an unprecedented array of social networking features. Gamers will be able to create custom user profiles, add friends to their lists and build a robust gaming network. On the competitive side, features include a quick and easy challenge process, Automated Results Verification, Player Stat Tracking and dedicated game lobbies for each game title supported by WorldGaming.com. The Gamer Training Institute will allow players to hone their skills before wagering actual money on games, and when they’re ready to step up to the big leagues, the secure back-end payment technology, Community Reputation System and WorldGaming.com customer support team will ensure a safe and smooth experience.

"Playing videogames for money is not a new concept and has been going on in living rooms and dorms for years," said William Levy, president & co-founder, World Gaming. "WorldGaming.com is simply facilitating that idea online, which opens up the competitive gaming landscape in a massive way."

"I think every gamer has been fascinated with the allure of winning money by playing video games," said Zack Zeldin, vice-president & co-founder, World Gaming. “Whether it’s to tell Mom, ‘I told you so,’ or to go on and become the next world gaming champion, our community is about people who love gaming and have the skills to put their money where their game is!"

All tournaments and services offered through the WorldGaming.com platform are considered “Games of Skill.” Games of Skill are games in which the element of skill supersedes the element of chance, as opposed to traditional casino games where the element of chance supersedes the element of skill. WorldGaming.com is therefore not considered a gambling arena and is legal in more than 130 countries and the majority of the United States.

The WorldGaming.com beta sign-ups will continue until the official launch of the site in Q2 2008 at www.worldgaming.com.

About WorldGaming.com
Founded in 2006, WorldGaming.com is the premier online destination for console gamers to network and challenge other players from around the world in tournaments for REAL money. With an array of features including automated results verification, a secure payment backend, and a Community Reputation System, WorldGaming.com allows gamers to easily find and compete against other players in their favorite multiplayer games and guarantees the winners get paid. WorldGaming.com also offers robust social networking and community features with member pages, clan support, invitational tournaments, stats tracking, news, reviews, and more. For additional information, visit www.worldgaming.com.

DYNASTY WARRIORS 6 AVAILABLE NOW AT RETAILERS THROUGHOUT NORTH AMERICA

KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games, today announced that Dynasty Warriors 6 is available now for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system.

Consumers can find Dynasty Warriors 6 at the following retailers: Amazon.com, Best Buy, Circuit City, Game Crazy, Game Rush, GameStop, Gamefly, EB Games, and Wal-Mart.

About Dynasty Warriors 6
Selling over 15 million units combined worldwide, KOEI’s award-winning Dynasty Warriors series and Samurai Warriors series of Tactical Action games have become an astonishing success and are global phenomenon. With Dynasty Warriors 6, KOEI is reinventing the Tactical Action experience for the next generation.

Set in Ancient China during the 3rd century, Dynasty Warriors 6 immerses gamers in a truly cinematic kung-fu action experience. Celebrated characters have been completely re-imagined with new weapons and fighting techniques motion-captured from some of today’s leading stuntmen and women in Asia. With the game’s new “Renbu” attack system and game controls, players can execute lightning-fast combos and the most dazzling fighting moves with ease.

Developed from the ground up exclusively for next-generation platforms, the game’s proprietary engine delivers the most chaotic and challenging Tactical Action experience to date. Players can use the landscape to elude the thousands of soldiers swarming the battlefield. But as players move and attack, adaptable enemy A.I. devises offensive and defensive combat tactics, and can retaliate with packs of fierce hunting dogs and patrol boats. All of the explosive action comes to life in high definition, 60 frames per second (fps) graphics.

Based on the epic novel, “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, Dynasty Warriors 6 depicts the massive battles ignited by the fall of the Han Dynasty when three rebellious states moved to overthrow the Emperor of China.

Created by KOEI’s Omega Force team, Dynasty Warriors 6 delivers breathtaking visuals in 720p HDTV, and in-game Dolby Digital audio. This game is rated “T” (Teen – Violence) by the ESRB. Dynasty Warriors 6 is for 1 to 2 players. Press can find assets (watermark-free) at gamespress.com. For the latest information on Dynasty Warriors 6, visit www.koei.com/dw6.

Championship Gaming Series Announces 2008 Schedule For Pan-Asian Region

Fresh from the unprecedented success of its inaugural 2007 season, Championship Gaming Series (CGS), the only worldwide professional video gaming league, today officially announced its 2008 schedule of events for the Pan-Asian Region.

The commencement of the 2008 season will build on the immense foundation laid last year, when CGS drafted 18 teams located on five continents, made high-definition broadcasts available to more than 350 million viewers worldwide, and crowned Chicago Chimera as the first-ever CGS World Champion at the $1 million CGS World Final in Los Angeles. CGS has redefined professional gaming and transformed it into a modern sport for the digital age.

Last year, CGS revolutionized competitive video gaming by launching the only worldwide professional gaming league and creating groundbreaking television programming distributed to a worldwide audience, said CGS Commissioner Andy Reif. Asia is an important region for us and the announcement of our Pan-Asian Final in Wuhan is the first of several exciting announcements to take place in the region.

General Managers from the six CGS Pan-Asian teams will soon begin evaluating their current team talent and commence the scouting and selection process for their 2008 team roster. The teams include Seoul Jinhwa, Wuhan Dragon, Singapore Sword, Sydney Underground, Dubai Mirage and Kuala Lumpur Taufan. Last year, Singapore Sword took the Pan-Asian Final as the six teams battled it out for dominance in Kuala Lumpur. This year, the teams will travel to Wuhan for the Pan-Asian Final, April 30-May 3. The top two finishers at the Pan-Asian Final will then compete against the world’s best teams at the CGS World Final.

In the 2008 season, each CGS team consists of ten athletes, each specializing in an official League game. Five of the ten players comprise a Counter-Strike: Source (CS:S) squad which competes in five-on-five matches. FIFA 08 is played one-on-one. Each CGS team also has a mixed-doubles team of two Dead or Alive 4 players, who will play against other teams in one-on-one matches on Xbox 360. Forza Motorsport 2 consists of two racers on each team competing in a two-versus-two format, also on Xbox 360.

CGS events are broadcast to more than 350 million viewers worldwide by DIRECTV's channel 101 in the U.S., BSkyB's Sky One, Sky Two and Sky HD in the UK, ESPN STAR Sports in Asia, Sky in Brazil and Mexico, and DIRECTV throughout the remainder of Latin America, and across Continental Europe via broadcast partners which will be announced shortly.

For more information, please go to thecgs.com

Revolution Returns To Mars In THQ's Groundbreaking Open World Shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla

THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced that Volition, Inc.’s critically acclaimed Red Faction franchise will make its open-world, next-generation debut with Red Faction: Guerrilla. Set 50 years after the climactic events of the original Red Faction, this third-person open-world action-shooter will return to Mars and once again re-define the limits of destruction-based game-play. Red Faction: Guerrilla is currently in development for Microsoft Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Sony PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, and Windows-based PC, and is scheduled to ship in THQ’s fiscal year 2009.

"Red Faction is one THQ’s most successful and critically acclaimed original franchises to date, with a huge global base of loyal fans waiting to join the new revolution," said Brad Carraway, director of global brand management, THQ. "With the game’s unique pairing of true physics-based destruction, fast-paced guerrilla warfare style combat, and a massive world to explore – Red Faction: Guerrilla will redefine the limits of open-world gaming.”

“Red Faction: Guerrilla expands the signature destruction elements of the series and pushes the boundaries of next-gen gaming on a massive, terra-formed Mars where gamers can literally tear down the enemy EDF presence brick by brick,” said Mike Kulas, president of Volition, Inc. ”With a new 3rd person perspective, a full cover system that allows for guerrilla style tactics and a diverse planet to explore we’re excited to revitalize the gripping world of Red Faction for high-definition platforms.”

About Red Faction: Guerrilla
Red Faction: Guerrilla is a 3rd person, open-world action shooter set on Mars, 50 years after the events of the original Red Faction. Players will take the role of an insurgent fighter with the newly re-established Red Faction movement as they battle for liberation from the oppressive Earth Defense Force. Throughout their fight for freedom, players will carve their own path, wreaking havoc across the vast, open-world environment of Mars, from the desolate mining outpost of Parker to the gleaming EDF capital city of Eos. Utilizing improvised weapons, explosives and re-purposed mining equipment and vehicles, Red Faction: Guerrilla allows players to tear through fully destructible environments in an unforgiving Martian landscape swarming with EDF forces, Red Faction resistance fighters, and the downtrodden settlers caught in the cross-fire. Red Faction: Guerrilla will also feature a robust multiplayer component, including several modes focused on destruction-based gameplay. Currently in development for Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PLAYSTATION 3, and Windows PC, Red Faction: Guerrilla is expected to ship to retailers worldwide in THQ’s fiscal year 2009.

Tramps Beware

SEGA Europe, Ltd. revealed that the official European website for Condemned 2 is currently live. The site provides an inside look into 2008’s scariest and most compelling game, exposing the twisted world of Ethan Thomas by giving fans access to screenshots, concept art, videos and more. Suitable for those with keen observation skills and a hankering for some bone-crushing brutality, the site can be found here: www.condemnedgame.com

Condemned 2, the next chapter in the terrifying series that began with the award-winning and critically-acclaimed Condemned: Criminal Origins, is a first-person action thriller which immerses players in a world of psychological terror. Featuring all-new fighting mechanics and online multiplayer functionality, Condemned 2 follows Ethan Thomas in a string of gruesome murders where players must use their deductive skills and brute force to track down sadistic serial killer. Developed by the renowned Monolith Productions, creators of the original Condemned game, Condemned 2 is slated to ship in March 2008 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

For more information on Condemned 2 please visit www.condemnedgame.com. For Assets please visit www.sega-press.com.

Mario Kart and Wii Fit Nintendo launch dates announced

Wii owners, well those who actually buy additional games for their Wii Sports machine, have got a busy April to look forward to. Nintendo has announced that Mario Kart Wii will launch in Europe on the 11th April. The game comes bundled with the Wii Wheel, although the Wii remote and even a Gamecube controller can be used. The introduction of bikes and the ability to race with your Mii avatars offer some innovation, but let's hope the bikes work better than previous attempts to update the classic action. 11 player simultaneous online play is a welcome move while the Mario Kart channel - which launches with the game - will allow for rankings, leaderboards and downloads.
Less exciting, but possibly a bigger long term seller is Wii Fit. The fitness board is confirmed for release on the 25th April and likely to benefit from the word of mouth that helped the Wii do so well in 2007.

Source:Guardian Blog

Thanks to PS3, Sony enjoys spoils of format fracas

Sony's strategy of seeding the market with PlayStation 3 game consoles that came with Blu-ray Discs playback ability looks fairly prescient now, though it didn't at the time.

After a boffo market entrance--fans queuing up for days to buy the next-generation consoles--in late 2006, Sony had to deal with a lot of bad press for product shortages and the success of the Xbox 360, and the sudden popularity of the Wii from Nintendo. Blu-ray's inclusion in the PS3 was a major reason for product shortages and was responsible for the high price of the console.

Sony was able to claim in January 2007 that it had 1 million Blu-ray players sold. But those were largely PS3 sales. At the time, since the battle with HD DVD was still in full swing, it wasn't clear that Sony's strategy on Blu-ray had worked.

HD DVD's demise gives new perspective. Sony doesn't break out how many standalone players it has sold from the number of PS3s, but according to DisplaySearch shipment estimates, in the third quarter of 2007, Sony accounted for nearly 96 percent of Blu-ray devices worldwide. In conjunction with point-of-sale data collected by the NPD Group that shows Sony and Samsung collectively accounted for 87 percent of Blu-ray Disc standalone player sales in December alone, Sony is already the dominant player. Samsung is its closest competitor, but the royalties earned on manufacture of the discs and players give Sony much more room to be competitive.

Sony won't comment on any future business plans for the company, but it can now move full-speed ahead on its HD strategy in the living room, which it's been laying out over the last year or so.

More from CNet - http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9874808-7.html

Avatar Reality to Unveil New Technologies and Blue Mars Attractions at GDC 2008

Avatar Reality to Unveil New Technologies and Blue Mars Attractions at GDC 2008

Renowned Development Team to Showcase Third Party SDK and Scenic Tours of Upcoming Virtual World; Sponsored Session to Focus on Blue Mars Third Party Development Program

Avatar Reality Inc., a new development entity dedicated to the advancement of online community building, today announced it will provide a sneak preview of its upcoming massively multiplayer virtual world (MMVW), Blue Mars, at the 2008 Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, Booth 418 in the West Hall Career Pavilion.

Set in Terraformed Mars in the year 2177 AD, Blue Mars will feature stunning graphics, realistic characters and endless gaming attractions that will allow players to build and simulate real-life scenarios by creating personalized characters, or avatars. The MMVW will launch in a public beta version at the end of 2008.

At GDC, Avatar Reality will conduct an interactive tour of Blue Mars attractions which highlight breathtaking graphics through the utilization of CryTek’s game middleware CryENGINE™2. Additionally, they will preview their scripting game development environment which enables third party developers to easily build rich 3D casual games, and their proprietary Avatar Technology, which enables realistic character appearance and animation.

Avatar Reality’s vice president Li-Han Chen will host a sponsored session on Wed., Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. announcing the Blue Mars Third Party Development Program which gives game developers, CG artists and interested business partners an opportunity to create a variety of in-world attractions, 3D art assets and promotions for Blue Mars users. The session will take place in the West Hall, Room 2000.

For more information on Blue Mars and the Third Party Development Program at GDC, please visit Avatar Reality at Booth 418 in the West Hall Career Pavilion.

About Avatar Reality Inc.
Founded in December of 2006, Avatar Reality Inc. is developing a new massively multiplayer virtual world (MMVW), called Blue Mars, featuring stunning graphics, realistic characters and endless social bonding opportunities. The Honolulu-based company consists of multiple well-known and award-winning game developers including Henk Rogers, founder of Blue Planet Software, Blue Lava Wireless and The Tetris Company, and Kazuyuki Hashimoto, former vice president of technology, New Platforms at Electronic Arts (EA) and chief technical officer of Square USA.

For more information about Avatar Reality, please visit www.avatar-reality.com.

DX Studio 2.3 released with new PhysX engine option, performance boosts and user controls

Pinewood studios based software developers Worldweaver Ltd announce the latest release of their games and simulation platform DX Studio.

Version 2.3 comes packed with new features including PhysX support, depth of field, simple user control creation, scrolling listboxes, full tweening on all object properties, DXT support and a spherical map importer. There have also been a number of performance and memory usage optimizations. Full details of all the new features in v2.3 can be found at www.dxstudio.com/news.

“We’ve done a lot of work embedding the PhysX engine into DX Studio but the benefits of using PhysX should really help users looking to create particular gaming environments, especially given the recent announcement of Nvidia’s acquisition of Ageia and that they will soon introduce PhysX physics processing support into all GeForce 8-series graphics cards through a simple software download. Of course we have still kept the option of using Bullet physics too as it is still proving to be more appropriate for creating certain environments ” said CEO and founder Chris Sterling.

The latest version of DX Studio also sees the release of their own demo game, Hut of the Dead (www.hutofthedead.com). The game is free to play and all script available to DX Studio users to help with their own projects. There is also a competition running for the best game play modification of Hut of the Dead.

DX Studio licenses are available in both freeware and commercial editions (from £50) and can be downloaded from the website at www.dxstudio.com.