Nintendo Speeds Into Spring With Mario Kart Wii

Nintendo Speeds Into Spring With Mario Kart Wii

Hotly Anticipated Racing Game Includes Innovative Wii Wheel

This year, the typical signs of spring will be accompanied by the sweet sound of revving engines and the sight of lightning-fast shells whizzing around every corner. Mario Kart Wii is zooming toward its launch in the United States on April 27. The game comes with the intuitive Wii Wheel™, which makes it easy for novices to compete against veterans, so no one is left in the dust. And with a broadband hookup to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, players can compete with up to 11 other drivers from around the world for racing dominance.

"Mario Kart Wii transforms one of our most popular franchises into a race that every member of the family can join," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "Driving with the Wii Wheel could not be more natural, and this is one place where speeding is encouraged."

Mario Kart Wii will include 16 new courses and 16 classic courses from previous Mario Kart games. For the first time ever, players have the option of racing with either karts or motorbikes. Players can also hit the road as their personalized Mii™ caricatures in addition to the handful of classic Nintendo characters found in the game. True to the series, the game features tons of racing, plenty of power-ups and oodles of objects for players to use to slow down other drivers. And 10 battle arenas will keep players busy between trips around the circuit.

The easy-to-use Wii Wheel will also be sold as a separate accessory, giving every driver in the household a chance to get behind his or her own wheel. And if veteran Mario Kart fans are afraid of getting smoked by rookie drivers using the Wii Wheel, they can rest assured that Nintendo has them covered. Mario Kart Wii supports four different control options: Wii Remote™ with or without the Wii Wheel, Wii Remote and Nunchuk™ controller combo, Classic Controller and even the Nintendo GameCube™ controller. So there's bound to be a configuration that fits everyone's style.

Mario Kart Wii launches with a new channel added to the Wii Menu to enhance game play: The Mario Kart Wii Channel. This new channel builds on the huge online community of Wii owners and lets players compete in tournaments, check worldwide rankings, see when their friends are playing and download ghost data.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com. For more information about Mario Kart Wii, visit MarioKart.com.

Sushi Mania mobile cellphone game released

Hands-On Mobile 'Rolls' Out Sushi Mania Across the Globe

Sushi Mania launches as part of Hands-On Mobile's 'Best of Korea' program.

Hands-On Mobile™, the world's leading developer of connected games and applications, announces the launch of Sushi Mania on all US and European carriers. Sushi Mania comes to the US and Europe as part of Hands-On Mobile's 'Best of Korea' program, which has brought titles like Heroes Lore: Wind of Soltia to mobile gamers and offers them the chance to experience the very best titles from one of the world's most advanced mobile gaming markets.

Sushi Mania takes players on an adventure through 20 game worlds, packed with moving obstacles, tasty treats and hungry enemies. The player selects from 12 different cute sushi characters, each with their own skill and ability, and then rolls their piece of sushi around the levels, leading them on a mission to track down missing ingredients, and, ultimately, the missing sushi chef. The three-button control system is designed to be simple and intuitive for players, while allowing them the freedom to do high jumps, break blocks, navigate collapsing walkways and teleport.

"Sushi Mania is a perfect example of why we established the 'Best of Korea' program. This combination of bite-sized, fun game play and cute characters will appeal to a wide audience; it is a great mobile game and is receiving rave reviews," said Michael Temkin, CTO and EVP of Operations, Hands-On Mobile. "We are looking forward to bringing more hit games from Korea to Europe and the US."

Sushi Mania has already received a string of accolades with The UK's Guardian Games Blog saying "If you've already played the Sonic mobile conversions, or just want a candy cute little platformer for a few hours of retro-tinged fun, download Sushi Mania as soon as you can." Other reviews include 90/100 from Project NeXt, 81/100 from Mobile Game FAQ's and an 8/10 silver award from Pocket Gamer, which stated: "Sushi Mania is a feature-rich and interesting package that's well worth a round of chopstick-clacking applause."

The sushi's world has a distinct and strong graphical design that ensures it will appeal to all mobile users, but not everything is quite so friendly. It is the player's task to avoid the deadly menaces that loiter around the landscape; hungry for the sushi ingredients the player needs to collect. The player can also gather coins as they travel, which unlock more levels and special features including six mini-games designed to offer players a bite-sized snack they can return to.

Gems Quest PC game - Sixty levels of gem-matching puzzling fun

Enjoy the Spirit of Adventure with Gems Quest!

Sulus Games announces the immediate availability of Gems Quest, a perfect mix of an enjoyable arcade game and exciting adventure. It provides players with an ultimate opportunity to enjoy 60 levels with compelling tasks to complete.

The game includes an innovative match 3 arcade mechanics. Gems Quest defines itself as a well-developed game with high-quality graphics and eye-pleasing special effects. The rules of the game are totally easy to learn, so you do not need to be a skilled match 3 player to get accustomed to the game mechanics. High-quality 3D episodes telling the story of the main hero are presented in a comic strip manner.

Since the very launch of the game the fleeting spirit of adventure will capture your thoughts and take you to a faraway country deep into the jungle. You will learn the story of young girl Sasha. In the book of legends she finds out that there is a cure of all illnesses: a very rare red flower. She needs it very much. So, gathering all her braveness she decides to take a trip to deep jungle forests, the only place on earth where the rare flower is said to grow. We are meeting Sasha the moment her doggy, finds a marking on the ground that signifies an ancient temple. She quickly throws all reasons aside and ventures off to investigate.

Gems Quest has 60 professionally designed arcade levels. The objective is to move blocks with arrows by clicking on them to make matches. You can match three or more blocks. The gold you receive with a match fills the plate in totem's hands. When the plate is full, the level is complete. Gems are moved indirectly by moving adjacent arrows. The direction of an arrow changes upon collision with the wall. The game also includes a new kind of Power Ups, helping you to collect more gold or break up obstacles.

Pricing and Availability

Gems Quest runs under 98\Me\2000\XP\Vista and costs $19.99 (USD) for a single-user license. Licensed customers are entitled to enjoy the game without any time limitations. Additional information on Gems Quest with its download version limited to 60 minutes of game play is available from www.sulusgames.com.

ELSPA Disappointed in British Budget 2008

Commenting on today’s budget statement, Paul Jackson, Director General, Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) said;

‘We are disappointed that the Chancellor missed the opportunity today to offer French style tax breaks to UK developers. However, positive discussions continue with the Treasury and we are hopeful of persuading them of the economic argument to support our case in due course.’

Australia Zoo Animal Links for PC video game released Friday

JoWooD Productions resents Australia Zoo Animal Links

On sale 14th March 2008.

JoWooD Productions are pleased to announce that Friday 14th March will be releasing Australia Zoo Animal Links for PC and will be priced at £9.99 SRP. Australia Zoo Animal Links is a race against the clock to stop the Australia Zoo animals from becoming Extinct! Challenge your mind by advancing through 20 levels of gameplay, each one harder than the next.

With 3 different game modes Animal Links increases the fun factor and gives you advanced replayability to keep you wanting more!

Australia Zoo Animal Links also allows you to unlock animals around the map that are found at Australia Zoo. Each animal once unlocked will give you information and pictures to educate you on that particular animal.

Features

• 3 levels of difficulty each with unique gameplay
  
• 20 exciting levels to unlock
  
• Unlock levels to learn about Australia Zoo’s Animals
  
• Hours of fun and exciting gameplay
  
• Release: March 14th 2008
  

Microsoft games console XBox 360 price reduction in Europe

The Microsoft Xbox 360 will become a lot more attractive in Europe as of March 14, when all hardware prices will drop at least £39.99.

The basic Arcade unit will fall to £159.99 from £199.99 and the Premium version will ship for £199.99 instead of £259.99. Gamers who need the extra storage will be able to pick up the Elite package for £259.99 instead of the previous, steep £299.99.

The cuts make the Arcade option the cheapest home console on the continent, and Microsoft notes that £159.99 "is the price point where a console's audience begins to expand."

Microsoft also says that the 360 is the top selling console in Europe, Africa and the Middle East (presumably collectively) by owning 42 percent of the market so far as "life-to-date revenue." (The 360, remember, had a significant head start on the Wii and PS3).

Source: Video game media

The company also points out that 360 gamers are larger software consumers than fans of any other system, with the average owner boasting a seven game collection, instead of less than 4 for the PlayStation 3 and Wii.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Legacy Edition For Microsoft Xbox 360

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Legacy Edition For Xbox 360 In EMEA Territories in April 2008


Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced that it would release a special Legacy Edition for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, the follow up to the massively popular squad-based action franchise, and next generation smash hit of 2006.

This exciting new Legacy Edition will include the original game, and an additional disk containing all the GRAW 2 downloadable packs available on Xbox Live to date! It includes:

- 32 additional maps, a combination of new maps and best of maps!

- New exciting game modes and a large variety of exclusive ground-breaking missions

- Exclusive additional weapons that enrich the tactical possibilities in Single Player

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter ® 2 Legacy Edition is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft in April 2008 and will be available in stores at Mid-Price.

For more information about Ubisoft, please visit www.ghostrecon.com or www.ubi.com.

Nintendo announce details of Mario Kart Wii

Nintendo has officially announced that the latest in its seminal Mario Kart series, Mario Kart Wii, will be released on April 27th in North America, with its own exclusive Wii channel, Mii and online support, and the Wii Wheel peripheral.

First announced at E3 of 2007, Nintendo says the game will include online support via the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection for multiplayer races of up to 12 players. The game will include 16 new and 16 classic courses, motorbike as well as Kart races, and Mii support for personalized drivers, and will support a number of controller configurations, including the Classic Controller and GameCube controller.

Nintendo has also announced the addition of a new Wii channel to accompany the launch of the game -- the aptly titled Mario Kart Wii Channel. In it, Nintendo will track and support the online community of players with tournaments, worldwide rankings, online friends lists, and downloadable ghost data.

Said marketing executive VP Cammie Dunaway, "Mario Kart Wii transforms one of our most popular franchises into a race that every member of the family can join. Driving with the Wii Wheel could not be more natural, and this is one place where speeding is encouraged."

Source: Gamasutra

XIII Century PC game Death or Glory now live on GamersGate

Exclusive digital worldwide premiere

XIII Century: Death or Glory now live on GamersGate

Leading PC digital distribution platform GamersGate and 1C Company announced today the exclusive digital worldwide premiere of eagerly awaited XIII Century: Death or Glory.

"This game has been referred to as having enough battles to choke a general and we are thrilled to be able to offer it to gamers worldwide weeks before it is scheduled to reach any other distribution channels, said Theodore Bergquist, CEO GamersGate.

XIII Century: Death or Glory is an RTS game that immerses players in the Middle Ages. This is a world of noble knights and ruthless nomads, a world of courageous deeds and internal wars.

As one of the famous military leaders of the 13th Century, gamers are able to test their steel against the neighboring nations and carve their names into history.

The game is developed by Unicorn Games Studio and published worldwide by 1C Company. You can find more information about the game at http://xiiicentury.1cpublishing.eu.

Larry Bond's Harpoon – Commander's Edition Update released

A New Larry Bond's Harpoon – Commander's Edition Update Puts to Sea!

Tons of new features and improvements, heading at flank speed to Harpoon fans everywhere

Matrix Games (www.matrixgames.com) and Advanced Gaming Systems (www.advancedgaming.biz) are excited to announce the first update for their popular naval warfare simulator, Larry Bond’s Harpoon – Commander’s Edition. The major new update brings many new features and plenty of gameplay improvements.

Highlights of the new v2008.024 include a BattleSet builder so users can create their own Harpoon Classic BattleSets covering nearly any part of the planet, major surface gun modeling improvements, countless game database changes including the adoption of more platform photos, CPU use optimization, support for higher resolutions in the scenario editor, and much more!

David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said “The Commander’s Edition team at Advanced Gaming Systems have been hard at work since the release of Harpoon – Commander’s Edition and have made some great progress to further enhance this classic and realistic game system. Fans of naval warfare strategy now have even more reasons to try out Harpoon – Commander’s Edition.”

Larry Bond’s Harpoon – Commander’s Edition is the latest addition to the longstanding naval warfare simulation series that has earned awards and accolades from naval strategy fans and military personnel alike. Like its predecessors, Harpoon – Commander’s Edition allows players to assume the role of a fleet commander, making the same type of decisions he has to make, using the same type and quality of information he might expect to get in wartime. This is naval warfare strategy and simulation at its very best – addicting and wholly realistic!

As players take to the seas and command a huge variety of ships in an equally as varied choice of theaters and historical conflicts, naval simulation realists and strategy fans alike will revel in the depth and richness of Larry Bond's Harpoon – Commander’s Edition. Experience realistic gameplay with all new features, art, and more! Choosing from an accurate and editable database of platforms, weapons, and sensors, players can fight one of 269 provided scenarios covering the height of the Cold War to Pirates in Malaysia, or use the provided editors to create their own.

Get more information on Harpoon – Commander’s Edition from its official Matrix Games webpage. This update is comprehensive and will bring the game up to version 2008.024.

Please note: This update is quite large at 278 MB because of the battleset and art additions.