MiniCopter - Adventure Flight flies onto Nitendo Wii in Spring

MiniCopter: Adventure Flight Touches Down On Wii In The Spring Of 2008

Taking RC helicopters out of the yard and into your Wii!

Aksys Games, a publisher of interactive entertainment products, has shipped MiniCopter: Adventure Flight for Wii to retail today. Based on the popular RC Hobby, MiniCopter combines the customization of real life RC helicopters while offering unique missions to the casual player, yet challenging for most veteran players.



"MiniCopter: Adventure Flight opens up the vast world of RC Helicopter action to players of all ages", states Frank deWindt II, Project Lead, Aksys Games. "This game will definitely test your helicopter flying skills through a ranking system that judges you on a variety of factors."


MiniCopter: Adventure Flight Features:

• Mission based gameplay!
  
• Engage in 42 missions in 7 different environments from a child’s bedroom, hospital, hotel room and more! Use your air cannon and lift suction to discover hidden areas and coins.
  
• Customize your RC Helicopter!
  
• Outfit your helicopter with a variety of body kits and parts that can alter the performance of your heli and improve your scores in Mission Mode.
  
• 2 Player Split Screen Mode!
  
• Battle against your friend in a Race for the Rings Mode to see who the best helicopter pilot is!
  
• Customizable Controls!
  
• Choose from the Wii Remote tilt, pointer controls or play with a Classic Controller!
  

MiniCopter: Adventure Flight has been rated "E" for everyone by the ESRB.

Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 2 ships for the PlayStation 2

Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 2 ships for the PlayStation 2

SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION, the U.S. publishing arm of the SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION, today announced Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Vol. 2 for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system is shipping to retailers across North America.

Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Vol. 2 is a collection of 3 games (on one disc) from one of SNK's most popular fighting game series, FATAL FURY. Battle Archives Vol. 2 comes loaded with: REAL BOUT FATAL FURY, REAL BOUT FATAL FURY SPECIAL and REAL BOUT FATAL FURY 2; The Newcomers, completing the 7 game series. These installments are well known for their hand-drawn animation, stylish character designs and their original "2 Line System" where players can strategize and plan out their plan of action from separate foreground and background planes. When combined with visual flair and unique, one of a kind personality with 2D gameplay that is both fast and furious it is easy to see how Fatal Fury has become a true classic of the fighting genre.



"The Fatal Fury series has always been an SNK fan favorite and now with Battle Archives Vol. 2 we can bring the story full circle" said Ben Herman, President of SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION. "This collection provides both classic gamers and a whole new generation of gamers with the greatness that is Fatal Fury."

Nintendo - Wii Fit sold out at Play.com in one day

Play.com has sold out of its entire allocation of Wii Fit in just one day, ahead of the games official release on April 25 in the UK.

Pre-order demand has "overwhelmed" the online retailer, following success in Japan that saw the game sell one million copies in just over a month on sale.

"People continually look for new and fun ways to stay in shape and it’s fantastic to see exergames in big demand," commented Gian Luzo, head of games at Play.com.

"Wii Fit is going to be huge – let’s hope that we can keep up with demand. We are expecting more stock before launch," he added.

Exteel Developer Tutorial 2: The Mekhi Mechanaught, Territory Control and Capture the Flag, plus Weapon Highlights

NCsoft presents the second of its developer tutorials for Exteel, the free to play online game where huge warrior robots fight against one another for supremacy. Learn here about The Mekhi Mechanaught, mastering battle modes: Territory Control and Capture The Flag, plus a Weapon Highlights rundown. Remember, the action is fast and furious, where only the most competitive of player will dominate and improve their Mech for future engagements.



Once most Exteel players complete the full range of tutorials and finish a few matches they should have enough in-game money (credits) to purchase a new Mechanaught, or at least purchase some new Mechanaught parts. One of the Mechanaught sets that will be immediately available for purchase is the Mekhi, a light Mechanaught design that is nearly superior in every fashion to the standard Pinkett Mechanaught that everyone receives when they first start playing.



Like the Pinkett, the Mekhi is a fast, nimble Mechanaught. It’s very maneuverable, much lighter, dissipates heat faster, and is much more accurate. In addition, the Mekhi head features two MPUs (Mechanaught Processing Units) instead of just one for the Pinkett. MPUs dictate how many special skills—which are purchasable in the game store—you can equip your Mechanaught. While the Mekhi doesn’t absorb nearly as much damage as a standard Pinkett, the Mekhi is clearly the better overall light Mechanaught and many veteran pilots favor it for reconnaissance and flag-capturing aspects. Pilots upgrading from a Pinkett should take note however that the Mekhi does have a durability rating, meaning it’ll degrade over time until it is either unusable or gets repaired.

Weapon Highlights

• Spatter Gun – The Spatter Gun is one of the first types of shotgun weapons purchasable for starting players. The –C model costs only 4,000 credits and can be quite useful in dispatching nearby enemies. Exteel’s shotguns are similar to traditional shotguns; they fire giant rounds of ammunition that will cause decent amounts of damage against an opponent at close range. The weapon is very accurate (much more than SMGs or even some rifles) but can have a long reload time.

• Crimson Edge – A basic melee weapon, the Crimson Edge resembles a large one-handed longsword from eras long past. This sword, however, can penetrate even the thick armor plates and complex mechanisms of even a robotic Mechanaught. Typically, most pilots prefer using the sword with one hand and a shield in the other for protection, though some may wield two swords. Of course, the Crimson Edge can only be effective adjacent to an opponent (and, if you’re really close, you can hit more than one opponent at once). While ranged weapons are the preferred weapon of choice in Exteel, many pilots never leave their base without a melee weapon of some kind for close-range fighting.

• Destroyer – The Destroyer-C is a base model cannon that is a slight upgrade from the Poseidon-C, awarded to players for finishing the “Cannon Training” advanced tutorial. Cannons are massive two-handed weapons with tremendous range and damage capabilities, though their reloading and heat ratings are also extremely high. However, keeping a lock an opponent can be tricky… though once the enemy gets hit they’ll definitely feel it as cannons not only deal large amounts of damage, they also “stun” a Mechanaught for a brief second.

• Penetrator – Another melee weapon that harkens back to ancient times, the Penetrator resembles a great cavalry lance. Instead of swinging at an opponent like a sword, the Penetrator stabs with a great power-assisted thrust. While the Penetrator does more damage than the comparable Crimson Edge, it also generates more heat and therefore may overheat faster.

Battle Modes: Territory Control and Capture the Flag

Territory Control and Capture the Flag offer some of the most competitive modes of play Exteel has to offer. Territory Control involves two teams of players who battle over zones that can be captured—called Aerogates—that are spread out between the either team’s base (technically speaking the base is also an Aerogate). Aerogates are useful because Mechanaughts can spawn from them, and they control the nearby healing pads that let Mechanaughts regain some of their lost hit points.

A team can win Territory Control by one of two ways: accumulate more points than the other team (for Territory Control Exteel awards points for killing opponents, assisting in killing other opponents, and capturing Aerogates) or capturing the other team’s base. Of course, battles can be a bit of a trade-off; teams struggle for control over the middle-ground Aerogates as that’s where most of the players funnel. Control of these Aerogates also lets players spawn closer to the enemy base, which can be extremely useful. Though sometimes enemy bases can be captured by stealthy tactics (especially when the enemy is occupied elsewhere), usually the enemy team has to be overwhelmed by waves of Mechanaughts before the base can be captured by force.



Capture the Flag is a brand new battle mode we’ve introduced into Exteel within the last month. We started with two maps for CTF and we will be adding more as we go. While the maps are set up similarly, with home bases and scattered Aerogates throughout, the main purpose is to capture the enemy’s flag and return it to your home base. The team with the most flag captures wins the match (though draws, which are rare in the other battle modes, are comparatively common in Capture the Flag matches).



While battles for the middle-ground Aerogates still dominate portions of most matches (though players cannon capture bases in Capture the Flag), a wide variety of interesting and unique strategies have quickly developed regarding flag capturing. Players have purchased and built up Mechanaughts solely for speed, able to quickly grab a flag and run before the enemy can react. They equip themselves with dual shields to help defend from enemy fire. Some teammates serve as roving healers, while others utilize huge, bulky Mechanaughts armed with deadly cannons for base defense. Strategies are still emerging and balance is definitely an issue we’re keeping a close eye on. We want to see how we can further fine-tune the process for Capture the Flag and other battle modes we may introduce in the future.

UK pay double the US price for Rock Band

Following the news this morning that Electronic Arts has confirmed the pricing structure for Rock Band in the UK, gamers have expressed anger at the cost difference between regions.

Among the milder comments posted as first reaction to the price on Eurogamer.net were:

• "At least Dick Turpin had the courtesy to wear a mask,"
  
• "That's just disgustingly shameful, in all respects."
  
• "What a joke. Months late and double the price. No sale."
  

Rock Band has a recommended retail price of GBP 180 when you factor in the instruments and the boxed copy of the game - a combination that would cost just USD 169 in the US, or around GBP 85 - less than half the price.

Additionally the title is region-locked for the Xbox 360, so anybody hoping to beat the price difference by importing from the US will be disappointed.

Source: Games Industry

MTV Games, Harmonix and EA Announce UK Release Date for Rock Band

Rock Band will make its UK debut on Xbox 360 on May 23

Rock Band's European tour will be hitting the UK this spring! Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with marketing and distribution partner Electronic Arts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today confirmed plans to release the award-winning music video game Rock Band this spring in the UK.

The UK release of Rock Band will have an exclusive launch window on the Xbox 360 videogame console from Microsoft, beginning on May 23. Rock Band will be available for additional platforms later this summer.

Rock Band is an all-new platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music. The game challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune, mastering lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. With more master recordings than any other music game, Rock Band features some of the world’s biggest rock artists and spans every genre of rock ranging from alternative and classic rock to heavy metal and punk.

In addition to the 58 tracks from the North American release, Rock Band will feature nine new tracks spanning German, French and UK hits including:

• Blur “Beetlebum” (English)
• Oasis “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” (English)
• Tokio Hotel “Monsoon” (English)
• Muse “Hysteria” (English)
• Les Wampas “Manu Chao” (French)
• Playmo “New Wave” (French)
• Die Toten Hosen “Hier Kommt Alex” (German)
• Juli “Perfekte Welle” (German)
• H-Block X “Countdown to Insanity” (German)

Rock Band’s unprecedented offering of over 70 songs to date currently available for purchase and download in the US will be made available in Europe beginning on Tuesday, May 27th. Each track will be available for 160 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360. Following that date, all new Rock Band DLC will be available simultaneously in the US and Europe on a weekly basis. For a complete list of Rock Band songs available for purchase to date, please go to http://www.rockband.com/dlc.

Since its North American release in 2007, Rock Band has garnered over 40 awards including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007 and three awards at The 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Family Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack.

Online retail struggling to meet launch day demand for Grand Theft Auto IV

Online retailers GAME, Gamestation and Play.com are all indicating that they will be struggling to meet consumer demand for Grand Theft Auto IV when the game is released on April 29.

Although copies of the limited edition of the highly-anticipated Rockstar title are still being offered for delivery on launch day, the standard edition for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 may be in short supply for those that haven't already got their pre-orders in.

"We cannot guarantee delivery on the day of release for orders placed on or after the 7th of April," states GAME on its website, while rival Play.com offers, "we are currently sold out of this item. All orders will be dispatched on a first come, first served basis."

Gamestation too, indicates that "due to unprecedented demand for the standard editions of Grand Theft Auto IV, we are no longer taking pre-orders for this version."

The game is expected to be one of the biggest games released this year, with some analysts suggesting worldwide sales could top six million units in its first week of sale.

The retail community has been offering plenty of incentive to pre-order the title, with GAME giving away 500 free Xbox Live points to users, while HMV doubled that offer to 1,000 points as well as a book of vouchers worth GBP 130.

April and May could be massive sales months for the industry this year - as well as GTA IV, April will also see the release of Wii Fit from Nintendo, a game that is already selling out in stores, and Rock Band from EA, which was dated and priced for release today.

Source: Games Industry

God of War 2 joins PlayStation 2 classics list and price drops to $19.99

God of War 2 joins PlayStation 2 classics list - You can pick up a copy for $19.99

God of War saw Kratos, a mortal warrior, set upon an epic quest to dethrone a god, But his journey did not end there.

In god of war II, Kratos sits atop his Olympus throne as the new god of war - far more ruthless than Ares ever was.

To end his continued torment, Kratos must journey to the far reaches of the earth and defeat untold horrors and alter that which no mortal, or god, has ever changed - his fate.

God of War II sets an epic stage for a devastating mythological war to end all wars.

Nintendo Wii title - No More Heroes on Vodafone

No More Heroes goes Mobile!

Rising Star Games announces tie-in with FoneStarz to present exclusive content from hit Nintendo Wii title "No More Heroes" on Vodafone.

Rising Star Games is delighted to confirm a partnership with Vodafone’s key content partner FoneStarz for exclusive artworks, animations, ringtones and message tones. The content will be sold in areas of Vodafone live! managed by FoneStarz.

Managing Director of Rising Star Games, Martin Defries, said 'It's a fantastic tie-in for a brand-new IP that has only been in Nintendo consumers’ hands for two weeks. It confirms that we have a product that can break ground across markets and maintain a high profile. From the consumer’s point of view it enables them to own assets that would ordinarily remain beyond their reach.’

Dave Moreau, CEO of FoneStarz, welcomed the new content deal. ‘We’re looking to do more deals around games-related video and imagery. It’s content that is very popular with our customers and as well as driving sales, helps promote the games brand.

‘Rising Star Games were quick to understand the value of licensing No More Heroes to us and the two companies will continue to look at other games brands which we can exploit together.’

Growlanser: Heritage of War on PlayStation 3

Title: Growlanser: Heritage of War
Release Date: 13.06.08
Genre: RPG
SRP: €29.99/£19.99

Rising Star Games Announces Growlanser: Heritage of War

Rising Star Games is pleased to announce today Growlanser: Heritage of War, the latest entry in the critically-acclaimed Growlanser series, available for PlayStation 2 in the UK from Friday, 13th June 2008.

About Growlanser: Heritage of War
On an island continent shrouded in darkness and bounded on every shore by an impassable veil, war rages among desperate inhabitants fighting for survival. A mysterious famine has ravaged the land, leaving its denizens to struggle over what little fertile land remains. There is no safe haven; land that war has left untouched is still threatened by the Screapers, fierce and powerful monsters steadily encroaching on the cities of men. Hope is fading - who will rise to save this dying land?

Key Features

· Over 70 Hours of Gameplay! A sweeping story arc spanning 5 lengthy chapters with additional chapters to unlock

· A fantasy world comes to life! The story unfolds through gorgeous handdrawn animation and character portraits by artist Satoshi Urushihara

· Strategic party-based combat! The action is faster and more exciting than ever as you use an advanced troop command system to give orders to your allies – smart tactics are the key to victory

· Manage your character’s Ability Tree! Change your character’s abilities based on the needs of the situation. As your character levels, so too do your Ability Plates!

· Discover a magical fairy companion! The more time you spend training your fairy partner, the richer your interactions will be with her and the more she can assist you on your quest. You can even enter her in the great Fairy Contest – her performance as she competes with other fairies in a tournament of skills depends on how well you have prepared her!

· Cultivate intimate relationships with your allies! With the Friendship and Personality Rating System, your personality can either limit or enhance your interactions with others; the outcome of your encounters depends entirely on your behaviour! Mould a protagonist as ill-tempered or good-natured as you desire. And if you're brave enough, reveal your true feelings to a companion; if they come to feel the same way about you, you'll be rewarded with a bonus hand-drawn character-specific ending animation that puts the icing on the cake!

UK CHART TRACK WEEKLY CHARTS - April 5th

All formats

(Full price) Week ending 5 April 2008

1 MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES SEGA
2 TOM CLANCY'S RAINBOW SIX: VEGAS 2 UBISOFT
3 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008 KONAMI
4 CONDEMNED 2 SEGA
5 GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK ACTIVISION
6 VIKING: BATTLE FOR ASGARD SEGA
7 DARK SECTOR D3P
8 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE ACTIVISION
9 SEGA SUPERSTARS TENNIS SEGA
10 FIFA 08 ELECTRONIC ARTS
11 COOKING MAMA 2 505 GAMES
12 THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 & 3 RETURN SEGA
13 ARMY OF TWO ELECTRONIC ARTS
14 FOOTBALL MANAGER 2008 SEGA
15 NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. NINTENDO
16 THE SIMPSONS GAME ELECTRONIC ARTS
17 BULLY: SCHOLARSHIP EDITION TAKE 2
18 ASSASSIN'S CREED UBISOFT
19 NEED FOR SPEED: PROSTREET ELECTRONIC ARTS
20 WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2008 THQ