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Monday, April 14, 2008

Gamebryo Breathes Life Into Wii's First Black and White video game Horror Title

Emergent Game Technologies announced today that the highly-anticipated psychological thriller Sadness for Wii is being built on the Gamebryo game development platform. The first Wii title to be presented entirely in black-and-white is in development by Poland-based game studio Nibris. Taking place prior to World War I, Sadness is a crime noir thriller with richly detailed characters and an engaging storyline.
“Without a doubt, Gamebryo is the most powerful engine available for the Wii. After getting familiar with the engine several months ago we made the decision to choose Gamebryo. Since then, our team has been working on Sadness and we are quite impressed,” said Tomasz Wisniowski, Project Manager of Nibris. “We will have quite a few graphical effects in our game, which some believe are impossible to attain on the Wii. Gamebryo helped make it possible. We are firmly convinced we made the right choice.”
“From the early stages of pre-production with Sadness, Nibris realized that they would need development technology that allowed for an extreme amount of flexibility in the creative process, which is a cornerstone of the Gamebryo framework,” said Geoffrey Selzer, CEO of Emergent. “Sadness is designed to push the bounds of Wii technically and creatively. We are thrilled to be a part of Nibris’ ground-breaking product. We’re really looking forward to playing Sadness on Wii.”

Gamebryo gives Nibris’ developers a considerable head start by implementing numerous Wii development features that do not typically come with standard SDKs. Loaded with rendering and animation tools, a Wii-specific viewer, extensive libraries and APIs to simplify pipeline integration, Gamebryo provides Wii teams everything they need to optimize and deliver visually stunning games on time and on budget.

Sadness is a horror adventure game aimed at adults with strong nerves. Players will need to confront their greatest fears and protect themselves in hopes of not getting trapped inside the main character’s nightmare. The game has eight different extreme endings each with their own premise, which are assigned to a player based on specific factors during the game. To compliment the intense gameplay, the Wii-mote and Wii Nunchuk control the main character’s hands so players feel as though they are in the psychological thriller.

Multiplay Sell 1,500 BYOC i34 tickets in just 3 weeks


Multiplay, organisers of the UK’s largest LAN parties for over 10 years, have sold 1,500 spaces for their i34 event this August, just three weeks after tickets went on sale. i34 is the most ambitious computer and video games event ever to be held in the UK and can be described as “the Glastonbury of gaming”. It takes place at Stoneleigh Park from 8th - 11th August 2008.

The Bring Your Own Computer ticket allows gamers to take their PC’s to the event and set up for a marathon gaming session lasting the entire weekend. At 2,000 available spaces i34 will be the largest BYOC LAN ever held in the UK and one of the largest in Europe.

With only 500 spaces left the event is due to sell out in record time and those wishing to enter competitions such as the Call of Duty 4 and Counter-Strike: Source tournaments are being urged to get their tickets as soon as possible. Each tournament has prize funds of €12,000 and demand is expected to be high.
For the first time at an i-Series players can also pick their own seats meaning that those who have paid early can also have the first choice of seating.

A whole festival of gaming, i34 will also include other activities such as paintball, quad bikes and other sports. A huge attraction will be the mammoth exhibition being held where over 3,000m2 of floor space will be filled with the industry leaders showcasing the cutting edge of games technology and hardware.

“With affordable on-site accommodation and eateries i34 will be the most comfortable and luxurious LAN party around” said Craig Fletcher, managing director of Multiplay. “We are really pulling all stops out for i34 which has already had an amazing response from the gamers, selling more in the first three weeks than we could ever have hoped for. It’s shaping up to be an unforgettable and unmissable experience”.
To find out more about i34 and how you can get involved visit http://www.multiplay.co.uk/i34

2008 ION Game Conference Agenda Finalized and Online


The complete conference schedule for the 2008 ION Game Conference is now online. With over 100 speakers seated on almost 70 sessions, the agenda reflects the conference's promise to deliver cutting edge information and compelling networking opportunities across three full days. The 2008 ION Game Conference will take place in Seattle, Washington from May 13-15 at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

Among the new speakers listed in the full schedule and participating at the 2008 ION Game Conference are:
• Craig Sherman, CEO of Gaia Online
• Rich Weil, Community Director of Cartoon Network
• Dr. Lars Butler, Founder and CEO of Trion World Network
• Grant Wei, Director of Publishing of Cryptic Studios
• John K. Bates, Business Development & Strategic Marketing with Mindark / Entropia Universe
Visit http://www.ionconference.com/agenda.php to view the complete list of speakers and full scheduling for sessions.
Less than a month remains before the excitement of 2008 ION Game Conference officially commences. Only two weeks remain to register online at the discounted rate of $695 for one of the year's most influential and forward-thinking conferences within the game industry. An attendee pass at the 2008 ION Game Conference permits access to all keynotes, the expo floor, all sessions and panels, as well as conference parties. The entire room block for the conference has just sold out at the official conference venue and hotel, the Seattle Marriott Waterfront Hotel; however, organizer Evergreen Events has negotiated an extension on the discounted rate for attendees. However, this exclusive rate extension will expire on Friday, April 18, 2008.
The ION Game Conference is an annual game industry event designed for an international attendee audience, for those who strive at the highest level to network and learn about new online game development and business trends. Visit the official website http://www.ionconference.com for the latest news and information about the 2008 ION Game Conference. To review the global and diversified advisory board supporting the ION Game Conference, visit http://www.ionconference.com/advisors.php.

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. To network and share news with fellow members of the online game development community, join up with the ION Network here: http://ionnetwork.ning.com.

Europa Unversalis - Rome - Which historical ruler are you? Video game


Think the attributes of the great historical leaders in the Roman era could not be applicable today? Then think again! Take our "Which historical ruler are you?" quiz and find out if you share personal traits with the likes of Hannibal and Marcus Antonius or if there is a Caesar lurking inside of you!

http://www.paradoxplaza.com/rome/?p=quiz

Europa Universalis - Rome is scheduled to ship tomorrow in North America and on Friday in Europe.

Invite to UK launch of Dance Battle Audition


To mark the UK launch of the world's most popular online casual dance game, Dance Battle Audition, G10 Entertainment, the games creators, would like to invite you to the exclusive launch party of the DBA bus tour in London on Thursday April 17, 6-9pm. We'll have Audition experts on hand to train you how to play, plus they'll be loads of free drink and nibbles thrown in.

Dance Battle Audition is a dancing game that people can download to their PC for free. It is already the most popular online casual dance game in the world, with over 300 million playing it in China and South East Asia, America and India. Its success in South Korea has even led to a weekly TV show about it!!

http://www.goaudition.co.uk/

It is a dangerously addictive game that young people will love to play, and is soon set to take the UK's free online gaming community by storm. So rather than limber up your legs, just come along and flex your fingers and get ready to make some mean moves on the dance floor.

Why Rock Band in Europe will be twice as expensive as US version



Rob Kay of Harmonix, Rock Band publisher tried to explain why the European price of the game will be twice that of the same product in the US.

Rock Band will launch in Europe on May 23rd on Microsoft Xbox 360 then in the Summer on Sony PlayStation 2 Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.

Rock Band complete with game drum kit microphone and guitar will cost £180 or €240 in the US the cost was $169 approx £85 or €107.

Rob Kay has been reported as saying - "The combined price, if you add all that up and decide you want that full experience, is quite high. It's not something that is normal in videogames." 

"But Rock Band isn't normal in videogames," Rob continued - "This is an entirely new thing. What other game comes with three peripherals that are all different? It just makes sense for the experience we're trying to deliver."

Rob said the game was so expensive in the UK due to the higher price of electronic goods and VAT he said - "These are definitely not excuses so much as contributing reasons," Rob continued - "I can't talk to the explicit pricing - how it gets split down between retailers and distributors and the whole chain - because I don't actually know that much about it."

He hope consumers aren't "put off" by the high price of Rock band and point out the option to purchase just one instrument or the microphone.

Rob closed by saying - "I firmly believe that if people do purchase they'll have an amazing experience they couldn't get anywhere else."

SEGA close SEGA Rally Racing Studio


SEGA has confirmed yesterday's rumoured closure of its Racing Studio in Birmingham, citing a clear business decision as the reason for its demise.

The studio had been responsible for the latest SEGA Rally title, which was received to great critical acclaim, receiving a rare 9 out of 10 score on Eurogamer.net.
However, the title's marketing was disappointing and sales were poor, prompting original plans for an annual update to the franchise's revival to be shelved.
With no other projects for the team to move on to, it's now been deemed that the studio, unable to provide a reasonable return on investment, should be closed as part of SEGA's review into its operations.

The full statement from SEGA is as follows:
"Regrettably SEGA today announced that it is to commence consultation with a view to the unfortunate closure of the SEGA Racing Studio in Birmingham, UK.

"The decision is part of a review of SEGA's Western Development Studios to ensure that each studio is a profitable entity in its own right, and unfortunately the SEGA Racing Studio's 5 year plan would not result in a successful return for the SEGA business moving forward.

"SEGA would like to stress that there will be no changes within their other internal development studios."
Source: Games Industry

Assassin's Creed on PC and Nintendo DS


Having polarised opinion pretty much straight down the middle when it was released on Xbox 360 and PS3 last year, Assassin's Creed arrives on PC in a 'Director's Cut' guise. Featuring the incredible graphics, sprawling cities, and free-running gameplay that previously proved so popular, the PC version adds in further side-missions for extra variety. Winner!

GRID racing game on Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 Windows and Nintendo DS


A new world of motorsport is brought to life as Codemasters reveals the first gameplay video for GRID; the video is now showing online at www.grid-game.com.

Featuring aggressive wheel-to-wheel racing, spectacular crashes and a taster of the jaw-dropping damage engine, the unmissable trailer showcases GRID as the game that will make racing exciting again. With game footage captured from the dramatic in-car view and powerful replay camera, the stunning new video shows the broad range of race events, breath-taking cars and striking locations in the game.

In Europe, touring cars jostle for position at Spa, the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR races in the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race at dusk and the Aston Martin DBR9 charges around the historic city-centre of Milan.

In Japan, gamers catch their first glimpse of GRID’s open-wheel racing series as Formula 3 cars battle around the new Otakuma circuit. At Yokohama docks, the Nissan Silvia and Subaru Impreza demonstrate the awesome exhilaration of drift and night-racing is revealed as the RE Amemiya RX-7 takes on the neon-lit streets of Shibuya in Tokyo.



Finally in the United States, the Dodge Viper roars through the iconic streets of San Francisco, Plymouth Barracudas and Chevrolet Camaros battle for supremacy in Washington and Jupiter Eagleray Mk5s smash their way through the chaos and carnage of the destruction derby in Detroit.

From its huge, challenging career mode to thrilling, incident-packed online races featuring up to 12 players, GRID will deliver an unparalleled competitive experience when it launches early summer for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Games for Windows, and Nintendo DS.

For the full video, new screens, wallpapers and to sign up to the official GRID newsletter visit the new site atwww.grid-game.com.