Euro Truck Simulator driving onto PCs

SCS Software announce their latest project - Euro Truck Simulator - a brand-new trucking game set in Europe. From the creative team behind 18 Wheels of Steel series of sims, Euro Truck Simulator is sure to be a big hit with fans of trucking across the European territory.

In addition, SCS Software would like to announce the launch of the Euro Truck Simulator website, located at http://www.eurotrucksimulator.com - your number one source for information, screenshots, and much more. The site will be kept up to date with more news as the game develops, so we hope fans will visit often to get the latest scoop!

Euro Truck Simulator is a truck simulation game set in continental Europe. The player can drive across a realistic depiction of Europe, visiting its beautiful cities, picking up a variety of cargos, and delivering them on time!

The road network in Euro Truck Simulator is based on genuine European roads, and cities in the game bring the essence of their real-world counterparts to the game.

As the game is set in Europe, European truck-designs feature exclusively - all trucks use highly realistic, meticulously detailed models based on real trucks. The truck interiors of Euro Truck Simulator are as equally impressive as the exteriors. With actual working instruments such as flashing indicators, temperature and low fuel warning lights, wipers, and naturally - a full set of gauges including speedometer - all built into the interior 3D model, Euro Truck Simulator offers a truly immersive simulation environment. The player can pan around the cabin, just as if they were actually sitting at the wheel.

Dont' forget to check the Euro Truck Simulator website at http://www.eurotrucksimulator.com, for regular news updates!

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Resident Evil 0 - Biohazard 0 out for Nintendo Wii in July 10 in Japan

Capcom Japan announced today a final Japanese release date for Biohazard 0, also known as the GameCube to Wii port of Resident Evil 0 that may or may not see international release.

In Japan, the game will hit retail on July 10. Capcom is pricing it at 4,190 yen, making it 1/3 less than most new Wii titles.

From what's been made public so far, it looks like this is a pretty bare-bones port, so the pricing may be appropriate.

Source: IGN

1 million Call of Duty 4 Map pack download smashes Microsoft Xbox live record

CoD4's Variety Map Pack smashes the Xbox Live paid downloads record with a million purchases in nine days...

Call of Duty 4's Variety Map Pack has set a new record for paid downloads on Xbox Live. The DLC, which was released on April 4th, sold one million units in nine days according to Activision - an impressive feat indeed.

In this time, Xbox Live members reportedly racked up 30 million hours of gameplay in over 30 million sessions with the shooter. These impressive tallies sit atop 9 million unit sales worldwide (according to NPD, Chart Track, and GFK Group figures) for the game.

"Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare delivers one of the best online multiplayer experiences ever," said Will Kassoy, Senior Vice President, Global Brand Management, Activision Publishing, Inc. "We are excited to be able to expand that experience and deliver to fans a new variety of locations and environments which have all of the intensity they have come to expect with Call of Duty."

To celebrate these successes Activision, Microsoft, and Infinity Ward have teamed up for this weekend's Live Fire event, which will offer prizes to CoD4 gamers in competitive online tournaments with the game. Infinity Ward will also be on hand to give CoD4's young upstarts a run for their money.

"Infinity Ward is extremely grateful for support from our loyal Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare community around the world," said Robert Bowling, Community Relations Manager, Infinity Ward. "From the beginning, we were committed to do our best and that continues now with the Variety Map Pack. We can't wait to get back online with everyone."

The Variety Map Pack for PS3 is scheduled for release via PSN on May 1st in Europe.

Source: TVG

Saku Saku Animal Panic Coming To America As Critter Round-Up From Konami Digital Entertainment on Nintendo Wii

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans to bring the first of several Wiiware titles developed for North America. Known as Saku Saku Animal Panic in Japan, Critter Round-Up will be Konami's first Wiiware title in North America.

Developed by Los Angeles, CA-based Epicenter Studios, Critter Round-Up is a puzzle game for up to four players. Players are challenged with building fences to separate different critter species into their own area, while avoiding predators and other mischievous animals attempting to stop you from rounding them up. Players can corral exotic critters from five environments encompassing 50 levels, with gameplay modes including a co-op Adventure Mode as well as special co-op challenges for up to four players. There's also a Marathon Mode that supports up to four layers on a nearly infinite number of levels, as well as a collection of Critter Games, an entertaining selection of mini games such as Snowball Soccer and Predator Rampage.

Critter Round-Up is the first of several planned Wiiware titles to be distributed by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. Future planned releases include Crescendo (working title), a musical experience fused with quick, frantic action of classic arcade action, and Fresco Beach (working title), a game where players create their own sandcastles and maintain their structure amidst the dangers of the beach.

Critter Round-Up is rated "E" for Everyone by the ESRB.

Philips AMBX to sponsor Dare to be Digital 2008

Philips today announced an amBX sponsorship programme with Dare to be Digital in association with Channel 4 (www.daretobedigital.com), the UK’s premier computer game design competition for talented university students who love to play games and aspire to break into the games industry.

Organised and promoted by Abertay University in Dundee, Dare to be Digital challenges student teams over a ten-week period every summer to conceive and design a playable computer game. The finalists gather at Dare Protoplay, a public event dedicated to emerging artists and programmers, to showcase their work and to be judged by both the public and a panel of games industry experts. Three winning games will be nominated for the coveted ‘Ones to Watch’ Award at the next British Academy Video Game Awards.

Philips has signed a wide-ranging and supportive sponsorship programme with Dare to be Digital, which will see amBX development kits made available to all 2008 entrants and technical support given to those students who include amBX features in their game. Furthermore, teams who choose to create amBX-enabled games and peripherals will have their efforts seen and tried out by thousands of attendees at Dare Protoplay, which will be held during the Edinburgh Interactive Festival at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre from 10th to 12th August 2008.

“amBX-enabling Dare to be Digital is part of our dedicated grass roots campaign to nurture and support young computer game development talent,” commented Jo Cooke, Chief Marketing Officer, Philips amBX. “The UK is a world leader in the game development industry and amBX will be supporting our future captains of industry every step of the way. We’re really looking forward to seeing the many different innovative amBX effects that our young game developers are going to create in their games.”

Shorthand for ‘ambient experiences’, amBX reinvents the gameplay experience by extending the traditional gaming world out of the screen and into the real world. amBX delivers full ‘surround senses’ by allowing developers to use light, colour, sound, rumble and even air flow through enabled devices, including the Philips amBX PC Gaming Peripherals range of LED colour-controlled lighting, rumble peripherals and variable speed desktop fans.

“The support from Philips amBX represents a fabulous opportunity for the Dare teams to deploy amBX in an innovative way. Giving the teams the chance to work with an industry standard technology to enhance the player’s experience is the type of opportunity that makes Dare to be Digital such a distinctive competition, ” commented Paul Durrant, Abertay’s project director for Dare to be Digital.

Philips is setting a global standard by licensing the amBX technology to game developers, publishers and peripherals manufacturers including Ubisoft, Codemasters, THQ, Introversion, Gearbox Software, Gas Powered Games, Zombie, Riot Games, Brain in a Jar, Invictus Games, Instinct Technology, Kuju, Revolution, Sumo Digital and Rivers Run Red.

Games which are amBX compatible include Broken Sword: The Angel of Death, Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway, Clive Barker's Jericho, Darwinia, DEFCON, Far Cry 2, Overlord, QUAKE 4, Supreme Commander and Toca Race Driver 3.

Over 100 titles are also compatible with FXGenerator and amBX FXGen+, including The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Lost Planet, Crysis, Stranglehold and Need for Speed: ProStreet, and a full list, searchable by genre and publisher, can be found at can be found at www.ambx.com.

CITIES XL for Windows PC for the Next Generation of City-Builders

Monte Cristo Unveils the Next Generation of City-Builders

Think massive, think online, think CITIES XL

Monte Cristo is pleased to announce CITIES XL for Windows today. In this next-generation take on the city building genre, realism will be pushed to the limit with cities that are bigger, more realistic and more sophisticated than ever before. CITIES XL™ will expand upon all the features that make city builders fun and interesting, while also letting players take their game online, as they interact with others in a massive online environment.

CITIES XL allows gamers to develop cities on realistic 3D maps using an incredible collection of unique structures and monuments based on American, Asian and European-influenced architectural styles. The maps feature a variety of environments: mountains, hills, canyons, beaches and islands, all set in different climates from tropical to desert, Mediterranean to temperate. Players must create the right combinations of social services, leisure activities, special events and other job opportunities within their cities in order to feed, clothe, employ and entertain their citizens. Be it planning and building a new zoo, public park, residential neighborhood or transit system - there's always a fresh and exciting challenge for would-be city managers and mayors in CITIES XL.

"We believe that the level of detail and realism brought to CITIES XL answers the needs of city-builder fans," said Jérôme Gastaldi, COO of Monte Cristo. "We believe fans of the genre will definitely enjoy CITIES XL and many of those fans have provided us with feedback on our development so far. We are really proud to have such a cool and proactive community."

The game's online features and services will allow players to create interconnected cities on virtual and persistent planets. Mayors can share and trade with one another, specialize their economy and team up with befriended cities to create sprawling metropolises. Life on the planet will be punctuated by events and competitions - a concert held in one town may, for example, be attended by visitors from other areas who can also enjoy a walk around the city to admire the urban creations of multiple players. By combining a fantastic single-player game with the social and multiplayer aspects of an MMO, CITIES XL will shape the future of the genre by offering more variety, bigger cities and multiple gameplay layers.

A400M Airlifter is back for Flight Simulator X

Title: A400M Airlifter
Label: Just Flight
Developer: Wilco Publishing
Genre: Flight Simulation
Release: 25th April 2008
Price: £19.99/€29.95/$39.99

Strategic Shifting!

A400M Airlifter is back for Flight Simulator X

Just Flight is pleased to announce that A400M Airlifter has now been updated for Flight Simulator X and is now available to pre-order. Copies of the re-mastered version are due to ship out on 25th April and the price is confirmed at £19.99/€29.95/$39.99. Existing owners of Just Flight’s 2004 version can update their copies to FSX-spec with a free patch from the Just Flight website.

The A400M is the next generation of military transport aircraft. It is being built by Airbus and is scheduled to fly in 2009. It will be used by the Royal Air Force, as well as the French, German, Spanish and South African military. This simulation of the A400M has been developed by Wilco to an extremely high level of detail and will give the flight sim enthusiasts of today the chance to fly the transport of tomorrow!

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Microsoft Flight Simulator X or 2004 (Acceleration or SP2 compatible)
Windows XP - PC with 3.0GHz (equivalent or higher) processor
512Mb RAM - 128Mb graphics card - DVD-ROM drive - 1.5Gb hard disc space

Flight Simulator X download versions of Airbus Collection – Long Haul

Title Airbus Collection – Long Haul
Label Just Flight
Developer: Commercial Level Simulation
Genre: Flight Simulation
UK Release: Out Now by download and box
Price: £29.99/€44.95/$59.99

Just Flight is pleased to announce that the boxed and download versions of Airbus Collection – Long Haul are now available. You can 'buy by wire' as a download product exclusively from Just Flight's website and if you'd prefer the fully boxed version this is now available too. With four aircraft variants, eight different flight models and 150 liveries for just £29.99 / €44.95 / $59.99 this package is fantastic value and a must-have package for every airliner enthusiast who is in it for the long haul!

Airbus Collection - Long Haul has been developed by the award-winning team at Commercial Level Simulations. It features the A330-200 and -300 together with their illustrious stable-mates, the wide-body A340-200 and -300, in a high quality F-Lite collection for Flight Simulator X and 2004.

• Eight distinct flight models – two for the A340 and six for the A330 covering different variants and engine configurations.
  
• 150 detailed liveries spread over the different aircraft – fantastic value for money!
  
• F-Lite branding guarantees high quality and detail – animations range from thrust reversers and control surface droop to air stairs and pushback truck.
  
• Cockpit features include custom Airbus gauges, easy-to-use Airbus style MCDU/Autopilot, realistic EICAM displays, limited function FMC which allows for SIDs and STARs in the MSFS database, EFIS displays, realistic PFD with limited Airbus Laws Logic and Alpha Protection; overhead panel comes complete with switches for air-con packs, fuel pumps, engine fire and more.
  
• Comprehensive, detailed manual includes flight tutorial and all the information virtual pilots will need to begin long haul flying.

"The models are, as always, beautiful; we love the detail very much… A trip with these aircraft is a joy." Flusipilot.de

"A solid A330 and A340 package." Flugsimulation.com

The F-Lite range is designed to provide aircraft that are not only extremely high in detail and visually impressive but also less demanding to fly than complex procedural simulators.

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS: Microsoft Flight Simulator X or 2004 – Windows Vista or XP

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: PC with 2.5GHz (equivalent or higher) processor (3.0GHz for FSX), 512Mb RAM (1.0Gb for FSX), graphics card with 128Mb (or higher) video memory, DVD-ROM drive, Hard disc space 2.0Gb

Metal Gear Online beta coming soon to North America on PlayStation 3

PLAYSTATION 3 System Online Beta

Coming soon for IGN Insider and Founders' Club members!

Beta Access Requirements

Get access to the Metal Gear Online multiplayer beta for the PLAYSTATION®3 system in this Insider and Founders' Club event. North American IGN Insider and Founders' Club members will get a chance to sign up for a beta key starting tomorrow. Click the button below to find out more information on accessing the beta.

North American users only

Find out more here

New Interactive Publishing House Building A Distinct Breed Of Online Games

FireSky, a new video game publisher dedicated to improving how gamers play and interact online, announced today that it would publish Stargate Worlds, a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) based on MGM’s award-winning Stargate franchise. FireSky will also publish other unannounced titles as it paves the way for SNAP games.

FireSky is pioneering the development and publishing of games for Social Networks At Play™ (SNAPs), a unified theory of online gaming that combines social interaction, economies and game play across a variety of titles. The FireSky team calls this evolution “Project: Ascension.” This project – currently under wraps – will bring gamers together in new and unprecedented ways.

“We don’t intend to be another garden-variety games publisher,” said FireSky CEO Tim Jenson. “We are focused on publishing high quality social gaming experiences online. As the industry moves online, more and more people will be turning to games as a way to spend time with friends. With a few notable exceptions, game developers and publishers haven’t done a great job of marrying quality games with social experiences. Project: Ascension and SNAP games will change that dynamic forever.”

FireSky Senior Vice President of Product Development, Rod Nakamoto, has launched more than 80 titles over his 25-year career in game development. Mr. Nakamoto leads FireSky’s four internal development studios and oversees the progress on Project: Ascension.

“There is a degree of pressure to play a title after the fun factor has gone, simply because the investment is too great,” explained Mr. Nakamoto. “Gamers who invest time building characters, making friends and gathering resources typically have no ability to transfer this investment to a new experience. We’re working on a new set of ideals that will push online gaming past these barriers and into an era of portability.”

Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations Joe Ybarra, a 25-year veteran of the video game industry and one of the founding members of Electronic Arts, is heading up FireSky’s publishing operations. Mr. Ybarra has extensive experience publishing products worldwide, handling licensed material and managing business development with third-party developers.

“From a business perspective, publishing is the logical next step for FireSky,” said Mr. Ybarra. “We’ve got the chops to do it and we’re assembling a great team here in the desert. I can’t wait to get our flagship up and running to show off our operation.”

FireSky, a subsidiary of Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, currently has four studios working on a variety of interactive titles.

“It’s almost time for us to lift the veil and show the world some of the unique projects we’re working on in addition to Stargate Worlds,” said Mr. Jenson. “Our studios are filled with talented game designers, world builders and engineers and we’ll be announcing several products over the course of the summer and fall that will lay the foundation for SNAP games and Project: Ascension. We have projects that span a variety of game genres as well as proven and emerging business models.”