Win All-Expenses Trip, Plus Two Tickets to American Idol Season Finale 7 - Free and Live on MyGame.com

King Tells American Idol Fans - You're Going to Hollywood – On Us

King, the world’s leading online social gaming company, announced today its second annual American Idol contest. The contest is free and open to all players that register on MyGame.com, and submit their American Idol game scores. The winner will be drawn at random on May 15, 2008 by an independent judge. Winners will be selected from the top 10 highest scoring players on MyGame.com. Game play is not restricted, so players can play as many times as they like until achieving and submitting a score they are satisfied with.

“Social gaming is one of the fastest growing segments within the online gaming world and we’re delighted to bring the American Idol brand to our players for the second year,” said Toby Rowland, co-Founder and co-CEO, King.

The game is a viral, engaging experience, testing players’ keyboard dexterity and ultimately bringing players’ right into the world of American Idol – including harsh judging and audience participation. After a player logs into the game and picks their own singing avatar, they move to the audition phase, which includes cheers and jeers, and tests the player’s attempt at ‘singing’, using the arrow keys on their keyboard.

Scoring is based on players’ skills with the arrow keys, which determines its virtual singer’s ability to hit the right notes, at the right time. Upon ending, players can register for their chance to win an all-expenses trip to Hollywood to attend the American Idol Season 7 Finale.

Official Rules:

• You must be a registered MyGame.com player, over 18 years of age and resident in the US to enter.
• To enter, you must play the King.com American Idol skill game at MyGame.com between noon, Eastern Standard Time ("EST") on April 8 2008 and noon, EST on May 15 2008.
• The winner will be the player whose name is drawn at random by an independent judge after noon on May 15 2008, from Mygame.com's list of top 10 highest scoring players that play the King American Idol skill game between the above dates.
• The prize winner will win a trip for 2, including round trip air fair from the winner's normal place of residence in the US, transfers, 2 nights' hotel accommodation and meals in Hollywood and 2 tickets to see the American Idol Finale in at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on May 20 and 21 2008.
• The winner must travel on the dates specified by King. If the winner cannot travel on the specified dates, the prize will be forfeit.
• The prize is not transferable and cannot be sold.
• The approximate retail value of the prize is $3,000; the actual retail value depends on where the winner normally lives.
• You may not be eligible to win the prize due to your age, other regulations in your country or applicable travel / visa regulations.
• Employees of King.com Inc and its associated companies are not eligible to enter.
• The first name and State of the winner will be published on King.com.s website within 30 days after the prize has been won.
• You agree that by entering this competition with King.com, you are agreeing that we can use your name and image to promote King.com and American Idol.
• We regret that for legal reasons, residents of the following States are not eligible to enter: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont.
• The promoter of this competition is King Inc.

Realtime Worlds coy on APB - All Points Bulletin for the PlayStation 3

Realtime Worlds has told GamesIndustry.biz that while the PlayStation 3 platform is an option for the company with regards to its forthcoming MMO, APB, it can't confirm whether or not it's in production for the Sony console.

"The situation is that yes, all the consoles are an option for us, and we'll be looking at them, but there's nothing decided, nothing to report at the moment I'm afraid," said Colin MacDonald, studio manager at the Crackdown developer.

"Yes, we'll be looking seriously at it, but that doesn't mean it's going ahead, and it doesn't mean it's not going ahead."

The confusion arose over comments printed this morning, quoting boss David Jones as stating that the game would be available for the PS3 - although the wording of the article has now been called into question.

APB will definitely be available for the Xbox 360 and PC platforms, and is currently slated for release in 2009.

Source: Games Industry

EA launch The Sims 2 Double Deluxe and The Sims 2 Kitchen and Bathroom interior design

Join The Sims Phenomenon with The Sims 2 Double Deluxe and Redesign Your Sims Homes with The Sims 2 Kitchen and Bath Interior Design Stuff

Electronic Arts today announced that The Sims 2 Double Deluxe and The Sims 2 Kitchen and Bath Interior Design Stuff are available on store shelves across North America and Europe.

“The Sims 2 Double Deluxe is the perfect box set of games to welcome players into the entertaining world of The Sims. From disco-hopping in The Sims 2 Nightlife to party planning in The Sims 2 Celebration! Stuff, The Sims 2 Double Deluxe is not only a great value, but it gives players a taste of how diverse, unique, and fun The Sims can be,” said Rod Humble, Head of The Sims Studio. “For those who want to unleash the interior designer within, The Sims 2 Kitchen and Bath Interior Design Stuff gives players all the items they need to create the kitchens and bathrooms of their dreams. The Sims has something for everyone on retail shelves today!”

The Sims 2 Double Deluxe is the perfect way to get introduced to The Sims -- the unique video game franchise turned global phenomenon that has sold more than 100 million copies to date. New fans will enjoy the fun and creativity of The Sims 2 in The Sims 2 Double Deluxe by building houses, forming neighborhoods – even creating unique Sims characters! Will your Sims experience the rewards of a life well lived? Or will you choose to neglect their needs, indulge their fears, and see what happens? As your Sims’ family grows, you’ll see them pass on genes from one generation to the next, creating the ultimate family dynasty!



For the value price of $29.99 USD, The Sims 2 Double Deluxe also contains The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack, The Sims 2 Celebration! Stuff Pack and a bonus DVD. Whether your Sims are hitting downtown hotspots for an epic night out in The Sims 2 Nightlife, or planning the social event of the season in The Sims 2 Celebration Stuff, these additions are sure to layer hours of endless entertainment into your gameplay experience!

Also available today is The Sims 2 Kitchen and Bath Interior Design Stuff – the latest Stuff Pack in The Sims 2 series that gives new players and old fans all the items they need to unleash their inner interior designer. Want to transform that boring bathroom into a romantic getaway, complete with a charming bathtub, calming lighting fixtures and beautiful basin sinks? Eager to build the kitchen of your dreams, filled with sleek appliances on granite countertops or romantic natural wood cabinets next to wrought iron stoves? With a contemporary flair or romantic touch, The Sims 2 Kitchen and Bath Interior Design Stuff can help design the kitchens and baths of your dreams with a variety of new furniture, décor, and outfits for your Sims!

The Homecoming of Silent Hill on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

Konami's first Silent Hill title for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3

Konami Digital Entertainment has announced the official title of its first Silent Hill game for PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360. Entitled Silent Hill - Homecoming, the game will be released end of September this year across Europe.

The sixth installment in the classic video games series, Silent Hill: Homecoming introduces another protagonist to the mythos. The story follows Alex Shepherd, returning to his hometown of Shepherd’s Glen to investigate the sudden disappearance of his brother. From Shepherd’s Glen to Silent Hill, Alex must face the darkest of horrors in order to find his brother. Struggling with his own grip on reality, Alex must unravel the mystery behind his nightmares, discover the truth behind his brother’s disappearance, and confront the evil lurks in the seemingly empty streets of Silent Hill.

Homecoming is the first Silent Hill title for the new wave of ‘next generation’ consoles, featuring all-new graphics that bring the fear and terror of Silent Hill alive like never before. Alex must survive attacks from the misshapen denizens of the town using an all-new enhanced combat system that provides a wide array of attacks and counters. Along the way, Alex will encounter a variety of weapons to battle these horrific monsters and must also solve deadly puzzles as he uncovers the darkest secrets of Silent Hill.

Silent Hill: Homecoming also features an all-new soundtrack by acclaimed series composer Akira Yamaoka.

Two Worlds - Tainted Blood - Free Download

Multiplayer Add-on with over 30 new quests available on the first of May

Gamers who bought the Game-of-the-Year edition of "Two Worlds" (available in the European shops for 29.99 Euro since the beginning of April) were thrilled with the brand new PC multiplayer add-on for the RPG - and now they can download the new adventures in Antaloor from the first of May - for free at www.2-worlds.com.



Players can now go on the hunt for a crazy Necromancer, unsolve the mystery of a massacre in a woodcutters' camp, deal with a rebel knight (permanently) and lots more. The new add-on doesn't only give you a new series of Quests - it also opens up the doors to an all-new Business and Training Center! The town of Tharnburg offers you a large traders' district - and various arenas in which you can try out your newly-learned combat techniques right away. By the way - "Tainted Blood" isn't the only add-on that will help sweeten your wait for "The Temptation" follow-up... another add-on's coming soon!

Buzz! comes to Sony PSP

Take the Buzz! show on the road with PSP

Buzz to make his PSP (PlayStationPortable) debut this Spring

Test your quiz skills wherever you want with Buzz! for PSP
Enjoy brand new round types and three new PSP multiplayer modes
Bigger single player mode than ever before – are you up to the challenge?
This Spring, for the first time in Buzz! history, you’ll be able to take cheeky game show host Buzz! wherever you want – thanks to the release of the first Buzz! title for PSP (PlayStationPortable), the handheld entertainment system that offers gaming, web access, movies, music, photos and more.

New from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Buzz! for PSP packs over 5000 questions – on topics including music, celebrities, TV, sport, science, nature, movies and general knowledge – alongside 1000 pictures and videos, into a handheld PSP game ready to test your knowledge at home or on the move. The title features six new round types specifically designed for PSP including the speed-is-of-the-essence ‘Quickfire Challenge’, the picture-puzzler ‘Picture This’ and the mind-boggling ‘Virus Challenge’.

The focus of Buzz! has always been on social play and the PSP version is no different, with three exciting multiplayer modes to test your quiz skills to the limit. Pass Around is a mode that you only need one PSP for, as you pass the system from player to player. As well as the fun of traditional quizzing, some rounds will let you prey on your opponents’ general knowledge weaknesses: you can choose who to pass PSP to according to the question’s subject matter. Other rounds will let you select the section of a photo you want to reveal to the next player, as you try to make it as difficult as possible for them to guess what it is. It’s perfect for stitching up your pals and adds an exciting new tactical edge to game play - as well as a new social gaming element to PSP.

Game sharing is also supported – up to 4 friends can connect multiple PSPs and share just one copy of the game to see who’s quickest off the mark in frenzied ‘Fastest Finger’ play. Then there’s Quiz Host Mode which is where one of the (two to six) players takes control of the game to select and ask the other players questions. The Quiz Host runs the whole game, with the power to award (or even deduct!) points however they see fit.

Not only does Buzz! for PSP offer great multiplayer quiz action; it also has a bigger and more exciting single player mode than previous Buzz! games. This mode presents players with a series of 15 different quiz challenges designed to test all aspects of your general knowledge. In each round, players can earn medals for their performance according to how many points they collect from correct answers. Each quiz has bronze, silver and gold medal criteria, so be sure to brush up on your general knowledge skills if you want to earn those elusive golds! There is also a variety of special trophies to collect according to how many correct questions the players has answered in a row, or how fast the players react.

Key Features:

• Three new multiplayer modes, all requiring either just one PSP or one copy of the game to enjoy: Pass Around, Game Share and Quiz Host
• Bigger and better single player mode than ever before, with 15 quiz challenges to test your knowledge to its limits
• Six all-new single and multiplayer round types specially created for PSP
• Over 5000 unique questions alongside over 1000 licensed picture and video assets
• Eight question categories: Music, TV, Science, Celebrities, Nature, Sport, Movies and General Knowledge

It’s the perfect way to share the fun of PSP with friends, or test your general knowledge on your own. Brilliant for a long journey, on holiday or at home, Buzz! for PSP will keep you and your friends quizzing for hours.

Sony signs 13 devs for Indian video games market

Sony has revealed plans to continue to push into the Indian market by signing local developers to create titles for the PlayStation 2.

According to a rediff report, 13 developers have signed up to produce games for the ageing console, with the titles likely to take advantage of the EyeToy to offer motion sensitive gaming.

To help keep development costs low, Sony is loaning development kits to studios such as Trine, Indiagames, DQ Entertainment and Dhruva.

"We are supporting the game developers by lending them developers kit at subsidised rates," said Zeno Colaco, VP of publisher and developer relations at SCE.

"Such special pricing helps the game developers in breaking even as it brings down the cost of game development."

Data from research firm iSuppli suggests that the console market in India could be worth around USD 125 million by 2010.

Source: Games Industry

Lost Odyssey experience expands with all new download content

New downloadable content is now available to help continue your immortal quest with Kaim and his companions in “Lost Odyssey”, the epic RPG Xbox 360 exclusive. Available on 25th April for only 200 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, this DLC includes a new dream sequence, “The Shattered Beyond” and an invaluable “memory lamp,” which allows you to view previously seen dreams. Also, a new ring is introduced to specialize in fighting against magic powered weapons.

• New Dream “The Shattered Bond”
  
• When all of the playable characters have joined the player party, visit the bridge (a demolished bridge) in front of Castle of Uhra with this item in possession. Then the event cut-scene to view episode 31 “The Will of an Old Soldier” will be triggered.
  

• Ring “Killer Machine”
  
• This is a special ring forged to specialize in fighting against Magic-Powered weapons.
  
• The ring will apply the following three effects:
  
• Machine Killer Light LV3
  
• Magic Killer Light LV3
  
• Spirit Magic Killer Light LV3
  

• Valuable “Memory Lamp”—
  
• This is a key item for Theater Mode that allows users to view Dreams. You can find this in the Upgraded Nautilus towards the bottom of the screen to the end of the corridor.
  

• An Old Soldier’s Legacy & “An Old Soldier’s Legacy” unlock
  
• This is an example of how the main hero Kaim experiences flashback from the things he sees or hears in the game.
  

Sony PlayStationPortable PSP - Go!View video download service starts in the Summer

Sony reveals Summer launch for Go!View

Sony has announced that the Go!View video download service for its PlayStation Portable handheld will be officially launched this summer across Europe.

The service, in partnership with satellite broadcaster Sky and first announced during the Sony keynote at last year's Games Convention in Leipzig, will offer content on either a subscription model or pay-per-view basis, although pricing structures and specific content details have not yet been revealed.

Users can register for more information now on the Go!View website, and when the service launches will be able to download content to the PSP via an internet-connected PC.

Alison Turner, MD of Go!View stated her belief that "Go!View is a perfect marriage of great content and leading on-demand technology from Sky and the best portable device to watch it on from PlayStation."

Other products in the Go! range include a video messaging service and a GPS navigation software platform.

Source: Games Industry

NBA Ballers - Chose One on Microsoft Xbox 360

MIDWAY EUROPE SOARS INTO STORES WITH THE RELEASE OF NBA BALLERS - CHOSEN ONE

Orlando Magic Superstar Dwight Howard Shines As Cover Athlete

Midway Europe, a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer, today announced that NBA Ballers - Chosen One has shipped for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system. With fast-paced gameplay and state-of-the-art player likenesses, Chosen One delivers classic Midway arcade-style hoops action. NBA Ballers: Chosen One is scheduled to be available at a suggested retail price of £29.99 in the UK and €44.95 throughout the rest of Europe.

"With Dwight Howard as cover athlete, NBA Ballers: Chosen One brings the franchise back to its basketball roots with fantastic gameplay and true, next generation graphics," said Leonie Manshanden, European Marketing Director, Midway Games Ltd. "We definitely wanted to listen to our NBA Ballers fan base and focus on the gameplay elements that were considered most desirable to them. As a result, we feel as if Chosen One delivers the best over-the-top basketball gaming experience available."

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks are featured on the packaging for NBA Ballers: Chosen One. Howard has established himself as one of the NBA's elite big men, enjoyed a breakout season averaging 20.7 points and 14.2 rebounds per game. Voted by fans as the starting center on the Eastern Conference 2008 All-Stars, Dwight wowed the nation by winning the Sprite Slam Dunk contest with some of the most innovative dunks ever seen during an NBA All-Star Weekend. Atlanta rookie, Al Horford, who plays a key role in the game's single player story mode, is enjoying a fantastic rookie season in the NBA. The "double-double machine" has been named the NBA Rookie of the Month twice and is in the running for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.



In addition to its superstar NBA talent, Midway has also employed the talents of two music industry heavyweights to score the game's soundtrack and to announce the game's play-by-play. Chuck D, the famed front man and founder of Public Enemy, serves as announcer and studio-host for Chosen One, and provides play-by-play commentary throughout the game. Just Blaze, who has produced tracks for best-selling artists such as Jay-Z, Usher, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, T.I. and many more, produced the entire instrumental score for NBA Ballers: Chosen One.

NBA Ballers: Chosen One is a unique fantasy basketball entertainment experience featuring one-on-one and two-on-two action with the NBA's elite players. More than 65 of the NBA's top superstar athletes come to life as the NBA Ballers franchise continues its legacy as the graphical leader in the sports videogame industry. NBA Ballers: Chosen One will put players up-close and into the action with new "action movie" style game cameras that highlight every move. Create-a-Baller and take on the challenge of the epic "Chosen One Tournament", brought to you live from the most exotic courts around the world. As you progress through the game, earn the right to use an NBA star's "Shut 'Em Down" Super Move or take your Baller online to test your playing skills against others.