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Sunday, May 25, 2008

Here's 11 minutes of your time that you won't mind losing.

Just... wow.

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Free to play football MMO - World's first virtual football video game


Football Superstars is a free to play football MMO, published by UK Company CyberSports. It is the world’s first virtual footballing world - an interactive online virtual world designed for football fans to live a top footballer’s lifestyle and is due for release in late 2008.

Once downloaded, players re-create themselves online as a footballer and then have free reign in the state of the art interactive virtual world. Players can play their way from three-a-side up to eleven-a-side matches, gaining attributes and skills in order to specialise in their chosen playing position.

Once the basic skills have been learned on the training pitch, players can choose between unranked casual games, ranked Football Superstars league matches organised by the game and player organised league matches with player manager clubs. All of which will be backed up by extensive web support from developer Monumental Games, which would include downloadable replay videos of every competitive match. All the players – with the exception of the goalkeepers – are controlled by humans, leaving it as close an experience to the real thing as you can get, with the run of play shaped by the twenty human players.


The individuals you play with and against are all of the same skill level as yourself, so your aim as in the real world - is to become a better virtual footballer. You can then play at ever higher levels and enjoy all the financial and lifestyle trappings that will inevitably follow. In simple terms, the better you play the better and more fulfilling your experience in the virtual world will be.

Players are paid for the games they play in Football Superstars currency, of which there are two types-dollars and bonds. The bonds can be bought with real money and used to purchase special privileges and items. Again, following the real world, the higher the level you play the higher your wages, all of which can then be spent in the game’s two vast virtual towns, which have the capacity to host millions of other football fans online at the same time.

Away from the pitch you can socialise in restaurants, bars and clubs and visit shops where you can buy the latest branded football equipment – which aids your progress on the pitch – and designer clothes. You can train in gyms to enhance your physical attributes, which also improves your playing skills, or flirt with the paparazzi in a bid to enhance your fame and status and gain access to the most exclusive clubs and venues.

The result of all this career and lifestyle building is the chance of that big dream transfer, on the pitch glory, off-the-pitch glamour and the opportunity to become the world’s ultimate Football Superstar.

Trackmania United Forever races in stores


MORE MODES, MORE SPECIAL FEATURES, MORE ADRENALINE PUMPING CAR RACING

TRACKMANIA UNITED FOREVER RACES INTO RETAIL

TrackMania United Forever, the long awaited sequel to the award winning TrackMania United, is available now. Test your racing, acrobatic stunt and jump skills in the ultimate TrackMania game, featuring more modes and more special features.

More modes!

Race Mode – The classic TrackMania mode that made it the global phenomenon it is today. Race individually, against the computer or challenge millions of players worldwide.

Stunt Mode - It could be a steep downhill track, the car version of a skate park or a rally track full of intense jumps. Get the most points in an allotted time by pulling off aerial 720°s or 900°s, back flips, chain flips, master flips and any other spectacular stunts.

Platform Mode – This is for drivers who like a real challenge. The toughest tracks await competitors as jumping, manoeuvring and cornering are put to the test on challenges where only perseverance will prevail.

Puzzle Mode – Racers must build tracks in accordance with predetermined starting places, finishing places and checkpoints. Once track editing is complete, racers need to get the best time possible to complete the challenges. If players fail, it may not be their driving, but their track editing that is at fault.


More than a game!

Join the TrackMania community and race millions of opponents worldwide. Share player-created tracks and showcase customised cars. It is only with TrackMania United Forever that all track environments and car types are available to compete with.

TrackMania United Forever is the only way to get the complete TrackMania experience and is available now.


Fast facts -
Publisher: Ascaron Entertainment / 93Games
Web: www.Ascaron.com / www.trackmania.com
Developer: Nadeo
Release date: May 23rd
PEGI: 3+
Format: PC
Genre: Racing

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima artist Yoji Shinkawa at HMV London


'Metal Gear Solid' creator Hideo Kojima and artist Yoji Shinkawa meet fans at HMV Oxford Street.

WHAT: Signing session

WHERE: HMV London, 150 Oxford Street W1

WHEN: Monday 2nd June at 12 noon

Fans of the game ‘Metal Gear Solid’ will have the chance to meet the creator Hideo Kojima and lead artist for the series, Yoji Shinkawa, when they visit HMV’s flagship Oxford Street store in London’s West End on Monday 2nd June.
Hideo and Yoji will be at the store from 12 noon to meet games fans and sign pre-release HMV exclusive sleeves of ‘Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots’*.
The ‘Metal Gear Solid’ series is the brainchild of Hideo Kojima and his Kojima Productions team, and is published by Konami. Mixing stealth and action elements, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots tells the final tale of series hero Solid Snake. Set in the near future where armies are run by huge business conglomerates and where soldiers are mere figures on a balance sheet, Snake is called upon for one final mission: eliminate his old adversary, Liquid Snake. So begins one of the most detailed and cinematic games for any format, as Kojima Productions unveil a twisting tale of heroism and conclusions, set within a beautifully realised 3D world that truly shows what the PLAYSTATION 3 can do.

Favourite PlayStation 1 emulator ePSXe 1.7.0 released


After 4 years without updates, the ePSXe team released version 1.7.0 of everybody's favourite Playstation 1 emulator, with a hefty number of significant updates, and higher compatiblity with games.

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Sega new games Bayonetta and Madworld on Xbox, Wii and PS3


SEGA announce ground-breaking new SEGA titles - MADWORLD - Infinite Line and Bayonetta – covering a variety of game genres with innovative design concepts that explore the depths of today’s best-selling platforms. A soon-to-be-announced fourth title, being directed by legendary gaming icon Shinji Mikami, is also part of the agreement.
“The creative forces at PlatinumGames bring a new level of imagination into the SEGA family at a pivotal time in the video game industry when the demand for quality, originality and fun has never been greater,” said Tatsuya Minami, President and CEO, PlatinumGames. “These new titles will contribute meaningfully to SEGA’s brand, while adding a new level of depth to the strategic portfolio of games in our library.”
“We are thrilled to have forged this new relationship with such a talented team of individuals and we are understandably excited about the titles that they are producing for us,” commented Mike Hayes President and COO of SEGA Europe Ltd.  “SEGA continually strives to release games for all consumers that are of the highest quality, working with Platinum Games further enhances that strategy.”


MADWORLD, the first title set for release in Q1 2009, is an inventive third-person action game exclusively for Wii. Produced by Atsushi Inaba, MADWORLD has a unique black and white style, depicting an incredibly sharp backdrop that straddles graphic novels and 3D worlds. As players battle opponents, they must master the use of various weapons and items found within their environment, such as chainsaws and street signs, while entertaining sports commentary adds to the third-person gameplay. With its irreverent humour and over-the-top violence, MADWORLD will deliver a unique core gaming experience currently missing on the Wii system.

Infinite Line (working title), a role playing game exclusively for the Nintendo DS portable handheld system, takes place in outer space and gives players the ability to control, build, outfit and customise more than 150 spaceships. Infinite Line stretches the DS hardware to the limit, offering over 200 characters and the ability to control multiple spaceships at any one time. Releasing in 2009 and currently being produced by Atsushi Inaba and directed by Hifumi Kouno (from developer Nude Maker), Infinite Line is one of the most complex RPG titles developed for the DS to date.

Bayonetta is a stylish and cinematic action game, directed by creator Hideki Kamiya and set for release in 2009 on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. A witch with powers beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, Bayonetta faces-off against countless angelic enemies, many reaching epic proportions, in a game of 100% pure, unadulterated all-out action. Outlandish finishing moves are performed with balletic grace as Bayonetta flows from one fight to another. With magnificent over-the-top action taking place in stages that are a veritable theme park of exciting attractions, Bayonetta pushes the limits of the action genre, bringing to life its fast-paced, dynamic climax combat.

Supernova 2 - Spacewar video game released for PC and Macs


Supernova 2 - Spacewar is a space wargame combined with a resource macromanagement simulation from Tycoon Games.

Riva Celso, programmer/designer of Tycoon Games stated “After the first title, I wanted to shift genre completely, making a turn-based space wargame, integrated with a resource macromanagement part. I wanted to keep the management part simple, with global variables affecting your whole empire rather than managing every single planet. It is my first
game for the Tycoon Games website, which will feature exclusively strategy, simulation and war games”.

Supernova 2 is available for PC and Mac platforms, and has a very simple interface, but lots of gameplay elements: you have to manage your empire resources, then research new technologies like new weapons, armors, shields or mysterious devices to build a powerful fleet. Once you have assembled your army, target an enemy starsystem to conquer it, and see the wargame part in all its splendor. 
Many different ship classes, from small, fast scout ships to huge, slow, but devastating motherships: each one with its own statistics, plus the addition of unique ships for each faction, for a total of 25 different ones. Lots of different weapons both for short range fighting like beam cannons and bolts, or long range like missiles and torpedoes. The wargame simulation has lots of details, including different weapons ranges, ammo and recharge times, and the angle of fire which affects weapons damage and if used properly can turn the tide of the battle in your favor.
A free demo is available from Tycoon Games website

List Of Nintendo Wii Games New Releases For 2008

As competition hots up in the games console market we are seeing more and more new releases from the likes of Playstation, Nintendo and Xbox. The quality of the games seems be getting better and better with a wider range of game genres to choose from. Check out these new releases planned for 2008 and see which ones catch your eye.

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Get drawing with Sega's Pictoimage game on Nintendo DS


Push your freehand drawing skills to the limit!

PictoImage, a fun and challenging party game that will sharpen your wit and drawing skills, is coming exclusively to Nintendo DS in August 2008.


PictoImage is a pick up and play puzzle game in which players to take turns drawing the image of a word, while competitors race against the clock to guess the word first. The words are generated at random and can be anything from an apple, to a waterfall or a butler! Even if art is not your best subject, the three playable modes means there really is something for everyone and it can actually help you learn to draw!

The Multiplayer Mode in PictoImage allows up to eight players to enjoy a variety of party drawing games. In Picture Pass, for example, a subject will be passed from player to player in an image and the last player guesses the subject based on the last drawing. The single-player and two-player mode gets players guessing an image from a library of 300 drawings created by people of all ages whilst the tutorial mode teaches players how to draw different images from the four main categories of Animals, Objects, Food, and Other. Art has never been so much fun!



PictoImage is exclusive to the Nintendo DS and will be available in August 2008.

Screenshots from Sudden Strike 3 - Arms for Victory - Addon













Leading video game developer and publisher, Fireglow Games, today announces a new batch screenshots showing a new French units from Sudden Strike 3 - Arms for Victory - Addon.

Sudden Strike 3 - Arms for Victory - Addon will be available for Free at the end of May

About Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory:
Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory is the latest instalment in the award-winning, critically acclaimed and hugely popular Sudden Strike series. It features historically authentic models built to scale, fully interactive giant maps and full 3-D state-of-the-art graphics in the popular Sudden Strike style. Only Sudden Strike plays like the 'real thing'. WW2 gaming at its best: on land, at sea and in the air!
Features:
  • Fully interactive landscape (all objects can be destroyed, all buildings and pillboxes can be used as shelter)
  • Massive operations on big maps, strategic scale of the maps (front line can be a few kilometres long)
  • Thousands of units fighting in real time
  • More than 300 tanks, ships, soldiers, guns and planes with original weapons built to scale
  • Great sounds, 5.1 supported, nations speak native languages
  • New feature - advanced Micro AI-behaviour allows your troops to act exactly as you plan
  • Joint naval and ground operations, air raids, artillery strikes etc.
  • State-of-the-art technology to render 3D landscape, realistic lines of sight and fire
  • Spectacular visual & lighting effects
  • Multiplayer mode: up to 8 players, GameSpy supported
  • Five campaigns playable for American, British, German, Japanese and Soviet sides