Everquest celebrates fans with living legacy promotion

The EverQuest franchise, the groundbreaking, award-winning fantasy series that redefined massively multiplayer online (MMO) video games for a generation of gamers around the globe, is bringing a near decade of success back to millions of fans with a new Living Legacy program from Sony Online Entertainment LLC, which will feature in-game events, promotions, game updates and more.

Living Legacy, announced today, is a brand-new initiative aimed at the millions of players who have experienced the vast, engaging online worlds of EverQuest (EQ) and EverQuest II (EQII) since the original EQ game was launched in 1999. The celebration starts today and continues through the end of September. As part of the promotion, both EQ and EQII subscribers with inactive accounts who left in good standing will be able to log back in to the games and play for free until the end of July.

“The EverQuest franchise has touched so many lives since the launch of EverQuest in 1999, and with the 10th anniversary of EverQuest just around the corner, we felt it was the best time to give back to all the players who made it the cultural phenomenon it is today,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “We are grateful for the continued support from our legions of fans and are extremely excited about the groundswell of interest surrounding Living Legacy.”

While the Living Legacy program is aimed at former EQ and EQII players, the program also offers a perfect way for new players to experience the world of Norrath. Nostalgic NPCs and group PvE encounters, as well as brand new raid content, will commemorate EQ’s hardcore heritage. The program features bonus XP weekends, several live events, new content updates and the introduction of new zones all taking place in EQII. Returning EQII players will also be able to experience Rise of Kunark, EQII’s fourth expansion, which just became the game’s best-selling expansion of all time.

Key features of the Living Legacy program include:

• All qualified returning EQ players will receive the EverQuest Secrets of Faydwer all-in-one compilation and bonus in-game items at no additional cost.
  
• All qualified returning EQII players will receive the EverQuest II Rise of Kunark all-in-one compilation and bonus in-game items at no additional cost.
  
• All software provided during the promotional period will be credited to any EQ or EQII account that is converted to a valid, paying monthly subscription.
  
• Current EQII players who recruit a friend to play the game who converts to a valid subscription will receive free gameplay-time added upon conclusion of their then-current subscription .

In the spirit of honoring the players, the Living Legacy program is supported by an online and print advertising campaign that features real EQ and EQII players.

Harmonix and MTV bring Rock Band to Japan

Harmonix and MTV to Partner with Q Entertainment for Rock Band - Japan

Harmonix Music Systems, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks, announced today that they will team up with Q Entertainment, a leading Japanese music game designer, to bring the best-selling music videogame Rock Band to Japan. The two studios will work together to develop the title, marking the first US-originated rock music game to be heavily localized for the Japanese market. The game will feature Japanese musical acts as well as other localized assets.

Rock Band’s return to the birthplace of rhythm games will benefit from Q Entertainment’s experience designing progressive and engaging games many of which have a heavy focus on integrating music elements into gameplay. Since its founding in 2003, Tokyo based Q Entertainment has become a leader in rhythm oriented titles, including the critically acclaimed music and luminary action puzzle game series Lumines,and the recently released Extend Every Extra Extreme (E4) and Rez HD for Xbox Live.

Today’s announcement was also featured Saturday at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards - Japan, where a Rock Band trailer was presented.



The US-version of Rock Band was also prominently featured backstage and at the afterparty, giving Japanese attendees a taste of what’s to come in the newly announced title.

Rock Band, which has sold over 3 million units in North America and Europe, 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.

Rock Band is a true music platform, with over 12 million songs sold as downloadable content since its initial release. There are currently over 140 songs available for download in the Rock Band Music Store and Harmonix continues to release new music every week.

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

Toki Tori for WiiWare in North & South America, Europe and Australia

Two Tribes, the Dutch game developer behind "Worms: Open Warfare 2" for Nintendo DS, announces the full availability of Toki Tori for WiiWare. Toki Tori was a launch game for the European/Australian launch of WiiWare and is available in North and South America as of today, June the 2nd.

Toki Tori has been available for two weeks in Europe and Australia and has met with a lot of praise from the online gaming community. Early reviews have also been favorable, with gamesradar.com claiming:

"Fun, clever, friendly and rewarding, it will stimulate the old noggin without ever feeling like hard work. And that's exactly what puzzle games should do."

The gameplay in Toki Tori is a blend of two genres. While it looks like a platform game, it's a puzzle game by heart. Players will have to look and plan ahead carefully while using a variety of items, such as the Telewarp, Freeze-o-Matic and InstantRockTM to name but a few.

To celebrate its release, Two Tribes has released some new footage in the form of a TV Commercial. The video can be found at:

http://www.tokitori.com/downloads/TokiToriTVCommercial.mov (Quicktime)
http://www.tokitori.com/downloads/TokiToriTVCommercial.wmv (Windows Media Video)

Aces of the Galaxy - plus Action Puzzler - Roogoo - coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade

Experience the thrilling retro arcade space shooter “Aces of the Galaxy,” and enjoy a new type of action-puzzler, “Roogoo,” both launching on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday 4th June, 2008 at 09.00.



Enjoy the frantic action of “Aces of the Galaxy,” an old fashioned arcade adrenaline-pumping shoot-em-up that allows players to save the Universe from the wicked Skurgian Empire. Players annihilate enemy ships with an impressive arsenal of upgradeable weapons including high-powered missile launchers, devastating torpedoes and the relentless chain gun. Battle intense waves of enemy Skurgians against a breathtaking outer space backdrop, and choose to fight alone or join up with a friend at home or via Xbox LIVE.


“Roogoo” takes puzzles to a whole new level. Help the Roogoo defeat their enemies, the evil Meemoo, in “Roogoo,” a new and innovative action based-puzzler with addictive gameplay. Players line up multiple platforms on different levels to allow shaped blocks to pass through and once enough stack up, that particular shape closes off. A simple premise becomes more complicated as Meemoos begin to obstruct players' paths and butterflies attempt to steal blocks away. Players must swivel, roll and boost their way through 45 puzzle-filled levels alone or with up to four friends in cooperative party mode play. For those with a more competitive spirit, “Roogoo” offers a two-player multiplayer mode over Xbox LIVE where players battle to solve the same puzzle and can build up attacks to defeat their competitors.

Where can I get theses games from?

"Aces of the Galaxy" will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points.

Video for Hellgate - London patch 1.3

Flagship Studios today released a video to coincide with the recent launch of patch 1.3 for its action RPG Hellgate: London. Patch 1.3 offers no less than eight new features including Shared Stash, a Premium Item Merchant, Donation Collectors and Global Buffs, Ranks and the Expertise system.

Interacting with your fellow players has been enhanced with the introduction of optional chat bubbles that appear when players talk and performable emotes that characters now have at their disposal. In Patch 1.3, players can also easily browse lists of chat and emote commands using the two according buttons in the chat panel.

Visit the site here

Battlefield 2142 video game - Patch 1.5 Released

The highly anticipated patch integrating map making skills from the community is now available. The patch integrates the maps Wake Island 2142 and Operation Shingle into the game as well as the ability to use wide-screen resolutions.

read more | digg story

Burnout Paradise - Software Update for PS3 and Xbox 360 new cars modes and more...

At the end of this month (June 2008), the software update Cagney will be released for Burnout Paradise on the PS3 and Xbox 360 with a plethora of fixes, changes, and additions. Some very notable changes include a new title screen, live frontpage, new cars, and more modes.

read more | digg story

Born of blood update released for sword of the stars video game

Sword of the Stars Update 1.5.2 released for Born of Blood, the official add-on to critically acclaimed 4X space strategy game Sword of the Stars. Update 1.5.2 allows current owners of Born of Blood to play on custom maps created by others, and engage in multiplayer action with those who are playing the recently released version included in Sword of the Stars: Collector’s Edition. The Update however does not contain many of the robust features that are exclusive to the Collector’s Edition, such as the ability to share custom maps or create stand-alone servers.

Update 1.5.2 is English only and can be installed over all previous versions of Born of Blood. Some of the key features include:

Play custom maps created by other players and access example custom maps in the Maps folder

New encounters added

Addtional visual feedback to polygon targeting an enemy in combat (i.e. during mass missile launches)

AI enhancements (i.e. prevention of the AI from surrendering too early)

Various performance issues corrected

The ability to observe encounters even if players have other combats queued

The Zuul receive one additional colony despite the map settings and a free bore ship is provided at every initial world

Build queue is now visible from the trade tab in the Empire Summary

New AI player names, badges and portraits to reflect characters and references from The Deacons Tale (visible to 1.5.2 players, but not accessible for personal use)

Drag & drop multiple ships from side list into fleet manager

Though Update 1.5.2 is quite comprehensive, it does not include the following features that are found exclusively in the retail version of Sword of the Stars: Collector’s Edition, which is out now:

• Create a stand-alone game server
• Ability to permanently save a copy of a custom map created by other players
• New ship badges and player avatars
• Use of custom maps in single and multiplayer modes
• The first ever Sword of the Stars novel entitled, The Deacon's Tale by acclaimed science fiction author Arinn Dembo
• Bonus CD with full music tracks (including never-before-released tracks), concept art, video trailers and interviews, and detailed bios for each race

To download Update 1.5.2 and view the complete feature list, visit: www.lighthouse-interactive.com

Real airfield scenery from just flight FSX Airfield for under €5.95 - $7.99 - £4.00

Real Scenery Airfields – White Waltham

Developer: Just Flight
Genre: Flight Simulation
Format: PC – ESD download
UK Release: 2nd June 2008
SRP £3.99 / €5.95 / $7.99


Just Flight is pleased to announce the release of the second instalment in its series of British airfield sceneries for Flight Simulator X. Real Scenery Airfields – White Waltham re-creates the well-known home of the West London Aero Club – a very popular destination for both real and virtual pilots.



Available to download exclusively from Just Flight, and at a special introductory price of just £3.99 / €5.95 / $7.99, Real Scenery Airfields – White Waltham is fantastic value and a must-have for anyone who wants to experience real GA flying in FSX. The product page can be found here -

http://www.justflight.com/product.asp?pid=312

Real Scenery Airfields – Denham, the first out of the blocks, has been very well received by press and public alike and Just Flight’s in-house development team has been spurred on by its success. White Waltham has been designed to the highest standards using high resolution aerial images and on-site research; the scenery includes all the major buildings that make White Waltham instantly recognisable.

Among the many unique features of this scenery is snow on the ground during December and January – a first for FSX add-on airports! As well as the authentically-modelled buildings, custom night textures and high resolution mesh, White Waltham boasts static and AI aircraft, people and objects - there are even animated flocks of birds!

Another first for White Waltham is a fully functioning demo version of the airfield [here] that users can try before they buy.

Demo link –

Demo download

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS: Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Service Pack 2 and Acceleration compatible) – Windows Vista or XP

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: PC with 3.0 GHz (equivalent or higher) processor, 1.0Gb RAM, graphics card with 128Mb (or higher) video memory, Hard disc space 1.0Gb

Demo Version of SimCity Societies - Updated Content Free Download June 12

SimCity Societies from The Sims Label, Electronic Arts

Demo will show off much of the new fan requested content and features that have been added to the game over the last few months through five free game updates. Just some of the features and content added to Societies include:

· New strategic modes: Basic, Hardcore and Nightmare, each one a more intense challenge to your city buildings skills.
· Three new exotic disasters, including UFOs, a giant robot and a massive monster
· New events and crises, including counter-cultural revolutions, general strikes, epidemics and more
· Easy firefighting controls. Put out the flames faster!
· Improved road placing controls
· Almost countless UI additions, everything more charts and graphs to new auto-execute buttons for special abilities
· City Policies, giving you the power to enact Universal Healthcare, Indoctrination, and other ways to affect, or control, your citizens lives
· Six scenarios ranging from the relaxing the intense
· Dozens of new buildings and special Sims
· More than 100 other additions and improvements

The free downloadable demo will include the tutorial, a challenging scenario and two major disasters.

Look for it on June 12 at www.simcity.com.

The SimCity Societies free game updates are available right now at www.simcity.com. When you download update 5, it will include all previous updates.

Upcoming for SimCity Societies after the demo launch is its first expansion, Destinations, and the massive compilation, The SimCity Box (which includes Societies, Destinations, SimCity 4, SimCity 4 Rush Hour, Snap City and Spore Creature Creator Trial Version), due out on June 23. Check www.simcity.com for more info.