Card-Based Strategy RPG Yggdra Union For Sony PSP System

Yggdra Union, a card-based strategy RPG for the Sony PlayStation Portable system (PSP). 

For years, strategy RPG fans have accepted repetitive, non-interactive battle sequences as the genre standard; few games have dared to break the mold. Yggdra Union blows through, shattering the mold into tiny, unrecognizable bits. 

One reviewer wrote of the game’s ground-breaking mechanics, “It's no easy feat to invigorate a genre that has remained fairly set in its ways for the last few generations, let alone do it with the imagination and energy present here.”* Experience a fresh mix of turn-based strategy and real-time action, constantly engaging the player and providing intense, riveting gameplay combined with tactical card-based combat.

Originally released for Game Boy Advance to warm praise, Yggdra Union is beautifully remade and loaded with enhancements, including fully remastered audio and visuals (featuring the artwork of famed character designer and manga artist Satoko Kiyuzuki), fully-voiced dialogue in both Japanese and English, a widescreen aspect ratio, additional difficulty settings, new unlockable content, and more… all exclusive to the PSP system!



Yggdra Union is currently scheduled for release on September 16.

Key Features

• Break-the-mold strategy system – Turn-based strategy meets real-time action in this innovative battle mechanic! Build your strongest deck of cards to rain down special attacks, monitor the aggression meter to adjust the power of each hit, and create troop unions that will overwhelm the enemy’s numbers.
  
• Rebuilt for the PSP – Yggdra Union is brand new again on the PSP system, boasting remastered audio and visuals, new playable characters, additional missions, difficulty options, widescreen support, and dual English and Japanese voiceover tracks.
  
• Unlock even greater rewards – There is more to Yggdra Union than can be revealed in a single game. With 3 different endings plus a hidden ending and secret characters, there’s tons of treasure for a true gamer to uncover.
  

Nintendo Supports Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2008

The Edinburgh Interactive Festival today announced an agreement with Nintendo UK to become a Gold Partner of this year’s event which takes place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre between Sunday 10th and Tuesday 12th August 2008.

Edinburgh Interactive Festival Chairman Chris Deering added: “Nintendo’s support of Interactive Festival in Edinburgh is great news and demonstrates an understanding of the importance of a cultural games event within the landscape of the world’s biggest cultural Festival. Games and EIF have been embraced this year by Scotland PLC like no other year and the support of Nintendo is an important factor in encouraging these respected organisations’ commitment to us.”

EIF 2008 will take place from Sunday 10th to Tuesday 12th August, and will this year move to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre as part of a move to develop the scale and profile of the event.

2008 will feature a major two-day conference programme, an array of networking events, an expansion of the EIF Games Screenings programme covering three cinema rooms, a major public area with gaming features, retail and recruitment sites. The Dare Protoplay exhibition will also take place under the same roof as the Edinburgh Interactive Festival and will run from Sunday 10th to Tuesday 12th August alongside the public areas and Games Screenings.

Edinburgh Interactive Festival is the only event that brings together the games industry’s key decision makers from games publishing, hardware and development along side Government, TV, film, press and other entertainment industries as well as students seeking to work within the creative industries.

In 2007 delegates included professionals from Ubisoft, Nintendo, Sony Computer Entertainment, Microsoft, Codemasters, BBC, Channel 4, 19 Entertainment, Endemol, Rare, Electronic Arts, Gamestation, Ncsoft, Havok, Midway, Eidos, Realtime Worlds, BAFTA, BERR, BSAC and Rising Star Games.

New to Interactive Festival 2008 will be Features, Exhibition and Recruitment areas specifically tailored to cater for the public - allowing them access to the latest games and job opportunities in games.

As ever, the three-day Interactive Festival wouldn’t be complete without the cornerstones of conferences, keynotes, panel sessions, debates, games screenings and even more people than ever jostling to get through the doors.

Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2008 - Edinburgh International Conference Centre - 150 Morrison Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EE

Sunday 10th August
Game Screenings
Dare ProtoPlay
Public games area and retail site

Monday 11th August
EIF Conference
Game Screenings
Dare ProtoPlay
Public games area and retail site
Conference Networking event

Tuesday 12th August
EIF Conference
Game Screenings
Dare ProtoPlay
Public games area and retail site

Edinburgh Interactive Festival will also play host to the Digital Interactive Symposium, the games event aimed at academics and games industry professionals. It takes place on Wednesday 13th August.

Registration is open now at www.edinburghinteractivefestival.com
There is also a Facebook Group in 2008 at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12251081247

Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2008 registration details:

Register before Tuesday 1st July 2008 - £120 (ex VAT)
Register on or after Tuesday 1st July 2008 - £149 (ex VAT)
Scottish based developers and companies - £99 (ex VAT)
Students - £75 (ex VAT)

Nintendo's Green Secret - Wii don't use much power

The Nintendo Wii is an extremely efficient gaming console. Check this comparison with power consumption of the PC, Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360.

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Sid Meier's Civilization IV - Colonization for Games for Windows

Sid Meier's Classic Colonization is recreated as a new stand-alone title in the Civilization IV universe

Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization, the next offering in the award-winning Civilization IV universe, is currently in development at 2K’s world-renowned Firaxis Games development studio. Conceived from the ground up to take advantage of the Civilization IV engine, Colonization will be available fall 2008 exclusively for Games for Windows.

“We’ve received many requests from fans over the years to bring back Colonization and now seemed to be the perfect time to do that,” said Sid Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis Games. “The Civilization IV engine provided a fantastic foundation for a new Colonization experience and allowed us to create something great for both new players and long time fans of the game.”

In Colonization, players lead one of four European nations on a quest to conquer and rule the New World. Players will be challenged to guide their people from the oppressive motherland, discover the New World, and negotiate, trade and fight with both the natives and other nations as they acquire power and fight for freedom and independence.



As a complete reimagining of the 1994 classic, Colonization is a total conversion of Civilization IV that combines Civilization’s addictive “just one more turn” gameplay with all-new graphics and features that add more depth to the franchise. New features, such as a brand-new interface, improved diplomacy options and the included modding tools ensure that Colonization will be the next great title from gaming’s premier strategy game developer.

Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization for Games for Windows will be available fall 2008 and has not yet been rated by the ESRB. For more information, please visit www.civilization.com

*Colonization does not require the original Civilization IV product in order to be played.

Microsite and Screenshots of Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ on Nintendo DS

New microsite of Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ, along with new screenshots.

After finishing with a ferocious wolf, the story ended and the nightmare began. Little "Ready to Rock" Riding Hood and her friend Momotaro face the greatest threat that has ever besieged folk tales.

Go to www.gammickentertainment.com/zombie/ and discover why Granny has become a horrible green monster, why Pinoccio is now a blood thirsty cyborg, or how Prince Charming woke up Sleeping Beauty… along with her thirst for blood!

Can you save fairy tale land or will you let its creatures live an unhappily-ever-after-life?

Source: LucasArts to Halt Internal Development

Following word of routine terminations at develolper LucasArts, a reliable source has informed Shacknews that the company plans to cease internal development and fire roughly 100 more employees after the completion of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

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Recession Hits World of Warcraft Gold Farmers?

It appears that World of Warcraft in-game economies may be the latest victims of the worldwide economic downturn. Economists tracking the flow of real world money in and out of the game have noted a sharp decline in dollars and euros flowing into the game, prompting fears that the Warcraft gold market may have finally crashed.

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Sony artists to feature in Expose 6 digital art book

Six original pieces of artwork showcasing the epic fantasy characters from the EverQuest franchise online trading card game Legends of Norrath are featured in the prestigious EXPOSÉ 6 digital art book hitting store shelves this week, Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) announced.



The illustrations by multiple distinguished SOE artists will be included in the video game section of the latest EXPOSÉ book. The annual compilation showcases the finest digital art in a variety of fields, including games, digital illustration, television and 3D.



The included SOE art pieces were selected from thousands of entries by an international committee of artists with professional backgrounds in a variety of disciplines.



Joe Shoopack, director of Artistic Development, Sony Online Entertainment, said the company’s artistic talent is reflected in the fact that no other video game company has more pieces of art featured in the book. “We are flattered that some of our art is being viewed as some of the world’s best,” Shoopack said.



The selected SOE pieces are:

• Legends of Norrath “Mayong Mistmoore” by Derek Herring
• Legends of Norrath “Oathbound” by Clint Langley, Rob Tepper, Deanna Dolph and Lagi Apostolou
• Legends of Norrath “Gnoll High Shaman” by Patrick Ho
• Legends of Norrath “Play Dead” by Roel Jovellanos
• Legends of Norrath “Queen Cristanos Thex” by Derek Herring
• Legends of Norrath “Ariseph, Mistress of Verse” by Derek Herring

“The EXPOSÉ series is an annual snapshot of the world’s best digital art, and we’re very grateful that companies like Sony Online Entertainment allow their artists to promote their amazing work in our books,” said Daniel P. Wade, co-publisher of Ballistic Media. “The standard of entries for EXPOSÉ 6 was exceptionally high, and it’s a testament to Sony Online Entertainment that so many of its artists were featured this year.”

All Japanese Dreamcast Games Factory Sealed for Sale on ebay

The Best Nintendo N64 Games That Still Matter Today

I thought it would be a good idea to develop a list of games that are still relevant in today’s market because of their unique gamezplay that has not been improved upon on other systems.Our basic rule of thumb for this list is to determine which games are still worth playing today, even if you have a Gamecube and/or a Nintendo Wii.

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