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Thursday, July 10, 2008

Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution Breaks Out at iGames with Exclusive Launch Party, Showcase and $3,500 Video Contest

One-Day Celebration at 27 Centers, July 12; Two-Week Showcase at 75 Locations, July 14-27; Video Contest Winners Announced August 11

WHAT:

Leading game center organization iGames will host a series of events to celebrate the release of Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution, the latest offering in the legendary award winning Sid Meier’s Civilization series of strategy games, featuring the famous “just one more turn” addictive gameplay that has made it one of the greatest game series of all time.

WHEN & WHERE:

• Launch Party, with official Sid Meier’s Civilization: Revolution T-shirt giveaway, Saturday, July 12, at 27 select iGames member centers
• 2-week Showcase, July 14-27, at 75 centers across North America
• Launch Party Video Contest with $3,500 in cash prizes for those who shoot the best video of the launch event at their local iGames center, winner to be announced on August 11.

VIDEO CONTEST PRIZES:

Contest Prize (in US Dollars) Placement
$1,500 1st
$1,000 2nd
$500 3rd
$250 4th
$250 5th

Video Submission Period: Saturday, July 12, 2008 at 12:00pm PDT to Monday, July 21, 2008 at 12:00pm PDT each Entrant may submit one video entry

Public Viewing Period: Each valid and complete Entry will be posted on the Internet for viewing by the public. From July 21, 2008 to August 4, 2008 ("Viewing Period") the public may go to www.youtube.com/iGamesVideos to view the Entries.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Clear Sky survival FPS PC game

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Clear Sky is a survival FPS game for PC based on a 'what-if' scenario of the second Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. The game is created as a warning to mankind against mindless play with technologies. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is the official prequel to the renowned S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game by the Ukraine-based GSC Game World studio. The game is set in 2011and brings forth the events to have preceded the third campaign of Strelok to the Zone center. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky introduces an alternative look onto the events of the original game and offers the player to try himself out as a mercenary s.t.a.l.k.e.r. in search of his own path in the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The game is expected to be available worldwide on August 29, 2008.

In the classic adventure game Secret Files: Tunguska, players unravel one of the greatest mysteries of our time. In 1908 in the Tunguska region of Siberia, a massive explosion of unknown origin triggered a flaming inferno, leaving death and destruction in its wake, but almost 100 years later this mysterious catastrophe is barely remembered. Even Nina Kalenkow knows nothing of it-until her scientist father suddenly vanishes without a trace. Accompany Nina and her boyfriend Max on a fascinating voyage of adventure around the world. Follow the kidnappers' trail through ancient secret passageways in Irish castle ruins, through the flickering heat of Cuba, and aboard the legendary Trans-Siberian Railroad.

Command & Conquer 3 - Kane's Wrath Patch 1.01 Released

Patch 1.01 Released Today for PC, BattleCast Weekend Starts Friday

Xbox Live’s “Weekend of Wrath” Kicks Off Friday

The Dark Messiah has dedicated this weekend to the most powerful and feared leader in the universe: himself! This weekend EA is celebrating the evil genius that is Kane, with a number of activities for both PC and Xbox 360 owners of Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath. And while the official festivities will kick off this weekend, PC owners can get some practice in today as the long-awaited patch for Kane’s Wrath has also being released.

Patch 1.01 Arrives! Get Ready for “BattleCast Weekend,” Ladder Season 2
The first patch for Kane’s Wrath on the PC has been deployed! Patch 1.01 is focused mostly on enhancing multiplayer, providing balance fixes to all nine of the game’s factions, while also addressing technical issues some players have been having online.

To help celebrate the release of the patch, EA will be starting two major promotions this weekend:

• BattleCast Weekend – Starting this Friday, July 11th at 12:01 AM PT and ending at midnight on Sunday, July 13th, players who go online to play in ranked 1v1 ladder matches and BattleCast it will qualify for a host of awards, from Kane’s Wrath goodies to a copy of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 when it ships later this year.

• Ladder Season 2 – The ladder season is back and bigger than ever with over 27 countries participating, a $6,000US grand prize and many other prizes for participants. The three month season starts this Friday, July 11th at 1 PM PT and ends October 11th at 1 PM PT.

For more details, including rules and regulations, please visit www.commandandconquer.com.

Celebrate the ‘Weekend of Wrath’ on Xbox Live
Are you ready to welcome Kane into your living room? This weekend, the Brotherhood of Nod’s Kane is extending his wrath from the Tiberium universe to your Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft as the “Weekend of Wrath” kicks off on the Xbox LIVE entertainment network. Featuring tournaments, prize packages and matches with the Kane’s Wrath development team and Kane himself, Command & Conquer and RTS fans are not going to want to miss this action-packed weekend!

The Xbox Live “Weekend of Wrath” will include:

• Play & Win Sweepstakes – All weekend, players who register for the Weekend of Wrath and play will be eligible for a number of prize packages given away every hour. Prize packages range from Kane’s Wrath gear all the way up to the Grand Prize which includes an Xbox 360 Elite

• Game with Developers – Sign onto Xbox Live Friday night from 7 PM – 10 PM ET and show off your multiplayer skills against members of the EALA development team, including:
• KWDevJim: Jim Vessella, Lead Producer
• KWDevAlan: Alan Newton, Tester
• KWDevJason: Jason Savopolos, Tester
• KWDevJeremy: Jeremy Feasel, Designer
• KWDevKeith: Keith Schaefer, Producer
• KWDevWes: Wes Eckhart, Development Director
• KWDevNick: Nick Clifford, Lead Tester
• KWDevGreg: Greg Kasavin, Producer
• KWDevMario: Mario Grimani, Development Director

• Game with Kane! – On Saturday from 3 PM – 5 PM ET, the legendary Joe Kucan, star of Kane’s Wrath and C&C icon will be online taking on all who dare challenge the Messiah – look for the gamertag KWFWFJoeKucan and enter at your own risk

Registration to participate in the Weekend of Wrath has opened and will end at 11:59pm (ET) on July 13, 2008. Terms, conditions, and official rules and eligibility requirements can be found at http://www.xbox.com/livewrath.

Fans of C&C can also visit the Xbox LIVE Marketplace to download a whole host of Kane’s Wrath content including a whole host of delightfully evil themes and gamer pics.

*Online play requires Xbox LIVE Gold subscription and broadband Internet service.

Stunning new images from latest Lord of the Rings Online update

Book 14 - The Ring Forges of Eregion revealed

Book 14 - The Ring Forges of Eregion is the sixth free update to Codemasters Online Gaming's award-winning MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, and sets the stage for the eagerly awaited expansion pack, Mines of Moria.

Exciting new features in Book 14 include:

New Region Eregion: Journey to where the Eleven rings were forged!
Continuation of the Epic storyline and the conclusion of Volume I, bringing you closer and closer to the Gates of Moria.
Moria Prelude Quests: Aid the Fellowship of the Ring as they prepare to leave Rivendell and make their way toward Mordor

Gravity Puzzle game on Nintendo DS and Wii

Gravity is a fiendishly fun puzzle game that will appeal to the young, the old, and everyone in between.

Players must master the correct placement of objects in order to solve each puzzle and advance to the next level.

There is more than one way of completing a given puzzle, often with surprising results.

With over 100 levels packed full of mind boggling and challenging puzzles, plus 10 sandbox levels and an editor for creating custom levels, the game contains hours of fun and endless replayability. High quality, hand-painted backgrounds and an atmospheric soundtrack enhance the experience.

Both Secret Files: Tunguska and Gravity will also be available for the Wii system.

Golf - Tee It Up now on Microsoft Xbox Live Arcade

Golf - Tee It Up!, now available for download on Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Developed by Housemarque, Golf - Tee It Up! allows players to design their own customizable characters, test their skills on 36 unique holes set in lush, panoramic courses, and challenge friends in the zaniest golf game ever created.

Golf - Tee It Up! drops gamers straight into the fun-filled action with beautiful, challenging courses that golfers of all skill levels can enjoy. Whether playing cooperatively or head-to-head, players can tee off with up to three friends in local or online multiplayer modes. Additionally, the game's unique Focus feature allows players to manipulate their putting directions or control the ball's spin in-flight for added precision, giving both casual and hardcore gamers alike an easy to play yet hard to master experience for golf fans of all ages.

Golf - Tee It Up! is available now via download on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 and has been rated "E" for Everyone by the ESRB.

Pet Vet - Down Under on Nintendo DS learn about Australia and it's wildlife

Nurture and care for some of Australia's most adorable animals in Pet Vet - Down Under.

Using the Nintendo DS stylus, players can examine, feed, assist, and play with six amazing animals, including koalas, kangaroos, and platypus.

Players will be amazed by the variety of reactions as they administer treatments, and correctly diagnosing the animals' ailments will earn money which the player can then use to expand and upgrade the animal hospital.

The game contains extensive information about Australia and its wildlife, which players can read in order to treat the animals and successfully grow their veterinarian business.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Google launches 3D virtual world

Internet giant Google has launched its own 3D virtual world, called Lively.

Similar to Linden Labs' Second Life, users are able to create avatars and socialise in specially created spaces. Users are able to visit other rooms, leave items for each other and stream photos and video.

"The Lively team wants to help people experience another dimension of the web," said Niniane Wang, engineering manager for Google.

"We hope you will use the product to express yourself with and without words, and to do this in the places you already visit on the web."

Lively runs in an internet browser on PCs with Windows Vista or Windows XP installed, and uses a plugin which uses Emergent's Gamebryo engine.

"Prior to this release, we worked closely with Arizona State University," revealed Wang.

"Based on feedback from ASU students and with help from the Google Desktop team, we added support for playing YouTube videos in virtual TVs and showing photos in virtual picture frames inside our rooms. Better yet, the gadgets you have in your Lively rooms can also run on your desktop," he detailed.

Source: Games Industry

How to Outsell World of Warcraft

It's easy to see why this game could kill WoW by this video.

read more | digg story

First Look - Men of War

The big screen debuting Men of War to the assembled gaming hacks, I was expecting a bog-standard RTS game. When I heard it was a World War II RTS, my boredom glands flared up and I was struggling to keep myself together.

However, then the game started and it dawned on me: this is the next game from the people who made Soldiers: Heroes of World War II (and the criminally ignored Faces of War).

My boredom and disinterest turned to excitement, as I’ll admit I was unaware that a new game was in development. More good news was to follow, as the battle unfolded in front of the furiously scribbling journalists.

This out the battles are grander in scope, yet still retaining the scenery-destroying brilliance of the previous titles.

The new game will feature the usual factions: Soviets, the US and Nazis. Interestingly, Japanese forces can be controlled in multiplayer, but sadly there isn’t a solo, offline campaign for them.

The game will be very familiar to those of you out there who have played Soldiers or Faces of War. The interface has been tweaked, offering a wider, less squashed experience.

A nice tough is the MMO-esque hotbar, which allows players to customise how they want the interface to look. Drag the actions you use the most onto the bar and you can have them ordered however you like.

Other than that, the game is essentially a bigger, better version of the previous titles, which is no bad thing. Some might criticise for the lack of real innovation here – there are no revolutionary changes of tack from the developers.

However, if it ain’t broke and so on. Why change a singularly excellent game formula just for the sake of it? Exactly – most fans will lap this up and, hopefully, newer ones will be attracted by the large scale and exciting battles.

One of the things that has been changed is the multiplayer, something the developers are focusing more on than before.

An intriguing aspect will be the ‘risk’ factor – do you send good units forward to try to defeat the enemy or hold them back for later? The risk element comes from the fact the enemy can appropriate your fallen hardware for its own use, if your attack fails.

So, throw your best tanks forward but see your attack grind to a halt and you could soon then be facing them in a counter offensive. The sort of tactical thinking needed to succeed in Men of War will hopefully bring more cerebral players to the table, instead of relying on lightning reactions and twitch gaming of other, faster-paced titles.

With that in mind, we at Gamezine are both looking forward to the end of the year, when Men of War will be unleashed, and to some intensely strategic multiplayer shenanigans. See you on the frontlines, soldier.

Source: Gamezine

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