PopCap - Amazing Adventures Around the World Puzzle Game Free download

New Hidden Object Adventure from the SpinTop Studio Takes Players on a Global Expedition

SpinTop Games, a division of leading casual game developer and publisher PopCap Games, today announced the immediate availability of Amazing Adventures Around the World , a new “hidden object” puzzle game with an adventure that spans the globe. Amazing Adventures Around the World is the second game in the series, following last year’s hit title Amazing Adventures The Lost Tomb, which has already been downloaded nearly 20 million times since launching late last year. Amazing Adventures Around the World takes players on a globe-trotting “seek and find” journey in search of the world’s most valuable gem, the “World Diamond.” The new game carries a retail price of US$19.95, and a free trial of the PC game is available now for download at www.popcap.com and www.spintop-games.com. The game will also be available on other leading game portals, including RealArcade.com, MSN Games and Yahoo! Games, and will be available worldwide in eight languages, in September.

“There’s no limit to where you can transport players in an adventure game, so we wanted this game to take players to the four corners of the world to view amazing places that few of us ever get to visit in person,” stated Duncan Magee, co-director and co-founder of SpinTop. “Exploring exotic locations like the Great Wall of China, the Great Barrier Reef, the African Serengeti, the Amazon and many more has never been easier or more fun.”

In Amazing Adventures Around the World, you play an adventure seeker hired by the Museum to track down pieces of an ancient stone tablet that, when pieced together, unearth the location of the “World Diamond.” Play over 100 levels and travel to 25 exotic locations which provide the hiding places of more than 2,100 cleverly concealed items. Unique puzzle traps and eight different kinds of mini-games add to the adventure and challenge available in three different game modes – Story Mode plus two unlockable “unlimited play” modes.

Key features of Amazing Adventures Around the World include:

• Seek and find over 2,100 cleverly hidden objects.
• Investigate 25 exotic scenes featuring beautifully rendered artwork and themed music and sound effects.
• Play 8 unique mini-games including Spot-The-Differences, Word Search, Tile Rotation, Jigsaw and more!
• Locate gems and tablet pieces on each mission of the Story Mode to unlock new modes of play.
• Unlock interesting facts in your journal as you travel the globe.
• Play against the clock or in Relaxed Mode with no time limits.

First Combat Mission Shock Force - Marines Video After- Action Reports released

Visit the CMSF Marines Videos page here

Our first expansion module for Combat Mission Shock Force, titled CMSF Marines, is nearing its release date and to help showcase some of the new units, vehicles and features of the game, one of the projects beta-testers has prepared the very first in-game video sneak preview and submitted it as part of our ongoing CMSF Video AAR Contest, sponsored by Matrox TripleHead2Go.



Composed of three video chapters, these new vids were captured from a beta copy of Combat Mission Shock Force- Marines and depict a USMC armed recon into some heavily defended enemy infested terrain. Since the videos come from a beta version of the game, please note that they may not be indicative of final game performance, graphics or sounds.
Among other units featured in the videos are various models of the Marine Corps Light Attack Vehicle, or "LAV" including the 25mm cannon armed LAV-25 A2, the missile equipped LAV AT and the command vehicle variant, the LAV C2 A2.



You are invited to submit your own Video After-Action Reports to the contest! You can win a Matrox TripleHead2Go Digital Edition multi-screen Surround Gaming Module (\$329 value) as well as free copies of the upcoming Combat Mission Shock Force - Marines module!





More details at the official contest page on the Battlefront channel on YouTube

Zoo Hospital - on Nintendo Wii - Fact Sheet

Zoo Hospital

Publisher: Majesco Entertainment
Developer: Torus Games
Platform: Wii
Genre: Simulation
Release Date: September 2008
Price / Rating: $29.99 / E

Overview
You’ve graduated from Veterinary College not a moment too soon-your Aunt Lucy just called from the world famous Zoo Hospital she manages because she needs your help! A local property magnate, Gordon Grimm, is eyeing the zoo’s land as the potential site for a profitable mini-golf course. Under Aunt Lucy’s tutelage it’s now up to you to help restore the zoo to its former glory by treating its ailing inhabitants, improving its Zoo Rating and attracting new exotic animals that will in turn attract the crowds!

Features

• Treat animals by playing medical mini games with your Wii Remote including:
  • Big Stealth Bugs: Expose and kill parasitic pests, then clean the patient afterwards using your Wii Remote in a FPS style mini game battling ticks, rashes and other forms of inflammation.
  • Dentistry: Clean, inject novocaine, wiggle and pull rotten teeth while battling tooth decay with the dental drill.
  • Removing Foreign Bodies: Drag foreign bodies out of the patient through a "maze" and eliminate Gall Stones by blasting them with a laser without hitting other organs.
  • Microscopic Treatment: The action takes place at the microscopic level. Under high magnification, the player must fight a battle against evil microscopic viruses by clearing the screen of all bad organisms and protecting the good organisms from attack.
  
  
• Use your Wii Remote to pat, feed or treat patients in their enclosures. Find how each animal prefers to be soothed to help keep it happy and your Zoo Rating sky high.
• Features 48 animals, including seven not featured in the original DS version (camel, capuchin, dolphin, gorilla, macaw, mandrill and owl)
• 2 player Cooperative Multiplayer mode allows players to treat the same animals together and interact with animals in their enclosures.
• Experience a 3D zoo environment to visit or treat its exotic inhabitants.
• Follow up on patients by visiting enclosures to ensure animals are healing properly and quickly. The Zoo Rating is lowered while animals are recovering, so the quicker you help them recuperate by feeding or petting them, the quicker your rating will rise.
• Proper care and treatment will improve the all-new Zoo Rating. A high Zoo Rating will introduce new animals and enclosures to the Zoo. Be careful, though, because poor treatment and care will decrease the Zoo Rating and animals will leave the zoo just as fast as they came.
• View your Zoo Rating, Medical Ratings and Plaques earned throughout the game in the Zoo Hospital Gallery
• Unlock new animals, enclosures, medical mini-games, and plaques by successfully performing procedures and raising the Zoo Rating.

It's All Access For City Of Heroes And City Of Villains

There is a reason for the rejoicing in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. It is official – NCsoft has completely merged the two games into one game universe. All current subscribers who only had one of the games (City of Heroes or City of Villains) now have access to the features of both games. Additionally, all City of Heroes and City of Villains games for sale at retail or online will grant access to both games.



This is the final step needed in preparing the IP for future projects, to be announced later this year. Paragon City and the Rogue Isles have always been a part of the same game universe. When City of Villains launched in 2005 as a stand-alone game, it did not launch with an extra subscription fee, so there has always been this feeling that they are closely related. What’s different here is that NCsoft has taken down the barrier where players had to have a City of Villains serial code to make a villain, and vice versa. Now, it doesn’t matter if you bought Heroes or Villains, you can make characters from either faction you want and experience their unique game content. Additionally, Heroes now have access to base building, which was previously only available if you had purchased City of Villains.


“In setting the stage for our upcoming plans for the IP, we felt the time was right to truly consolidate the City of Heroes and City of Villains universe,” said Brian Clayton, General Manager and Executive Producer. “We have removed all restrictions that were created when City of Villains launched in order to make way for some really cool content and features we have in the pipeline. This is an evolution of the IP that lays the foundation for what’s to come.”

The most recent game update, Issue 12: Midnight Hour, launched in May and included a wealth of features, including a new Greek and Roman inspired zone, Villain Epic Archetypes, Powerset Proliferation, as well as more character slots so that players can try out the new character powers and Archetypes.

“We know that character variety is one of our greatest strengths and that’s why our players love to create new characters” said Matt Miller, Lead Designer. “Even former players who reactivate will be pleasantly surprised to see new open character slots waiting for them.”

Uniting the City of Heroes universe enables the development team to focus on other features slated to come in future installments. Improvements to Supergroup Bases and raids, an offline character reward system, and the previously revealed Mission Maker are just some of the systems that will see the benefits of a unified City of Heroes game.

Babysitting Mania - on Nintendo DS - Fact Sheet

Babysitting ManiaFact Sheet

Publisher: Majesco Entertainment
Developer: Gogii Games & Glyphic Entertainment
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Simulation
Release Date: September 2008
Price / Rating: $19.99 / E

Overview:
You finally passed your babysitting course and are ready to help your school fundraising efforts. But are you ready for 20 out of control houses filled with unruly kids, neverending chores and parties to manage, all before bedtime? Based on the hit multi-tasking PC simulation game, Babysitting Mania for the DS starts you off slow but ratchets up the mania as you scurry about tending to rambunctious kids and household tasks while maintaining your composure before the parents get home. Only the ultimate babysitter will survive!



Features:

• The sequel to the highly successful Nanny Mania PC game that’s been downloaded 7 million times
• Play through more than 100 levels of fast-paced overlapping tasks and challenges! Feed, entertain and clean up after the children without losing your cool through 20 chaotic houses with indoor and outdoor areas
• Use the intuitive Touch Screen to manage all aspects of the household with speed and precision
• Prevent the kids from creating more havoc by strategically using “Timeouts”
• After cleaning the house, put the kids to bed at “Bedtime” before their parents get home
• Bonus birthday party levels increase the difficulty as neighborhood kids drop by to celebrate the special occasion
• Choose to play as the babysitter or bonus nanny character from Nanny Mania
• Care for children in various stages of their lives—from babies to toddlers to teens—it’s up to you to manage them all!

Metal Gear Solid 4 - Guns of the Patriots - World Championship 2008

Wallpaper - From official website below

First details of its Metal Gear Online World Championship 2008 tournament, which will embark on regional heats in the summer globally with the grand final taking place at October’s Tokyo Game Show event.

The competition is open to the best Metal Gear Online players from Europe, the US, Japan, and Greater Asia, with the individual territories to host regional championships where the wining teams will receive all-expenses-paid trips to Japan. The first championship will take place in the US at ComiCon in San Diego, with full details of the European heats to be announced via www.konami-mgo.com in the coming weeks.

Metal Gear Online is a dedicated online title included in Metal Gear Solid 4 - Guns of the Patriots, an exclusive title for PLAYSTATION 3, which took the market by storm on its release in June. Featuring unique characters, a wide range of weaponry as well as many levels taken from and inspired by the Metal Gear Solid Series, Metal Gear Online is the ultimate team based online tactical shooter which allows up to 16 people to play simultaneously. Retaining the highly renowned stealth combat gameplay of the Metal Gear series, players can immerse themselves in this whole new multiplayer online experience as they are dropped into a series of war zones where a host challenges await them.

Lawn Games for Wii - Fact Sheet

Lawn Games for Wii

Lawn Games is a casual sports game for up to four players for the Nintendo Wii. Developed by Austin-based Mock Science, Lawn Games offers eight time-proven favorite games with a common pick-up-and-play outdoor theme: Croquet, Volley Ball, Badminton, Tether Ball, Bocce Ball, Lawn Darts, Horse Shoes, and Lawn Dice.

Eight distinct, stylized backyard and garden environments from around the world offer an entertaining and familiar backdrop for customizable cartoon alter egos – swap hairdos, heads, bodies, hands, feet and accessories – to compete for unlockable yard decorations, furniture, additional characters and customization options, as well as bragging rights.


A from-the-ground up design for the Wii leverages natural motion controls and creates a highly accessible experience without learning curve. Full WiFi support further ensures gamers can compete with others from around the world for the ultimate challenge.

Key features

• Eight pick-up-and-play backyard games – Croquet, Volley Ball, Badminton, Tether Ball, Bocce Ball, Lawn Darts, Horse Shoes, and Lawn Dice – offer a natural party game experience with little or no learning curve.
  
• A fun cartoon art style, including customizable alter egos and eight stylized backyard settings, delivers an enjoyable casual experience suitable for all ages and both genders.
  
• Players may modify their avatar's skills, taking into account luck, aim and more
  
• Players are rewarded for besting the competition with unlockable decorations, backyard furnishings, accessories and additional character customization options.
  
• 32-player Nintendo WiFI-enabled multiplayer for challenging friends and family online or in LAN play
  

Damnation FPS - Fact Sheet

Damnation

DEVELOPER: Blue Omega
PUBLISHER: Codemasters
RELEASE: Autumn 2008
PLATFORM: PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, Games For Windows
WEB: www.codemasters.com/damnation

Damnation: "the shooter gone vertical." With vast, streaming environments, Damnation’s levels are truly organic 3D spaces that cover miles of horizontal distance and thousands of vertical feet.



DESCRIPTION:

Changing the landscape of shooters forever with a revolutionary blend of movement and combat in all three dimensions, Damnation is a non-stop test of reflexes, decision-making and action. Taking the shooter vertical, Damnation features massive streaming landscapes that set the stage for post-industrial battles between humanity and an unstoppable corporation in the wastelands known as Damnation. With the freedom to go anywhere and kill anyone to reach a goal, players create their own routes using vehicles, acrobatics and climbing to get around the huge maps.

In Damnation, players take control of Captain Hamilton Rourke, a member of the guerrilla resistance force known as the Peacekeepers. A veteran of the Great War, Rourke has his own personal agenda in avenging the death of his fiancé.

KEY FEATURES:

Huge Scale - With vast, streaming environments, Damnation’s levels are truly organic 3D spaces that cover miles of horizontal distance and thousands of vertical feet. Players choose from multiple paths and tactics in gigantic landscapes that unfold in all three dimensions. Using exhilarating combinations of swift, flowing movement and combat, players will be faced with frenetic all-action attacks that can come from any direction.

Player Choice and Freedom - It could take up to three hours in real-time travel to get from one end to the other and another three hours to climb to the top. But with acrobatics and vehicles, players are able to get their own routes, as they look at the massive map ahead, above and below them.

“Spirit Vision” - Players can activate the hero’s “Spirit Vision” power to see through walls and anticipate the enemy’s movements.

Daredevil Stunts – Players perform stunning moves at the limits of human ability to jump between ledges, swing on ropes and chains, and traverse vertical surfaces. Zip, slide, vault, shinny, swing and jump through the environment with intelligent AI attacking from all sides, above and below.

Multiplayer – Play through the entire singleplayer campaign in co-op or take it to the next level online with multiplayer. Experience action and tactics in vertical environments with fully enabled “Spirit Vision.”

Star Ocean - The Last Hope - Fact Sheet for Xbox 360

STAR OCEAN - THE LAST HOPE

Developer: tri-Ace Inc.
Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.
Platform: Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft
Genre: RPG
Ship Date: Spring 2009

STAR OCEAN - THE LAST HOPE is the latest entry in the futuristic space opera RPG series, STAR OCEAN. Science fiction and fantasy meld in this long-awaited continuation of the celebrated franchise from developer tri-Ace Inc.

STORY
The year is S.D. 10. In the aftermath of World War III, humanity voyages into the stars in search of a new home…and a second chance.

FEATURES

• A prequel that combines sci-fi and fantasy elements, spanning multiple planets and the vastness of space itself to recount the origins of the STAR OCEAN universe

• Exhilarating combat expands upon the franchise’s famous real-time battle system, including the amazing graphics and visual effects only possible on the Xbox 360

• Features breathtaking CG movies by Visual Works, the cutting-edge studio whose previous work includes cut scenes for the acclaimed FINAL FANTASY RPG series

Star Ocean - First Departure + Second Evolution- Fact Sheet for PSP

STAR OCEAN - First Departure + Second Evolution

ESRB: Not Yet Rated
Ship Date: October 21, 2008
STAR OCEAN: Second Evolution
Ship Date: January 6, 2009
Developer: SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.
Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.
Platform: PSP (PlayStationPortable) system
Genre: RPG

Following the exploits of humankind’s journey across the stars, the STAR OCEAN saga comes to life in the completely remastered STAR OCEAN: First Departure and STAR OCEAN: Second Evolution, exclusively for the PSP (PlayStationPortable) system. Both feature a revised game engine, an improved battle system and fully voiced, all-new animated scenes displayed in 16:9 widescreen. And with a newly added layer of character interaction, players can enjoy their journey into the rich STAR OCEAN universe like never before.



STORY STAR OCEAN - First Departure
Space Date 346: The crew of a Terran Federation ship arrives on the planet Roak. With the help of a stalwart band of local heroes, the crew must work together to unravel a mystery and halt a galactic war. STAR OCEAN: First Departure marks the first time that the initial instalment in the popular STAR OCEAN franchise is available in North America.



STAR OCEAN - Second Evolution
Space Date 366: A young Federation officer finds himself transported to a mystical planet, where he is suddenly anointed as the Hero of Light. He begins a journey to fulfill a prophecy and save a newfound race. STAR OCEAN: Second Evolution continues the STAR OCEAN saga!

FEATURES

• Completely rebuilt for the PSP system, with real-time battles that keep players immersed in the action

• STAR OCEAN: First Departure, the entry that started it all, now available to North American audiences for the first time

• Brand-new, fully voiced animated cut-scenes provided by anime powerhouse Production I.G.

• The private action system adds depth to the story, introducing riveting subplots between characters