Gotta Collect 'em All!

For all the collectors out there, the fine art team at Red Fly Studio put together some kick-ass trading cards, a poster, and hero statue that will be floating around out there. The poster will be available with Rise of the Fungi (DS) pre-orders and the life-size statue with The Spore Wars (Wii) pre-orders. The first 3 trading cards are in the current issue of Nintendo Power (August issue, along with a contest where 2 families can win a trip to NYC for the 20th Anniversary party at the Nintendo World Store in Sept). You’ll also be able to get them at PAX, the 20th Anniversary Party mentioned above, LesClaypool.com, and more. The easiest way to make a complete set of 24 cards will be by pre-ordering the games at GameStop (get a pack of 11 for Rise of the Fungi and different 11 for The Spore Wars and then 1 card will be included with each version of the game).

Mushroom Men Sail the Seas of Cheese…

Les Claypool will be headlining and Mushroom Men will be in full effect aboard Jam Cruise 7 (http://jamcruise.com/). Leaving out of Ft Lauderdale January 4, 2009, they’ll be tons of artists playing day and night as the ship ports in Belize City and Costa Maya.

For anyone interested in winning their way aboard, GameStop is running a special sweepstakes. Visit http://www.gamestop.com/mushroommen for more on that. And for those actually going, they’ll be more great contests to win Mushroom Men stuff while out on the open waters.

Tall Tales of Mushroom Men

There is also a custom Mushroom Men VW Bus in the works (details coming to www.MushroomMen.com soon). And the Space Squid writing contest has 1 week left for submissions (details: http://spacesquid.com/free_writing_contests.htm).

SPORE FOR MAC GOES ON-SALE WITH TRANSGAMING

TransGaming Inc. (TSX-V: TNG), announces the launch of Pre-Orders for EA’s SPORE for Mac at GameTree Online (www.gametreeonline.com/ea/spore/), the company’s digital distribution portal for Mac video games.

The release of EA’s SPORE on Mac September 7-8, 2008, the newest video game creation from The SIMS creator Will Wright, marks a new age for Mac gaming around the world, and GameTree Online will make it easier then ever for Mac consumers to purchase and enjoy the game. TransGaming has expanded its relationship with EA, the worlds largest video game publisher, beyond Mac enablement, to provide a global distribution strategy for the SPORE franchise on Mac. The GameTree Online digital distribution portal complements TransGaming’s Cider Portability business, which provides publishers, like EA, with a turn-key solution to enable games for the Mac. TransGaming enabled EA’s SPORE Creature Creator for Mac, which is also available to consumers at GameTree Online now! Mac consumers everywhere can now enjoy the newest Will Wright creation at www.gametreeonline.com/ea/spore.

With a truly unprecedented level of flexibility, SPORE and SPORE Creature Creator let you make a limitless number of fun creatures and embark on an evolution adventure. Bring creatures to life with SPORE Creature Creator — see how they dance, strike a pose, and in September guide your unique personal creature on an epic journey of discovery.

For more information on partnering with TransGaming and distribution via GameTree Online, visit their sites at www.transgaming.com or www.gametreeonline.com.

TEMPT LADY LUCK IN FREE-TO-PLAY MMORPG, FIESTA

Outspark, a leading virtual playground offering online community-based gaming, today announced the newest feature for its hit fantasy role-playing game, Fiesta. Remi’s Rare Finds is a thrilling new minigame offering players a chance to win exclusive, rare and unreleased in-game items like mounts, weapons and power-ups. The game is available now at http://store.outspark.com/fiesta/rarefinds .

To play Remi’s Rare Finds, players spend 1500 SparkCash and receive a random item from the collection. Keep your item and use it with any Fiesta game character, or exchange it for a credit. Five credits may be exchanged for a free play. The prize pool is always changing, with new items being added every month.

“Engaging our community is very important to us, and Remi’s Rare Finds is the newest exciting addition to a game already filled with rich, dynamic gameplay,” said Outspark founder and CEO Susan Choe “Each play offers a chance at some great in-game items, and we’re sure our players will love it.”

Fiesta is a free to play MMORPG with a friendly, social community. Set in the fantasy world of Isya, the game features fierce monsters, exciting in-game events, accessible Game Masters and more. Fiesta continues to undergo active development by Korea’s Ons On Soft for the PC. For more information and to become a part of the Fiesta community, visit http://fiesta.outspark.com

Ninja Gaiden II statues launched

First 4 Figures is thrilled to announce that they have been awarded a license from Microsoft and TECMO/Team Ninja to create high end 1/4 scale statues based on the characters from the Ninja Gaiden II video game exclusive to Xbox 360. The first statue release is the video game’s super Ninja warrior, Ryu Hayabusa. In Ninja Gaiden II, Ryu must battle the evil Black Spider Ninja clan and Four Greater Fiends to avenge the honor of the Hayabusa Clan and protect Humanity from destruction.



Ryu Hayabusa, in his default NGII black costume, is coming soon from First 4 Figures. Based on the official Ninja Gaiden II box artwork and in-game 3D model, First 4 Figures has painstakingly captured Ryu Hayabusa’s intensity and deadly demeanor. The base is covered in artificial grass and features Ryu walking through a graveyard of swords from fallen warriors. He comes equipped with his signature Dragon Sword, Eclipse Scythe, and a Falcon’s Talon. At 1/4 scale, Ryu stands at 18 inches tall and when you include his Eclipse Scythe, he stands at 31 inches tall (that’s over 2½ feet)!

Height: 31 inches to the top of the Eclipse Scythe (approximately 80cm).
SRP: $349.99
Available: Q1-2009
Limited: 1,999 pieces worldwide

Order here...

EA Sports Fantasy Football returns...

EA SPORTS FANTASY FOOTBALL is open for registration at fantasy.EASPORTS.com. Renew your league from last year or create a new league and invite your friends to play.

This year, use your PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system or Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft to expand your fantasy football experience with applications like EA SPORTS Fantasy Football Live Draft Tracker & Live Score Tracker and Madden NFL 09 Integration.

Madden NFL 09 - The first sports game that adapts to you!

Celebrating 20 Years of Innovation, Madden NFL 09 delivers its most complete NFL football package ever.

Whether you're a seasoned vet or picking up the game for the first time, players of all skill levels will enjoy a unique, yet challenging experience with the innovative Adaptive Difficulty Engine, which tailors the game to match your playing style.

With more than 85 new features and enhancements, Madden NFL 09 is the most authentic and adaptable game in sports video game history.

NCAA Football 09 video game - out now

The electricity of Big Play Saturday is back!

Powered by the all-new Breakaway Engine and showcasing unique college-style animations, NCAA Football 09 arrives with all the excitement and pageantry of a storied college bowl game.

Develop a loyal fan base with a Home Field Advantage and build your legacy in the Online Dynasty Mode.

With authentic collegiate gameplay and thousands of school specific plays, college Saturdays jump to life like never.

With more than 70 new features and modes, NCAA Football 09 is king of the next-gen gridiron this season!

New Dragon Quest video game debuts at No.1 in Japan

Square Enix's Dragon Quest V - Tenkuu No Hanayome has entered the Japanese charts at number one in its first week of sale, according to figures from Media Create.

The game sold 644,000 units, way ahead of its closest rival Gundam Battle Universe for the PSP, another new entry at number two, which sold 138,000 copies.

The only other new entry in the top ten was Aqua Plus' Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi for the PlayStation 3, at number four with 34,000 units sold.

The full Japanese top ten for the week ended July 20 follows -

1. Dragon Quest V (DS)
2. Gundam Battle Universe (PSP)
3. Persona 4 (PS2)
4. Tears to Tiara - Kakan no Daichi (PS3)
5. Wii Fit (Wii)
6. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
7. Daigasso! Band Brothers DX (DS)
8. Derby Stallion DS (DS)
9. Monster Hunter Portable 2 G (PSP)
10. Densetsu no Stafi - Taiketsu! Dire Kaizokudan (DS)

Source: Games Industry

Video games bugs and glitches video

A video showing some classic video game bugs and glitches - look out for the football bouncing on the goal post that no player can reach...

Watch the video here...

Les Claypool to write music for 'Mushroom Men' Video Games on Nintendo Wii

Primus principal Les Claypool has written the original theme track and four other themes for the Nintendo Wii "Mushroom Men" video games, due this fall.

This is the first game music for Claypool, who previously created the themes for TV's "South Park" and "Robot Chicken," as well as film scores. For Nintendo, it's believed the first time the leading game publisher will have original music from a top artist in one of its games.

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