Manipulate time in Braid, coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday!

Named Best Xbox LIVE Arcade Game and Best Overall Puzzle Game by IGN at E3 2008, “Braid,” is coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 9 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PDT).

From acclaimed independent developer Jonathan Blow, “Braid” is an artful puzzle-platformer where challenging, yet accessible puzzles are solved by manipulating time. From your house in the city, journey to a series of worlds solving puzzles that will help you rescue an abducted princess. Time behaves differently in each world, and every puzzle shows you something different about the world. The time behaviors include rewinding, independent time streams, time that is tied to space, parallel realities, time dilation, and perhaps more.

Developed by Number None, Inc., and published by Microsoft, “Braid” will be available for 1200 Microsoft Points worldwide and is rated E 10+ for Everyone over the age of 10 by the ESRB.

For more details on “Braid” please visit http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/b/braidxboxlivearcade/.

Splashing Summer Event at MapleStory Europe

Get into the summer action: MapleStory Europe wants its Maplers to enjoy the sunny season with special collectible items that cannot be bought, but only collected from slain monsters, like Trixter , Bubbling, Lazy Buffy and many more.

Maplers should not be fooled by how cute these cunning little beasts look and smile, but keep their great goal in mind: collecting the special summer items they randomly drop on top of the usual items after having lost the battle.

These items, including surfboards and differently colored tubes, can only be collected during this special season – so happy hunting to Maplers to get into their summer cool. In addition to getting special summer items, Maplers can also get new accessories and weapons in the Cash Shop. For more information, please check MapleStory Europe’s website at

http://www.mapleeurope.com

Guitar Hero - On Tour player road show in the UK

Rock out in a city near you with Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero games sampling road show this summer for Guitar Hero franchise - Guitar Hero On Tour. The road show will visit busy seaside locations and city centres across the country, coinciding with the start of the school holidays. The aims of the tour are to create as much excitement and energy for this new dimension of portable game play as possible, as well us unearthing the UK’s hidden rock stars!

After the huge success of the previous Guitar Hero games, Activision were keen to promote the launch of Guitar Hero On Tour, Their first ever outing on the Nintendo DS, featuring the unique Guitar Grip Peripheral.

Key to Guitar Hero On Tour is the new found portability given to the product on the DS which Activision wanted to capitalise on. The road show took the form of a rock fashioned promotional team whizzing around cities and towns on Guitar Hero On Tour branded Yamaha scooters, allowing them to demonstrate the game to many more consumers in a greater variety of locations than a fixed site alone would have allowed.

After sampling Guitar Hero On Tour for the DS people are invited back to our large mobile performance stage located in prominent positions in each city where they can trial the full sized Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Aerosmith editions. Potential axe kings from Sunderland to Southend get the chance to challenge friends and family to live guitar battles in front of crowds of the public, the challenges are relayed live to spectators via large LCD screens integrated within the design of the stage. For the stage itself, Sublime have customised a fully functioning festival rig resplendent with state of the art lighting truss and the essential wall of legendry Marshall Amplifiers for the full rock effect.

Andy Martin Head of Experiential Marketing at Sublime comments “it’s great to be working on another Activision project, Guitar Hero on Tour is a truly revolutionary product. We first demonstrated the game at T4 on the beach and the response from consumers trialling the Guitar Grip peripheral was staggering; Being able to play their favourite game on the move has indicated the wide appeal this new incarnation of the game has to offer.”

Battlefield Bad Company free Conquest mode download

On August 7th, Battlefield: Bad Company players worldwide will get to experience the intense rush as they tackle online play in a whole new way with Conquest mode that will be released as a free download for the PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360.



Made famous by Battlefield 1942, Conquest mode pits players against each other in a fast paced battle to eliminate the opposing team’s tickets. Players deplete their opponent’s tickets by one point per kill and can cause their opponents tickets to spiral downwards by capturing control points. Four maps that are currently available for online play in Gold Rush mode will be available to conquer with Conquest mode.



Battlefield: Bad Company is available on the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system. Developed by Sweden-based developer DICE, www.dice.se, the game is rated “T” by the ESRB and “16+” by PEGI.

Project Lore - A New Online World of Warcraft Show

iZ3D monitors team up with Daily Online Video Show and Website Featuring Gaming Guru, Alex Albrecht

Project Lore offers premium-quality multimedia World of Warcraft game guides, a daily video show and blog. As a part of the daily video show, viewers can look forward to seeing gaming and tech guru Alex Albrecht in action while he and four buddies share tips and information for the millions who have developed a cult-like obsession with the game World of Warcraft. Project Lore is partnered with ZAM Network for distribution across Thottbot, Wowhead, and Allakhazam. Visit http://www.projectlore.com.

“We are happy to have iZ3D and its popular 3D monitors as a sponsor,” said Kory Klem, Project Lore’s General Manager “With the use of iZ3D monitor our viewers have the extra perk in exploring World of Warcraft in stereoscopic 3D with us.”

"iZ3D is a pioneer in 3D gaming. We are pleased to be a sponsor of Project Lore, a pioneer in online game support. This innovative online show and blog is a coming trend for the video game community. Our 3D monitors add an extra dimension of immersion into the World of Warcraft game and provide users the opportunity to experience the rich 3D graphics that this popular off the shelf game has to offer,” remarked Thomas Striegler, CEO of iZ3D, LLC.

iZ3D monitors feature significant competitive and technical advantages over other 3D display systems. Gamers that want to immerse themselves into spectacular game graphics will appreciate playing in stereoscopic 3D. Graphic artists have embraced the iZ3D monitor as an essential tool for 3D design. It is difficult to create images in 3D while viewing the design on a flat 2D screen. 3D movie buffs can now bring the thrill of watching a 3D movie home.

The company developed this unique technology to create an adjustable 3D environment without causing eyestrain, spatial disorientation, or headaches. In 3D mode, viewers can see bright, sharp 3D images and video simply by wearing any iZ3D passive polarized glasses. Existing PC’s equipped with a dual-output video card easily powers the unit. Specifications include: 1680 x 1050 resolution; up to 170-degree 3D viewing angle; 5ms response time; 700:1 contrast ratio; and 16.7-million colors.

Splashing Summer Event at MapleStory Europe

Get into the summer action: MapleStory Europe wants its Maplers to enjoy the sunny season with special collectible items that cannot be bought, but only collected from slain monsters, like Trixter , Bubbling , Lazy Buffy and many more.



Maplers should not be fooled by how cute these cunning little beasts look and smile, but keep their great goal in mind: collecting the special summer items they randomly drop on top of the usual items after having lost the battle. These items, including surfboards and differently colored tubes, can only be collected during this special season – so happy hunting to Maplers to get into their summer cool.



In addition to getting special summer items, Maplers can also get new accessories and weapons in the Cash Shop. For more information, please check MapleStory Europe’s website at
www.mapleeurope.com

Ten most important games you've never heard of

Former EDGE editor, Margaret Robertson, reveals 2007's ten most important games you've never heard of at this year's Edinburgh Interactive Festival.

Respected industry consultant and former editor of EDGE magazine, Margaret Robertson, today revealed she will be speaking at Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2008 to praise ten of the most important games of last year that many people won’t be familiar with.

Entitled: ‘Need To Know: The Ten Most Important Games Of The Last Year You’ve Never Heard Of’, Robertson, who regularly contributes to BBC Online’s Technology section, will speak on Monday 11th August between 13:45 - 14:15 before an invited audience of industry delegates and press at Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

The last twelve months have been dominated with talk of BioShock, GTA IV and Wii Fit, but Robertson questions whether they are really the most significant games of the year. Have they done the most to change the rules, and to establish the trends which will shape the industry in the years to come?

Robertson said: “While big-hitting titles such as these grab the headlines, the games whose personnel, means of production, target audience, chosen platform, gameplay innovations, visual style, business models or marketing approach are rather more revolutionary can easily get overlooked. So, if you've ever wished you'd spotted Portal back when it was still Narbacular Drop, this session will steer you through the robot-building, wing-walking, child-rearing, music-battling games that will change the industry in 2009.”

About Margaret Robertson:
A historian by training, Margaret Robertson has written for many specialist magazines, mainstream publications like FHM, Seed and the BBC, and four years wrote for, and ultimately edited, Edge, the world's most respected videogame magazine. She also part of the team behind the GameCity festival, and serves as a juror for IndieCade, the Independent Game Festival and Dare to be Digital. Now, as a consultant, she advises companies like EA, Sony and Channel 4 on game design and industry trends.

About Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2008
Now celebrating its sixth year, the Edinburgh Interactive Festival is powered up to showcase the continued popularity, growth and influence of video games. And this year, the Interactive Festival is more synchronised with the world famous Edinburgh Festival than ever, appealing to the press, public and professionals from film, television and interactive media backgrounds alike, offering a bigger event for delegates, more consumer focusing – an overall spectacle for all.

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
UK

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
Digital Interactive Symposium

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 the afternoon of Tuesday 12th August.

Romance of the three kingdoms XI download free demo now

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI will be released across Europe on PC this September. RTK XI is the latest instalment in this award-winning strategy series but the first to be released in Europe on PC. Combining political manoeuvring with city building and tactical warfare, RTK XI is a tremendously involving experience that will appeal to PC strategists of all flavours. It will be available in stores and online from September 5.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI website is now live and the playable demo can be downloaded here for free. Head to the link below to learn more about the game’s devious politics, where you get to duel directly with fellow leaders. Discover more about the ways in which you can develop your city into the capital of a thriving empire. And find out about all of the intricate details which combine to make RTK XI a genuinely epic, time devouring experience.

www.rotk.co.uk


About ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS XI
From legendary video game producer Kou Shibusawa comes his next historical simulation masterpiece! Rediscover an ancient civilization with an explosive history in this most stunning edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms to date. Set during the end of the Han Dynasty and the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D., RTK XI presents the most visually captivating evolution ever seen in the history of the series. Featuring an artistic style evocative of classical Chinese ink-paintings, and with debates and duels now rendered in real-time 3D animation, RTK XI pushes the boundaries and blurs the line between video games and art in this stunning recreation of the mood and feel of ancient China.

Players will need to dig deep within to prove themselves adept at both the military and political arts in order to bring China under one rule. Domestic affairs, diplomacy and warfare are all conducted on a single vast 3D relief map, dramatically bringing to life the epic scale of the adventure that lies before them.



As the ruler of a kingdom, each player will have complete control over their territories. More than 40 base commands give players the power to govern cities, manage their personnel, practice diplomacy, and much more. Complete freedom to develop markets, shipyards, outposts, forts and military units expand on the already substantial benchmarks established by previous editions of the series. Finally, players will watch the era come to life through the unique individual personalities of more than 780 officers and supporting characters that they will meet and interact with while engaged in one of RTK XI's eight gripping scenarios

For improved control over each military campaign, RTK XI's turn-based game play allows the player to plan their movements without undue time constraints, and then execute their battle tactics when ready. RTK XI also introduces an entirely new system for researching military techniques, as well as an Advanced Tactics System that allows players to drive or lure enemies into devastating ambushes. Skilled players will be able to link together tactics for maximum damage.

Supernova 2 - Spacewar update patch 1.0.3 to download

Supernova 2: Spacewar is a space war game combined with a resource macromanagement simulation from Tycoon Games.

Just two months after the first version, Tycoon Games has released a major game update. The new features bring new life to Supernova 2, introducing the following enhancements:

- “Skirmish Mode” allows players to focus mainly on the war game: all technologies are known and unlimited resources and money to build fleets directly on startup are made available to the players.
This is perfect for those players who want to enjoy only the war game.

- “Ship Customization” is a new screen where gamers are able to create custom ship blueprints or modify an existing one: each device now requires a certain amount of space and energy, but the possibilities for custom combinations are endless.

- “Statistics Screen” enables the player to see various, interesting statistics about the current game like battles win/lost, total ship killed/lost, etc.

- “Real-Time Turns” is an option within the game macromanagement, so the time advances automatically without having to end each turn manually. Players can set their own speed using the plus and minus keys to change game speeds or press the “P” key to pause/unpause.

There have been several, minor bug fixes implemented, and improvements have also been added. Riva Celso, designer/programmer of Tycoon Games stated, “Any existing customer can just redownload the game to get all the new features for free, adhering to our policy of unlimited lifetime free updates. For those people who've tried the previous version but didn't like it for any reason, I encourage them to give it another try, since now it is definitely a different game”.

The Rarest and Most Valuable Sega Dreamcast Games

There are two major trends you will notice in the list below. First of all is the dominance of fighting and shooting games, mostly of the 2D nature. This is of little surprise to those that know the Dreamcast well as there games are some of the main draws for the system — especially when they don’t get ported to other systems. The second. . .

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