Metallica Brings Death Magnetic to Guitar Hero III - Legends of Rock

Guitar Hero to Feature Two Exclusive Versions of "Suicide and Redemption"

Downloadable Death Magnetic Album Also Forward Compatible with Upcoming Guitar Hero World Tour

In a monumental first for the gaming and music industries, Metallica's highly anticipated ninth studio album Death Magnetic will be available in its entirety as downloadable content for Activision, Guitar Hero III - Legends of Rock day and date with the album release this Friday, September 12. Featured on the downloadable album will be two Guitar Hero exclusive renditions of "Suicide & Redemption" with extended solos by James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett. Gamers looking to shred, drum and wail away to the Death Magnetic downloadable album need only purchase the content once as it is forward compatible and will integrate seamlessly with Guitar Hero World Tour when it launches this October.

In addition to the two exclusive versions of "Suicide & Redemption," Guitar Hero fans will live out the surreal Metallica experience with: "That Was Just Your Life," "The End of the Line," "Broken, Beat & Scared," "The Day That Never Comes," "All Nightmare Long," "Cyanide," "The Unforgiven III," "The Judas Kiss" and "My Apocalypse."

"We've been working very closely with Metallica and we're extremely excited to offer Death Magnetic not only in its entirety, but also with the exclusive recordings of 'Suicide & Redemption' as downloadable content to Guitar Hero fans," said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Activision Blizzard. "We're proud to be setting a new precedent for our two industries, making an entire new album available in two different mediums simultaneously."

Metallica's Death Magnetic album will be available for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on September 12, 2008 for download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft at a cost of 1440 Microsoft Points and in the PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system at a cost of $17.99.

Math Blaster - maths adventure game on Nintendo DS

Award-Winning PC Series Blasts Its Way To Handheld

Original hit Windows PC game, Math Blaster makes learning fun by combining a variety of adventure-based learning games with challenging mathematic puzzles and the unique capabilities of Nintendo DS. 

The result is an action-packed adventure that adds up to total entertainment!

Robots control the galaxy and the fate of the universe lies in question. 

Armed with an experimental spaceship, 

players must put their math skills to the 

ultimate test as they blast through space 

to defend the human race and defeat 

the robotic rulers. 

Players master math 

skills in a variety of 

brain-busting categories 

including addition, 

subtraction and 

multiplication.

Whether competing with a 

friend in Four Player Battle 

Mode, or testing their 

computation abilities in 

Challenge or Adventure 

modes, players multiply, 

add and subtract 

their way through 

three difficulty levels.

WiiWare add Groovin' Blocks plus Final Solider, Cho Aniki on virtual console

School's back in session, but it's not the only place to get your brain buzzing. This week's additions to the Nintendo Wii Shop Channel include a challenging new puzzle game available via WiiWare, plus a pair of crackling Virtual Console actioners to keep your imagination raging between classes. Even if your school days are behind you, this latest lineup of downloadable titles will help get you fired up for fall, fueled by the one-of-a-kind fun of Nintendo's top-selling Nintendo Wii system.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Nintendo Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Nintendo Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Nintendo Wii Points to download the games. Nintendo Wii Points can be purchased in the Nintendo Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

WiiWare

Groovin' Blocks (Empty Clip Studios, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): A music-based game like no other, Groovin' Blocks adds innovative musical game play to an addictive action/puzzle game foundation. Play to the rhythm of the music to increase your score, and try to hit "Superbeats" to double your multiplier. Go for the high score in each of the 27 stages as you collect stars to unlock 15 levels of power-ups. Groovin' Blocks features three skill levels, from the accessible Casual to the fiendish Hard mode. Play with your friends in co-op mode or against them head-to-head. Head-to-head brings it up a notch as the power-ups now become attacks on your opponent. Play head-to-head with people of all skill levels using a golf-style handicapping system.

Virtual Console

Final Solider (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone—Mild Fantasy Violence, 700 Wii Points): A vertically scrolling shooter from the well-known Soldier series. In the 23rd century, invaders from the future suddenly attack Earth. Controlling a fighter created by the world's scientists, you rise to meet the enemy. Collect power-up units, such as LASER, E-BEAM, FIRE and MISSILE, and then equip them in Options to launch a variety of attacks. For each of these weapons, you can freely select from three different types in SET-UP. Anticipate enemies' strikes and deftly switch between weapons to defeat the invaders. In addition to NORMAL GAME, there are also 2 MINUTE GAME and 5 MINUTE GAME score-attack modes. The most perfect blend and balance of any game in the series, Final Soldier is a title you don't want to miss.

Cho Aniki (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone and Older—Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, 900 Wii Points): The odd world in this shooter made for quite the conversation piece in its day. Players control either Idaten or Benten, celestial warriors out to bring an end to the tyrannical rule of the emperor of Planet Builder, who holds muscular prowess to be the supreme virtue of the universe. Aided by able-bodied muscle-head options Adon and Samson, they must battle to defeat the emperor's army across five stages. Use the buttons to fire away and lay into the Builder forces. Power up your character and options with protein from defeated enemies to have them "bulk up" with a yell, and take their macho battle to the next level.

Monster Madness - Grave Danger Challenge modes on PlayStation 3

INTRODUCING: CHALLENGE MODES

White Water Swanning - Unlockable Costume: French Maid Jennifer
Swans are big, stupid birds. A blonde riding a rental swan is an equally strange combination. Take your blonde and her novelty rental boat out for a ride on the white water rapids. Make fastest time while riding through the gold markers to make top score. Be careful though since these rental boats are susceptible to hitting rocks and other obstacles.

UFO Shooter - Unlockable Costume: Cowboy Zack
Fly the unfriendly skies in your very own UFO! Stolen directly from the alien invaders of Planet X, your trusty flying saucer is a state of the art kick-butt machine. Maneuver through enemy fire and set your plasma guns to destroy as you plow through the ranks of Planet X, and even take on the Prince of Darkness himself.

Slice N’ Dice - Unlockable Costume: Secret Service Zack
How to make a Super Zack; 1) Give him mushrooms 2) Throw him down a drain pipe 3) make him run through this training course. Teach Zack to jump and duck like his favorite video game plumber as he attempts to prove that he is a video game hero. Avoid the amputation of your legs, or head by learning to time your jumps just right. Master this training course and you too will be rescuing princesses and jump punch floating blocks of bricks in no time.

Read the full post here...

Around the World in 80 Flights Microsoft Flight Simulator FS 2004 / FSX Add-on

Around the world in 80 flights! 

Circumnavigate the globe, heading east from the historic Farnborough airfield in the UK, on an epic 80-leg journey around the world. Fly over the Alps and Pyrenees before facing the challenge of the mighty Himalayan range. Explore the Far East and Australia. Blaze a trail from the frozen north, to tropical Africa. Conquer the lonely Pacific, leapfrogging across a series of islands as you make your way to the United States. Make landfall and catch your breath before flying over some of the most stunning scenery in the world as you head across the vast expanse of the USA to the Caribbean before venturing on a transatlantic crossing back to Farnborough.

Each of the 80 flight legs can be flown as individual or consecutive missions and are comprehensively detailed, with a flight plan, pilots notes, full briefing and a guide to many of the wonders of the world that pass beneath your wings. From man made wonders such as the Great Pyramids and the Golden Gate Bridge, to natural wonders such as Mount Kilimanjaro, the Sahara Desert, the Indonesian Archipelago and the Grand Canyon, the entire route has been carefully chosen to showcase the breathtaking beauty of the planet.



Around the World Features

• The entire trip is a little over 400 hours flying time
  
• The trip covers nearly 35000 miles!
  
• Over 112 countries are either visited or flown over!
  
• The longest flight is nearly 3000 miles from Honolulu to San Francisco
  
• The shortest flight is 55 miles from Helsinki to Talinn, Estonia, crossing the Baltic
  
• The northernmost point of the trip is Sondre Stromfjord in Greenland whilst the southernmost point is Darwin, Australia
  
• Complete the entire trip around the globe in a stunning recreation of the 1937 Lockheed  Electra 10E, under licence from Lockheed Martin INC, and you will have truly earned the special circumnavigators’ certificate awarded to master aviators!
  

Tomb Raider - Underworld Beneath the surface video game trailer

Mythology has always played a significant part of each successive Tomb Raider game and in this, the latest Tomb Raider: Underworld trailer (Beneath The Surface), Cinematics Director, Toby Gard, and Creative Director, Eric Lindstrom, reveal the story behind Lara Croft’s latest adventure.

Lindstrom explains how it took a significant amount of time to figure out what the mythology of the game should be and the visual style given all the places Lara travels to – from the Hindu culture in Thailand and Mayan culture in Mexico to the unifying Norse thread that leads her to all these locations. In pursuing her own goal of recovering Thor’s Hammer, she risks putting the whole world in danger...

Watch Lara Croft Tomb Raider - Underworld video game trailer Beneath the surface movie here...

Other Lara Croft Tomb Raider posts here...

PS3 and Wii gamers rush to play Warrior Quest online RPG

Mikomi announces that free-to-play online RPG Warrior Quest attracts more PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii players than on PC.

In just two weeks - Warrior Quest free-to-play online RPG, has seen its console audience grow to surpass its already substantial PC and Mac following.

Lead by PlayStation 3 gamers, players have been logging on to Warrior Quest in record numbers, far surpassing the number of players accessing the game from home video game consoles in any preceding month. Following closely behind PlayStation 3 gamers, Warrior Quest has also developed a strong audience among Nintendo Wii owners who, like PS3 gamers, can access Warrior Quest through their systems internet browser.

Warrior Quest is a charming RPG designed for casual and expanded audiences that revolves around card collection and turn based battles. Online leader boards allow gamers to submit their scores and see where they stand in the game’s worldwide rankings. The game is free-to-play with premium content due for release in the coming months to further expand the gaming experience.

In addition to Warrior Quest, Mikomi’s other online RPG, The Half Broken Crown - The Broken Kingdoms, has also seen its console player-base explode in the past two weeks and, like Warrior Quest, it too now sees more players accessing it through their home video game consoles than either PC or Mac. The Half Broken Crown - The Broken Kingdoms is a point and click adventure game with live cross-platform chat facilities that allow gamers to communicate and share hints and tips together, across PC, Mac and home console platforms. This game also has PlayStation Portable (PSP) and Nintendo DS (with Browser) editions available for play.

A special edition re-release of The Half Broken Crown - The Broken Kingdoms is due later this year.

Trusting video games players pays off for Sins of a Solar Empire makers

Sins of a Solar Empire has become a financial success selling discs and digital copies without any copy protection. Stardock, the publishers, revealed how much of a success with half a million units sold including 100,000 digital downloads. For an independent, non-franchise game with a budget of only $1,000,000, it's a runaway success.

Stardock chief Brad Wardell attributed the success of Sins of a Solar Empire to the low system requirements, the game runs well on a budget systems, thanks to decisions made during the development process. "You make those kinds of design decisions, and you greatly increase the number of people who can play your game," he said. "You lose out on some piddly super-mega effect, but you get those units. The results come in sales." - Brad said.

Sins of a Solar Empire falls into the definition of a hardcore game. Even short games take several hours to complete, and longer games with multiple players can reach over ten hours. But its success highlights one of the strengths shared by casual games that make them so appealing to a wide audience.

You don't have to worry about detail settings, graphics cards, what version of DirectX you're running, or anything like that - you just install Sins of a Solar Empire and play it!

Game developers can certainly stand to learn something from this philosophy.

Söldner-X - Himmelsstürmer video game for the PlayStation 3

More details of the upcoming video game Söldner-X - Himmelsstürmer for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system have been announced.


The PlayStation 3 version contains lots of additional new features not found in the original 2007 PC version release, including audio and visual improvements, updated game play, trophies support and much more.


Söldner-X - Himmelsstürmer is anticipated to be released on the PlayStation Network in North America in October 2008, with other territories expected to follow shortly after.

New features:

• Visual improvements including y-scrolling, new background animations, newly added effects and more
• Contains new enemies, including newly crafted standard foes and larger sub boss battles
• Additional boss battle and berserker mode background music (seven brand new tracks in total!)
• New sound effects added for an enhanced gaming experience
• Rebalanced game play with an easier default difficulty
• Rebalanced high score system, including new victory screens
• DualShock 3 and optional SixAxis support
• Trophies support

Further key features:

• 12 stages of beautiful parallax graphics and animations, staged across 4 fantastic world/space settings
• High definition graphics in up to 1080p
• Beautiful weather effects (such as rain, fog and lightning)
• Classic design, yet state-of-the-art shooter technology
• Unique upgrade weapon system with five standard weapon types
• Never before seen tactical elements such as chaining, effectiveness system, 'berserker' mode and more
• Plenty of hidden bonus features
• More than 20 extras (with both positive and negative effects!)
• Addictive collection quests
• Over-the-top boss fights
• Features a superb soundtrack and sound effects
• Up to fix modes of difficulty
• Easy to learn, yet tough to master
• Online high score ranking

About Söldner-X - Himmelsstürmer -
Set in the distant future, the game is a fast and furious shoot 'em up with state-of-the-art graphics, driving soundtrack and classic fun gamezplay sprinkled with fresh innovations. In the storyline, planet Earth's resistance aims to stop a deadly infection consuming both life forms and technology alike, oddly having to rely on an antihero mercenary and bounty hunter to pilot a mighty prototype star fighter. His goal - To fight his way to the virus' origin, save civilization and earn cash to boot!

Farmyard Party video game - featuring the Olympigs on Nintendo Wii

Farmyard Party – featuring the Olympigs.

Farmyard Party - Featuring the Olympigs brings farmyard fun to the Nintendo Wii. The game has eight Olympig events which are divided into four categories: all-round, speed, power, and skill. Game modes include a marathon challenge, party modes themed around event styles, single event fun and some hilarious bonus games.

The game play revolves around using a combination of the Nintendo Wii Remote and Nintendo Nunchuk in various ways to complete each event. The events require a combination of speed, timing and more than a little sweat! Alongside the challenges of beating the game records and those of your friends, there are a number of new characters, bonus games and a development gallery for players to unlock.

Based on the cornerstones of sportsmanship and competitiveness of the fun and crazy games, Farmyard Party is an ideal choice for family friendly fun in the New Year. Farmyard Party: Featuring the Olympigs provides an entertaining multiplayer experience (4 player mode), with colourful graphics and physically demanding gameplay.


Available for North America, Europe, Asia
Genre: Sports / Party
No. of players: Up to 4 players
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Publisher: Data Design Interactive