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Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Ship Simulator 2008 Collector's Edition out October 10th

Ship Simulator 2008 Collector's Edition has achieved Gold Master status. This Collector's Edition will include the latest updated version of Ship Simulator 2008 and the official add-on New Horizons, as well as unique, never-before-seen bonus material such as a 70+ page Captain's Journal of references and a 'Making of' video, giving players a sneak peek behind the scenes during the creation of the Ship Simulator series. This comprehensive package will begin hitting store shelves across the United Kingdom on October 10, 2008.

"We are very happy that the simulation community has embraced the Ship Simulator franchise," said Erik Schreuder, President of Lighthouse Interactive. "With the Collector's Edition, VSTEP has gone above and beyond taking players deeper into the Ship Simulator world, which exemplifies their commitment to fans of the genre."

"With this Collector's Edition, we want to give simulation fans a total immersive experience of the Ship Simulator games," said Frank Dolmans, CMO of VSTEP. "The CE will provide players with hours of fun and realistic simulation gameplay as well as provide them with some unique bonus content to immerse them even more into the game."

Lighthouse Interactive is part of SilverBirch video game division.

Ship Simulator 2008 Collector's Edition is the ultimate sailing simulator box set for PC. Become the captain of one of the most impressive ships in the World and take on the fierce ocean, or sail to an array of well-known ports across the globe. Ship Simulator 2008 Collector's Edition includes both, the much appreciated Ship Simulator 2008 game and the official Ship Simulator 2008 Add-On: New Horizons, which features exciting Online and LAN multiplayer missions. The Collector's Edition is packed with unique, never-before-seen bonus material such as a 70+ page Captain's Journal of references and the 'Making of' video, which gives players the opportunity to sneak a peek behind the scenes at the creation of the Ship Simulator game series. This comprehensive box set is a complete package not to be missed by any simulation fan!

FEATURES

• Captain 24 vessels, from powerboat to tugboat, port carter, oil tanker, superfast personal watercraft… or even the Titanic!

• Walk around on board any ship and examine everything in minute detail

• Sail through some of the Worlds' most famous and detailed ports and locations, including Rotterdam, San Francisco and Marseille, or take on the wild storms of the open sea

• Sail together with your friends and other Ship Simulator fans in Online Multiplayer mode (Internet connection required)

• From beginner level, to advanced - includes fast pick-up & play missions for the sailing fan, to extremely realistic simulation missions for real captains!

• Make use of advanced instruments aboard and experience the impressively realistic sailing characteristics of every ship

• Experience breathtaking adventures and missions in Mission mode, or sail the globe freely experimenting with the ever-changing weather conditions in Free Roaming mode.

For more information about Ship Simulator 2008 or Lighthouse Interactive, please visit www.shipsim.com and www.lighthouse-interactive.com.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

OS: Windows 2000 / XP / Vista
CPU: 2,4 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent AMD Athlon processor
RAM: 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended for Windows Vista)
Video: DirectX 9.0c compliant video card with 128 MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce 5900 or ATI 9600 Pro / X600 video card or better recommended)
PC DVD-ROM and CD-ROM: 4x
Available Hard Disk Space: 2 GB
Sound: DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card
Multiplayer: LAN or 56 Kbps Internet connection or faster
Other: Keyboard, Speakers and Mouse with scroll wheel
Optional Controllers: Joystick, Joypad or Steering wheel

Wii Speak comes to Europe on December 5th

Wii Speak Channel and Wii Speak accessory will connect friends and family and herald the next evolution of social gaming

Socialising and communicating with friends and family has just got easier – and more fun – as the new Wii Speak accessory and Wii Speak Channel are launched for Wii across Europe on 5 December 2008.

Wii Speak enables people to connect to and communicate with friends using the free-to-use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection* in a way that is very socially inclusive. Wii Speak can be connected directly to the console and pick up the conversations from an entire room of people, meaning friends and families can all get involved in conversations, sharing gaming and social experiences together. It’s just like using a phone to make a call and chat with other Wii-friends: but with Wii Speak, everyone in the room can get involved in the conversation.

The new Wii Speak Channel, accessed from the Wii’s main menu, allows up to four console users – who can be anywhere in the world – to connect together to chat, or to share pictures and text messages at no extra cost. Once connected, the Wii Speak Channel brings user’s Miis to life: as users’ Miis represent them on-screen during their conversations. When players are talking to each other, their Miis also ‘talk’ to match the sound that is being picked up by the Wii Speak accessory.

Users have to share their private Friend Codes to be able to communicate with each other, which makes the experience safe and fun.

As well as enabling people to connect together through the Wii Speak Channel, Wii Speak also opens up a new world of social gameplay. The first game to use the full capabilities of Wii Speak is Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City, in which players can create and share their personalised worlds.

For the first time, friends can chat in the game and, as the action happens in real time and creates a world in which players celebrate real festivals and events, sharing the gaming experience over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection on Christmas Day will be a uniquely magical experience, with characters and other players in the game all joining in the festive fun! Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City and the Wii Speak microphone will be offered as a bundle at launch, making a perfect gift for friends and family this Christmas.

In the future, Wii Speak will be incorporated into other Wii games, meaning that new opportunities can be created for social gameplay amongst the console’s fans.

Enjoy a whole new use for your Wii with Wii Speak and enjoy the chance to create – and talk about – the perfect world that you create in Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City on 5th December 2008, when they launch across Europe both as a bundle and sold separately.

there are no fees or subscriptions to pay (Usual broadband line rental and Internet Service Provider costs apply when accessing the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection at home)

Hello Kitty Daily video game on Nintendo DS

Hello Kitty Daily DS, the coolest and pinkest PDA ever to North America. Hello Kitty Daily for Nintendo DS is the new Personal DS Assistant that Hello Kitty fans and young Nintendo DS owners won’t be able to live without!

Arnaud Blacher, Nobilis Publishing Managing Director, added “Hello Kitty Daily will be for sure the new must- have for the millions of Hello kitty fans around the world. It’s adorable, super trendy, useful and totally adapted to the Nintendo DS. A great title to hit the busy casual gaming market! ”

“Hello Kitty is one of the most popular and well-known brands on the planet,” said Ted Staloch, Executive Vice President of Publishing at Aspyr. “Hello Kitty Daily for DS is a perfect marriage of style and function, built on this target audience’s ideal platform. Aspyr is a team of experts at managing products based on the world’s biggest franchises and we look forward to making Hello Kitty Daily a huge success in North America.”

About HELLO KITTY DAILY DS
Platform : Nintendo DS
Genre : Personal DS Assistant
Dev : Dorasu
Publisher : Nobilis Publishing

Afro Samurai video game heads for Europe

Afro Samurai's Stylish Tale of Revenge Comes to Europe in 2009

Atari gets ready to take arms with news that Afro Samurai, the vengeful videogame from NAMCO BANDAI Games, is coming to Europe for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. Based on the manga created by Takashi Okazaki and the hit anime series starring Samuel L. Jackson, Afro Samurai drips with cutting edge style through its fusion of hip hop and Japanese culture that’s as sharp as Afro’s sword. Afro Samurai will fight its way into Europe in 2009.

Afro Samurai is the story of a man on a lifelong journey to avenge his father killed by the lethal fighter Justice. Now, shedding Justice’s blood is Afro’s only reason to live. Seeking Justice and fighting his final adversary to the death won’t be easy as loyal assassins and trained henchmen are determined to destroy our tormented hero. In killing Justice, Afro will take the coveted number one headband for himself, and in this bitter world of chaos and megalomania, there’s only room for one at the top.

Afro Samurai captures the essence of the anime and Afro’s character through its beautifully portrayed environments and characters drawn using dynamic cross-hatching visuals to give the game a pen and ink hand-drawn look, with Samuel L. Jackson once again providing the voice for Afro. The innovative combat system gives Afro the ability to dismember enemies with ease. This system coupled with Afro's expansive arsenal of graceful and elegantly sharp moves make Afro Samurai a blood-spattered masterpiece. Staying true to the soul of the anime series, Afro Samurai is set to an original hip hop musical score with a new track by The RZA of Wu Tang Clan fame, a legend of hip hop music and culture.

Rock Band create your own Band members, Posters, Clothes and more

Transform Your Rock Lifestyle Fantasy Into Reality With Fully Customizable Merchandise for Rock Band 2 Now Available at RockBand.com

Outfit Your Rock Lifestyle By Creating Apparel, Posters and More Featuring Your Band Photo or Logo with the new Merch Booth Tool!

Design and Order Bandmates — Personalized Figurines that Resemble Your In-Game Characters!

Create Customized Game Quality 3D Images for RockBand.com Personal Profiles

Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game development company, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV, announced today the opening of a new specialty shop at RockBand.com where Rock Band 2 enthusiasts can create and order customized merchandise featuring their in-game Rock Band characters and bands.

“The products we will be offering through the Rock Band store go far beyond standard videogame fare and encourage Rock Band players to live in the real world of rock,” says Ryan Lesser, art director at Harmonix. “Just like with real bands, Rock Band bands need their own schwag too, so we’re giving Rock Band musicians a chance to order personalized t-shirts, posters, bumper stickers and more that are sure to keep any fan happy.”

The new Photo Creator, designed by Harmonix, makes it easy to create images of your Rock Band 2 characters and bands; just simply pose your characters, add back drops and visual effects, shoot the photos and assign the game-quality 3D images to your band pages and personal profile on RockBand.com. In addition, MTV Games and Harmonix have partnered with Zazzle, a company that specializes in on-demand customizable printing for apparel and accessories, to offer players the opportunity to use images captured with the Photo Creator tool and upload them using the Merch Booth tool onto a variety of T-shirts, posters, stickers and more!

MTV Games and Harmonix have also partnered with Z Corporation, a company that specializes in 3D printing and manufacturing, to offer collectible Bandmates—detailed 6” figurines automatically generated from players’ personalized in-game avatars. Using the Bandmate Creator tool, designed by Harmonix, players can customize their character’s pose before ordering the figurine. Pricing for individual Bandmates is $69; a great value at nearly half the price of other made-to-order figurines available on the market.

Pricing details for customized Rock Band 2 merchandise are as follows

Bandmates (Detailed 6” Figurines) - $69
T-Shirts - $29
Posters - $14
Stickers (sheet of 6) - $5
Bumper Sticker - $4
Key Chain - $3
Button - $2

**Shipping and handling not included in prices above

The RockBand.com store will also offer a large selection of band gear and clothing that features original art from Rock Band’s surreal shell design; merchandise that is only worthy of a touring Rock Band musician.

Released on September 14, 2008 for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Rock Band 2 has revolutionized music gaming with the ability to export most of the songs from the original Rock Band disc [1], Online World Tour, daily Battle-Of-The Band Tournaments, Auto-Calibration to eliminate TV lag, wireless drums, quieter, velocity sensitive drum heads, support for up to three cymbals (sold separately), No Fail Mode, and a real Drum Trainer.

Rock Band 2 features the largest music catalogue of any music-based videogame to date including over 100 songs [2] on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack with an unrivaled blend of classic and new artists including AC/DC, Guns ‘N Roses, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Motorhead and more! With the addition of complete and immediate backwards compatibility for songs purchased from Rock Band’s ever-expanding online music store and the ability to export most songs from the original Rock Band disc, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs [3] by year’s end.

Rock Band 2 is rated “T” for Teen with descriptors of lyrics and suggestive themes by the ESRB.

Rock Band 2 is now available on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft with an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for other platforms later this year.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

ZUBO video game on Nintendo DS - Fact Sheet

ZUBO on Nintendo DS - Fact Sheet

Zubo is the new, original property from EA's Bright Light Studio designed exclusively for the Nintendo DS handheld system, and perfect for kids ages 7 and up.

Launched into the fully 3D world of Zubalon, players meet the colorful and zany stars of the game, the Zubos. Zubalon is under siege by the evil Big Head and his army of Zubo clones, the dastardly Zombos! While traveling through the game, players can befriend any Zubos they meet along the way, feeding and nurturing them, helping them gain skills and strength, and assisting them in chasing off the evil Zombos in strategic battles with an innovative rhythm action mechanic.

With 55 Zubos available to find and recruit to a player's squad, over 100 fully animated comedy battle moves, 10 lands of Zubalon to explore, plus a wealth of interactions and mini-games, Zubo offers a deeply rewarding Nintendo DS experience. This stylus-tapping adventure promises hours of entertainment kids (and adults) are sure to love!

• Explore the 10 Worlds of Zubalon- get lost in the multiple lands, including Wild West, Fairytale, Pop and Horror!

• Befriend Over 50 Zany Characters – Create your dream team to battle the Big Head's army of Zubo clones- the evil Zombos!

• Take the Zombos on in Style – Master the accessible strategy system and rhythm action mechanic across more than 100 hilarious animated battle moves and 10 custom composed team musical themes.

• Engage in a Variety of Minigames – Blow away cobwebs, play the drums, escape the Heart Maze, pop balloons, dig for treasure, Whack-A-Zombie, and much more in order to proceed to the next exciting level!

• Challenge your friends – Put your team of Zubos to the test with the adhoc multiplayer.

Beuty Factory Cosmetics video game out in US

Become a cosmetics industry mogul in City Interactive's management simulation.

Beauty Factory for PC today. In Beauty Factory, players try to create a powerful cosmetics empire, starting out by researching cosmetics such as lipsticks, mascaras, powders and nail-polishes, and then taking charge of the packaging and marketing of those products. As consumer tastes change, it will be up to the player to modify their cosmetics' formulas to keep up with the times while successfully managing continually changing marketing strategies.
For more information about Beauty Factory, please visit http://www.city-interactive.com.

In Beauty Factory, players will run a burgeoning cosmetics empire - starting out as a lab employee in charge of designing new lipsticks, powders, nail-polishes and much more. Once the product is created, it's up to you to create a marketing and sales program to ensure your new cosmetics make it to the stores, and into the hands of consumers.

As times change, so do trends, and players will have to adapt to changes in consumer tastes, redesigning products and adjusting marketing plans to keep sales booming.

Dead Space video game music soundtrack by Jason Graves

Intensely atmospheric orchestral score for EA’s new sci-fi survival horror game Dead Space. Developed with award-winning composer Jason Graves, in association with Rod Abernethy and under the direction of EA Redwood Shores studio; Jason’s chilling score for Dead Space enhances the horror and tension of the game through extreme aleatoric and extended 20th Century orchestral music techniques.

“Graves’ work on the Dead Space score is simply fantastic. The music is a key factor in the overall tense mood of our game,” says Don Veca, Audio Director of Dead Space. “We needed an original orchestral score for Dead Space -- Aleatoric in style, dark and dissonant, ranging from subtle creepy/eerie moods to completely cacophonous frenzies.”

Dead Space is a bold and bloody sci-fi survival horror game that is designed to deliver the ultimate in psychological thrills and gruesome action. In Dead Space, players step into the role of engineer Isaac Clarke, an ordinary man on a seemingly routine mission to fix the communications systems aboard a deep space mining ship called the USG Ishimura. Set approximately 500 years in the future, Isaac discovers that the crew of the mining spaceship is found horribly slaughtered and transformed into terrifying monsters. Now Isaac is cut off, trapped, and engaged in a desperate fight for survival.

The official soundtrack for Dead Space will be available on www.ea.com/eatrax for purchase to coincide with the release of Dead Space on October 14, 2008. The score features over three hours of music recorded during two different recording sessions. In the first session Graves conducted sixty musicians of the acclaimed Northwest Sinfonia Orchestra at the Bastyr Chapel in Seattle, and a year later Graves conducted sixty players of the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra and twenty voice choir at the world famous Skywalker Sound Scoring Stage. During both sessions, co-produced by Jason Graves and Rod Abernethy, the orchestra was recorded individually by section (woodwinds, brass, percussion and strings) with multiple dynamic levels and variations to be implemented as adaptive layers of music in the game. EA’s audio team designed the music system to be multi-layered so the music could be mixed at run-time based on gameplay and situation.

“The unique interactive aspect of the Dead Space music gave me the opportunity to experiment and try things I've never been able to do in a video game score before,” said Dead Space composer Jason Graves. “Many thanks to Don Veca and the rest of the team at EA for allowing me such freedom with the score; it was both the most challenging and most rewarding music I've ever composed."

Dead Space will be in stores on 24th October 2008 for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and the PC . For more information on the game, visit the official web site at www.deadspacegame.com.

Tales of Pirates free-to-play - win one of 500 keys

Eligible mmolecule members can win one of 500 Advanced Package keys for IGG's free-to-play MMO Tales of Pirates!

Tales of Pirates Advanced Package Giveaway for mmolecule members. mmolecule will conduct a random drawing to award 500 advanced package keys for Tales of Pirates, one of the most popular free-to-play MMO’s currently in release.

Anyone who becomes a member of the mmolecule Community and registers for the drawing by October 19th will be eligible to win. Only one key will be awarded per person. Winners will be privately notified after October 20th.

“We are very excited to be working in partnership with IGG on this giveaway ,” said Bryce Ashey, CEO and co-founder of mmolecule. “This is a great opportunity for mmolecule members to learn more about Tales of Pirates, as well as other free-to-play MMO’s that IGG has to offer. We look forward to offering more tools, services, and contests involving IGG games in the very near future.”

Complete contest details and prize listings are available at http://f2p.mmolecule.com/top_giveaway.html.

Monday, October 06, 2008

Caveman Rock video game on Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS

Caveman Rock for Nintendo DS and Wii.

Caveman Rock is a casual time puzzler in which the player has to fire coloured rocks via the DS touch screen or the Wii mote to a targeted position. Explode the coloured lava rocks below before they reach the top line.

The lava rocks slowly increase their rate of decent as the game progresses and with the added threat of various wacky obstacles getting in your way it is a challenge that will put pressure on all levels of gamer.

Also included is the ability for the player to accumulate money which can be used to buy added help from your friendly dinosaur and record your high score.

Get three in a row to make them explode with the many colours of rock to manipulate. Simple yet fiendishly addictive and very hard to put down! Caveman Rock includes four modes of single player gaming and one for multiplayer.

A great and enjoyable storyline creates a beautiful setting for the player who quickly becomes immersed in the game. This game is appropriate for all ages and family members.

In Caveman Rock’s story mode, for instance, players progress by hitting a target number of points or conditions that’s specified at the start of the level. As the player progresses; there is the ability to purchase different dinosaurs that can aid the player with their specific ability.

Features Include:

· Four modes of play - Story Mode, Survival Mode, Puzzle Mode and Time Attack - with a specific mode for Multiplayer gaming
· Customisable sound effects and music
· Highly intuitive and accurate control system
· 99 levels in Story Mode & 50 in Puzzle Mode
· A true pick up and play feel; suitable for anyone and will leave the player addicted and wanting more
· High quality graphics with rendering technique - the player will enjoy the pleasing and relaxed game atmosphere
· Flexible difficulty and challenge at the same time. No tedium from playing Caveman

Caveman Rock is a new generation of casual puzzle games.

Release date: Q1 2009

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Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Monday, October 06, 2008