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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Nikopol - Secrets of Immortals PC video game annoucement

Today leading video game publisher Lighthouse Interactive announced that they have acquired the Scandinavian and UK publishing rights for the critically acclaimed Adventure game Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals (PC). Developed by White Birds Productions, Nikopol is an adaptation of the famed Nikopol Trilogy graphic novel series and feature film Immortal, created by esteemed graphic novelist Enki Bilal. The game immerses players into a tale of a man who is confronted by a perilous world of political intrigue while in search of his father. Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals is scheduled for release in November 2008.

“We are honoured to be working with Benoît Sokal’s White Birds Productions,” said Steve Wall, V.P. Business Development. “Nikopol has received rave reviews and we are proud to be bringing this exceptional gaming experience to fans across the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.”

Benoit Sokal is a venerated graphic novelist and one of the four founding associates of White Birds Productions. Sokal is also the creator behind award-winning Adventure games Amerzone, Sinking Island, and Syberia I & II.

It is the year 2023 in Paris, France – now ruled by a power-hungry dictator, it is a place where the fascist rich and the abandoned poor are separated by both a literal and figurative wall. As our hero Nikopol, you must thwart a dark conspiracy as one of the leaders plot to take control of Paris and its people, but the story takes a sharp twist. You receive shocking news that your father, Alcide Nikopol, an astronaut sent into orbital exile many decades ago, may be alive and hidden in the city's underground. At the same time an eerie and mysterious pyramid appears floating above the city and is said to be inhabited by powerful Egyptian gods; among them Horus, god of the sky. Your journey will be entangled with political intrigue as you are caught between two worlds… one of anarchy and one of immortality.

FEATURES

· A thrilling challenge set in a rich futuristic universe inspired by famed graphic novelist Enki Bilal
· As Nikopol, you must use cunning and logic to protect yourself from the Immortals' plans and thwart a dark conspiracy
· Interact with a cast of unique characters set in 6 different game environments
· Visually stunning graphics married with immersive gameplay

Mortal Kombat v DC Universe video game special cover creation

Video detailing the creation of the DC Comics special video cover for the video game.

Watch it here on gamezplay.org YouTube videos...

Pre school Nintendo DS video games - I Did it Mum! 2 and I Did it Mum! Picture Book

A new range of Nintendo DS titles that introduce interactive ways to learn while having fun. Aimed at pre-school children, these educational titles can be played by parents alongside their little ones or adults can leave kids to play alone, safe in the knowledge they’re improving their reading, spelling and number skills.

The I Did it Mum! brand was a runaway success when it first launched on Nintendo DS last November and this year the series is back with all-new mini-games and challenges to keep young ones entertained. What’s more, I Did it Mum! 2 will be joined by I Did it Mum! Picture Book; an interactive story book that’s full of fun activities.

I Did it Mum! 2 comes in two different versions: Boy and Girl. Alongside 13 fresh mini-games, each version includes five exclusive games that will specifically appeal to either gender. So, girls will be counting flowers, while boys get to grips with speeding motor cars.

Both versions will help pre-school children to develop vital skills, including counting and reading, thanks to fun bursts of gameplay featuring charming characters and colourful graphics.

Meanwhile, I Did it Mum! Picture Book is a new spin-off of the popular series featuring eight different delightful stories based on classic European and Asian fairy tales. As well as offering youngsters the opportunity to improve their reading, Picture Book also contains interactive drawings for players to colour in and fun mini games to keep inquisitive minds busy. Finally, for parents who want to read the stories to their children, there’s an option to turn off the in-game narration; perfect for a spot of bedtime storytelling.

“There’s a definite gap in the market for titles aimed at a pre-schoolers, particularly on Nintendo DS,” said Rowan Tafler, Global Brand Manager, 505 Games. “The popularity of the original I Did it Mum! shows that parents are looking for games to entertain and educate their children, so we fully expect I Did it Mum! 2 and I Did it Mum! Picture Book to build on its fantastic success.”

I Did it Mum! 2 Boy and Girl versions, alongside I Did it Mum! Picture Book, are released exclusively for Nintendo DS in Europe on November 7th.

I DID IT MUM! 2 KEY FEATURES

· 18 different mini-games
· Five exclusive boy or girl-themed mini-games in each version
· New pet companion: cat, dog or chick
· Up to six birthday or memorable dates can be added to a special diary
· Fully controlled with the touch screen

I DID IT MUM! PICTURE BOOK KEY FEATURES

· Eight picture books with traditional stories
· Bonus mini-games
· Narration can be muted so parents can read to their children
· Interactive illustrations to stimulate and excite children’s curiosity

Tom Clancy's Endwar video game demo released on Xbox live

Kicking off the countdown to the game’s release, Ubisoft announced today that a playable demo of Tom Clancy’s EndWar for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft is now available to consumers. The demo, exclusively available for Xbox 360, is free and offered for download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360.

The demo features both single-player and multiplayer gameplay.

The single-player portion of the demo is part of the “Prelude to War” campaign, serving as a tutorial for players. The multiplayer portion contains one mode, Conquest, and one map, La Mancha, Spain. The multiplayer demo contains one-versus-one functionality and includes full match-making capabilities.

Tom Clancy’s EndWar will ship in EMEA territories on November 4, 2008 for Xbox 360 and the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system.

Barack Obama buys advertising for Xbox video games

Barack Obama, flush with cash and ramping up his advertising in the final weeks before the November 4 election, is making U.S. political history by placing the first presidential campaign ads in online video games.

The Democratic Illinois senator is using the Internet ads, featured in 18 games through Microsoft Corp's Xbox Live service, to promote his online voter registration and early balloting drive in 10 battleground states, a campaign spokesman said on Wednesday.

Unprecedented in U.S. presidential politics, the video game buy is targeted mainly at young adult males who are difficult to reach through more traditional campaign advertising.

"The 18-to-34-year-old male is the mainstream demographic for the hard-core video gamer," said Van Baker, an analyst for Gartner Inc., a technology market research firm in San Jose, California. "They're hard to get to because they don't watch much TV and they don't read a lot, so it's a good venue to get that segment."

The ads appear in games as banners or billboards with an image of Obama, the slogan "Early voting has begun," and a reference to his VoteForChange.com Web site. The site allows users to register online to vote, obtain absentee voter information and find a polling location.

Polls consistently have given Obama, 47, an edge over Republican rival John McCain, 72, among younger voters.

Far from turning his back on more conventional media, however, Obama's campaign last week said he planned to make a prime-time pitch to voters October 29 in a 30-minute ad slated to run on two broadcast networks, CBS and NBC.

More from Reuters here...

The King of Fighters Collection - The Orochi Saga

The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo Wii

Spanning KOF 94 – 98, this collection replays the classic storyline of the Orochi Saga….

The King of Fighters ‘94:

The year is 1994. Invitations to the King of Fighters tournament have been sent to the world's greatest warriors. However, the patron of this little party remains unknown. It cannot be Geese, nor can it be Krauser. So who could they be from...? Among all the hopes and doubts, the legendary superstars of the fighting world begin to form their mighty teams. The intensity of the fan's excitement reaches a fevered pitch as the tournament finally approaches its beginning.

The King of Fighters ‘95:

It's 1995, and again invitations to the King of Fighters tournament have found their way to the world's most powerful fighters. The invitations have been signed with only the letter ‘R’. Could the ‘R’ be that of Rugal, who reportedly died on his aircraft carrier a year ago? Among the contestants for this year's tournament is the newly selected team of Billy, Yagami and Kisaragi, who had beaten, and now replaced, the American Team. But what is Billy planning? What ambitions does Kisaragi hold? And what evil designs for his old foe Kyo Kusanagi spurs Iori Yagami on?

The King of Fighters ‘96:

Unlike the mystery surrounding previous KOF competitions, KOF '96 has become a major international event sponsored by a number of huge corporations. Preliminary contests have been held in various areas throughout the world. This time, however, there is a team among them who cannot fail to raise eyebrows, composed of Geese Howard, Wolfgang Krauser, and Mr. BIG. The three who once attempted to conquer the world are now but mere contestants in this tournament. Is their object, perhaps, to do away with the Bogard brothers or the disciples of Kyokugen karate? If that weren't enough to surprise...Iori Yagami appears once again, teamed up with a pair of mysterious women. How will the rivalry between Iori and Kyo Kusanagi that has cursed their two families since ancient time play out this time around? This is KOF '96, held as an official recognized sporting event, over which dark clouds have already started to gather....

The King of Fighters ‘97:

KOF '96 tournament drew to a close with an incident that occurred right after the tournament's end. The incident itself and the subsequent accident it caused were officially reported as the result of terrorist activity by an unknown group, but the details concerning the identity, motives, and subsequent whereabouts of the terrorists remained a mystery.
In spite of this incident, however, the KOF '96 tournament was an overwhelming worldwide commercial success. A few months after, the event triggered a fighting craze and various large corporations, expressing interest, offered to sponsor subsequent tournaments, leading to a demand for an eagerly awaited KOF '97. Word of the tournament came through all forms of the media, and fans from far and wide gathered to witness the white-hot preliminary battles. Concomitant to the preliminary matches, came the construction of various KOF stadiums throughout the world. What team will win the tournament that the eyes of the whole world will look on and wear the KOF crown of victory? And does an incident similar to the unexpected accident of last year's tournament threaten to mar the festivities? All of the world's attention is focused on this year's tournament. KOF '97 is here!

The King of Fighters ‘98:

Known as a “Dream Match” KOF 98 contains the greatest fighters up to this point in the KOF history. A total of 38 characters making up 12 teams plus bonus and hidden characters.

‘For fans of the KOF series and fighting games in general, this collection is something to look forward to’ says Peter Rollinson, Product Manager, Ignition Entertainment Ltd. ‘these titles were the foundation to a franchise that is still going strong today.’

FEATURES:

- Contains 5 The King of Fighters releases
- Choose from over 60 playable characters across the titles
- Classic 2D Arcade fighting action
- Personalise your favourite character with the ‘Colour Edit Mode’

The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga will be available Winter ’08 for the for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo Wii.

Mortal Kombat v DC Universe video game DC Comic special

Video detailing the creation of the DC Comics special comic book of the video game.

Watch it here on gamezplay.org YouTube videos...

Real Heroes - Firefighter video game screenshots

Grab your smoke masks and get ready for white-knuckle firefighting action, as today Conspiracy Entertainment and Epicenter Studios have released screenshots for "Real Heroes - Firefighter" for the Nintendo Wii.

Showcasing extensive use of the Wii's motion control features, "Real Heroes: Firefighter" will have players swinging fire axes to bash down doors, aiming water hoses to douse infernos and ripping through obstacles with chainsaws.

In development by Epicenter Studios, "Real Heroes: Firefighter" emphasizes non-violent, game-integral puzzles and challenges that mirror the on-the-fly choices firefighters face every day.

Featuring Epicenter's proprietary "Thinking Fire" technology, blazes will seem almost alive as they not only attack structures, potential victims and firefighters, but also cause unexpected changes to the environments that will suddenly alter the player's options and strategies.

No two scenarios will play out the same way in "Real Heroes: Firefighter."

Rhianna Pratchett returns for new Overload video games

Signing Award-Nominee Rhianna Pratchett to Pen Scripts for Overlord II, Overlord Dark Legend and Overlord Minions

Writers’ Guild Award-nominee Rhianna Pratchett has been signed as scriptwriter for Overlord II, the sequel to the hit twisted fantasy adventure from Triumph Studios, and both series extensions – Overlord Dark Legend and Overlord Minions.

The announcement sees Pratchett continuing her role as writer and narrative designer for the delightfully despotic series and follows her nomination for Best Videogame Script for her work on the original Overlord game in the Writers’ Guild Awards 2008. In addition to videogames, the prestigious Writers’ Guild Awards recognises the best in British writing talent across TV and radio drama, soap, comedy, theatre and movie screenplay categories. The awards will be held at BAFTA (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts) on Sunday 23rd November 2008 in London.

“For a relatively new entertainment medium, it’s a sign of great progress that the industry is being recognised by the Writers’ Guild in this way. Writing for games is part alchemy, part narrative woodwork and part swimming in shark infested waters wearing ham pants, so it’s a real honour to be nominated for Overlord. The Overlord titles are fantastic creative projects and Triumph and Codemasters make a talented and supportive team who keep some of those sharks at bay,” said Rhianna Pratchett. “It’s a real pleasure to be back in the evil writing seat and taking the Overlord and the Minions to new lands and new adventures for the 2009 titles.”

“Congratulations to Rhianna on her well-deserved nomination for Best Videogame Script,” said Lennart Sas, director and Overlord lead at Triumph Studios. “A huge part of Overlord’s popularity stems from its tongue-in-cheek, often dark humour and Rhianna’s dialogue provides the perfect fit to the gameplay. Rhianna understands that writing for games is different than writing for movies, which puts her above some of the Hollywood writing talent that have lent their names to games previously. We’re delighted to have her on board again to work across on the next instalment of the Overlord’s adventures.”

Coming 2009, all new titles in the Overlord series include Overlord II for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games For Windows, Overlord Dark Legend for Nintendo Wii and Overlord Minions for Nintendo DS. Prepare to face the Glorious Empire in Overlord II and the rather grim fairy tales of Overlord Dark Legend and Overlord Minions when the manic horde and awesome authoritarian returns in 2009.

OVERLORD TITLES FOR 2009:

OVERLORD II

• Overlord II is the sequel to the hit warped fantasy action adventure where evil is enlightening and tyranny is a treat. Featuring a new Overlord and a more powerful army of Minions, players take on the might of the Glorious Empire, inspired by the Roman Empire. This epic foe is determined to conquer kingdoms and destroy any sign of magic it finds, so it’s time to go Minion Maximus and unleash the horde. Overlord II is now in development at Triumph Studios in Delft, the Netherlands, for the PLAYSTATION3 system, Xbox 360 and Games For Windows.

OVERLORD DARK LEGEND

• Designed and developed exclusively for Wii, Overlord Dark Legend is a brand new action adventure steeped with a sinister, satirical take on classic fairy-tale lore. Set prior to the original game, players step into the role of a new young Overlord who commands the minions to take out his growing pains out on the local fairy tale inhabitants as he protects his castle and lands. Overlord Dark Legend is now in development at Climax Studios.

OVERLORD MINIONS

• An irresistible and accessible puzzle action game designed exclusively for Nintendo DS, Overlord Minions stars Giblet, Blaze, Stench and Zap as a crack Minion squad, assisted by minion master Gnarl. The Nintendo DS stylus becomes an extension of the Overlord’s despotic desire and every precise Touch Screen command is the player-as-Overlord directing, commanding and combining minions in battle, pointing and sweeping them to assault enemies and solve puzzles to achieve their abominable aims. Overlord Minions is now in development at Climax Studios.

Wizard101's Wizard City PC halloween video game

KingsIsle has waved a magic wand over the family-friendly virtual world Wizard101 and conjured new limited time content, including three Haunted Towers and eleven frightfully fantastic adventures.

For those brave enough to seek out a wily scarecrow named Jack Hollow in Wizard101's Wizard City Commons, several spooky challenges await, including:

• Test your courage against the ghostly inhabitants of three brand new towers

• Rescue Wizard City from a ghastly spell by defeating the Baron Mordecai

• Search out Jack O'lanterns throughout Wizard City

• Catch colorful ghosts haunting the wizard school campus

• Dunk for apples to collect prizes

• Visit Spooky Bob in the Wizard City Shopping District for limited edition items such as costumes, wands, hats and accessories, including a special pet!

Several of the seasonal Hallowe'en quests can be found in the Free-to-Play areas of Wizard101 and a few additional ones require a monthly subscription to the game. Spooky Bob and the Haunted Towers will mysteriously vanish shortly after October 31st.

Wizard101 features spell-casting adventure and card style game play. The game's family-friendly safety features include a collaborative play style, a chat system with many options and a character name selector. The game contains no blood, and characters don't die if they are defeated in a duel of spells-they simply go to a safe area in the game to regain health.

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board has given Wizard101 a rating of E10+. Anybody with a Windows based PC can play the Free-to-Play areas of the game for as long as they like. Advanced content is available by subscription at the rate of $6.95 per month on the family plan and $9.95 per month for a general subscription.

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Thursday, October 16, 2008