gamezplay

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Tomb Raider - Underworld demo download on Xbox Live

PC Demo to be Available October 31st

Eidos Interactive, creator of some of the world’s leading videogame properties, announces the demo for Tomb Raider: Underworld is now available for the Xbox 360 through Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The demo is a chance to become a part of the epic adventure that awaits players when Tomb Raider: Underworld launches on November 18th in North America and November 21st in Europe.

The demo will have players travelling to the western coast of Thailand - the second destination in Tomb Raider: Underworld - to experience a taste of the adventure that is to come. Gamers can master steep coastal cliffs, navigate perilous and crumbling ruins, evade vicious wild animals and use state-of-the-art gear such as the grapple or the new Field Assistance System to create and uncover paths that will take players deep into the challenging wilds of Thailand.

Tomb Raider: Underworld will release on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PC Games for Windows platforms. With development led by Crystal Dynamics, Tomb Raider: Underworld represents a new achievement in exploration-based gameplay. As the fearless adventurer Lara Croft, players will explore and solve the mysteries of exotic locations around the world - each created in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that create a truly believable world and deliver a new level of challenge and choice.

The Tomb Raider: Underworld demo is offered in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish and will also be available for the PC on October 31st. A series of additional exclusive downloadable chapters will also be made available on Xbox LIVE starting this holiday.

All Lara Croft Tomb Raider posts on gamezplay.org here...

Video Games Industry Planning to Release 'Traffic Light' Ratings System

In a move mirroring efforts by food manufacturers and retailers to give consumers a clear and easy way to understand food content, the games industry is close to launching a traffic light system for the ratings on video games. As the government gears up to close its consultation into video games ratings on November 20, the industry has responded to observations made by Dr Tanya Byron in her report that there is a lack of consumer awareness of the PEGI rating symbols. The industry feels that by employing a traffic light system that is simple to understand it will be effective in combating any confusion previously felt by consumers. The new system has been designed to give parents ‘at a glance’ indicators of the age appropriateness of any game’s content.

An industry source said, “Video gaming is one of the UK’s best performing sectors and a rare economic success in today’s gloomy environment, with retailers announcing record profits and government ministers describing gaming as ‘the most important part of what we call the Creative Industries’.

“The world of gaming is fast moving and it is vital that we have a clear ratings system that is up to date with consumers’ needs. It has already been proven that everyone understands traffic light labelling, making it the perfect scheme for the industry to adopt.”

New Lara Croft Tomb Raider Outfits for you to download

In conjunction with Festival Arcadia, a Virtually Fashionable evening will be held at 9 p.m. on Saturday, November 8, at the Society for Arts and Technology. Ten of Quebec’s best-known fashion designers are creating costumes for famed videogame icon Lara Croft. Two of these outfits will be incorporated into Lara’s official wardrobe as downloadable content for Tomb Raider: Underworld post launch. At the show, Bodybag by Jude, Complexgeometries by Clayton Evans, Denis Gagnon, Helmer, Marie Saint Pierre, Philippe Dubuc, Tavân & Mitto, Travis Taddeo, Valérie Dumaine and Yso will unveil designs that have been made specifically for the heroine’s upcoming new adventure.

Attendees of Virtually Fashionable will get to see the designs on real life and virtual models as they strut down the catwalk to music mixed by event sound designer Frigid. After the show, a jury that includes Cynthia Cooper, Curator of the McCord Museum, Herby Moreau, host and journalist, Stephane Le Duc, Editor of Dress to Kill Magazine, and Sandrine Belleteste, fashion consultant, will decide on one outfit that will be incorporated into Lara’s official wardrobe, with the designer taking home a $3,000 purse.

A second outfit will be chosen by the public and both will be made available for download via Xbox LIVE (Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft) so gamers will have the chance to play through the entire Tomb Raider: Underworld experience in a new award-winning outfit.

“With the upcoming launch of the new Tomb Raider: Underworld game, we are sure this event will provide Quebec designers with international exposure,” noted Festival Arcadia producer François Décarie. “This unique event will give the public a good sense of how intimately the fashion arts are linked to the video and multimedia creation industry.”

The event is an initiative of the SAT and Festival Arcadia in collaboration with the Dress to Kill magazine, the City of Montréal, the Government of Québec and the McCord Museum. Tickets for the Virtually Fashionable evening are on sale for $25 on Ticketpro. For additional information about Festival Arcadia, please visit the website at www.festivalarcadia.com.

All Lara Croft Tomb Raider posts on gamezplay.org here...

11 million players register for World of Warcraft Video Game

Anticipation continues to mount for Wrath of the Lich King expansion as Blizzard Entertainment's massively multiplayer online role-playing game reaches new milestone

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that the subscribership for World of Warcraft, its award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), now exceeds 11 million players worldwide. This milestone was reached as the beta test for Wrath of the Lich King, World of Warcraft's second expansion, nears completion. Wrath of the Lich King will launch in several regions around the world starting on November 13.

"It's been very rewarding to see gamers around the world continue to show such strong support for World of Warcraft," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We remain fully committed to responding to that enthusiasm with a high-quality, constantly evolving game experience."

Since debuting in North America on November 23, 2004, World of Warcraft has become the most popular MMORPG around the world. It was the bestselling PC game of 2005 and 2006 worldwide, and finished behind only World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, the first expansion pack for the game, in 2007.* In addition to being the bestselling PC game of 2007 in both North America and Europe, The Burning Crusade holds the record for fastest-selling PC game of all time, with nearly 2.4 million copies sold in its first 24 hours of availability and approximately 3.5 million in its first month.

World of Warcraft was recently launched in Russia and Latin America, and is currently available in eight languages. In addition to North America and Europe, the game is played in mainland China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Chile, Argentina, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

To keep pace with the continued growth of World of Warcraft as well as development on other Blizzard Entertainment games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open positions.

For further information on World of Warcraft, The Burning Crusade, and Wrath of the Lich King, please visit the official website at www.wow-europe.com.

All World of Warcraft posts on gamezplay.org here...

The Raconteurs Jimi Hendrix take to the virtual stage in November as downloadable content for Guitar Hero World Tour

The Raconteurs and Jimi Hendrix will both take to the virtual stage this November as downloadable content in Activision Guitar Hero® World Tour, the company announced today.

Already confirmed to take center stage as a playable character, Jimi Hendrix, one of the most creative and influential musicians of the 20th century, will return with three additional downloadable master tracks. The blues track "If 6 was 9," rhythm and blues classic "Little Wing," and a live version of the iconic Hendrix track "Fire" will all be available as downloadable content for Guitar Hero World Tour on November 13th, 2008.

Making their debut appearance in a videogame, charismatic rockers, The Raconteurs are set to leave their mark with three tracks off their second album Consolers of the Lonely. The trio of "Salute Your Solution," "Hold Up" and "Consoler of the Lonely" will debut as part of a three song set list on November 20th, 2008 that will allow virtual rockers the chance to experience the killer sounds of The Raconteurs like never before.

The Raconteurs Track Pack and Jimi Hendrix Track Pack will be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 440 Microsoft Points and on the PLAYSTATION Store for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system for $5.49. In addition, the three tracks from The Raconteurs Track Pack will be released as single downloadable songs for Xbox 360 for 160 Microsoft Points, PLAYSTATION 3 system for $1.99 and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for Wii for 200 Wii Points.

When the house lights go down, a new generation of guitarists, drummers and fearless frontmen will come together and rock with Guitar Hero World Tour. The latest installment in the #1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero's signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player "Battle of the Bands," which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online. The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock 'n' roll anthems. Music creators are also able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunesSM where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is now available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, the Nintendo Wii home video game system from Nintendo and the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.

The game is rated 12+ by PEGI and 12 by the BBFC. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit worldtour.guitarhero.com.

Eat Lead - The Return of Matt Hazard video game

An action hero emerges from the pixels as D3Publisher (D3P), a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, today announced plans for Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard™, a third-person shooter with a sense of humour for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. Offering an original storyline and an off-the-wall cast of characters, Eat Lead is written by 2008 Writer’s Guild Award winner, Dave Ellis, and features the return of imaginary 80’s videogame action hero, Matt Hazard, and parodies some of the most beloved genres of games and pop culture. Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard is anticipated for release in Q1 2009.

In Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard, videogame action hero Matt Hazard gets his chance to prove once and for all that he is the king of shooters when the new owner of mega game publisher, Marathon Megasoft, gives Matt his comeback role starring in a new title for next-gen consoles that pits him against all of his memorable foes from videogames past. In the world of Eat Lead, however, everything stops being a game and becomes reality when it is clear that someone is using the new game to bring about Matt’s death once and for all. With only the mysterious “QA” to help him, Matt must fight against a legion of Marathon Megasoft catalogue of videogame characters to keep it from being “Game Over” forever.

“Eat Lead parodies some of our fondest memories in classic gaming and pop culture, so gamers will have a laugh out loud experience every time they pick-up the controller,” said, Pete Andrew, vice president, product development, North America, D3P. “With an original storyline, Eat Lead perfectly blends action and humour with rock solid gameplay for an experience like no other.”

Eat Lead pays homage to the games of yesteryear with a menagerie of classic enemies such as zombies, space marines, cowboys, genetically mutated super snipers, and more in an expansive level environment design that reflects videogame history in a next-gen package. The game fires on all cylinders with explosive artillery and combat moves to help gamers escape from a variety of predicaments including radically-changing environments during gameplay via the “hack effects” Hazard’s nemesis uses by altering the game’s code on the fly. Throughout the adventure, players will utilize a strategic cover system dubbed “point and cover”, upgradeable weapons and different interactive melee moves to attack and outsmart foes.

Developed by Vicious Cycle Software, Inc., Eat Lead will feature its new game development engine, Vicious Engine 2 (Ve2).

The King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match video game

Ignition Entertainment and SNK Playmore are pleased to announce the upcoming European release of The King of Fighters ‘98 Ultimate Match for PlayStation 2.

KOF ’98 Ultimate Match adds a host of new Characters and Modes to enhance a game that is already widely regarded as the best KOF title to date.

The King of Fighters series is already considered to be one of the greatest fighting franchises ever. Utilising characters from many of SNK’s other established arcade fighters you can pick your own team of 3 from the vast roster and create your own powerhouse team!!

‘KOF ‘98 is (arguably) the best in the series, and Ultimate Match adds new features that enhance the game further.’ says Peter Rollinson, Product Manager, Ignition Entertainment Ltd. ‘Ultimate Match includes the most characters found in a 2D fighting game.’

GAME FEATURES:

- Contains a total of 64 fighters, 9 of which are new to Ultimate Match – including Eiji Kisaragi from KOF ‘95, Geese Howard from KOF ‘96 and Orochi Iori from KOF ‘97!
- 3 modes of play – Extra, Advanced and the newly introduced ULTIMATE mode
- Classic 2D Arcade fighting action
- Updated and redesigned game opening and Character select screens
- Also includes the original NEOGEO version of KOF ‘98

The King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match will be available Winter ‘08 for the for PlayStation 2.

Blood donors given Dracula video game on Halloween

Software Publisher Donating Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon

The American Red Cross is partnering with Encore, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, to hold a "Dracula Blood Drive” to celebrate the release of the first computer game in Encore’s Mystery Adventure Game line, Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon. The Dracula Blood Drive will take place on Friday, October 31, at five blood centers throughout the Bay Area. Each presenting blood donor will receive a copy of Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon for the PC.*

"Many donors have jokingly called our phlebotomists vampires so we decided to use the theme on Halloween," said Sara O’Brien, Communications Manager of the American Red Cross Northern California Blood Services Region. "We love having this opportunity to provide a fun gift to help encourage potential donors to let us collect their blood so they can tell any vampires they already gave to the Red Cross.”

"We held a very successful Dracula Blood Drive in Southern California at the beginning of October, and we are very excited to bring the Dracula Blood Drive to Northern California," said Cal Morrell, president of Encore. "We look forward to another successful blood collection and encourage people who have never donated blood take this opportunity to make a difference."

The Dracula Blood Drive will take place at the following locations from 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

• Oakland Red Cross Donor Center, 6230 Claremont Avenue
• San Jose Red Cross Donor Center, 2731 N. First Street
• Newark Red Cross Donor Center, 39227 Cedar Boulevard
• Pleasant Hill Red Cross Donor Center, 140 Gregory Lane
• Pleasanton Red Cross Donor Center, 5556-B Springdale Avenue

To make an appointment, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (800-448-3543) or go online to beadonor.com.

Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon, a game produced by Microïds and developed by Kheops Studio, is the newest installment in the original Dracula series. Based on Bram Stoker's universe, Dracula 3 takes players to Europe on a suspenseful quest to discover the reality of vampires and come face-to-face with Dracula. As Father Arno Moriani, players must travel to Transylvania to investigate a potential candidate for sainthood. Along the way players are submerged into a gripping storyline with numerous challenging and engaging puzzles to solve that leads to a final confrontation with Dracula! More information for the game can be found at www.mysteryadventuregames.com.

Combat Arms Europe PC video game closed beta starts

The official closed-beta of its free-to-play, online first person shooter “Combat Arms Europe”.

Starting today, October 28 at 1 pm (GMT+1), the closed-beta runs for two consecutive weeks across Europe, inviting a limited group of users to hit and feel the first gunfight of online-battle in this thrilling, fast-paced shooter.

Combat Arms emerges classic, qualitative multiplayer FPS game-play mechanics of Counter-Strike or Call of Duty with Combat Arms’ unique, advanced character- and weapon modification features, and its detailed graphical presentation as well as speedy game pace do not point to the fact that the game is completely free-to-download and free-to-play.

The distribution of the first set of beta-keys is already ongoing since October 24th through www.eurogamer.net and www.onlinewelten.com, but the quantity is limited and already running out of stock – so hurry up for immediate participation at the closed-beta, by signing up for a key at either one of the aforementioned sites and completing the client download process at http://combatarms.nexoneu.com.

About Combat Arms:

Combat Arms is a fast-paced, multiplayer shooter, designed for non-stop action on the grounds of various battlefields where players are recruited to get engaged with their enemies in multiple game modes. While integrating the traditional attributes of the FPS genre, Combat Arms advances further by evolving striking features such as character customization as well as weapon modification system, enabling the players to adjust their weapons with attachments such as scopes, silencers and extended magazines. Additional eye-catching feature is the unique backpack system, which allows players to combine a set of multiple weapons from the extensive armory for a more sophisticated combat experience on the battlefield.

Combat Arms is easy to adapt for newcomers with handy control while providing deep gameplay mechanics to veteran gamers. In-game currencies and experience points are rewarded based on the number of victories and kills made, and when accumulated, it will help the players to rank up and to mount with new weapons and equipments, while having access to their actual performance stat anytime during the gameplay. Moreover, the extensive community features within the game actively support the clan system, where players can easily recruit, manage, and communicate with their clan members.

Football Manager 2009 demo out 2nd November - Fact Sheet

Football Manager 2009 for PC and Apple Macintosh has gone gold. The demo for the PC and MAC is also set for release later this week from the early hours of Sunday 2nd November.
There will be two different versions of the demo available for PC and MAC, a ‘strawberry’ and ‘vanilla’ version, with both providing half a season of gameplay. The saved games from the demo will be compatible with the full release of the game.

The strawberry version of the demo includes player pictures and club badges, with quickstarts for the world’s biggest leagues, giving players a chance to try out their skills in leagues from multiple countries. This version of the demo will also include all language translations for the game. The strawberry demo will be available to download from midnight on Sunday 2nd November from Steam (PC only) at http://store.steampowered.com and via www.sigames.com as a torrent or direct download, with bandwidth for the direct download provided by GameShadow.

The vanilla version of the demo is English language only, and features the English and Scottish leagues, with no player photos or club badges in order to reduce the size of the download. The vanilla demo is being released exclusively from midnight on Sunday 2nd November via the News Of The World website at (www.newsoftheworld.co.uk).

The hardware requirements for the Football Manager 2009 demo and the full release are as follows:

For PC

OS: Windows XP or Vista
Processor: XP: 1.4GHz or Faster / Vista: 2.0GHz or Faster
Supported Processors: Intel Pentium 4, Intel Core, AMD Athlon
Memory: XP: 512MB RAM / Vista: 1.0GB RAM
Hard Drive Space: 2GB
DVD-Drive: 4x Speed
Video Card: 128MB *Supported Chipsets (see below)
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible
Directx: Version 9.0c (included)
LAN: TCP/IP compliant
Input: Keyboard, Mouse

*Supported Chipsets – Nvidia FX 5900 Ultra or greater; ATI Radeon 9800 or greater; Intel 82915G/82910GL or greater.
Earlier cards may only display 2D Match Viewer Mode and are not supported. Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported.

For MAC

Intel Processor, OS X 10.5.5, NVIDIA GeForce 7300 / ATI X1600 Radeon, 1GB System RAM

Football Manager 2009 for PC and Apple Macintosh, and Football Manager Handheld 2009 for Sony PSP are both set for release on November 14th.

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Tuesday, October 28, 2008