Frictional Games is happy to announce the release of Penumbra: Requiem for Mac & Linux. The puzzle expansion for Penumbra: Black Plague is now available through our online store at USD 9.99.
Driven completely insane from creating the Penumbra games, Frictional Games is offering all three Penumbra games as a collection at a horrific price of USD 35. This offer is available through the online store and is for Mac & Linux only.
Penumbra: Requiem has previously been released for Windows by publisher Paradox Interactive. Paradox Interactive is set to release a Penumbra: Collection for Windows in Q1 2009.
In related news, AIKA - an orchestral soundtrack, narrative and graphics project was released last Friday. This soundtrack was created by, among others, Penumbra musician Mikko Tarmia & writer Tom Jubert. Be sure to take a look at AIKA as much of the greatness in the Penumbra series comes from the music and story. To spice things up even further, Tom Jubert is nominated for "Best Videogame Script" at this years Writers’ Guild Awards 2008 to be held at BAFTA on Sunday 23rd November. We wish him all the best of luck!
Konami has announced that the latest downloadable content for its Metal Gear Online title for PLAYSTATION 3 will be released on November 25th. Entitled MEME EXPANSION, the download adds new characters and gameplay elements to Hideo Kojima’s hugely popular online epic.
Konami has announced that the latest downloadable content for its Metal Gear Online title for PLAYSTATION 3 will be released on November 25th. Entitled MEME EXPANSION, the download adds new characters and gameplay elements to Hideo Kojima’s hugely popular online epic.
The MEME EXPANSION unveils two new special characters, which are playable for the first time. Liquid Ocelot enters the fray with the ability to manipulate the Sons of the Patriots’ lock system using his Guns of the Patriots skills, and can also deactivate the weaponry of a targeted for within Metal Gear Online’s multi-player modes. Similarly, Mei Ling comes into play with three unique attributes, including the Trench Mortar weapon, Soliton Sonar capabilities, and the means to transfix enemies.
Three new maps have also been created, with the rough, uneven industrial elements of Silo Sunset, the dense foliage of Forest Firefight and a snow-blown deserted factory called Winter Warehouse available for the first time. The download also implements a number of new rules, which are also now available without the MEME EXPANSION update. A new ‘No Headshot’ setting allows players to attribute the same level of damage when shot in the head to that of a regular body shot. ‘Stealth Death Match’ allows users to compete with the stealth elements switched on automatically; while the ‘Interval’ setting allows used to practice and chat with each other within the battlefield, without their ranking or records being adversely affected.
An official Tournament lobby has also been created to pit players in battle situations where points are up for grabs and can be spent on the customisation of a character or on new gear. Likewise, a series of familiar humorous elements can also be used within the customise field, including the Crocodile Cap made famous in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the Ghillie Suite camo from the same game, and an afro hair style.
Metal Gear Online fans will be able to pre-purchase the MEME EXPANSION elements for 7,99 Euro from November 18th, with a bundle containing both the new elements and the previous GENE EXPANSION update also available at the same date for 12,99 Euro. Users can access the new additions of the MEME EXPANSION after the official start on November 25th.
Mad Catz, a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, today announced that it has begun shipping its range of premium licensed accessories designed for use with Rock Band and Rock Band 2 videogames for the Xbox 360 console across selected European territories.
Published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix Music Systems, Rock Band 2 has quickly emerged as the preferred platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music, challenging users to master the lead and bass guitar, drums and vocals as solo artists or cooperatively as part of their own band.
Timed to coincide with the launch of Rock Band 2 which begins shipping across Europe for the Xbox 360 videogame system on November 14th 2008, each product in the officially licensed range has been designed and engineered with Mad Catz’ renowned attention to detail, and promises to elevate the Rock Band and Rock Band 2 experience to ever greater heights.
Products expected to ship across key European territories are as follows:
• The first and only official bass guitar available for Rock Band and Rock Band 2, the Fender Precision Bass Guitar delivers a staggeringly authentic bass experience. Incorporating all the features of the standard guitar, including Solo Keys, Whammy, and Overdrive Mode, the Fender Precision Bass is at home when used to play lead guitar as it is when playing bass guitar portions of a selected track. The unique Mad Catz Split Strum Bar allows gamers to strum and pluck notes faster and with more precision, vital for fast tempo tracks. To respect the accuracy of the bass, Mad Catz has engineered whammy compatibility by discreetly incorporating it into the volume knob of the bass, providing gamers with essential functionality when playing either lead or bass guitar portions of the track while preserving the timeless authenticity of the original design.
• Designed exclusively for the Rock Band 2 Wireless Drum Kit, the Cymbal Expansion Pack from Mad Catz provides gamers with a stunningly authentic percussion experience, adding up to three realistic cymbals to their existing Drum Kit. Sold either in a Single, Twin or Triple configuration, the Cymbal Expansion Pack allows gamers to grow their game play at the same level as their skills. Attaching quickly and simply, each Cymbal Expansion Pack contains all necessary brackets and leads needed to add a choice of crash, ride or hi-hat Cymbals to their Drum Kit. Velocity sensitive, each Cymbal reacts realistically in game, outputting a louder noise the harder you hit.
• Freeing percussionists from the confines of the living room, the Portable Drum Kit is small on size but big on quality. The compact form factor combined with highly durable build quality provides a discrete and highly flexible solution allowing bands to tour without the need of a roadie! Each color-coded Drum Pad comes equipped with a tactile backing, reducing slippage when used on a variety of surfaces and the Foam-Tipped Drum Sticks (included in the kit) dampen external noise when in use. The Portable Drum Kit comes complete with a durable Foot Pedal and Control Unit providing access to the full complement of controls needed to navigate in-game menus.
• The Rock Band Premium M.I.C. (Microphone with Integrated Controller) offers budding vocalists a device of superior quality and functionality. The Premium Microphone features a full complement of Action Buttons with the D-Pad and Xbox LIVE button allowing for quick and easy navigation of in-game menus without the need for a separate controller. A convenient Locking Switch prevents accidental access to Action Buttons, and the premium Soft-Touch Finish and high-profile Wind Shield combine to deliver a microphone ideal for sustained jamming sessions.
Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz commented, “The Rock Band franchise has proven to be an international phenomenon that is set to continue to grow with the imminent debut of Rock Band 2 into the European market. We have worked tirelessly to continue to introduce accessories that make both Rock Band and Rock Band 2 even more entertaining while upholding the interactivity and authenticity that Rock Band players have come to expect. We’re confident that gamers and music fans alike will be delighted with our range of officially licensed accessories and look forward to expanding the range throughout 2009 and beyond.”
The Mad Catz Xbox 360 licensed Rock Band accessories are expected to be available across key European territories beginning mid November 2008.
Further products in this range and products for additional videogame platforms are expected to be launched early 2009.
Friday, November 28th - the worldwide release date for the Mac version of LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, a captivating take on the cinematic adventures of Hollywood’s iconic archaeologist.
Developed by TT Games and LucasArts - the same people behind LEGO Star Wars II - LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures takes the fun and creative construction of LEGO bricks and combines it with the wit, daring and non-stop action of the original movies.
With a unique tongue-in-cheek take on the original adventures, LEGO Indiana Jones follows Indy’s escapades through the jungles of South America to the mountaintops of India. Players can build and battle their way through their favourite cinematic moments, from Indy’s entanglements with snakes to his dashing boulder run.
"With the extra benefit of Lego Indiana Jones running on all Intel Macs including MacBooks, we are proud to be bringing another great title from TTGames and LucasArts to the Mac platform” said Feral Interactive’s David Stephen.
“We’re delighted to be bringing LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures to the Mac,” said Garry Edwards, Business Development Director of TT Games. “The winning combination of charming humour, intuitive puzzles and continent hopping adventure has been a great success and now everyone can enjoy it.”
The game will retail in North America for US $39.95, £29.95 (inc VAT) in the UK and €39.95 (inc VAT) throughout Europe. It is currently available to pre-order from Feral's online store (http://www.feralinteractive.com/?section=buy&language=english).
Minimum system requirements call for a 1.8GHz Intel Mac only, 512MB RAM, 128MB graphics card, DVD drive and Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later.
Award-winning racing game Raging Thunder for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The primary addition to the 1.0.3 version is the inclusion of online, real-time competitive multiplayer – for the first time in any AppStore game.
Says Mitri Bautista-Wiberg, co-founder of Polarbit:
“We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from gamers about Raging Thunder. The reception has been really tremendous. The one thing that people seemed to miss was the ability to play against each other over the Internet. This was something we’d been talking about amongst ourselves, so when we had a few hours to spare we decided to give it a try and threw together a beta.”
Raging Thunder v1.0.3 is available globally on the AppStore. Anyone who has previously purchased the title will get the benefit of the online multiplayer mode through a simple update, at no extra cost.
Though fully functional, players are urged to consider that the Internet functionality is still in a beta stage and that some issues may remain to finalize.
Experience a true card battle game with the official Neverland Card Battles demo for the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, now available on the PlayStation Store on PSP system.
Tabletop card battling game mechanics are combined with strategy RPG elements for a unique game that integrates over 200 collectible cards. Unlock new cards and playable Dominators (card wielders) as you adventure through Neverland to save the world from the evil deity Hellgaia. Available in the full retail version, ad-hoc battle mode lets you prove the power of your custom card deck against a friend.
The all new demo includes opening cut scenes, a tutorial mode, and a full level where you will go up against the Dominator Egma. Do you have the skills to beat him? Will you play your cards right? Find out what the first battle is all about, and what awaits you in Neverland Card Battles.
“LittleBigPlanet” levels I highlighted last week should have disappeared in the recent infringing content purge by Sony.
All three are still there, though, as of this morning. They’re not the only ones, either.
Even though Sony has told “LittleBigPlanet” creators that copyright-infringing content will be deleted, there are plenty of levels based on “Super Mario Bros.,” “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Mega Man,” “Ghostbusters” – you name it, you can still find it.
Are players not taking Sony seriously? Maybe they’re not aware they’re doing anything wrong or this is a risk they’re willing to take. When they wake up and find their level removed, however, they just might change their minds.
Why are people are still producing infringing content, readers?
LittleBigPlanet will arrive on the PSP in 2009, according to US games magazine EGM.
Kokatu reports that the magazine, which is not yet on the shelves, reads: "The LittleBigPlanet universe will also continue to evolve next year with the release of the PSP version. Q-Mann hears it's fantastically ambitious and will further flesh out the PS3 LiitleBigPlanet experience."
EGM goes on to say that development duties will not be handled by LBP's creators Media Molecule.
LittleBigPlanet was released in the UK on November 14 and is currently number one on the PS3 chart.
Despite the economy slumping, sales of video games increased in October, according to NPD Group.
Sales of both the games themselves and consoles rose last month, with the popular Nintendo Wii console selling some 803,000 units. In September only 687,000 Nintendo Wiis were sold.
That’s good news for game makers looking to Christmas to save their sales figures.
Microsoft sold 371,000 Xbox 360 consoles in October, an increase from 347,000 sold in September.
Sony's PlayStation 3 sold 190,000 units during October.
Exercise video game "Wii Fit" was the No. 2 most popular game sold in October. Electronic Arts, now want to cash in on the idea of video game exercise, said this week it will start selling its own suite of fitness programs in March.
The company may be copying the popular "Wii Fit" idea, hoping to cash in on some of its sales and sell more products to women (EA’s sports games are overwhelmingly played by men). EA may also be gambling that as the economy tanks, people may ditch their pricey gym memberships and opt for in-home fitness regimens (see earlier posts on Gamezplay.org).
EA didn’t fare as well in the sales report as some of its rivals — sales of its “Rock Band” game disappointed some industry watchers. Its shares were down $1.53 at $20.69, near a 52-week low of $20.65 in afternoon trading Friday.
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