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Thursday, December 04, 2008

Video game ratings explained - what parents should know

Games industry trade body ELSPA (the Entertainment Leisure & Software Publishers Association) urge parents, looking to purchase video and computer games for Christmas, to always check the game’s packaging for the PEGI (Pan European Game Information) age ratings and content descriptors. PEGI age ratings appear on game packaging and are intended to protect children and help the public make informed choices when buying games for children. ELSPA believes PEGI empowers parents to make the right gaming choices for their children.

Games sold in the UK clearly display PEGI ratings - a pan-European gaming-specific rating system instigated and used by all the major games publishers across Europe. PEGI age ratings provide a reliable indication of the suitability of the game content for the protection of minors.

The PEGI ratings are as follows:

PEGI 3+ - The game content is considered suitable for all age groups.

PEGI 7+ - The game may contain some violence of a non-realistic nature in relation to fantasy characters, which might be frightening to very children but is considered suitable for those aged 7 and over.

PEGI 12+ - The game may include instances of violence of a non-realistic nature, but only towards fantasy characters. There is no violence towards human-looking characters or recognisable animals. Suitable for players aged 12 and over.

PEGI 16+ - Adult behaviour and violence can start to look life-like. Suitable for players 16 and over.

PEGI 18+ - The adult classification is applied to games that are suitable only for an adult audience. Subject matter and graphical details can mirror levels of detail in the storytelling found in adult television programmes and movies. Suitable for those 18 years old and over.

Strategic Command WWII Pacific Theater PC video game online manual

ImageBattlefront.com and Fury Software are excited to announce that Strategic Command WWII Pacific Theater has just gone gold! In order to ease the wait for the much anticipated third title in the award-winning Strategic Command game series we have also just published an online version of the full game manual.

Click here to jump directly to the Online Manual for SC Pacific

What does "gone gold" mean? It means that the game code has been "frozen" and a final release candidate has been created. It does NOT mean that the game is ready for release yet.

We now need to finalize testing, proof all the print materials, create and test the installers, and prepare our online delivery system for the downloads. A firm release date as well as info about pre-orders will be announced Sunday, December 7th (yes, that's a historic date).

The game is a stand-alone third part of the series, does not require any previous games to play, and will cost $45.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Cities XL Advent Calendar contest win iPod touch

Exciting Advent Calendar contest for their upcoming next-generation city-building title, CITIES XL. In the "Advent Calendar" contest, you need only to visit www.citiesxl.com and play!

From December 1st to December 24th, members of the CITIES XL community will be able to accumulate points and win numerous prizes, such as an iPod Touch 32Go, City Life games and Cities XL bags. Each participant will be able to invite friends to join the game and increase his chances for the final draw. A daily instant win contest will also be held.

Wait no longer; come join the game at www.citiesxl.com!

About CITIES XL
CITIES XL allows gamers to develop cities on realistic 3D maps using an incredible collection of unique structures and monuments based on American, Asian and European-influenced architectural styles. The maps feature a variety of environments: mountains, hills, canyons, beaches and islands, all set in different climates from tropical to desert, Mediterranean to temperate.

Players must create the right combination's of social services, leisure activities, special events and other job opportunities within their cities in order to feed, clothe, employ and entertain their citizens. Be it planning and building a new zoo, public park, residential neighborhood or transit system - there's always a fresh and exciting challenge for would-be city managers and mayors in CITIES XL.

The game’s online features and services will allow players to create interconnected cities on virtual and persistent planets. Mayors can share and trade with one another, specialize their economy and team up with befriended cities to create sprawling metropolises.

Life on the planet will be punctuated by events and competitions - a concert held in one town may, for example, be attended by visitors from other areas who can also enjoy a walk around the city to admire the urban creations of multiple players. By combining a fantastic single-player game with the social and multiplayer aspects of an MMO, CITIES XL will shape the future of the genre by offering more variety, bigger cities and multiple gameplay layers.

Free Gears of War 2 poster to download

Free Gears of War 2 poster to download here...

Fishing Master World Tour out soon on Nintendo Wii

Fishing Master World Tour has gone to gold master. A sequel to the popular Fishing Master, Fishing Master World Tour is published by Hudson Entertainment and distributed in North America by Konami. Fishing Master World Tour is scheduled to release on January 6, 2008 for an SRP of $29.99.

The new Fishing Master World Tour offers players more than 200 different types of fish to catch, enabling them to reel in fish from their native waters around the world in the first ever global fishing game on Nintendo Wii. Players now have over 40 different locations to fish from in 7 different regions. Whether players are catching fish on Easter Island, under the Golden Gate Bridge or on the Amazon River, they will encounter numerous exotic locations in this fishing adventure.

Staying true to the first version’s realistic controls, aspiring Fishing Masters use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as they battle to hook the fish on their line, just like in real life. Players must move the Wii Remote left and right as the fish fights from the end of the line and adjust their drag so their line doesn’t break. Once gamers have the basics down, they can try their newfound skills by competing with friends via new enhancements made just for the sequel - four-person multiplayer modes! In Wi-Fi mode, players compete online against other Fishing Masters over who will catch the biggest fish in various worldwide locations. Gamers will also enjoy local multiplayer battle which enables them to play against their friends and family members in a variety of different battle modes.

Additional new features in Fishing Master World Tour include ‘Boss Battles’ where players can catch rare fish with exclusive boss battle controls. A Deep Sea Fishing mode has also been added to allow players to fish off the coast in places like Hawaii on the back of trolling fishing boats. Will you be the first to hook the Big One?

FIFA 09 Free update - beefs up the Text Mode, Live Ticker and the 3D-Match.

The update includes a considerable extension of the Text Mode and Live Ticker, and the 3D-Match, which have been optimised particularly in the areas of defence and attack. There is also an upgrade of the Create-a-Club Mode with additional badges. For a full overview of all improvements and bug-fixes included in the update, click here...

The update is available to download here

The FIFA MANAGER series, formerly TOTAL CLUB MANAGER has been established since 2003. There are 151 licensed leagues with 3,572 clubs (1,251 licensed) and more than 29,000 players.

The player database is extensive and every player in the game is individually evaluated by 43 personal skill values. FIFA MANAGER 09 has advanced local content which is completely up-to-date and a large number of international competitions which help create its authentic football atmosphere.

Join the Moto Racer DS racing contest

Join the Moto Racer DS racing contest and pit your skills against those of your friends! Register on the official website by creating your rider’s profile, entering your top scores, and challenging all the Moto Racers.

1. How to participate in the Worldwide Online Ranking?
Connect to www.motoracer-thegame.com, create your gaming profile, enter your Moto Racer DS code and challenge racers all over the world! Compare yourself to fellow citizens and people from all over the world! When you achieve a higher top score don’t forget to update your profile!

2 How to find your code?
Complete a race in Time Trial mode in a discipline of your choice: GP, Super Cross and Freestyle (excluding Traffic). A code will be displayed for "Best Race". Enter this code on the Worldwide Online Ranking website. That's it! Go check out your rank.

3 You really think that you’re the best?
You have already finished each race in all three difficulty levels? It’s now time to challenge other riders! Post your opinion or comments on the official forum to provoke the other riders ;-)

Genre: Motorsports racing
Platform: Nintendo DS
Publisher: Nobilis Publishing
Developer: Artefacts
Release date: 28 November 2008

Just Flight and Just Trains video games up to 10% off

Christmas Sale now on 10% off almost everything!

Following on from the Chancellor's announcement about the cut in the UK VAT rate, we're pleased to be able to give you even more savings on almost everything we sell in this year's Christmas Sale!

From now until January 6th 2009 we're knocking 10% off the normal prices on pretty much everything we sell from the Just Flight and Just Trains websites. This 10% discount applies not only to Sterling prices, but also to Euros and Dollars as well, so wherever you are you'll be able to enjoy the savings.

The Chancellor's mini-budget means that an add-on normally costing £29.99 would be reduced to £29.35, but in our Christmas Sale this price is reduced to only £26.99!

According to the Royal Mail website, the last posting date for delivery before Christmas is Friday the 19th December for UK addresses and the 10th December for customers in the USA. The Royal Mail website has a handy page on their website which tells you the last posting date for your country.

We aim to despatch all orders within 24 hours and try our very best to send out an order on the same day as it is placed. If you would like to guarantee delivery before Christmas, however, we'd suggest getting your order in a few days ahead of the recommended final posting dates just to be on the safe side!

Of course by ordering your chosen product in download format you'll not need to worry about delivery times. The majority of Just Flight and Just Trains products are now available by download. Why not visit the websites and browse our latest offerings.

www.justflight.com www.justtrains.net

Resistance 2 PS3 1950 newspaper promotion

Future creates authentic 1950's style newspaper to support launch of new video game

Future, the special-interest media group has teamed up with games giant Sony Computer Entertainment, to create an exclusive newspaper set in the alternative 1950s timeline of new Playstation 3 game Resistance 2.

A highly collectable and engaging product, the concept was created by Future360 – Future’s in-house creative solutions team – to enlist gamers and film enthusiasts in ‘the resistance’ with calls-to-action integrated into the editorial content of the newspaper.

Distributed throughout early December, the 8pp broadsheet newspaper engages with the readership across Future’s games, films and technology titles, and will be inserted into 9 Future titles including Total Film, SFX, PlayStation Magazine 3, Official PlayStation Magazine and T3 with a total distribution of 550,000 copies.

Copies will also be distributed in branded dumpbins at cinemas around the country, and Sony will be using the striking creative as a cover-wrap in regional and local news papers.

Content of the newspaper includes reportage about the ‘Chimera’ attack; a call to action from the President; history of the game (in the context of the Resistance 2 world); 1950s style faux advertising; letters, horoscope and crossword.

Phil Lynch, Product Marketing Manger for Sony Computer Entertainment said:

"A large part of our campaign objectives were to extend the reach and appeal of Resistance 2 to more than those who'd purchased Resistance: Fall of Man. With this in mind and coupled with the game's rich 1950s American twisted history backdrop, we partnered with Future in creating an engaging and relevant 8 page authentic newspaper of the time.

Future showed a great understanding of the game, the target audience and of course the medium. The newspaper fitted beautifully with the rest of our campaign and was relevant, timely and great value for money in terms of a media buy"

Poorvi Smith, Advertising Director for Future360 said:

"It would have been easy for us just to use our strength in the games market to promote this campaign. However, we recognised the opportunity to reach both hard core and casual gamers alike - our portfolio enabled us to target young men in the games, film and technology markets in an engaging and efficient manner.

Family Ski and Snowboard video game on Nintendo Wii

Snowboarding Tempt Snow Sports Game Fans to the Slopes for a Whole New Wintry World of Fun Exclusively on Wii

Wii gamers are dreaming of virgin snow and the dazzling winter sun with the news that NAMCO BANDAI Games’ Family Ski & Snowboard, the sequel to the much-loved snow sports game for Wii, will make its wintry way into European homes this coming February 2009.

Amongst the abundance of gameplay advances jostling for space on the slopes in this latest instalment of the Wii Balance Board standout series are all-new high performance snowboarding, enhanced skiing functionality, two statuesque new mountains to conquer and an additional 10,000 vertical metres to hurtle down. There’s big, big air to be grabbed by skiers and snowboarders alike with fun boxes, rails and a half-pipe all throwing down the thermal gauntlet to players as they test their skills to pull off an array of wild aerial tricks.

Family Ski & Snowboard takes players on a wintry thrill ride through a multitude of different environments on the imposing Mt. Angrio and cool Jamboree Snow Resort. Take the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers in hand to enjoy the classic motion-based controls popularized by Family Ski, while the addition of the Nintendo Wii Balance Board brings an even greater level of realism to the fun.

Custom characters and player Mii’s add another dimension as the player kicks up powder on adventures across the vast free-riding areas boasting even more mountain terrain than ever. Hopping on the chairlift for a ride to the summit ensures a breathtaking view, while heli-drops from vertigo-inducing heights give players the chance to shred down vertical cliffs and sheer precipices. And don’t forget to watch out for avalanches!

Hot Doggers can quench their thirst for thrills with half-pipe courses, and ski technique challenges, while those looking for a more leisurely time on the piste can indulge in other activities including ski school, board school, moguls, slaloms, and even animal search and rescue. The day, night and dusk skiing across the sprawling vistas offer endless variations on the whole snowy experience.

When it comes to getting the family involved there’s four player fun in fast-paced racing action or free-skiing, while solo players can enjoy the ride with up to three AI-controlled skiing buddies for company.

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Thursday, December 04, 2008

Wednesday, December 03, 2008