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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Free to play - Unforgiven War Beta Test - 100,000 users

free to play text based browser game, Unforgivenwar, has received over 100,000 player registrations since the start of its Beta Testing Phase. It has become one of the fastest growing MMORPG communities on the web. As many as 2900 people are actively playing the game and interacting with each other daily. Nvinium Games, recently launched the Unforgivenwar game application to work on both the Facebook and MySpace Community Platforms.

The key to the success for Unforgivenwar lies not only in its depth of game play, but more importantly in the Community interaction with each other, as well as the real time support given by the Unforgivenwar Support Team.

“Unlike most text based games, our utilization of technology such as real time chat allows both members and guests to see activity in the community.
This interaction makes the game much more exciting than simple static forums,” said Matt Abrams, CEO of Nvinium Games.

Text based games have seen a major increase in popularity over the past 12 months and have proven to be an important part of social networking communities. “Web based, community networking games are really the next major wave of the Web 2.0 Social System, and games such as Unforgivenwar.com are proving that through continued rapid growth,”
stated social network visionary Joe Abrams Chairman, Nvinium Games. Abrams is well known for Co-Founding Euniverse (Intermix), the predecessor company to Myspace, as well as the Co-Founder of The Software Toolworks which was one of the largest game publishers in the 90's.

Unforgivenwar is now positioning itself to reach an even greater number of players as it enters its final phase of beta testing. Players can participate in the ongoing Beta Testing of Unforgivenwar by registering at the official site http://unforgivenwar.com.

Wii downloads - aboshi's Arcade, Cue Sports - Pool Revolution and Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II (in US)

Wii with Wiimote (transparent background with ...

Champagne? Check. Confetti? Got it. But you're not fully prepared for New Year's revelry unless your Nintendo game library is stocked with games to please everyone under the sun. As always, the Wii™ Shop Channel is open 24 hours a day for your downloading pleasure. The final slate of new game offerings for 2008 includes a couple of wild multiplayer titles on WiiWare, plus an enthralling sci-fi title for the Virtual Console. Load up and enjoy!

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

WiiWare

Maboshi's Arcade™ (Nintendo, 1-3 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Featuring three distinct modes and simultaneous play across three game windows, the constantly changing environment of Maboshi's Arcade creates an atmosphere unlike any other. Each of the modes is based on one of three familiar shapes (circle, stick and square) and offers the same goal: score a million points. Use the intuitive controls to bash enemies in Circle mode, weave your way through Stick mode or burn a path around obstacles in Square mode-all while dealing with power-up items and keeping watch on which effects the other game windows may have on your own. Also featuring Mii characters, action replays that you can send to your Wii Friends via WiiConnect24, and the ability to download a version to a Nintendo DS, you may never want to leave this arcade.

Cue Sports – Pool Revolution (Hudson Entertainment, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Grab your Wii Remote™ controller and take a shot at this virtual billiard game. Enjoy match-ups, playing classic favorites such as 9 Ball, 8 Ball, Rotation and Snooker, as well as walk-through trick shots in Puzzle mode. Connect to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (Nintendo WFC) to go head-to-head with your friends, or even hustle opponents across the world in Nintendo WFC match-ups. This game offers two types of controls, allowing you to virtually strike the cue ball with your Wii Remote controller or use the buttons to adjust the strength of your shot and then strike. Hone your skills in Practice mode, learning all the cool techniques you need to be a true hustler. Use the edit feature to create your own challenge and nail the trick shot you've always dreamed of sinking. Pull off an amazing shot and show everyone who's the biggest shark in the pool.

Virtual Console

Zoda's Revenge™: StarTropics II™ (NES™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points): Take on the role of Mike Jones, intrepid hero of the StarTropics universe, and once again battle the evil alien Zoda to control the fate of the Argonian people. In this journey, the island hopping of Mike's original adventure gives way to traveling through time and visiting locations around the world. And you never know what famous historical figures may appear along the way, giving Mike helpful advice or useful items. Luckily, Mike also has a wider range of weapons and improved play control on his side, so he may yet stand a chance against Zoda. Can you help Mike stand the test of time and save the world again?

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

Aurora Blade on MySpace plus Giveaway

Aurora Blade has steadily attracted many new players since its Closed Beta test started recently. Today, the Aurora Blade team is very proud to offer all players a new online community on MySpace.com http://www.myspace.com/aurorablade and invite players to join in the fun.

Aurora Blade is just like a big family, where all the players work hard here to succeed. No matter whether you fail or not, your friends are always nearby to encourage you and share in your happiness and sorrows. Why not invite your friends to join your adventure together? The Aurora Blade team hopes that all players and their friends can gather again on MySpace. What’s more, in order to give players something back for their continued support, the Aurora Blade team will also present qualified players with a 2x Exp Card so that they can level up fast in game.

For more information about this event can visit:
http://forum.ab.igg.com/viewthread.php?tid=1354&extra=page%3D1.

Space War Commander Launches New Year's Day

Space War Commander, an independent game that changes the face of Real Time Strategy.

Set in a universe that no longer needs humans, Space War Commander challenges you to trade cargo, hunt ships, and seize control of planets and asteroids. Bypassing repetitive base building common to other games, you must weave a strategy from simple threads like outwitting pirates, cutting off enemy supplies and hitting the enemy where they are weakest. Command a variety of ship types against vastly superior forces. Come out victorious from the hairiest space battles using creative tactics. Space War Commander pits your mind against the universe.

Features:

Monday, December 29, 2008

Free video game magazine to download

Follow the link to download your free video games magazines (five so far) with reviews...

Saints Row 2
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Dead Space
de Blob + much more

Download them here...

Dead Rising video game rumored for PlayStation 3

Dead Rising, Capcom's Xbox 360 exclusive take on the classic zombie flick Dawn of the Dead, may be making its way to the PlayStation 3 after all.

On a recent holiday post at the official SCEA blog, Capcom's overseer of downloadable titles John Diamonon mentioned a secret surprise heading to the PSN, to celebrate the great reception the Capcom store has received. When a comment was made asking about Dead Rising hitting the store, John Diamonon replied specifically to it, hinting "Who announced it? Me? I don't think so!".

Capcom's official standpoint on the franchise is that the original was only Xbox 360 exclusive because the PlayStation 3 wasn't out at that point.

They further went on to say that any sequels would inevitably be multiplatform. And with rumors of Dead Rising 2 being in development constantly popping up, this would be a great way to catch PlayStation 3 owners up to the franchise. Expect to hear more on this soon.

Source: PS3 center

PS3 game White Knight Chronicles sells over 130,000 in first week

One of the most anticipated PlayStation 3 'exclusive' games White Knight Chronicles, even though the relatively low Famitsu review score knocked the hype level down a couple of levels.

Now, the latest rumor is that White Knight Chronicles has sold over 130,000 copies in its first week.

According to Kotaku, WKC did manage to sell this decent number after it first hit store shelves in Japan on December 25. This isn't quite the splash Sony and Level 5 were hoping it'd make, but considering that Famitsu analysis, they should probably be happy that a sub-30-scoring game didn't drive away most potential consumers.

In comparison, the biggest PS3 seller in Japan so far has been Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots with 476,000 copies sold, followed by Devil May Cry 4 with 212,000. However, those games came out in the first half of 2008 and WKC just released last week, so...if the number is indeed correct, 130,000 isn't bad. At some point, we do expect to hear a North American and European release date for this promising RPG, but we now have our reservations about its quality. Famitsu isn't the only source to issue some "meh" feedback for the game, so we may have to turn our focus to other titles in 2009 that absolutely guarantee greatness. It's a dog-eat-dog world in next-gen software land, and if you don't deliver...

For our part, we're hoping the game doesn't entirely flop in the other two major regions, just because it may discourage Level 5 from making another RPG. We know they're capable, and a little slip on WKC doesn't mean they should throw in the towel as far as we're concerned.

Source: PS Extreme

Facebook add social games

Fears that computer games are turning young people antisocial are being challenged by a new generation of "sociable" games which are played through the internet.

The rise of social networking websites such as Facebook has helped attract millions of people to games which they can play with their friends.

It could represent a major challenge to the makers of hugely popular video consoles such as the Nintendo Wii or the Xbox.

While the credit crisis has forced companies across the world to rein in spending, internet games developers have received a string of multi-million dollar investments in recent months allowing them to plan expansion at a time when other businesses are making cuts.

Playfish, a British company which provides mini-golf and bowling games among others on Facebook, has attracted 25 million registered users since it was set up a year ago.

Another game on the site, a social networking device called Kidnap!, attracted 2.5 million new players in the month of October alone.

Full post on The Telegraph here...

From Mercury news...

While the rest of us have been socializing on Facebook, Webs.com has been building a very interesting business. It has been creating free games on Facebook that have garnered a huge number of page views. WarBook, a role-playing game with no animated graphics, and other Webs.com games have generated a billion page views since the first game launched 90 days ago in August. The games are generating ad revenue with just about every view…

“We launched it and it’s exploding,” said Pishevar. “WarBook is getting 15 million page views a day.”…

… Street Race is a new SGN game that has no graphics. You simply sign up, get $1,000 in play money, buy a car, then race. In the race, you click on another user. Then nothing happens. Nothing. The next screen that comes up tells you if you won or lost, how much money you earned or lost, and the skill points you earned. As your skill points grow, you win more races and get more money to spend souping up your car. The social part comes in where you can get more money by inviting 20 friends to join…

It’s simple and easy. That’s why the game has gotten more than a million page views on its first day. You can play a round in about one second…

“We’re leveraging the social graph,” Pishevar said. “It’s gaming on tap. You use it as you need it. We are building the first social gaming network on top of the Facebook social operating system.”

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Alpha Protocol esponage RPG Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC - fact sheet

In the world of espionage, nothing is as it seems in Obsidian Entertainment’s blockbuster RPG thriller, Alpha Protocol. Players will assume the role of Michael Thorton, a highly skilled government operative trained to eliminate threats to national security. When a mission goes horribly wrong, Thorton is the only one with the information, skills, and audacity to stop an impending international catastrophe. To do so, he will utilize the very government directive that the enemy sought to use against him - Alpha Protocol.

Set in the modern day, Alpha Protocol gives players complete control not only of Thorton’s actions but his personality and attitude as well, all of which will determine the future of the world as we know it. Blending fast-paced modern combat, significant character advancement and innovative RPG features, Alpha Protocol brings a fresh new perspective to the genre.

With a story rivaling the best spy-thriller novels and an immersive, ultra-realistic espionage world, Alpha Protocol will redefine the RPG genre for the next-gen gamer. Alpha Protocol is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment – creators of Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II The Sith Lords and Neverwinter Nights 2.

Features:

Redefined RPG – Classless system gives players the ability to mold Thorton into the secret agent they want him to become with lethal close combat techniques, marksman skills, proficiency with gadgets and much more.

The International Spy – Players will travel around the world to international safe house locations to obtain information, mission objectives and conduct meetings with a growing list of contacts.

Dialogue Stance System – With an innovative real-time dialogue system, the characters in Alpha Protocol will react to Thorton’s each and every word. Caution and wit are needed as the stakes are high and the tensions mount in conversations that will have players on the edges of their seat.

Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC
Category: RPG
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Release: February 2009

Sony to release a PlayStation 3 Net version without Blu-Ray?

Sony have so far lost the console war but won the HD DVD war but is this a big problem?

With each PS3 they make the Blu-Ray drive costs Sony over $100 of the $400 US price tag.

Now if Sony were to bring out a cut-down version for Internet use with download games and standard dual layer DVD drive they could reduce the cost and increase market share.

With cheap large hard drives they could provide pre-installed games. Plus Sony could take advantage of high speed broadband connects (especially in the far east) to download games using their PlayStation Network. An external Blu-Ray drive option could be possible (like HDD Xbox)

It's not all bad news for Sony their PlayStation 2 console has sold over 140 million units - more than all the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360 put together. New titles are still being released on PS2 frequently.

Who knows what 2009 will bring - comment below...

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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Monday, December 29, 2008

Fears that computer games are turning young people antisocial are being challenged by a new generation of "sociable" games which are played through the internet.

Sunday, December 28, 2008