Musicstar - I wanna be a Popstar on Nintendo DS out January 15

Overplay announced today the release of Musicstar: I wanna be a Popstar DS (Dreamer: Musicstar Popstar, for US version), developed for girls who dream to be a bandleader and a Popstar, published by Tivola and DreamCatcher.

The game tells the story of a girl who wants to be a Music Popstar. She will form a band with her schoolmates and best friends, a guitar player, a drummer and a keyboardist. Besides being friends they will have to work hard to reach stardom.

During the game, the player will need to play for different crowds in several countries, beating opponents and showing talents with different instruments.

The player will have the opportunity to customize her avatar, changing clothes, hairstyle, hair color and outfit. The game counts also with an economic system that allows players to buy different clothes, accessories and instruments.

If the player would like to form a band with her friends, she can use the multiplayer system in a cooperative mode, where each one selects a different instrument and all play the same song. But if the player wants competition, she can challenge a friend for a competitive match, where two players will play against each other to see who is the best.

The game also counts on a Record Studio, which allows players to use their creativity and compose a tune using guitar, drums and keyboard.

Musicstar - I wanna be a Popstar has the following features:

• Freely avatar customization.
• Play three different instruments.
• Perform incredible choreographies.
• Famous hit songs.
• Compose a tune at the studio
• Download Play and Multicard multiplayer system

The game will be available for European market on January 15, 2009 and for US market on February 24, 2009, according to Tivola.

Powerbike racing game for Nintendo DS

Straight from race-track to handheld, Majesco Entertainment released brand new action-packed screenshots from its upcoming street-racing title Powerbike for Nintendo DS.

 Developed by Tornado Studios, Powerbike is a high-adrenaline motorcycle racing game that features death-defying stunts, intense police chases and competitive multiplayer modes.
Straight from race-track to handheld, Majesco Entertainment today released brand new action-packed screenshots from its upcoming street-racing title Powerbike for Nintendo DS.

Developed by Tornado Studios, Powerbike is a high-adrenaline motorcycle racing game that features death-defying stunts, intense police chases and competitive multiplayer modes.

Filled with eight challenging courses and three race modes, players are thrown into the perilous world of street racing where the only chance of survival is to kick the clutch. Earning cash comes at a price as racers must soar over speeding semis, pop wheelies between police cruisers and perform drifts through hoards of traffic in the death-defying Stunt Mode. With money in hand, players can customize their bike's speed, acceleration, traction and stability, then challenge other racers via local DS multiplayer in Race Mode.

Powerbike for Nintendo DS is expected to release this Spring.
Filled with eight challenging courses and three race modes, players are thrown into the perilous world of street racing where the only chance of survival is to kick the clutch. Earning cash comes at a price as racers must soar over speeding semis, pop wheelies between police cruisers and perform drifts through hoards of traffic in the death-defying Stunt Mode. With money in hand, players can customize their bike's speed, acceleration, traction and stability, then challenge other racers via local DS multiplayer in Race Mode.

Powerbike for Nintendo DS is expected to release this Spring.

Angels Online - Buzz Rewards Program Renewed

To meet most Buzz members’ requirements and give them something back for their continued support, a brand-new Buzz reward mode has been released for all members.
Angels Online (http://ao.igg.com/main.php) Buzz members would be the first to experience this mode in advance

The main revolution for this renewed program is Players can choose [Consumption Reward] or [Level Reward] and they can change it at any time.

Level Reward: The new mode. Choose it and players can directly obtain the corresponding IGG points after players they've promoted reach the required level in game.

Consumption Reward: The default mode. Choose it and players can obtain the corresponding Buzz credits after players they've promoted purchase any IGG points. The Buzz credits can be used to take part in the Fortune Wheel event and abundant rewards are waiting for all players.

Still Life 2 trailer contest winners...

On December 3rd, Microïds, the producer of the Still Life series, and GameCo, the Still Life 2 developer, launched a Still Life 2 machinima contest to allow Still Life fans to design their trailer.

Over 120 participants from all over the world have entered the trailer competition.

On January 14th, the Microïds and GameCo jury members gathered to review all submitted creations and choose the best Still Life 2 trailer.

The jury members are pleased to award Laurent Dijoux (France) with the Still Life 2 Grand Prix. His name will appear in the Still Life 2 credits, along with the names of all the game creators and developers.

The jury, impressed by the overall quality of the trailers sent by the series’ fans, also awarded two finalists for the originality of their work: Gavin O’Brien (Ireland) and Aleksander Raczkowski (Germany).

The three trailers are already available on the Still Life series official website: www.stilllife-game.com

Catherine Peyrot, Still Life 2 Producer at Microïds, is thrilled: 'It was highly difficult to make our choice since the overall quality of the trailers we received was very impressive. We are proud to honor today the work of Laurent Dijoux, Gavin O’Brien and Aleksander Raczkowski'.

Nicolas Bonvalet, GameCo Studios Managing Director adds: “We were amazed by the commitment, the quality and originality of all the trailers we reviewed. We thank you all for your work and passion!”

Congratulations to all participants, and special bravo to the two finalists and the award winner!!

Natalie Brooks - Secrets of Treasure House mobile video game

The long-expected worldwide release of “Natalie Brooks - Secrets of Treasure House” has gone mobile.

Based on a casual PC hit by Alawar Entertainment, which combines two best-selling genres (“hidden object” and “quest”), the mobile game reproduces faithfully the plot of the PC version, preserving its dynamics and stunningly beautiful graphics.

“Natalie Brooks – Secrets of Treasure House” is a true interactive detective thriller. The development of the plot is arranged in a “detective story” style, keeping the player in suspense till the very last moment.

The game encourages a player to carry out an independent investigation and find out why the city officials want to get their claws into Natalie’s plush mansion. Each level brings new challenges, to meet which the player will have to become “jack-of-all-trades” skilled in safe breaking, mysterious Egyptian devices’ repairing and hidden items search. The tools of detective’s and secret agent’s trade are also required to puzzle and smoke out the criminals.

Mobile “Natalie Brooks – Secrets of Treasure House” features stunningly beautiful switched-on graphics, dozens of puzzles, 6 different locations (mansion, police station, museum, jewelry store, smuggler’s lair, banker’s office), reach PC game soundtrack, several mini-games offering unique challenges, different quests and missions at each level. Tutorial mode and main character’s diary are also available in the English version.

Both English and Russian versions of the game are now available for distribution.

Lord of the Rings - Conquest video game review

How could a game that lets you take control of an Ent and knock down swaths of hapless Uruk-hai with your massive branch-arms end up being so unimpressive?

Lord of the Rings: Conquest, an action game built around the legendary battles of Middle-earth depicted in J.R.R Tolkien's books, should have worked well. In Tolkien's stories, warriors with unique abilities combine their talents to win massive battles; Conquest developer Pandemic made a name for itself with the Star Wars Battlefront series, action games that featured squads of different character classes that combined their abilities to win massive battles. The perfect marriage!

But the honeymoon ends quickly. Conquest's 16-player online battles can be fun, but they get repetitive in short order. And the single-player mode, in which you can re-enact the big scenes from the movies and then play an alternate story in which the forces of Sauron win the day, is a mess.

Lord of the Rings: Conquest is available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. We reviewed the PlayStation 3 version.
If you do buy Conquest, you'll probably want to start with the single-player campaign. It's brief -- it won't take you more than a few hours to blast through all 15 levels, although you can go in later at a higher difficulty level. Playing the solo mode is a good way to get acquainted with the game's four different character classes.

Full review on WIRED here...

Mirror's Edge download content on January 29th

The first batch of downloadable add-on content for DICE's Mirror's Edge finally has a release date, and, as promised in December, it's coming later this month.

The pack, which includes seven "all-new and totally redesigned Time Trial maps" crafted around a decidedly abstract theme, comes to the Xbox Live Marketplace, PlayStation Network and PC on January 29 for $10.

PlayStation 3 owners may remember last year's promise of a free, exclusive downloadable Mirror's Edge map that has since become a point of contention, with some sites reporting that the content secretly went multi platform.

We contacted EA for an official comment on the subject, and a representative from the publisher clearly stated that the downloadable extra is still slated to be a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

Sourec: WIRED blog

Resident Evil 5 Demo Premiers Exclusively on Xbox 360 Starting January 26

Xbox 360 gamers worldwide won’t have to wait until March 13, 2009 to get their hands on the highly-anticipated “Resident Evil 5.” The next installment of the landmark survival horror franchise from Capcom will take action to a new level with a two-level, playable demo available exclusively on Xbox 360 for one week beginning Monday, January 26.

In the demo, players will have a first glimpse of the fear they will never forget, as “Resident Evil 5” makes daylight just as terrifying as darkness. Additionally, a new exclusive high-definition trailer of the game, shown only at the past Tokyo Game Show in October of 2008, will be made available for download on the Xbox LIVE service on Friday, Jan. 16.

Fans will have the opportunity to experience “Resident Evil 5’s” revolutionary new features early, including two-player co-op with voice chat along with new characters, weapons and environments. The demo is set within two stages from the beginning of the game – Assembly Place and Shanty Town -- featuring plenty of co-operative action, shooting, hordes of bloodthirsty infected Majini enemies and a few puzzles to round out the action. The demo has three levels of co-op play: single-player with AI support, two-player split-screen on a single Xbox 360 and two-player across Xbox LIVE.

Xbox 360 gamers will also be first to take on the new enemies in battle, including an army of weapon-wielding infected Majini, the gigantic hooded Majini Executioner and even the dreaded Chainsaw Majini. Players can also choose between the classic “Resident Evil”-style controls or switch to the newer “Action” controls inspired by games like “Gears of War 2” and “Halo 3.”

In this hotly anticipated new title coming on March 13, Chris Redfield returns as the “Resident Evil” hero and heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures. Joining forces with a new partner, Sheva Alomar, the two must work together to discover the truth behind this evil plot. Utilizing the new co-op mode, players will be able to assume control of either Chris or Sheva and experience “Resident Evil” in new ways.

Penumbra Collection set to be released on PC

Paradox Interactive are proud to announce that February 2009 is a date for fans of innovative and terrifying horror games everywhere to be excited about, as the Penumbra Collection is set to be released on PC.

Comprising of the full games Penumbra: Overture and Penumbra: Black Plague along with the recent expansion Requiem, all developed by the acclaimed two man development team at Frictional Games, Penumbra Collection is the complete story of Philip Buchanan and his journey through terror and madness!

But let us go back to where the Penumbra tale began...

Penumbra Overture was originally released in March 2007, with critics hailing not only its fantastic storyline and sense of atmosphere, but also its innovative control scheme. Players interacted with the game world in a physically realistic manner - grabbing and moving objects, opening doors, climbing ladders, examining items - unprecedented in a horror title and therefore adding greatly to the immersion and the tension.

Penumbra Overture introduced players to Philip Buchanan who, following his mother’s death, receives a letter from his supposedly dead father, a man who left before he was even born, his reasons for doing so a mystery leaving Philip with many unanswered questions. The letter and those questions lead Philip to the arctic wastes of Greenland, to a location mentioned in his father’s ambiguous note and the beginning of our adventure as he begins to uncover disturbing facts about his past that not only affect himself, but all of mankind.

Commenting on the process of making Penumbra: Overture, Thomas Grip, Lead Programmer and Co-Founder at Frictional Games said, “Overture was the first Penumbra game and where it all began. In the game we aimed at giving the player a sense of isolation, claustrophobic horror and making it a desperate fight for survival. Overture binds together a lot of innovative ideas in an intense gaming environment.”

IGN commented that Penumbra: Overture had “...great, moments, disturbing imagery...” on the way to scoring it 7/10, with Gamespot adding that it was “...a great spookfest” in their 7.8/10 review. An 8/10 review score from Worth Playing was summed up by them describing the game as an “...original title that sets out with a specific goal and accomplishes it well.”

Gears of War 2 Xbox Live Co-Op Night

Co-Optimus.com , the web's prime source for breaking co-op gaming news and information, proudly welcomes members of Gears of War 2's development team at Epic Games to join this month's Xbox Live Co-Op Night.

This interactive gaming event is part of Co-Optimus.com's monthly co-op events only on Xbox Live . The crew from Co-Optimus will be playing the campaign in two player co-op mode as well as horde mode in five player co-op. As the Locust Horde approaches, Epic Games' team will dive in to help take them down.

Co-Optimus.com will be broadcasting the event live all night, which begins at 7:30PM EST on January 15th, via the Event page. To join in on the action use the game's built in match making tools or look for the following gamertags.

EpicDev1 (Epic)
EpicDev2 (Epic)
EpicDev3 (Epic)
BAPenguin (Co-Optimus)
pherbear (Co-Optimus)
DjinniMan (Co-Optimus)
co optimus (Co-Optimus)

This special event is a continuation of the monthly Xbox Live evenings presented by Co-Optimus.com. For more information, please visit the official event page on Co-Optimus . For more information on Xbox Live Co-Op Nights please visit the Xbox Community Page  on Xbox.com and for more information on Gears of War 2, visit the official homepage.