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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Venetica - Experience the dark Action RPG features of the Twilight World on Xbox 360 and PC

VeneticaIn dtp entertainment’s upcoming Action RPG Venetica players take over the role of Scarlett, Grim Reaper’s daughter who is young and beautiful.. Set in a fantastic Venice, it is her mission to fight the pure evil.

Venetica takes players to the here and now of its fantastic game world, making Scarlett explore Venice’s streets, canals, houses and even the roof tops. As the daughter of Death, she also has the ability to enter the Twilight World: the world of the dead. Here, she communicates with the dead and gets access to a number of unique gameplay elements. To achieve this, Scarlett needs to learn and train for special, supernatural skills and abilities – of which she initially doesn’t even know exist…

During the game, her skills and abilities will allow her to get deeper and deeper into the Twilight World, and, for instance, ask the dead for help.

Venetica
Here and there, the dead help Scarlett to accomplish her missions by giving her hints: There are two ghosts, for example, who help Scarlett to find special items by revealing hidden doors or showing her helpful hints that will allow her to pick locks successfully. Scarlett meets these guys early in the game, when they still are alive. She helps them, but can’t avert that both will be killed later in the game.

It’s not just Good that awaits Scarlett in the Twilight World – the pure evil lurks there too, waiting the daughter of Death. Those who know the story of Venetica are aware of the bad necromancer, who is the source of all evil in the game’s story. He, Viktor, empowered himself with the Grim Reaper’s supernatural powers and now threatens the world. So, it’s not only countless horrific creatures that are waiting for Scarlett. Viktor’s powerful accomplices also hound her..

Equipped with supernatural powers, Viktor’s allies await Scarlett in the Twilight World once she has defeated them in the world of the Living. Now, Scarlett will face her real challenge: Using their powers, the evil helpers transform themselves into huge beasts, becoming even more powerful now that they reached the realm of the Dead.

Venetica’s Twilight World offers even more to the players: It’s not only special NPCs and enemies that resurrect in the world of the Dead – also Scarlett herself uses the underworld to re-awake. This allows her to generate herself tactical combat advantage, for instance by repositioning herself unseen while staying in the Twilight World, and afterwards surprisingly returning to the world of the living.

There is another special connection between Scarlett and the Twilight World: Her literally eternal love to Benedict, who dies just at the start of the game, bounds her to this world. Scarlett will meet her love regularly. In fact, Benedict will be the one who reveals Scarlett’s supernatural powers and who trains her in how to use them.

Many additional skills and abilities allow Scarlett to make even more use of the Twilight World, for instance by summoning creatures or by giving her unusual insights in both the worlds of the Living and the Dead. So, the Twilight World offers a full load of innovative gameplay features to Action RPG gamers.

Venetica will be a cinematic Action RPG with an extraordinary and deep story. The game mixes emotion and action in stunning ways.

A unique and living world full of surprises is waiting for the player, set in fantastic 16th century Venice and paired with intuitive and easy to learn gameplay.

As Cinematic RPG Venetica offers movie like cameras, subtly used cut scenes and spectacular images on a marvelous trip through a unique game world that is hard to match in the genre.

Video game release dates in February Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Nintendo DS and Wii

Priston Tale 2 : The Second Enigma - PC, PC online- 2nd February
My World, My Way - Nintendo DS - 3rd February
Burnout Paradise : The Ultimate Box - Xbox 360, PS3, PC - 5th February
Battle Fantasia - Xbox 360, PS3 - 6th February
Castlevania : Order of Ecclesia - Nintendo DS - 6th February
Lost in Blue 3 - Nintendo DS, - 6th February
Lost in Blue: Shipwrecked! - Nintendo Wii - 6th February
Rise of the Argonauts - Xbox 360, PS3, PC - 6th February
Time Hollow - Nintendo DS - 6th February
Age of Empires Mythologies - Nintendo DS - 6th February


Bolt - Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS - 6th February
Chrono Trigger - Nintendo DS - 6th February
The Times Crossword Challenge - Nintendo DS - 6th February
NASCAR Kart Racing - Nintendo Wii - 10th February
Bomberman 2 - Nintendo DS - 13th February
Buffy the Vampire Slayer : Sacrifice - Nintendo DS - 13th February
F.E.A.R. 2 : Project Origin - Xbox 360, PS3, PC - 13th February
Celetania - PC (online) - 13th February
Deadly Creatures - Nintendo Wii - 13th February
Destroy All Humans : Path of the Furon - Xbox 360, PS3 - 13th February
Eternal Sonata - PS3 - 13th February
House of the Dead : OVERKILL - Nintendo Wii - 13th February
Little League World Series 2008 - Nintendo Wii - 13th February
Mind Your Language - Nintendo DS - 13th February
Monkey Mischief - Nintendo Wii - 13th February
Petz : My Kitty Family - Nintendo DS - 13th February
Petz : My Monkey Family - Nintendo DS - 13th February
Pirates Hunt for Black Beard's Booty - Nintendo Wii - 13th February
Pitfall : The Big Adventure - Nintendo Wii - 13th February
RACE Pro - Xbox 360 - 13th February
Star Ocean : Second Evolution - PSP - 13th February
World Championship Sports - Nintendo Wii - 13th February
Wheelman - Xbox 360, PS3, PC - 16th February
Disney Sing It : High School Musical 3 : Senior Year - Xbox 360, PS3, PS3 - 17th February
Warhammer 40,000 : Dawn of War II - PC - 19th February
Cooking Mama World Kitchen - Nintendo Wii - 20th February
Cryostasis : Sleep of Reason - PC - 20th February
Men of War - PC - 20th February
NecroVisioN - PC - 20th February
Street Fighter IV - Xbox 360, PS3 - 20th February
The Sims 3 - PC - 20th February
50 Cent : Blood on the Sand - Xbox 360, PS3 - 20th February
Ceville - PC - 20th February
Disgaea 3 : Absence of Justice - PS3 - 20th February
DRAGON QUEST : The Hand of the Heavenly Bride - Nintendo DS - 20th February
SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection - PS3 - 20th February
Dead Rising : Chop Till You Drop - Nintendo Wii - 27 February
The Godfather II - Xbox 360, PS3, PC - 27th February
Family Ski & Snowboard - Nintendo Wii - 27th February
Le Parrain 2 - Xbox 360, PS3, PC - 27th February
Metal Slug 7 - Nintendo DS - 27th February
Spectrobes : Beyond The Portals - Nintendo DS - 27th February
Tornado - Nintendo DS - 27th February
XG Blast! - Nintendo DS - 28th February
Codename : Panzers : Cold War - PC - Feb 2009
From the Abyss - Nintendo DS - Feb 2009
Geon - Nintendo Wii (online) - Feb 2009
Imagine Fashion Idol - Nintendo Wii - Feb 2009
Killzone 2 - PS3 - Feb 2009
Little Magician's Magic Adventure - Nintendo DS - Feb 2009
Penumbra Collection - PC - Feb 2009
Petz : Monkey Madness - Nintendo Wii - Feb 2009
Scrabble 2009 - Nintendo DS - Feb 2009
SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection - X360 - Feb 2009
Sudoku for Kids - Nintendo DS - Feb 2009

Family Glide Hockey is now available for download, exclusively on WiiWare

Family Glide HockeyAksys Games, a publisher of interactive entertainment software, announces Family Glide Hockey is now available for download, exclusively on WiiWare™! Developed by ARC SYSTEM WORKS, creators of the Guilty Gear series and Family Table Tennis, players will once again embark on another American pastime!

For only 500 points, Family Glide Hockey features eye pleasing cel-shaded graphics and endearing music, while sporting easy competitive gameplay for all ages. Choose between single player mode, versus mode (up to 4 players can play), or challenge your skill in engaging mini-games.
“”Fans of air hockey will have another reason to stay home during the long winter nights”, states Frank deWindt II, Project Lead, Aksys Games. “Family Glide Hockey is definitely a great way to spend some fun quality time with your friends and family, without the sting of wasting your quarters!

Family Glide Hockey
Key Features:
Fun for the Whole Family!
Choose between four different family members! There's Billy (son), Sarah (daughter), Mommy, and Daddy!

You've Got The Touch!
Devastate your opponent and unleash the power of the Fire Shot or Trick Shot for the win!

Choose Your Battleground!
Pick among 5 unique locations to have a friendly match of glide hockey. Choose between the gymnasium, forest park, beach, amusement park, and even an arctic aquarium!

Exciting Mini Games!
Try your wits against Glide Hockey Brawl, Glide Hockey Drill, and Glide Hockey Tracer!
Family Glide Hockey has been rated “E” for everyone by the ESRB.

Football Manager Live - Online world now online

Test your football management skills with the rest of the world online for the very first time

Sports Interactive and SEGA Europe announce that Football Manager Live for PC and Apple Macintosh is available now via digital download at www.footballmanagerlive.com, and will be available from 23rd January in stores.


Football Manager Live, the eagerly awaited persistent-world game from award winning development studio Sports Interactive, lets you test your football management skills against the rest of the world online for the very first time.
“Football Manager Live is a very different game to Football Manager – imagine, if you can, a cross between Football Manager, fantasy football, an auction website and some social networking, and you’ll be just about there,” said Miles Jacobson, Studio Director at Sports Interactive. “Football Manager Live is the best way to prove your football management prowess to the world, and with a new development model dubbed as “constant development”, there will be new features being added to the game every few months, with a lot of these features being based directly on consumer feedback and what the people playing Football Manager Live want to see in the game.”
“Football Manager Live is an exciting step forward for the Football Manager brand, and with Sports Interactive being behind the helm of the very first live football MMO, it couldn’t be in better hands,” said Gary Knight, Marketing Director of SEGA Europe Ltd.

Football Manager Live lets you create and manage your very own football club, choosing your team name, colours, badge, home ground, and also deciding which players to sign from Sports Interactive’s famous database of over 330,000 real world footballers.
Providing a more casual experience than the Football Manager series, you can log in from anywhere, download the small client and play against your friends and other managers from around the world. Players can exchange banter with rival managers via the in-game chat system anytime, 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and you can also choose a league to suit your playing style, tailored to how often and when you want to play the game.
Craft the best team possible and buy, sell, loan and exchange players with other managers in the lively transfer market, or snap up some talent with the new player auction system. To ensure your success you have to balance your finances and develop your club, using an innovative skill system to improve your managerial style and give you the edge.

Football Manager Live operates on a subscription service, with the initial retail boxed copy retailing at £29.99 including a four month subscription to the game, with online subscriptions costing £22.99 to play the game for three months, £43.99 for six months and £72.99 for a full year, which equates to less than 20p per day.

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Monday, January 19, 2009

Marble Saga - Kororinpa puzzle video game on Nintendo Wii

Marble Saga - Kororinpa A new teaser for Marble Saga: Kororinpa, coming for the Nintendo Wii later this spring. Marble Saga: Kororinpa, an exciting puzzle adventure centering around a marble, features a variety of levels for gamers to explore, 4-person multiplayer gameplay, tons of customization features, the ability to connect and compete online and the use of the Wii Balance Board as features.
The story takes place with players heading out on a journey with Anthony the Ant as he searches for the Golden Sunflower. By guiding Anthony’s marble around the Ant World and searching for items which are valuable to help reach the Golden Sunflower, gamers will help Anthony save his colony.

Along the way players will face dangerous mazes and use cool and amazing widgets and gadgets to guide Anthony to his objective. With multiple levels to explore and three difficulty stages within each level, no area is ever the same.
Unique features in Marble Saga: Kororinpa allow fun customization for players. From designing the ball with attributes to helping players navigate through stages easier, to Miis™ and preset fun images, to an Edit Mode which allows for custom design of a unique stage, gamers can really make this entertaining experience their own. For a more competitive tone, a 4-person multiplayer mode allows players to compete with three other opponents on the same map as each races to the finish line. For more customization and group fun with others, the Wii Connect 24 feature allows gamers to share the unique stages they created with their friends or to receive extra stages from Hudson after the game’s launch via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Marble Saga: Kororinpa will be available in Spring 2009.

Resident Evil 5 demo download on PlayStation 3 from Monday 2nd February

resident evil five gameCapcom is pleased to confirm that PlayStation 3 owners will be able to experience action from two levels of the highly anticipated Resident Evil 5 ahead of its March 13th release date.

The demo will be available for European registered PSN users to download free of charge from Monday 2nd February.

As in the full game, the demo offers three levels of co-op play: single-player with AI support, two-player split-screen on a single PS3 and two-player across PSN.

As a reminder the demo will be available to download from Xbox Live from Monday 26 January.

Moto Racer DS ultimate motorbike racing game on Nintendo DS this April

Moto Racer is back! Moto Racer DS is the definitive motorbike racing game from Nobilis and Ascaron Entertainment. Due for release in April 2009 Moto Racer DS continues the successful series by delivering an incredible gaming experience on the portable Nintendo DS platform.

Racing fans take part in four exciting disciplines in a wide range of environments. Compete in single races, missions or against friends in multiplayer mode. Moto Racer DS also introduces the optional new and intuitive stylus control system with its unique Stylus Precision Handling (SPH).

Take a trip into the world of adrenaline pumping race action with the new Moto Racer DS game trailer available on my YouTube channel (please subscribe) here...

The only racing game with 4 exhilarating disciplines:
· Grand Prix - Race at speed around tight bends and scrape your knees against the tarmac of the race circuit

· Traffic - Involves a more measured pace with skilled manoeuvres in order to dodge oncoming trucks in urban cityscapes

· Super Cross - Features indoor circuits with treacherous leaps requiring expert thrusts and controlled landing to master the course

· Freestyle - Riders have to brake carefully, managing their speed and thrust to pull off jaw-dropping tricks high in the air
Race against friends

The multiplayer option in Moto Racer DS enables up to eight other bikers to be challenged for the ultimate racing experience against friends. Players can also compare their scores with others using the Online Worldwide Ranking system at the Moto Racer DS website.

Unique Stylus Precision Handling

Moto Racer DS features SPH, allowing the player to experience sensational acceleration, clever braking and stunning freestyle tricks by moving the stylus across the touch-screen. Point the stylus left and right to move the bike in the chosen direction, enabling corners to be taken smoothly and oncoming traffic to be speedily avoided, while other stylus movements can be used to perform back flips, flying jumps and crazy spins, providing hours of entertaining freestyle fun.

Fast facts:


Publisher: Ascaron Entertainment / Nobilis
Web: www.motoracer-thegame.com
Developer: Artefacts Studio
Release date: April 2009
Rating: PEGI: 3+
Format: Nintendo DS
Genre: Racing

Pass your driving theory test with Nintendo DS video game

torn L plate
Avanquest Software Publishing, a leading consumer software and games publisher, will launch Pass Your Driving Theory Test for Nintendo DS in March 2009. It is the essential interactive guide for those preparing to take their driving theory test. All 1265 official DSA questions are included for both cars and motorcycles, with users given the option to customise a revision schedule to fine tune their knowledge.
A theory test costs £30 and must be completed before driving students can take their practical examination. Almost 40% of those taking their theory test will fail*, which can result in having to reschedule a practical driving test. This in turn increases costs, wastes time and adds annoyance to an already stressful situation. For £19.99, Pass Your Driving Theory Test DS is a cost effective tool to ensure a first time pass.
When learning to drive, an instructor keeps a personalised record of a student’s progress. With Pass Your Driving Theory Test DS, users can do this by analysing their test results and creating a tailored revision schedule to improve specific subject areas. There are four effective test modes for users to assess themselves:
· DSA Test – In this mode learner drivers can test themselves on questions from one of the 14 official DSA categories to improve a specific subject area

· Custom Test – This test format allows users to customise an exam to develop their knowledge by specifying the number of questions from each of the 14 categories

· Mock Theory Test – Just like the real thing, learners are given 57 minutes to answer 50 questions, enabling them to judge if they are ready for their official theory test

· Quick Test – These tests enable driving students with a couple of minutes spare to do a rapid revision session of 10-40 randomly selected, timed questions
Pass Your Driving Theory Test DS includes all 1265 of the official theory test questions, with explanations for every answer to ensure learner drivers gain a clear understanding of the subject area. It has been developed in conjunction with LDC, one of the UK’s largest driving schools, that also offers a FREE driving lesson worth £26 for every owner of Pass Your Driving Theory Test DS.

Pass Your Driving Theory Test DS will be released by Avanquest Software Publishing in March 2009, priced £19.99

Fast facts:

Publisher: Avanquest Software Publishing
Developer: Uacari
Distributor: Interactive Ideas / Gem / Centresoft / Ideal Software
Release date: March 2009
Format: Nintendo DS
Genre: Simulation
SRP: £19.99

Aika Online realises ultra large-scale war with 300MB MMORPG beta

Aika OnlineAika Online's ultra large-scale war MMORPG surprises users with client optimization
- Users downloading client give high marks to Aika's system optimization

HanbitSoft announced that the company has been rated highly by users for its system optimization since the client distribution of Aika Online ("Aika"; http://aika.hanbiton.com), the ultra large-scale national war MMORPG.
Since the 16th, December Aika has distributed clients through its official website; it has conducted OBT within Korea since the 18th. HanbitSoft added that the users who tried the client location were amazed since download up to location took them only about 5 minutes, experiencing for themselves the system optimization that they have only heard about before. Such system optimization is expected to eliminate issues related to getting into the game since many gamers would be able to enjoy together to realize an ultra large-scale war, the strong point of Aika.
Aika Online
Aika reveals clear graphics even in light clients with a little more than 300 MB and retains a quest line according to the Aika Novel as well as massive contents such as Fran, users¡¯ eternal soul mate, instance dungeons, raid dungeons, etc.

Aika can run in PCs with Pentium 3 CPU and 512 MB; thus earning raves in international markets for its powerful competitiveness considering the fact that there are still many gamers and Internet cafes whose PC features are not that advanced. In fact, Aika is receiving countless calls from overseas as well.
"Since Aika is a war game, and hundreds of warriors should be in a field, we placed the biggest emphasis on system optimization. There are many users who consider whether they need to buy a new PC whenever a new game comes out. With Aika, however, they can enjoy the best quality without such burden," said Yura, Kim, director of HanbitSoft.

Watch the video on my YouTube channel here... (please subscribe)

Warhammer 40,000 - Dawn of War II out soon

Warhammer 40,000
THQ announced that Warhammer 40,000 - Dawn of War II, developed by the award-winning Real-time strategy (RTS) developer, Relic Entertainment, has reached the gold master stage of development and is now entering manufacturing. 

Set in the grim, war-ravaged world of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 science fiction universe, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II delivers visceral combat, stunning visuals, and destructible environments throughout a non-linear single-player experience as well as a fully cooperative multiplayer campaign via Microsoft's free Games for Windows - LIVE service.

Developed exclusively for Windows PC and powered by an enhanced version of Relic's proprietary Essence EngineTM 2.0, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is scheduled to be on store shelves at retail outlets nationwide on February 19, 2009.
"Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II will build on the critical acclaim and commercial success of the Dawn of War franchise, letting players experience RTS gaming like never before," said Kevin Kraff, vice president of global brand management, THQ. "Combining non-linear gameplay, cooperative multiplayer, cinematic visuals, and destructible battlefields brings a new, innovative dynamic to the genre."

"Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II stays true to the fast-paced, brutal heart of the Dawn of War series, while introducing branching single-player storylines and unique unit customization," said Tarrnie Williams, general manager, Relic Entertainment. "The deep, tactical gameplay lets players develop and lead personalized elite units who gain experience and grow stronger with every ferocious battle."
About Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II transports players into Games Workshop's vast Warhammer 40,000 universe, where an intergalactic war between ancient races has raged on for countless millennia. Featuring vicious front-line combat, destructible environments, a fully cooperative multiplayer mode, four unique playable races and a non-linear single-player campaign with branching storylines, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II delivers the ultimate sci-fi fantasy RTS experience. Disposable units will become a thing of the past as gamers feel the intimate brutality of war and develop a personal connection with fully customizable squads. For more information on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, please visit www.dawnofwar2.com.