Spore Hero Nintendo Wii, Spore: Hero Arena Nintendo DS, Spore: Creature Keeper Windows P), and Spore - Galactic Adventures expansion in 2009

EA UK has confirmed several new Spore games for Wii, DS & PC, as well as a Spore expansion pack. Yes, Spore fans are finally getting that Wii version of Spore in Spore: Hero for Wii. Another new game tie-in will be Spore: Hero Arena for DS, a standalone Spore: Creature Keeper on PC, and more Spore PC expansion packs with the first of them titled Spore: Galactic Adventures. All of them will be arriving in 2009.

But what about those Spore version on Xbox 360 & PS3 that the game’s creator Will Wright talked about back in 2006? Spore senior producer Morgan Roarty had this to say: “I think first and foremost we’d have to have the right design. The obvious out of the box thinking would be to port the PC product… but I don’t think that’s really the right design. [We’d] possibly go deeper into space… but in my mind, before something like that would get greenlit, it would have to be the right design.”

More details on each new Maxis game below:

Nintendo Wii debut Spore: Hero is an avatar-focused, adventure-based game set in “a beautiful new world”.

Second Spore game to hit Nintendo DS after Spore Creatures will be Spore: Hero Arena. Nothing’s been officially announced yet on what it’ll be about, but the name suggests a Wii title tie-in.

Spore: Creature Keeper is a standalone PC title targeted at a younger audience. It’s described as being “like a mini-Sims” game, where players nurture a newly born creature that has “Sims motives like energy and bladder.”

Maxis is also developing the core game’s first expansion pack titled Spore: Galactic Adventures, formerly known as Adventure Creator. The expansion’s targeting a “deeper variety of gameplay” based around Spore’s space stage, and the overwhelming majority of its new content will be created by the Spore community using new editing tools that’ll allow players to customise their own planets and create their own adventures to share with other gamers. A bit like LittleBigPlanet then.

Maw Micro Xbox LIVE arcade game

Twisted Pixel Games' The Maw is a 3D puzzle-platformer, starring the titular Maw and his newly befriended alien pal Frank. The two escape their evil captors, only to go on a gameplay binge.

The Maw's gimmick, as it were, is the title character's ability to eat, expand and absorb the abilities of the lifeforms it ingests. Swallow a flaming Gastro and the Maw will be able to breathe fire. Eat a floating Puff-tor and the Maw can inflate itself to make massive, coasting jumps. Using these abilities, Frank and the Maw must make their way through eight levels, with Frank guiding his rotund cohort via a remote control collar, overcoming obstacles with unique abilities and an ever-fattening Maw.

How'd we feel about the game, now that we've stuffed ourselves on The Maw?

Read full post on Kotaku here...

Twelve Real Life Video Game Weapons

There are two things that happen when you convert video game weapons from pixels to steel. The first is you get to see how cool they look, and the second?

Well that’s usually how impractical they are to use.

Ever try to pick up a sword that weighs more than you? You won’t win many boss battles, believe me. Here are twelve weapons that have made the jump all the way to real life, and why you might buy them.

See all twelve weapons on the full post here... Unreality mag

News as Microsoft close Flight Simulator games development - Aces Studio and Flight Sim

Microsoft has confirmed the closure of ACES Studio, with a spokesperson commenting to IGN that the decision was made within Microsoft's Internal Entertainment Business "to align our people against our highest priorities."

In addition, the company noted: "You should expect us to continue to invest in enabling great LIVE experiences on Windows, including flying games, but we have nothing specific to announce at this time."

Elsewhere, former ACES developer Phil Taylor, who moved away from the company before these layoffs, has been further detailing the shutdown in a blog post.

According to his reports, the studio has indeed been largely closed, with six employees retained to fulfill contractual duties - though he comments on the hope that Flight Simulator may continue to exist as a franchise in some other form.

The Microsoft-owned Flight Simulator is possibly the game industry's longest-running continuous franchise.

The first Microsoft-branded version was released in 1982, and ongoing development stretches back over more than a quarter-century and twelve main versions.

The most recent version, Flight Simulator X, was released in 2006 and said to have been a success, with an expansion in 2007. A Microsoft representative had confirmed at that time that further editions of the game were in development.

The Flight Sim series is well-known not just for its official releases, but for its unusually dedicated fan base, which has produced copious amounts of user mods and resources for players.

Also in development at ACES Studio was Microsoft Train Simulator 2, the followup to Kuju's original 2001 game. The sequel was previously speculated to be releasing this year. Furthermore, ACES Studio was responsible for Microsoft ESP, a wide-ranging "visual simulation platform" based on Flight Simulator X technology.

The future of the three software lines in or out of house is unclear, particularly given how extensive the ACES Studio layoffs are said to be, but Gamasutra has contacted Microsoft for comment on the report.

Jetset - Airport Security game now on iPhone and iPod Touch

It would have been enough for Ian Bogost and his Persuasive Games outfit to simply port their 2006 "news game" Airport Security to the iPhone for a quick cash in. That game wickedly parodied the TSA's ever-shifting carry-on rules, turning the ridiculous regulations into a brilliant hectic mini-game formula.

In it, you play as a security gate checker who has to strip every disallowed item from a growing line of impatient passengers - bottled water, shoes, Arabic-printed T-shirts, snakes (get it?) and hemorrhoid cream - but the rules are constantly changing, sometimes in mid-frisk, and rejecting an item that's allowed smacks you with a civil liberties penalty as harsh as allowing through each forbidden toothbrush and pudding cup.

With its clickable interface correlating smoothly to the iPhone's touchscreen, an easy port would have been enough, but instead Persuasive has very smartly turned it into one of the most socially- and feature-rich games the iPhone's yet seen.

Billing itself now as "the first mobile game for business travelers," Jetset (as it's now known) uses the iPhone's location-awareness to link fliers to whichever airport they're currently in to unlock special local souvenirs (your guess as to which have to be in to unlock the 'poutine' and 'Greek coffee-cup'), which can then be sent to friends via its interconnected Facebook app.
It's a gimmick to be sure, but one that brings the out-and-about mobile game much closer to home-base, and one ripe for impromptu competitions between the weariest travelers, as the game keeps track of local, global and per-airport high scores. It was always smart social parody from the start, but in making it this much smarter, Jetset has quickly earned its wings in the top tier of App Store output.

Link to iTunes game page

Ninja Blade - Hands on Xbox 360 review

Most gamers who owned the original Xbox had the pleasure of playing Ninja Gaiden, a complex and mature game with some of the most challenging moments in gaming. Its successor Ninja Gaiden II was a great leap forward in combat and presentation, making it a huge success. Unfortunately, the masterful creator behind Ninja Gaiden Tomonobu Itagaki quit Tecmo, which means that the Ninja Gaiden series could be over now. As a fan of the series, I was pretty disappointed with the news, as Ninja Gaiden was a special game.

Well, all hope was not lost as a new Xbox 360 exclusive series called Ninja Blade(NB) was shown to gamers a few months back and its high flying action reminded me of the famous Ryu Hayabusa, which is quite a compliment. Ninja Blade looks and feels very similar to Ninja Gaiden, but let me assure you, it is a completely different game. I got some hands-on with NB and though it was a very small preview, it did clear most of my doubts about the gameplay.

When I first saw NB, I assumed that this is a highly inspired title with minimum effort put in the gameplay. My apologies to the team behind NB, as the small build that I played, belied most of my assumptions.

NB is less complex, has a different approach towards gameplay and is far more cinematic than I previously presumed. It uses a lot of quick-time events and John Woo-ish presentation to create quiet a cinematic experience, one that I am sure will be further expanded in the full release.

The game starts off with a highly stylized intro and quickly jumps into action where enemy units are readily available for slaughter. The Ninja's attacks and movements are slower but more focused, which keeps the camera steady and very controlled. This is a very important factor in a third person action game, the camera control has to be smooth and hassle-free for the best experience.

Our Ninja-hero was well equipped with various swords, a separate one for a each kind of enemy, with an awesome finishing move. One can see inspiration drawn from games like Heavenly Sword in the combat, but with a more focused approach on combos and finishing moves. The brief demo had enough enemies to try out most of the combos, which included a ranged attack. Our Ninja has an ability known as Ninja vision, which basically slows down time and makes combat easier.

Ninja Vision was also useful against a giant-spider/boss, who you encounter at the end of the level. Using Ninja Vision you have to evade his incoming ranged attacks. The boss wasn't really a challenge; all that it needed was a few quick blows and a few quick time events. What really impressed me was one particular level, where you falling off a really tall building, while slaughtering enemies on your way down, something one usually comes across in a cut-scene.

I liked Ninja Blade, it did have a few inspired aspects, but then so does Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (which we all know is a brilliant game). I am looking forward to Ninja Blade; it looks nice, plays smooth and offers a really stable camera while in combat. But then again, no assumption till the full game is out.

Source: TechTree

F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin demo review on Xbox 360

What happens when you combine ghosts, gore, and a heavy amount of sci-fi FPS action? Monolith's celebrated shooter, F.E.A.R., set about answering that question with rousing results.

Now, the demo for F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin has finally arrived on Xbox Live and PSN, which means that the story is finally set to be continued from where it left off at the end of the first title. Based on what it shows, it seems safe to say that the upcoming sequel will be a hit with fans of the series.

F.E.A.R. 2 demo to be a Qore exclusive

I never played the original F.E.A.R., which means that there are probably a number of details in Project Origin's demo that I'm missing due to an unfamiliarity with the subject matter; the overall plot seems to be one of those things I'm missing. Here's what's explained in the demo's intro: A little girl named Alma last saw the sun/outside world when she was eight years old.

Full post on Ars Technica here...

Dragon Quest V - Hand of the Heavenly Bride on Nintendo DS

The legend of Zenithia continues with the first-ever North American release of DRAGON QUEST V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride.

Follow the hero through a span of three generations, as he journeys and battles his way through lands filled with bizarre and dangerous creatures.

Recruit up to 70 different monsters to fight for your party. And when the time comes, choose the woman you will marry!

Check out the website for details on how to win a DRAGON QUEST prize pack, along with an autographed copy of the game signed by game designer Yuji Horii.

Star Ocean - Second Evolution for Sony PlayStationPortable PSP

The Star Ocean saga continues with the PSP release of STAR OCEAN: SECOND EVOLUTION.

Take the role of the either the young impetuous hero Claude, son of the famed Admiral Ronyx J. Kenny, or Rena, the young girl whose planet is threatened, as they embark on an adventure to save Rena's world from annihilation.

Completely rebuilt for the PSP, this brand-new version of the fan favorite features all-new animated scenes, new private actions, and some new surprises.

How to get free video game videos on your site

My blog YouTube games videos - Please subscribe for updates

Embed the player in your blog or website - <object height="337" width="416"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/cp/vjVQa1PpcFOvXX-W_VG9zrUZM2Hp4WDqqRfvRKN6NWk="><embed src="//www.youtube.com/cp/vjVQa1PpcFOvXX-W_VG9zrUZM2Hp4WDqqRfvRKN6NWk=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="416" height="337"></embed></object>