Relax and stimulate your mind with Challenge Me - Brain Puzzles! on Nintendo DS

Oxygen Games introduces the first in a new range of games designed to relax and stimulate your mind; Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles!

Relax, Play and improve your mind. Challenge Me - Brain Puzzles, with its extended gameplay and variety of features, gives you the chance to test yourself while having fun. Guaranteed to stimulate and surprise with hours of gameplay to keep you entertained, Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles is a relaxing and entertaining way to keep your mind challenged and stimulated.

Incorporating two number based games, Sudoku & Picture Logic, Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles will not only bring you hours of fun and relaxation, but may also improve your mental skills.

Picture Logic is a numbers based grid game in which you use logic to solve puzzles and in doing so build a picture! See if you can guess the picture before you finish the puzzle. With hundreds of pictures to guess, and grids building from 10x10 to 15x15, Picture Logic will challenge you to beat the clock & find the picture before your time runs out! The idea of the game is to match numbers along the side and top of a numbers grid. As you match up the numbers a picture will appear, when all the numbers match the picture will be finished. The difficulty of the puzzles increases from easy 10x10 grids to 15x15 grids which will challenge even the ardent puzzle fan. 500 Picture Logic puzzles are available providing hours of entertainment.

In the ‘Challenge Me!’ mode you can test yourself against 30 puzzles. When you have finished, a report will let you know whether all that mind exercising is making you smarter! In ‘Free-play’ mode you are free to play whichever challenges you wish.

Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles – Relax, Play and Improve Your Mind!

Steal Princess, The Dark Spire Tokyo Beat Down for Nintendo DS and Hammerin' Hero for PSP release dates

Unfortunately, a few Atlus titles will have to be slightly rescheduled as to their date of release, but the changes will be minimal.

Tokyo Beat Down for Nintendo DS, an old-school arcade beat 'em up that will literally pound the nostalgia into your face, is now scheduled for release on March 31st.

Hammerin' Hero for PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, an arcade platformer in which every time is hammer time, is now scheduled for release on April 7th.

The Dark Spire for Nintendo DS, a love letter to fans of classic, first-person, western-style RPGs, is now scheduled for release on April 14th.

Steal Princess for Nintendo DS, a genre-bending puzzle platformer with a flexible level creator and near unlimited replayability, is now scheduled for release on April 21st.

King’s Bounty - The Legend PC video game

King’s Bounty: The Legend, a knight saga that blends role-playing adventure and battle strategy in a fantasy land, will be released on February 13th 2009 by Nobilis and Ascaron Entertainment. The critically acclaimed* game requires players to command an army as they siege castles, conquer enemy territories and battle with ruthless beings. Supernatural allies, known as the Spirits of Rage, can be called upon to defeat ruthless armies and achieve victory for King and country.

The army will travel across land and sea, as well as underground, journeying through forests and caves to get to castles, villages and swamps. Hostile castles must be stormed for the player to expand the King’s realm and create a base, where supplies, extra troops and skills can be acquired. A hexagonal battle strategy sequence is played out, with a diverse army of humans, pirates, dwarves, hyenas and other species able to use their unique skills to slay enemies and ensure victory.

To triumph against complex enemies during more intense and arduous battles, players may need to summon the Spirits of Rage, a set of gods that can be commanded to destroy anything that lies in their path. The Spirits of Rage include:

• Zerock, Stone Spirit - A huge creature, whose attacks inflict massive physical damage, breaching any defences and crushing even the most brutal enemies.
• Lina, Ice Spirit - Battle sorceress from a magical world who has lost her body in a brutal battle. She will fire magical ice orbs and thorns at the enemy.
• Reaper, Death Spirit - Sinister and powerful keeper of the Temple of Time, the Reaper has power over time and space.
• Sleem, Swamp Spirit - This scaly monster has the power to poison swamps and its inhabitants.

For more information on King’s Bounty: The Legend visit the website
www.kings-bounty.com.

Fast facts:

Publisher: Nobilis / Ascaron Entertainment
Web: a href="http://www.kings-bounty.com" target="_blank">www.kings-bounty.com
Developer: 1C
Release date: February 13th 2009
PEGI: 12+
Format: PC
Genre: RPG / Turn Based Combat

Alison Carroll launches new Sony Ericsson F305 and W910 gaming phones in London

After being unveiled as the new, real-life Lara Croft, Alison Carroll will be appearing at the flagship store of The Carphone Warehouse, this Friday 6 February 2009 at 12:15hrs.

Alison will be helping to launch two new gaming handsets from Sony Ericsson, which will be exclusively available from The Carphone Warehouse. The F305 motion-sensitive handset comes pre-loaded with over 50 free games, while the W910 Exclusive Gaming Edition has four blockbusting games stored on it, including Tomb Raider.

WHEN: 12:15hrs, Friday 4 February 2008

WHAT: Photocall, media interviews (on request)

Alison Carroll, the new Lara Croft will be appearing in store to launch two, new gaming handsets from Sony Ericsson.

WHERE: The Carphone Warehouse, 272-274 Oxford Street, London, W1C 1DU
(by John Lewis)

More great Alison Carroll pictures here...

First Trailer, Screens, and Feature List Released for World of Cars Online MMO Virtual World

This summer, Disney Online will launch World of Cars Online, a 3D online world based on the hit movie CARS. Players will be able to take an amazing ride into a wacky world full of fun and adventure by designing their own car, becoming a racing legend, making new friends, and playing mini-games with Lightning McQueen and the rest of the cast.

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

Just some of the features World of Cars Online will include are:

- Create a Car – Players can pick the body style, color, wheels and name to trick out their own ride

- Race for the Cup – Players start on local dirt tracks and work their way up to the national circuit to become a Piston Cup Champ

- Explore the Open Road: Starting in Radiator Springs and driving beyond Carburetor County, players can explore a whole new world of snow racing, dune jumping, and beach wheelies

- Build Your Own Race Track and Garage: Players can expand and decorate their Garage as well as build their own racetracks and invite friends over to race on it

- Play Fun Mini-Games: There are awesome mini-games like tow truck driving, tractor tipping, stunt shows, and more

- Cool Car Add-Ons: Players can earn coins to upgrade their Car with new paint colors, spoilers, rims, fins, bigger engines, and more one-of-a-kind items

- Make New Friends: Players can meet and chat with Mater, Guido and Luigi, and other wacky characters from the movie as well as thousands of other players

- Become a Legend: Players can steer their way to earning fans, sponsors and winning the Piston Cup, joining Doc, Lightning McQueen, and other elite racers!

To provide players with a sneak peek into The World of Cars Online, Disney Online recently launched The World of Cars Online TEST TRACK at www.WorldofCars.com. Now live for PC and Mac users, the TEST TRACK allows players to create their own Car and race it on test tracks, which earns players Car Coins that they can spend when The World of Cars Online launches this Summer. Features of The World of Cars TEST TRACK include:

- Car Creator – Three simple steps to creating a player’s own Car, including a Garage where they can customize their ride

- 2 Tracks: Training Track and Carburetor County Speedway

- Leaderboards: Players can compare their track times against other players on the Racing Sports Network leaderboard

- Unlock Collectibles including a Bonus Track - Race Codes are located inside specially marked Cars die-cast toys from Mattel

Fans can check out the latest Crews News and info about the game from the Disney Online Development Team at http://blog.worldofcars.com.

Guiness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition out February 11th

The globally-recognised authority on record-breaking achievements, Guinness World Records, announces the latest and greatest in video gaming with the publication of Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition.

As Great Britain experiences the heaviest snowfall in eighteen years, launch celebrations for the UK version are postponed until 11th February.

Hailed by critics as the "gamer's bible" in 2008, this year's edition promises to keep gamers occupied for hours with 216 pages of original records, facts and trivia. The all new 2009 Gamer's Edition encompasses everything from the history of gaming to individual scores and facts from all genres of video games.

Records include the Largest Virtual Army (America's Army, with more than 8 million registered users – almost 15 times larger than the actual US Army); the Longest Drum Marathon On Rock Band (26 hrs, 40 min); Most Controls on a Video Game (Steel Battalion, which features 49 different input devices, including foot pedals, a gear level, two control sticks and a button that activates in-screen windscreen wipers); Most Successful Entertainment Product Launch (Grand Theft Auto IV); and the Most Played Online Game (Call of Duty 4, with more than 1.3 million players daily on Xbox 360 alone).

Editor-in-Chief of Guinness World Records, Craig Glenday, says: "Our intention behind Gamer's Edition is to offer a snapshot of the gaming universe uniquely through the eyes of Guinness World Records – in a format that appeals to both casual and hardcore gamers."

The book covers all consoles and gaming levels, as well as a special section on banned and controversial games (pinball machines were banned in the U.S. for 34 years), War Games (Metal Gear, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor), Superhero Games (Batman, Spider-Man, Superman), Space Games (Star Trek, Wing Commander, Star Wars). The 2009 Gamer's Edition also features interviews with key gaming industry heroes, such as Ralph H. Baer, investigates the growing craze in healthy gaming, and offers Twin Galaxies' leaderboard of high scores and fastest times.

Concurring with Glenday's view, records manager and gaming specialist Gaz Deaves adds: "As with the amazing achievements in the main book, we are always happy to welcome new record breakers in to Gamer's Edition and the Guinness World Records family. Anybody who's dedicated to breaking a record in the video gaming world can contact us with a claim through our website www.guinnessworldrecords.com/gamers."

To celebrate the UK launch of the new edition on the 11th of February, British eccentric motoring inventor Edd China will unveil his latest wacky creation on four wheels – the Fastest Mobile Gaming Rig. Complete with all three "current generation" consoles and monitors, this unique piece of mobile furniture will tour the streets of London with three gamers onboard after setting a speed record on the A40.
Also in celebration of the UK launch, the world’s Youngest Professional Gamer, Lil Poison (Victor De Leon III), is due to visit London for the very first time on 9th February. 10-year old, Long Island (NY) native, Lil Poison claimed the title after signing with MLG recruiters as a Pro Gamer at the age of six.
Today, on the other side of the pond, reigning Guinness World Record-holder Danny Johnson will attempt to reclaim his "Guitar God" status on Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock in New York City. Johnson will try to best the previous record of 899,703 points on Guitar Hero’s toughest song – "Through the Fire and Flames".

Even prior to its launch, 2009 Gamer's Edition received critical acclaim from with Kotaku, stating: "With entries for professional gaming, top selling games in history, the history of hardware and Guitar Hero, the Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition looks to be a must have for fans of gaming."

A-Train 8 PC video game - become manager of a railroad company

The A-Train brand has become one of the most respected and sought after titles and with A-Train 8, as manager of a railroad company, elected as mayor of your city, you will have your time engaged with many motivating tasks. The aim is to create the best public transport systems possible, manage them and adapt fares to successfully improve your city though the year, taking into account the different seasons and the effect they could have on the system you create!

Create cities as realistic as you wish and the choice of options and parameters are as impressive as the structures offered. You can choose from any of the main monuments which include Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower or even the Empire State Building. See the setting you have created spring into life and watch the city vibrantly take on a persona you have personally adapted. A-Train is a simulation with its graphical interface that is unsurpassed in terms of details and virtual authenticity; all orchestrated with simple and intuitive mouse and keyboard key strokes and movements

It’s more than the fame and respect in creating a network that runs smoothly but also the ideal in making ‘loads of money’, and building a fortune by speculating in the unique stock exchange system that has been developed in A-Train but ensuring you don’t go bankrupt is also something you might encounter if you don’t plan property. The need to watch what you are in investing in is paramount!

With every great empire, the ground work of course has to be implemented and the cycle of events leading up to the final outcome has to be put in place. In A-Train your city develops around its train stations so first players will build the station that will serve as the centre of your city’s growth. A station and a network of roads to the station have to be plotted as do the actual railway tracks. With each task there are a number of equations. Where you build, even the elevation of the land has to be taken into account. You could be laying the perfect track from a destination point and find that your progress is barred by an expanse of water, which can be solved by building a bridge but at the same time your expenditure should also be gauged for you do not have a limitless budget! A single station on its own will serve no purpose so building up interconnecting stations where there is a thriving populous is also mandatory for success!

A-Train goes deeper than any other game of its type. Subtle ways of encouraging growth around stations, making use of rich agricultural expanses can also be mapped and taken into consideration. Building, growth, and future prosperity requires resources and so constructing commercial, as well as residential, buildings is key to a great balance and untold prospects. Freight and containment buildings, houses, factories, along with roads, multi tracks are all part of a bigger plan and the evolving community and an importantly increasing bank balance. Stop and things will stagnate, be bold and speculate and become rich beyond your wildest dreams. Build subsidiaries, buy stocks and shares, increase your funds by managing companies – move onto bigger real estate and new uncharted areas!

Features include

• Real replicas of trains with an inner view of the locomotives.
• Approx thirty preconceived maps that can be modified and enlarged.
• City editor with a choice of 120 buildings and 53 trains
• Innovative stock system exchange with 50 companies
• Changing seasons and moments of the day
• Options to integrate your own music in game
• Permanent evolution of the game to create a consistent network
• Train Window Mode
• Detailed management
• Map construction option

A-Train’s sheer pictorial and statistical information makes for compulsive gaming and the intuitive building and manipulation sequential evolution will have players captivated and only by playing can you understand the real depth of ideas on offer. The game’s all important interface is inventive in allowing the player total control and freedom when decisions are made.

A-Train is an unmissable simulation!

Released on 27th February 2009

Website launch for PC FPS NecroVisioN

1C Company, Aspyr and 505 Games have unveiled a website – www.necrovision-game.com - for upcoming horror FPS NecroVisioN, the game that sees players crawling through the trenches of World War One straight into the jaws of Hell. NecroVisioN is launching exclusively on PC in February 2009.

Fans looking for a classic old-school FPS experience, can use the website to uncover more information about the B-movie style plot of NecroVisioN. Why are the dead rising from their graves? How did a mad German scientist build a huge robot in 1917? What is the mysterious war between vampires and demons? The answers to all these questions and more, can be found within the different pages of the site.

Alongside details about the plot, the site also contains a range of screenshots from NecroVisioN, exclusive videos of the game in action and wallpaper for desktops. Plus, there’s also a forum where players can chat about tactics for disposing of the undead with other zombie hunters.

NecroVisioN is a fast-paced and furious first-person shooter from The Farm 51 that blends historical detail with horror and alternative reality. Players are put in the shoes of Simon Bukner, an American soldier, who decides to help the British effort to take out the German threat. But that’s only the start of his troubles and Bukner soon realises that there’s something far more terrible stirring in the trenches: a string of hideous beasts and demons.

Wii Rock Band add new tracks including Boston

Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of six new tracks to the Rock Band Music Store catalog of downloadable content for Wii home videogame console from Nintendo. The line up features four tracks from classic rock band Boston including “Hitch a Ride,” “Peace of Mind,” “Smokin’” and “Something About You.”

In addition to the Boston tracks Rock Band 2 Wii fans will also gain access to“Hanging on the Telephone” by Blondie and “Dirty Little Secret” from All-American Rejects.

All six tracks are part of the Rock Band Music Store catalog of downloadable content already released to owners of Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. Wii fans can expect a rollout of the previously released downloadable content until the entire back catalogue of more than 550 songs is available. In addition, the regularly scheduled future DLC releases for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system will also be available for Rock Band 2 Wii owners soon.

Release Date: Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Tracks:

Boston “Hitch a Ride”
Boston “Peace of Mind”
Boston “Smokin’”
Boston “Something About You”
Blondie “Hanging on the Telephone”
All-American Rejects “Dirty Little Secret”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Price: $2.00 (200 Wii Points) per track

Location: In-game Rock Band 2 Music Store (Wii Points must be purchased
through the Wii Shop Channel)

Mystic Mine on PC, Mac and Linux now available!

Koonsolo is pleased to announce the release of "Mystic Mine", a refreshing game for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. In Mystic Mine you guide a gold car through a mine, switching rails with a single button. You can only go down, but thanks to an optic illusion in the levels, you can always reach every point. Play this game alone or invite some friends and play against each other. The game supports up to 6 people on one keyboard. You've never played a game like this before!

Mystic Mine features:

• Family friendly gameplay for all ages.
• Single-button gameplay.
• Multiplayer with up to 6 players on 1 keyboard.
• Accessible to people and children with limited mobility.
• Adapts the difficulty to your skill.

Visit www.mysticmine.com now and download your free demo of Mystic Mine.