Kung Fu Panda voted best animation in a video game by the International Animated Film Society

The video game based on Dreamworks Animation's movie of the same name just scored an Annie, beating out Dead Space and Wall·E.

The 36th Annual Annie Awards threw down this past weekend, honoring the best that animated things have to offer, whether they be animated feature length movies, achievements in storyboarding or outstanding television commercials.

Another Gamezplay.org Kung Fu Panda post here...

Three games were nominated in the "Best Animated Video Game" category, with Activision's Kung Fu Panda snatching the Annie "in recognition of creative excellence in the art of animation."

I'd cry foul, but I've yet to bask in the animation of Kung Fu Panda in any of its forms. Who objects?
Source: Kotaku

Sims 3, Godfather 2 and Dragon Age video games delayed to next year - 2010

EA said it would delay the release of "Sims 3," "Godfather 2" and "Dragon Age" to fiscal 2010 from fiscal 2009, and that it would narrow its product portfolio and cut variable costs.

EA in December warned its fiscal 2009 profit and revenue will fall short of already-low forecasts due to disappointing holiday sales of its video games in North America and Europe.

"The quarter was definitely worse than I thought, definitely below the most pessimistic of expectations," said analyst Todd Greenwald of Signal Hill Group. "The sort of silver lining on the cloud: they gave fiscal 2010 guidance that is slightly above where I was and slightly below consensus, but I think people were fearing worse."

EA to dedicate half it's games output to Nintendo Wii console

Speaking during a conference call, the CEO of EA detailed a renewed focus on the popular machine, as the publisher dedicates half of its home console output to the Nintendo Wii.

"The Nintendo Wii is even more important than one year ago. It is a clear leader in this cycle," said Riccitiello. "They are getting half our emphasis in terms of title count."

EA Sports games are key to breaking the Wii market, said Riccitiello, with the new Wii MotionPlus accessory enabling EA to increase quality and deliver the type of gameplay experiences associated with Nintendo's own first-party output.

"You will see we are taking great advantage of their new hardware addition with the motion sensor," he said. "What that is going to give us is the kind of gameplay we think will rival Nintendo on their own platform, and we are bringing marketing together in such a way that we think we can get noticed in ways that no other third party will."

Two titles central to this are EA Sports Active, the fitness game due later this year, and a new tennis franchise, which also makes use of the Wimbledon license.

"We're going strong, right out of the box, with EA Sports," declared Riccitiello.

"EA Sports Active is taking advantage of the world's fascination with fitness - the strength of the Wii Fit platform - with a spectacular title in my judgement that's coming out in our first quarter."

"The second thing that is coming out in the quarter is we are launching our tennis SKU, and initially Wii only, and following it up with other franchises."

Along with more MySims releases, EA plans to market its Wii range collectively, rather than as individual titles.

"We are bringing three titles together, and we are aggressively marketing them," said Riccitiello.

Yesterday, EA reported a loss of USD 641 million, the decision to close 12 facilities and increase redundancies to 1100 across the group.

Source: GamesIndustry

Free PC video game America's Army picks up five Guinness World Records

The U.S. Army today announced that its America's Army PC game, which lets players explore Soldiering in the U.S. Army, has been recognized with five records in the upcoming Guinness World Records 2009: Gamer's Edition. Guinness World Records 2009: Gamer's Edition, the second installment of the must-have "Gamer's Bible," will hit shelves February 4th with a list price of $21.95. The Gamer's Edition features the definitive collection of video game records, facts and trivia.

The America's Army PC game received awards in the following categories:

• Largest Virtual Army
In January 2007, America's Army recruited its 8 millionth registered user; at the same time, the actual U.S. Army comprised just 519,472 Soldiers. This makes the virtual America's Army 15 times larger than the real thing! Today the game has over 9.7 million registered users.

• Most Downloaded War Video Game
According to official estimates, America's Army, in all its various iterations, has been downloaded 42,611,601 times. It is also the most downloaded game from Fileplanet.com, itself one of the most popular gaming download sites on the internet. The most recent version of the game was downloaded almost 2.4 million times between January and July 2008.

• Most Hours Spent Playing a Free Online Shooter
According to the U.S. Army, as of August 2008, gamers have spent 230,918,365 hours playing the PC version of America's Army. Gamers from over 60 countries have played America's Army since it was launched in 2002.

• Earliest Military Website to Support a Video Game
The website americasarmy.com is the first military website to support a video game series. America's Army is also the first multiplatform game to receive a government-licensed trademark.

• Largest Travelling Game Simulator
The Virtual Army Experience (VAE) is a highly modified version of America's Army that includes six life-size Humvees surrounded by multiple flat screens, with room for up to 50 participants. Mounted in the vehicles are modified light-gun weapons. The teams inside each vehicle, which shakes in reaction to nearby explosions, are tasked to drive supplies to a beleaguered group of aid workers in dangerous territory. The VAE takes up 1,811 m2 (19,500 square feet).

The U.S Army recently announced the upcoming America's Army 3 game where every detail counts. America's Army 3 is the only free action game that delivers an authentic and entertaining Army experience by reflecting the training, technology, actions and career advancement of a Soldier within a unique exciting game experience. AA3, which will be rated T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), will be released in 2009. As with previous versions of America's Army, AA3 will be frequently updated to include new features and missions and to highlight new technologies being incorporated in today's Army. Using the state-of-the-art Unreal Engine 3, America's Army game developers brought the most popular trademark gameplay features from the previous versions to an all new level in AA3. Highlights include authentic weapons and technologies, realistic training and exciting gameplay missions. AA3 provides p layers new insights into the Army and Soldiering while making the game easier to play, easier to install and easier to download.

The first edition of Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition was published in February 2008, and received critical accolade from gaming industry reviewers. PC World said: "if you truly want to prove your mettle in the gaming arena... your name in the Guinness World Records Gamer's edition is the only way to go about it," while critics from Popular Science praised: "If you care about gaming, something here is going to fascinate you." The latest book is currently available everywhere books are sold.

Recycling games code makes new games cheaper to produce...

Game developers are cutting costs in order to punt out cheaper games according to a games industry Web Site.

The report states that standard price points for console games are dropping below the usual $60 for XBox and PS3 titles and $50 for those released on the Wii, because developers are recycling code and rehashing game engines to create entirely different titles.

The most extreme case in point is probably Ubisoft's Shaun White Snowboarding which is based on the engine developed for Medieval mystery adventure RPG-type thingummy, Assassin's creed.

Stiffer competition for shelf space also means that gaming houses are considering lower prices.

Source: The Inquirer

Elite Forces - Unit 77 on Nintendo DS new website

Gammick Entertainment today announced the website for the game Elite Forces: Unit 77 that will be released exclusively on Nintendo DS. At http://eliteforces.deepsilver.com you can find product information, screenshots and a trailer.

In Elite Forces: Unit 77 a series of mysterious disappearances of high profile personalities from the worlds of science, industry and entertainment reveal a horrific global terrorist threat. 

With the clock running and the lives of the hostages and millions of others in dan-ger, the international community’s last hope lies with an extremely covert and highly specialized military team: Unit 77. Made up four professionals who are the best in the world at what they do, Unit 77 must combine skills to stop massive world destruction by the hands of terrorists.

Elite Forces: Unit 77 for Nintendo DS is a game of action and strategy in which the player must wisely use the abilities of all four members of Unit 77 and they are: Bill "The Drill" Matic technology specialist and legendary hacker; Kendra Chase, ex-government black-ops agent and the most accurate sniper on Earth; TK Richter, jet pilot and explosives expert, and Dag Hammer, a hulking heavy artillery soldier capable of incredible physical feats.

The group must infiltrate the bases where terrorists hold the famous hostages, each base set up in one of the most treacherous and remote places on Earth. Unit 77 must battle their way through inhospitable jungles, scorching deserts and endure harsh and deadly arctic conditions as they fight to rescue the hostages and defeat the terrorists.

The countdown has begun, and it’s time for the few and the brave. Will you become a ter-rorist’s victim or do you have what it takes to be on the team of Elite Forces?

The game is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2009.

LEGO Battles for Nintendo DS including LEGO Castle, LEGO Pirates and LEGO Space

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games are teaming up with The LEGO Group to deliver LEGO Battles for Nintendo DS, a videogame based on classic play scenarios in evergreen themes that include LEGO Castle, LEGO Pirates and LEGO Space. 

Produced by TT Games, developed by Hellbent Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, LEGO Battles pulls three LEGO themes together to create a unique extension of the LEGO build-and-play experience that stays true to the customization and humor that are the foundation of LEGO videogames. The game is scheduled to be available in the United Kingdom this summer.

LEGO Battles offers a new kind of “build and battle” LEGO gameplay. Through six distinct story lines, players build their own LEGO bases and battle teams as they engage in over 70 different levels, mixing and matching units to create the ultimate customized LEGO squad. These unique LEGO battles teams see pirate swordsmen fighting side-by-side with wizards and aliens; dragons battling ninjas; and pirate ships launching broadsides against spacecraft and knights! Players can also challenge friends on the battlefield in multiplayer mode through wireless DS multi-card play.

“LEGO Battles offers players the action-packed and humor-filled gameplay that make LEGO games great, along with the added bonus of linked multiplayer battles on DS,” said Tom Stone, Managing Director, TT Games Publishing. “We are excited to introduce a new LEGO videogame experience to fans and young gamers and look forward to expanding upon the beloved toy lines.”

Wind Slayer open beta PC RPG

Adventure RPG kicks off month of special level up events and premium digital item promotions

Outspark, a rapidly-growing virtual playground combining free to play games with personalized social experiences, announced today the open beta launch for the 2D side-scrolling role-playing adventure game, Wind Slayer. Thrill seekers looking for endless hours of entertainment can begin their own Wind Slayer journey now by visiting www.playwindslayer.com, registering for a free Outspark account and downloading the game. The Open Beta begins at 3 p.m. PST today.

Wind Slayer offers a rich role-playing experience in which players create and customize a character, conquer hundreds of quests and engage in frenetic Player vs. Player (PvP) battles with up to 20 players at a time. Set on the beautiful continent of Beuritania, Wind Slayer challenges players to defeat monsters and bosses as they gain skills, explore the game's beautiful and mysterious locales and follow the path of one of six diverse and powerful classes.

Open beta players will have the chance to participate in a variety of Wind Slayer in-game special events and contests including:

• February 4-10 “Second Chance Event”: Play and reach Level 10 by February 10th and receive a rare Ancient Necklace.
• February 4-10 “Race to Level 25”: Play and reach Level 25 by February 10th and receive a powerful class-specific weapon.
• February 4-24 “Month of Love”: Create a new Wind Slayer character in the month of February and receive five free Love Potions.
• February 7-8 “Weekend Slayer”: Log onto Wind Slayer on either day between 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. PST and receive a free set of Ancient Earrings – just for logging in!
• February 13 “Slayer Tournament”: Build a team of four to compete in Wind Slayer’s first tournament for a chance to win a class-specific weapon. Tournament sign up is on the Wind Slayer forums February 9-12.

With the addition of Wind Slayer, Outspark now offers its online community the opportunity to engage in five immersive multiplayer games including the hit titles Fiesta and Secret of the Solstice. The Outspark virtual playground also features a social networking portal where community members can create free profiles, chat with their friends, create and share content and even give one another in-game items. Since Outspark’s launch in late 2007, the community has grown to more than 3.7 million users.

v1.06 patch for Strategic Command 2 Weapons and Warfare released

The v1.06 patch for the Strategic Command 2 Weapons and Warfare expansion has been released today! The patch includes a number of game engine as well as editor changes based on bug reports and user requests, and is all-inclusive. It can be installed over any previous original Battlefront.com english-language version of the game. It is not compatible with any foreign-language versions of the game at this time.

Click here to jump directly to the SC2WAW patches page

Mission to Baghdad - PC video game

Special Tactics expert is on its own in the Middle East

In a new first-person shooter player takes on role of a Russian special tactics unit known as Specnaz. The Motherland somehow lost another nuclear warhead to the terrorists and it’s up to the player to recover the bomb and punish some heavy armed dusky beardies.

Dynamically evolving missions take place in a full 3D environment which is mostly interactive and destructible. The world reacts according to the player’s in-game behavior. To reach the goal the player is required to approach situations by using some or all available in-game features such as detailed movement planning, appropriate weapon selections, priority targeting etc.

Apart from that it is possible to wreak havoc and kill everything that moves, but it would be most difficult to get the mission accomplished in a serious fashion after that. Players will appreciate the possibility of learning more about the equipment and ways of Modern Warrior: Special Tactics.

Key Features:

* Authentic world in the setting of Iraq and the entire of Siberia
* Realistic control behavior and big choice of weapons, ranging from short range sidearms to RPG and heavy machine-gun
* Strong associations with the main character through entire story
* Destructible environment, inflammable materials
* Interesting plot featuring unforeseen treacheries, general conspiracy and averting civil war in Russia
* Superb collective AI
* Many special in-game effects, dynamic and adrenaline-pumping style of combat
* Based on the engine of the highly acclaimed game Ubersoldier