Go! Go! Rescue Squad! Video game on major consoles and PC

‘Go! Go! Rescue Squad!’ will release first as a downloadable PC product in February 2009. The game will be released on iPhone next with mobile formats arriving in April 2009, including Windows Mobile and Android. An Xbox Live Arcade version is in development, and the company is exploring routes to market for a Nintendo DS version later in the year making Go! Go! Rescue a true, multi-platform, brand.

The initial release, as a downloadable PC game, places Go! Go! Rescue Squad! firmly in the casual games sector, an area which Connect2Media Directors have had much success in before. CEO of Connect2Media, Eric Hobson, commented, “The global web release enables us to get the game out to a massive audience from the off. Already there is a community building for the brand on-line and the release will fuel this making it a ‘must play’ title.”

Peter Scott, Connect2Media’s CTO, said “Our experience of the game is that if people play it, they fall in love with it, and so discovery via the web release will be a key part of the strategy for building a major brand. We also feel that this is a perfect product for today’s casual games market having had a number of hits in the past with games that have taken on a life of their own when released online.”

The Go! Go! Rescue Squad! brand is designed to have mass market appeal to both male and female audiences. The game has been developed at the company’s Manchester development studio and sees the player taking on the role of a brave firefighter in order to save ‘Darwins’, the hapless inhabitants of the town. 

The game has a wide appeal combining compelling gameplay, original character and level design and unique gameplay mechanics in 64 puzzle packed levels over six themed districts. Gameplay sees the firefighter squad doing everything they can to save the various Darwins from fire, floods and explosions. The game has a gentle learning curve but its size and variety of levels gives it plenty of depth and hours of gameplay.

Zu Online video game - release of version 1.9.02 plus daily Online Awards System

With the release of version 1.9.02 for Zu Online (), the daily online awards system will be introduced, with players being able to win a lot of experience and in-game currency.

Awards System Details

Every day, when a player enters the game, a countdown will begin. When the countdown expires, they can claim some awards. When a player claims the rewards, a new countdown will begin, until all the daily online awards of the day have been claimed. When a player is online for 5 minutes, they will be able to claim some experience and Bones.

After claiming these rewards, a 10-minute countdown will begin. When the 10-minute countdown expires, they will be able to claim more experience and Bones. After claiming these rewards, a 15-minute countdown will begin. When the 15-minute countdown expires, they will be able to claim more experience and Bones.

After claiming these rewards, a 20-minute countdown will begin. When the 20-minute countdown expires, they will be able to claim more experience and Bones. After claiming these rewards, a 30-minute countdown will begin. When the 30-minute countdown expires; they will be able to claim more experience and Bones. After claiming all of these rewards, that’s it for the day!

The Vanishing Files mystery Cate West video game on Nintendo DS

Oxygen Games is pleased to announce the engrossing and addictive whodunit mystery, Cate West: The Vanishing Files, will be available in Europe, Australia and New Zealand in Q3 2009.

A series of unsolvable crimes, dubbed “The Vanishing Files”, have paralyzed the city. The police turn to crime novelist Cate West, whose psychic visions might just be the key to solving the mystery. Help Cate find clues, compile evidence and track down hideouts to discover the link between these crimes and an unsolved mystery from Cate’s past!

“With addictive gameplay, an engrossing storyline and beautiful locations, Cate West is an original whodunit that is sure to delight seek-and-solve fans of all ages”, said Oxygen Games CEO Jim Scott.

Seek the truth and solve the mystery with Cate West: The Vanishing Files on Wii and Nintendo DS. Coming to Europe, Australia and New Zealand in Q3 2009.

Be the Don and Build Your Crime Family Godfather 2 out on April 7, 2009

Electronic Arts and Paramount Digital Entertainment today announced that The Godfather II videogame will now be available in stores on April 7th in North America and April 10th in Europe.

“The Godfather II is taking the open-world genre in an entirely new direction by combining the furious combat of acting like a mobster, with the strategic gameplay of thinking like a Don,” says Hunter Smith, Executive Producer for The Godfather II. “As game makers, when we looked at what lies at the heart of the Godfather universe, we discovered a game focused around organized crime. The Corleones and all the other families schemed and fought to gain access and control of different territories, so that they could control the flow of money in those areas. This underlying battle cloaked secrecy is what The Godfather II and mafia life is all about, and we wanted players to be in control as a Don and make those strategic decisions to lead their family’s to success.”

As a Don in the Corleone family, The Godfather II allows players to carve out their own story of deception, betrayal, and conquest in a 1960’s organized crime world.

Interacting closely with major characters, your story will interweave with many of the key events from the film, such as the meeting of the Don’s in Cuba, blackmailing Senator Geary, and the Senate investigation of organized crime. Players will have to invest in their family, manage their business, and reach out to corrupt officials – all of which is done through the revolutionary Don’s View.

The Don’s View is a 3D representation of the player's criminal empire; it allows them to coordinate their strategy, plan hits on rival made men, attack enemy rackets, and much more. By letting players call the shots, The Godfather II delivers the ultimate organized crime experience.

Tales Runner Chapter 2 - The Alchemist PC video game

The Tales runner team has successfully closed the door on Chapter 1 of its unfolding epic, Tales Runner, and proudly introduces Chapter 2 : The Alchemist.

With the release of their masterpiece “The Aladdin Maps”, the Tales Runner team is announcing the release of the long awaited Chapter 2, titled “The Alchemist”.

Chapter 2 will represent our largest addition of new game content and features to date. It will offer many challenging new maps, brand new characters, 2 pets, and hundreds of new items. We are also releasing our Alchemy System, which will change EVERYTHING!! Now you can create the most powerful items and gear in the game using Alchemy, and also upgrade that gear with materials earned at the end of each match.

We’ve also implemented daily GM Events, plus tournaments, sponsored exclusive in-game item giveaways, and more.

With so much content being added, it’s hard to put it down!

For up to date news and client downloads check it out at tr.gpotato.com! It is available to play completely for free.

Tales Runner

Tales Runner is completely free to download and play via the gPotato.com game portal (tr.gpotato.com), and is considered a “casual action adventure game.” The game play is similar to Sonic & Mario Kart but it’s about twice as fast and you can play with more than double the number of people.

Tales Runner also includes great MMORPG features such as a couple system, the new alchemy system, and a family system (coming soon).

Upgrades to your items, gear, and characters, are available throughout the game, regardless of a player’s level.

More than any of this though, Tales Runner lets you have fun with your friends and make new friends every time you play!

Blockbuster to offer mail-order video games rentals for Wii PS2 PS3

Watch out GameFly - Blockbuster wants in on the mail-order video-game rental biz now.

The company is adding games to its Total Access program, which lets members rent and return movies by mail (or exchange them in stores).

Games for the Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox and Xbox 360 will be available to a pilot group of users in second quarter a US national roll-out is planned for the second half of the year.

Valve opens Steamworks platform for all games developers...

Valve's Steamworks platform could lead to a "revolution" in game development, according to Mike Sanders, lead producer of indie group Team Dystopia, which released its Source Engine mod via the platform last Friday.

Talking about the team's multiplayer, multi-layered cyberpunk shooter - Dystopia - Sanders told GamesIndustry.biz that Valve was opening up development to all-comers - something which contrasts sharply with the ever-increasing average cost of game development.

"I would almost say that it seems like we're entering into somewhat of a gaming revolution, from where we don't really see a large game from publishers," he said. "Valve just really publishes their console variants through EA and it seems evident that they're opening up the crowd to anybody in their garage.

"It could be anyone from a bunch of kids trying to make in indie game, to a large developer who doesn't really want to pay for publishing, testing, and so on. Steamworks allows for all that, so it's really a good choice for anyone to just jump in and be able to put a game on Steam - and do it the right way.

And Sanders also hinted that there was a lot more to come from Team Dystopia, along with an ambition to follow in the footsteps of companies such as Splash Damage.

"As a group we've been working on something else in the past two years that we really hope on making a splash in the industry pretty soon," he revealed. "There's some really good stuff that we've been working on that we hope to show off, and that's moving away from the realm of modification.

"Without giving too many details about what we are working on, I'd say that people like Introversion, Splash Damage - they're some of our idols at the moment. What we're working on mirrors their models.

"We already have plans to move to the same area near here in North Carolina. There's such a great area for gaming here with Epic and Red Storm. Obviously out of the country it's a little harder to do that, with things costing as much as they do, but there are plans. They're a little more than plans at this point..."

Source: GamesIndustry

Q&A session on Dystopia on Games Industry...

Minesweeper Flags video game on Xbox Live Arcade

Have a blast this Valentine's Day with Minesweeper Flags! TikGames announced today the title's release via Xbox LIVE Arcade, so grab a controller and have fun with that special someone, blowing each other into oblivion for just 400 Microsoft points.

Minesweeper Flags brings explosive excitement from your computer to Xbox LIVE Arcade! In this all-new take on the classic PC game, players can choose the Classic mode, where the beloved game is available in all of its glory, or revel in never-before-seen modes like single player Campaign, featuring over 100 non-square levels, or multiplayer Flags.

This weekend, TikGames encourages you to cuddle up on the couch and challenge your significant other to a Flags local multiplayer game, where your goal isn't to avoid the mines, but to find and discharge them before your opponent - err, sweetheart - does. Plus, don't forget to share both of your scores and climb the ranks of minesweepers worldwide via the Xbox LIVE Leaderboards!

Minesweeper Flags has been rated "E" for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board for this platform.

Suikoden - Tierkreis Local DS Multi-card Play Nintendo DS

Latest Installment In the Critically-Acclaimed Franchise Soon to be Available in North America. 

Players Can Use the Local DS Multi-card Play or Share Their Characters Across the World with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Konami released new assets and details for Suikoden: Tierkreis, the latest iteration of the celebrated Suikoden series for the Nintendo DS. 

Suikoden: Tierkreis will expand the bounds of the handheld RPG as players journey with a variety of characters while exploring exotic locations and cultures across the game's universe of parallel worlds. Featuring the franchise's established gameplay while maximizing the technological capabilities of the DS to provide all-new online elements, this epic RPG consists of many cinematic experiences that will drive the grand storyline of the 108 Stars of Destiny as they battle to thwart the powerful forces of evil.

Suikoden: Tierkreis features a robust online mode allowing players to send their character to another player's parallel world through the door to the Infinity via WiFi. The character will be hired to complete a quest by another player and when the quest is complete or time is up, the original player will receive the outcome with their character. This is a fun and interesting way for gamers to level up characters, with both players receiving rewards for completing the quests.

Online Features:

· Exchange characters via Wi-Fi
· Receive trade goods by clearing quests
· Receive rare items as rewards by clearing quests
· The exchanged character can get experience
· Receive rare item only available in the Wi-Fi mode
· Unique boss battle that is only available in the Wi-Fi mode

Rated "E-10+" by the ESRB, Suikoden: Tierkreis for Nintendo DS will retail for $34.99 and is scheduled to be released in North America on March 17th, 2009.

Scratch: The Ultimate DJ video game with Kanye West, Beastie Boys, The Black Eyed Peas, Tech N9ne, and Eric B. and Rakim

Licensed Songs from Kanye West, Beastie Boys, The Black Eyed Peas, Tech N9ne, and Eric B. and Rakim to be Featured on Playlist Mix Master Mike to Provide Music Along with Creative and Technical Support

Genius Products, Inc. and Genco Interactive announced today new songs for Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, a music rhythm game for fans of hip-hop. Developed by 7 Studios, Scratch: The Ultimate DJ features 60 original and licensed tracks from the most popular hip-hop and R&B artists.

The setlist will include:

Flashing Lights- Kanye West
Intergalactic- Beastie Boys
Let’s Get it Started- The Black Eyed Peas
Slacker- Tech N9ne
Don’t Sweat the Technique- Eric B. and Rakim
Additional music from artists:
Run DMC
The Gorillaz
Nelly
Deltron 3030

The Scratch development team has collaborated with Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys, who is providing creative and technical input for the game. Scratch: The Ultimate DJ will also feature music from Mix Master Mike’s upcoming album, set to launch later this year.

“I’m honored to be featured on the Scratch: The Ultimate DJ setlist, alongside some of the most talented artists in hip-hop,” said Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys. “It’s exciting to work on a project that gives fans the opportunity to create their own music using the turntable and sampler.”

“As a music producer for some of the biggest artists in hip-hop music, I can’t stress enough the importance of having a credible playlist in a music game such as Scratch,” said Quincy Jones III, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of QD3 Entertainment. “The artists and songs that were announced today definitely sets the stage for Scratch and lets gamers and hip hop fans know that we are serious about making a game just for them. We look forward to enticing fans even more, with other names we’ll be announcing in the months to come.”

In addition to a heavy-hitting setlist, Scratch: The Ultimate DJ features distinctive urban environments, an array of customizable DJ personalities and a turntable style controller created by Numark, one of the leading manufacturers of DJ equipment.

Scratch: The Ultimate DJ will be available on next generation consoles in Summer 2009.