Grand Theft Auto IV - The Lost and the Damned download now on Xbox 360

Today, Xbox 360 owners can download Grand Theft Auto IV - The Lost and the Damned.

For 1600 Microsoft Points, they can download The Lost and Damned, featuring a new main character a new plot that merges with the main storyline of Grand Theft Auto IV - new missions offer an entirely fresh way to explore Liberty City with new multiplayer modes, weapons and vehicles; and additional music.

The new story revolves around Johnny, a veteran member of The Lost, a notorious biker gang. Johnny has been creating business opportunities for The Lost in Liberty City, but his first loyalty must be to the patch he wears on his back and to Billy Grey, the club’s President. However, when Billy returns from rehab hell-bent on bloodshed and debauchery, Johnny finds himself in the middle of a vicious turf war with rival gangs for control of a city torn apart by violence and corruption. Can the brotherhood survive?

Only one way to find out, get downloading! "The Lost and Damned" is the first of two exclusive episodes for Xbox 360.

Warner backs Square Enix bid for Eidos

Hollywood studio, and 20 per cent Eidos stakeholder, will vote in favour of publisher acquisition

Warner has thrown its weight behind Square Enix's bid to buy UK publisher Eidos.

The news comes following the announcement last week that Square had made an offer to buy the ailing Britsoft firm.

Time Warner owns a 20 per cent stake in Eidos, and although it was often seen as one of the frontrunners alongside Squre to buy the publisher, it would have had to accept the bid or place a higher bid itself.

But this morning Warner and Square Enix announced that the former has 'irrevocably' agreed to support the Japanese publisher's plans to takeover Eidos.

MCV predicted last year that the firm was a surprise contender to buy Eidos - other spectators regularly put EA and Ubisot in the frame.

Square Enix, through its dealings with the management and now Time Warner, has the backing of shareholders responsible for 35 per cent of Eidos stock.

The firm's board is to vote on the final acquisition at the end of March, but with so much momentum behind the buy already - and Eidos management's pledge to fully back the acquisition - it seems unlikely they will vote against it.

Square's bid last week was estimated at around £84m - around 129 per cent Eidos' market value.

The current bid could still fall through, should Square Enix fail to post the scheme details for its planned takeover of Eidos or a third party step forward to make an alternative bid. Both are unlikely at this stage - Eidos has been courting various buyers on and off over the last year.

Eidos products cover a raft of genres with Western appeal, something Square Enix has been vocally seeking for the past two years. Its slate of studios and IP would complement Square’s activity and plug the gaps in its line-up.

Source: MCV

Naruto Shippuden - Ultimate Ninja 4 Coming to Europe in May 2009

The First NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Video Game is Coming to Europe in May 2009 with Intense One-on-one Combat, Biggest Ever Roster of Ninjas, and New Game Modes

NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe today announced NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja 4, the first video game based on the NARUTO SHIPPUDEN anime series.Featuring the series’ trademark one-on-one ninja battles, the game debuts a number of new and exciting characters as well as several new modes of play for the most comprehensive NARUTO video game experience ever.

Set two and a half years after Naruto left the Hidden Leaf Village to undergo a strict training regiment with his mentor Jiraiya, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN : Ultimate Ninja 4 lets players experience this exciting new storyline for the first time. Returning to help save his rival Sasuke from the evil Orochimaru, Naruto is reunited with all his old friends, only to find that a mysterious organization known as Akatsuki now poses an even more ominous threat to the Village.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN : Ultimate Ninja 4 features several unique game modes that offer different play experiences as players immerse themselves in the world of ninja. The new Master Mode combines role-playing and action platforming elements, telling the story of how Naruto came to return to the Hidden Leaf Village after his training with Jiraiya. Players can collect items in this mode to unlock characters in Free Battle Mode, featuring the series’ trademark one-on-one ninja battles for one or two players. Packed with new NARUTO SHIPPUDEN characters such as Deidara, Sasori and Chiyo as well as updated versions of fan favorites such as Gaara, Kakashi and Sakura, the game features 52 total playable characters to take into battle.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN : Ultimate Ninja 4 will be the first video game based on NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, giving players their first look at how Naruto’s world has changed in the two and a half years since he left his friends to refine his ninja training. Featuring the biggest roster of playable characters ever in the Ultimate Ninja franchise and a variety of new and engaging game modes, it’s everything Naruto fans need to immerse themselves in the characters and storyline of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN.

Developed by CyberConnect2, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN : Ultimate Ninja 4 is slated for release on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system this May 2009.

Street Fighter Savant To Set New Guinness World Record

London Hosts World Record Attempt On Feb 20th To Celebrate The Return Of The Greatest Fighting Game Of All Time – Big Prizes To Be Won!

Capcom announce that UK’s premier Street Fighter player Zak Bennet will attempt to break into the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition with a new world record for most consecutive wins on Street Fighter IV, in conjunction with the game’s launch on Friday 20th February.

The attempt will take place in the HMV store on Oxford Street in London at noon. Official Guinness World Records representatives will be present to adjudicate the feat, which – if successful – will be shortlisted for inclusion in next year’s Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition. To celebrate this momentous occasion, the first person to defeat Zak Bennet will be awarded a monster top-of-the-range 48” TV and home cinema surround sound system.

Street Fighter IV brings the legendary fighting series back to its roots by taking the beloved fighting moves and techniques of the original Street Fighter™ II and infusing them with Capcom’s latest advancements in next generation technology to create a truly extraordinary experience that will re-introduce the world to the time-honored art of virtual martial arts.

The number of minimum consecutive wins that Bennet needs to achieve in Friday’s attempt in order to set the new Guinness World Records is ten, and the win streak cannot exceed four hours of play.

Street Fighter IV is set for release on February 20th on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Wii Fiy fights to keep F.E.A.R. 2 of top of UK video games chart

All formats
Week ending 14 February 2009
1 Wii Fit NINTENDO
2 F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
3 Mystery Case Files - MillionHeir NINTENDO
4 Call of Duty - World at War ACTIVISION
5 FIFA 09 EA SPORTS
6 Mario Kart Wii NINTENDO
7 Wii Play NINTENDO
8 My Fitness Coach GAMES FOR EVERYONE
9 PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE CURIOUS VILLAGE NINTENDO
10 MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES SEGA
11 LEFT 4 DEAD EA GAMES
12 GUITAR HERO: WORLD TOUR REDOCTANE
13 BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE D3P
14 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV ROCKSTAR
15 THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD: OVERKILL SEGA
16 DR KAWASHIMA'S BRAIN TRAINING NINTENDO
17 CARNIVAL: FUNFAIR GAMES 2KPLAY
18 NEED FOR SPEED: UNDERCOVER EA GAMES
19 LEGO BATMAN: THE VIDEOGAME WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
20 TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD EIDOS

Wendy's Wellness - Improve Your Management Skills, Run Your Business free trial version Mac and PC

Sugar Games, the creator of such popular casual games as Rainbow Web and Rainbow Web 2, announces the release of Wendy's Wellness - a new time management game. Developing your own chain of 10 fancy wellness centers will bring out your hidden management talents. Take a closer look at the fabulous world of health and wellness!

The story is set in a big bustling city, which does not have any wellness centers, so the citizens have no special place that would help them relax after a hectic workday and keep fit. You play as Wendy, who decides to start her own chain of wellness centers, and her uncle, a professional trainer, gives her help and useful advice. At first you have to deal with basic equipment and to do all the work yourself - but as the chain of centers grows and the number of customers increases, Wendy's wellness centers become well-equipped, glamorous and popular with the citizens. You need to use all your management skills to cope with the great number of customers and to hit the objectives of each level. But your hard work will be rewarded by the customers' gratitude and, of course, by their tips.

Wendy's wellness center is visited by different types of customers: football players, cheerleaders, ballet dancers, gymnasts, businessmen, fatties and flirty girls. Above all customers there are icons denoting what they want: warming-up, treadmill exercises, taking a bath, body massage, doing yoga or tanning. Of course, there is a line, and the customers are waiting for you to serve them. Some of them are more patient, others are less. The patience is shown as hearts above a customer's head, which disappear one by one as she (or he) loses his patience. When there are no hearts left, the customer leaves without paying; so you should be attentive to impatient customers and serve them quickly and properly. You can also buy a mini-bar with drinks and aroma oil that makes your customers more patient and calm.

You see, running a wellness center is quite challenging, but you are not alone in the face of difficulties! A coach, a masseuse and a tanning assistant will be of great help, if you have enough money to hire them. There are 30 possible equipment upgrades that let you reduce the service time and increase the capacity of your wellness centers. As Wendy gains experience, you can use it to gain special personal upgrades and bonuses (higher speed, extra tips, extra hearts, treadmill bonus etc.). Learn, practice and achieve success!

The game environment is peaceful and pleasant: unobtrusive relaxing music, vivid and cheerful colors, optional volume of sounds. The interface is intuitive and simple, so this game is a good variant either for adults or for children. There are 10 centers and 50 levels, 5 levels for each location. Besides the main action, you will definitely enjoy VIP-training -12 additional mini-games, which give extra opportunity to earn some money.

Features:

- 50 challenging levels and 10 fancy centers
- 12 VIP training mini-games
- 6 Wendy's skills to develop
- 30 equipment upgrades to purchase and 3 employees to hire
- Relaxing music and pleasant game environment

Pricing and Availability

Wendy's Wellness runs under Windows 98/ME/2000/2003/XP and Windows Vista. Wendy's Wellness for Mac runs under Mac OS X 10.3 or better. A single-user license costs $19.95. Further information on the product, as well as the free trial version is available at http://sugargames.com/wendys-wellness/

Men of War PC video game demo download

A single-player demo for World War II strategy title Men of War is now available to download from www.incgamers.com, and will be available on www.menofwargame.com from 10.00 CET on the 19th February 2009. It gives a first taste of the epic campaign ahead of the game’s PC release on 27th February.

The demo features the entire opening stage of the Russian campaign, which sees a small unit from the Red Army taking on the might of the Germans. This initial mission helps players to get to grips with the controls before culminating in a tightly fought battle between a Russian tank and a convoy of German vehicles.

There’s also an opportunity to try out Men of War’s “direct control” feature during the demo. This enables you to manoeuvre units using the directional keys, rather than pointing and clicking. You can get behind the controls of a tank to smash through obstacles, crush soldiers under your tracks and fire armour-piercing shells at enemy placements.

Men of War takes place across the globe during the height of World War II and features four different armies – Russia, America, Germany and the other Allies - each with their own unique units, vehicles and missions. From the Russian missions starring two student comrades innocent to the horrors of war, players are soon catapulted into massive battles with dozens of units under their command.

Men of War will be released exclusively on PC in Europe by 505 Games, under the 1C label, on February 27th. To download the demo, just visit the Men of War website – www.menofwargame.com – and click on the ‘downloads’ section

The free-to-play MMORPG Fly for Fun opens its 8th European server!

FlyFF: Fly for Fun is a free-to play MMORPG featuring a “manga-ish” atmosphere. It’s French and German versions are operated by Gala Networks Europe Ltd on the FlyFF: Fly for Fun gaming portal. Available in Europe for over two years, the game has proven a hit with players and we are proud to announce the opening of the games eighth European server. This server will be designed to accommodate ever more French adventurers and its name, Destinée, was chosen by the community.

As the first game on the FlyFF: Fly for Fun portal, Flyff was launched in January 2007 in German and French markets and quickly became successful in both languages. Using the game’s fantastic world, the gPotato team has encouraged lots of participation by players with regular and numerous activities such as the Clockworks Battle and Shade’s Challenge. The Flyff community now contains nearly 600,000 French and German players, and this growth has led us to launch an 8th European server to accomodate our growing number of French players.

To keep the community involved in creating this new universe, the gPotato team asked the Flyff players to vote for the name of their new server. After one week of debate, players cast their votes and have decided on the name of the new Flyff world: Destinée. This brand new server will open its doors today when gameplay resumes after a special maintenance.

FlyFF: Fly for Fun is a free-to play MMORPG featuring a “manga-ish” atmosphere and operated in its French and German versions by Gala Networks Europe Ltd. Become an adventurer and discover the world of Madrigal, flying above hordes of monsters and resolving intriguing mysteries. On more than 120 levels, FlyFF offers players a diverse and thrilling adventure, allowing them to fly freely on a brush or a magical snowboard! For more information, please visit the official FlyFF website at the following address: FlyFF: Fly for Fun.

Swords & Soldiers WiiWare video game

2D Side-Scrolling Action with Real-Time Strategy in Genre-Bending Debut

Debut title for WiiWare, Swords & Soldiers. New features such as historical inaccuracy (yes we said that), uncompromising style, some random stuff, and Morefun have been added to the game.

“WiiWare is the perfect platform for a Ronimo game, which we hope becomes something people expect to be unique in style, and most importantly, really fun,” said Fabian Akker, president of Romino Games. “We want to make games that the entire family can play, wants to play, and actually plays. Swords & Soldiers is one of those game that we hope really takes off and finds its audience.”

About Swords & Soldiers
Swords & Soldiers is the first side-scrolling strategy game on the Wii, allowing for accessible and deep gameplay, a clear overview of the battlefield, and most importantly, for our artists to show off their beard-drawing skills. Players can choose from three powerful and unique factions as they let loose their armies and cast awesome spells to destroy the enemies’ castle. Swords & Soldiers is developed and published by Ronimo games and features:

- Strategic Depth - Even though dishing out commands is easy as pie, that doesn't mean you can just click buttons and expect to walk all over the enemy. Choosing the right guy for the job and zapping the proper enemy at the right time is what this game is all about. So put on your thinking cap and get to strategizin'.

- Style - Thinking up new strategies is hard. But luckily you won't have to look at some wooden blocks or plastic tokens while doing it. A fresh style, full of character greets you when playing Swords & Soldiers. You'll traverse lush jungles and sun-soaked deserts while you humiliate your opponents.

- Modes Galore - We tried our best to squeeze every last drop of gameplay from our mechanics in all kinds of modes. To start you out, we have 10 level campaigns for each of the three factions. These start out easy to teach you the basics, but they build up to some seriously epic final conflicts. Then there are the skirmish modes, in which you can crush human or AI in customizable battles. And, to top it all off, there are three distinct challenge modes which twist specific parts of the gameplay into crazy high-score based time devourers.

- Historical Inaccuracy - We've done plenty of research into the historic background of the three factions. And then we threw all of it out of the window, but made up some entertaining bits which seemed sort of more fun. Finally, we added some other totally irrelevant funny bits about hot sauce and bolted them on for maximum absurdity.

- Easy Wiimote Controls - Everything in Swords & Soldiers is done using the pointer functionality of the innovative Wii Remote. Just click on the icons at the top to select the unit or spell you want to use against your enemies. In fact, playing Swords & Soldiers only requires one hand. So that leaves the other hand free for petting your cat while laughing maniacally.

- Morefun - Created in a lab by Dutch researchers, Morefun™ is Ronimo’s patent pending version of fun that makes games interesting and enjoyable to play. Imagine playing a game, that at the same time is actually fun. Powerful stuff.

- Achievements - Yes.

Video game Free Gold SwagVault Guild Sponsorship Program

As the pioneer of MMOG secondary market, SwagVault has been devoting to helping our valued customers maximize their gaming experience.

Now we are glad to launch another amazing incentive plan to all of you: “SwagVault World of WarCraft Guild Sponsorship Program”

The details of the guild sponsorship are as follows:

Guild Size Gold Reward
50-100 Members 1000G /month
101-150 Members 2000G/month
151-300 Members 5000G/month
301-450 Members 10000G/ month
More than 450 Members 15000G/month

More here...

This sponsorship program will last for 3 months. Any guild with interest can write an application and the first 100 qualified applicants will get free gold from us. First Comes, First Served!