Jak and Daxter reunite for a brand new sky-high adventure!

The legendary duo are back in action for Jak and Daxter - The Lost Frontier on both PSP (PlayStationPortable) and PlayStation 2

Hero Jak and his mischievous sidekick Daxter are back together… and for the first time-ever they’ve joined forces on PSP (PlayStation Portable).

Get set for the latest addition to the smash-hit Jak and Daxter series, Jak and Daxter - The Lost Frontier from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Prepare for non-stop action and adventure as the duo travel across mysterious lands and take to the sky on a mission to save their planet from destruction. Take this incredible adventure with you anywhere on your PSP, or play it at home with PlayStation 2 – both out this autumn for PAL territories.

Picking up from where the original Jak and Daxter trilogy left off, Jak and furry friend Daxter team up with their friend Kiera on her quest to become a Sage and save their world from the threat of darkness. As the environment of their planet slowly dies, our two worldly heroes embark on a mission to protect their world from the threat of “dark eco”.

Beginning on foot, you’ll run and jump across undiscovered lands, before taking flight in one of five different aircrafts. With cheeky Daxter and our serious Hero Jak together on the adventure, fun and laugher is never far away. Blast airborne enemies and battle sky pirates with your powerful Gunstaff – a brand-new weapon that can transform into other new weapons.

Since launching in 2001, the Jak and Daxter franchise is an ongoing success story with nearly 6 million units sold across PAL territories and seven Guinness World Records under its belt. All five titles, including the Jak and Daxter trilogy, follow Jak and Daxter’s journey as they strive to strike a balance between the light and dark eco on their planet.

The latest installment takes players to the long awaited “Lost Frontier” reached by the much-loved Jak and Daxter. Get set for a sky-high, laugh out loud and colourful new adventure with Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier. The future of their planet is in your hands with PSP - or save the day at home with PlayStation 2. Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier will be released on both platforms this Autumn.

Half a million user created levels on LittleBigPlanet

LittleBigPlanet flourishes with a community of nearly two million users

The critically-acclaimed LittleBigPlanet for PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) has marked the coming of age of gaming as it moves into a new realm defined by creativity and community.

This best-selling title from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) allows players to build their own levels and share them via PlayStation Network. Nearly two million players worldwide have joined the LittleBigPlanet community since its launch in November 2008, where they, rather than developers, drive the experience by creating game content to share with others.

Each of LittleBigPlanet’s 725,000 user-generated levels is unique. Many are inspired by films, TV shows and games titles, including levels “LittleBigPlanet Takeshi’s Castle”, “LBP Jurassic Park” and “LBP-MotorStorm”, while others use in-game tools to show-off impressive engineering such as the “LittleBigCalculator”, circus-themed “Uncle Fritz’s Funhouse Frenzy” or LittleBigPlanet community favourite “Huge Pinball Machine”. Some players create music levels, requiring the player to push buttons to create a song, while Japanese rock-pop group the Beat Crusaders recently developed their music video for Phantom Planet with LittleBigPlanet. Others play tribute to family and friends, hobbies and passions, while levels like “Illumina Garden” come only from the most active imaginations.

The LittleBigPlanet community is growing rapidly day by day, and since launching, the game has been played more than 125 million times with players posting more than four million comments on game levels - many begging creators for sequels to their favourites.



Mark Hardy, European Marketing Director – Content and Platforms - at SCEE, says of the game’s success:

“LittleBigPlanet is giving people from every walk of life the opportunity to express themselves creatively. The game is just the start. This is Creative Gaming; never ending experiences that take on lives of their own through their players.

LittleBigPlanet appeals to a generation shaped by their networks and thirsty for great experiences to share with friends. Where LittleBigPlanet goes from here is up to its community; it is theirs to shape however they like. This makes it much more inclusive than gaming has ever been before.”

LittleBigPlanet teaches players to create as they play. Sackboy™ is your very own customisable character; a walking toolbox of building skills and materials that allows players to create new objects, landscapes, puzzles, characters, weapons, prizes, narratives and more. Players can also upload their own photos and media into levels straight from their PS3.

With so many different entertainment features, PS3 makes a strong case for pride of place in the home – storing photos, video and favourite TV shows via PlayTV™ – as well as offering Blu-ray Disc™ playback and the Internet access. It also supports a growing number of communities through its own PlayStation Network, including the SingStar® and Buzz! communities where people share their finest singing performances and create and share their own quizzes.

Diamon Jones - Eye of the Dragon PC video game

In this new adventure from GFI, Russia, Diamon Jones will travel to China to find a mystic trophy of the Celestial Empire, Eye of the Dragon.

Only ingenious and sharp person will be a successful hunter for artifacts!

KEY FEATURES

• Logical and real life-like puzzles; you won't need to smudge a statue with a mustard to open a secret passage (remember LucasArts adventures)!

• Charismatic hero who always know what to say... or NOT to say.

• Over 60 playing areas and 15 mini-games including dungeon puzzle, Chinese chess, illegal lock-picking and Cthulhu fighting.

• Humorous dialogues, book texts and characters. Take your chance to meet great Japanese general Mykatana Verysharpi!

• Amazing mystic environment of China in the middle of the 20th century.

Pirates Hijack only Raiho Plushies Rare collectables - lost at sea - video

Atlus U.S.A., Inc. today announced that the sole shipment of Raiho plushies, the very rare and highly irresistible bonus set to be bundled with each and every launch copy of the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei - Devil Summoner 2 - Raidou Kuzunoha v King Abaddon for PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, has been hijacked by a roving pirate frigate.

A video of the captive stuffed toys has also surfaced, emphasizing the seriousness of the matter.

"Today is a somber day for Atlus," began Aram Jabbari, Manager of PR and Sales for Atlus. "Nearly 4.6 tons of Raiho, our ultra-collectible bonus for Devil Summoner 2, have been plush-napped. The pirates responsible have made a list of demands and offered numerous overt threats as to the safety of the Raihos. While it pains us gravely, and it no doubt disappoints the fans, we remain strong in our resolve and maintain our corporate policy: Atlus does not negotiate with sea pirates. Let us think of the plushies as they were... cute, stuffed, and delightful."

MotoGP on Nintendo Wii races into stores this week

World's Premier Motorcycle Racing Championship Game Crosses the Finish Line March 24th

Capcom a leading worldwide developer and publisher of videogames, has today confirmed that MotoGP for the Nintendo Wii home video game system will ship on March 24, 2009.

This is the first officially licensed MotoGP title to be published for the Nintendo Wii platform and comes as part of Capcom’s five year deal with Dorna Sports, providing exclusive rights to publish video games based on the world’s premier motorcycle championship across all hardware platforms.

MotoGP for Nintendo Wii turns the Wii Remote into a virtual set of handlebars to deliver the definitive two-wheeled racing experience. Players are put at the center of the MotoGP experience by letting them join a team and compete alongside their sporting heroes in all three race classes – 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP. The game features a scaled and competitive AI which adjusts within limits to give a more enjoyable race experience on the lower levels but shows no mercy in the higher levels.

Players will be able to decide what motorcycle and racing style suits them best in Tutorial mode. Rather than taking players ‘out of the main game’, this mode will transport them immediately into an arcade race and offers tips right at the start.

In Career mode, players can develop their racing skills for up to 5 seasons with the aim of becoming the ultimate MotoGP champion. Choosing a team and bike class at the beginning of each season, riders can make customizations through a selection of bike helmet designs that unlock as players progress. As races are won, stronger teams will be looking to recruit for the following season, enabling players to race better performing bikes. Climbing the ranks will also allow access to certain bike upgrades which improve the rider’s performance across a range of parameters such as straight line speed, acceleration, braking and cornering.

Players can choose their favorite track and rider in Quick race mode or set the best time at each circuit, competing against themselves to shave vital seconds off their personal record in Time Attack mode. If that’s not enough then select any class, rider and team and re-create an entire season in Championship mode. The weather conditions, difficulty setting, number of laps and handling model can all be decided, allowing players to shape their own season.

MotoGP for Nintendo Wii also features a two player head-to-head option with the addition of AI controlled bikes to add more of a challenge to the race.

New action-adventure series The Secret Saturdays video game out soon

First Games Based on the Hit Action-Adventure Television Series Scheduled for Q4 2009

D3Publisher (D3P), a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, together with its parent D3, Inc., today announced a worldwide publishing agreement with Turner CN Enterprises, the global licensing and merchandising arm of Turner Broadcasting EMEA, for videogames based on the new action-adventure series The Secret Saturdays. The first game based on The Secret Saturdays is scheduled to be released across EMEA for console and handheld systems in Q4 2009 .

“The Secret Saturdays franchise provides everything videogame fans look for, from an exciting cast of heroes they can portray, to fantastic creatures with special abilities they can use, to the most dastardly villain for them to defeat,” said Yoji Takenaka, president and chief executive officer, North America and Europe, D3P. “Turner CN Enterprises has proven to be an unparalleled partner for us in turning wonderful television universes into playable experiences for fans, and we are thrilled to be working with them once again to reach the gamer community.”

From secret artifacts to unexplained creatures, the adventure never ends for The Secret Saturdays. This family of cryptozoologists is on a mission to find and protect the weirdest and wildest cryptids before the bad guys get in on the action. They travel from ancient temples to bottomless caves in search of the legendary Kur stone because only The Saturdays can save the world from the evil plans of V.V. Argost! The Secret Saturdays television series will premier in the UK on Cartoon Network in June with roll-out across EMEA throughout 2009.

“We have achieved great success with D3Publisher with the Ben 10 interactive franchise and look forward to partnering with them again on The Secret Saturdays,” said Alan Fenwick, vice president of Turner CN Enterprises. “D3 will be a significant aspect of the licensing programme we’re set to roll out in 2009/2010 for this key Cartoon Network property.”

MTV Games and Paramount Pictures Take STAR TREK and Rock Band Where No Man Has Gone Before

First-of-its-Kind Promotion to Rock Fans During Month Lead-Up to the Film's Release on May 8, 2009

MTV Games and Harmonix’s Rock Band are joining forces with Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment to celebrate the May 8th theatrical release of the film STAR TREK from director/producer J.J. Abrams. The first-of-its-kind collaboration will fuse together the massive cultural followings of both STAR TREK and the video game phenomenon Rock Band to engage fans with free music, an in-game battle of the bands, and futuristic avatar creation contest.

Beginning today, fans can register for a 15-day sweepstakes that will give away 500 free Rock Band Music Store downloads each day from April 7th through April 21st for the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 and PlayStation Store for PlayStation3.

And if that’s not enough – fans will want to fire up Rock Band 2’s online Battle of the Bands mode to participate in the STAR TREK Ultimate Battle. Bands of three to four players can battle the Rock Band galaxy. The band with the highest score will win a STAR TREK hometown movie screening for their band and their friends. Additionally, twenty randomly selected players will win an awesome STAR TREK/Rock Band prize pack equipped with STAR TREK and Rock Band gear. The Battle of the Bands component will begin on April 20th and run through April 27th.

The Rock Band and STAR TREK promotion will culminate when the first-ever avatar creation contest launches on April 27th. Fans will be asked to create a futuristic avatar in-game and export it to RockBand.com for the community and Harmonix team to judge the winner. The Duke of Gravity will ultimately decide which avatar has what it takes to rock with the Enterprise crew. The winner will be chosen on May 11th and win "The Future is Now" prize pack including the top of the line Rock Band game accessories.

The Hardy Boys - The Hidden Theft video game on Nintendo Wii

A thrilling ride of adventure, mystery and cliff-hanging suspense, perfect for children of all ages!

JoWooD Productions and XPEC Entertainment are pleased to announce the successful PC adventure “The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft” is in development for Nintendo Wii.

Players will face challenging puzzles and exciting dialogues embedded in a thrilling story, which is especially suitable for children! In The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft, the vault at Spencer Mansion is robbed, and the Bayport Police call on the Hardy Boys to help tie-up some loose ends, but they soon find themselves in the middle of a major criminal investigation that takes them on an adventure all over Bayport, and even into New York City. But the pieces don’t add up, and Frank and Joe find themselves embroiled in a drama of sinister proportions.

After their release on the PC, The Hardy Boys were able to obtain official awards including the “Ultimate Games Award 2008”, which focuses on pedagogical valuable games.

Also the BuPP, the “Federal Office for the Positive Assessment of Computer and Console Games”, situated at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth, loves the game and awarded a recommendation to The Hardy Boys. “A recommendation of the BuPP stands for: it is most likely that children will have fun playing the game and parents have no reason to be worried but can furthermore trust that their children will benefit beyond the fun from playing. The Hardy Boys fulfill these criteria!”, states Herbert Rosenstingl, head of the BuPP.

About The Hardy Boys
With over 100 million copies of their beloved books in print, America’s original crime scene investigators, Frank and Joe Hardy, are riding a wave of classic retro popularity combined with a whole new attitude. Since 1928, Simon & Schuster and Grosset & Dunlap have published The Hardy Boys classic editions, currently selling over 1 million copies annually. The new contemporary series Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers, featuring the boys as spies for American Teens Against Crime launched in 2005, with an additional Super Mystery published every summer.


Facts:
Platform: Wii
Genre: Adventure
AgeRating: PEGI 7+

Wheelman - Cyclone Gunning part Two Gameply Movie

Wheelman is an upcoming action game that is being developed alongside the forthcoming Vin Diesel movie.

Micro Blu-ray diskcs announced by Sony - UMD Blu Ray...

Sony's not one to rest on its laurels. Blu-ray has been on the market for a couple of years, and although it's in this stagnant economy it needs to get us all on to the next consumer electronics device.

So, today the Japanese giant has announced exclusively to CNET UK its new format - microBD.

The discs are very similar in structure to Blu-ray discs, but they are the same size as the company's UMD gaming format. Like both Blu-ray and UMD, the microBD discs are multi-layered. The new format also uses the same ISO structure as Blu-ray, which should simplify the mastering process for microBD movies.

microBD discs are read by a 375nm laser, which is slightly shorter in wavelength than the 405nm laser in Blu-ray players. This new laser assembly means that quite substantial amounts of data can be written to a disc that's considerably smaller than a Blu-ray. In fact, although the discs are less than half the physical size of Blu-ray media, they can hold up to 75GB of data on two layers. A theoretically possible, but untested, third layer could take capacity to 100GB.

Read full post on Cnet here...