Halfbrick Blast Off and Halfbrick Echoes are the first two games in the Halfbrick Fridays series.

Halfbrick, the leading developer for the Xbox Live Community Games service announced that Halfbrick Blast Off, the first title in the Halfbrick Fridays series of games, has been released and is available for purchase on Xbox Live at a price of 400 Microsoft Points. Halfbrick Blast Off is a sci-fi physics-based space adventure where players must control a rocket ship and rescue lost astronauts in space, all while navigating the gravity fields of nearby planets and asteroids.



No one is happier than project lead Matthew Knights, who is the brain behind the game. " I just hope people enjoy it," he commented after the game went live. "The XNA forums were a great proving ground, and several members actually said that Halfbrick Blast Off is exactly the kind of game XNA needs to get even more mainstream exposure."

Godfather II weapons illegally sent to journalists

In advance of Electronic Art's release of The Godfather II tomorrow, a promotional package for the game arrived this afternoon. Many others in the gaming press surely received the media kit as well.

As these things go, it's very nicely done: a small wooden cigar box containing a cheap stogie, a pack of matches, a pair of dice and a length of wire (for garroting stool pigeons, no doubt). A few matches are missing from the pack, which bears the scent of burnt sulfur and has a dame's phone number scrawled on the inside cover.

Read the full story on gamepolitics...

PES 2010 - The most realistic football simulation ever this Autumn

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced that its forthcoming PES 2010 title will benefit from the most exhaustive raft of new features in the series’ history, with every aspect of the game benefiting from key improvements. Major gameplay additions will make PES 2010 the most realistic football simulation available.

PES 2010 is scheduled for release on PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, PC-DVD, PSP (PLAYSTATION Portable), PlayStation 2 and mobile phones in the Autumn, and follows months of analysis and feedback monitoring to enhance the game in every area. PES Productions, Konami’s Tokyo-based development team, has collated feedback on the series’ strengths and weaknesses via fan forums, both ardent and casual PES players and press comment, and has incorporated a wide range of requests in the new game. The result will be the most challenging, realistic and satisfying PES to date.

Konami has spent the last year expanding the development team’s numbers, and created a number of dedicated departments, each striving to further improving their respective parts of the game both in the short and long terms. Key additions for PES 2010 include:

• Gameplay: PES 2010 focuses on enhancing the excitement of matches between players, making for a truly challenging experience that will constantly test the player. Intuitive zonal defending will cover spaces and players need to look constantly for new ways to attack. PES 2010 focuses on being a real football simulation, as it requires both strategic play and quick reactions, as in real life. In addition to key out-field elements, goalkeepers are more versatile and with abilities matching those of modern shot-stoppers. The game’s referees have also been reworked, with smarter AI elements allowing them to make more balanced calls during matches.

• Improved Visuals: PES 2010 has undergone a major visual revamp, with its celebrated player likenesses and animations now even closer to those of real-life players– including live player expressions to be depicted with an improved lighting system which differentiates between various conditions! Stadium detail is also massively improved, with the grass and other in-stadium elements finely depicted.

• All-new animation and moves: Animations now dovetail into each other seamlessly, with dribbling and shots on goals worked into dribbling animations. More individual skills are also on show, including new flicks and tricks that have a definite showing on the way a game flows. Several elements have been completely reworked, with the dribbling, turning and kicking animations greatly enhanced, while there is a noticeable change in pace when a player passes a ball from a standing position than from within a run.

• Match-Day Atmosphere: Crowd reactions to the on-field action are now more varied, with all new chants and cheers. The subtle difference between Home and Away matches will be reproduced, and the crowd will react spontaneously to specific situations in a game, showing their disdain or pleasure as fouls are committed and goals scored. Likewise, the commentary has been altered to offer a fresher, more concise overview of the game.

• Enhanced Master League: Master League has been thoroughly renewed with the enhancement of managerial aspects, which enables users to enjoy managing a team for a longer career lifespan. Seen by many as a key contributor to the series’ success, the Master League elements in PES 2010 have been bolstered by far-ranging and vital new additions, dedicated to enriching the mode. Further details will be announced shortly.

• AI: The Tokyo team has worked to improve the AI of the game, with Teamvision 2.0 implemented. Midfielders and defenders now work together to cover open space and close down attacks, meaning that cover can be provided for lower-ranked defenders. This also has the additional effect of removing soft goals, thus returning PES 2010 to its simulation roots. In terms of attacking, players can also now move several players once, sending them into different areas, opening up more goal-scoring possibilities than ever before. As such, PES 2010 necessitates a new level of control from the player. Strategic thinking is as important as quick passing, but the new system greatly opens the way the player oversees control of the team. In free kick scenarios, for instance, players can now instigate the runs of the players awaiting the ball in the penalty area.

• Individual Play Characteristics: In previous PES games, the team formation has determined the movements of the players. PES 2010 introduces a new system wherein the individual attacking and defending nature of the players is integral to the way they play. Each player enjoys unique AI tied into their best abilities, and is reflected in the actions of their team mates– i.e. if a player who is known to be a good crosser of the ball is in possession, more players will flood the penalty area to receive it. Similarly, if a player is known to be good with close control, defenders will work to cover their stronger side, while lone strikers will be automatically supported by midfielders on receipt of the ball.

• Strategy Use: A new power gauge system allows users to balance their strategy in a quick, but wide-ranging way before a match. Every element– pass frequency, movement, the line of defence, width of play, or the position of the front line– can be altered to match those of a favoured club: Juventus Turin are a dangerous side on the counter-attack, for instance, while FC Barcelona use width in their attack. These formulations can be altered at any point, too, with Home and Away matches forcing different circumstances on the user, as does the rigours of a Master League season.

• Penalties: An all-new system has been implemented, offering greater control, placing and accuracy.

• Enhanced Online: A new dedicated section of the Tokyo team is committed to improving the online side of PES 2010. More downloadable content is also planned. Konami has supported PES 2009 with the release of new licensed teams, transfer updates, etc, and this support will grow for PES 2010. Team and content updates are planned throughout the game’s lifespan. These will make the game even more bespoke to the player’s match day needs.

Konami has strengthend its relationship with UEFA and can announce it has secured the exclusive video game rights for the Europa League Licence (formerly known as the UEFA Cup). In addition Konami will be enhancing and developing the use of the UEFA Champions League within PES 2010 to make even better use of the best club football competition in the world.
Further details of these new features will be released in the coming months. Konami has also confirmed that Lionel Messi will also be a key endorsement player for the new game, and will feature in the promotion and development of the game later this year.

“We have been monitoring feedback and comments on the progression of the PES series for some time now, and PES 2010 will see us implementing a great deal of the ideas players have been requesting,” commented Naoya Hatsumi, Producer for PES Productions at Konami Digital Entertainment Japan.“We aim to make PES 2010 a more user-friendly, immediate experience that places the emphasis on getting straight into the gameplay for which the series is famed. PES 2010 will look better, will play better, and will recreate real football as closely as the current hardware will allow.”
“The preparations for PES 2010 have been in place for some time now, with the reorganization and increase of the Tokyo-based studio allowing expert teams to concentrate on their particular area,” commented Jon Murphy, PES European Team Leader.“We are now in a better position to implement the greatest raft of changes and improvements to the series we have seen, and thank the PES community for their input.”

PES 2010 will be released for PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360, PC-DVD, PSP® (PLAYSTATION®PORTABLE), PlayStation®2 and mobile phones in the autumn.

Hitman makers reveal more on Mini Ninjas PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii video game

In MINI NINJAS you play as Hiro, a young trainee Ninja and the last person that would be expected to go and save the world. Yet that is exactly what happens!

When the Evil Samurai Warlord, with the help of an ancient magic, turns forest animals in to an army hell bent on world domination, Hiro must lead his small band of Ninjas on an exciting journey through a disintegrating world, to battle the magical hordes of twisted Samurai and eventually confront the Warlord in his Fortress of Doom.

The journey to the Fortress of Doom is long and dangerous adventure that will take Hiro and his Ninja friends through a big exciting world which varies greatly, from bamboo forests, to snowy mountains, with treacherous castle interiors and flooded valleys. They will be challenged like never before and need to use their ninja skills, potions, magic and to defeat evil. Prepare yourself for a Ninja adventure like you have never seen before!

MINI NINJAS is due for release in fall 2009 and will be out for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and Games for Windows,.

Darkest of days video game

A brand-new video interview with Phantom EFX CEO Aaron Schurman is now up on MSNBC.com, complete with tons of new footage from Phantom and 8monkey Labs’ upcoming first-person shooter Darkest of Days, set to launch on both PC and Xbox 360 in Fall 2009.

The two-minute video between Schurman and Todd Kenreck of MSNBC not only contains tons of info about Darkest of Days, but also is comprised entirely of brand-new, never-before-seen footage from the game.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Have you ever wondered what could happen if time travel was a reality? Have you ever thought about the possibility of going back in time to rewrite history for the better? That possibility is a reality in Darkest of Days. In Darkest of Days, players will travel back and forth through the annals time to relive some mankind's most dire hours, when human society was at its lowest points. By fighting through terrible events such as The Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest conflict of the Civil War, and both World War I and II, the player will attempt to save certain key individuals who were never meant to become involved in these truly monstrous events and thereby change human history for the better.

Official Pandorum Mobile Game Apps

Mobile game applications inspired by the upcoming horror movie Pandorum, from Overture Films.

Starz Media and Artificial Life chose Pandorum for development based on the intense action-packed storylines and flexibility to be re-created on the mobile platform.

With extensive application development experience across various mobile platforms, Artificial Life will produce innovative game play for Starz Media that fully utilizes the touch screens and motion sensitive features of popular mobile devices.

From the producers of the Resident Evil film franchise comes Pandorum, a terrifying thriller in which two crew members, Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, Alpha Dog), wake up on an abandoned spacecraft with no idea who they are, how long they've been asleep, or what their mission is. The two soon discover they're actually not alone - and the reality of their situation is more horrifying than they could have imagined. A Constantin Film/Impact Pictures Production, Pandorum is financed by Constantin Film under its joint venture deal with Impact Pictures, a Constantin Film subsidiary. Overture Films will release the film in North America this year on Labor Day weekend.

"Starz Digital Media is delighted to enter the mobile gaming space by leveraging this strong property from our feature film division," said Marc DeBevoise, senior vice president, digital media, business development and strategy for Starz Media, who also handles digital and on-demand distribution of Overture's releases. The mobile gaming category has recently exploded with cutting edge devices and technologies. We are in a strong position to extend our properties onto these platforms and use the games symbiotically - with opportunities to both generate and receive marketing benefits as the programming and games reach the marketplace."

"We are pleased to partner with Starz Media to develop this exciting game for Pandorum. Starz possesses a diversified portfolio which provides intriguing and action packed content that is easily adaptable into mobile games. We are dedicated to enriching our game apps library with different genres of movie titles," said Eberhard Schoneburg, CEO of Artificial Life, Inc.

Crime Scene: Teaser Now Available A chilling forensic police investigation on Nintendo DS!

Discover Crime Scene’s first features through an exclusive teaser. Meet the cast and feel the trills of this breathtaking forensic police investigation through the first 30 seconds of the video.

Watch the video on the website here...

FEATURES REMINDER

Discover more about Crime Scene trough this exclusive batch of screenshots. Meet the main characters of this breathtaking scenario and learn all the game mechanics. Turn your Nintendo DS into a crime lab and become the best forensic agent in town.

- Main characters

Matt Simmons (the hero)
Young detective recently promoted from forensics.
You will play the part of this dynamic and efficient officer.


Peter Wayne (colleague)
Incompetent detective who is nearing retirement.
He is there to help you throughout all your investigations.


Alexandra Malone (the boss)
The superintendent in charge of investigations. You must frequently provide her with progress reports on your cases; in exchange, she gets search warrants for you!

Game mechanics

1- Discovery of the crime scene
2- Initial assessment and removal of clues
3- Analysis of the clues and the incriminating evidence
4- Comparisons and analyses of the results
5- Development of the forensic case and identification of the potential suspect

Examine crime scenes with a fine-tooth comb!
9 tools to remove clues with using your stylus: UV lamp and spray to reveal clues, tweezers (for hairs, bullets, fragments etc), swabs (cotton buds) for lifting liquids, brush, powder, adhesive strip for prints...

Analyse clues using hi-tech hardware.
6 tools to analyse clues with using your stylus: blood, sweat and DNA analysis, hair analysis, ballistic analysis and weapons comparison, photo scanning, digital print database, composition analysis (earth, mud, drink)...

Lead the interrogation of witnesses and suspects:
Question 19 charismatic characters. An interesting multiple choice dialogue will aid you and certain secrets you discover will help to expose the culprit!


Don't lose your boss's respect:
A gauge assesses you according to any handling or judgement errors you make…
Be careful, if you are too hasty you could compromise the entire investigation. It's up to you to convince your boss that you have enough evidence to mount a case!

FEATURES REMINDER

A forensic agent’s best tool? Your Nintendo DS™!
The best agent to take point on the mission? You!

A city where crime runs rampant…
A corrupt justice system…
Illegal human test subjects…
A dead cop…

With one suspicious event after the other and clues hard to come by,
it’s time for the forensic investigation to begin!

In Crime Scene you are part of the forensic police department and have to find and analyze clues with sophisticated equipment, interrogate witnesses and suspects, build a file with enough proof so there is no room for doubt and condemn the guilty!

A fully fledged crime lab on your Nintendo DS™!

Crime Scene is no simple point and click game! Thanks to your stylus and your Nintendo DS™, take part in an immersive and breathtaking adventure where it will take everything you’ve got to uncover the hidden truth and put the bad guys behind bars!

Genre: Police investigation / Adventure
Publishor: Nobilis
Developer: White Birds
Platform: Nintendo DS
Release date: Q2 2009
PEGI: +7

New Chronicle for the Spellborn adventure - Spotlight - The Arena

If you've been exploring the shards of Spellborn, you may have discovered the Arena District in Quarterstone. In the upcoming patch, there will be a lot of changes and new features to the Arena.

The Arena is the introduction to the PvP system being implemented into The Chronicles of Spellborn allowing unique events that you can enter, or just to battle it out with your friends.

The Arena includes Skirmishes and Leagues. Each one has its own uniqueness and a stunning concept to entice even players new to the PvP.
It marks a new Chronicle for the Spellborn adventure.

The Arena
The Quarterstone Arena is a magnificent structure which houses many events.
The Arena will offer players the possibility to play Arena Skirmishes and take part in the ranked Arena League.

Skirmishes
Arena Skirmishes allow players to play 2v2 and 4v4 with no strings attached. Any player can sign up for a game and will be matched up with players in the same level range. Players will be placed in one of five unique Arenas, where they are placed head to head to prove their skills. Had a good game? Think you could have done better? Vote for a re-match with the same setup to get your revenge and stay in the action. Skirmishes are not tied to any personal score and thus offer a great opportunity to hone your skills, try a new Skill Deck setup or squeeze in a quick round of Player versus Player.

League
The Arena League is aimed at those players who want to show their skill and prove their worth. Players can create their own uniquely named team which can be registered for either or both the 2v2 and 4v4 League. Matches fought for the League will directly impact the team’s ranking and position on the ongoing League. The team performance will be awarded to each player in the form of points, which can be used to acquire unique Arena Rewards.

The Arena is one of the first steps into introducing PvP systems into The Chronicles of Spellborn and will be followed by many more. The performance of teams and players on their own will also not go unnoticed by the High Houses that govern the Enclave, ever searching for their new Champions.

Street Fighter IV US National Championship Finals on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at 7p.m.

This is not one of them....
GAMESTOP, the world’s largest video game retailer, has partnered with CAPCOM and the EVO Championship Series, the largest and longest-running fighting game tournaments in the world, to host the Street Fighter IV US National Championship Finals on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at 7p.m. The event will take place at Fort Mason in San Francisco, where 16 national finalists will battle it out for the Grand Prize before advancing to represent the US in an International Exhibition featuring champions from Japan and Korea. Street Fighter fans will be able to experience the action up close and personal as the finalists will be playing live-on stage with a giant jumbo screen to show off every bit of the battle.

To coincide with the tournament, attendees are invited to join GameStop and Capcom for the “Street Fighter Fights Hunger” charity food drive in partnership with SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK. Guests are invited to do their part by bringing gifts of canned foods or nominal donations to be collected at the event.

Additional event festivities include:

SFIV game play kiosks
Autograph signing with YOSHINORI ONO, Producer for SFIV, and SETH KILLIAN, EVO founder and Special Advisor to the game
Performances by freestyle dance crew and America’s Best Dance Crew finalists, SUPREME SOUL, live on-stage throughout the night
DJ spinning throughout the night
SFIV-themed costume contest, activities, and prizes
E-Shots photo booth, Venom Energy Drink samplings, Estate LA custom hat experience, Coveroo laser etching experience, and SFIV models
VISUALS:
Crowds of enthusiastic gamers (more than 1,500 people expected)
Fans cheering for “cage-style” video game tournament
Attendees making donations for charity food drive
Consumers playing at game kiosks
Costume contest with fans competing for prizes
WHEN: Saturday, April 18, 2009

7–11p.m.



WHERE: Fort Mason Center, San Francisco

http://www.fortmason.org/directions/index.shtml

CONTACT:

GameStop:

Lauramustard@gmail.com

Laura Weir , 47 Communications

laura@fortyseven.com

Open-world action thriller video game PROTOTYPE

No conspiracy here…we promise… Activision confirme that the long-awaited open-world action thriller video game PROTOTYPE will ship in European territories on June 5 and to North American retailers on June 9, arriving in stores shortly thereafter.

Watch the trailer here...

Fans of the infamous Alex Mercer should also be sure to check out the newly updated official game website located at www.prototypegame.com to gain access and view newly added game information and content, including the first half of PROTOTYPE’s must-see intro cinematic.

PROTOTYPE lets gamers feel the power of being the ultimate shape-shifting weapon. You are the PROTOTYPE: Alex Mercer – a genetically mutated man without memory, armed with amazing shape-shifting abilities, hunting to discover what created you and determined to make those responsible pay. As Alex, gamers tear through a densely populated contemporary New York City moving with Parkour-style fluidity, consuming anybody that gets in their way…assuming their physical form, memories and abilities. Fueled by a three-way war between Alex, the Blackwatch (military) and a viral outbreak known as the Infected, players venture into a deep, dark conspiracy 40 years in the making!

PROTOTYPE is currently rated “RP” (Rating Pending) by the BBFC with an expected “18” rating and will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system.