jOG, Revolutionary Video Game Accessory for Nintendo Wii On Sale Now!

Ground-breaking motion-sensing video game peripheral jOG, compatible with Nintendo Wii, today goes on sale across the UK to widespread acclaim, having been recently voted the number one product of Toy Fair 2009 by The Gadget Show, rated ‘Essential Gadget’ by The Sun and featured on Jo Whiley’s gaming spot on BBC Radio 1.

jOG is a unique accessory that works with many existing Wii games – quite simply, to move in the game, you have to jog on the spot. Connected between the Nunchuk and Wiimote, then clipped to the belt of the player, jOG detects when the player takes a step and translates that to game character movement, creating a feedback loop that immerses players deeper into the game play while compelling them to take light exercise. It works with any game that uses the Nunchuk stick for character control, effectively the majority of adventure, shooter, RPG, kids and sports games. jOG requires no special versions of game software to operate: players just plug in and go. What’s more, for games which allow multiple players at the same time, you can connect as many jOGs as the game supports – enabling the whole family to join in the fun.

“We’re absolutely delighted gamers can get their hands on the hottest new accessory for Wii from today – one that’s great value for money and works with their existing games,” said Brendan Ludden, Managing Director, New Concept Gaming. “We really proud that we’ve achieved what we set out to do – to produce a unique accessory that adds to the sense of immersion as you play your favourite games, is enormous fun, and contributes to your daily recommended exercise.”

An independent report from John Moores University in Liverpool revealed that one hour using jOG to play a typical Wii game can involve taking as many as 10,000 steps – that’s the number the government recommends adults take each day to stay healthy. Not only that, using jOG more than tripled energy expenditure and increased heart rate by 40% in the young adults who participated in the tests.

jOG for Wii is available today on the UK High Street from Argos and from online retailers including www.game.co.uk and www.firebox.com, with a RRP of £24.99. For more information about jOG, consumers and editors should point their browser at www.jog2play.com.

Elven Legacy PC video game - playable demo to download

Get a taste of the recently released Fantasy Wargame

Paradox Interactive has released a playable demo of Elven Legacy, the Fantasy Strategy Wargame for the PC developed by Russian studio 1C: Ino-CO.

The demo allows players to play the tutorial along with one mission from the Campaign mode and can be downloaded from the following location:
http://www.elven-legacy.com/index.php/downloads/demo/

Elven Legacy sends players on an epic quest aimed to restore the former glory of the Elven race. With a thrilling storyline with multiple endings and tools that allow players to create their own missions and share them in multiplayer mode, Elven Legacy will provide hours of exciting game play for strategy fans.

Elven Legacy is available from retailers everywhere, along with all good digital download outlets for a suggested retail price of €29.99.

Game Equals Life Announces: The Magi and the Sleeping Star – A Breakthrough Health Game for Type 1 Diabetes

Oklahoma based independent game design studio, Game Equals Life, officially announced their first project, The Magi and the Sleeping Star (MSS). MSS is a health education game that will aid in teaching adolescents and adults with type 1 diabetes how to better manage their condition through interactive gameplay and story-telling.

MSS is a 3rd person action adventure game that sends players on a quest during which healthy blood sugar must be maintained in order to achieve success. In MSS the player is a Magi, a powerful young magical hero, who happens to have type 1 diabetes. At the start of the game the player’s family is kidnapped and he must go on a quest to save them while using his magical abilities to defeat robotic enemies along the way. The only catch is that the potency of the player’s magical power is a direct reflection of how well his blood sugar is managed.

When the player’s blood sugar is too high or low, his powers are reduced or even nullified. This makes it impossible for the player to achieve victory until his blood sugar returns to a healthy level. Players are even rewarded with increased power when blood sugar is kept at ideal levels. Players must test blood sugar, choose healthy food, count carbohydrates and deliver appropriate amounts of insulin. This teaches the players to take full responsibility for diabetes management and puts them in a position to deal with its real-time affects in exciting gameplay situations.

Using a classic adventure game structure, MSS will teach players about appropriate diabetes management and offer ongoing advice on how to best balance blood sugar throughout the game’s adventure. MSS aims to help people with diabetes understand the core principals of good diabetes management and consistently reinforce the implementation of these principals in their daily lives. Players will quickly come to understand the importance of carbohydrate counting, frequent blood testing, and responsible insulin delivery. However, the key differentiator between MSS and traditional health education games is its invocative fantasy world. With exciting boss battles, breathtaking magic spells and a compelling storyline, MSS offers an adventure experience that could stand alone from its health education benefits.

"The illness isn’t the focus in The Magi and The Sleeping Star. The game is about a hero who must battle armies of robots and giant monsters in order to save his world. But since this hero happens to have type 1 diabetes, players must learn to manage the disease in order to be successful,” said Adam Grantham, President of Game Equals Life and Creative Director of MSS. “With MSS we’re using the incredible teaching power of play to illustrate that life with type 1 diabetes doesn’t have to center around the disease and that good blood sugar management is the key to living a free and healthy life. As someone who’s lived with type 1 diabetes for over 15 years, I’m very excited to be working on such an innovative and positive new game.”

Story:
When a legendary ancient king returns to enslave the world, a young boy named Oz must awaken the hero within. Oz is a descendant of a powerful line of warrior-wizards known as The Magi and will have to master his powers in order to save the world. But this young hero faces another challenge, for he has been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, and before he can master his magic he must first master his blood sugar. Equipped with the powerful arrow launching Witch-Cannon, an arsenal of magic spells and his trusty robotic assistant MOMO, Oz must venture into the enemy’s land and defeat the tyrant king.

Features:

* 3rd Person Adventure Gameplay: Charge into battle against hordes of mechanical soldiers and monstrous bosses as you fight your way through enemy territory! Use the mighty Witch-Cannon to launch a barrage of arrows at your enemies.
* Diabetes Management Education: Gain more power throughout your adventure as you improve your diabetes management by learning to balance your blood sugar and eat healthy food.
* Powerful Magic Spells: Master all the spells of The Magi as you progress through your adventure. When your blood sugar becomes more balanced, your spells’ powers increase!
* Epic Boss Battles: Face colossal Kings of Old World in fierce battle! Use your incredible power to bring down the towering giants!
* Massive Fantasy World: Explore a large diverse world with lush green fields, stone dry deserts, arctic wastelands and ashy mountains.

Darkeden - Super Power Event begins in the Free-to-Play Vampire MMORPG

Joymax, an independent developer of interactive entertainment for the global market, today announced the start of the Super Power Event for the vampiric MMORPG Darkeden.

Slayers, Ousters, and Vampires can now gain up to a maximum of 2,000% experience for every quest completed and enemy killed, making this the perfect opportunity to level up and do some damage to the opposing forces!

Premium card users also have their standard experience bonus doubled, combining for an impressive maximum of 8,000% experience gained. As if that weren’t enough, the Super Power Event is a harbinger of things to come: events that will provide luck, rank, and drop rate increases across the board. The modern war between humans and undead is heating up, and the time has never been better to join the fight and help decide the fate of our world!
To find out more about the Super Power Event, visit the Darkeden website at http://www.joymax.com/darkeden/.

Fitba Slide Tackles Its Way Onto Xbox Live (it's armless)

Live the beautiful game for less than a burger meal

Relive the passion and competition of the greatest sport on earth in true retro style with Fitba the superb debut release from Dundee-based independent video game developer Triple B games.

Available for the low price of 400 Microsoft points (approx. £3.40) via the Xbox Live community games store, the game is easy to get into, incredibly addictive and boasts a superb multiplayer mode for you and your mates to duke it out for glory on the pitch.

Using an old-school, top down viewpoint similar to the classic Sensible Soccer series of games, Fitba lets you pull off some nifty moves thanks to the easy to use dual stick control system. Players can also create their own team, with fully customisable strips and players. You can then take your dream team online to compete against other gamers via Xbox Live and make your name known to the masses.

Independent developer Jonathan “Fritz” Ackerley said: “Fitba rips up the last ten years of football games to get back to the simple joys of kicking a ball about, using innovative, intuitive controls to deliver classic gameplay”.

The game has already received rave reviews for its ease of play and superb control system, meaning anyone can get in on the action.

Ping Time Xbox 360 clock

Bridging the gap between retro games and apps, Ping Time turns classic black and white retro gameplay into a non-interactive clock format.

Created on a whim while half asleep one night, Ping Time transforms your Xbox 360 and TV into an expensive retro wall clock.

Watch in awe as the two AI opponents bounce a ball back and forth endlessly (or until you quit, whichever comes first), carefully maintaining their score to represent the current time. Ping time boasts HD Black and White graphics, and the intriguing sound of silence, efficiently packed into less than 200 KB, making it currently the smallest product on Xbox Live Community Games.

Ping Time is available for just 200 Microsoft Points on the Xbox 360. To download the trial or to purchase, login to Xbox Live and look for it on Xbox Live Community Games, or go to http://xblcg.info/link/ping-time to queue up the trial or full product.

Soldier Ants iPhone game demo download

If you haven’t tried SoldierAnts yet then here’s your chance to take command of those cheeky Ants in this Worms like strategy game from Inline Productions. The Lite version features one of the maps in battle mode with a subset of weapons that you can play against the device.

The game has many graphical effects including explosions, smoke and particle that react to the environment. Each map is also randomly generated so you may never play the same level twice.

The full version of the game features five fully destructible themed landscapes from Winter, Western, Ruins, Jungle, Fruit, Countryside and Beach. It supports up to 4 players, has customisable teams and a full in game save functionality.

Full Version: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=309442810&mt=8

Lite Version: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=309446292&mt=8

Muramasa - The Demon Blade video game for Nintendo Wii

Vanillaware's Long-Awaited Masterwork Arrives in North America September 2009!

Ignition announce the September 2009 U.S. release of the much-anticipated video game, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, exclusively for the Nintendo Wii.

Developed by Vanillaware, the creative team behind the critically acclaimed game Odin Sphere, Muramasa: The Demon Blade is a unique, highly stylized action adventure that showcases a striking visual look and a colorful cast of more than 100 characters. Hailed by Kotaku as “this year’s prettiest, most enticing Wii game,” and by IGN as “the most visually stunning game I’ve ever seen on the Wii,” Muramasa: The Demon Blade features eye-popping hand-drawn 2D art that reflects the heritage and tone of its ancient Japanese storyline. Set in the little-known feudal Genroku era, players are invited to take on the role of a male ninja or female kunoichi, utilizing their prowess to traverse the perilous yet picturesque levels.

“Ignition Entertainment is immensely proud for the opportunity to bring Muramasa: The Demon Blade to the legions of North American gamers yearning for top-quality, original action games on Wii.” said Shane Bettenhausen, New Business Development Director of Ignition Entertainment. “The talented developers at Vanillaware have crafted an absolutely stunning adventure through feudal Japan that balances subtle, sophisticated artistry with razor-sharp, addictive gameplay.”

“We continue to maintain our strong commitment to bring quality games to the marketplace,” said Ajay Chadha, President of Ignition Entertainment. “We feel deeply honored for the opportunity to bring Vanillaware’s magnificent masterpiece Muramasa: The Demon Blade to gamers stateside.”

“We developed Muramasa: The Demon Blade in the same way as we did Odin Sphere, so there are bound to be a lot of similarities. I want it to be a very fun game for everyone who picks it up,” said George Kamitani, game director and Vanillaware President.

Key Game Features:
• Beautiful 2D graphics
• Large variety of environments
• Two playable characters
• Replayability (multiple playable paths throughout the game)
• Supports Wii Remote and Nunchuk, Classic controller, and GameCube controller
• 16:9 widescreen support
• Excellent music and sound
• Timeless side-scrolling game play.
• Optional challenge stages and mini-games throughout
• Satisfying action elements leading to nice depth of combat (Combat is fast yet intuitive)
• Story elements and cut scenes are well integrated and not obtrusive.

Sacred 2 - Fallen Angel developer goes bust - files for backruptcy

Ascaron Entertainment, the European publisher and developer behind Sacred 2 Fallen Angel, has entered administration.

The company, with a development studio in Birmingham, filed for bankruptcy in the regional court at Bielefeld, Germany.

"Due to the protection offered by German administration rights, Ascaron intends to use this as an opportunity to secure the future of the company," read a statement on Ascaron's website.

"We, the executives of Ascaron Entertainment GmbH, thank all our fans for their superb support and assistance in making Sacred 2 - Fallen Angel the success it is today.

"Our special thanks go to all our employees. Without the dedication and motivation of all the staff Sacred 2 would not exist."

The company said it has completed work on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Sacred 2 and would start shipping units at the beginning of May.

Source: GamesIndustry

Adventure game - Dante’s Inferno video game coming to PSP, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

Dante's Inferno Coming to Sony's PlayStation Portable Alongside PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360

Electronic Arts announce that its highly anticipated action adventure game Dante’s Inferno will be coming to the PSP (Sony PlayStation Portable).

Based on part one of Dante Alighieri’s classic, “The Divine Comedy,” EA’s Dante’s Inferno will also take players on an epic adventure through Dante’s famously mapped nine circles of hell. Dante’s Inferno will be available simultaneously for the PSP, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system next year.

Dante’s Inferno for the PSP is being developed by EA’s award-winning EA Redwood Shores studio and Artificial Mind and Movement (A2M), based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

“Our team and the team at A2M are taking the vision for Dante’s Inferno and translating it directly to the PSP,” said Jonathan Knight, executive producer and creative director on Dante’s Inferno. “PSP owners can expect to get the same level of fast, responsive gameplay through all nine detailed and unique circles of hell we are aiming to achieve on the consoles.”

Alighieri’s “Dante’s Inferno” is widely credited for being the work that has defined the western world’s contemporary conception of hell and purgatory. Just like the poem, players of EA’s 3rd person action adventure game will descend through all nine circles of hell: limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery, playing as Dante as they battle through a gauntlet of unimaginable evils, fighting to recapture the soul of his beloved Beatrice.