Red Orchestra: Heroes of Stalingrad, the sequel to the hit PC title Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45

Tripwire Interactive announce Red Orchestra: Heroes of Stalingrad, the sequel to the hit PC title Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, winner of multiple awards: Voodoo Extreme’s FPS and MP Game of the Year 2006, Wargamer’s Best Action Game 2006, IGN Editor’s Choice and many more.

Heroes of Stalingrad will take the Red Orchestra franchise into the next generation of gaming. Cutting edge graphics and audio built on Unreal Engine 3, inventive features and streamlined realism will deliver an unrivalled WWII experience. Focusing on the Battle of Stalingrad and the surrounding operations, both German and Russian, from July 1942 to February 1943 the game allows the player to experience one of the most brutal battles in all of human history. For the first time ever in a first person shooter gamers will be able to experience WWII from the Axis side in a German single player campaign. As always with the Red Orchestra franchise, we will aim to deliver unrivalled accuracy and attention to detail, along with gritty, vicious combat in multi-player, co-op and solo modes. Again, we have listened to the fans and have designed a whole set of new features to make the game more accessible and easy to get into – all while delivering the tactical shooter realism fans of the original game loved.

There is more information available in the June 2009 issue of PC Gamer both in the UK and US, which will be on the news stands in May. The Heroes of Stalingrad forums are also now open – head to www.HeroesofStalingrad.com for the teaser website and access to the forums. We will be releasing more information about the game over the next weeks and months, so keep checking back! Tripwire Interactive are taking the time to get the game right, so the release date will remain “when it is ready” for the time being.

Burnout Paradise Cops and Robbers is Sixth DLC pack

With the release of Cops and Robbers, there are now a mind-boggling 6 AMAZING Burnout Paradise collections loaded with fun new experiences for you to download. Have you tried them all?

Cops and Robbers
This pack includes a brand new online game mode and 33 new Cop Cars to use Online AND Offline.
In Cops and Robbers, you pick your allegiance and then help your team recover the stolen gold and deliver it safely to your base.

They always say that crime doesn't pay. Now you can find out!

Boost Specials
Think you know Boost? Think again...these are the ultimate Boost vehicles.

The Hawker Mech gives its driver access to all three Boost types! Switchable Boost technology gives you Speed, Stunt or Aggression boost at the press of a button. Now you've got the right boost type for whatever situation you find yourself in. The Hawker Mech is the

The Carson Extreme Hot Rod; quite simply the fastest and most insane car Criterion Games have ever produced. The new ‘Locked' Boost system is a one-way street - once you hit the Boost button it's on for good. Hang on for one heck of a ride!

Toy Vehicles
Bring all the fun of the toybox to Paradise City!

These adorable vehicles pack a mighty punch. Each vehicle has its own toy horn note, so get together online and see if you can make sweet, sweet Burnout music! Get the whole Collection or any individual car from the in-game Burnout Store.

Legendary Cars
"I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky! I think about the 88 Special every night and day! Retract my wheels and fly away!"

And that's just for starters!

Be a rider of the night or a good ole boy jumping bridges to the sound of a cool horn? Or behold the awesomeness of a converted ambulance and fight the power of the paranormal? If the answer to any of these questions is yes then you NEED the Legendary Car pack is the choice for you.


Party Pack
If you've got some friends coming round and need something to make you laugh, whoop and cry together, then what more could you ask for than the Burnout Paradise Party Pack.

8 players can play using just one controller, and the minigames are a great showcase for all the different vehicles in the game. Have you driven them all yet?


Time Savers Pack
Want to drive the GT Concept but don't have the time to get that elusive Burnout License?


The Time Savers Pack is a quick and easy way of getting your hands all the cars in the game. Great for those busy players out there that want it all right here right now.

All of these packs are available right now from the in-game Burnout Store.

Over 100 million user created creatures in SPORE universe

What do beaked coralfish, whimsical snow globes and intricate atom models all have in common? They are all pieces of content created by players of the critically-acclaimed video game, Spore. Today, Maxis, an Electronic Arts studio, announced that since launching the Spore Creature Creator in June 2008, Spore fans have created and uploaded 100 Million creations – an average of more than 307,000 daily – on the Sporepedia at www.spore.com, the Spore library of user-generated content.

The 100 Million represents a variety of uploaded creations including 31,017,761 Spore creatures – more than 19 times the number of known species on Earth. The creator of the 100 millionth creation may receive a NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT graphics card, Spore and the upcoming expansion pack Spore Galactic Adventures (Official Rules: http://www.spore.com/comm/contests/contestrules/hundredmillionrules). The 100 Millionth creation and the entire collection of player-generated content can be seen at the Sporepedia.

Spore is widely recognized as one of the first games to make user-generated content the central focus and let player creativity drive much of the humor and whimsy of the entertainment experience. Players’ signature creations are the beating heart of the Spore franchise. Though user-generated content is common in social networking sites, the Spore series has pioneered how this content is made, used and shared in video games. In the upcoming Spore Galactic Adventures, players will be able to take their customized content to the next level as they create their own Space Captain and use the Adventure Creator to create missions to play and share with other Spore players through the Sporepedia.

“This is a staggering milestone to have met in less than one year from the launch of Spore Creature Creator,” said Lucy Bradshaw, VP and General Manager at Maxis. “We continue to be astounded by the outrageous creations and incredible creativity that Spore players have poured into the Sporepedia, from lifelike animals to fantastical creatures and futuristic spaceships. We can’t wait to see the ingenuity our players reveal through the missions they create in Spore Galactic Adventures!”

In the coming months, the Spore franchise will introduce new games; Spore Galactic Adventures for PC and Mac, Spore Hero for Nintendo Wii and Spore Hero Arena for Nintendo DS. Spore Galactic Adventures, available June 23, is a highly-customizable expansion pack for Spore, adding a tremendous amount of variety and fun to the Space game. Players can beam down to planets for the first time ever, play Maxis-created Adventures and easily create customized missions. Available in fall 2009, Spore Hero, exclusive to the Wii and Spore Hero Arena for the Nintendo DS, catapult players into the role of a fully-customized hero creature fighting to save its planet.

To learn more about Spore or to download a free trial of the Spore Creature Creator, please visit www.spore.com. For screen shots or press materials about Spore, please visit http://info.ea.com.

BattleForge PC video game mini trailer

New RTS Game Explodes with Booster Packs and Other In-Game Content Available for Just a Few Dollars

Phenomic, an Electronic Arts real-time strategy (RTS) game BattleForge game servers now live, players will storm the battlefield and enter a fantasy world where they will use virtual trading cards to build the perfect army and lay waste to their foes.

The new Real-Time Strategy game, BattleForge gives players the ability to customize their play experience by adding new units to their collection for as little as 250 BattleForge Points (available for $2.50). This flexible model unlocks the power of the game by allowing players to buy as much or as little of these additional in-game resources as they wish.

BattleForge comes prepped and ready with four ready-made faction decks based on the four elements in the game – Fire, Frost, Nature and Shadow and 3000 BattleForge points. The BattleForge Points allow players to buy an additional 12 booster packs bringing the box total to 160 cards.

Players can use BattleForge Points to purchase new cards in booster packs. Booster packs contain eight cards – 5 common, 2 un-common, 1 rare or ultra rare, all for just 250 BattleForge points. This dynamic system allows players to customize their RTS experience with content that can be purchased at their own discretion.

Players can also use BattleForge Points to bid on or buyout cards from other players in the online auction house, or players can auction their own cards to gain more BattleForge points. Alternatively, players can directly trade cards in a unique direct-trade option. With no subscription fees, regular free content and feature updates like new maps and game modes, players have the freedom and flexibility to buy additional content online fully customizing their experience.

While additional cards add diversity to a player’s deck, it takes skill to make each deck stronger. Through victory in scenarios and ranked Player vs. Player (PvP) matches, players can earn card upgrades and gold. As each players’ skill grows, their forces will level up with them.

“The team is so excited that players will be able to enjoy the action as much as we have. The Open Beta was very successful and we can’t wait to see how the players immerse themselves into the world of BattleForge,” stated Creative Director, Volker Wertich. “The scale of BattleForge allows the player to experience a diversity which has never existed in RTS games before, as we probably offer many more units than traditional strategy games. There is an exceptional RTS experience in every BattleForge box. From there we let players decide what to invest or trade, but victory is determined by skill,”

BattleForge ships today in North America and on March 26th in Europe. BattleForge will be available for the PC at a retail price of $49.99. There is no subscription fee. For more information, visit www.battleforge.com.

Phenomic, an Electronic Arts studio, announced a new competitive pricing strategy on the real-time strategy (RTS) game BattleForge™ that will allow gamers to enter the magical realm at the reduced price of $29.99. The new pricing is effective immediately in North America. Additionally, gamers can check out the BattleForge demo on BattleForge.com.

BattleForge comes with four ready-made faction decks based on the four elements in the game – Fire, Frost, Nature and Shadow and 3000 BattleForge points. The BattleForge Points allow players to buy an additional 12 booster packs bringing the box total to 160 cards. Players can use BattleForge Points to purchase new cards in booster packs. Booster packs contain eight cards – 5 common, 2 un-common, 1 rare or ultra rare, all for just 250 BattleForge points. This dynamic system allows players to customize their RTS experience with content that can be purchased at their own discretion.

In the demo, players start with a random faction deck and have limited access to maps. Players will have access to sparring ground player versus player (PvP) battles as well as player versus environment (PvE) maps. Players will then be able to upgrade to the full product in-game.

“BattleForge is a specialized RTS which has so much more to offer to the players whether they are straight up RTS fans or collectible card gamers. The battles are becoming more epic as the players' skills are advancing,” said Producer Michael Krach, “There has never been a better time to get into the action on BattleForge.”

BattleForge is available for the PC at a retail price of $29.99. There is no subscription fee.

Wii Fit keeps the wolves from the door in UK games chart

ChartTrack weekly charts

Week ending 2 May 2009
1 WII FIT NINTENDO 1
2 X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE ACTIVISION -
3 FIFA 09 EA SPORTS 4
4 WII PLAY NINTENDO 8
5 RESIDENT EVIL 5 CAPCOM 5
6 MARIO KART WII NINTENDO 7
7 THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK: DARK ATHENA ATARI 2
8 THE GODFATHER II EA GAMES 3
9 PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE CURIOUS VILLAGE NINTENDO 6
10 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR ACTIVISION 9
11 STREET FIGHTER IV CAPCOM -
12 MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES SEGA 11
13 CARNIVAL: FUNFAIR GAMES 2KPLAY 10
14 MY FITNESS COACH GAMES FOR EVERYONE 14
15 KILLZONE 2 SONY COMPUTER ENT. -
16 DR KAWASHIMA'S BRAIN TRAINING NINTENDO 12
17 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE ACTIVISION 16
18 GUITAR HERO: WORLD TOUR REDOCTANE 13
19 BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE D3P 19
20 WSC REAL 09: WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP BLADE SPORTS -

Terminal Reality's Infernal Engine is the Power Behind Upcoming Titles The Hunt and The Strike

Piranha Games' The Hunt and The Strike show off the amazing versatility of Terminal Reality's Infernal Engine

Tired of fighting aliens? Maybe its time to take a trip to the great outdoors: or at least the virtual outdoors.

Terminal Reality officially announced today that the award-winning Infernal Engine is the technology behind Piranha Games' bass fishing title The Strike, as well as their hunting simulation The Hunt.

"The world of videogames is a varied one. Everyone knows about Ghostbusters, but we at Terminal Reality believe in the extreme versatility of the Infernal Engine," said Joe Kreiner, VP Sales and Marketing at Terminal Reality. "The inclusion of The Strike fishing pole and The Hunt rifle by Griffin International shows how well the Infernal Engine works with gaming peripherals."

Developers love the ease with which the Infernal Engine scales between systems and both titles will be available for Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, and PC. In addition to being a top notch development platform, the Infernal Engine comes with best in class support and a streamlined content pipeline to maximize productivity.

"We used the Infernal Engine to develop Bass Pro Shops The Strike. The engine was very versatile, allowing us the freedom to create immense environments with a high level of realistic detail," said Russ Bullock, President of Piranha Games. "Most impressive is that we did not have to sacrifice the level size when we developed The Strike for the Nintendo Wii. This truly is a cross-platform engine. As well, the support we received from Terminal Reality was really impressive."

Terminal Reality will be showing the Infernal Engine to interested developers and publishers by appointment only at the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) from June 2 - 4 in Los Angeles, CA.

Visceral Games the new name for Award - Winning EA Redwood Shores Studio

Electronic Arts announce that its award-winning EA Redwood Shores Studio has been renamed and rebranded Visceral Games to better reflect the studio’s culture, identity and focus on creating intense action-oriented intellectual properties.

Visceral Games is focused on developing best-in-breed action games with state-of-the-art technology, visuals, audio, gameplay and a relentless focus on excellence that spawned the breakthrough, award-winning franchise Dead Space.

The studio is currently working on the highly anticipated games, Dante’s Inferno and Dead Space: Extraction, and two other unannounced titles.

Visceral Games is part of the EA Games Label and is led by Vice President and General Manager Glen Schofield. The studio falls under the auspices of Senior Vice President Nick Earl who manages all Games Label studios in California including Maxis™, EALA and Pandemic™.

“Action, intensity, excellence. It isn’t just in our DNA, it’s in our blood,” said Glen Schofield, VP and GM of Visceral Games. “For the past two years, we have adopted a new culture that prizes excellence above all else. Primal action is the beating heart of the studio and now our new name reflects that.”

Visceral Games is located in Redwood Shores, California at the same site location as the EA corporate headquarters. The same location is also home to The Sims™ Studio. Visceral Games has a branch office in Melbourne, Australia. The two teams work in partnership to create the next generation of action games. For more information about Visceral Games, please visit: www.visceralgames.com.

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 and Grand Slam Tennis to in store one week early

Electronic Arts, announce that both Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 and EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis will ship to stores June 8 in North America, one week earlier than originally announced. EA SPORTS recently announced that the Nintendo Wii version of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 will be available packaged with the Wii MotionPlus accessory in both North America and Europe.

In Europe only, EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis will be available with Wii MotionPlus at launch.

“This was important for us to bring in our ship dates for Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 and EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis to hit right at the launch of the new Wii MotionPlus accessory in North America,” said Todd Sitrin, Group Vice President Global Marketing, EA SPORTS. “Fans deserve great games that use the new accessory, and now they’ll have two that deliver authentic sports motion as soon as the Wii MotionPlus hits stores.”

Both Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 and EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis have been rated “E” by the ESRB. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 has an MSRP of $59.99 when bundled with the Wii MotionPlus. Both products will be available for $49.99 without the accessory.

BOH video game update runs natively on Mac - Free download

BOH just got better and now it even runs natively on MacOS X!

Specifically, this update:

* makes the game run natively on MacOS X Tiger/Leopard machines;
* adds zooming to full screen modes;
* allows the choice of the screen mode among those notified by the system;
* replaces zooming routines with more optimized ones (especially 3x and 4x);
* adds the possibility of disabling interpolation (for slow computers);
* adds the possibility of disabling the rendering of barriers;
* improves a bit the original themes;
* enriches slightly the Evil Masters AI;
* adds timer ticking during time-limited missions;
* adds map zooming;
* adds the option of sorting missions by difficulty;
* allows the use of joypads/joysticks with just 1 button;
* fixes the following bugs: bad joypad handling (detection was inhibited by a '2' in place of a '1'; sometimes up/down movement could stick); [PAGE UP/DOWN] handling (repeat delay handling was missing); a bad optimization of ray-tracing routine (which had no practical effects thanks to the way maps and themes were made);
* improves and extends the user's manual;
* links the AmigaOS 4 version to libSDL 1.2.13;
* applies some other minor changes.

BOH owners can enjoy the update by downloading it for free from the DOWNLOADS page of the official website at www.bohthegame.com.

Freesky Online - Closed Beta starts May 7th

The Freesky Online closed beta test will be released at 9:00pm on May 7th, 2009(GMT-4). For all you potential beta testers out there don’t worry, your hard earned information and character data will be retained. The majestic castles, vast fleets, and miraculous miracles will be ready to greet players shortly.

In addition, the activation page for Freesky Online will be released on May 4rd (GMT-4), and players can visit the page to use their activation codes to activate accounts.

Freesky Online has prepared a lot of events for players to win registration codes. Check out these events and get your CB code now!

1. Alliance Recruitment - The Alliance leader will be given plenty of activation codes, and the Alliance can apply to create a special group in the forum with the Alliance name.

2. Post for activation codes - Post a thread containing content relating to Freesky Online in other forums. Each player can earn only 3 activation codes at most.

3. Blog Event - Players can link Freesky’s pictures to their blogs, share wonderful moments with their friends and get activation codes.

Note: All character info, including character data will be retained.