BioWare and Green Ronin to Publish Dragon Age Pen & Paper Role-Playing Game

Leading video game developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts, today announced that Green Ronin Publishing will launch a pen and paper role-playing game (RPG) based on the highly anticipated video game, Dragon Age: Origins.

The pen and paper game extends the Dragon Age universe, making it more accessible to passionate RPG fans looking for another way to experience the epic fantasy world of Thedas.

"We’re delighted to be working with Green Ronin to explore more of the Dragon Age universe through a pen and paper role-playing game. We’re excited to deliver Dragon Age’s unique dark, heroic fantasy to our audience in a brand new way - a perfect complement to the landmark game we’re launching on PC, Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 this fall," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager and CEO, BioWare and General Manager and Vice President, EA. "Our development teams craft rich, deep worlds, and this is an excellent way to expand the franchise."

"Dragon Age: Origins has been described as the spiritual successor to BioWare’s Baldur’s Gate™, one of the most highly-acclaimed fantasy computer RPGs in the world, so when BioWare approached us to do a pen and paper version, we had to say ‘yes!’," said Green Ronin President Chris Pramas. "With our work on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Black Company, and Thieves’ World, dark fantasy is in our blood and Dragon Age: Origins is the best in its class. An opportunity to collaborate with BioWare on Dragon Age: Origins was not to be missed."

The Dragon Age pen and paper RPG will be available at card shops, book and comic retailers in summer 2009. The first release will be a boxed set -- perfect for new and experienced role-players alike. Green Ronin plans to release additional boxed sets and supplemental books, expanding the Dragon Age world even further.

Dragon Age: Origins from BioWare invites players to create their own heroes and join the fight against the darkspawn in a world of violence, lust and betrayal. The game will feature deep character customization, challenging decisions, and a wealth of gritty, mature plots that, combined with the BioWare heritage, make it one of the most highly-anticipated releases of 2009. Dragon Age: Origins is scheduled to release this fall on the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and PC.

Wonderland Online: New Version 4 Released

Wonderland Online is very proud to announce that the new Version 4.0 has been released on May 5th. Over the past few months the entire team focused on perfecting the new system and testing the game. The new version is now available to download from http://wl.igg.com.

Together with the version 4.0, the new server—Sagittarius has been released on the same day as well. To celebrate these two events and give something back to our players for their continuous support, the officials will be holding a series of events.

This new version brings many exhilarating features:

The Cursed Palace Quest
This is probably the most highly anticipated aspect of the new version. The Cursed Palace was inspired by the 12 constellations and they are represented by the many powerful palace guardians hiding in every corner of the palace, just waiting for a brave player to try to beat them.

New Maps
Players can now visit the plains of Africa, play with animals and maybe even go on safari. Additionally, the mysterious Mediterranean provides for a brand new territory for players to discover.

Instance System
15 instances are added, including Sea Animals, Mali’s Attack, Emperor Alexander, etc.

Training Island
When battling in this area, the system will restore players 100 HP and 50 SP automatically after each round. This has never been done in any place in Wonderland Online but it is here now.

Brilliant New Equipment
In the new version, there are many new pieces of top equipment that not only cut deep, but look good doing it. One of the best equipment sets is the special elemental suit.

Precursors' Gli - Nature untouched game on PC and Xbox 360

The planet Gli is perhaps the most preserved biodiversity region in Precursors Galaxy.

It boasts of many water bodies, deep dense forests, rare flora and fauna and the feathery local inhabitants that can be quite dangerous if you relax your vigilance!
Use gamezplay in your google game search...

Official Website for Cursed Mountain video game launched

Survival horror game set in the Himalayas is designed exclusively for Nintendo Wii

The opening of the official website for the survival horror game Cursed Mountain, an exclusive title for Nintendo Wii, at http://cursedmountain.deepsilver.com.

The diary kept by main character Eric Simmons offers more details about his quest to find his missing brother and more information about the mythical background of the Himalayas. Postcards and photographs lets visitors get a glimpse of the hazards that Eric encounters on the mountain, and a radio offers an audio impressions of his adventures.

About Cursed Mountain:
Set in the late 1980s, gamers will take on the role of a fearless mountaineer as he climbs into the Himalayas on a quest to find his lost brother. As he ascends the mountain, he encounters an ancient curse: the souls of the people who died in that region are stuck in limbo, caught in the Shadow World. Villagers, pilgrims, mountaineers and Buddhist monks – dead but not yet reincarnated – are all that is left on the mountain.

Terrible visions will disorient him, and ghosts and demons block his path. But the question remains – is his brother still alive?

Cursed Mountain is set to be released in 2009.

Penguins & Friends - Hey! That's my Fish! available for WiiWare

Gammick Entertainment is pleased to present the expected version for WiiWare from the famous boardgame “Hey! That’s my Fish!”. Only penguins are invited in this party, so hurry up and choose your favourite ones…And don’t let anyone to snatch the fishes from you!

A good strategy is the most important thing to feed your hungry penguins. The objective is to get the ice floes that have more fishes before someone get them before you. Only the smartest one will turn into the real fishing King!

Between 1 and 4 players can play “Penguins & Friends” at the same time – providing they can handle the polar cold. The board is made up of ice blocks that have a set number of fish (1, 2 or 3) under them. The ice blocks are hexagonal and form a structure like a beehive. The starting position of the ice blocks can change, creating different game boards.

Game modes

-Mission mode: This mode is for a single player who faces off against penguins controlled by the CPU. There are 3 types of missions to choose from. Each of them is made up of 5 boards and there are three different difficulty levels (easy, normal and difficult). One board must be beaten before moving on to the next one, and the player will come across boards with different sizes, shapes and box distributions. What’s more, as the player advances, the penguins become more intelligent, making the different challenges harder and harder.

-Free fish mode: 2 to 4 players can participate in this multiplayer mode, although they don’t all have to be human. The game lets you choose the total number of players and decide how many of them are controlled by the CPU if you want more participants. The number of penguins controlled by the CPU will be automatically configured according to the number of human players chosen. In any case, the players must choose the board that they want to battle on. All of the boards that can be found in Mission Mode are available here. The number of penguins per player is automatically assigned according to the board chosen and the number of players that are going to participate in the game.

Smiley World Island Challenge video game on Nintendo Wii & Nintendo DS

Join Smiley and friends for the adventure of a lifetime. Marooned on a desert island, you must participate in various challenges to overcome the dangers and perils of the island while collecting rewards and treasure.

Explore the island and meet the natives (some friendly and some not so friendly) who may help or hinder you as you progress through the many games of skill, logic and reactions. Action, adventure, danger, mystery, exploration and discovery are all on the menu when you play the Island Challenge.

• Play 14 action packed arcade style games that vary from games of skill and reactions to full-on side scrolling platform sections.

• High replay value is provided by achieving High-Scores to earn all the Bronze, Silver and Gold medals and ultimately win the Smiley Trophy.

• Play the Island Challenge on your own or compete against friends in a 2 to 4 player party.

• Go head-to-head in the exciting and highly competitive 2-player Duel mode.

• Collect Smiley Coins and use them to pay tolls that will unlock secret routes and access to the platform games filled with treasure.

Bruce Grannec from France crowned FIFA Interactive World Champion 2009

Bruce Grannec from France won the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2009 Grand Final in Barcelona and thus became the FIFA Interactive World Champion 2009. The world’s 32 best virtual footballers came face to face on May 2nd at Port Olympic in Barcelona, Spain to compete in the Grand Final as another incredibly exciting virtual football season came to an end.

Following a day of extreme skill and tactics on EA SPORTS FIFA09 on PLAYSTATION 3, Bruce Grannec beat the charismatic Mexican Ruben Zerecero 3:1 in a typically enthralling final in front of a packed crowd next to the beach at Port Olympic. In addition to being crowned FIWC09 Champion, the 22 year old Frenchman also received USD 20,000 and an all new KIA Soul car. He will also receive his FIFA Diploma at the next FIFA World Player Gala, where he will rub shoulders with the best real-life footballers in the world. "I am very proud of this victory", said a delighted Bruce Grannec after the final he deservedly won. "It pays back hours and hours of practice which prepared me to compete on such a big stage. It proves that, if you work hard, you will have success."

"FIFA recognises the best in football, today we are recognising the best virtual football players", said FIFA Executive Committee member Chuck Blazer. "I was pleased to see the passion and the outstanding technical skills shown by the 32 competitors, who made their way to the final out of an incredible number of more than 500.000 online participants. The sun, the side events and the beautiful location made this Grand Final a fantastic FIFA football event."

The Grand Final provided players with the opportunity to perform on the biggest stage of their lives in front of 8,000 spectators, who enjoyed the entertainment that the world’s largest football gaming tournament provides.

"Congratulations to Bruce who managed to become the FIWC 09 World Champion out of over 500,000 qualifiers which is an amazing achievement," said Matt Bilbey, Vice President International Marketing, EA SPORTS. "With the fantastic increase in the number of participants, the FIWC 09 was a great success for everybody involved. We’re looking forward to expanding the tournament in the upcoming years, especially with the FIFA World Cup 2010 happening next year in South Africa."

"The finals in Barcelona have been a fitting finale, for what has been a truly remarkable competition", said Darren Carter, Vice President Consumer Marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. "We offer our warmest congratulations to this year’s winner Bruce Grannec, who by coming out on top over half a million competitors, showed great skill and an unbreakable determination along the way. These are the characteristics that make the FIFA Interactive World Cup so special and we look forward to continuing our association with this wonderful competition next year."

Other entertainment on display included an exclusive performance by football trickster John Farnworth and a demonstration of komball (a freestyle football show), while spectators were also able to take part in the mini beach soccer tournament that was being run by Spain’s beach soccer star and FIFA Beach Soccer World Player 2008 Ramiro Amarelle. The gaming and entertainment lounges remained busy throughout the day as the public enjoyed experiencing EA SPORTS’s latest gaming titles and PlayStation’s latest next-generation entertainment products.

After seven months of qualification with over 500,000 players having competed in the online qualification and with 19 live qualifier events having been held at locations around the globe, including New Zealand, South Africa, Denmark, Brazil and India, the Grand Final marked the end of the fifth and most successful FIFA Interactive World Cup to date.
For more information on the FIFA Interactive World Cup, including a list of the 32 finalists, please go to www.FIFA.com/fiwc

War Plan Pacific New Patch Adds Brand New Play Mode!

If you are one of the many War Plan Pacific players suffering from PBEM dysfunction, that dreaded affliction in which the desire to play opponents via email cannot be realized, it is time to rejoice and end the suffering! KE Studios, developer of the hit title, has just made available version 1.0.3 of War Plan Pacific which includes a brand new way to play the game against others: PBEM!

PBEM (Play By E-Mail) allows games to be played out at your leisure, without the need for syncing up a time to sit down and play with your opponent. War Plan Pacific was already the perfect strategic wargame for the gamer on the go, and now with the additional PBEM support it becomes even more busy gamer friendly! Just be warned, while the 1.0.3 patch cures players of PBEM dysfunction it does increase the likelihood of prolonged usage of War Plan Pacific, which if lasting for more than four hours at a time can lead to angry spouses, sleeping on the couch, and missed social events. But really don't worry, because it's well worth it.

It should be noted that to accommodate PBEM play certain gameplay elements have been modified when playing by PBEM. They include a modification to reaction movement and setting aggressiveness for groups arriving at their destinations since combat on the battle board is handled entirely by the computer. Complete details on how PBEM works and the changes can be found in the accompanying patch documentation.

Besides adding PBEM play to War Plan Pacific the version 1.0.3 patch also includes the following content:
• Support now for 1680x1050 and 1440x900 screen resolutions.
• Fixed bug in which a couple of light cruisers could prevent raids from hitting a base no matter how powerful the attacking force.
• Fixed bug in which invasions did not happen if the defender chose air.
• Fixed bug in which the Allies sometimes did not get adequate amphibious groups.
• Added a .wpp extension for saved games. Now players can simply double-click on a saved game to immediately launch the game. Additionally, one can drag and drop the file onto a War Plan Pacific desktop shortcut.

The War Plan Pacific version 1.0.3 patch can be downloaded directly from the official product page at Shrapnel Games.

To find PBEM opponents please visit the official forum.

War Plan Pacific was developed by KE Studios and is published by Shrapnel Games, home to many independent games of distinction. It is available for Windows at only $39.95 as either a physical product shipped to your door or as a digital download. The download version is on sale now thru May 12th as part of our Download Days Sale Event. There is a demo that provides a nice introduction to the full game available at the product page, and you can check out a video of War Plan Pacific in action on You Tube.

Since being released in December of 2008 War Plan Pacific has gone on to become one of the most acclaimed wargames of recent release. Out of Eight, Flash of Steel, Gameshark, IGN, Wargamer, Armchair General, Cyberstratge, and Mike Kreuzer have all praised War Plan Pacific's elegant gameplay and accessibility. The designer, John Hawkins, has also been a featured guest on the premier strategy podcast, Three Moves Ahead. You can listen to his episode here.

War Plan Pacific features the entire war in the Pacific from 1941 until 1945, but playable in a single session. With multiple victory conditions and three starting scenarios players will find the game highly addictive as they search for their own elusive decisive battle to win the war. Scenarios can be edited and new ones created using nothing more than a text editor, although graphics are hard coded (sorry, no War Plan Atlantic mods).

Download game and patch here...

Wallace and Gromit - The Last resort video game on PC from today

The Last Resort, the latest of four monthly Wallace & Gromit games that open up the world of West Wallaby Street like never before. "The Last Resort" is available today for PC from www.telltalegames.com as part of the Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures series. The games will also be coming soon to Xbox LIVE Arcade.

Telltale's Wallace & Gromit games are like interactive films, with humorous storylines and creative characters conceived in collaboration with Aardman's award-winning team. In the new episode, Wallace and Gromit's Blackpool holiday is rained out, so the enterprising inventor and his clever dog bring the beach to their basement with the construction of West Wallaby Waterworld, a makeshift resort complete with sun, sand, and Wallace's homemade boardwalk attractions. Keeping their guests satisfied turns out to be tricky business, particularly after one is thumped on the head by an unknown assailant. Everyone is a suspect! Now Wallace and Gromit must work together to finger the culprit, with a little help from Wallace's latest invention: the Deductomatic.

Customers can purchase the Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures series from www.telltalegames.com, and the first two episodes, Fright of the Bumblebees and The Last Resort, will be delivered digitally with their checkout. The full series purchase from Telltale also includes the Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Collector's DVD, containing the four games plus bonus content for just the cost of shipping shortly after the finale episode. The third and fourth Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures episodes will release for PC in June and July.

Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures launched in March to rave reviews, with Yahoo! Games UK calling the premiere episode "Wallace and Gromit's finest and best looking video game outing to date." IGN awarded the episode with its coveted Editor's Choice Award, saying, "Telltale nails the look and feel of a Wallace & Gromit short film."

The four-episode Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures series sells for $34.95 (approx £24). To purchase the game, visit http://www.telltalegames.com/wallaceandgromit.

About Wallace & Gromit

Wallace
An endearing and affable inventor. Ever enthusiastic, Wallace's hair-brained, over-ambitious, yet well intentioned ideas consistently get him and his faithful hound into trouble. A definite penchant for cheese and crackers, not to mention fashionable knitwear!

Gromit
Wallace's long-suffering loyal pooch. Gromit cares greatly for Wallace even though he's often railroaded into his master’s mad-cap plans. Though cultured and sensitive, preferring order and the quiet life, Gromit displays amazing courage and heroism when it comes to getting his master out of self-made scrapes. Always showing astonishing initiative, Gromit is definitely the intelligent one of the pair.

First Wii Gun Designed with Built-in Remote and Repositioned A and B Buttons

Penguin United has announced that it will launch the CrossFire Remote Pistol for Nintendo Wii at this year's E3 in Los Angeles.

The CrossFire is the first and only available gun for Wii that has the remote already integrated into the guns design. Additionally, the A and B buttons, and D-Pad have been repositioned for easy access and functionality.

Product Highlights:

• Self-contained remote gun – does not require inserting Wii remote into gun “shell”
• Designed to create a true gun experience
• A-Button repositioned for thumb access while holding pistol
• B-Button repositioned for trigger finger access
• D-Pad repositioned for immediate thumb access
• Works as regular remote for non-shooter games
• Enhanced Vibration function
• Built-in Speaker enhances audio experience

“The CrossFire pistol will change the way shooting games are enjoyed on the Wii platform,” emphasized Richard Huang, Penguin United’s President. “Previous gun designs are bulky and just don’t work very well. The CrossFire will offer gamers all the benefits of the normal Wii remote as well as providing a true “gun” experience.

*The CrossFire will be on display, and available for review, at E3 June 2nd – 4th at the Penguin United Booth No.3029, South Hall.