Beware the Beavers! in Robocalypse - Beaver Defense on Nintendo Wii and DS

Vogster Entertainment, developers of Robocalypse for the Nintendo DS, today released new screenshots from Robocalypse - Beaver Defense for Nintendo's WiiWare platform. Robocalypse - Beaver Defense brings the tongue-in-cheek humor and zany characters from the original Robocalypse into the world of "tower defense" gaming.

The new screens feature some of the level maps, weapons and enemies players will encounter during the game's frenzied missions. Be sure to download the new screens to see the crazy action in Robocalypse - Beaver Defense firsthand.

Robocalypse - Beaver Defense will offer madcap weaponry and uproarious destruction in a tower defense-style game for the Nintendo Wii. In the game, players will create and strategically position their defenses to annihilate waves of enemy robots, while player-controlled Hero robots will act as mobile weapons units, bringing heavy firepower to all areas of the battlefield.

Weaponry varies from the deadly, such as flamethrowers and bombs, to the hilarious - including anvils from above and chainsaws, while scraps from fallen foes provide a variety of upgrades. Players can go it alone or take on up to three other would-be commanders in two multiplayer battle modes via Nintendo WiFi. With a story written by Jay Lender (of Spongebob Squarepants fame) and Micah Wright, Robocalypse - Beaver Defense is sure to put a smile on players' faces as they bash near-endless waves of wise-cracking robotic opponents.

G.I. JOE The Rise of Cobra - Developer Blog No1 - G.I. JOE Fanboy Gets to Make the Video Game

“It all started with the filecards” by Dax Berg, Lead Designer at Double Helix

Ahh the summer..

As a kid you always discover the best things in the summer. Maybe it’s the lack of school to divert your shortened “kid attention span.”

It could be that those are the times when the weather is better and you are out more in the neighbor hood socializing and discovering new things instead of being cooped up inside. Whatever the reason, it was definitely the summer of 1984 when I first discovered the G.I. JOE universe.

Unlike 95% of the kids my age, I didn’t get introduced to G.I. JOE through the two traditional means (this being either through the toy line or the cartoon series).

Early on as a kid the only action figures I collected were Star Wars, and being the completionist that I was, the thought of purchasing any other toy outside of the series I was collecting to me was “money not well spent”.

Also being a kid born and raised smack dab in Middle America (Kansas to be specific), we didn’t get any other channels other than the “Big 3”. The G.I. JOE cartoon was on the new “Fox channel” and that channel for me wasn’t on the dial. (Unfortunately little did I know years later all I needed was one of those UHF circle antennas that could be purchased at any Radio Shack for 5 bucks – the lack of this little antenna in more ways than one robbed me of parts of my youth).

No, I discovered G.I. JOE through a tertiary medium; the medium of comics.

That summer my mother was working for a company putting together a trade show and one of the booths was a new local comic shop. The shop couldn’t pay the full price of the floor fee so they paid part of it in cash and the other part was done in trade for comics. My mother getting a portion of this gave the entire part of her share to me to buy all the comics a young kid could dream of and that was more than enough to get me hooked.

To this day no matter how busy it gets at work you can still find me every Wednesday during lunch time at “Comics Toons N Toys” in Tustin, California picking up my latest books.

In that first huge pile of comic books (that came up to my knees) I got from the shop that day back in ‘84, a few dozen of them were from the G.I. JOE series.

G.I. JOE No21 was my first experience with anything “JOE” related, and what an issue to pick up as my entrance into the G.I. JOE Universe! It is still is one of my favorite comic books to this day in showing how you can tell a story in the medium without a single word of dialogue or effect sounds. (It also doesn’t hurt that this was the 1st appearance ever of Storm Shadow and the reveal of Storm Shadow’s and Snake Eyes identical Arashikage Clan tattoos).

I loved the Superheroes comics in that knee high pile but there was something I was drawn to more in the comics about the Heroes (the ones without the “super” prefix). These weren't men with super serum injected into their veins, or guys that could lift busses and toss them around like toy cars. In my mind, these were soldiers that anyone could end up being, each with their own distinct personalities and traits. Each of these characters had a voice (whether they used it or not) and a style that was uniquely their own.

From that point on I was a “G.I. JOE fanboy”. I collected the standard G.I. Joe American Hero book, the G.I. Joe Special Missions comic, even G.I. Joe Yearbooks, which were for the most part reprints of other stories I already had. A year later a comic in the series would pop up which led me further down my fanboy path. This comic was called G.I. Joe Order of Battle. It was basically reprints of the toy line’s classic filecards.

As a kid I quickly became obsessed with collecting these data cards. I would trade some of my other action figures with other kids on the block not for their JOE Action figures, but for their G.I. JOE filecards. I would scour the neighbor hood looking for that one kid who didn’t care about his filecards and just wanted the toys. I could get nearly all of his filecards for only a few of my action figures in trade (to me an awesome deal).

This trading went on for months until I hit the mother load. That’s right, I finally found the one kid in my school whose parents were rich enough to get him the U.S.S. Flagg – a toy known by most kids my age as the “Granddaddy of all toys”. This guy had nearly every G.I. JOE Action figure and did not see the value in the filecards way I did. I actually traded all of the cards he hadn’t already thrown away plus every file card he would get in the future for (of all things) comic books, which thanks to my mother, I had plenty of.

From then on I was set. I kept my filecards in a red binder and eventually in an empty Air Jammer Road Rammer box in the bottom part of my closet and would pull them out for immediate reference as I read through every new and old G.I. JOE issue.

Fast forward 25 years later and here I am still collecting comics (actually I owned a comic and game shop for five years before got into the video games industry). But now I get to make a video game set in the universe I grew up loving as a kid. You take away all of the deadlines and stress that comes with the job (yeah there actually is quite a bit in this industry) and it truly feels like a dream come true.


(You can see G.I. JOE is well represented in my office)

You can see my love of the comics coming through in the game. Stalker from the cartoon, for example, has a very limited role, but in the comics, Stalker is a big time character. In the game I made Stalker the Field Commander. Anytime there is an issue on the ground Stalker is your man who can help you out. He has the biggest dialog role by far.

As a kid reading the comics I always imagined Stalker sounding like Carl Weathers in the Rocky or Predator movies. It is too bad we didn’t get him to do the voice over for the game, however, David B. Mitchell who plays the role did an amazing job!

One of my highlights of making the game is obviously the filecards. I worked with Brian Reed (who is a great comic book writer himself) on the initial story plot which takes place after the movie and retells a classic JOE story in the new JOE universe. You G.I. JOE fans out their will realize the familiar plot a few mission into the game and you won’t be disappointed. Anyhow, after the script was finished, Brian did not have time to write the filecards with me so Paul Benjamin, our Producer for the PSP game out of Fizz Factor in Austin and I wrote them. Each filecard has amazing artwork attached to it and updated information that I hope every G.I. JOE fanboy will appreciate.

There are a total of 75 filecards in the game that you will unlock as you play through. Each of these filecards was meticulously looked over time and time and again before they were finally approved by Hasbro. You’ll notice they are identical in style to Hasbro’s new toy line and all of the information is correct to the new G.I. JOE universe.

The circle is now complete!

Over the next few months, our team will go more into the game details and the game mechanics but laying down the foundation of how I became a Joe fanboy is important to any of you who spend the time reading this. We look forward to sharing our experiences making the game and will be writing more soon – now back to work!

Dax Berg is the Lead Designer / Game Director for the G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra video game releasing August 2009 alongside the live-action movie from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro. Launching on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS and PSP, G.I. JOE The Rise of Cobra is an accessible third person action-arcade shooter that allows players to recreate and relive the greatest moments from the film, cartoon series and action toy line.

Darknight - The return of Spirits zombie game

Codegen Studios is bringing you an action packed first person shooter game Darknight - The return of spirits.

"It's a story of a town and evil spirits. The bad spirits have attacked that Sampson Town and killed all the people of the town. All the people are now zombies and they have conquered the whole town.

Luke Crate, the hero of this story is a professional ghost buster who lives near the Sampson Town and he has been informed about this attack by the officer of the city who was about to die. He was informed that whole thing started in the Wolf Mansion in Sampson Town when the evil book was opened in the Wolf Mansion. He was not able to save the officer but Can he kill the mighty evil spirits and zombies or he will be the next target of the spirits?
Can he survive this DARK NIGHT?"

Vertigo a Challenging Puzzle Game Coming to Wii and PC June 16, 2009

Test your balance and puzzle solving skills as you traverse through Vertigo

Playlogic Entertainment, an independent worldwide publisher of entertainment software, announced today that Vertigo, the action-packed, futuristic racing puzzle game, is coming to the Wii™ system and Windows PC. Vertigo will be available in retail stores nationwide June 16, 2009.

“Vertigo is a high-rolling, adrenaline-fueled combination of futuristic racing, puzzle solving and precision control,” said Adam McGowan, marketing director for Playlogic. “With four multiplayer gaming modes, this is the ideal game for the entire family or a competitive group of friends. Vertigo takes gaming to dizzying new heights, where only the most skilled can survive!”

Vertigo challenges players to take their Xorb across 54 hair-raising landscapes and nine different worlds, each with their own unique treacherous terrain and death defying obstacles. Along the way players can upgrade their Xorb, seek hidden shortcuts and col¬lect power-ups to help them survive all with the goal of becoming the fastest and most envied Xorber in the Universe!

For added playability, Vertigo for Wii features Wii board compatibility, allowing players to use either the Wiimote or Wii balance board for an all-new realistic balancing experience.

Additional game features include:
• Four multiplayer modes: Time Trial, Xorb Football, Death Match, and 10-pin Xorb bowling
• Four trial modes: Arcade, Career, Practice, and Time Trial
• Fully Customizable Shell type: Bodywork and Hatch customization
• Three racing classes to progress through
Vertigo is rated “E” for everyone by the ESRB.

The Tudors video game of the wife-swapping, church-sacking, pie-eating TV series

Family Friendly Game Based on Hit TV Series THE TUDORS

Merscom announced today it has teamed up with Showtime Networks, Inc. to create a casual game based on the award winning drama series THE TUDORS

THE TUDORS television show presents the rarely dramatized, tumultuous early years of King Henry VIII's nearly 40 year, omnipotent reign (1509-1547). In addition to his famous female consorts, 20+ years of marriage to Catherine of Aragon and infamous dalliance with Anne Boleyn, the series delves into Henry's most notable political relationship and the deconstruction of the Roman Catholic Church in England.

In this casual adventure/hidden object game, players will enter the world of THE TUDORS and solve a mystery that that runs parallel to the show.

"THE TUDORS is a property that will really appeal to our market," stated Lloyd Melnick, Chief Customer Officer at Merscom, "Not only does the story arc appeal to the casual gamer, but the rich and beautiful graphical environment lends itself to an adventure game."

Coraline, the video game of the movie, a series of trailers...

Coraline will let players take on the role of the adventurous heroine and interact with the wondrous characters from the movie while navigating the scheming Other Mother’s web of deceit in a fantastical adventure through two distinct and interactive worlds.

Players can explore and interact with such immersive 3-D environments from the movie as the Pink Palace, its nooks and crannies and apartments, and the unpredictable Other World.

Players will engage in unique mini-games and adventures with Coraline’s friends Wybie and Cat as they collect items that will unlock the mysteries of the Other World.

• Play as Coraline and interact with all of the colorful characters from the amazing stop-motion animated film
  
• Explore two distinct, fully interactive worlds like never before - the peculiar Normal World and mesmerizing Other World
  
• Play one-of-a-kind mini-games and puzzles inspired by the film
  
• Find hidden collectibles to unlock unique outfits to customize Coraline's look and unlock artwork from the film
  

Coraline trailers on my YouTube channel here...

Pirate v Ninjas Dodgeball Nintendo Wii video game trailer

“Finally, friends will be able to choose their sides in this age old rivalry and face off to decide who is truly the superior force,” said Richard Iggo, VP of Marketing for SouthPeak Games. “I’m confident everyone that plays will realize that pirates rule the world. Anyone who says otherwise gets a ball in the face.”



Up to four friends can compete against one another as either pirates, ninjas, or as members of other iconic teams such as robots and zombies, each with their own unique techniques and abilities. Every match in Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball is completely customizable, allowing competitors to decide on everything from the arena you play in to game rules. In addition, Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball features a deep, single player story mode, and challenge modes to keep players in top ball slinging shape.

“Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball plays great thanks to the Wii controls, and intensifies rivalries because the throwing motions make it feel like you’re whipping balls at each other. I’m surprised such a classic playground game hasn’t been done on Wii before,” said Chris Stockman, Studio Director of Blazing Lizard. “I’m also surprised anyone would choose pirates over the mystical power of ninjas. Fools such as these are easily defeated.”

Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball will be shipping to stores on May 12.

Free Flash Game from The Theatre of War II team

Free to anyone that wants to download or host it

An armored flash game where players attempt to take over computer controlled bases using tanks. By choosing one of four nationalities players are given a base with constant reinforcements, they must use their tanks to keep taking over other bases until they are the last one standing.

Where: The game can be found can be downloaded here in the folder "TOW II Flash Tanks".

Theatre of War was considered to be the most realistic simulation of battle ever played on a PC. The sequel, Theatre of War 2, covers the events of 1943 during the operations in Tunisia. Recovered from losses after their defeat at Al-Alamein, Germany's Afrika Korps, supported by an Italian military contingent and new powerful weapons, marched against the Allies. The German troops were commanded by General Rommel and had the chance for a quick victory. However, their military operations were severely prolonged, and the plans of the German general were about to fail. Players will have the option to lead the German Afrika Korps of Rommel in their last full-scale attack or be at the head of the opposing English and American armies, led by Montgomery and Eisenhower, during 15 missions in three campaigns.

The game presents more than 40 types of different vehicles, new types of units, improved graphics and sound, a new advanced visual system that considers observation angle and smoke screens, fights inside buildings and hand-to-hand fighting, a brand new interface, improved soldiers' AI, soldiers' independent search for cover and an improved infantry damage system. Special attention is being devoted to multiplayer and user created missions.

Mac version of its match three puzzle game - Cradle Of Persia free download

Awem studio, a well-known developer of such hit games as Star Defender 1 - 4 and Cradle Of Rome, announced the release of the Mac version of Cradle Of Persia v. 1.07 which is now available from http://www.awem.com. Cradle Of Persia is known as the sequel to the popular puzzle game Cradle Of Rome and features match-3 gameplay and exciting story to follow.

"We are glad to announce the release of the Mac version of Cradle Of Persia," said Oleg Rogovenko, Awem studio's CEO. "We realize that Mac users is a significant part of our audience and it is constantly growing. That's why we plan to release PC and Mac versions of our upcoming games simultaneously."

Cradle Of Persia is an astonishing match 3 puzzle that offers impeccable visuals and a catching background story. Make the history of Persia with your own hands. With Cradle of Persia you'll travel through 7 historical epochs. Conquer over 100 levels to build 20 masterpieces of Ancient Persia and set the Genie free.

A free trial version of Cradle Of Persia can be downloaded from the developer's web site

Dungeon Fighter Online Five character classes, and trailer video will be featured on new Web site.

Nexon America announced today details on the five awesome character classes in its new action MMO, Dungeon Fighter Online. Set to premiere later this year, Dungeon Fighter Online, is a free-to-play, free-to-download, arcade-style, action adventure game set in an immersive role-playing fantasy world.

In addition to the beloved 2D side-scrolling play, it also includes the ability to create fully customized characters. Once players are decked out and loaded up, they can master intense fighting combinations and put them to use against monsters and other players.

The Dungeon Fighter Online Web site features exclusive game information, in-game screenshots, a trailer video and a new Forum page for players to start discussing the game. It also details the five character classes, which will help players choose who they want to be when they brave the dangerous dungeons of Arad:

• Slayer – A swordsman of the highest caliber, doomed to carry with him the demon Kazan, who possesses his body and delivers him his power.

• Fighter – A gladiator who thrives in close-range, hand-to-hand combat, in which she exploits a wide assortment of bone-shattering fighting techniques.

• Gunner – Tall and lithe, this mysterious alien marks targets from afar and then blows them away with every kind of firearm imaginable.

• Mage – Wielding magical powers to subjugate the monstrous horrors of the dungeons, a mage taps into the mystical energies of her magical home world Pandemonium.

• Priest – Driven by faith, a Priest is spurred into violent action against the resurrection of the evil Ozma and his legions of marauding minions.

As adventurers rise in level, each class can specialize further into subclasses, opening up increasingly powerful skills. Detail information about the five character classes and their subclasses are explained in the new Web site. Nexon America expects players to respond well to the diverse range of play styles for each of these characters, as well as their rich backgrounds.