Raid Galleries, Steal Paintings, Make Millions! Honeyslug announce the release of Ric Rococo - International Art Thief video game

Honeyslug are pleased to announce the launch of their latest title, Ric Rococo: International Art Thief. Art Thief is a stealth based platform game in which you control Ric Rococo, a master art thief, as he makes his way through 10 themed and increasingly complex art galleries stealing everything from old masters to 20th century surrealists.

Along the way, Ric must avoid security cameras and guards, as well as finding ways to access the most secure and valuable paintings to steal. Ric is also ably assisted by his girlfriend and partner-in-crime Nancy, who hovers outside in the Rocococopter waiting to take the pictures from Ric at the nearest open window.

Ric Rococo: International Art Thief is available to play here: http://www.mygames.co.uk/game/Art-Thief.html or on various sites in the Spil network worldwide. It’d be a crime not to play it!

World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment conquers respected yearly list of planet's best studios

Today sees the publication of the fifth Develop 100, a respected annual listing of the world's most successful games developers.

The book is published, in association with technology firm Emergent, by the editorial team behind Develop magazine (www.developmag.com) – the leading international publication for games developers.

World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment takes the top spot, knocking last year's number one Nintendo down to second place.

Generating over a billion dollars in revenue every year from both online transactions and boxed product sales, Blizzard is responsible for one the most famed massively multiplayer online games ever with over 11 million players.

The Develop 100 is an invaluable guide that throws light on the real winners in the world’s fastest-growing creative industry. The list is put together by the magazine's editorial team, taking into account a variety of criteria including key sales charts made available by the likes of GfK-ChartTrack, NPD and Famitsu, success of online business models, Metacritic scores and industry standing.

31 studios from across Europe feature in the list - 26 of them in the UK. These include the likes of Rockstar North (third on the list and responsible for the Grand Theft Auto franchise), LEGO Star Wars developer Traveller's Tales (11th) and Media Molecule (18th), the developer of LittleBigPlanet - and the highest placed independent UK studio on the list.

"Our yearly Develop 100 has become an essential read for games industry executives the world over," said Develop editor-in-chief Michael French. "It is read by everyone in the sector, from the tiniest independents to business leaders at gaming giants like Electronic Arts HQ in America to Kojima Productions in Japan. With widened criteria which better reflect the fast-changing and various business models adopted by studios across the globe, this edition is no different."

The listing, from 1 to 100, plus a free digital edition, can be found at www.develop100.com. More analysis and data can be found at www.developmag.com

Develop 100 is sponsored exclusively by Emergent.

Guitar Hero Metallica European-exclusive Solo Guitar Game bundle

Guitar Heroes Across Europe Will "Ride the Lightning" in May

In celebration of the upcoming release of Guitar Hero Metallica in Europe, Activision today announced a European-exclusive Guitar Hero Metallica Solo Guitar Game bundle which includes an exclusive guitar controller faceplate featuring the iconic Metallica skull motif, a copy of the critically acclaimed game and a wireless guitar controller.

Guitar Hero Metallica allows fans to experience the intensity and skill of world-renowned metal and rock band, Metallica, while shredding on the guitar controller, ripping on the drum kit controller and wailing on the mic to a set list of over 45 explosive hits from both Metallica’s illustrious career and a more than 20 popular artists selected by the band. Guitar Hero Metallica allows fans to perform in venues reminiscent of the band’s epic album covers, themes from their music and real world locales. The all-new Expert+ drum difficulty setting, available for all platform versions of the game, features two bass drum kick pedals, offering an authentic Metallica experience with note-for-note tracking, and Metallifacts, which, after nailing a song, lets players enjoy a virtual concert filled with on-screen facts and trivia about the song being played.

Guitar Hero Metallica is set to be released across Europe and in Australia on May 22, 2009 and in the UK on May 29, 2009 for the Nintendo Wii home video game system from Nintendo, the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation 2 and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment systems.

Championship Manager video game comes to iPhone and iPod Touch...

Beautiful Game Studios and Dynamo Games, today announced their Championship Manager application is now available on the Apple App Store. Championship Manager for iPhone and iPod touch is the ultimate football management simulation experience allowing players to take total control with multiple league and job options, player training, board interaction & press conferences.

"The revolutionary capabilities of iPhone and iPod touch make it a compelling platform and we have designed the Championship Manager gameplay specifically for theses devices," said Roy Meredith, general manager of Championship Manager. "We're excited to continue to evolve the features and think players are going to love it."

“It’s great to be working with Dynamo Games again on the entertaining Championship Manager” said Allison Archer, External Producer at BGS. “The iPod touch and iPhone provide a great platform for gamers and deliver a unique experience for those wanting to manage on the move.”

Developed exclusively for iPhone and iPod touch Championship Manager boasts a completely redesigned navigation system to take full advantage of the innovative Multi-Touch user interface.

Championship Manager is available for £3.49 from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/

Clover video game – Out on Xbox LIVE now

Binary Tweed is proud to announce that watercolour political platform puzzler Clover is now available for purchase via Xbox LIVE Community Games for 400 Microsoft points. The politically-themed game described by Official Xbox Magazine UK as possibly the “best Community Game yet” has not only caught the eye of gamers around the world, but also the CIA and United States Army Information Services Command, going straight into the list of top user-rated Community Games at xblcg.info.

After suffering review process delays, extra development time means that Clover's unlockable artwork gallery and designer's notes are back in the game. Featuring nearly 150Mb of artwork, over 30 minutes of original piano music, and hours of head-scratching puzzle-solving, at a mere 400MSP Clover is cheaper than a London Underground single and guaranteed to not leave the inside of your nose black.

Already in the hands of some early-bird gamers, the true nature of Clover's political plot is becoming clear. “It's been great to read emails from gamers who have picked up on the historical and political references - if Clover has one objective, it's to make people think.” commented Binary Tweed's Deejay. Heavily inspired by the events preceding the 2003 Iraq war, the game invites players to draw their own conclusions from unfurling events.

Combat Arms Europe Free-to-play online FPS launches series of clan matches

Clans buckle up: Combat Arms Europe, the popular free-to-play First Person Shooter by Nexon Europe Limited, leads in a series of clan matches to classify the top squads and to acknowledge them accordingly.

Starting from May 11th, weekly clan events will be held for four consecutive weeks where the more than 10,000 registered clans of Combat Arms Europe can pit their skills and team spirit against each other. Rewarded will be the top three clans with up to 3 supply crates for every single member of the winning teams, and the very best clan will be named “Clan of the Week” and featured in an exclusive interview on the Combat Arms Europe official forum, along with a week-long exposure of their clan name and emblem on the official website and game launcher.

Combat Arms Europe currently counts more than 10,000 registered clans, the number yet increasing adequately with the rapid growth of playing members.

The clan system at Combat Arms Europe is actively supported through various features such as dedicated server, customizable clan emblems, internal and external community support and competitive events encouraging the solidarity and fighting spirits of players. Further enhancements are scheduled through the upcoming clan system upgrade, and this time’s 4-week clan event shall act as a milestone for a regular run of exciting and engaging clan tournaments.

To participate and to become a proud member of the leading clans, sign up and download the game for free at http://combatarms.nexoneu.com.

Da Vinci Code game play it while waiting for Angels and Demons video game...

While attempting to solve a murder, Harvard professor Robert Langdon and brilliant French cryptographer Sophie Neveu uncover a 2000-year-old conspiracy through clues encoded in paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci.

The Da Vinci Code takes you on a heart-pounding non-stop race through Paris and through time to find the truth and protect a secret that could shake the world.

In the game, players will be kept on the edge of their seat with suspense, discovery and survival as they guide Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu on their quest to solve a bizarre murder-mystery and uncover the ultimate treasure protected by an ancient secret society.

Features:

* Expands upon The Da Vinci Code universe by giving the player new experiences and locations not visited in the book or the film.
* Solve mysteries and puzzles that go beyond anything you have seen or read. Elude danger and stay one step ahead of an enemy that will stop at nothing to protect their secret.
* Combines a unique blend of adrenaline-pumping stealth, frantic chases and combat, diversely cryptic puzzles, and exciting exploration.
* Explore detailed environments and discover hidden clues in world famous locations such as The Louvre, Westminster Abbey, St. Sulpice and more.
* Players must solve a wide variety of challenging physical and intellectual puzzles that will ultimately lead them to the resting ground of the Holy Grail.
* The game will appeal to the hard core fans of the book and movie by offering an experience faithful to the movie. In addition, it will also appeal to gamers who have enjoyed the movie but want new challenges.


As much as people might bemoan the decline of the printed word's value in our society, it seems every year there's another hugely popular book racking up incredible sales and becoming a cross-cultural phenomenon complete with an inevitable movie adaptation. Some of these book-based movies seem tailor-made for games (Jurassic Park, Harry Potter), while others just don't lend themselves so well to the medium (The Bridges of Madison County, Tuesdays with Morrie).

Given a storyline devoid of both dinosaurs and dragons, but rife with suspense and intrigue, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, in which a Harvard professor investigates a murder at the Louvre Museum in Paris that leads to revelations about secret societies and international cover-ups, lies somewhere in between. Gamers everywhere will find out soon just how well Brown's tale acquits itself to the interactive environment, as 2K Games today announced that it will publish games based on director Ron Howard's film adaptation of the book. Both the film and the games are scheduled to be released in May of 2006.

The games will be developed for current-generation consoles by The Collective. While it hasn't worked on something with literary roots before, the developer has a long track record of bringing TV and film properties to games. The Collective worked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen, Men in Black, and Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb. And currently the developer is working on Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure and another movie-based property, Dirty Harry.

2K Games has promised that the Da Vinci Code game will feature "action-oriented suspense" to please gamers and fans of the book alike. For that reason, the publisher has brought veteran developer Charles Cecil into the fold to work with The Collective. Cecil created the Broken Sword series of adventure games, latter-day throwbacks to a deliberately paced style of gameplay, where the emphasis is on puzzle-solving and storytelling instead of making things explode.

Nostradamus - The Last Prophecy PC video game out now

GAME SUMMARY

March 1566 - Salon de Provence, France

It has been three years since Catherine de Médicis' rule as regent came to an end, but she still holds the reins of power, making her the target of repeated attacks from the French nobility. One day in March 1566, when she realises that she has fallen victim to a terrible curse, she turns to her doctor and astrologer, Michel de Nostre-Dame, better known as Nostradamus.

Unfortunately, the famous prophet is too old and weak to take on such a mission alone. Refusing to abandon his Queen in her hour of need, he sends his daughter Madeleine in his place. However, there is no such thing as female astrologers, let alone female doctors in medieval times. To be accepted as such, the young woman must go in disguise and assume her younger brother César’s identity.

Alternating between Madeleine the young woman, and Madeleine disguised as César, players are plunged into a thrilling adventure where political scheming and ancestral prophecies are intertwined. The game begins as an initiatory adventure in the footsteps of her father Nostradamus, and transitions into a suspenseful test-riddled forensic investigation as you are faced with one murder after another.

FEATURES

• The first-ever game based on the life and works of Nostradamus
• Defeat the last prophecy of the great astrologer Nostradamus and change the course of history!
• Become a criminal profiler centuries in advance as you investigate a series of murders perilously linked to the royal family
• Play as 2 different characters throughout this thrilling adventure
• Unravel a series of Machiavellian riddles and puzzles based not just on astrology, but also alchemy, apothecary and ancient runes
• Delve into Renaissance Provence and discover rich photorealistic environments faithfully recreated to reflect the time of Nostradamus
• From the creators of best-selling adventure series: Atlantis, Egypt, Versailles and The Secrets of Da Vinci

The Hot Places to Go for Gold in Paradise City

It's Summer in the City, and everyone's fighting over the latest fashions up and down Lambert Parkway. Apparently GOLD is the new black, and since everyone is after a bargain this season, it seems that all the WAGs have sent their men to grab them something sparkly, at any cost!

Auntie Rich is here to rescue you all from mediocrity by filling you in on the places to be on the 'upper' side of town during this fashion Gold Rush!

The first place is where I go to have my spa treatment every Tuesday morning, the Maplemount Country Club. It's also very popular with the Paradise Police Force as it's where they hold their Policemen's Balls every year. I'm told they also use it as a meeting point when there's a big gold heist on!

Read the full list here on the Burnout website...

Resident Evil - The Darkside Chronicles video game

Capcom brings the Resident Evil series back to the Nintendo Wii with the sequel to the highly successful, million-selling title, Resident Evil - The Umbrella Chronicles, Resident Evil - The Darkside Chronicles.

Unlike the evil enemies you fought against in the previous story, in Resident Evil - The Darkside Chronicles, players will fight against the characters' own inner demons. Two of the most popular characters in the series and heroes of the beloved Resident Evil 2, Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, will be making their return. As unconventional heroes, the two start out the game as ordinary individuals who are thrown into terrorizing situations where their own fear is their biggest enemy. Featuring a brand new storyline that will fill in missing pieces of the "Chronicles" series, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles leads players into a horrific world where the lines between good and evil are blurred and the fight begins with your dark side...

The game's on-rail, arcade shooter gameplay first featured in Resident Evil - The Umbrella Chronicles, has been radically upgraded in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. One of the major additions is a sub-screen which will allow for weapon configuration and use of recovery items regardless of time progression. A horde of new features including a new system that allows players to modify the difficulty level according to their playing skills will bring accessibility and fun to both the hardcore and casual gamer.

Continuing in the survival horror tradition, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles will increase the thrills and chills with an enhanced two-player co-op mode where players will be able to follow their partners on the same screen. Their conversations and interactions have also been improved to create a more intense co-op experience.

A more terrifying experience than ever before, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles combines a shaky and realistic handheld camera experience with an eerie soundtrack and creepy sound effects utilizing state-of-the-art technology.

In development exclusively for the Nintendo Wii, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles will be available this Winter.

Key features

• Two-Player Co-op Shooting: Invite friends and family to experience the horror alongside you in 2-player co-op mode.

• Fan Favorite Characters Return: Play as Leon S. Kennedy, protagonist of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4, his partner Claire Redfield, who appeared in Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica, and others still to be announced.

• New Evade Movements: Utilize the Wii Remote to flank and evade your enemies, creating a more in-depth and intense shooting experience.

• Customizable Weapons: Players can upgrade and customize their weapons for each battle scenario. Each playable character can be specialized for a specific combat style.

• Dynamic Difficulty: In addition to the initial settings of Easy, Normal and Hard, the game’s difficulty level will adjust automatically based on the player’s skill level so that both old and new fans can have a fun and challenging experience.

• Collectibles Galore: For true Resident Evil devotees, archive items such as characters, enemies, old documents and movies can be found throughout the game.