Tome of Lost Souls pre order bonus foe Knights in the Nightmare for Nintendo DS

Atlus U.S.A., Inc. today revealed even more from Tome of Lost Souls, the pre-order bonus art book for the upcoming Knights in the Nightmare for Nintendo DS.

A breathtaking blend of genres and gameplay styles, Knights in the Nightmare features the stunning works of designers and illustrators Shinichi Ito, Satoko Kiyuduki, Yoshinori Iwanaga, and Sunaho Tobe.

Their art is represented in the beautiful 96-page, full-color art book that will be free to customers who pre-order Knights in the Nightmare at participating retailers.

In addition to the pre-order bonus, anyone who picks up a launch copy of Knights in the Nightmare will receive the game's soundtrack CD, with music from composer Shigeki Hayashi. With 38 haunting tracks, in addition to one bonus song that cannot be heard anywhere else, this disc is yet another premium supplement to the game, and another rare collectible for fans to add to their library.

Knights in the Nightmare releases on June 2nd with a suggested retail price of $34.99.

For more information, visit the official website.

Click here to sample Tome of Lost Souls, the Knights in the Nightmare art book.

ART BOOK SAMPLE:
http://issuu.com/atlususa/docs/knights_in_the_nightmare

About Knights in the Nightmare
Somewhere between heaven and the underworld - in the center of a quiet lake - stood an ancient castle known as Aventheim. One night, without warning, denizens of the netherworld emerged and slaughtered the kingdom; nary a soul was left alive.

Within an abandoned, long-forgotten church deep in the woods, a wisp is set free. Bereft of memory, it is drawn toward the monster-infested castle and re-awakens the souls of the vanquished knights, leading them back towards the fallen stronghold to confront the very forces of evil that took their lives.

Key Features
• An experience unlike any before it - Incorporating strategy RPG, real-time strategy, and shooter elements, you've never experienced a game like this. Control a Wisp with your stylus and activate the souls of deceased knights to aid you in destroying foes on the map. Enemies fire bullets in multiple directions, making it vital for players to master the unique touch controls.
• Over 100 playable characters - Find and recruit the ghosts of seven different classes of knights from your kingdom, and learn of their pasts, hopes, dreams, and untimely deaths. Sacrifice their souls to one another to balance their skills and create your ultimate party.
• A tale from two perspectives - This twice-told legend entangles you in a dark and brooding tale that is simultaneously examined through events both past and present. Complete the adventure to unlock the ability to play through the game with a new narrative twist, placing the antagonist in the starring role.

Knights in the Nightmare has been rated "T" for Teen with Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, and Suggestive Themes by the ESRB.

Rock Band - trackes added from Silversun Pickups, Duran Duran, The Pretenders, Mötley Crüe and many more.

Harmonix and MTV Games announced today a massive array of new tracks coming this week to the Rock Band Music Store catalogue of downloadable content for the Nintendo Wii system, including 25 hit songs from artists like Silversun Pickups, Duran Duran, The Pretenders, Mötley Crüe and many more.

As previously announced, Wii Rock Band 2 owners will also gain access this week to three tracks from Social Distortion, two tracks from Disturbed, two tracks from Steely Dan and singles from Elvis Costello and The Replacements.

British post-punk pioneers Siouxsie & The Banshees offer three tracks to Wii music fans including “Hong Kong Garden,” from Once Upon A Time: The Singles (1981), “Kiss Them for Me,” the lead single from the band’s tenth album, Superstition (1991) and “The Killing Jar,” from Peepshow (1988).

Indie rockers Locksley offer up three tracks this week with “All Over Again,” “Don’t Make Me Wait” and “She Does,” all featured on the band’s 2007 album Don’t Make Me Wait. Plus, rising indie rockers Silversun Pickups make their way into the Wii Rock Band store with “Melatonin” and “Well Thought Out Twinkles” from Carnavas (2006).

This week’s content update also includes two tracks from Duran Duran: “Girls on Film” and “Rio.” “Girls on Film” was the band’s breakthrough single and the biggest hit from their 1981 self-titled debut album, while “Rio” was the fourth single from Rio (1982) and featured one of the most well known music videos from the 1980s.

Six additional singles from a variety of rock artists round out this week’s music store offering with “Rescue Me” from Buckcherry’s album Black Butterfly (2008), Mötley Crüe’s “Face Down in the Dirt” from Saints of Los Angeles (2008), “Life is Beautiful” from Sixx:A.M.’s album The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack (2007), “Pretty in Pink” from Psychedelic Furs’ Talk Talk Talk (1981), Pretenders’ hit “Brass in Pocket” from the band’s self-titled 1980 album and “Get Your Rock On” by The Janitors featured on the American Mall soundtrack (2008).

The tracks from Social Distortion, Steely Dan, Disturbed, Elvis Costello and The Replacements will be released simultaneously with the weekly content update for other consoles. The remainder of the tracks comes from the back catalogue of Rock Band music already released to owners of Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system. Wii fans can expect a rollout of previously released downloadable Rock Band content until the entire back catalogue of more than 670 songs is available.

Release Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009
** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **

Tracks:
Social Distortion “Bad Luck”
Social Distortion “Ring of Fire”
Social Distortion “Story of My Life”
Steely Dan “Black Friday”
Steely Dan “My Old School”
Disturbed “Stricken”
Disturbed “Stupify”
Elvis Costello “Radio Radio”
The Replacements “Kids Don’t Follow”
Siouxsie & The Banshees “Hong Kong Garden”
Siouxsie & The Banshees “Kiss Them For Me”
Siouxsie & The Banshees “The Killing Jar”
Locksley “All Over Again”
Locksley “Don’t Make Me Wait”
Locksley “She Does”
Silversun Pickups “Melatonin”
Silversun Pickups “Well Thought Out Twinkles”
Duran Duran “Girls On Film”
Duran Duran “Rio”
Buckcherry “Rescue Me”
Mötley Crüe “Face Down in the Dirt”
Psychedelic Furs “Pretty in Pink”
Sixx:A.M. “Life is Beautiful”
The Pretenders “Brass in Pocket”
The Janitors “Get Your Rock On”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Price: $2.00 (200 Wii Points) per track
Location: In-game Rock Band 2 Music Store (Wii Points must be purchased through the Wii Shop Channel)

Nintendo USA downloads Real Soccer 2009 on DSiWare, Family Pirate Party on WiiWare and Galaxy Force II on Virtual Console.

Nintendo DSiWare takes its first trip into the sports category this week with the cool, camera-enabled Real Soccer 2009. For more of a board-game feel, dive into Family Pirate Party on WiiWare and see who can collect the most gold. Finally, the out-of-this-world arcade shooter Galaxy Force II hits the Virtual Console.

Nintendo DSiWare

Real Soccer 2009 (Gameloft, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Nintendo DSi Points): It’s time to live the soccer season to the max with Real Soccer 2009 on Nintendo DSi. It will offer you a never-before-seen soccer experience with revolutionary yet easily accessible touch-screen controls. Take a photo of anything with the Nintendo DSi Camera and turn the image into your own custom ball or team flag, or even make yourself into your favorite player. With 198 teams using real player names, realistic opponent behaviors thanks to advanced artificial intelligence, and superior 3-D graphics, you’ll feel just like a professional soccer player. Go ahead, take your best shot!

WiiWare

Family Pirate Party (Aksys Games, 1-4 players, Rated E 10+ for Everyone 10 and Older – Mild Cartoon Violence and Suggestive Themes, 500 Wii Points™): Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy make their return as pirates sailing the seas and skies. Roll the dice and sail through the islands to gather the treasures each island holds. The person with the most gold at the end wins. Family Pirate Party shines with its appealing cel-shaded graphics and endearing music. Challenge up to three other players (friends, the CPU or both) for some four-player board-game fun. Do you have it in you to defeat your opponents and become the king of Family Pirate Party!?

Virtual Console

Galaxy Force II (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): Galaxy Force II is an arcade shooter with a 3-D view from behind your spaceship. Fly through five different planets, taking on enemies in environments that range from a peaceful garden to lands made of fire or ice. Navigate treacherous landscapes by flying low over the planet’s surface and blowing up enemy robots, ships and turrets, then flying through a tunnel to destroy the alien stronghold on each planet. It is your duty as part of the Galaxy Force to defend against the alien invasion and maintain peace in the solar system.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop™ and the Wii™ Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.

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.