Bejeweled Twist now available on PC CD-ROM

The most popular casual game franchise of the 21st century is back, and you’ve never seen it like this before! Focus Multimedia, the UK’s leading publisher of PC value and casual games, is pleased to announce the release of Bejeweled Twist at UK retail.

Bejeweled Twist is another product of Focus Multimedia’s successful partnership with PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual games. To date, 15 PopCap titles have now been launched in the UK and Ireland by Focus.

Adding a “twist” to Bejeweled’s tale, the new game mechanic is fresh and exciting, while still retaining all of the features which have made the casual game franchise one of the best-loved of all time.

The challenging new style of gameplay removes the barriers of traditional match-3 games. Instead of swapping adjacent jewels to make a match, players rotate an entire 2x2 block of gems clockwise in an effort to create a line of three or more gems of the same type.

Also, it’s no longer necessary to make a match with every move – instead gems can be freely rotated anywhere on the board. This allows for greater liberty of movement and adds a more strategic element to the game. Players can now plan combinations, cascades and chains in advance, making the resulting explosions and high scores much more rewarding.

Bejeweled Twist has four modes of play. Classic and Zen modes are available from the beginning and the others are unlocked as you progress through the game:
• Classic: Classic features Bomb gems that tick down to a deadly detonation. You need to clear them before they hit zero or it's game over!
• Zen: You literally can't lose in this free-form mode. Explore dozens of alien worlds as you hone your gem-matching skills without the pressure of obstacles or time.
• Blitz: You have just five minutes to get the best score you can.
• Challenge: Designed for the serious problem-solver, Challenge mode offers a dozen separate puzzle worlds, each with seven levels of difficulty and a final infinite stage.

With endless rewards, constant surprises and all-new elements, the latest incarnation of the classic puzzle game will impress existing fans of the franchise and also entice new players to boost the ranks of over 350 million worldwide.

So if you’re looking for a chance to shine, grab your copy of Bejeweled Twist today! But beware, you’ll be rotating gems until the wee hours, muttering “Just five more minutes…”

Bejeweled Twist joins Focus Multimedia’s Essential range of great value PC games and software. Every Focus Essential title has the suggested retail price of just £9.78 including VAT.

My Friends Nintendo DS video game - make friends, wear the latest fashions and play games!

My Friends lets you customize a signature look, make friends, wear the latest fashions and play games!

O-Games, announce that it will release My Friends exclusively for Nintendo DS handheld device on July 28, 2009. My Friends is a virtual world where you can create your own 3D character, explore new worlds, and play fun games with friends as well as design your wardrobe and character to fit your personality.

It’s simple and fun with endless possibilities as you explore the Friends World to unlock secrets, play mini-games, collect cool gifts, snacks and surprises, and meet new friends. Share everything in your Friends World and chat with your other friends over DS Wireless Communications.

My Friends Features:
• Show your style by designing outfits for yourself and your friends with hundreds of cool looks, clothing, shoes and accessories
• Customize your look and stylize your friends with hip hairstyles, flashy make-up, and the coolest jewelry
• Collect lots of cool stuff like amazing toys, food and yummy snacks, beautiful gifts and surprises that you can share as presents with all your friends!
• Make your friends happy by giving them a favorite game or dress they have wanted to borrow!
• Happy friends will share new games, show you new places, give you new hairstyles, clothes and looks!
• Looking for something to do? Explore the Friends World filled with playgrounds, forests, an ice-rink, a soccer field while finding special gifts and un-lockable items along the way!
• Play Treasure Hunt, Tag, Ball Rush, and other mini games with your friends! The more games you play with your friends the more cool stuff you can buy!
• Keep up with the gossip on all your friends, send text messages, swap friends, and exchange gifts with other Nintendo DS players using DS Wireless Communications

My Friends is rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB.

Resident Evil Degeneration game on iPhone and iPod Touch

Legendary Survival Horror Franchise Debuts on iPhone and iPod touch

Capcom, a leading developer and publisher of mobile games, today announced that Resident Evil: Degeneration, a survival horror game based on the movie of the same name, is now available on the Apple App Store.

In the game, players take control of Leon S. Kennedy and an arsenal of bone-shattering weapons in order to combat a horde of zombies and horrific tyrants. Featuring high-resolution 3D graphics and intuitive context sensitive Multi-Touch controls, Resident Evil: Degeneration fully utilizes the accelerometer functionality of iPhone and iPod touch. Tilting the device will reload weapons, and a shake helps shrug off infected enemies. Action takes place from a third-person over the shoulder perspective, and in-engine cut scenes help propel the engaging story forward.

Resident Evil: Degeneration for the iPhone and iPod touch is available for $6.99 from Apple's App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. For additional information visit www.capcom.co.jp/iphone/redg/.

"The Resident Evil: Degeneration” movie from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a spectacular thrill-ride that takes the terrifying zombie action of the blockbuster Resident Evil franchise to a whole new level with jaw-dropping visual effects and heart-pounding suspense. Seven years after the Raccoon City incident, a horde of zombies is unleashed at a major US airport. Fan favorites Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy quickly arrive on the scene to combat the zombie rampage in classic, high octane Resident Evil style.

Conquest! Medieval Realms PC video game to download

Slitherine and Illustrious Software are proud to announce the release of their latest product, developed under the Kameleon Project brand: Conquest! Medieval Realms.
The game, developed by UK-based Illustrious Software, is a turn-based game where the objective is to conquer up to 7 opposing players lands (either AI players or other human opponents) by defeating their armies and capturing their territories - to do this players will need to unite their lands by building a powerful economy, raising armies to defend the homeland and by capturing enemy land.

George Quinn of Illustrious Software said “We're greatly looking forward to the release of our first commercial project, it's been a lot of hard work and we are very excited to see it at this point. This has been a very interesting experience for us, and we look forward to working with Slitherine and the Kameleon project again in the future. We hope that everyone gets as much out of playing Conquest! as we did out of making it.”

The game is now available for purchase worldwide through digital download at http://www.slitherine.com/games/conquest_pc.

“It’s great to see another team complete a game through the Kameleon Project. Conquest! is a different type of game to those we normally produce and it’s lighter puzzle strategy gaming could really open up new audiences. The other 6 teams working on Kameleon Project games should be making sure we have more games like this in the not too distant future!” said Iain McNeil, Development Director of Slitherine.

Conquest ! Medieval Realms, delivers hours and hours of fun-packed, brain-bending strategy gaming.

• Conquest! is a simple game to learn, but you will need strategy, tactics and cunning if you expect to defeat all of your enemies and rule the world.
• Play as the English or the French in the Hundred Years War, or fight the Wars of the Roses.
• Play games with up to 8 human players across a LAN or the internet.
• Try your skill against 5 levels of AI in the campaign or skirmish modes.
• Randomly generated maps give you billions of potential battlefields to fight on.
• Use the included editors to create your own maps and campaigns

Galaxy Online: International Battleground Closed

After 5 days of intense competition, the first phase of the International Battleground came to an end at 10:00pm EDT (GMT-4) May 10th in Galaxy Online. The Chinese version players managed to edge out the English version players in the end. Congratulations!

Even though the battle lasted only 5 days, participants have played an extremely competitive match. The swift and fierce attack demonstrated by the Chinese version players really surprised us, while the English version players’ unyielding and tenacious spirit meant they were standing up to the very end. Through the match, both sides learned about the intricacies that can make or break an aspiring Galactic Warlord in Galaxy Online. Things like warship design, fleet formation, teamwork, offense, defense, and much more were what separated the winners from the losers. When this event is held the next time we fully expect to see even more intense battles as both sides take strategic lessons to heart and adjust.

Magic Ball 4, the long-awaited sequel to the popular series of Breakout-style casual games

Alawar Entertainment, a leading publisher of casual games, today released Magic Ball 4, the long-awaited sequel to the popular series of Breakout-style casual games.

The Magic Ball series features the most popular 3D Breakout titles in the world. To date, Alawar has sold over two million Magic Ball games, ported the series to several platforms, including the Apple iPhone and Sony Playstation 3, and translated it into English, Russian, German, French, Spanish and Japanese.

The console version of Magic Ball 3 for PlayStation 3 was the third best-selling product on the PlayStation Network for two consecutive months.

The developers of Magic Ball 4 did a complete overhaul of the gameplay, adding hilarious new bonuses and a slew of valuable trophies. Awards are given for outstanding achievements, including the quick completion of levels and the ability to dodge enemy shells. In addition, each stage contains several hidden diamonds. When the player collects every one in the game, he earns the top trophy.

In addition to offering fun and addictive gameplay, Magic Ball 4 is a visual showstopper. The full version features four stunning worlds, including a snow-clad northern territory, the Amazonian jungles and African savanna, the exotic landscapes of Japan and China, and a wildly inventive distant planet. Magic Ball 4 also features realistic physics and cool weather effects.

To immerse players even further, the creators of Magic Ball 4 devised an exciting story of alien abduction and daring rescue. Vividly drawn comic strips carry the hero from Earth to a far-off world to strike objects from home with the Magic Ball of Relativity, and in so doing return the items to their rightful place.

"Casual games are constantly evolving, with new types of entertainment replacing traditional ones," said Kirill Plotnikov, Alawar's VP of Publishing. "While hidden object titles and business sims are becoming more and more popular, certain kinds of games have eternal appeal. The Magic Ball series is one example. Fans old and new are going to love it."

To download a free one-hour demo, view screenshots or purchase the full version, visit http://www.alawar.com/game/magic-ball-4/.

Jorge & Guillermo Badolato produce soundtrack for next-gen videogame Wheelman

Composers Jorge & Guillermo Badolato are glad to announce they worked in the composition and production of the soundtrack for next-gen videogame Wheelman, developed by Newcastle´s Midway Studios & Tigon Studios (Vin Diesel´s video game company, who also starres the game). The game has been published worldwide by Ubisoft® and Midway.

Jorge & Guillermo Badolato created half of the multi-layered interactive in-game soundtrack, the music for most of the cutscenes of the game that and also did part of the music for promotion trailers for Wheelman.

The game has a hi-energy & frenetic action score featuring a mixture of actual Hollywood´s cinematic car chase films, blending powerful orchestral textures, techno-electronica, percussion and spanish/flamenco & electric guitars (recorded live by Guillermo Badolato).

“It's been a honnor for us to work with Midway on this title, there has been an excellent understanding with Craig Beattie (Wheelman´s Audio Director) right from the start. Working on a game such amazing as this one is a blast!” Said Jorge & Guillermo.

Craig Beattie, Wheelman Audio Director/Midway UK: "Working with Badolatomusic was a complete joy. They delivered 50% of the in-game musical scores for Wheelman and most of the cutscene music. There music fitted perfectly with the tense missions and atmosphere of the game. When things got tight and changes to cutscenes where needed they re-scored the music to fit, they delivered time and time again without one complaint. I highly recommend these guys as professional and accomplished musicians".

Wheelman it´s available for the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 and PC from March 24, 2009, in North America and March 27, 2009, in Europe.

Rhythm game 'Jammer' released on Xbox Community Games

Developer Kevin Albers announces the release of his new rhythm game 'Jammer' for the Xbox Live Community Games marketplace. Jammer is a rhythm game in which player's actions affect musical arrangements. It features ten original music tracks, and is playable with standard gamepads and guitar controllers.

“Jammer is the first step in creating a series of rhythm games and interactive musical experiences that put musical decision-making into the hands of game players. The core audio engine mixes music in real-time from multiple musical elements, opening up many types of interaction not usually found in rhythm games.

I remember when I first encountered rhythm games years ago, and was simultaneously impressed with the experience yet disappointed by the lack of player input into the music itself. I told myself that if I could, one day I'd make something similar that gave players at least some control over the music itself, as opposed to simply tapping along to something set in stone” - Kevin Albers

Free-to-play demo version of ZEN Pinball on PlayStation network May 14

ZEN Studios confirmed today that it will release a free-to-play demo version of ZEN Pinball on May 14, 2009 exclusively for PlayStation Network (PSN). The ZEN Pinball playable demo allows players to sample the high-speed action of the first pinball videogame ever to launch of PlayStation Network with one of the four original pinball tables from the full version of the game.

The full version of ZEN Pinball will also be available starting Thursday, May 14 exclusively through PlayStation Store for $9.99.

The studio also released five new screens of the demo table that can be viewed exclusively at kotaku.com.

“We have received huge success with our Pinball FX title on XBLA and fans around the world have been clamoring for a solid pinball title on PlayStation Network,” said Zsolt Kigyossy, managing director for ZEN Studios. “We’re pleased to offer a free sample pinball table that introduces players to the intense realistic pinball physics and mechanics that can be found in the full edition. If you enjoy arcade games this is definitely a title you’ll want to check out!”

In ZEN Pinball, flipper experts and arcade fans alike will experience the high-octane rush of arcade-style pinball with a variety of in-game missions, head-to-head online multi-player bouts and multi-day worldwide tournaments. In addition to the regular All-Time and Weekly scoreboards, ZEN Pinball features Score Speed, Best One Minute, and Multi-player Ranking scoreboards, letting players test their mettle against pinball players from all over the world!

Realtime Audio Adventure Soul Trapper - Preview demo version for iPhone and iPod Touch

Realtime Audio Adventures announced today that Soul Trapper: Preview, the demo version of the critically acclaimed Soul Trapper audio adventure game, is now available for Apple iPhone and iPod touch.

In the preview version, the player is introduced to the chilling adventure with the first four of the twenty-three chapters from the full version of the game.

“The Soul Trapper: Preview app is a great way to introduce players to the unique concept of audio adventures. The first four chapters give a thrilling glimpse of what’s to come,” said David Warhol, president of Realtime Audio Adventures. “As the game progresses, locations become more complex, the rich cast of characters expands, and a wide variety of audio puzzles interweave seamlessly with the story, requiring stereo perception, memorization, fast-action reflexes, and audio pattern matching to complete. Check it out and you’ll be drawn in!”

In Soul Trapper, players follow the turbulent life of Kane Pryce, a 27 year-old drifter who possesses a mysterious device known as the Soul Trap. The Soul Trap is a supernaturally-charged object that allows him to hunt down, capture, and send ghosts from the earthly realm to the afterlife. In this chilling adventure story, players help Kane unlock the mysteries surrounding a haunted church that stirs newfound emotions while navigating a maze of gangsters, dames, ghosts, and demons!

Today Realtime also kicked off a special limited time promotion for the full version of Soul Trapper. During the promotion, consumers who purchase the full version of the adventure title will enjoy a special price of $4.99, a drop from the standard cost of $7.99. To purchase the full version of Soul Trapper, please visit the App Store.

Developed by Realtime Associates for Realtime Audio Adventures, Soul Trapper: Preview is available for the iPhone and iPod touch free of charge, and can be downloaded via the App Store.