Wal-mart to buy back video games

Sightings of Redbox-like kiosk-machines at Wal-mart which would allow customers to trade in their used games.

So far, there are 77 of the "Video Game Buyback" stations at select Wal-mart locations around the country as part of a "very limited" pilot program for Ohio's E-play. The 77 locations actually make up only two percent of Wal-mart's 3,656-store U.S. empire, and the space is on lease to E-play.

Rather than receive cash back, those who accept the terms of the buyback price-point from the kiosk will receive credit applied to a credit card of the user's choice within 1-2 days, depending on who the user is signed up with.

Store credit can range anywhere from 50 cents to 25 dollars for a more recent, high-demand title. However, E-play Marketing VP and Business Development Exec Kristen Fox declined to go into the specifics of Wal-mart's contract with E-play, or what the company then does with their newly-acquired used games.

So, do the likes of GameStop have anything to fear from E-play's enterprise? "I can't see this having tremendous appeal to hardcore gamers, unless the credits are substantially higher than those offered at GameStop," said Everyone's Favorite Analyst, Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter. He does believe it might, however, appeal to some cash-strapped customers.

"Even if this takes off, it's not going to make much of a dent in the used market. … I don't see it being a big deal."

Source: PS3 Kombo

AdventureQuest Worlds announce it has exceeded 6 million players

Launched just over six months ago, the popular web-based MMORPG AdventureQuest Worlds is proud to announce that it has exceeded 6 million registered players. Created by the home grown team at Artix Entertainment, LLC, this anything-goes fantasy MMORPG features chat, real-time-combat, wars, and live events, and has had more than one brand new release per week since launch.

To celebrate, AdventureQuest Worlds is preparing to release its first world boss (or Chaos Lord). This is the exciting conclusion of their first storyline which takes place along an M.C. Escher inspired valley featuring original and creative 2D game art.

Also, The Artix Entertainment team has been invited to attend the Japanese and Anime convention, Jacon, next week in Orlando, Florida. On May 23rd, AdventureQuest Worlds will chair a panel to discuss everything relating to its three other popular RPGs: DragonFable.com, AdventureQuest.com, and MechQuest.com.

Act IV - New Shores Fly for Fun expansion with new features due on 26th May 2009

Only one more week to go and the new expansion for Fly for Fun, “Act IV: New Shores”, will be released. In anticipation, the gPotato team is proud to unveil some more details about the master fame titles, the couple system and Coral Island.

Would you like to become famous? No problem with the new Flyff master fame titles. All you have to do is complete some objectives and you will get a certain title. The master fame titles don’t give you special advantages in the game but you will definitely have a lot of fun when meeting, for example, a “Blade Hero” or becoming the “Psykeeper Master”.

Have you found your soulmate? Become a couple and face new challenges. In pairs everything is easier and you will get the “couple exp” As soon as you increase your couple exp enough your couple level will be upgraded to 21. After you and your partner reach a certain exp you will get special gifts by mail and the “couple skill” is activated e.g. “power of love” or “miracle of love”.

Exploring new shores! Buy your ticket and travel to Coral Island, the brand new region for middle level characters. All monsters will have a level from 43 to 69 and 180 % exp. But don’t worry if your level is lower, all monsters are in an unaggressive mode and won’t attack you.

Count the days and be prepared for Act IV: New shores, arriving on the gpotato.eu portal on the 26th of May 2009.

Spore Galactic Adventures Goes to the (Robot) Chickens - Free trial of the Spore Creature Creator

Maxis Teams with Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken Writers to Create Hysterical Adventures for Spore Galactic Adventures Available at Launch

What do planetary rest stops, man cannons, and banana monkey wars all have in common? They’re all elements of Adventures created by the Robot Chicken writers exclusively for Spore Galactic Adventures, the highly-anticipated expansion pack for the critically acclaimed videogame, Spore.

Maxis, an Electronic Arts, announce that the Adventures created by writers from this outrageously funny, Emmy award-winning TV show will be available as free downloadable content when the game launches June 23.

The campaign was conceptualized by Robot Chicken co-creators Seth Green and Matt Senreich and executed by the writing team including Matt Beans, Doug Goldstein, Mike Fasolo, Breckin Meyer, Dan Milano, Tom Root, Kevin Shinick, Hugh Sterbakov and Zeb Wells. With such a unique cast of imaginative characters, players can expect to experience missions with exploding poo, angry yetis, ruler yielding librarians and more! Check out Robot Chicken’s exploits as they create Adventures at www.spore.com/wtf.

“We’re big fans of Spore, so teaming up on Spore Galactic Adventures was a natural fit and so much fun for all the guys at Robot Chicken,” said Seth Green, co-creator of Robot Chicken. Co-creator Matt Senreich continued: "We're all gaming geeks, so when the Spore guys said they had an alluring proposition for us, how could we say no? Instead of creating absurd worlds with toys, this gave us the opportunity to create literally anything we wanted as gamers. Geek moment. We think that RC fans will love the pretty random and absurd adventures we created and we can't wait to goof around with the ones the fans create."

“Gamers and Adult Swim fans alike are going to absolutely love the hilarity found in the Robot Chicken missions created for Spore Galactic Adventures,” stated Kip Katsarelis, lead producer of Spore Galactic Adventures. “Our development team had a blast working with the guys and couldn’t stop laughing the entire time we were together. Their Adventures truly reflect the extent of their wild imaginations as well as how the in-game Adventure Creator tool can create almost any type of story imaginable. Players can only guess the level of absurdity and fun that are in these Adventures.”

Spore Galactic Adventures adds a tremendous amount of variety and fun to the original Spore, allowing players to beam down to planets, play Maxis-created Adventures and create their own customized Adventures. Now players can get out of their spaceship and turn their creatures into legendary space captains, battling epic monsters in intergalactic arenas and fighting intense planet-side races along the way. In each mission, players earn experience to rank up their captain, gain game-changing items and accessories such as a Plasma Pulser and Swarm Magnet. Once the captains and Adventures are created, players can share go online to share with friends around the world at www.spore.com.

About Spore

Spore, available for PC and Mac, gives players their own personal universe in a box. Create and evolve life, establish tribes, build civilizations, sculpt entire worlds and explore a universe filled with creations made by other gamers. Spore gives players a wealth of creative tools to customize nearly every aspect of their universe: creatures, vehicles, buildings, and even spaceships. Spore Creatures, available on Nintendo DS™, takes players on a quest to save their species and the entire Galaxy. Meet, befriend or fight other creatures in a number of unique Touch Screen-based activities. Available in fall 2009, Spore Hero, exclusive to the Nintendo Wii and Spore Hero Arena for the Nintendo DS, catapult players into the role of a fully-customized hero creature fighting to save its planet.

To learn more about Spore, Spore Galactic Adventures, Spore Hero, Spore Hero Arena or to download a free trial of the Spore Creature Creator, please visit www.spore.com.

DYNASTY WARRIORS 6 - Empires video game in US stores June 23 2009

Become a lord, a noble officer or lethal invader. Create your own warrior and control the fate of Ancient China in KOEI's latest action opus

KOEI announce that DYNASTY WARRIORS 6: Empires for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system will be available at North American retailers beginning June 23, 2009.

Gamers can pre-order DYNASTY WARRIORS 6: Empires now at: Amazon.com, GameFly and GameStop.

About DYNASTY WARRIORS 6: Empires
Designed for the legions of Dynasty Warriors fans, DYNASTY WARRIORS 6: Empires is game that brings together the best aspects of the action and strategy genres. In this latest edition, players can experience Ancient China’s greatest and most glorious war as an all-powerful lord or as an officer.



As a lord, gamers must think strategically. By deciding when to attack, when to resist invasion, or when to initiate policies, a lord can expand their power and influence. An easy-to-learn “card collecting” system lets players enact policies that will increase their empire’s strength, improve the abilities of their forces, and more. The cards that a player receives will depend on the attributes of the officers and their army.

Players can also pledge their allegiance to a kingdom to become an officer. As an officer, players can suggest policies in the kingdom’s war council, complete missions for rewards, or even turn against their ruler should relations sour.

Most eagerly awaited by fans is a game mode that allows players to create their own warrior. DYNASTY WARRIORS 6: Empires features an extensive character editing system with options to customize a warrior’s gender, build, skin tone, facial features, voice, clothing, weapon and more.

Whomever players choose to be, they can now use mountain ledges and waterways to infiltrate enemy bases and launch surprise attacks on supply depots to change the flow of battle.

DYNASTY WARRIORS 6: Empires is developed by Omega Force and is for 1 to 2 players (offline). This game is rated “T” (TEEN – Alcohol Reference, Violence) by the ESRB.

Ubisoft scores with 'Academy of Champions'!

Ubisoft announced a new addition to its sports portfolio, Academy of Champions, an arcade football game featuring legendary sports icon Pelé. Developed for the Nintendo Wii system from Nintendo, the game will deliver an engaging, interactive experience for kids and their families. Academy of Champions is scheduled to be released in 2009.

“We made our mark in the sports genre last year with the global success of Shaun White Snowboarding,” stated Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “Now, with Academy of Champions, Ubisoft offers another sports game with a fresh approach that has something unique to offer young gamers and sports fans.”

Created by an experienced team of sports game developers at Ubisoft Vancouver, Academy of Champions engages players in a rich, story-driven adventure around the world’s most popular sport. The journey begins with enrollment at an extraordinary Academy where your coach is the legendary Pelé..

“Football is a sport that is universally celebrated by all citizens of the world,” said legendary sports icon Pelé. “Working with Ubisoft to continue to promote the sport has been a wonderful experience. It is a thrill to continue to inspire a new generation of fans through an entertainment medium that introduces them to the exciting world of football.”

In Academy of Champions, players improve their skills, recruit new team members and build the best possible squad to defeat their rival Academy and win the champion cup. Compatible with the Wii Balance Board and Wii Motion Plus accessories, young soccer fans and their friends and family will enjoy playing together in a humorous, interactive universe that features over-the-top gameplay, entertaining fantastical environments, and innovative challenges.

WiiWare video game gets new name! Bang! renamed Bang Attack

Engine Software, developer based in the Netherlands, today announces that its debut WiiWare title “Bang!” will be renamed to “Bang Attack” in the European and American territories.

The WiiWare puzzlegame “Bang!”, currently only available in European territories, will undergo the name change to prevent further confusion in regards to the copyrighted game “Bang!” produced by Italian company daVinci. In light of the pending American release of “Bang!” for WiiWare, Engine Software came to this decision following friendly discussions with the producing company in Italy, and Nintendo of Europe on how to prevent confusion regarding each game.

The new name will be executed on the European WiiWare service first, and the updated version will go live in the next few days. Although there is no exact date scheduled for the American release of Bang Attack, we anticipate the game will appear in this territory in the next month.

Currently Engine Software has several new WiiWare releases planned, on which more information will be released to the press, and the public in the following months.

Men of War 1C Company Patch offers two new maps and an end to assorted woes

Men of War, the new RTS that allows players to take direct control of any unit in the game.
What: New patch with 2 new multiplayer maps and many fixes
Where: You can download the patch here:
Physical copy here...

Digital copy here...

Available immediately

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Men of War takes place across the globe during the height of World War II and features four different armies - Russia, America, Germany and the British - each with their own unique units, vehicles and missions. From the Russian missions starring two student comrades innocent to the horrors of war, players are soon catapulted into massive battles with dozens of units under their command. The game is already available in retail both in North America and Europe.

ArmA II release date now 19th June - a week early!

505 Games and Bohemia Interactive are thrilled to announce that the release date for the upcoming tactical military simulator ArmA II forward by precisely one week, to 19th June 2009.

Fans eagerly awaiting their next foray into the world beating tactical action the ArmA series has become renowned for now have just over one month to wait.

Featuring the most realistic warfare gameplay ever, ArmA II promises to build on the excellent features that have made Bohemia Interactive a respected name among both gamers and the US army, who use a modified version to train recruits for combat situations. Team-based combat, a comprehensive playbook of military tactics and an enormous battlefield to explore are just some of the features that will make this THE military simulation of choice this year.

ArmA II will be released on 19th June exclusively for PC.

Bionic Commando

I've managed to persuade the team at Grin to produce one last trailer ahead of the game's release on May 22nd and we're glad they did, as it looks really sweet.