Tomb Raider - Underworld joins Xbox 360 classics and PlayStation 3 Platinum range of video games

Eidos Interactive Ltd, creator of some of the world’s leading videogame properties, today announces Tomb Raider: Underworld will be released as part of the Classics range for Xbox 360 and Platinum Hits range for PlayStation 3 on May 22nd.

Tomb Raider: Underworld seamlessly blends exploration, grand scale puzzle solving and combat, taking players on an archaeological journey to the ancient nether worlds of the Mediterranean, Thailand, Mexico, the Arctic Sea and more. As fearless adventurer Lara Croft, gamers uncover proof of the existence of the Norse underworld and the mythical Hammer of Thor, and embark on a perilous journey towards a forgotten power that, if unleashed, could lay waste to all of civilization.

Watchmen - the End is Nigh offer PlayStation 3 game and film package.

Watchmen: The End is Nigh videogame, based on the Watchmen film, will be offered in a retail Blu-Ray Hi-Def game and film hybrid, as well as additional retail and downloadable formats in North America. Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part 2, the second of two long-form, episodic action games will be released in conjunction with the Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD of the Watchmen: Director’s Cut in July 2009.

Providing Watchmen fans with a variety of purchase options, the game will be offered in the following formats.

• Watchmen: The End is Nigh The Complete Experience is an innovative, retail Blu-ray Hi-Def game and film hybrid which will include Watchmen: The End is Nigh Parts 1 and 2 and the Watchmen: Director’s Cut on Blu-ray. This new cut of the action-packed blockbuster includes an additional 25 minutes of footage not seen in theaters only available on Blu-ray and DVD. The two-disc collectible set will also feature exclusive artwork in a premium package. The game will be playable on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system which can also play the Blu-ray disc of Watchmen: Director’s Cut.

• Watchmen: The End is Nigh Parts 1 and 2 will now be available for the first time as a single game available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

• Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part 2 will be available for download on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and for PlayStation®Network.

Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part 1 was released in March 2009 as a downloadable game for Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Windows PC via download and on the PlayStation®Network.

Developed by Deadline Games A/S, Watchmen: The End is Nigh is a hardcore mature action brawler featuring bloody visceral combat in settings which are reminiscent of the film. Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part 1 takes place more than a decade before the film’s main story, delving into the partnership of urban vigilantes Rorschach and Nite Owl before the hero-banning Keene Act. In Part 2, the duo team up again as Rorschach contacts Nite Owl to help solve the case of a missing girl, Violet Greene.

Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley, stars of the Watchmen film, also lend their voices to the respective roles of Nite Owl and Rorschach in both episodes of Watchmen: The End is Nigh. Both Rorschach and Nite Owl are playable characters and each features distinct combat abilities, as well as a collection of each of their own unique finishing moves — such as Rorschach’s Rage and the technical prowess of Nite Owl’s Owlsuit.

Watchmen: The End is Nigh features a split screen co-op multiplayer option in addition to a single-player experience with an A.I. partner. Staying true to the tone of the film on which it’s based, Watchmen: The End is Nigh features stunning graphics in moody settings mixed with brutal combat. Players can take on as many as twenty enemies at the same time in bloody, street-fighting gameplay action. The game contains nine chapters, built around events referenced in the film, allowing for hours of intense gameplay.

About WATCHMEN
Watchmen is a complex, multi-layered mystery adventure movie set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the Doomsday Clock—which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union—moves closer to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the outlawed but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach uncovers a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with catastrophic consequences for the future.

Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures present, in Association with Legendary Pictures, a Lawrence Gordon/Lloyd Levin Production, a Zack Snyder Film, Watchmen. The movie stars Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Patrick Wilson. Watchmen is directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin and Deborah Snyder. The screenplay is by David Hayter and Alex Tse, based upon the graphic novel co-created and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and published by DC Comics. Herbert W. Gains and Thomas Tull are the executive producers, with Wesley Coller serving as co-producer.

Freaky creatures adding player versus environment

Abandon Interactive Entertainment today introduced Freaky Adventures, adding player versus environment (PvE) gameplay to its new cross-platform massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Freaky Creatures. Players can now delve even further into the Freaky Creatures universe by partaking in exciting missions and battles, meeting new characters, and exploring never-before seen environments.

The new content in Freaky Adventures allows players to venture into new territory beyond creature lairs and battle arenas. Players will participate in missions that take them to new destinations throughout the Freaky Creatures universe, including the deep jungles of Verdura. The previously unexplored domains include a wealth of new life forms, items and enemies, each with their own specific abilities and powers.

Upon the successful completion of missions, players will gain specific parts, powers and lair objects. A new world map is available to transport players to an assigned mission location, helping them jump straight into action. Players will also have the ability to track their progress in a missions log.

Freaky Creatures is an MMO game on a 1GB reusable USB flash drive that comes bundled with two collectible action figures. Combining the best of online multiplayer PC gaming, collectible action figures, virtual worlds and social networking, players take their action figures online and build their own ultimate, customizable creature and battle against friends. Starter packs are available for purchase at comic, hobby and local toy retailers, FYE stores nationwide, and FAO Schwarz in New York City for $19.99. Starter packs are also available for purchase at the Freaky Creatures Web site: www.freakycreatures.com.

NARUTO Shippuden - Ninja Council 4 out on Nintendo DS - June 2nd

Players Are Invited to Experience the hit NARUTO Shippuden Saga for the First Time on the Nintendo DS.

TOMY Corporation today announced that the next installment in the hit Ninja Council series, NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Council 4, has gone gold and will be available at retail outlets nationwide on June 2 for Nintendo DS.

NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Council 4 allows dedicated franchise fans and new Naruto fighters alike to experience the NARUTO Shippuden storyline for the first time on the handheld device with a host of playable characters sporting their updated NARUTO Shippuden looks and wireless multiplayer battles for up to four players.

"NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Council 4 will allow DS owners the opportunity to experience the Naruto storyline for the very first time through the game before it actually airs on television," said Laura Yoshioka, director of consumer software at TOMY Corporation. "An all-new storyline, brand-new modes and non-stop battles are just a few of the features that make this title a classic action-adventure game."

About NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Council 4

Set two and a half years after the events of the classic NARUTO series, NARUTO fans are introduced to older characters as the storyline advances and unfolds with more sophisticated content. NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Council 4 allows gamers to follow an older Naruto and his friends on their quest to save Gaara from the sinister Akatsuki organization. Players are able to choose their allies and form a custom three-man squad with special jutsu techniques, adding versatility to their team. Based on the hit series from VIZ Media, players can also utilize the Touch Screen to unleash their unique jutsu attacks and take on anyone that gets in their way. As an added bonus, aspiring ninja can utilize each playable character's unique ninja fighting abilities to explore different hidden areas.

NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Council 4 is rated E10+ and will be available for Nintendo DS on June 2.

Delta Force - Xtreme 2 video game Fact Sheet

The world’s most deadly fighting force is back in all-new single-player, co-op and multiplayer combat in Delta Force: Xtreme 2 (DFX2), from action game developer and publisher NovaLogic. Supported by the NovaWorld Community, a multiplayer network that provides smoother, faster and seamless gameplay for up to 150* players per game, DFX2 offers intense military action for PC FPS fans.

Featuring over 40 content-rich multiplayer maps, DFX2 supports five of the most popular game types: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Team King of the Hill, Capture the Flag, and Flagball. Each detailed map will have something to entice all FPS fans, from large, vehicle heavy battlefields to small, concentrated engagement zones. The NovaWorld™ Community allows every element of the DFX2 gameplay, from the enhanced ballistics to the innovative in-vehicle spawn system, to be carefully coordinated to support a fully-balanced experience where teamwork is deadlier than individual firepower, and in DFX2, intelligence and creativity is rewarded as much as fast-twitch reflexes.

Game Features:
• 10 single-player missions within 2 pulse-stopping campaigns
• Up to 4 players can play 9 co-op missions within 2 intense campaigns
• NovaWorld Community multiplayer network supports up to 150 players1
• Five multiplayer game types: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Team King of the Hill, Capture the Flag, and Flagball
• More than 20 real-life weapons and enhanced ballistics technology that delivers the most balanced, accurate and deadly shooting experience possible
• Get into the action with vehicles, ranging from Black Hawk helicopters, boats, motorcycles, M1A1 tanks and more
• Controllable H.A.L.O. parachute insertions drop players deep behind enemy lines
• 1080p “Full HD” and Dolby 7.1 Surround sound
• 10 new terrains with sophisticated weather effects immerse players in the battlefield
• Advanced anti-cheat technology protects the integrity of gameplay experience
• Players can create customized maps with the powerful and easy-to-use MED level editor
• Persistent stats track every kill*

System Requirements:
Video Card: Direct3D video card with 64 MB or greater required2
OS: Windows XP, VISTA (32 & 64)
CPU: Pentium 4 Minimum CPU Required
RAM: 1 GB or greater required
Hard Drive: 2 GB available
Direct X: DirectX 9.0c or greater required
Sound: Windows compatible sound card
Internet: Internet connection required, broadband recommended
DVD: DVD-ROM drive required

Release Date: May 26, 2009
Platform: PC
Publisher: NovaLogic
Developer: NovaLogic
Number of Players: Up to 1501
Genre: First Person Shooter
Rating: “T” for Teen (Blood, violence, drug reference)
MSRP: $29.99

Unreal Engine 3 New Features Demonstrated at GDC

Epic Games recently unveiled a number of new tools and systems for Unreal Engine 3 at the 2009 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Calif.

Unreal Lightmass, a new global illumination solver, produces high-quality static lighting with next-generation effects. Lightmass leverages Epics new Unreal Swarm distributed computing framework, which enables lighting to be generated up to 10 times faster than before. The new Unreal Content Browser enables designers to quickly locate game assets with thumbnail previews, tag content with metadata, and easily manage asset collections.



In addition, the Unreal Master Control Program (MCP) is a scalable statistics and data management back end that supports announcements, settings management, online population tracking, and data collection for hardware, profile, and game stats. Unreal MCP includes a set of tools for visualizing gameplay, and can be used for online and offline game components during development and after shipping a game.

All of the new engine features are bundled with Unreal Engine 3 at no additional cost to licensees.

Superbike World Championship SBK09 Demo on Xbox 360 over 100,000 downloads this week

In just one week, the official SBK 09 Superbike World Championship Demo for Xbox 360 has been downloaded 105,381 times.

Black Bean Games is really proud of such an extremely important result. More than 100.000 gamers have tested their skills and felt the adrenaline rush of real motorbike competition.

Such a result testifies the dramatic improvement Milestone achieved with SBK 09 Superbike World Championship. New 3D environments, new teams, complete track overhaul, new game play structure, new game modes, revamped user interface. The real Championship has never been so close to the virtual one.

Last but not least, from now on PC users can share the passion with their fellow console players. PC Demo is available on SBKTM09 official website:
www.sbk09.com

New Overlord II videos feature the fluffiest creatures ever to be massacred by Minionkind

Showing megalomaniacs everywhere how two wrongs can make a right, Codemasters today released two new gamezplay videos showcasing Overlord II, the upcoming tyrannical action adventure that’s set to launch on June 26th.

‘Creature Crush’, the first of the new gameplay videos, features some of the fluffiest, sweetest and cutest creatures ever to come face to face with a snarling horde of menacing minions (and being bashed to bits). As the Overlord, gamers direct their manic minion horde to kill, club or maim everything from cute garden Gnomes and seal pubs to pandas and even hippy Elves.

Also released today is the second instalment of the Overlord II development diaries, featuring Mr Overlord himself, Lennart Sas, the Creative Director of Triumph Studios. In this instalment, Lennart details the new tactics that the Minions, the most vicious (yet lovable) creatures in gaming, have learnt and what they’ve been up to since the time of the original Overlord game.

“All four Minion races return in Overlord II and they’re fiercer, funnier and more disruptive and destructive than they were before”, says Lennart, discussing the Minions’ new skills. “In Overlord II, if there’s a specific task that’s just too filthy for an Overlord to do, he can just possess a minion and get his dirty work done that way.”

Prepare to become the master of minions and the squisher of Gnomes in Overlord II – the game that puts the laughter into slaughter – coming June 26th for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games For Windows.

Free Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Demo on PSN now

You've already heard about Monster Hunter coming to the west as Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. If you're new to the vast world of Monster Hunter, we've got some great new things to help you better understand what this game really has to offer.

First, the official demo is launching today, and loaded with brand new monsters. There's three quests to choose from: Hypnocatrice, Plum Hermitaur, and an Epic Hunting Quest with three monsters to slay. Aside from new monsters, there's also pre-made characters for each weapon type to choose from. Great Sword, Long Sword, Sword, Dual Blades, Hammer, Hunting Horn, Lance, Gun Lance, Light Bowgun, Heavy Bowgun, and Bow... They're all there. We've crammed as much into the demo as we could. You'll be hunting in the forest, the desert, and in the swamp.

Monster Hunter just wouldn't be the same without co-op, so the demo is fully capable of four player ad-hoc co-op! The demo isn't going to just leave you to fend for yourself if you aren't playing ad-hoc. If you play single player, you'll have your choice to bring one of three Felyne Fighters with you. There's Kota a Melee Fighter, and then there's Ginger a Bomber, and finally Melody a Support type. Look for the demo on the PSN later this afternoon.

More Monster Hunter goodness after the jump.

Now that you have a chance to finally hop into MHFU, we have a brand new set of videos coming to teach you some basics about hunting. Check out the first video right here!



There will be 3 more tutorial videos to come soon. You'll be able to snag these videos online via the PSN so you can take the tips they offer with you on your PSP. In all, there's going to be nine videos total for you to grab on PSN before the game launches.

And finally, we have one more tool to help you start your hunt: The Encyclopedia Gigantica. It's focused on the community, and gathering all the knowledge from fans like you in a wiki style. Right now there's not much in it, and the tools to add information about the in depth details of Monster Hunter will be coming around the E3 timeframe. Once that's available, you'll find much information about the world of Monster Hunter, including everything from the basics all the way to pro tips from other hunters who've contributed their own experience.

And remember, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite hits shelves on June 23rd!

Free Rock Band tracks and games from Pepsi

Summer Promotion to Offer Music Fans Thousands of Rock Band Tracks and Games. First-Ever MTV Video Music Awards Moonman for Best Rock Band Music Video to be Awarded to Contest Winner.

Today, MTV and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV and Pepsi announced a multi-platform “Drink Up, Rock Out” promotion that will give away thousands of Rock Band DLC music tracks and games. Music lovers and gamers nationwide will be able to win prizes instantly and will have the opportunity to participate in the first-ever Pepsi Rock Band music video contest that will award one talented band a 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Moonman. The summer promotion begins June 2 and continues through the MTV Video Music Awards.

As part of the “Drink Up, Rock Out” promotion, fans who see a Rock Band icon on specially-marked packages of 20-ounce and 1-liter bottles of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max and other Pepsi products are encouraged to look under the cap for a code and then go to www.pepsirockband.com to enter the code for a chance to win prizes. During the promotion, MTV and Pepsi will give away a Rock Band 2 Special Edition bundle every hour and thousands of Rock Band downloadable tracks each day. Additionally, fans can enter a weekly sweepstakes for opportunities to win a trip to a Harrah’s Entertainment property, Xbox 360 Consoles and other great prizes.

“MTV’s Rock Band has quickly established a new gaming platform that is extremely popular with music fans and gamers alike,” said Ralph Santana, VP of cola marketing, Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages. “We’re partnering with MTV to bring a new exciting twist to the game that will give one talented band a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a taste of stardom.”

Christina Glorioso, Vice President Marketing Partnerships for MTV Games added: “Pepsi is continuing their long standing tradition of being on the forefront of music with the decision to partner with Rock Band, the genre-defining music game platform that allows music fans and gamers to interact with and discover music like never before. This campaign has something for every Pepsi consumer from those that love to rock to the fans that love to cheer on their favorite bands.”

And for those Rock Band groups who seek fame, Pepsi, Rock Band, and MTV are giving fans the opportunity to win a Moonman for the first time by entering their own Rock Band music video into the competition. Entrants can choose a song from the official competition list – available at www.RockBand.com/Pepsi and start making their Rock Band music video right now. Music video submissions can be uploaded to www.PepsiRockBand.com where bands and fans will be able to enter, view, rate and vote on their favorite Rock Band music videos. To jump start the promotion, MTV Games is giving hardcore fans, those that upload a music video on the first day of the promotion (June 2 before 6pm EDT), the opportunity to win a trip to Los Angles the very next day to be the house band at the Rock Band booth at E3. Fans must register separately on June 2 to be entered for the chance to win this prize at www.RockBand.com/Pepsi.

For a shot to win the Moonman, Pepsi Rock Band music video submissions will be accepted June 2 through July 28. Beginning August 8 – September 1, fans take the reins as they vote online and decide the fate of the winning Rock Band band. The winning band will travel to the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, walk the red carpet, receive their very-own Moonman statue, and will be featured in a spot produced by MTV to air the night of the awards show.

The “Drink Up and Rock Out” summer program will also include promotion across MTV Networks channels, including MTV, MTV2, mtvU, VH1, CMT, Spike, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV Land and Nick at Nite.