ClubGalactik.com Flash-based 3D Avatar Creator

Virtual Fairground previews next generation virtual world and MMOG

Club Galactik, home of the upcoming MMO game and virtual world based on animation hit series Galactik Football went live today. With the site already fully localized for multiple territories, kids and tweens from all over the world can now start creating their own Club Galactik characters. They can currently choose from three of the seven Galactik Football teams: the superstar Snow Kids, the agile Wambas and the sinister Shadows. Users can also explore the lore of the Galactik Football universe and will soon be able to play a unique card game featuring their character. 3D Flash-based mini-games that you can play using your avatar will be added to the site in the coming weeks.

Club Galactik is completely developed and published in-house by Virtual Fairground. The game is based on the Gaumont/Jetix co-produced animation series Galactik Football. The full MMO game experience is set to launch April 2010 in time for the start of the FIFA World Cup Soccer 2010 and the third season of the Galactik Football animation series.

“As soon as we announced that we were working on a Galactik Football MMO game there was a lot of interest from fans that wanted to see what we are working on”, says Maarten Brands of Virtual Fairground. “With a gradual roll-out of games and features we will have plenty going on to keep the fans happy while we work towards a full launch next year.”

“Launching the avatar creator and some of the mini-games is a great way for us to show what our team can do with Flash in a browser”, adds Ilja Goossens. “We feel that there are a lot of misconceptions about what you can do with this technology in relation to games. The high penetration rate of Flash is a huge benefit and we want to show that our talented developers can create high-end entertainment experiences in a browser using this technology.”

New Tekken 6 gameplay mode unveiled at E3 conference

NAMCO BANDAI reveale a new Scenario Campaign mode for TEKKEN 6, the latest entry to the blockbuster fighting franchise. The new mode for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system version of Tekken 6 will allow players to participate in single or two player online co-op campaigns while experiencing intense action and large-scale battles.

The Scenario Campaign features a unique hybrid control system combining conventional fighting game controls with free movement. This control system allows players to progress through the story and mow down hordes of enemies with relative ease while still enjoying fighting game action. In addition to hand-to-hand fighting, players have an arsenal of staffs, machine guns, flame throwers, and even giant robots at their disposal - a first for the series!

Choose from 40 playable characters and play alone or cooperatively online with a friend through a multitude of stages while amassing a wealth of items for customizing and strengthening your characters. Bring these fighters online to deliver bone-jarring punches and dominate opponents globally.

A must-have for fighting aficionados, TEKKEN 6 sees the return of many familiar faces as well as new characters to create the largest line-up in franchise history. Adding to the already robust gaming experience, dynamic and destructible environments will enable players to punch their enemies through concrete walls or kick them through floors to open a whole new battleground as they go mano-y-mano. Furthermore, an impressive real-time motion blur effect has been implemented to provide the richest visuals the series has ever seen.

Delivering the perfect fighting trifecta, TEKKEN 6 will also be available this fall for the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system with additional content, items, and an ad-hoc multiplayer mode.

Overlord II playable demo now available from Xbox LIVE

Prepare to take control of a Yeti-hunting, seal-clubbing, wolf-riding team of Minions and create chaos, as Codemasters today announced that the Overlord II playable demo is now available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft [UK demo].

Ensuring that all future megalomaniacs will be able to take the Minion horde for a test drive ahead the full game's launch on June 26th†, playable demos for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and PC versions are scheduled to follow in the next week. Gamers can also preview the game's tyrannical treats in the '10 Reasons Why it's Cool to be Evil' video, now playing at www.OverlordGame.com



In the Overlord II demo, players step into the big spiky boots of a new Overlord whose sights are firmly set on becoming the king of chaos, the bringer of evil and the master of Minions. As the demo opens the Overlord, aided and abetted by a team of brown fighter Minions, emerges from his underground lair into the ice caves only to discover a Yeti frozen in a block of ice. The Minions can, in their inimitably violent way, 'defrost' him and then give chase as he knuckles out into the snowy wastes of the Hunting Grounds, near the town of Nordberg.



Then it's time to put the Minions to work, harvesting valuable life-force from the indigenous fauna. Minions will happily lock onto anything in the vicinity - including fluffy seal pups ('Well,' argue the Minions, 'the smelly furballs are eating all the lovely fishies'). There are also Nordburgian Hunters and hippy, peace-loving elves to contend with but, as ever, the Minions aren't fussy who they attack for their master.

To speed their progress, Minions can befriend a pack of wolves and ride them through the snowy landscape like a Minion Cavalry. The wolf-mounted Minion is an altogether tougher force and more deadly - wolves have their own attack moves and will knock enemies off their feet through sheer force, biting and goring opponents into submission.

Discover why being evil has never been so much fun with the Overlord II playable demo, now available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Peregrine video game glove E3 Fact Sheet

The Peregrine is a new way to control PC games. It is a seamless, customizable input device that you wear on your hand in order to better control increasingly complex real-time strategy and massively multiplayer titles.

Gamers who add the Peregrine to their arsenal will gain access to more than 30 actions in the palms of their hands, allowing them to command armies and cast spells with speed, accuracy and comfort.

Features:

› Over 30 actions available at the touch of a finger
› Maximum comfort during long gaming sessions thanks to durable, flexible fabric construction and military-grade conductive traces
› Three sizes to fit the needs of gamers big and small
› Magnetic break-away USB pod so gamers aren’t leashed to their desks
› Customizable faceplate for a unique look
› Premium quality electronics and connectors to ensure a long lifespan
› Full compatibility with any PC game that uses the keyboard

X-Men Origins Wolverine Uncaged Edition downloadable videogame content

The feral fury rages on as Activision announced today that X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition downloadable videogame content is now available for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. Inspired by 20th Century Fox’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, in theaters everywhere, players can now download the Weapon X Arena, a level composed of four unique combat simulators, from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points and from the PlayStation Store.

Custom Combat Arena
Gamers can spawn any combination of small and large enemies to face combinations not available in standard gameplay, from hordes of grunts they can cut down in seconds to a complex mix of enemies, including a Sentinel Prototype, Jungle Grappler, Machine Gunners and more.

Ladder Challenge
Once players have encountered all enemies in the game, the Ladder Challenge room unlocks, presenting gamers with a preconfigured challenge. Enemy types and numbers start small and ramp up, flooding the room for fifty waves of increasingly difficult combat challenges.

Environmental Simulator
This room includes all the unique environmental weapons in the game, including broken tree branches that can be used as spears, forklift skids to throw enemies toward and computer consoles into which players can smash enemies—to name a few.

The Weapon X Arena also contains a bonus room with heightened enemy reaction effects.

The X-Men Origins: Wolverine videogame is rated “M” (for Mature) by the ESRB on Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, and PLAYSTATION 3.

Chinese 12 Sheng Xiao, the guarding demon of everyone, will come to World of Kung Fu

Do you know Sheng Xiao, the Chinese zodiac? Maybe it’s a fresh word in English world. But in China, everyone has Sheng Xiao as the guarding demon of themselves. When a little baby comes to this world, he will get Sheng Xiao depending on his date of birth.

In Chinese traditional culture, each year has an animal to symbolize. There are totally 12 animals as a rotation: rat, bull, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, cock, dog and pig. They are called 12 Sheng Xiao in China.

Now 12 Sheng Xiao will arrive as pets of players in World of Kung Fu, the popular MMORPG from VestGame Entertainment next week. The pets not only can pick up loots for their owner, but also bless people with nice buff.

Do you know which animal is the guarding demon of you? Here are some years related to different Sheng Xiao. Check the year you were born and get your Sheng Xiao.

Rat: 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008

Bull: 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 2009

Tiger: 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998

Rabbit : 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999

Dragon : 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000

Snake : 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001

Horse : 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002

Goat: 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003

Monkey : 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004

Cock : 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005

Dog: 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006

Pig: 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007

My Friends Friend Maker Nintendo DS video game out in July

Create your own friends from a massive collection of clothes, accessories and colours. Ever wanted a friend with purple hair, green shoes, who is cool and loves heavy metal?

The possibilities are endless! Lots of funky hats, glasses, clothes and unusual items you can give your friends – it all adds to the fun!

Give your best friend a makeover and then go out and play together!

Once you’ve given your friend a makeover, you can give them a funky new name and then chose different animations and characteristics! And if you don’t like them – you can go back and change them! The happier your friends are, the more games, clothes, accessories and hairstyles you can unlock… you can even unlock new locations to go and explore and play games in! You can share gifts and friends with other Nintendo DS™ owners and also chat with up to three of them via DS Wireless Communications.

This summer, let My Friends take you to a whole new world of fun & games!

Make Friends, Play Games, Have Fun with My Friends, available for Nintendo DS on 31st July 2009.

The Sims re-write the ten commandments - video game screenshots

Brits suggest updated Commandments as they fail to remember, understand or see relevance in many of the traditional ten

New research out today reveals that over a quarter (28 per cent) of 11 to 16 year old British children can’t recite a single one of the Ten Commandments and only six per cent of British adults and children can recite all ten from memory.

Despite traditionally being viewed as the ultimate set of moral standards for society to live by, research conducted by computer game The Sims 3 reveals that many of the commandments are now seen as outdated and irrelevant to modern life in the UK, with the average number Brits can quote from memory only being four out of the 10.

To mark the launch of The Sims 3 on Friday 5th June, the British public has been invited to suggest a new modern day set of Ten Commandments to reflect the world we live in today.

The Ten Commandments Rewritten have been hand carved into two stone tablets (as referred to in the Bible when they were given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai) and will be offered to the Houses of Parliament this week as a benchmark of public opinion about the standards that we should all live by today.

The limestone tablets feature updated versions of six of the traditional commandments that Brits still find relevant to life today but replace the remaining four with the most common themes of over 1,000 suggestions of those polled. Each of the new Ten Commandments uses modern language to help make them more easily understood.
The remaining four new commandments act as a real sign of the times focusing around not being motivated by greed following the MPs’ expenses scandal, not committing acts of terrorism, respecting and protecting the planet, and respecting all people regardless of race, religion or sexuality.

Modernised Traditional Commandments (ranked in order of importance to the British public)
1. Do not kill
2. Do not steal
3. Do not cheat on your partner with another person
4. Do not envy others
5. Respect your parents
6. Do not accuse a person of something they did not do

New Commandments
7. Respect all people regardless of race, religion or sexuality
8. Do not commit acts of terrorism
9. Respect and protect the planet
10. Do not be motivated by greed

Play God
The Sims 3 effectively allows users to ‘play God’. Players become the creators of their own world and the characters that live (or die) within it. They control the lives, personalities and moral conduct of the characters they create. They can then decide whether they choose to ‘play nice’ and give their characters (Sims) happy, prosperous life or to ‘play nasty’ and make things difficult or dangerous.

With this in mind over 1,000 adults and 11 to 16 year olds were quizzed on their knowledge of the Ten Commandments and their opinions on their relevance to modern society, exploring which moral standards actually matter most to modern day Britain.

While the majority of Brits believe that six of the Ten Commandments are still relevant today (ranging from 61 per cent to 91 per cent), around two thirds of the population question the relevance of the remaining four (ranging from 62 per cent to 70 per cent).

Using both traditional and modern wording these four include:
• Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy / You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy (only 30 per cent of Brits believe this to still be relevant as people increasingly use Sunday as a day to work and shop)
• Thou shalt have no other gods before me / You shall have no other Gods but me (only 34 per cent of Brits believe this to still be relevant as Brits increasingly adopt other religions and beliefs)
• Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image / You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it (only 34 per cent of Brits believe this to still be relevant as Brits increasingly idolise and ‘worship’ celebrities)
• Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain / You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God (only 38 per cent of Brits believe this to still be relevant as the name ‘God’ is so often used to express irritation or unfairness)

Many school children aged 11 to 16 also fail to understand the traditional wording of several of the Ten Commandments according to the research. These include:
• Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (only 16 per cent claim to fully understand the meaning)
• Thou shalt have no gods before me (only 24 per cent claim to fully understand the meaning)
• Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s goods (only 25 per cent claim to fully understand the meaning)
• Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain (only 26 per cent claim to fully understand the meaning)
• Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour (only 27 per cent claim to fully understand the meaning)
• Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy (only 29 per cent claim to fully understand the meaning)

Claire Ridley, UK Marketing Manager for The Sims 3 comments:
“The Sims 3 is all about messing with life and making decisions that will affect the lives of each of the characters in the game. Whilst it is ultimately a game, a person’s moral standards will quickly start to show through revealing what sort ‘God’ they will play over their creations.”

In line with The Sims 3, the research also asked what people would be most likely to do if they could ‘play God’ for a day. While eight per cent said that they would help themselves first by making themselves more attractive or wealthy and four per cent said they were use their power to wreak revenge on someone who had done wrong by them in the past, 17 per cent would help improve the lives of friends and family.

However, the overwhelming majority of 65 per cent of Brits would choose to help the world as a whole, such as putting an end to poverty, bringing about world peace and stopping global warming.

While very few people admitted that they would be likely to break any of the Ten Commandments, the ones that people are most likely to break are keeping the Sabbath day holy (38 per cent) misusing God’s name (23 per cent), envying neighbours (19 per cent) and committing adultery (five per cent).

The Sims 3 launches on both PC and Mac formats on Friday 5th June. Photography is available on request.
ENDS
For further information please contact Laura Bonney & Daisy Swan at Mischief PR on ea@mischiefpr.com or on 0207 100 9999.

To find out more about The Sims 3 visit www.gb.thesims3.com.

More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at www.electronicarts.co.uk/press

Notes to editors
The Sims 3 used the independent online research company Fly Research who surveyed over 1,000 adults and children in the UK, from across the country aged 11 and over, in May 2009.

When conducting the following wording of the traditional Ten Commandments was used:
• Thou shalt have no other god before me
• Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
• Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
• Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy
• Honour thy father and thy mother
• Thou shalt not kill
• Thou shalt not commit adultery
• Thou shalt not steal
• Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour
• Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s goods

Fireteam Mode launched for Combat Arms video game in Europe

Nexon Europe unveils today the anticipated new Fireteam mode for its popular free-to-play online first-person-shooter, Combat Arms Europe.

Unlike previous missions, Fireteam is a cooperative based mission and pits four to eight players against the ‘Sand Hog’, a computer-controlled enemy terrorist army, in an intense multi-staged hostage rescue mission. Players can choose from three different difficulty degrees (Normal, Hard and Extreme) and are further challenged with a limited amount of HP and ammunition.

Both can be replenished by picking up ammos and medical kits dropped by fallen enemies, or by reaching certain checkpoints which will also revive fallen teammates.

The goal of the mission is to clear all of the stages before the mission timer runs out, and each game is individually scored based on the player’s performance.

The ‘Sand Hog’ is a terrorist military organization suspected of illegally supplying weapons to nearby countries. An infiltration team sent in earlier had signaled that it had obtained some vital Intel, but failed to make it to the extraction point and is now believed to be captured or killed. The mission is now for players to infiltrate the area and gather the necessary Intel, and if possible, find and rescue the infiltration team.

"Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?" Comes to the mobile phone!

Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old? The hit Sky one quiz show is now available for your mobile phone.
Reminisce about your old school days and test your skills in 15 different subjects ranging from History and Maths to Geography and English. Will you be brave enough to answer the questions alone or will you rely on your 10 year old classmates to help you out?

Choose carefully as each classmate has different strengths and weaknesses. Answer 11 questions to avoid the humiliation of having to admit “I am not smarter than a 10 year old!