New rhythm and adventure game for girls, Princess Debut: The Royal Ball on Nintendo DS

New rhythm and adventure game for girls, Princess Debut: The Royal Ball, coming to the Nintendo DS.

In the game, players find themselves in a fantasy world where they have 30 days to get ready for the big ball; they’ll have to master their dance moves and pick a partner from one of six charming princes. They’ll meet and woo the princes through the game’s large, branching storyline and exciting event system.

Once players convince a prince to be their dancing partner, it’s time to go out on the dance floor! Players will use the touch screen to guide their character gracefully across the dance floor while matching their partner’s rhythm. All of the dances in the game are taken from motion-captured professional dancers, so the game is just as impressive to watch as it is fun to play.

“What young girl doesn't dream of becoming a princess? Princess Debut transports girls into that magical fairytale world while introducing elements of dance and music,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO at Natsume. “It is a true pleasure to be working with Midway to bring this unique and entertaining title to the European community.”


Princess Debut: The Royal Ball by Natsume features four modes of play including Story, Ballroom, Practice, and Movie. With 20 outfits to find, 14 unique endings to experience, and 18 different kinds of music and dance styles to choose from (including Waltz, Latin dance, Tango, Ballroom, and much more), there’s no shortage of things to see and do.


“We are thrilled to partner up with Natsume to bring this exciting new Nintendo DS product to the European marketplace”, said Martin Spiess, Executive Vice President International, Midway Games Ltd. “Princess Debut: The Royal Ball stands out for its sheer production value and direction in gameplay. It is a highly innovative product featuring elements from both music and dance and is aimed at the broad target group of younger girls. Princess Debut: The Royal Ball fits perfectly into our steadily growing 2009 line-up.”

Princess Debut: The Royal Ball is scheduled to be available exclusively for the Nintendo DS in June 2009.

Hotel Mogul, an exciting new casual business video game sim

Alawar Entertainment, one of the world's leading publishers of casual games, has released Hotel Mogul, an exciting new casual business sim. The addictive time management game combines the best qualities of an action-packed arcade title with intelligent economic strategy.

In Hotel Mogul, the player takes the role of the business savvy Lynette, who sets out to reclaim her family business from her conniving husband. In order to earn enough money to accomplish her goal, she must learn to manage a global business empire. In the beginning, the player is given only a few campsites and cafés to run. In time, he or she is tasked with managing a worldwide network of luxury hotels, restaurants and amusement parks.

Experience comes gradually in Hotel Mogul. Advancing from level to level, the player learns the nuts and bolts of business management, constructs and renovates buildings, handles real estate transactions and develops lightning-quick reflexes. Good multitasking skills and reaction times are essential, as the player must complete each level within a limited amount of time.

Hotel Mogul features over 30 challenging levels, 12 trophies, five massive locations in different climates and four hidden object mini-games. The player can also purchase nine types of buildings, some of which appear only in special bonus levels.

"More and more people are becoming addicted to business sims," says Kirill Plotnikov, vice president of publishing at Alawar. "We wanted to give casual gamers a chance to become successful entrepreneurs by building their own hotel network in different parts of the world - from arid deserts to a winter wonderland. Now everyone can become a Donald Trump!"

Michael Jackson video games and arcade games - with videos - let's remember

Michael Jackson, who died Thursday at age 50, has left us with an important video game history.

When Michael Jackson became a star, Sega created a video game for him, named Michael Jackson's Moonwalker - separate games for the arcade and Sega Genesis/Master System consoles. Moonwalker was notable for being an early example of real-life celebrities appearing in video games, and for using digitized versions of some of Jacko's songs.




The game is also unintentionally hilarious because Jackson is tasked with rescuing helpless children from a crime boss named Mr. Big.

The arcade version was a basic isometric beat-'em-up, with two players able to play as dual Jackos, one in a white suit, one in red similar to his "Smooth Criminal" music video. Michael Jackson's special attack was a dance move, and when activated, a spotlight from the heavens illuminated him as he pulled off some signature spins and kicks, destroying many of the onscreen enemies.



The somewhat more pedestrian home console version behaved more like a standard side-scrolling platform game. Again we're rescuing kids from a mobster, but the real appeal is hearing Jackson shout "Woo!" with each attack--usually a dance-like high kick that causes tiny stars to shoot from his foot.

The music in the home console version was a letdown for anyone who had played the arcade version--essentially MIDI-style pinky versions of tracks such as "Smooth Criminal" and "Beat It."



The game went on to become a cult classic, more for its cultural kitsch value than its gameplay, with its animated Jackson appropriated for funny Web videos and retro-'90s talking-head TV shows.

Subsequently, Jackson made only a handful of video game appearances, in Space Channel 5 (also from Sega) for the Dreamcast, and as an unlockable fighter in Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2.

At the time of his death, rumors had surfaced that Jackson was involved with a new video game project for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3, but the game was never officially confirmed.

Source: Cnet

The winner of the Design a Raskull Contest

After several weeks of entries, one Raskulls design has emerged as the winner, which will be converted into a 3D model and playable in the final Xbox Live Arcade release of Raskulls! The champion is none other than Police, which was flawlessly constructed with all elements of design working perfectly. A simple concept tailored exceptionally well to the Raskulls formula, the entry became a clear favorite within the Halfbrick studio. The artist behind it all is Jamie Cartwright, a 20 year old UK resident.

Congratulations Jamie! His prize is the immortalization of his design in the final XBLA release of Raskulls as a playable character. He also receives a free copy of the game upon its release, along with a limited edition King figurine and Halfbrick T-shirt. The two runner-up designs also receive a free copy of Raskulls and the bundle of merchandise.

Jason Poley is our first runner-up with Lord McSquid:

We always said that you don’t need to be a world class artist to join the fun with Raskulls, and an engaging and unexpected idea can really go a long way. This entirely bizarre yet ultimately lovable Twiggy from Scott MacFarlane deserves the second runner-up award. Blindingly obvious yet completely hilarious - Cccupation: Tree

Congratulations to all three winners! You’ll be able to play as Police (among many other characters) when Raskulls is released on Xbox Live Arcade later this year. For those previously uninitiated with the Raskulls and their misadventures, check out the debut trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGiKazYVjJg&;

Stay tuned for even more Raskulls news, previews, trailers and information in the coming months! In the meantime, enjoy some of the other great entries we received as part of the first official Design a Raskull contest!

Free Demo of The BIGS 2 Now Available for Download on PlayStation Network

2K Sports today announced a free demo of The BIGS 2 is now available for download through PlayStation Network, and a demo on Xbox LIVE Marketplace was released last week. The demo will support two players, local only, and offer fans the exciting opportunity to experience the new Batter’s Wheelhouse, thrilling power ups, and incredible player models in a three inning game as either the American League All-Stars or National League All-Stars.

Fans will also have the chance to smash home runs into building windows and neon signs in the return of the hugely popular mode, Home Run Pinball, in an all-new Las Vegas venue.

The BIGS 2, available on all major video game consoles, has been elevated to new heights this season with amazing visual effects and a variety of newly added modes including the fan requested Season and Become a Legend. With improved player animations and pick-up-and-play controls, The BIGS 2 is guaranteed to deliver an action-packed MLB videogame experience.

Scheduled to be in retail stores on July 7, 2009, the big leagues just got BIGGER with The BIGS 2.

Guitar Hero Greatest Hits and Guitar Hero On Tour Modern Hits video game

Activision brings rock’s hottest hits to all major retailers with the launche of its latest pair of Guitar Hero titles, Guitar Hero Greatest Hits and Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits. Hitting store shelves today, Guitar Hero Greatest Hits expands the experience of previous guitar-only games to the full band so gamers can join together and rock to 48 of the most fun and celebrated tracks from Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.Featuring all master recordings, Guitar Hero Greatest Hits delivers a robust feature set and epic on-disc song list including music from fan-favorite artists such as Alice In Chains, Queen, Poison, Rage Against The Machine, Twisted Sister, Heart and DragonForce.



Also available in stores now, Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits features a varied selection of today’s hottest bands and some of their most popular songs in a set list comprised of 28 face-melting modern rock master recordings from influential artists such as Coldplay, Fall Out Boy, Tenacious D, The Strokes and Weezer. Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits provides players with brand new gameplay experiences, including non-linear career progression, a new Fan Requests system and competitive multiplayer modes that allow song-sharing of more than 75 songs between the other games in the Guitar Hero On Tour series.

Developed by Beenox Studios and rated 12+ by PEGI, Guitar Hero Greatest Hits is now available for Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation 2. Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits is developed by Vicarious Visions exclusively for the Nintendo DS and is rated 3+ by PEGI.

Combat Arms Operation - Power Surge update

Nexon America's popular online FPS updates with new Specialists class, map and more

Combat Arms, one of North America’s most popular multiplayer online first-person shooter games, delivers its latest update today for its newcomers and the over two million registered soldiers for hire with Operation: Power Surge.

Players will not only get a chance to hire the game’s new Specialists class, but also can also put them to work on the game’s latest map, Power Surge. This industrial pumping station is the game’s latest map and can be played in four different game modes, Elimination, One Man Army, Capture the Flag and Spy Hunt.

Specialists are a new form of mercenary, carefully selected and raised from birth to be the ultimate combination of strength, stealth, brilliance and skill. Two Specialists quickly established themselves as clear leaders of the group since the beginning of their training. Scorpion, named for his ability to survive in any situation, and Viper, named for her quick and fatal attacks, are available for players through the use of in-game GP or Nexon Cash.

Specialists have access to four special items, which are detailed here:

Claymore:
A defensive, anti-personnel land mine utilizing a wireless detonator, the Claymore projects tiny steel fragments in a fan-shaped pattern, devastating enemies with its terrific explosive power.

Satellite Scanner:
A military grade, portable scanner reveals the locations of hidden enemies. Scanned data is transmitted to teammates via satellite, giving fellow soldiers an edge over the enemy!

Medkit:
A military syringe developed by NEMEXIS that is injected directly into the bloodstream. The Medkit restores a set amount of HP. Because of its portability, it can come in handy in the middle of combat situations when it is impossible to call on a medic. The Medkit can only be used for recovering one's own HP.

M32:
A 40mm semi-automatic, six-barreled weapon with a revolving magazine, this rapid-fire grenade launcher gives increased firepower to foot soldiers.

Tumblebugs, Timeloop and Go! Go! Rescue Squad iPhone games

Connect2Media, has announced their iPhone release schedule for the summer with a line-up that includes titles like classic casual title ‘Tumblebugs’ and brand new IP ‘Timeloop’.

Connect2Media has already released ‘Go! Go! Rescue Squad!’ on the App Store and the next game will be ‘Timeloop’, another brand new IP created in-house at the company’s Manchester development studio.

Timeloop is an arcade puzzle game which sees the player using short jumps in time (Timeloops) to travel back in time to help their previous self solve puzzles – really, it makes sense in-game!

Next up comes classic casual game ‘Tumblebugs’. With well over 35 million downloads or free-plays to date of the web version the game is a true ‘mass market’ product. The game has topped download charts on all of the major games sites including Yahoo!, Big Fish Games, Shockwave, AOL and Oberon and spent four months in Real Arcade’s top ten. The iPhone version has been created by Tag Games who have scored a massive App Store hit with their excellent ‘Car Jack Streets’.

‘String ‘Em In’ hits the App Store next. The interactive TV smash hit is already played by millions around the world. The intuitive word game is available to over 11 million homes in the UK alone, enjoying exceptional replay rates and becoming the most played game on Virgin Media UK cable network. The game has recently launched on Facebook where it has enjoyed immense international success.

Then the first of brand new, cross-platform, franchise ‘365 Sudoku’ arrives on the App Store. The 365 brand is aimed squarely at casual gamers and is the first in a line of trustworthy products that will deliver timelessly playable games in a slick, iPhone environment with presentation and features that make full use of the iPhone’s features.

“Like the iPhone, the App Store is a unique channel that demands new ways to market product,” said Eric Hobson, CEO of Connect2Media. “By not rushing into the market immediately we have been able to come in with a dedicated roadmap and marketing campaigns that will address all manner of iPhone and iPod touch consumer.”

Tips and Tricks for Naruto Shippuden - Ninja Council 4 video game

TOMY Corporation today released a variety of tips and tricks to help players as they embark on a quest to save Gaara from the sinister Akatuski organization in the recently released action adventure title NARUTO Shippuden - Ninja Council 4. As each level presents its own challenges, players can determine which character’s unique jutsu is best suited for the obstacle at hand. For instance, Naruto’s Toad summoning jutsu helps players get to high, hard to reach places.

The game is the first Nintendo DS title to feature the NARUTO Shippuden story arc in North America, allowing fans to play as Naruto and his friends in the next generation of the series. Based on the enormously successful animated series from VIZ Media, NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Council 4 introduces consumers to a host of playable characters sporting their updated NARUTO Shippuden looks, and wireless multiplayer battles for up to four players.

1. Tired of having to find alternate routes around seemingly impenetrable walls?
Choose Sakura as your main ninja and go right through the wall with her “Girl
Power” jutsu.

2. Some levels are dark! Try using Neji with his “Byakugan” jutsu to help navigate
through these tough levels.

3. Having a tough time with complicated jumping sequences? Choose Rock Lee with
his superior jumping ability and avoid these situations all together!

4. Sometimes regular jumping just isn’t enough. Use Naruto’s Toad summoning jutsu
to get to those high, hard to reach places. You just might find something valuable!

5. Ever come by a seemingly inaccessible switch in your travels? Try using Kakashi
and summon Pakkun to get into even the tightest spots.

6. Use your minimap to explore your surroundings. You never know what you’re
going to find!

7. When choosing your support ninja, take into consideration what you need for the
mission.
Are there lots of small foes that are hard to target? Use Rock Lee to clear them out.
Do you find that you are constantly searching for health potions? Sakura can help
heal your wounds.

8. Always be on your toes! Some platforms are not very stable and may fall once you
land on them. Time your jumps quickly and carefully to avoid falling!

9. Bosses are more challenging than any other ninja you face in a mission. Pull out all
the stops and use your most powerful jutsu against these foes!

10. Remember to use the gold you receive from completed missions. Sometimes
purchasing a new jutsu can mean the difference of finishing or failing a mission.

Overlord II three video games details fact sheets - with three videos

Don’t delay, be evil today and prepare to lead a horde of mischievous and destructive Minions through enchanted lands steeped in fairytale lore and loaded with sinister and satirical twists in Overlord II, Overlord Dark Legend and Overlord Minions, available in UK stores tomorrow, Friday 26th June.†



Heralding the arrival of the delightfully diabolical trio of Overlord titles are three exclusive new Overlord videos. The Overlord II “Developer Diary: Humour” video features Lennart Sas, Creative Director of Triumph Studios, discussing how humour permeates throughout the game and plays a vital part in the Overlord universe. “Humour is key to the Overlord experience. Without humour and parody, the game would probably get banned.” says Sas



Codemasters also released new gameplay videos for Overlord Dark Legend and Overlord Minions. In the Overlord Dark Legend gameplay video, players are introduced to the new, younger face of evil and the return of some old friends; the Minions. The Overlord Minions gameplay video showcases some of the more devious puzzles in wait for Giblet, Stench, Blaze and Zap (the Minion Special Farces team) as well as some of the spectacular bosses that they will need to outsmart in their quest to please the mighty Overlord.



The videos, the new screen shots for all of the Overlord games and the Overlord II wallpapers are available to view at www.overlordgame.com.

Overlord II is the sequel to the original twisted fantasy action adventure and is available for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC, with full online & offline multiplayer and split screen functions. Overlord Dark Legend was developed and designed exclusively for Nintendo Wii and features Minion control through intuitive Nintendo Wii Remote movement. Overlord Minions is a dedicated puzzle action title, developed exclusively for Nintendo DS and uses 100% touch screen controls, perfect for Overlords on the go.

OVERLORD TITLES NOW AVAILABLE:

OVERLORD II
• PLAYSTATION 3 system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PC.

Overlord II is the sequel to the hit warped fantasy action adventure that had players being delightfully despotic. In Overlord II, a new Overlord and a more powerful army of Minions take on an entire empire in a truly epic adventure, inspired by the rise of the Roman Empire. As the Glorious Empire conquers kingdoms and destroys any sign of magic it finds, it’s time to go Minion Maximus and send in the horde.

The Minions return smarter, deadlier (and funnier) and are ready to fight in large scale battles that will see their wild pack mentality squaring up to the organized legions of the Glorious Empire. As ever, they’ll do anything and everything the Overlord commands of them, especially now that they can run ravage and wreck buildings and scenery. They’ve also learn to ride: In Overlord II Minions are able to mount up and ride wolves and other magical creatures around the landscape and take them into battle, making our band of merry fighters faster and fiercer than ever before.

OVERLORD DARK LEGEND
• Nintendo Wii.

Designed and developed exclusively for Wii, Overlord Dark Legend is a brand new action adventure steeped in fairy tale lore with sinister, satirical twists. Set in a time before the original game, players take the role of a new young Overlord. As he revels in command of the Minions, our trainee tyrant will be able to take his growing pains out on the local fairy tale inhabitants as he protects his castle and lands.

Connecting players to the game world in three dimensions, the use of the Wii Remote™ gives unprecedented control over the minions. For example, individual Minions can be plucked from the horde, held by the neck and then, by vigorously shaking the Wii Remote, throttled to imbue him with some Overlordly power and turn him into a manic minion missile. With a now-explosive body, the insane little critter can be guided into enemies with hilarious, if rather fatal, consequences.

Backed by a rich, tongue-in-cheek story from award-winning games author Rhianna Pratchett, the game features Overlord favourites, including: Halflings, trolls, elves, and dwarves and introduces wicked witches, gingerbread men and Lil’ Red Riding Hood, the seeming sweet girl with a very personal lupine secret.

OVERLORD MINIONS
• Nintendo DS.

Introducing Giblet, Blaze, Stench, and Zap – an elite Minion crew who, assisted by minion master Gnarl, receive star billing in Overlord Minions, an irresistible and accessible puzzle action game designed exclusively for Nintendo DS. In Overlord Minions, the Overlord commands the Minion team remotely. The Nintendo DS stylus becomes an extension of his evil will and every precise touch screen command is the player-as-Overlord directing, commanding and combining minions in battle, pointing and sweeping them to attack enemies and solving puzzles to execute his dastardly plans.

Controlling the Special Farces team of four, players negotiate fiendish levels and take on a huge range of warped enemies to hunt down the Kindred, a cult dedicated to resurrecting the mighty Dragon Kin, a race of humanoid dragon hybrids, determined to replace the Overlord’s despotism with their own. Extending the Overlord series’ trademark humour, gameplay focuses on the mischievous physical comedy of the minion’s antics and is delivered in a stylized cartoon visual style.