NFC West team and player rating revealed in Madden NFL 10 season preview

Can you feel it? With NFL OTA’s (Organized Team Activity) concluding, that means that start of training camp draws ever closer. What teams will lead the pack? Which players are prepped for a breakout season? Will your team be a contender or pretender? See how your favorite team and players will fair – according to the Madden NFL 10 Season Preview.

We continue our look at each team’s overall rating and individual player ratings with a focus on the NFC West division. In addition to the player ratings, a wealth of team-specific assets will be made available, for both the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, and Nintendo Wii versions of Madden NFL 10.
Everything culminates on August 3rd, where Madden NFL 10 will predict the 2009 NFL division winners, season MVP, and more.

To view the overall team ratings for the Cardinals, Seahawks, 49ers and Rams as well as download the complete team roster ratings, visit the official Madden NFL 10 website below:

• Madden NFL 10 Season Preview

Up next week: The NFC East

Madden NFL 10 will be available on the Xbox 360 video game system from Microsoft, PlayStation 2 and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment systems, Nintendo Wii, PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

Tropico 3 – Sign up now for the closed beta – due to go live on the 13th of July!

Kalypso Media are offering a select group of gamers the opportuity to pay an early visit to their tropical paradise, Tropico Island. Closed beta testing of Tropico 3 will provide the opportunity to visit Tropico Island at the start of summer. Tropico 3, published by Kalypso Media and developed by Haemimont Games is the sequel to the hit title Tropico series and follows closely the storyline of the original title in the series, Tropico.

The beta testers will be the first El Presidentes of the modern Tropico Island, with new features such as secret police, a lucrative oil industry, additional edicts and much more. Applicants for the position of El Presidente can sign up here:

www.haemimontgames.com/tropico3/betatest.php

The first mandate to rule the people of Tropico will begin on the 13th of July. Selected candidates will be provided with further details by e-mail.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite with free downloads arives

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite has arrived in Europe and as part of Capcom’s post launch initiatives there will be a range of new quests and bonus items available to download for free of charge each month. To celebrate today’s launch the first three are already available and feature a jungle based quest for beginners and two hunting quests for the more advanced hunter.

Gamers have 50 minutes to complete each quest and if successful they will be rewarded with some cash to purchase new weapons and armour or buy some treats for their Felyne. If that’s not enough then take advantage of some of the bonus items that are also on offer. There are new titles to add to your Guild Card and access to new Felynes and skills to equip them with. Just visit the download section when you’re in the main menu of the game and you will be able to download the quests for free.

Capcom is also launching a retail initiative to encourage players to team up and embark on their journey through the world of Monster Hunter together. Purchasers of the game will find a unique game code printed on the back of the game manual which once entered on the Capcom Europe website www.capcom-europe.com will generate its own unique team code. Everytime you persuade one of your friends to purchase the game make sure they register on the website using this team code. Get three of your friends to register and you will be automatically entered into a monthly prize draw to win some fantastic Capcom prizes as well as a position on the leader board. The person sitting at the top of the leader board at the end of the year will win a grand prize!

Share Gifts with your My Friends! on Nintendo DS

Collect cool gifts for your friends and share them in My Friends! Explore the many different game locations to collect your gifts and once you have them you can share them with your friends, choosing from flowers, snacks or surprises! Got a friend who’s hungry?

Then make sure you give them a snack! A young lady you want to impress? Flowers are the way to her heart! Not sure what to give? Then surely a surprise is the right thing!

You’ll get extra points if you give the perfect gift, so make sure you choose wisely!

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.

Travel through the different worlds to find your gifts, it’s not easy as they’ll never be in the same place again in the same world! See if you can get the complete set of gifts, you’ll never run out of friends and be the best friend ever!
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.

Addictive puzzler Droplitz on Xbox LIVE PlayStation Network and PC

Blitz Arcade’s fantastically addictive downloadable bundle of joy is out now on Xbox LIVE, PlayStation Network and PC. Look out for it on iPhone soon.

Brought to the unsuspecting and soon-to-be-addicted world by Atlus and Blitz Arcade Droplitz promises hours and hours of: “Just five more minutes…”

The game:
Droplitz is all about connecting dials to save the precious droplitz dripping from the top of the screen. If you create multiple paths at the same time, you earn score combos and generate more droplitz.

Steve Stopps, Blitz Arcade Project Director, says: “Droplitz is such a favourite in the studio and we’re really excited that players are getting their hands on it finally. Reaction so far has been great and we just want everyone out there to enjoy it as much as we do. It’s great working with such a passionate and enthusiastic publisher as Atlus, who share our excitement about this game.”

Special things about Droplitz:
• Infinitely accessible, instantly addictive – Turn dials, open paths, and don't let the droplitz go to waste! Casual and hardcore gamers alike will be mesmerised by Droplitz as they rotate and connect puzzle pieces to let the droplitz flow and earn high scores.
• Four unique game modes – Distinct layers of complexity keep the challenge fresh with Classic, Zendurance, Power Up and and Infection. Learn how to deal with sluggish, infected dials; strategically use bombs to clear sections of the game board or speed up the action.
• Endless replayability – The timeless satisfaction of making combos, clearing boards, and earning top scores will keep players coming back for more. Ever increasing speeds and larger boards ensure that there will always be a challenge ahead.
• Compete for high scores – Online leaderboards and 12 trophies/achievements mean that when you're the best, everyone will know it. High score-based gameplay makes every game a competition to get to the top of the charts.

Users Who Had Albatross 18 Accounts Before Pangya Re-Launched In U.S. Must Submit Their Account Recovery Requests By 11:59 PDT June 30

Ntreev announce it will be closing Pangya migration from Albatross 18 at 11:59 PDT June 30th. This means any Albatross 18 users who want to migrate their accounts over to Pangya must submit their recovery requests to Ntreev USA before the cutoff time on June 30. After that, the account recovery service will no longer be available.

This announcement is only for players who had played Albatross 18 and have not yet submitted a request for account recovery. For players who have never played the previous version of Pangya, this announcement does not apply. Albatross 18 players can request account recovery through the ‘RECOVER ACCOUNT’ button located on the right side of Ntreev’s website at:
http://Pangya.ntreev.net/.

Pangya is a casual golf game that takes the difficult rules of golf an transforms them into an easy to pick-up and play casual golf experience that a player of any skill level can enjoy. Pangya is free for players to download and play, while some items in the game including certain characters, clothing sets, new equipment and accessories are available to purchase via micro-transaction. The in-game currency in Pangya, called Pang, allows players to purchase items from the in-game shop that will enhance a character. The in-game shop also provides new inventory and equipment and offers players the ability to send gifts and more. Gamers can earn Pang by finishing a hole at par or better and by showcasing powerful shots.

Empire Total War video game soundtrack released

Epic Original Score Performed by the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra

Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with SEGA, proudly presents Empire: Total War - The Soundtrack featuring the musical score from the latest installment of The Creative Assembly's multi award winning Total War PC gaming franchise.

Empire: Total War - The Soundtrack will be released on June 30th to retail outlets through Sumthing Else Music Works www.sumthing.com, and will be available for digital download on Sumthing Digital www.sumthingdigital.com and iTunes®.

Empire: Total War - The Soundtrack features the epic orchestral score composed by Richard Beddow (Viking: Battle For Asgard), Richard Birdsall, Walter Nair, Simon Ravn and performed by The Slovak National Symphony Orchestra at the Slovak Radio Concert Hall in Bratislava. The score was orchestrated and conducted by Nic Raine (Viking: Battle For Asgard) and the soundtrack was produced by lead composer Richard Beddow.

"Undertaking the challenge of the music production for Empire: Total War was no simple task," said composer Richard Beddow. "The game needed music to convey its size and breadth, covering the various countries at war, delicately accompanying campaign gameplay and underpinning the various cinematics and events in the game."
Empire: Total War is set in the 18th century, a turbulent era that is the most requested by Total War's loyal fan base and a period alive with global conflict, revolutionary fervor and technological advances. With themes such as the Industrial Revolution, America's struggle for independence, the race to control Eastern trade routes and the globalization of war on land and sea, Empire: Total War delivers one of the richest and most dynamic PC RTS game experiences of all time. For more information on the game, please visit www.totalwar.com.

For more information on Sumthing Else Music Works and its complete catalog of video game soundtracks, please visit www.sumthing.com and www.sumthingdigital.com.

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