Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box Nintendo DS video game trailer

In the world of Professor Layton, the only way to get past the hordes of mailmen, mad dogs, and other crazed denizens that block your path is by solving fiendish brain bending puzzles. In this follow-up to last year's curious adventure, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box continues the top-hatted adventurer's story as he once again investigates a suspicious murder and explores other mysterious goings on.

In most respects, the Diabolical Box isn't much different than the Curious Village. The sequel maintains the same sepia-tinged, European art style, soothing puzzle music, and excellent voice work of the original. But this new adventure introduces a whole new slew of puzzles, and plenty of extra diversions in the Professor's suitcase. While the Curious Village limited you to building a mechanical dog and decorating your hotel room, Diabolical Box lets you put together a camera piece-by-piece, make various teas, and help an overweight hamster get in shape.


The extras add even more encouragement to seek out and solve each little puzzle, since some reward you with items like new camera parts and workout motivators for the hamster. But, like before, you don't have to worry about getting in a hurry and leaving puzzles behind. Granny Riddleton returns to sweep up any puzzles you miss and store them in her shack for you to finish later. No matter where the game takes you, you always have a chance to visit Granny and collect the puzzles you miss.

Click here for more images from the game...

And collecting all of the Picarats (the game's reward for solving puzzles correctly) earns you even more bonuses this time around, with one piece of unlockable content that's only available after collecting 4,500 of the miniature medallions. Though Nintendo hasn't talked about it yet, the game's menu also has a spot for downloadable puzzles. So, once again, you'll be able to connect to the Internet and nab even more riddles, if the game's already hefty assortment isn't enough to satiate your puzzle-solving lust.

Too many other quality Japanese titles, like Yakuza 3 and Retro Game Master 2, haven't made it to the States, so it's exciting that Diabolical Box is on its way here. Layton followers don't have much longer to wait either, as the game's set to release on August 24. Hopefully, it will sell well enough to bring its already-out-in-Japan sequel, Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel, State-side as well.

Overall, the game is just an excuse to solve puzzles wrapped loosely around a murder mystery story, but searching out and solving those puzzles is almost as addictive as trying to get the right answer the first time. If you think the only way to solve the world's problems is by staring down the sights of an automatic rifle, Layton may not be your cup of tea. But if you're looking for an adventure game that works great on the DS, then Diabolical Box should be on your short list of must-have Fall releases.

Source: 1UP

Mythic Entertainment Announces Ultima Online - Mondain’s Legacy Expansion Pack is Available download now for Free

New 14-Day Free Trial Entices New & Returning Players with Vast RPG World and All Seven Ultima Online Expansion Packs

Mythic announce that Ultima Online - Mondain’s Legacy, is now available at no charge to subscribers of Ultima Online. Launched in the summer of 2005, the 7th expansion to the legendary MMORPG Ultima Online (UO) introduces the Elven race and several sprawling dungeons to the vast game world. For current Ultima Online subscribers that do not have Mondain’s Legacy, the game client will be automatically updated with the expansion content.

For players that are new to Ultima Online or for those interested in returning to the world, they can download the 14-day free trial which now features all seven expansions, including Mondain’s Legacy. Now all players can experience the Elves, new human racial abilities and new dungeons with dozens of new monsters to battle and weapons to wield.

“Mythic is extremely excited about offering Mondain’s Legacy as a free upgrade to all Ultima Online subscribers, as well as new players who sign up for the 14-day free trial,” said Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer for Mythic Entertainment. “Our goal is to continually provide fresh and rewarding experiences for our thriving UO community. By opening up our 7th expansion to all players, we hope to get everyone excited for the upcoming summer release of our 8th addition, Stygian Abyss.”

Coming this summer, Ultima Online™: Stygian Abyss™, the game’s 8th expansion, revolves around the introduction of the playable Gargoyle race. Players will find expansive new areas to explore, including Ter Mur, the Gargoyle homeland, and the Stygian Abyss – the largest dungeon area ever introduced to Ultima Online. This sprawling dungeon will contain new boss monsters of unparalleled difficulty, including the Medusa, Primeval Lich and the Stygian Dragon, as well as Player vs. Player zones where adventurers will be turned against one another.

Ultima Online: Stygian Abyss expansion requires the original Ultima Online game to play and will be available in the summer of 2009 via digital distribution only. To download Ultima Online at no charge or to find out more information about Ultima Online and the additions from Mondain’s Legacy and Stygian Abyss, please visit: http://www.uo.com.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box Nintendo DS video game website goes live - download puzzles

The website for Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box has gone live.

Visit the site here...

Not too much going on over there at the moment, but there’s some cute wallpapers if the game is one of your things.

It will land in the US on August 24 and on September 25 in Europe for Nintendo DS and DSi with Level-5 releasing downloadable puzzles every week for 33 weeks.

Blood Bowl video game Meet our Champions - the Lizardmen!

Cyanide and Focus Home Interactive are pleased to unveil the second video of the new series of trailers.

This week, the Lizardmen show their skills on the Blood Bowl field! Mixing team players of brutal strength and nimble runners, the Lizardmen show they can overcome any obstacle either by dodging the opponents... or simply running over them.



An ultra-violent strategy game based on Warhammer Fantasy and American football, Blood Bowl allows players to create the ultimate “fantasy” sports teams. Coaches can build bone-crushing teams of Orcs, Wood Elves, Humans, Dwarfs and many more fantastic creatures – then throw them into the stadium for the ultimate blood sport! Blood Bowl is strategic, action-packed and violent, requiring coaches to use their best tactics, team design – and a dose of pure ruthless bloodlust always helps too!



All of these charming creatures are waiting for you to play in highly contested games soon on PC, Xbox 360 and handheld consoles.

MMORPG - War of Angels get a glimpse of the revolutionary role-playing game download link

War of Angels offers a complete and beautifully designed fantasy world, whose graphic style -a blend of a Japanese comic book style and western elements – is just one of War of Angel’s revolutionary features. Winged characters have exciting battles not only on land but also underwater and in the air. An intuitive town building system allows guilds to create cities according to their demands – but battles decide who rules these cities in the future.

Players can rear pets and mounts – their traits and characteristics will depend on the food fed to the player’s companion as it grows. Obviously, War of Angels comes with a variety of trading and community functions as well as a sophisticated crafting system. Finally, this unique RPG has a non-linear storyline – one that directly affects the character’s development. Players can decide whether they will choose the path of righteousness or descend into the darkness.

A truly exceptional title

"We are very pleased that we have secured this innovative title for the western gamer scene" says Patrick Streppel, member of the gamigo AG board. "An exceptional graphic style, the ability to fight under water and in the air as well as an innovative city building system set War of Angels apart from other MMOGs."

Pre-registration for the closed beta phase of the German version is open at http://warofangels.gamigo.com.

Wii Sports sells almost 2 million copies in first quarter of 2009

Nintendo announced sales numbers for some of its titles in the last quarter not bad figures especially considering four titles sold over one million copies between April and July.

* Pokemon Platinum DS, moved 1.91 million copies during the quarter and has sold 5.66 million worldwide
* Wii Fit sold 3.6 million copies, making LTD 21.82
* Mario Kart Wii sold 2 million with LTD 17.39 million
* Wii Sports sold 1.91 million copies, bringing total sales to 47.62 million which includes the sales of bundled versions

Xbox confirm Guitar Hero 5 avatars play along with your heroes

Activision has confirmed that Xbox avatars will be playable in its forthcoming Guitar Hero 5 - the latest in the long series of music games. It means that you'll be able to rock out alongside Lars Ümlaüt and Judy Nails.

You'll also be able to customise that avatar further in Guitar Hero 5's "create-a-rocker" mode, which will let you add clothing and accessories that are a little more rock'n'roll than the Xbox defaults.

As previously reported on Pocket-lint, Guitar Hero 5 has 85 tracks from more than 80 bands, 25 of whom have never been in a music game before. You'll also be able to combine any number of guitarists, bassists, vocalists and drummers to match whatever instruments you have.

Source: PocketLint

Outspark To Launch And Operate New Free-to-Play, Online Casual Rhythm, Action and Dancing Game in North America

Outspark, the premier North American publisher for free-to-play massively multiplayer online games (MMO), today announced that it will launch and operate the North American adaptation of Debut, a casual, online rhythm and dancing game developed by EA’s J2M studio in Seoul, Korea. It is EA’s first Korean-developed game to come to the online gaming market in the west.

Working with J2M’s development team, Outspark will not only customize the game for North American audiences, but also build enhanced design and interfaces, social networking features, and regular content updates. Outspark will also be responsible for the operation of the title – including monetization, marketing, community management, support, and customer service support for the game.

Outspark has pioneered proprietary analysis-based game publishing that applies real time gamer data to dynamic retail management which responds to player perceptions, interactions and gaming patterns. Outspark uses this information to create an enhanced, engaging gaming experience that entices its more than 5 million gamers to “stay ‘n play” in their Virtual Playground, resulting in an industry-leading Average Revenue Per Paying User (ARPPU) of $50-60 per month.

The new title will leverage the power of the music genre in a free to play, casual MMO offering. Players who are accustomed to single player music and dance games will be able to experience the fun of a rich multi-player experience with deep community, highly customizable characters and great songs.

“We’re delighted to work with EA to bring this title from J2M to North America,” said Susan Choe, CEO of Outspark. “EA’s scale and strong heritage combined with Outspark’s online platform and unparalleled capability to provide real-time feedback and enhanced customization will bring unrivaled fun to millions of gamers as they play and connect in real time. Our players and EA fans will be eager to get their hands on this game.”

"Debut has been operating in Korea since 2008, and we're looking forward to bringing its adaptation to a broad North American audience," said Savannah Hahn, General Manager of EA Korea. This is a fun, immersive music rhythm game, and with Outspark's expertise in creating rich, social online gaming experiences, we think it will bring a new type of gaming environment to entertainment seekers online."

The new title is expected to be launched this fall.

iPhone is more powerful than Nintendo Wii say Telltale Games

The iPhone is a more powerful platform than Nintendo's Wii, and frame rate issues experienced in the Wii version of Tales of Monkey Island are down to hardware and file size restrictions, according to a Telltale Games developer.

Complaints over frame rate issues in the WiiWare version of the game on the developer's official forums triggered the response from a TellTale programmer going under the name of Yare, reports GameZine.

"The voices and textures are the way they are because we're limited to 40 megs for WiiWare titles," he stated. " The PC versions of our games are usually 150+ megs, and most modern games range anywhere from one to ten gigabytes or more. Talk to Nintendo about this one.

"Frame rate issues will probably get sorted out eventually, but keep in mind that the Wii is just not a powerful console. An iPhone is much more powerful than a Wii, even."

In a later post, the alleged representative said he stood by his comments, adding:

"The Wii and DS are extremely underpowered and their popularity doesn't remove the hardware limitations."

Even with the technical issues it experienced on Wii, Tales of Monkey Island has been one of Telltale's most successful launches, as Telltale founder Dan Connors told VideoGamer.

"It’s been pretty shocking how much love there is still out there for the Monkey Island series. It seems like a generational thing as well.

"Unfortunately I can’t get into the specific numbers, but I would definitely say it’s our strongest performing franchise to date. We’re pretty excited. It was number one on Steam for a few days. It did really well. It’s been our best performing title from our side as well."

Source: GamesIndustry

Nintendo DS struggles as Apple iPhone games take bigger slice of mobile games market

The Nintendo DS and DSi is said to be struggling to entice more punters, Nintendo has admitted its disastrous financial figures are down to the new–found status of the iPhone and iPod Touch as handheld gaming’s great new hope.

Nintendo’s profits have slumped in recent months by a massive 66%. And while the recession is clearly giving the Japanese giant a money–based migraine, it also says games from Apple’s App Store on the iPhone and iPod Touch are also wreaking havoc with sales of the Nintendo DS and DSi games.

In an otherwise dull conference call about their dire results, a Nintendo representative claimed the Nintendo DS and DSi were suffering, “due to harsher competition in the portable arena stemming directly from Apple devices.”

The Nintendo DS outsells all consoles combined

There are a lot of reasons why the iPhone and iPod Touch are giving the Nintendo DS a beating. On the most basic level though, Apple doesn’t have to shift games to shops before selling them, keeping the costs low. The Secret of Monkey Island only costs £4.99 on the App Store. And games can be free or cost just pennies.

How the PSPgo comes into this handheld play remains to be seen. But with direct downloads, Sony should be able to undercut Nintendo when it comes to price. The battle for your daily commute’s gaming time is well and truly on.

Source: ElecticPig