Ashes Cricket stays at Number 1 in the UK games chart

ChartTrack weekly UK charts - Week ending 15 August 2009

1 ASHES CRICKET 2009 CODEMASTERS 1
2 WII SPORTS RESORT NINTENDO 2
3 WII FIT NINTENDO 3
4 CALL OF JUAREZ: BOUND IN BLOOD UBISOFT 7
5 TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 10 EA SPORTS 4



6 MARIO KART WII NINTENDO 8
7 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR ACTIVISION 11
8 MADDEN NFL 10 EA SPORTS -
9 G-FORCE DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS 9
10 HARRY POTTER & THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE EA GAMES 6
11 [PROTOTYPE] ACTIVISION 17
12 FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4 EA SPORTS 5
13 THE SIMS 3 EA GAMES 10
14 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE ACTIVISION 13
15 WII PLAY NINTENDO 15
16 FIFA 09 EA SPORTS 12
17 CARNIVAL: FUNFAIR GAMES 2KPLAY -
18 TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN ACTIVISION 16
19 GUITAR HERO: WORLD TOUR REDOCTANE 19
20 LEGO BATMAN: THE VIDEOGAME WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE

Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena video games exclusively for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS

Get ready for heroic battles, vibrant worlds and boundless creativity! Maxis, an Electronic Arts, announce Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena will be available at North American retailers on Oct. 6 2009 and internationally on Oct. 9, 2009. Built from the ground up exclusively for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS platforms, Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena introduce a new level of action-packed adventure and combat to the critically acclaimed Spore franchise.

“Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena give Spore and Nintendo fans a new, dynamic and engaging way to interact with their customized creature heroes,” said Lucy Bradshaw, VP and General Manager at Maxis. “Players’ heroes take center stage as both games, distinctly tailor-made for its Nintendo platform, infuse creativity, combat and adventure to create a unique gameplay experience on the Wii and Nintendo DS.”

Spore Hero delivers the unparalleled creative freedom of Spore in an action-adventure game created exclusively for the Wii. Set in a rich and vibrant 3D world, Spore Hero empowers the player to become the hero as they embark on an epic quest to save their creature’s home planet from destruction. Along this journey, players engage in fun battles, and solve puzzles to collect and unlock more than 250 new creature parts, all with unique abilities. These parts, which can be used to customize creatures in the revolutionary Spore Creature Creator, can change the way creatures will play and fight in the world. Players can also utilize their brawling skills in a dynamic multiplayer mode, where they battle their friends with their own customized creature to become the ‘baddest’ Spore hero around!

Spore Hero Arena catapults players into a galaxy filled with fun and intense arena-based combat. Featuring an all-new story set in the same universe as Spore Hero, Spore Hero Arena takes players on a quest to save planets in their galaxy from an evil force. Throughout the game, players create their own unique gladiator hero creature and guide it from planet to planet as they fight enemy creatures, collect new parts, gain upgrades and unlock special abilities that will benefit their hero. Developed with multiplayer capabilities in mind, Spore Hero Arena also allows players to battle with up to three friends locally or play with a friend over Wi-Fi, taking the Spore gameplay experience to an entirely new and interactive level.

Available for $49.99 MSRP, Spore Hero is rated E10+ by the ESRB. Spore Hero Arena is available for $29.99 MSRP and is rated E by the ESRB.

To learn more about Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena, play minigames and download fun content, please visit www.sporehero.com. For screenshots or press materials about the Spore franchise, please visit http://info.ea.com.

About Spore

Spore, available for PC and Mac, gives players their own personal universe in a box. Create and evolve life, establish tribes, build civilizations, sculpt entire worlds and explore a universe filled with creations made by other gamers. Spore gives players a wealth of creative tools to customize nearly every aspect of their universe: creatures, vehicles, buildings, and even spaceships. Spore Creatures, available on Nintendo DS, takes players on a quest to save their species and the entire Galaxy. Meet, befriend or fight other creatures in a number of unique Touch Screen-based activities. Spore Galactic Adventures, available now, allows players to beam down to planets for the first time and play, create and share missions with friends online. Available in October, Spore Hero, exclusive to the Nintendo Wii and Spore Hero Arena for the Nintendo DS, catapult players into the role of a fully-customized hero creature fighting to save its planet.

JetPack flight celebrates release of Star Wars the Clone Wars Republic Heroes video game

Attendees at this morning’s opening ceremony of the gamescom expo, Cologne were treated to an extraordinary spectacle featuring the ‘rockeman’, aka Captain Rex as the focal point of the event.

Dressed as Rex from popular Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series, the high octane ‘rocketman’ soared to commemorate the opening of the first ever gamescom expo and the highly anticipated release of Lucas Arts’ Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes.

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes allows players to fight as both Jedi Knights and Clone Troopers through over 30 unique missions, all created incorporating the same ground-breaking, stunning visual style from the TV series. Featuring a brand-new storyline, players will get the chance to take part in the key events that lead directly into the highly anticipated second season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Jedi characters can slice and dice their way through countless enemies, commandeer droids and show off their combat prowess on foot and in a variety of vehicles.

The title is slated for release this October for the Microsoft Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Nintendo Wii, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, Nintendo DS and PC.

Muramasa The Demon Blade Shane Bettenhausen talks about this Nintendo Wii video game

Muramasa: The Demon Blade interview with Shane Bettenhausen from Ignition Entertainment. We take an inside look at why Ignition is jazzed about releasing this game in September 2009 and what makes it extra special. The video game will be released on Nintendo Wii.

Watch the video after the link...

Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi

In Tribute to Legions of Pokemon Fans Worldwide, Announcement Kicked Off Pokemon World Championships. The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo. revealed today that Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems will be released in spring 2010 in the United States and Europe.

These newest entries for the best-selling video game franchise were announced amid the biggest Pokémon video game event of the year and in front of the top Pokémon video game and trading card game players in the world at the 2009 Pokémon World Championships.

Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version return players to the scenic Johto region first introduced in the beloved original Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver games nearly a decade ago. The richly detailed adventure of Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver is now enhanced for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems with updated graphics and sound, as well as new touch-screen features and a host of surprises. Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version bring dozens of Pokémon characters back into the limelight for a new Pokémon generation - and longtime fans - to catch, train and battle.

"Announcing these much-anticipated game launches at The Pokémon World Championships allows us to give the news directly to the legions of fans who represent the true heart and soul of Pokémon," said J.C. Smith, The Pokémon Company International's director of marketing, who made the announcement on stage to kick off the 2009 Pokémon World Championships. "We want to thank these loyal fans by revealing the details to them first."

The launch of Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version follows the incredible launch of Pokémon Platinum Version, which has sold more than 5.66 million copies worldwide to date.

Pokémon is one of the top children's franchises in history. The Pokémon video game series has sold more than 193 million units worldwide since its inception 13 years ago. Additionally, Pokémon is the No. 1 collectible trading card game of all time and has shown no sign of slowing down. It boasts 374 percent sales growth in the United States alone since 2005, and is sold in more than 30 countries across the globe. Other extensions of the property include 12 seasons of the animated television series, which in 2009 will be broadcast in as many as 153 countries in more than 25 languages. Pokémon films and DVDs continue to reach fans in amazing numbers, ranking at the top of the box office in Japan.

HistWar Les Grognards video game released after ten years development

The Grognards of Napoleon march to the sound of the canon! After nearly years of marching in extreme conditions, they are almost on the field of battle. Soon, it will be up to you to maneuver them in battle and lead them to victory!

The anniversary of the birth date of Napoleon Bonaparte, 15th of August, was chosen as the announcement (and reconfirmation) of the release of HistWar Les Grognards. The game has been in development for nearly 10 years by historian and game developer Jean-Michel Mathé and his team, and we are proud and thrilled to announce that HistWar: Les Grognard will be available for download at the end of summer through the website of the exclusive publisher Battlefront (www.battlefront.com). The boxed version (CD and manual) will be delivered approx. 4-6 weeks later in a special Limited Premium Edition with a fully printed manual.

HistWar: Les Grognards is one of the first - if not the first - FPC (First Person commander) game, and allows you to simulate almost all the battles of the Empire between 1805-1814.

HistWar: Les Grognards has three game modes: single player, play by email (PBEM), and multiplayer (up to 8 players). In single player, a player can choose to fight for one of the two armies, can choose to play both armies (for example for training purposes), and there is also a mode where both opponents are under AI control fighting each other. It gets better: in this last mode the player can command units as a colonel in first person mode. He is then in the middle of the conflict without knowing all the parameters.

HistWar: Les Grognards offers different difficulty levels. For example, battle conditions vary greatly with the level of fog of war chosen (none, partial, or total). The choice of seasons and weather conditions alter the behaviors of units, movement speed, and fatigue accumulation. Visibility takes into account smoke clouds released in combat, and so the artillery may have to interrupt its bombardment. These few examples illustrate the level of realism found in HistWar - but are merely scratching the top.

Various game options allow users to customize their game based on their experience. Some options are especially useful for beginners: One option allows you to adjust the reaction time of corps commanders. New players can start with immediate order transmission (which is like most other startegy games work) whereas true Grognards can play with historical communication times (via rider/messenger for example) that can take up to two hours; organizing an army corps of 40000 men necessitates a little bit of time. ;-)

In addition to the ten of the most prestigious battles that will ship with the game, the player can recreate battles of his choosing with the fully featured army and map editors. These two editors also include random generators to instantly create balanced scenarios where two historical armies engage each other.

The army editor (“order of battle”) uses multiple historical databases (uniforms, commanders, regiments, organizations). Hardcoded quotas, based on historical data, put some restrictions on the percentages of different types of units. Thus, the distribution of the three branches (infantry, cavalry, artillery) remains within historical limits.

Scenario and doctrine editors are also available. The latter is a true commanding tool, allowing you to pre-determine the reactions of your units under different circumstances. An army commander takes care of the overall tactical plan and does not micromanage his units! A thorough and complete tutorial will available to introduce you to HistWar: Les Grognards. A demo will be available around the time of release.

Pizza Morgana, a New Comedy Game Series Free demo download link - Monsters and Manipulations in The Magical Forest

Get Teleported Away Into a Magical Dimension at Pizza-morgana.com. Get ready for order-in comedy with Pizza Morgana, a new episodic adventure game series from Corbomite Games, debuting today at: http://pizza-morgana.com. Monsters and Manipulations in The Magical Forest, the first of five digitally distributed games, is now available for $8.95. The full season price is $34.95 and additional episodes will be delivered over the next several months.

Pizza Morgana is a new comedy that will make you drop your toppings off. It lets you play the charming tale of a young girl who is accidentally teleported into a magical dimension filled with monsters, vampires, faeries, and daemons, which all just happen to be employed as pizza delivery guys.

"With episodic gaming, the adventure game genre has been resurrected from the dead," said Oded Sharon, CEO of Corbomite Games. "We're going to deliver it, one slice at a time, with our cast of undead, mystical, and simply monstrous cast of characters. The unique and creative vision of the original Uri Fink comic book takes new form in our game, full of laughter, satire, and sarcasm at every turn. Fans of the Pizza Morgana series, adventure gamers, and girls looking for a strong female character to identify with, will find the outrageous situations and interactions incredibly fun."

Pizza Morgana: Episode One - Monsters and Manipulations in The Magical Forest allows you to play through the events that lead to Jackie's teleportation into the world of TerraMagia and thereafter. This episode introduces Abbie Positive, the pizza delivery vampire that acts as Jackie's guide through the magical world, and a Watcher, who is a robotic hybrid cop that enforces TerraMagian laws. Enjoy multi-linear game play with hilarious consequences by playing parts of the game as Jackie or as Abbie Positive, the vampire.

Monsters and Manipulations in The Magical Forest also features voice acting by famous Hollywood actors, Mia Alon as Jackie, Claudia Christian as Abbie Positive, and Robin Atkin Downes as the Watcher. Among their many onscreen and in-game appearances, both Claudia Christian and Robin Atkin Downes are Babylon 5 alumni, and veteran voice recording actors in the game industry.

To buy Pizza Morgana or download the free demo, please visit:
http://pizza-morgana.com

Dungeon Fighter Online video game closed beta Information

The first beta for Nexon America’s Dungeon Fighter Online recently ended and like most betas it was an opportunity for the game production team to gauge what trends were developing and the players’ reaction. Dungeon Fighter Online is a 2D scrolling action MMORPG which recalls the arcade history of gaming in setting and art style. Though wildly popular in Asia, with more than two million users playing at once when combining the Chinese, Japanese and Korean services, the Nexon America team was most interested in how the U.S. players would take to the game. Once the beta ended on Aug. 3, the team sifted through stacks of data and discovered a few interesting things:

1. Guns, guns, guns.
No surprise, but American players love their guns so the Gunner character class was the most popular class played during the beta. We think the popularity of the Gunner is well deserved because if you don’t feel your heart swell when grabbing your Gatling gun and pouring a fountain of bullets into a pack of monsters, then you need to check with your mortician. Along with guns, the Gunner is an inventive class with loads of unique skills you might not expect to find in a traditional RPG environment... I mean, when you’re faced with a horde of pesky goblins, the sword seems like such a blasé weapon when you’ve got lasers and bombs and robotic helpers. Gunners also get an initial close combat skill - an up close and personal knee to the midsection - so they have something special for the enemies who survive their ranged barrage.

2. Holy warriors FTW
The Priest character class struck a chord with North American players; it seems like this character may be much more popular here than it is in Korea. It is not so much about religion, but I think that using a cross to smash demons back to hell plucks at a primal urge in each of us. Who doesn’t want to be the avenging angel?

3. Content is king
Never underestimate the players’ appetite for content. We put in a level cap of 40 for the beta test. While players didn’t hit it, it was quite impressive how much content some of the players consumed. It’s a good thing that we already have an amazing amount of great content for players post its initial launch. We were also happy to see that many testers jumped immediately into the PvP Arena, even at lower levels.

4. Looks like an arcade game, plays like an RPG – really.
We have been talking a lot about the arcade fighting style of the game but the data we received from the closed beta served as a proof point that Dungeon Fighter Online is played like (and also at its core) an MMORPG. We saw user play patterns that would correlate to MapleStory, including a lengthy average play time. It’s a good thing that DFO will be free-to-play, otherwise we’re talking about a lot of quarters if this was solely on an arcade machine!

5. Old school appearance brings old school players
This game appears to attract the core Nexon player and one who is slightly older. Typically, the average Nexon user is 13-17 but we also had an equally large number of the players in the closed beta who are 18-20 and older. We expected this game to resonate with old arcade players but it also has legs with the college crowd as well.

Improve your Nintendo DS Lite sound as Bass Boosting Audio Enhancer is released DS Lite

BLAZE Portable Pro Speaker - Turn your DS all the way up to 11! Renowned premium video games accessories experts BLAZE have today announced they have stock of their all new DS Lite Portable Pro Speaker.

Powered by the DS lite itself, this stylish little unit it totally portable with no long wires, cables or even batteries to worry yourself about.

The Pro Speaker clips into the GBA slot of your console giving you pin sharp audio with added thump thanks to its twin speakers with woofer effect technology.

Crank it up and get in the groove with Rhythm Paradise or scare yourself stupid with the spooky soundtrack of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, this new DS Lite Portable Pro Speaker from BLAZE gets the most out of your games by transforming the audio quality of your DS Lite.

The BLAZE DS Lite Portable Pro Speaker is available for DS Lite consoles and is on sale now at a low price of £12.99 from www.blazeeurope.com and all good video games stores.

Features:

• Twin speakers give high quality pin sharp sound
• Built in woofer effect enhances bass response
• No Batteries required, powered by your DS!
• Allows easy access to all DS Lite controls
• Folding mechanism for easy storage

100 Year War video game debuts at the Game Developers Conference Europe

IGG, one of the largest Free2Play MMORPG publisher/developers in the United States, debuts its newest masterpiece, 100 Year War, at the Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC), held from August 17-19, 2009 in Cologne, Germany.

100 Year War is a historic MMORPG inspired by the legendary battle between Britain and France in the middle ages. Developed by IGG using Unreal 3D engine, 100 Year War takes players back in time with vivid graphics, cinematic narrations and detailed storylines. Set among the grandeur of medieval Europe, this new 3D MMORPG places you in the midst of a struggle that has endured since the dawn of time. As the battle plays out between the 2 proud countries, players will hold the key to deciding the fate of their chosen nation.

IGG’s developers will personally present 100 Year War for the first time to all the pioneers in the Free2play MMORPG industry, where developers from all over the world can get a sneak peek into this epic piece. Currently, IGG is actively seeking international partnerships to publish these new titles for the European market.