Spore Hero on Nintendo Wii Do you have what it takes to be a Spore hero?

Spore Hero delivers the unparalleled creative freedom of Spore in a story-driven action-adventure game created exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. Set in a rich and vibrant 3D world, Spore Hero empowers you to become the hero as you embark on an epic quest to fight to save your creature’s new home world from destruction!



This new and original Spore adventure starts with a bang – literally! Hurtling through the galaxy inside a blue meteor, you have just crash landed on a strange alien world. But something evil has followed you and brought dangerous red meteorites crashing down on the unsuspecting planet. Only a true hero can save the world from being destroyed by this new threat! Do you have what it takes to be a Spore hero?

In fighting to save your new home planet, your hero will engage in courageous battles, amazing adventures and much more! As you explore your mysterious world, you’ll encounter and unlock more than 250 new parts and abilities to help you complete quests, win fights, unlock combos and learn new fighting skills.

Creatures will come alive in Spore Hero, thanks to the revolutionary technology known as Spasm. Spasm, also known as procedural animation, is tailored specifically for the Nintendo platform allowing you create any creature your imagination can desire. Want two heads and seven legs, six arms or more? Spore Creature Creator gives you all the tools you need to enhance your hero as you fight, bite, spit and charge your enemies with the Wii Remote.

Spore Hero features a dynamic multiplayer mode, where you’ll use your battling skills to become the ‘baddest’ Spore hero around! This mode allows you to create your ultimate warrior by using any combination of your earned parts in a special multiplayer mode Creature Creator, or choose one of your previously created creatures.

About Spore
The critically-acclaimed Spore for PC lets gamers build their own personal universe from scratch, evolving life from a single-cell organism to a galactic god over hundreds of millions of years. Players design a species and guide it to sentience, then help it build a society, develop its culture, and ultimately explore an infinite cosmos of worlds created by other players. The Spore world continues to grow with two games built from the ground up for Nintendo Wii and DS. Visit www.sporehero.com for more details.

Key features

• Fight to Save the World— Built from the ground up exclusively for the Nintendo Wii, Spore Hero features an intriguing storyline taking you on a journey to fight a mysterious dark force that threatens your creatures new planet. Embark on exciting missions, intense battles, and incredible action-quests to save the world!

• Create a Hero—Spore’s much-loved Spore Creature Creator comes to the Nintendo Wii for the first time, offering a robust library of more than 250 parts to create your unique hero! One eye or five? Wings or a horn? The possibilities are endless!

• Battle Your Friends- Put your combat skills to the test as you engage in embroiled battles with a friend in a multiplayer mode! Create a decked out creature or choose a previously created or pre-made creature to challenge friends with.

• Evolve— Evolution is taken to the next level in Spore Hero as you earn and find new parts, such as limbs and accessories to enhance your hero. As new parts play a direct role on your creatures abilities, you’ll have the power to charge your enemies with newly-acquired horns or fly to new levels with recently-unlocked wings!

You can even lend your parts to fellow creatures, helping them evolve along the way.

Athletes Host New BattlePros.com Website; Want Fans to Bring Their "A" Game

A new video game community site launched today - with a twist. BattlePros.com is a Web destination hosted by professional athletes that love video games and the competition that goes with it. Video gamers can join the site for free and take part in a variety of contests and tournaments to win a chance to battle a pro online.

Members can also sign-up to receive Twitter alerts when the pros are heading to Xbox Live, PlayStation Network or a PC gaming community looking for playing partners. The site will also offer the best trash-talking videos the Web has to offer. Pros and members alike will be challenged to show off their smack-talking skills, with the most creative videos featured on the main page of the site.

News Facts

* BattlePros is the first known site that brings together professional athletes and video gamers for ongoing battles online. Battles will take part on a weekly basis, providing video gamers with nearly endless opportunities to match wits with the pros.
* The BattlePros Blog will feature game reviews, tips and tricks, and gaming anecdotes from the pros.
* The site will host an ongoing monthly contest to find the Web's best trash talkers.
* JJ Stokes, former NFL receiver and current radio and television broadcaster is the site's video host. JJ learned a thing or two about trash-talking during his nine years in the league and wants the fans to bring their "A" game.
* Other pro hosts on the site include: Manny Lawson, linebacker with the San Francisco 49ers; Thomas DeCoud, safety with the Atlanta Falcons; and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters Dan Molina and Kristin Barbie Molina.
* New pros will be joining shortly from a range of professional leagues, such as Major League Baseball, the NBA, the NHL, Major League Soccer and a variety of Xtreme sports.
* Fans can follow the athletes on Twitter (www.twitter.com/battlepros) and receive tweets when they're heading online looking for random battle partners.
* The site is geared for online gamers looking for new friends to team up with or battle online for the hottest games, including: sports games such as Madden 10 and NBA Live; action strategy games like Halo 3 and Call of Duty: World at War; and music simulation games including Rock Band and Guitar Hero.
* The site's member search function and live chat capabilities make it easy for gamers to find playing partners of all skill levels.
* BattlePros allows members to create profiles with their own photos, videos and blog posts; form groups; take part in forum discussions; and download dozens of free games and other cool applications for their personal page.



Quotes
Attributed to Dean Fisk, founder of Battlepros.com:

* It's no secret that lots of pro athletes play video games in their free time. The pros on our site are passionate about gaming and they want to share their love of video games with the fans.
* BattlePros.com provides access to pro athletes like never before. Fans will battle live with the pros, chat it up on their headsets and even take their best trash-talking shot at a group that's practically heard it all.


Attributed to JJ Stokes, former NFL wide receiver and member of Battlepros.com:

* For all you gamers and trash talkers out there, bring your A game. Every month we'll be reviewing the best of the best.


Attributed to Kristin Barbie Molina, MMA fighter and member of Battlepros.com:

* I'm a big fan of video games and there's nothing like coming home from a hard day of training and sitting down with my best friend Xbox.

Section 8 with Clan and Stats Portal in this multiplayer Sci-fi FPS video game

SouthPeak Games and developer TimeGate Studios are pleased to announce their clan and statistics portal for the upcoming Section 8 sci-fi FPS. This extremely robust online center offers players unprecedented information and coordination for everything they do in the game. It also allows for full clan management and recruitment.

Everything will be accessible at www.joinsection8.com/stats and be available next week when the game ships in North America.



Features:

· Create a Section 8 clan

o In game clan tags can be setup to automatically update from the portal

o Ability to turn on/off recruitment status and review the statistics of your incoming applicants

o Establish hierarchies within your clan (Recruit, Member, Officer, Leader, etc.) and manage rosters directly from the portal

o Toggle viewing clan member’s e-mail address for coordination outside of the game

· Over 50+ unique Leaderboards not available in game, categorized by:

o Career Statistics (XP, Kills, Deaths, Destructions, Combat, Teamwork, etc.)

o “In a Life” Records (XP, Teamwork, Combat, Kills, Damage, Captures, Repairs, Defenses, Destruction)

o Gear “In a Life” Records (Assault Rifle, Shotgun, Knife, etc.)

o Badges (32x badges)

o Feats (16x feats)

· All Leaderboards can be changed to best “overall” or best “within my clan”

· Overall community page that tracks the top players / top clans, as well as tracks continuously updated community wide statistics (ex: most popular map, popular gear, popular loadout, etc.)

· A unique player profile page for each user that tracks over 100 unique in-game statistics to the individual that can be set to rank either best “overall” or best “within my clan”

· Mutually exclusive statistics for each platform (Xbox 360, PC)

· Supports players from all regions (EFIGS)

Section 8 will be available for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft on September 1, and for Windows PC on September 4 in North America. Both the Xbox 360 and Windows PC versions will be available on September 11 in the UK and Asia Pacific, and September 18 in the rest of Europe.

Two more maps feature zombies as part of exciting Combat Arms video game update - Quarantine Mode Spreads in Combat Arms

Two more maps feature zombies as part of exciting Combat Arms update

Nexon America updated its popular multiplayer online first-person shooter, Combat Arms, now allowing players to experience its popular Quarantine Mode on two additional maps – Showdown and Two Towers. The game also added new weapons and a new mercenary, Hauser, who gives players a chance to look like an action hero while taking out the opposition.

Players who purchase Hauser will be equipped with the Commando Vest, which boosts protection allowing them to take more damage while inflicting casualties.

Other updates include:

· Search & Destroy game mode has been added to Power Surge map.

· Specialists are now able to acquire the Minigun, which is a portable Gatlin Gun.

· Clan chat has been updated for easier use.

LEGO Indiana Jones 2 - The Adventure Continues video game Fact Sheet

LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues combines the fun and creative construction of LEGO bricks with the wits, daring and non-stop action of one of cinema’s most beloved adventure heroes. With a unique, tongue-in-cheek take on all the Indiana Jones films — including for the first time ever Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull — LEGO Indiana Jones 2 follows Dr. Jones’ escapades from the jungles of South America to the Peruvian Ruins and beyond. Fans can experience the most authentic LEGO experience yet by designing and building their own levels brick by brick, and by fusing their levels with the ones in the game to create a custom experience. In LEGO Indiana Jones 2, everyone can build, battle and brawl their way through their favorite cinematic moments — or create their own.

Game Information

* For the first time ever in a LEGO game, Build Your Own Adventure Mode allows you to create your own levels and environments and share them with your friends.
* For the ultimate and most authentic LEGO experience, you can create your own levels and combine them with the existing ones in the game.
* Play all new Kingdom of the Crystal Skull characters such as Mutt Williams on his motorcycle and use special abilities, including Oxley’s Crystal Skull Power.
* Innovative re-tellings of the classic movies (Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) with all new objectives and brand new levels. For example, this time you can play through the exciting vehicle chase in Shanghai with Short Round.
* Beat each level in Story mode and return in Free Play for a completely new adventure.
* Indy has all new animations, such as grabbing an enemy with his whip then throwing him over his shoulder.
* Jump into all new vehicles to help Indy get through all the new levels including planes, boats and mine carts — but watch out for the quicksand!
* Use Indy's newly enhanced whip to interact with Lego objects and help unlock iconic puzzles and battle with enemies.
* Use a variety of weapons from the environment to fight enemies (e.g., chairs, guns, swords, bottles).
* Collect artifacts through the game to unlock more than 60 playable characters, including villains and supporting characters (Marion Ravenwood, Mutt Williams, Short Round, Rene Belloq, Willie Scott, Marcus Brody, Dr. Henry Jones Sr. and Irina Spalko).
* Character swapping and free-play abilities
* Two-player drop-in, drop-out cooperative gameplay encourages parents to share the legacy of Indiana Jones with their children in a fun and humorous way.

Platform: Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 system, PSP system, Windows, Wii and Nintendo DS
Publisher: LucasArts
Developer: Traveller’s Tales
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
Release Date: Fall 2009

Gamezplay latest YouTube video game video uploads

Check out my YouTube channel for over 900 video game videos

Naughty Dog admit that Uncharted 2 on Xbox 360 is impossible

“I guarantee that this game couldn’t be working on Xbox 360,” said Balestra. “It would be impossible. I’m 100 percent sure of this.”

Speaking to Ars Technica, co-president of Uncharted developers Naughty Dog, Christophe Balestra, commented on the advantages of developing a game for the PlayStation 3, even going as far as to say that their upcoming epic action adventure game, Uncharted 2, wouldn’t be possible on the Xbox 360

Balestra then went on to discuss just why this may be, while also ruminating on what he and the team at Naughty Dog wished to improve upon for the sequel to 2007’s excellent Uncharted:

“First of all,” says Balestra, “we fill the Blu-ray 100 percent, we have no room left on this one. We have 25GB of data; we’re using every single bit of it.”

Not only does the Blu-ray provide Naughty Dog with the necessary amount of space to cram as much content on the disc as possible, the inclusion of a hard-drive with every PS3 sold is a major boon as well:

“The fact that every PS3 has a hard drive is huge for us,” Balestra continued. “It’s the combination of Blu-ray and hard drive. You can play the entire game without loading. We don’t require an install.”

Using the PS3’s specific architecture effectively is also a must for the studio, which results in some excellent results, as Balestra is quick to point out:

“We’re doing all the post-processing effects on the SPUs [Synergistic Processing Units]. The quality of the depth of field we have, you can’t do that on the Xbox. We’ve invested a lot of time maximizing the power of the machine. That’s our job, to make the PS3 shine.

“The ability to use the RSX [the PS3’s graphics processor] to draw your pixels on the screen, then you use the Cell to do gameplay and animations—we kind of took the step of using the Cell process to help the RSX . All those things are done on the Cell processor.

“It really helps us getting that quality of lighting per pixel; the amount of computation is pretty crazy.”

Balestra also noted that the ‘power of the PS3’ aids the developers in providing a more immersive experience, such as realistic sound dynamics and improvements to Uncharted 2’s artificial intelligence:

“All that math is done on SPUs to immerse players into the environment,” he said, adding: “We had a pretty good AI system on Uncharted, but we wanted to have more [non-player characters], we wanted to have also more enemies on the screen.”

Finally, Balestra was questioned about what the team would have liked to improve upon for the follow-up to Uncharted, to which he provided a slightly evasive answer:

“Sometimes people ask us about what is the one thing [we improved] on Uncharted 2, and it’s hard to answer. We’re trying to increase the quality of the game, so we’re design-driven. No matter what it takes, we’ll find a way to figure it out, to squeeze what we need to squeeze out of [the system] to make it happen.”

Uncharted 2 is out this October, exclusively on the PS3 if you didn’t know.

Source: Ars Technica

Halo 3 ODST new co-operative multiplayer mode - with video

This is Firefight! Second “Halo 3: ODST” ViDoc drops, showcases new cooperative multiplayer mode

Stand back to back, Troopers, and give the enemy no ground! The Covenant invasion of earth is almost upon us, and it’s going to take a great deal of teamwork to keep the Brutes at bay. In the second “Halo 3: ODST” ViDoc from renowned developer Bungie, “Halo” series fan favorite Sgt. Avery Johnson offers a detailed look at the game’s action-packed cooperative multiplayer experience, Firefight.



Firefight features ten hellish missions that will test your ability to work as a team as you and your squad mates take on waves of increasingly brutal Covenant baddies. Grim, game-altering skulls continually change up the game and force your team to adapt to shifting challenges. Surviving the Covenant onslaught won't be easy so why not bring a “Halo” icon to the fight; pre-order your copy of “Halo 3: ODST” now (visit xbox.com or bungie.net for participating retailers) and unlock Sgt. Johnson for use in Firefight!

In addition to the new ViDoc, Bungie and Microsoft recently lifted the curtain on Rally Point at Gamescom, a sprawling Firefight map located in the city of New Mombasa. More details about Rally Point are below:



• Sector 10 inside the city of New Mombasa has seen better days. The air is heavy with acrid smoke parted only by the constant arrival of enemy drop ships. Lucky for you, the crossroads that converge on the entrance into ONI’s Alpha Site offer up a textbook choke point. The Covenant has come to claim access. You and your squad of ODST’s are going to stop them at all costs.

The new “Halo 3: ODST” ViDoc is available for download today on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Stay tuned for the final ViDoc, set to premiere ahead of the worldwide launch of “Halo 3: ODST” on September 22nd.

NBA 2K10 Draft Combine Now Available for Xbox LIVE Arcade

Available for PlayStation Network on September 3

2K Sports today announced that NBA 2K10: Draft Combine , a download-only experience offering fans pre-season basketball excitement leading up to the launch of NBA 2K10 this fall, is now available for Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

For the first time, NBA 2K10: Draft Combine will allow fans to create their own custom player and experience the on-court life of an NBA hopeful going through the NBA Draft Combine at the world-renowned ATTACK Athletics gym in Chicago.

NBA 2K10: Draft Combine will be available on the PlayStation Network for PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system on September 3, 2009.

“We’re thrilled to provide this opportunity for fans to get an early taste of NBA competition before NBA 2K10 launches this fall,” said Greg Thomas, senior vice president of sports development for 2K. "They will be able to build their own custom player from over 300 different signature customizations, and later use them in NBA 2K10's all-new My Player career mode that will allow fans to continue their journey to become an NBA legend."

Features of NBA 2K10: Draft Combine include:
· Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose as spokesman.
· Building custom players and increasing their NBA stock through a variety of challenging basketball drills and 5-on-5 games.
· Over 300 different signature customizations, including player-specific shooting animations, and dunk and dribble packages to give each created player his own unique personal style.
· Ability to strengthen all parts of the created player's game through a variety of drills, such as shooting, post offense and defense, attacking the basket, dribbling, challenging shots, and boxing out for rebounds to progress through the NBA Draft Combine.
· Organized games that allow players to gain valuable skill points by offering a variety of specific in-game objectives to be accomplished. A full analysis will be available for gamers to review their player's performance and strategize further improvement.
· All players created in NBA 2K10: Draft Combine will wear a special patch on their uniform throughout the rest of that player's career to denote that they have completed the NBA Draft Combine.
· Online leaderboards to track the highest ranking custom built players, so fans can gauge how their player stacks up against the competition.
· Opportunity to unlock special achievements on Xbox 360 and trophies for PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.
· Fans can take their custom built players from NBA 2K10: Draft Combine and use them in the all-new My Player career mode in NBA 2K10 launching this fall.

NBA 2K10: Draft Combine, developed by Visual Concepts, is now available for Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 for 400 Microsoft Points in North America, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and India. The title will be available in North America and Korea on September 3, 2009 for the PlayStation Network for PLAYSTATION 3 system for $4.99.

Runes of Magic Patch 1.9 'Naga's Awakening' heralds second chapter

The Naga are back: After a thousand years of banishment, the snake-like beings have succeeded in passing through the magical wall which once kept them from human civilisation. The new content update ‘Naga’s Awakening’ doesn’t just tell the story of the start of the Naga invasion, but also at the same time marks the beginning of Runes of Magic’s second chapter, ‘The Elven Prophecy’.

Players can explore the ‘Weeping Coast’ right away. In this swamp territory adventurers will meet the Naga for the very first time. New quests tell the history of the region and ultimately lead to the bottom of the ocean. In the group dungeon ‘Heart of the Ocean’, alongside fish people and other ocean dwellers, there lurks a powerful leader of the snake-like beings, ready to seize unwary players. With ‘Naga’s Awakening,’ Frogster has also raised the level cap to 52.

The content update also expands Runes of Magic with more open combat, and a Public Encounter. In ‘Varanas Nightmare’, up to 150 players can step into nightmare world where the regional capital Varanas is in ruins and under siege by undead skeletons and nightmare beings. At the end of the three stage challenge for experienced player groups, there is an encounter with the Demon Lord himself – this is the first time that the eponymous fiendish lord of the first chapter makes an appearance.

Additional content from the second chapter, ‘The Elven Prophecy’, including the new Elven classes and NPCs, will be published in the second phase of the launch on 15 September.

Runes of Magic – A world full of magic and adventure
Runes of Magic has redefined the standard for free-to-play MMORPGs in terms of gameplay, fun and quality. The online role play game carries an exciting, multi-layered story, driven by more than 2,000 quests set in the atmospheric fantasy world of Taborea. To date, Runes of Magic has attracted more than 1.6 million registered users, making it one of the most successful titles in the free-to-play segment, and a must play game for all fans of MMOs and RPGs.

Runes of Magic features a unique dual class system enabling players to combine one of eight primary classes with a secondary class. The result is a deep player experience that expands upon the game’s deep customization offering. There are two different playable races, Elves and Humans, from which players can choose. Each dual class combination produces its own powerful elite skills. Another popular feature is the opportunity to furnish your own completely individual virtual home, and guilds can construct guild castles, which can be expanded with additional buildings. Thanks to comprehensive crafting and reputation systems, gripping PvP features, deep customization and demanding dungeons, Runes of Magic has something for everyone.

Taiwanese developer Runewaker regularly expands the game world with new free content and challenges.

Runes of Magic Features
- Dual class system with eight classes and unique elite skills
- Individual furnishing of player housing and guild castles
- In-depth story experienced through above 2,000 quests laced with epic quest-lines
- Gripping Player-versus-Player duels in arenas and on the battlefield
- Easy travel using portal stones and a wide range of rideable animals
- Challenging boss-combat in dangerous and extensive dungeons with up to 36 simultaneous players
- Entertaining mini-games offering variety to the hero’s routine
- Dynamic crafting and customization of items
- Regular comprehensive free updates with new game content
- Free-to-Play: No monthly subscriptions, free to download the game
 
Facts
Title: Runes of Magic
Genre: Fantasy MMORPG
Platform: Windows PC
Publisher: Frogster Online Gaming GmbH
Developer: Runewaker Entertainment Ltd.
Release:
19.03.2009 “Chapter I – Rise of the Demon Lord”
15.09.2009 “Chapter II – The Elven Prophecy”
USK: from 12 years
PEGI: 12+