Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Launches Assault on Penny Arcade Expo 2009 Sep 4th – 6th free trial link

Mythic Entertainment, will be descending upon Penny Arcade Expo 2009 from September 4th – 6th to meet fans and showcase the latest and greatest new content and updates to WAR. Located at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle, Washington, the event will provide the opportunity for local players to hang out in the WAR Lounge and speak with members of the development team about WAR’s one year anniversary and the latest and deadliest Live Event players have ever seen: The Wild Hunt!

Where: Washington State Convention & Trade Center
Seattle, WA 98101-2350
EA / Mythic Booth No 332

When: Friday, September 4th – Sunday, September 6th

Don’t miss Mythic Entertainment’s Executive Producer, Jeff Hickman, discussing Game Design 101 during his Penny Arcade Expo panel session on Friday, September 4th from 10:30am - 11:30am in the Unicorn Theatre. Joined by other industry vets, Jeff and the panel will re-examine the basics of game design and explore what it means to design in today’s videogame industry.

Fans who visit the Warhammer Online booth will walk away with a limited-edition Empire Cherub t-shirt (while supplies last), exciting WAR giveaways, and valuable in-game items:

• Razored Skinning Knife – Sharp as a harlot’s tongue and twice as dangerous.
• Shroud of Imrathepis - Linens taken from the burial shroud of Prince Imrathepis, protecting its owner from harm by regenerating minor wounds and injuries.
• Chompin’ Teef - Exclusive Steel Jaw customization option for Orc Choppas.
• Snorri's Spikes - Exclusive Spike Mohawk customization option for Dwarf Slayers.

For more information about Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning at Penny Arcade Expo 2009, visit http://herald.warhammeronline.com/eventcalendar/.

Based on the popular tabletop war game from Games Workshop, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning features revolutionary Realm vs. Realm conflict that will provide players with an engaging battleground for years to come. Available now for PC, WAR will be available on Mac in the fall of 2009. WAR is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information about the game and to download the 10-day free trial, visit www.warhammeronline.com.

Record of Agarest War video game arrives on PlayStation Network soon

Aksys Games, announce the first epic SRPG for PlayStation Network, Record of Agarest War. In this game developed by Compiled Heart, RED Entertainment, and Idea Factory, SRPG fanatics will finally be able to play a game worthy of the genre. Sporting over one hundred hours of gameplay, Record of Agarest War invites players into a gorgeous, expansive world of hope and despair. Players will wage war against the evil forces of darkness, take a bride - actually, several brides - and extend their lineage through five generations!

"This is one of those titles where morbid curiosity really hits you once see some screenshots," states Michael Manzanares, Associate Producer, Aksys Games.
"Instead of being nothing but cheesecake, Record of Agarest War turns out to have some length and girth to it. Color us surprised."

Record of Agarest War Prologue
In the void before time flowed and space existed, the twelve gods were. Gods of light and darkness, they came together to create the world of Agarest, a perfect and divine paradise. The gods created life, bringing forth animals and plants by the thousands-among them the intelligent races, such as elves and humans.

But even paradise cannot last forever, and in time, war darkened the skies of Agarest. Not a simple war between mortals, easily ended by divine intervention, but a war that split the gods themselves. Armies such as the world had never seen before, and would never see again, clashed in the skies of Agarest, across its surface, and even in the caverns that wound their way through its interior.

As is the way in war, many died on both sides, gods and mortals alike, and the war left Agarest broken, blackened, and dead. The gods wept for their paradise, and in a final act of creation, sacrificed themselves to bring life back to its charred and twisted surface.

That was many thousands of years ago, and although the gods are long dead, the withering darkness that began and fueled their war is not. Imprisoned for millennia, its bonds have begun to weaken, and as they do, a shadow once again spreads across the surface of the world.

Born into this world perched unknowingly on the brink of the apocalypse, a young man by the name of Leonhardt and his descendants are the last, best hope for Agarest. Their journey will span generations and continents as they strive to once again bring peace to their beleaguered world, even as the cost of their own souls.

Record of Agarest War Key Features:

• Soul Breed System
Tired of just living through one lifetime in typical RPG titles? Then witness the Soul Breed system! Choose a bride at the end of your adventure and give birth to the hero of the next generation!

• Collaborative Attacks!
Position your forces on the battlefield and wait for the right moment to string together massive combo attacks using multiple party members-both in melee and at range!

• Epic SRPG with Ginormous Game Time!
Record of Agarest War spans over 100 hours of gameplay, not including side/bonus missions!

• Link Gauge System
The fate of Agarest is in your hands as the Link Gauge tracks your actions and alters the future world based on how you play! Will you get the blonde girl or the red-head?! YOU JUST DON'T KNOW!

Record of Agarest War has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

Oscar De La Hoya and Klitschko Brothers download for Fight Night Round 4 video game

Donaire
Electronic Arts announce that its first downloadable boxer pack for Fight Night Round 4 is now available on the PLAYSTATION Network and Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Featuring Oscar De La Hoya, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, and alternate versions of George Foreman and James Toney, the downloadable boxer pack retails for 400 Microsoft points and $4.99 on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and the PLAYSTATION Network, respectively.



Named the Game Critic Awards “Best Sports Game of E3 2009” and having sold over a million units in its first month*, Fight Night Round 4 has been winning over reviewers and fans since its release on June 23rd.

In addition to the boxer pack, EA SPORTS™ announced that a free downloadable game update that enables players to use the face buttons on the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 controllers to throw punches is also available now. A new demo featuring the button controls will be available to all Xbox LIVE and the PLAYSTATION Network users by early September. The 10 round demo will feature Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton as playable boxers.

Designed with a revolutionary physics-based gamezplay engine, Fight Night Round 4 replicates the sweet science to an unprecedented degree of realism. Witness gloves grazing off an opponent as he dodges at the last second, or watch as a vicious uppercut rips through the block of a boxer who turtles for too long. With realistic physics, no fight is ever the same in Fight Night Round 4

Fight Night Round 4 is currently available for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360 video game system from Microsoft. This game has been rated T for Teen by the ESRB, and 16+ by PEGI.

Rock Band latest - Talking heads, Tom Petty, Billy Idol, Franz Ferdinand, and Fleetwood Mac tracks added Guns N' Roses

Harmonix and MTV Games announce that a five pack of songs from new wave rockers Talking Heads, as well as singles from Avenged Sevenfold, The Jam, Oasis and Rage Against the Machine will be available in the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content next week for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system.
Additional tracks from Tom Petty, Billy Idol, Fleetwood Mac and Judas Priest will be available in the Nintendo Wii Rock Band Music Store bringing the number of downloadable tracks for Wii to 647, and tracks from Guns N’ Roses and Franz Ferdinand will be available for download for Rock Band Unplugged on PSP (PlayStation Portable) system.

Rock Band DLC Additions for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 System
Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Talking Heads add an additional five downloadable tracks to Rock Band, joining the already available “Psycho Killer.” The five-pack spans a good deal of Talking Heads’ career, including “Take Me to the River” from the band’s second album, More Songs About Buildings and Food; “Crosseyed & Painless” and “Once in a Lifetime” from the band’s fourth studio album, Remain in Light; “Girlfriend is Better” from the band’s fifth album, Speaking in Tongues; and “And She Was” from the band’s sixth album, Little Creatures. Additionally, singles from Avenged Sevenfold, The Jam, Oasis and Rage Against the Machine will be available in the Rock Band Music Store next week.

Tracks available on Xbox 360 (Sept. 1) and PLAYSTATION 3 system (Sept. 3):

• Avenged Sevenfold – “Bat Country”
• The Jam – “A Town Called Malice”
• The Jam – “Going Underground”
• Oasis – “Supersonic” (Live)
• Rage Against the Machine – “Guerilla Radio”
• Talking Heads – “And She Was”
• Talking Heads – “Crosseyed & Painless”
• Talking Heads – “Girlfriend is Better”
• Talking Heads – “Once in a Lifetime”
• Talking Heads – “Take Me to the River”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

These tracks will be available for purchase as Talking Heads Pack 01 and as individual tracks on Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system.

Price: $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track
$8.49 USD, £5.25 UK, €6.59 EU (680 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for Talking Heads Pack 01

Wii Additions
American rocker Tom Petty breaks onto Rock Band for Wii next week with two of his biggest solo hits, “I Won’t Back Down” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” both from his 5x platinum 1989 album, Full Moon Fever. This was Petty’s first solo album, after parting with The Heartbreakers; it reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Classic rockers Fleetwood Mac and English rocker Billy Idol return to Rock Band, as well as Australian rockers Jet with, “She’s a Genius,” from the band’s new album, Shaka Rock, which hit shelves Aug. 25. Back-catalog tracks from Judas Priest and The Pretenders will also be available in the Wii Rock Band Music Store next week. These tracks come from the catalog of Rock Band music already released to owners of Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system. With the addition of these tracks, there are now more than 647 tracks in the Wii Rock Band Music Store.

Additional tracks available for Wii (Aug. 25):

• Billy Idol – “Mony Mony”
• Billy Idol – “Rebel Yell”
• Fleetwood Mac – “Don’t Stop”
• Fleetwood Mac – “World Turning”
• Jet – “She’s a Genius”
• Tom Petty – “I Won’t Back Down”
• Tom Petty – “Runnin’ Down a Dream”
• Bare Naked Ladies – “Hanukkah Blessings” *
• Billy Squier – “Christmas is the Time” *
• Judas Priest – “(Take These) Chains”
• Judas Priest – “Bloodstone”
• Judas Priest – “Devil’s Child”
• Judas Priest – “Fever”
• Judas Priest – “Pain & Pleasure”
• Judas Priest – “Riding on the Wind”
• Judas Priest – “Screaming for Vengeance”
• Judas Priest – “The Hellion/Electric Eye”
• Judas Priest – “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”
• Nikko – “Break My Heart” *
• Nikko – “Don’t Tell Me” *
• Pretenders – “Blue Christmas” *
• Pretenders – “Precious”

Price: $2.00 USD (200 Wii Points) per track
*Denotes $1.00 (100 Wii Points) per track

Rock Band Unplugged Tracks for PSP®System

Rock Band Unplugged fans will enjoy the addition of Franz Ferdinand’s “Lucid Dreams” and Guns N’ Roses’ “Riad N’ The Bedouins” to the 35 tracks already available via the Rock Band Unplugged in-game music store for the PSP system.

Tracks available for Rock Band Unplugged (Sept. 3):

• Franz Ferdinand – “Lucid Dreams”
• Guns N’ Roses – “Riad N’ The Bedouins”

Price: $1.99, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU per track on the PSP system.

Namie Amuro stars in video game for McDonalds ad in Japan

Jpop queen Namie Amuro has joined a host of other stars to help sell McDonald's 'big mouth' burger with her latest TV commercial.

She headbutts herself in real life then continues the fight in the video game scene.



With short skirt high kicks and low cut tops the ad is sure to appeal to Japanese young males. Namie Amuro, from Okinawa is one of Japan's top female singers with a top ten single ever year for almost 15 years.

Watch the making of the video here...

She performs Don't Wanna Cry here...

Video of Mass Effect 2 full game play demo

Here's the full Mass Effect 2 demo footage Bioware showed to the public at GamesCom 2009.
Note: This video is recorded with a camcorder.

Second recall for PlayStation 3 Game of the Year - LittleBigPlanet

After having to be patched due to offensive Islamic themes showing up in the launch version of the game, the game was also recalled due to the offensive themes. Well, with LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition shipping to retailers on September 8th, many retailers were told to pack up their LittleBigPlanet copies and send them back.

Today, GameStop received an internal memo telling managers to load up their copies of LittleBigPlanet for a recall. Why you ask? It seems that the Game of the Year Edition of LittleBigPlanet will be using the same sale sku as the original title, and they'll only be offering the GOTY edition here on out. Whether other retailers are also recalling the title hasn’t been confirmed, but doing a quick search online will show retailers like BestBuy are still selling the game online, while GameStop/EBGames currently lists the game as 'Currently Not Available Online'.

Aion video game open beta starts on September 6-13th

Within the next four weeks, we will treat European and North American gamers to two opportunities to jump into the world of Aion and explore Atreia as Asmodian or Elyos characters ahead of its release in Europe on 25th September and North America 22th September.



Aion's Open Beta Test featuring version 1.5 will take place 6-13th September and will include numerous Western enhancements, including improvements to Aion's innovative character customization with a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements. Open Beta will retain a level cap for both Elyos and Asmodians characters at 30 allowing players to focus on getting to the same level so they can explore the lands of Atreia together, as well as the Abyss.



Players who have pre-ordered Aion will be treated to a Pre-Select and a two-day Headstart period giving them the opportunity to explore, organize and progress through the game prior to the official launch. Pre-Select will take place on 18th September, while Aion's Headstart will begin 20th September. Players can still participate in the Aion's Pre-Select and Headstart programs by pre-ordering the game through several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers.



Remember to update your Aion game password if your Aion account was created prior to July 29, 2009.

200 billion ISKs embezzled in EVE online causing run on the digital vaults

EVE Online's largest player-controlled virtual bank, Ebank, just can't seem to catch a break these days.

A few months after it was revealed that the company had been defrauded of a staggering amount of virtual cash, it turns out that the institution's digital vaults are far more barren than many realized, leading to an in-game freezing of accounts for any individual or organization that happened to have invested any InterStellar Kredits (ISK) with the bank.

Early this summer, it came to light that a veteran EVE player (known only as 'Ricdic') had embezzled — and then sold in the real world — over 200 billion ISK from Ebank, causing a run on the virtual financial institution.

However, this was just the beginning of the problems for the player-owned bank. Recently-installed Ebank Chairman Ray McCormack admitted that the bank had been mismanaged, and rules, safeguards, and controls were not enforced. As a result, it's been revealed that Ebank is 380 billion ISK poorer thanks to a number of defaulted loans.

Because of the aforementioned mismanagement, it apparently took the bank's new officers a while to figure out just how far in the red their institution is."

Karos online video game Fact Sheet free-to-play MMORPG

Karos Online is a new free-to-play MMORPG set in the torn fantasy world of Asmara. Players take the role of a hero engaged in an epic war to defeat the forces of Malyx, God of Darkness, who seek to free their captured lord and conquer Asmara.



Through questing, guild clashes and mass PvP, players fight for control of the world’s vital energy source, Fletta, with the ultimate goal of becoming the mythical Karos warrior who brings glory to the side of Light.

Karos Online is being developed by Galaxy Gate lead developers of Laghaim and Last Chaos, and will be published in Europe by NHN Corporation in 4Q 2009.

Breathtaking 3D graphics and combat action effects

Unique Fletta progression system that complements traditional leveling

Exciting dynamic dungeons

Small client size (700MB) and low minimum PC requirements

Keyboard and mouse control options

Client in English

German and Turkish Client to be supported
Characters

Five different playable races

Nine original classes with four sub-classes each,

A total of 36 specialised class options
PvE

Beautiful landscapes to explore

Ticket-based system for dungeon access -- advance to harder challenges as you prove yourself worthy

Two types of thrilling dynamic dungeons:
- Mazes: walls move and shift to affect the party’s path - no party size limit!
PvP

Guild rivalries: kill your enemies on sight!

Territory/resource control wars
Fletta progression system

Gather Fletta energy as you fight enemies

Collect Fletta shards that can be used to increase attributes, give buffs,
buy resources and enchant items

Craft beautiful Fletta weapons and armour that grow more powerful as
your character levels up
Economy

Well-developed crafting, fishing and mining systems

Consignment system for storage; increase capacity as needed
Platform

PC
System Requirements

Minimum: Windows XP / Pentium IV 1.4 GHz, 512 MB RAM, GeForce MX
5600, DirectX 9.0c, 3GB HDD

Recommended: Windows XP, Pentium IV 1.8GHz, 1024MB RAM, Geforce
FX 6200, DirectX 9.0c, 3GB HDD
Closed Beta:

Phase 1: 21-23 August

More phases to come