Tale of Tales release first glimpse of heroine in upcoming title Fatale

Beheading of John the Baptist

Three months into production, Tale of Tales are ready to show the first visuals of their upcoming release, tentatively entitled "Fatale".

The pictures display Salome, the biblical princess who demanded the head of John the Baptist as a reward for dancing for King Herod.

Undisclosed so far, Salome was designed, modelled and textured for the project by leading game artist Takayoshi Sato, of Silent Hill fame.

"We've always admired Mr Sato's work," admit "Fatale" designers Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn. "In fact, if it wasn't for his masterful work in Silent Hill 1 and 2, we would probably never have started making videogames. Takayoshi Sato designs characters the way a novelist describes them or a sculptor carves them: their personality is expressed in their appearance and they are covered with very recognizable details.

He does not design superheroes or puppets, but real people, people you want to know, people you want to be close to. The style we are aiming for with "Fatale" is more naturalistic than anything we have made so far. But we want to retain the magical quality and openness to interpretation that is characteristic of our work. Takayoshi is one of the few designers in the world capable of pulling this off. We asked him. And he said yes. We couldn't be happier!"

The character of Salome is complex because "Fatale" is designed to evoke all possible interpretations of her legend simultaneously. Salome is at once the mighty princess who mercilessly seduces men to their downfall and an innocent child on the brink of womanhood who is manipulated by the grown-ups that surround her. But she is also just a girl, a teenager who falls in love with the wrong man at the wrong time. She gets a first taste of the sweetness and the bitterness that we all know so well. And then there's the Salome created by Oscar Wilde: a mad woman, lurking in the shadows of our souls, a selfish, passionate, wilful creature who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Sato's Salome is all of these women. She's not a classic beauty. But very pretty nonetheless. She doesn't wear lot of clothing after having danced away her veils. But her nakedness feels natural in the cool night breeze. The abundance of jewellery on her body is at once arrogant and innocent. She's attractive but there is nothing obscene about her. Her sensuality is that of a virgin. Her skin is telling us that our touch will corrupt her. She challenges us. She confuses us.

Takayoshi Sato joins the ranks of previous Tale of Tales collaborators Laura Raines Smith (animation), Gerry De Mol (music), Jarboe and Kris Force (music, voice and sound) and contemporary dancer Elénore Valere Lachky who reinterpreted the Dance of the Seven Veils especially for "Fatale".

Tale of Tales is a small independent studio based in Belgium, founded by new media artists Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn. Other projects include "The Endless Forest", "The Graveyard" and "The Path". Production of "Fatale" is supported by Flanders Audiovisual Fund and Villanella.
"Fatale" is scheduled to be released on October 5th 2009.

Card set 5 arrives for Alteil - 60 all new cards new file types and abilities!

Set 5 is here! An all new card set expansion based around theme Files.

New cards make all kinds of theme Files possible using cards from previous sets, while new File types can be created just with Set 5 Cards!

The battle for the Holy Realm reaches a new level with the arrival of smarter command model Magic Dolls, who cut through the enemy forces.

Then the army of the Shrine Knights arrive, rallying to the cause of Folrart. Caught in between, Rivera realizes her destiny of the Beast King and releases her true power! But the great battle shakes the walls of the Holy Realm shrine, awakening something beyond the gate. The final gate guardian appears in a nimbus of light that envelops the battlefield. Will anything remain when the smoke clears?

• 60 new cards! 15 in each Sphere of influence, including new Characters, Units and Grimoires!
• Set 5 Packs and Set 5 Boxes are available in the Shop, at the same price as Set 1, 2, 3 and 4 Packs and Boxes.
• Set 5 Cards are available in the Card Lottery.
• Set 5 Cards are available in Treasure Battles, and for Level Up Cards.
• Enough cards to play all new file types with only set 5 cards! Help each other out with Shrine Knights, exploit your troops with Magic Doll Command Units, control the field with Ice magic and live forever with the Undead!
• New Status abilities let you break the rules, with skill effects that were not possible in earlier sets!
• Bestow Traits on your allies, gain extra Skills when Counters are triggered, and enjoy immunity to Grimores and Soul Skills!
• Classic play styles get new options, with more ways to change Battletime, get bonuses for Grimoires used, and more options for Solar Kingdom, Mermaids and Crest.
• Art by Rei (Code Geass Manga), Masaki Hirooka (Culdcept Saga, Sonic and the Secret Rings), Kazuno Yuikawa (Aquarian Age, Ragnarok Online), and many more!

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.