Pimp An Orc With Fantasy Wars

WIN THE LATEST PC GAMING PERIPHERALS FROM SAITEK AT www.PIMP-MY-ORC.com

Fantasy Wars is a turn based battle strategy game for PC from Ascaron Entertainment to be released in February 2008. To celebrate the launch we are offering you the chance to ‘pimp an Orc’ and win a copy of the Fantasy Wars game and the new CYBORG headset, CYBORG command unit and CYBORG mouse from Saitek, collectively worth nearly £200.

Simply go to www.pimp-my-orc.com, download the three Orc heads and get going! Start editing and uploading pictures of your friends and family, or have fun with some of your less favourite B list celebrities and pop stars.

Examples of Orcs already ‘pimped’ include an ‘Elvis Orc’ and a ‘Guns ‘n’ Roses Slash Orc’. Get in on the act and create Amy WineOrc, Pete DOrchety, Christiano RonaldOrc or anyone else you would like to give a mOrc-over.

Find everything you need to participate at www.pimp-my-orc.com.

Fantasy Wars

Fantasy Wars is a turn based battle strategy game for PC from Ascaron Entertainment

Take on campaigns or missions as either the Humans or Orcs, later unlocking the Elf and Dwarf armies. Complete set tasks to win your mission, defeating the opposing enemy. The faster you complete missions, the higher your score.

www.FantasyWars-thegame.com


Saitek Cyborg Range

The Saitek Cyborg range of PC gaming peripherals have been innovatively designed to suit the hardcore gamer’s needs. The headset has built in 5.1 surround sound, the command unit has over 144 programmable buttons and allows the user to easily switch between FPS, RPG and strategy games, while the Cyborg mouse is the ultimate in extreme gaming comfort as it expands or contracts to fit the palm of your hand.

www.Saitek.com

Fast facts:
Publisher: Ascaron Entertainment / Nobilis
Web: www.Ascaron.com
Developer: Ino’Co / 1C
Release date: February 2008
PEGI: 12+
Format: PC
Genre: Turn based Strategy

Alan Hansen's Sports Challenge video game for Nintendo Wii

Alan Hansen gives us his take on his own beautiful game

Northamptonshire, UK: Oxygen Games has been fortunate enough to get an interview with Mr Football himself, Alan Hansen, star of Alan Hansen’s Sports Challenge, for Playstation 2, PC and Wii.

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Oxygen Games: What made you decide to put your name and talents into a videogame?

Alan Hansen: I liked the concept and thought it would be quite a fun project to be involved with. And I was right!

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Oxygen Games: What has it been like working with Oxygen?

Alan Hansen: It’s been great – everyone is very professional but still retains a sense of fun. My involvement with this has been a lot easier than working on TV and radio; I was able to just go to the recording studio and do my stuff. Nobody yelling “Cut” every time I recorded a take! Shooting the promo ad was really fun too.

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Oxygen Games: What’s been the best/most fun aspect of making this game?

Alan Hansen: Several things really; working with Oxygen was great, as I mentioned earlier but also, being given a free hand in the voice-over.

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Oxygen Games: Would you consider doing more videogames in the future?

Alan Hansen: I might; really it would depend upon the project.

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Oxygen Games: How does voicing a game differ from television or radio work?

Alan Hansen: I can only speak from my own experience but I found it to be much less frenetic. Certainly there’s less pressure, and as I said before, there was no script. They let me do more or less what I liked.

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Oxygen Games: Which is your favourite part or feature of the game?

Alan Hansen: Being the kind of person that likes to exercise his brain, I’d have to say the questions. Although having said that, my caricature is pretty amusing!

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Oxygen Games: Would you recommend Alan Hansen’s Sports Challenge to your friends and family?

Alan Hansen: Of course! In fact, I may have to insist they play it this Christmas!

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Oxygen Games: Would you recommend it to strangers?! Why? What about it makes it so good?

Alan Hansen: Again, of course I would. What makes it good...apart from *my* involvement, you mean?! Let me see – well, I suppose the fact that you have to think on your feet, so to speak; you have to be quick off the mark if you want to win, and it’s really good fun. A bit like sport eh?

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Oxygen Games: Have you played Cheggers’ Party Quiz? If not, would you and do you think you’d be any good at it?

Alan Hansen: To be completely honest, I’m not really a games person, although obviously I *have* played this one. However, as I said before in another interview, it’s important to keep the mind as well as the body in shape – quiz games are great for this.

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Oxygen Games: Who’d do better – you playing Cheggers’ quiz or Cheggers playing yours?

Alan Hansen: I believe Keith Chegwin said that I’d fare much better playing his game than he would mine…I think it would be ungentlemanly of me to contradict him!

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Alan Hansen’s Sports Challenge (along with Cheggers' Party Quiz), for Playstation 2 & PC is in the shops now, with the Wii™ version released tomorrow, December 7th.

Another Shot Across Bows For Piracy As Market Trader Jailed

Eight months imprisonment given to rogue trader

A market trader who made a living selling illegally copied games worth thousands of pounds at a Wolverhampton market has been jailed for eight months.

Christopher Charles Jones, 40, of Century Court, Edlington, Doncaster was sentenced on Friday 30th November at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court to eight months imprisonment for having sold illegally copied games – most notably single discs containing 400 games for Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP) console, among others. The combined value of each individual PSP game on the disc has been estimated to be “in the thousands”, but Jones was selling each one for just £5.

Mr Jones was initially arrested following a raid executed by West Midlands Police and Wolverhapton City Council Trading Standards on 11th April 2006. He had been under surveillance for some time by ELSPA (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) investigators, who had been secretly filming his criminal activity and making test purchases.

During his first court appearance on Tuesday 27th November, Jones admitted 21 charges relating to copyright breaches after the raid at the North Computer market at Wolverhampton’s Dunstall Racecourse, before being charged and jailed for eight months on 30th November before a bench of three magistrates.

Peter Calvert, Wolverhampton City Council Trading Standards Manager, said: “This prosecution underlines the City Council’s commitment to fighting the scourge of counterfeiting. Selling fake items is designed to dupe innocent consumers, harm the livelihoods of honest businesses and line the pockets of the greedy. The City Council will continue to deal robustly with those involved in this trade in Wolverhampton.”

Michael Rawlinson, managing director of ELSPA commented: “It’s clear from the recent successes in bringing to justice those who think they can get away with illegally copying games and profiting from their sale that piracy and counterfeiting doesn’t pay. This case only goes to prove that through patience and diligence Trading Standards, local police and the anti-piracy investigators are making it harder than ever for criminals to operate.”

SouthPeak Edges the Twilight video game announced

SouthPeak Games has announced early details of its latest acquisition, an epic third-person action adventure called Edge of Twilight.

Developed by FUZZEYES, Edge of Twilight promises to deliver spectacular cinematic action and involved exploration when released for next-gen consoles and PC in 2009. This sees SouthPeak’s catalogue expand beyond releases for 2008, cementing the publisher’s plans for continued growth throughout the next 18 months.

“Edge of Twilight appealed to us because of its exquisitely original vision,” said Katie Morgan, Executive Vice President at SouthPeak Games. “We look forward to working with the talented team at FUZZYEYES on this incredibly ambitious title.”

Edge of Twilight is set in a post-apocalyptic dual universe where light and dark no longer co-exist, but are instead fractured into two separate planes of existence. With the player’s character, Lex, as the only ‘halfbreed’ left who can travel between the light and dark worlds, the scene is set for a truly vast adventure taking place within parallel realms, both rich enough to become living, breathing universes.

“Edge of Twilight has been our labour of love for some time now and we could not be more excited to partner with SouthPeak to bring it to market,” said Wei-Yao Lu, CEO of FUZZYEYES. “There is still so much to reveal about the game that we can’t wait to share more.”

Edge of Twilight will be released on next-gen consoles and PC in 2009.

Bounty Bay Online Free PC download

Game client for free now, and first add-on "Storm Island" released

Starting today, it’s even easier to become a world famous pirate, explore the seven seas and collect treasures beyond imagination in the award-winning MMORPG Bounty Bay Online. The game client – previously sold for 20 Pound Sterling or 30 Euros – now is completely free. It can be downloaded from the official website (www.BountyBayOnline.com) and it also includes a 10 days free trial period.

The change to a “free client” business model is a way to improve BBO game-play by offering a slick, easy way to get into the game. Players who already bought the boxed version of the game will be compensated with a free month playing time.

Also starting today, the first free add-on for Bounty Bay Online called “Storm Island” is available. This add-on will be included in the content update applied automatically when the players log in. It contains a new tropical island close to the North American coast. There, evil creatures wait guarding precious treasures.

Features of BBO – Storm Island:
- A large new island full of dangers and adventures for the most courageous players
- Level cap has been raised from 100 to 120, giving players the possibility to improve their characters skills even further
- 21 additional special abilities for fishing, stamina, sewing, shipbuilding, foundry and more
- New quests and new dungeons, made especially for groups of adventurers
- New enemies, monsters, weapons, armour and extras
- Brand new gem system, which allows players to upgrade their weapon and armour. Now you can upgrade your favourite items to match the new requirements

Bounty Bay Online puts gamers in the Age of Discovery, beginning in the early part of the 15th century. Gamers are able to build their own online destiny, whether they choose to be a merchant, adventurer, fisherman or pirate. Besides Europe, the continents of Africa, Asia and North America also wait to be explored by Bounty Bay players.
More info: www.BountyBayOnline.com

BBC Radio 4 - games design competition for students

2005 winners
Dare to be Digital Radio Stars set the scene for 2008

Dare to be Digital, the UK’s premier computer games design competition for students, will feature in a documentary on primetime BBC Radio 4 next Friday (14 December).

The University of Abertay Dundee, which organises the annual contest, confirmed today that “Game Academy”, a two-part documentary series revealing the challenges and achievements of the 60 students who took part in the 2007 competition, will be aired in prime morning slots on 14 and 21 December at 11am.

Indie documentary production company Wantok were commissioned by BBC Radio 4 to track the competition from start to finish, and spent more than 10 weeks shadowing the 12 teams competing in three host centres across the UK.

Part one of the documentary focuses on the host centre at Abertay in Dundee, which the producers describe as having “quietly become the Hollywood and Harvard of the UK games industry all rolled into one.” The programme will trace Dundee’s “incredible transition from jute and jam to digital dynamo”, and will feature a rare interview with David Jones, the Dundee genius behind global blockbusters like Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto.

Part two of the documentary looks at the tense round-the-clock work in the final weeks of the competition as the 12 teams prepared to show their games to the public in the Dare ProtoPlay event at the Edinburgh Festival, followed by the final ‘Dragon’s Den’ style judging by a panel of industry experts. The three winning teams are then followed as they prepare to compete for a BAFTA in late October.

Paul Durrant, Dare to be Digital Director, commented “We are delighted that the programme will be broadcast in such a prestigious slot following Women’s Hour and are certain it will open up the games industry to a whole new audience.”

Cooking Mama - A million copies served up around Europe

505 Games today raised a glass as the European sales of its celebrated Cooking Mama franchise surpassed one million units. Released initially on Nintendo DS and later for Wii, the series becomes 505 Games’ most successful title to date.

Since its September 2006 release, Mama has sliced, chopped and sautéed her way into the hearts of casual and hardcore gamers alike with her unique and easily accessible ‘hands-on’ gameplay. And with plans for the much-anticipated sequel to be released in 2008 in full motion, budding chefs keen to serve up seconds won’t have long to wait.

“These fantastic results vindicate the hard work and dedication from everyone at 505 that has gone into making this our most successful franchise to date,” commented Ian Howe, 505 Games’ Managing Director. “We’ve set ourselves a lofty target, but now we’re all keen to see how quickly we can get Cooking Mama 2 to one million!”

Cooking Mama is available in all good gaming outlets for DS and Wii. Cooking Mama 2 is currently scheduled for an early 2008 release.

EA'S FIFA STREET 3 TURNS GLOBAL FOOTBALL ICONS INTO ACTION HEROES FOR THE NINTENDO DS

Intuitive, New Touch Skills Control System Uses Stylus to Perform Over-the-Top Moves

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that FIFA Street 3 is in development for the Nintendo DS™. The newest iteration of the street football arcade series will debut on the Nintendo DS with a new look that turns the game’s global football icons into stylized action heroes. This game features an intuitive Touch Screen control system using the stylus that enables you to easily perform over-the-top trick moves, passes and shots. FIFA Street 3 is scheduled to ship to stores under the EA SPORTS BIG™ brand early next year, the same time the game becomes available on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.
FIFA Street 3 creates a fast-paced and larger-than-life arcade football experience which places the game’s biggest stars in exotic locales around the world. Featuring the world’s best players representing 18 of the top international teams, each player has been rendered into a stylized caricature with heroic qualities.

With the all new FIFA Street 3 Touch Screen control scheme you can control all aspects of your team’s performance from passing and shooting to more advanced moves like juggling, headers and bicycle kicks. Use the stylus and simple button controls to seamlessly combine moves together between players to execute rewarding combos – providing you with tons of different ways to showcase your street skills. Fill up your Gamebreaker bar and trigger Touch Screen controlled team trick moments to increase your chances of scoring a goal.

FIFA Street 3 on the Nintendo DS features an exclusive mini-game called Kick Ups that will challenge you to keep the ball in the air and test your ball juggling skills.


Build your team around your favourite player in Street Challenge Mode, and then take them from Pretender to Legendary status by completing challenges, developing Team Chemistry, improving your Reputation and unlocking balls, kits and a few surprises. Take your team to the urban playgrounds of South America, the rooftops in Asia, the streets of Europe, or a special location in Africa exclusive to the Nintendo DS.

Take your football heroes to the streets and experience the revolution in street football. FIFA Street 3 is rated “E” for Everyone and 3+ by PEGI.

BEEzzz to the Honeypot with Latest Launch

Hands-On Mobile™, the world's leading developer of connected games and applications, today announces the launch of BEEzzz. Developed and published in partnership with XENDEX Gmbh, BEEzzz is an addictive action puzzle game in which your bee buzzes between different coloured flowers, building ever more spectacular flower chains. Quick wits and sharp moves such as the 'slingshot technique' enable the player to quickly navigate around the bee's lush world, pollinating as they go in their race against the clock and their own scores.

"Action-puzzle titles such as BEEzzz have an incredibly broad appeal we are delighted that we are providing such an exciting, cute and playable game on mobile,” said James Kaye, Director of Marketing EMEA for Hands-On Mobile. "We are also delighted that our partnership with XENDEX has become yet another example of Hands-On Mobile working with the cream of developer talent to bring the very best mobile content to users around the world."

The aim of the game is to build up your position within the hive. Players start the game as a worker drone, but with time, highly skilled players can become the Queen of the hive. Collecting combos from different coloured flowers multiplies the player's score and restores health levels. The game's expansive features include special 'Bee Candy' that can be discovered hidden within every level, as well as new areas that are unlocked as the player progresses.

"Developing BEEzzz in partnership with Hands-On Mobile has been incredibly enjoyable for everyone at XENDEX," said Michael Haberl, CEO of XENDEX. "We are very excited that this game will be enjoyed by mobile gamers around the world through Hands-On Mobile's extensive distribution channels and we look forward to the next opportunity we have to work together."

BEEzzz's accessible controls enable all types of players to pick up and play the game, making the task of beating previous high scores a challenging and enjoyable task. In addition to the easy gameplay the unique and vibrant graphics make BEEzzz instantly recognisable, easy to play and compelling. The addictive nature of BEEzzz should see players regularly dipping back into the game's environment of the flora, fauna and for another sweet taste of nectar.

Urban Rivals - 100 million games played!

Boostr, the developers of Urban Rivals, a massive online trading card game has announced over 100 million games have been played since the website launched in 2006.

This news follows a recent announcement in November that the Urban Rivals player base had reached over 1 million players.

Sebastien Flory, Boostr's CEO said; "It's been exciting to reach two huge milestones like this in quick succession. Over 300,000 games of Urban Rivals are played everyday, it's very compelling content".

Urban Rival's popularity has seen numbers snowball with up to 10,000 new players registering each day. The simple, yet absorbing game format of quick battles, masses of available opponents and innovative tools to manage your game characters has proven to be a successful formula.

Sebastien reflected on Urban Rivals growth, "We've developed a game that players really want to tell their friends about and the viral, wordof- mouth effect has been amazing. We have the same people to thank for this as the last announcement, our players and community.