Starship Troopers - Roughnecks wins award

Ojom has today announced their win at the 2007 German Developer Awards for the highly successful game adaptation of the animated series, Starship Troopers - Roughnecks. The supercharged game won the award for Best Mobile Action Game in the People’s Choice category.

The German Developer Award winners were announced on 12th December 2007 in Essen, Germany, giving recognition to games developed in Germany in 2007. Attendees at the event included a jury of industry leading journalists, game consultants and leading game websites and of course the gamers themselves.

Thomas Brockhage, General Manager of Ojom GmbH, said: “Starship Troopers has been an incredibly popular game with our customers and Elocom did a great job developing the game. We are delighted to have been nominated and to receive such a prestigious award.”

Published earlier in the year, Starship Troopers- Roughnecks takes you on an adventure into an unknown alien world fighting against an army of giant and extremely hostile bugs. Thrown into battle your mission objective is clear - blast the alien arachnids before they erase all of mankind.

Ojom’s Elocom were also nominated for Best Mobile Game for the hit game Cubes and Best Casual Game in the People’s Choice category. Cubes has a novel block style format, with sets of 3D coloured cubes dropped into the sea to form a set of colours. This simple and addictive game appealed to a cross section of gamers, illustrated by its chart topping success.

Starship Troopers and Cubes are available on both Java and BREW-enabled handsets through major mobile operators and leading consumer content portals worldwide.
www.ojom.com.

AGON: The Lost Sword Of Toledo video game trailer

Kalypso Media Group is publishing the new trailer of the adventure game “AGON: The Lost Sword of Toledo”.

After the exciting and eventful journey from London via Lapland and to the far-reaching tropical jungle of Madagascar, Professor Samuel Hunt arrives in the picturesque Spanish city of Toledo, where time seems to pass by more slowly.

This two-minute trailer shows story clippings from its predecessor “The Mysterious Codex” along with new scenes of “The Lost Sword of Toledo”. Not only parts of the rendered intro movie are shown, but also actual in-game scenes from the beginning of the game.

The trailer with a size of 23 MB in .wmv format is available for download and approved for publishing with immediate effect:
http://www.kalypsomedia.com/downloads/trailers/toledo-trailer-en.zip

Please feel free to place the trailer on your download mirrors.

“AGON: The Lost Sword Of Toledo“ will be published by Kalypso Media Ltd in February/March 2008.

Kalypso sign world-wide rights to Jack Keane with 10tacle

Jack Keane is an amusing, action-packed Point ‘n’ Click Adventure with loads of allusions to well-known computer games and classic movies. Players assume the role of daring adventurer Jack and accompany him in his travels during the early colonial era. Once again short on cash, no sooner does Jack accept a relatively innocent assignment than he's up against a truly mad scientist and his army of trained apes. The game takes Jack to settings such as London, Capetown and the jungles of India - and he wouldn't be Jack if he didn't run into shifty characters wherever he goes... Jack Keane is due for release in March 2008

Jonathan Hales, Managing Director for the UK branch of Kalypso Media UK Ltd commented: “This is a great opportunity for us. To have the rights to publish such a popular title in so many territories will really give us the ability to spread our wings and establish strong links with our current and potential overseas partners.”

Frank Holz, Director Marketing & Sales, 10TACLE STUDIOS AG: “We are glad that we can continue our success story with Jack Keane together with Kalypso Media. The funny Adventure has already received numerous awards in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and we are looking forward to convince the players, press and distributors in UK as well with the charm and wit of our unique hero.”

For further information, please go to: www.jackkeane.com

Emerging Entertainment sign four new partners

Emerging Entertainment, a leading Singapore based developer, announced today it has signed agreements with four innovative and upcoming studios in Asia to strengthen its production pipeline. The partnerships will utilize the creative strength of each group's workforce to participate in the production of EE's flagship title Troll & Armor. Troll & Armor is a next-generation fantasy action-adventure game for PC and console.

"These partnerships will give us a competitive edge in productivity, creativity and cost structure. I believe one of the challenges to triple-A titles in the future will be getting costs under control while still delivering the quality that people expect from a next-gen title," said Cornel Hillmann, Managing Director of Emerging Entertainment. "We selected partners after visiting numerous studios in Asia and selected only the very best. We see a new and incredibly powerful creative pool in China and the Philippines emerging that will be sure to have a powerful impact on the worldwide game industry."

Emerging Entertainment's new partners in Asia include Blackbow Studio in Beijing, China (http://www.blackbowstudio.com/), MythicFlame Studio in Chengdu, China (http://www.mythicflame.com/), Roc Chen Studio in Chengdu, China (http://www.rocstudio.cn/) and Ladyluck Digital Media in the Philippines (http://www.ladyluckdigital.com/).

"We are extremely happy to be working on a next-generation title like this one from Emerging Entertainment. This gives us the chance to show once again our abilities and our competitive edge in the global market", said Blake Seow, Marketing Director for Blackbow Studio. "We believe this partnership is a great opportunity which benefits both parties by bringing different cultures together on an international production. In Emerging Entertainment we have found a partner that sees the true benefits to using our stable of dedicated and artistic employees."

Emerging Entertainment's new line-up of outsourcing partners is centered on high quality art asset pipelines. This gives them the ability to focus their current team of experts on technology and gameplay design for their latest title, Troll & Armor. Emerging's Managing Director, Cornel Hillman, went on a recent trip organized by Singapore's Media Development Agency (MDA) and Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Durring his trip he met several of these new key partners while touring Bejing, Shengdo and Shanghai.

For More information on Emerging Entertainment please contact them at the number above or go to their website at www.emerging-entertainment.com.

Price of Eudemon Code Will Be Cut

TQ digital would like to announce that due to an increase in players the price of Eudemon Codes have been cut to accommodate and reward our loyal fans. Thank you all for helping Eudemons Online grow to this point and we hope that you share this news with your friends and families.

The new cost will be: Eudemon Code 7.99 dollars
Eudemon Code B 15.99 dollars

You will not be able to purchase and credit Eudemon Code until 0:01 a.m., 18th December.

http://www.eudemonsonline.com/

Extension of Discount to UK's Largest LAN Party i33

20% Off i33 ticket prices until 6th Jan 2008

London, 10th December 2007: Multiplay - organisers of the largest UK gaming LAN events – have announced that tickets for their i33 LAN party will remain at 20% off for a further month. With over 80 hours of non-stop gaming, social activities spread across multiple venues and with most of the attendees camping on site, the i-Series events are often described as the "Glastonbury of Gaming". It all takes place over 14th-17th March at Newbury Racecourse, Berkshire, UK.

After the success of their i32 event in November Multiplay are announcing the extension of their discount ticket period in celebration of one of the most successful i-Series events to date.

The total prize money given away to the 1,000 eager gamers at i32 totalled over £35,000 and saw some of the first major tournaments for games such as Call of Duty 4, Team Fortress 2, Crysis and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. I32 saw the largest prize fund ever given away at any i-Series to date.

“i32 was such a huge success that we’re having to pull out all of the stops for i33” said Craig Fletcher, Managing Director of Multiplay. “i33 will continue the trend of each event adding something new to the series and our 2008 LAN parties will be our biggest yet. We’ve decided to extend the period of our discounted ticket sales until January 2008 to celebrate a year of record-breaking LAN gaming events.”

i33 sees the Packard Bell iPower games return for their 2008 tournament. The winners of the UK finals at i33 will be taken to the grand final in Europe next summer to compete for big prizes against the continent’s best and brightest gamers.

To find out more about the i33 discount and the iPower games take a look at the i33 pre-launch landing page at http://www.multiplay.co.uk/i33

Manhunt 2 may be banned - again BBFC appeal decision

The BBFC is applying for a judicial review of the decision by the Video Appeals Committee to overturn the Board’s rejection of the video game Manhunt 2. The Board’s challenge also seeks suspension of the Committee’s decision that the game should be classified.

The BBFC is contesting the VAC judgement because in the Board's view, it is based on an approach to harm which is an incorrect interpretation of the Video Recordings Act. The VAC judgement, if allowed to stand, would have fundamental implications with regard to all the Board’s decisions, including those turning upon questions of unacceptable levels of violence. If the VAC’s decision is suspended, then the game will not be classified before the outcome of the Judicial Review.

Ragnarok And Gunz Now On Indiagames Games On Demand

INDIAGAMES AND LEVEL UP PARTNER TO OFFER MMORPG'S TO A LARGER AUDIENCE

Indiagames Ltd, India’s benchmark online and mobile games company announced its partnership with Level Up – a leading massively multiplayer online role playing game’s company (MMORPG) to launch two of its popular game titles – Ragnarok and Gunz on its online PC gaming service - Games on Demand (GoD).

MMORPG has been a rage amongst gamers worldwide and allows thousands of players to play in an evolving virtual world at the same time over the Internet.

Ragnarok or RO as it is popularly referred to, is a popular MMORPG game based on Norse mythology, with its style influenced by various Asian cultures as well. It boasts an estimated 25 million online players worldwide, making it larger than World of Warcraft. Ragnarok was amongst the earlier MMORPG’s launched in India and has an established user base.

Gunz is an online multi-player third-person shooting game that allows players to perform exaggerated, gravity defying action moves including wall running, flipping, tumbling, blocking bullets with swords in the style of action movies and anime

Speaking on this tie-up, Vishal Gondal, CEO, Indiagames said, “The number of role playing games on our Games on Demand service has been growing as they have all been well received by our subscribers, who can look forward to many more in the future. The GoD service will now make Ragnarok and Gunz available to a whole new audience across India as well as enhance the gaming experience, incentivize players and offer a source of revenue for the publishers”.

“The Indian gaming industry is at the beginning of a growth cycle with a number of new entrants and positive infrastructure trends. Indiagames GOD offers us a platform to widen our reach to audiences across India especially in the home market and in smaller towns. Ragnarok and Gunz are the two most popular Multiplayer online games in India and we are looking forward to further their franchise through this partnership with Indiagames GOD” says Venkat Mallik, MD, Level Up! India.

The Games on Demand service is an online monthly subscription based gaming service that offers a catalogue of over 300 games across multiple genres catering to gamers of all skill sets. The other titles on the catalogue include leading international titles like Age of Empires II, Brian Lara’s Cricket, the Lara Croft Tomb Raider series and Hitman amongst others. Indiagames has exclusive distribution agreements with leading international publishers like Atari, Activision, Codemaster, Microsoft, Cenaga, Eidos, Enlight, Hipsoft, Magnasoft and Oberon amongst others.

IndiaGames

PEGI Online, delivers on consumer demand just three months after launch

Just three months after the launch of PEGI Online (Pan European Game Information for Online), an ambitious system of guidelines promoting online gaming security for minors, fifteen major videogame publishers* have signed up to the scheme, with more in the pipeline.

PEGI Online, an offshoot of PEGI, is backed by the European Commission and by the world's leading interactive entertainment companies who see it as a robust method of protection online. From the outset the European Commission grasped the value of the user-friendly formula allocating it a financial contribution drawn from the Safer Internet Action Plan budget line. Commenting on PEGI Online in June 2007, Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media said: “This is a good example of an industry initiative developed in co-operation with other stakeholders that allows a rapid and flexible solution to the problems of new technologies and greater safety for our children.”

Taking stock of the achievements at the end of the first quarter, Patrice Chazerand, Secretary General of the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE), said, “All ISFE members involved in online gaming are now holding a PEGI Online license. The ISFE membership has again taken the lead in addressing an area of concern for European consumers. Prospects for establishing a harmonized safety standard throughout Europe for online video games look very promising.”

PEGI Online is designed to offer youngsters across Europe enhanced protection from unsuitable gaming content as well as help parents understand the risks and potential for harm within the online environment. It is the videogame industry’s own initiative, an evolution of PEGI, the first ever pan-European age rating system for safe use of videogames, launched in 2003. The ambitious programme operates on a voluntary self-regulating basis and is designed to adapt to the demands of the fast changing technology.

The system, combining self assessment by publishers with scrutiny by an independent body, boasts the strictest standards in Europe, turning the protection of minors online into reality. Said Chazerand: “First and foremost this is about the industry exercising a sense of responsibility. Whereas PEGI helps parents make sure that their children are exposed only to material appropriate to their age and their stage of development, PEGI Online secures the best effort of signatories to guarantee that children playing online are not exposed to adult material or inappropriate behaviour. The Europe-wide scheme shows an industry attuned to consumer needs and adept at anticipating them.”

Four cornerstones define the PEGI Online scheme: a safety code and framework contract; a PEGI Online icon for display by the license holder; dedicated websites for applicants and for the general public; an independent administration to manage the scheme together with a process for advice and dispute settlement.

The six point PEGI Online Safety Code (POSC) to which all PEGI Online license holders commit embraces issues such as age-rated game content, appropriate reporting mechanisms, removal of inappropriate content, a coherent privacy policy, community standards for online subscribers and a responsible advertisement policy.

“Videogames and the Internet are a part of today’s reality,” said Jens Uwe Intat, ISFE Chairman. “This is tremendously positive for kids, as new technology gives young people opportunities to learn, have fun, be creative and communicate in ways that previous generations couldn’t have imagined. PEGI Online equips parents to help their children navigate this technology safely.”

Wim Bekkers from NICAM (Netherlands Instituut voor de Classificatie van Audiovisuele Media) the Administrator of both the PEGI and PEGI Online systems stated: “Today, 230 companies subscribe to PEGI. It is recognised by consumers and policy makers as being the reference in videogame rating at pan European level. The goal now is for PEGI Online, still in its infancy, to get wider uptake. Thanks to our expertise in media rating, the objective of affording European parents the choice of having their children play on PEGI Online labelled sites is clearly in sight.”

*List of PEGI Online signatories as of today:

Name of Company Name of Gamesportal

Burda:ic GmbH www.alaplaya.eu

CCP www.ccpgames.com

City Interactive S.A www.city-interactive.com

Eidos Interactive Limited www.eidosinteractive.com

Electronic Arts www.electronicarts.co.uk/

Funcom A/S www.funcom.com

Koch Media GmbH www.kochmedia.com

Microsoft Corporation www.xbox.com

NCsoft Europe Ltd. www.eu.plaync.com/eu/games/

Nintendo of Europe GmbH www.nintendo-europe.com

Sony (SCEE) www.playstation.com

The Walt Disney Company Limited www.disney.co.uk/toontown

THQ (UK) LTD www.thq-games.com

UBISOFT www.ubi.com

Vivendi Games Europe www.vugames.com

Electropy free download for Mac and PC

Team Phobic is excited to announce the release of their first game title, Electropy, an arcade style platform game. Players make their way through over 130 levels, collecting power-ups and coins to reach the exit in the fastest time possible. Scores may be submitted and viewed online, allowing players to compete against others from around the world. Electropy comes with same built in level editor used by the developers, allowing for unlimited replayability.

Electropy can be purchased online for $19.95 from Electropy.com for Mac OS/X and Windows 2000/XP/Vista. A demo is also available for free on Electropy.com.