Nokia €70,000 mobile games contest

Nokia Mobile Games Innovation Challenge dares developers to 'rock' mobile games world

Three most innovative concepts offered Nokia Publishing pre-production contracts and cash prizes

Nokia launched the worldwide Mobile Games Innovation Challenge, a unique global competition with €70,000 in prizes, designed to encourage development of innovative game concepts with the power to positively disrupt the global mobile gaming industry and to help propel mobile gaming with handheld devices into a new and exciting future.

The first competition of its kind to encourage unique concepts in mobile gaming from developers of all backgrounds and all levels, the Mobile Games Innovation Challenge seeks the best in groundbreaking ideas and game concepts from the brightest and most creative minds in mobile gaming today.

Sponsored by Nokia Publishing, the Mobile Games Innovation Challenge invites developers to submit mobile gaming concepts to help drive mobile gaming to the next level, relying on the advanced features and functionalities of N-Gage compatible devices, and Java- or Symbian-based Series 40 or S60 devices from Nokia.

The three most innovative game concepts will be offered Nokia Publishing pre-production contracts, targeting publication of their winning concept on the corresponding Nokia device platform. In addition, the first winner will be awarded €40,000, the second €20,000, and the third €10,000 to enable the participant to further develop the concept.

“Nokia enthusiastically presents this Mobile Games Innovation Challenge as a unique opportunity for the best and brightest mobile game developers worldwide to really rock the industry with innovative, one-of-a-kind concepts that showcase what you can do with our mobile platforms,” said Dr Mark Ollila, director of games publishing, Nokia. “The pre-production contracts and €70,000 in cash prizes toward development of the winning game concepts is only part of the excitement – the Challenge also gives developers a chance to truly make their mark on global mobile gaming through unique and positively disruptive gaming concepts never seen before.”

Beginning immediately, developers wishing to compete for the Mobile Games Innovation Challenge can submit their game concepts online at http://developer.n-gage.com/innovation. Contestants are encouraged to enter more than one mobile gaming concept, with the winners to be selected by an external panel of mobile gaming industry experts on the criteria of innovation, fun, feasibility of execution, and market potential.

Gaming concept submissions will continue through August 20, 2008. The winners will be chosen by the external panel of judges and announced during a special award ceremony at the Nokia Games Summit in Rome, Italy, October 29-30, 2008.

Deadline for submission of all applications is August 20, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. GMT. Further information on the registration process, including description of entries and eligibility requirements are available at http://developer.n-gage.com/innovation.

Maximum Football 2.0 PC video game gets an update

A new update has blitzed through the offensive line and his headed straight for hard drives!

Matrix Games and Wintervalley Software are pleased to announce the release of the comprehensive 2.2.70 update for Maximum Football 2.0. The latest update includes a few gameplay tweaks and some improvements in recording statistics, especially with fumbles.

David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said “The Maximum-Football system has been steadily improving and is no doubt one of the best football management sims on the market. Whether its gridiron action and bone crunching hits or in-depth strategy and coaching finesse, Maximum Football 2.0 has what every football fan wants!”

Maximum-Football 2.0 is the latest and greatest release from the acclaimed sports management video game studio, Wintervalley Software. Bringing a whole host of new features like full Xbox 360 controller support, full DirectX 9.0 utilization, and scores of other upgrades and improvements, Maximum-Football 2.0 delivers on gameplay and fun like a bullet pass through double coverage. Like its predecessor, Maximum-Football 2.0 allows players to experience the thrill of managing a team in any league!

Design and play in leagues where you pick the size and layout. Play against others in user created leagues. The sky is the limit to how far you can take Maximum-Football 2.0. Get down and dirty with the editor as you create new plays and playbooks, design your own uniforms and helmets, and even select nicknames to appear on jerseys.

Maximum-Football 2.0 is the football fan’s dream. Whether you are a head coach or an armchair quarterback, Maximum-Football 2.0 has the features for you.

Get more information on Maximum Football 2.0 from its product page. This update is comprehensive and will bring the version of the game up to 2.2.70.

THQ Wireless Announces Worms 2008 For Mobile Phones

THQ Wireless Announces Worms 2008 For Mobile Phones

New Sequel to the Successful Worms Series Scheduled for Release In May 2008

THQ Wireless a subsidiary of THQ today announced an agreement with Team17 Software Ltd. to publish Worms 2008 A Space Oddity for mobile handsets worldwide. Whilst being an entirely new game, Worms 2008 retains all the familiar award-winning gameplay and unique sense of humour that has epitomised the brand for more than a decade. The game will showcase a whole raft of new gameplay features including four all-new mini-games, an enhanced single player campaign mode, an all-new landscape view mode and new loopy weapons.

Worms 2008 features a story of intergalactic Worm travellers exploring their solar system. The improved single-player campaign missions feature varying objectives to keep the player on their toes as they fight to defend installations, repair space crafts, collect rare minerals and battle to the death against alien races. With the space setting comes a host of new weapons, including the Impact Frag, Atom Packs and Cluster Frags, which are based around the classic Worms weapons but share all new artwork and names with Worms: A Space Oddity, released earlier this year for Nintendo Wii.

Worms 2008 also features all new graphics and new animations, including new looks for the opponent alien races. Advanced landscape generation systems have enabled more realistic levels. Graphical effects like smoke trails help to bring shots to life, while multi-layered parallax particles enhance the depth of field effect and have direct impact from gameplay, reacting to the direction and strength of the wind.

Also, debuting in Worms 2008 is a new AI system that allows enemy worms to determine the greatest threats, navigate the landscape and unleash a variety of weapons. Players will also be able to see the main game in landscape mode, as well as classic portrait mode. This view will allow the user to see more of the landscape and will give an experience closer to playing the game on a widescreen.

Worms 2008 is scheduled to be available for over 850 mobile phones starting in June 2008.

POSTAL Movie - the funniest film of the year

POSTAL Movie Campaign Delivers Raves in NY, Chicago

SRO advance screenings of Uwe Boll’s “Postal” at New York’s Tribeca Film Center on April 1 and April 3 in Chicago have created genuine buzz regarding the film’s May 23rd rollout. The popular site Times Square Gossip, in a story entitled “Osama Bin Laden Goes time last night with Village People icon Randy Jones at the screening of ‘Postal’, the new movie based on the hit video game. This is a must see movie if you want to have some old time laughs. Scenes with Osama Bin Laden are so funny you are going to drop your popcorn…”

Times Square Gossip went on to attest: “’Postal’ will take you back to all the laughs you had as a teen. I haven't seen a movie this funny since then, with the audience yelling and falling on the floor laughing.”

Michael J. Hein, Director of The New York City City Horror Film Festival, declares: “’Postal’ is the funniest film of the year…hands down!”

After the New York event, Uwe and Vince Desi, RWS’s ringleader; took part in a no-holds-barred Q&A session with the audience. Packed houses in both New York and Chicago enjoyed the latest cut of the film. “The most recent edits have really sharpened the film,” reports Big Apple-native Desi, who took a break from developing POSTAL III at Running With Scissors’ Tucson headquarters.

Meanwhile, POSTAL fan Tara “Evilstara” Jarvis attended the Chicago sneak preview and wrote: “[My husband and] I laughed so hard I almost wet my pants and he had tears in his eyes. It was awesome!”

Special Note: This Press Release includes the third installment in our series of “Postal” movie-style one-sheets. Collect ‘em all!

For more information on the upcoming POSTAL Movie, Postal games and gear, as well as updates on the development of POSTAL III visit our new expanded site www.gopostal.com and be sure to visit PostalNation.net for in-depth coverage of the RWS scene.

WARNING: Adult content on website

MiniCopter - Adventure Flight flies onto Nitendo Wii in Spring

MiniCopter: Adventure Flight Touches Down On Wii In The Spring Of 2008

Taking RC helicopters out of the yard and into your Wii!

Aksys Games, a publisher of interactive entertainment products, has shipped MiniCopter: Adventure Flight for Wii to retail today. Based on the popular RC Hobby, MiniCopter combines the customization of real life RC helicopters while offering unique missions to the casual player, yet challenging for most veteran players.



"MiniCopter: Adventure Flight opens up the vast world of RC Helicopter action to players of all ages", states Frank deWindt II, Project Lead, Aksys Games. "This game will definitely test your helicopter flying skills through a ranking system that judges you on a variety of factors."


MiniCopter: Adventure Flight Features:

• Mission based gameplay!
  
• Engage in 42 missions in 7 different environments from a child’s bedroom, hospital, hotel room and more! Use your air cannon and lift suction to discover hidden areas and coins.
  
• Customize your RC Helicopter!
  
• Outfit your helicopter with a variety of body kits and parts that can alter the performance of your heli and improve your scores in Mission Mode.
  
• 2 Player Split Screen Mode!
  
• Battle against your friend in a Race for the Rings Mode to see who the best helicopter pilot is!
  
• Customizable Controls!
  
• Choose from the Wii Remote tilt, pointer controls or play with a Classic Controller!
  

MiniCopter: Adventure Flight has been rated "E" for everyone by the ESRB.

Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 2 ships for the PlayStation 2

Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 2 ships for the PlayStation 2

SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION, the U.S. publishing arm of the SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION, today announced Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Vol. 2 for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system is shipping to retailers across North America.

Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Vol. 2 is a collection of 3 games (on one disc) from one of SNK's most popular fighting game series, FATAL FURY. Battle Archives Vol. 2 comes loaded with: REAL BOUT FATAL FURY, REAL BOUT FATAL FURY SPECIAL and REAL BOUT FATAL FURY 2; The Newcomers, completing the 7 game series. These installments are well known for their hand-drawn animation, stylish character designs and their original "2 Line System" where players can strategize and plan out their plan of action from separate foreground and background planes. When combined with visual flair and unique, one of a kind personality with 2D gameplay that is both fast and furious it is easy to see how Fatal Fury has become a true classic of the fighting genre.



"The Fatal Fury series has always been an SNK fan favorite and now with Battle Archives Vol. 2 we can bring the story full circle" said Ben Herman, President of SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION. "This collection provides both classic gamers and a whole new generation of gamers with the greatness that is Fatal Fury."

Nintendo - Wii Fit sold out at Play.com in one day

Play.com has sold out of its entire allocation of Wii Fit in just one day, ahead of the games official release on April 25 in the UK.

Pre-order demand has "overwhelmed" the online retailer, following success in Japan that saw the game sell one million copies in just over a month on sale.

"People continually look for new and fun ways to stay in shape and it’s fantastic to see exergames in big demand," commented Gian Luzo, head of games at Play.com.

"Wii Fit is going to be huge – let’s hope that we can keep up with demand. We are expecting more stock before launch," he added.

Exteel Developer Tutorial 2: The Mekhi Mechanaught, Territory Control and Capture the Flag, plus Weapon Highlights

NCsoft presents the second of its developer tutorials for Exteel, the free to play online game where huge warrior robots fight against one another for supremacy. Learn here about The Mekhi Mechanaught, mastering battle modes: Territory Control and Capture The Flag, plus a Weapon Highlights rundown. Remember, the action is fast and furious, where only the most competitive of player will dominate and improve their Mech for future engagements.



Once most Exteel players complete the full range of tutorials and finish a few matches they should have enough in-game money (credits) to purchase a new Mechanaught, or at least purchase some new Mechanaught parts. One of the Mechanaught sets that will be immediately available for purchase is the Mekhi, a light Mechanaught design that is nearly superior in every fashion to the standard Pinkett Mechanaught that everyone receives when they first start playing.



Like the Pinkett, the Mekhi is a fast, nimble Mechanaught. It’s very maneuverable, much lighter, dissipates heat faster, and is much more accurate. In addition, the Mekhi head features two MPUs (Mechanaught Processing Units) instead of just one for the Pinkett. MPUs dictate how many special skills—which are purchasable in the game store—you can equip your Mechanaught. While the Mekhi doesn’t absorb nearly as much damage as a standard Pinkett, the Mekhi is clearly the better overall light Mechanaught and many veteran pilots favor it for reconnaissance and flag-capturing aspects. Pilots upgrading from a Pinkett should take note however that the Mekhi does have a durability rating, meaning it’ll degrade over time until it is either unusable or gets repaired.

Weapon Highlights

• Spatter Gun – The Spatter Gun is one of the first types of shotgun weapons purchasable for starting players. The –C model costs only 4,000 credits and can be quite useful in dispatching nearby enemies. Exteel’s shotguns are similar to traditional shotguns; they fire giant rounds of ammunition that will cause decent amounts of damage against an opponent at close range. The weapon is very accurate (much more than SMGs or even some rifles) but can have a long reload time.

• Crimson Edge – A basic melee weapon, the Crimson Edge resembles a large one-handed longsword from eras long past. This sword, however, can penetrate even the thick armor plates and complex mechanisms of even a robotic Mechanaught. Typically, most pilots prefer using the sword with one hand and a shield in the other for protection, though some may wield two swords. Of course, the Crimson Edge can only be effective adjacent to an opponent (and, if you’re really close, you can hit more than one opponent at once). While ranged weapons are the preferred weapon of choice in Exteel, many pilots never leave their base without a melee weapon of some kind for close-range fighting.

• Destroyer – The Destroyer-C is a base model cannon that is a slight upgrade from the Poseidon-C, awarded to players for finishing the “Cannon Training” advanced tutorial. Cannons are massive two-handed weapons with tremendous range and damage capabilities, though their reloading and heat ratings are also extremely high. However, keeping a lock an opponent can be tricky… though once the enemy gets hit they’ll definitely feel it as cannons not only deal large amounts of damage, they also “stun” a Mechanaught for a brief second.

• Penetrator – Another melee weapon that harkens back to ancient times, the Penetrator resembles a great cavalry lance. Instead of swinging at an opponent like a sword, the Penetrator stabs with a great power-assisted thrust. While the Penetrator does more damage than the comparable Crimson Edge, it also generates more heat and therefore may overheat faster.

Battle Modes: Territory Control and Capture the Flag

Territory Control and Capture the Flag offer some of the most competitive modes of play Exteel has to offer. Territory Control involves two teams of players who battle over zones that can be captured—called Aerogates—that are spread out between the either team’s base (technically speaking the base is also an Aerogate). Aerogates are useful because Mechanaughts can spawn from them, and they control the nearby healing pads that let Mechanaughts regain some of their lost hit points.

A team can win Territory Control by one of two ways: accumulate more points than the other team (for Territory Control Exteel awards points for killing opponents, assisting in killing other opponents, and capturing Aerogates) or capturing the other team’s base. Of course, battles can be a bit of a trade-off; teams struggle for control over the middle-ground Aerogates as that’s where most of the players funnel. Control of these Aerogates also lets players spawn closer to the enemy base, which can be extremely useful. Though sometimes enemy bases can be captured by stealthy tactics (especially when the enemy is occupied elsewhere), usually the enemy team has to be overwhelmed by waves of Mechanaughts before the base can be captured by force.



Capture the Flag is a brand new battle mode we’ve introduced into Exteel within the last month. We started with two maps for CTF and we will be adding more as we go. While the maps are set up similarly, with home bases and scattered Aerogates throughout, the main purpose is to capture the enemy’s flag and return it to your home base. The team with the most flag captures wins the match (though draws, which are rare in the other battle modes, are comparatively common in Capture the Flag matches).



While battles for the middle-ground Aerogates still dominate portions of most matches (though players cannon capture bases in Capture the Flag), a wide variety of interesting and unique strategies have quickly developed regarding flag capturing. Players have purchased and built up Mechanaughts solely for speed, able to quickly grab a flag and run before the enemy can react. They equip themselves with dual shields to help defend from enemy fire. Some teammates serve as roving healers, while others utilize huge, bulky Mechanaughts armed with deadly cannons for base defense. Strategies are still emerging and balance is definitely an issue we’re keeping a close eye on. We want to see how we can further fine-tune the process for Capture the Flag and other battle modes we may introduce in the future.

UK pay double the US price for Rock Band

Following the news this morning that Electronic Arts has confirmed the pricing structure for Rock Band in the UK, gamers have expressed anger at the cost difference between regions.

Among the milder comments posted as first reaction to the price on Eurogamer.net were:

• "At least Dick Turpin had the courtesy to wear a mask,"
  
• "That's just disgustingly shameful, in all respects."
  
• "What a joke. Months late and double the price. No sale."
  

Rock Band has a recommended retail price of GBP 180 when you factor in the instruments and the boxed copy of the game - a combination that would cost just USD 169 in the US, or around GBP 85 - less than half the price.

Additionally the title is region-locked for the Xbox 360, so anybody hoping to beat the price difference by importing from the US will be disappointed.

Source: Games Industry

MTV Games, Harmonix and EA Announce UK Release Date for Rock Band

Rock Band will make its UK debut on Xbox 360 on May 23

Rock Band's European tour will be hitting the UK this spring! Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with marketing and distribution partner Electronic Arts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today confirmed plans to release the award-winning music video game Rock Band this spring in the UK.

The UK release of Rock Band will have an exclusive launch window on the Xbox 360 videogame console from Microsoft, beginning on May 23. Rock Band will be available for additional platforms later this summer.

Rock Band is an all-new platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music. The game challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune, mastering lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. With more master recordings than any other music game, Rock Band features some of the world’s biggest rock artists and spans every genre of rock ranging from alternative and classic rock to heavy metal and punk.

In addition to the 58 tracks from the North American release, Rock Band will feature nine new tracks spanning German, French and UK hits including:

• Blur “Beetlebum” (English)
• Oasis “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” (English)
• Tokio Hotel “Monsoon” (English)
• Muse “Hysteria” (English)
• Les Wampas “Manu Chao” (French)
• Playmo “New Wave” (French)
• Die Toten Hosen “Hier Kommt Alex” (German)
• Juli “Perfekte Welle” (German)
• H-Block X “Countdown to Insanity” (German)

Rock Band’s unprecedented offering of over 70 songs to date currently available for purchase and download in the US will be made available in Europe beginning on Tuesday, May 27th. Each track will be available for 160 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360. Following that date, all new Rock Band DLC will be available simultaneously in the US and Europe on a weekly basis. For a complete list of Rock Band songs available for purchase to date, please go to http://www.rockband.com/dlc.

Since its North American release in 2007, Rock Band has garnered over 40 awards including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007 and three awards at The 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Family Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack.

Online retail struggling to meet launch day demand for Grand Theft Auto IV

Online retailers GAME, Gamestation and Play.com are all indicating that they will be struggling to meet consumer demand for Grand Theft Auto IV when the game is released on April 29.

Although copies of the limited edition of the highly-anticipated Rockstar title are still being offered for delivery on launch day, the standard edition for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 may be in short supply for those that haven't already got their pre-orders in.

"We cannot guarantee delivery on the day of release for orders placed on or after the 7th of April," states GAME on its website, while rival Play.com offers, "we are currently sold out of this item. All orders will be dispatched on a first come, first served basis."

Gamestation too, indicates that "due to unprecedented demand for the standard editions of Grand Theft Auto IV, we are no longer taking pre-orders for this version."

The game is expected to be one of the biggest games released this year, with some analysts suggesting worldwide sales could top six million units in its first week of sale.

The retail community has been offering plenty of incentive to pre-order the title, with GAME giving away 500 free Xbox Live points to users, while HMV doubled that offer to 1,000 points as well as a book of vouchers worth GBP 130.

April and May could be massive sales months for the industry this year - as well as GTA IV, April will also see the release of Wii Fit from Nintendo, a game that is already selling out in stores, and Rock Band from EA, which was dated and priced for release today.

Source: Games Industry