MySims Kingdom, the next experience in the MySims series

Create Your Story Of Adventure To Make The Kingdom Great

The Sims, an Electronic Arts Label, today announced first details for MySims Kingdom, the next experience from the creators of MySims. Launching exclusively on the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms, MySims Kingdom sets you on a story of adventure, discovery and exploration to help King Roland and his subjects revitalize the Kingdom. Launching globally in autumn 2008, MySims Kingdom for the Wii and Nintendo DS puts the creativity in your hands to make the Kingdom something to behold!

MySims Kingdom for the Wii
King Roland needs your help to make the Kingdom a better place. Throughout this tale to bring the Kingdom back to its former glory, you must help new and old friends alike, discover new lands and build to the limit of your imagination.

Your MySims Kingdom experience begins in The Capital, the majestic land at the center of your story-telling. Check out the Castle, explore this first land and begin to meet your first set of new friends, including King Roland, Princess Butter, and the Wizard Marlon. Find out more of what awaits you here and then get in your boat to sail to many more lands on the horizon!

Throughout your journey new characters, lands, and clever new contraptions will be revealed. Construct and do everything from tending your pigs to finding treasure chests. Newly-added building options will help you accomplish the tasks you’re challenged with along the way, including building broken bridges. In true MySims fashion, everything is customizable, allowing every creation within your world to have a signature look.

There is a lot more to discover in regions beyond The Capital, so stay tuned for more characters, contraptions and lands that are yet to be revealed!

MySims Kingdom for Nintendo DS
Take the Kingdom with you! MySims Kingdom on Nintendo DS adds a new chapter to the saga, challenging you to help the King thwart the plans of evil in a far flung corner of the Kingdom. Many new activities and mini-games are included to help you persuade the King that your island is the ultimate royal destination.

“MySims has been met with such enthusiasm by players and families everywhere, we are excited to make MySims its own franchise within The Sims Label,” said Rod Humble, Head of Studio for The Sims Label. “MySims Kingdom has players helping King Roland and his subjects make the MySims world a better place by completing rewarding quests, building houses, bridges or even making contraptions powered by electricity or water. And MySims Kingdom on Nintendo DS, adds many new activities such as kayaking, ski jumping, populating the town zoo and many others!”

Since its launch in September 2007, MySims quickly rose to global success and is loved by players everywhere, having sold 2.8 million copies worldwide to date. The second installment in the franchise, MySims Kingdom, will hit retail shelves across North America, Europe and Asia in Fall of 2008. For more information on MySims, please visit www.mysims.com.

Get ready to embark on your own story-telling journey of discovery and exploration in MySims Kingdom this fall.


Product Specifications
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts Redwood Shores
Platform: Wii/Nintendo DS
Ship Date: Worldwide: Fall 2008
Category: Simulation/Strategy

Grand Theft Auto 4 raises classic GTA Prices on Xbox & PS2

"Buying all three older Grand Theft Auto games released on Xbox would cost $76 now instead of $64 in March, an 18% increase. Buying the same Playstation 2 GTA games would cost $33 now and were $30 in March, which is an 11% increase."

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5 v 5 Clan ladder on online games Call of Duty 4 for the Xbox 360

Consolegaming.eu today announced that it would be teaming up with leading computer technology provider Turtle Beach to launch a 5 v 5 Clan ladder on one of the most popular online games at the moment: Call of Duty 4 for the Xbox 360.

The ladder will last 2 months with the top 8 teams moving forward into the play-off finals battling it out for some of the best prizes ConsoleGaming.eu have ever offered.

The winning clan will net themselves 750 Euros and 5x Turtle Beach X3 Wireless Headsets worth approximately 90 Euros each whereas the runners-up will net themselves 350 Euros and 5x Turtle Beach X1 Headsets worth approximately 50 Euros each.

In addition to these two main prizes, there will also be a competition to find the MVP (More information can be found on the ConsoleGaming.eu website). The MVP will bag themselves 125 Euros.

The sign-ups start now and the ladder will begin on the 16th June 2008.
Further details can be found on www.consolegaming.eu.

Opening new doors for developers on Nintendo Wii

WiiWare Arrives In Europe

The opportunity to create the next groundbreaking video game for Wii has well and truly arrived for developers as WiiWare hits Europe. Launching on 20th May 2008, developers, no matter how big or small, will be able to create exciting new downloadable game’s to be sold through the Wii Shop Channel. Changing the way developers create Wii games and players access them, WiiWare will make it possible for smaller, creative titles to take centre stage. Developers will be able to see their big ideas step into reality, without risk or the need for a big budget.

With WiiWare games the possibilities are endless. Only limited by the imaginations of the developers, expect to see a raft of new, fresh and original games head to Wii from an entire range of genres. Utilising the Wii’s unique control methods from the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to potentially the Wii Board and Wii Wheel, developers have the freedom to create the game of their dreams in an affordable way, with low entry barriers and flexible criteria in front of them. Such is the opportunity that, already developers who have never created or published games for Nintendo are working on a host of potential ideas.

Laurent Fischer, Managing Director of Marketing & PR of Nintendo of Europe comments, ‘We are excited by the positive response we have received from third party developers to the announcement of WiiWare. We hope that this opportunity and the inspiration to produce original and exciting games will allow developers of all sizes to bring new concepts, genres and game play experiences to Wii. Opening this creative door will also provide Wii users access to a huge choice of games that they can easily download and enjoy.’

Easy to access and simple to use, WiiWare games will be available to download directly onto Wii from the Wii Shop Channel from 500 Wii Points. To date, a vast array of exciting and creative new projects are already in the pipeline, ensuring fresh concepts and content will frequently become available for all to enjoy. Players themselves will also become central to the creative process as their download choices and genre selection will become instrumental in helping developers determine future projects.

From 20th May onwards a whole host of brand new creative games from developers across Europe and the rest of the globe become available, including:

· Dr. Mario & Germ Buster from Nintendo

· FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King from Japanese developer SQUARE ENIX

· Lost Winds from UK developer Frontier

· Pirates: The Key of Dreams from Dutch developer Oxygen Interactive Ltd

· Pop from Australian developer Nnooo

· Star Soldier R from Japanese developer HUDSON SOFT

· Toki Tori from Dutch developer Two Tribes B.V.

· TV Show King from French developer Gameloft

With so much creative freedom on offer to developers there is sure to be something for everyone on WiiWare. Keep checking www.Wii.com and the Nintendo Channel (launching on 30th May 2008 on Wii) for all the latest WiiWare news and releases.


WiiWare: Launch Window Games Information:

Title: Dr. Mario & Germ Buster
Developer: Nintendo
Number Of Players: 1 – 4 players
Genre: Puzzle
Controllers Used: Wii Remote
PEGI Rating: 3+
Additional Information: Supports Miis, WiiConnect24, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

Game Overview

The all-time puzzle classic returns for the Wii generation, featuring online gameplay and a new Germ Buster mode! Destroy all the viruses trapped in the bottle by dropping and slotting capsules to create lines of matching colours. The more viruses you clear, the faster the capsules drop.

In Dr. Mario, challenge the computer in 1 Player mode, go head-to-head with a friend in 2 Player mode, or prove your skills against the world via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. You can also send a demo version of the game to a friend (within your region) using WiiConnect24.

In Germ Buster (based on the relaxation game in More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima), up to four players can use their Wii Remotes to grab, spin and slot capsules as your Miis try to keep the nasty bugs at bay. Who thought that catching germs could be so much fun?

Title: FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King
Developer: SQUARE ENIX
Number Of Players: 1 player
Genre: Simulation
Controllers Used: Wii Remote, Nunchuk, Classic Controller, GameCube Controller
PEGI Rating: 7+

Gritty strategy RPG Zoids Assault for Xbox 360

Atlus U.S.A., Inc., hailed as publisher of the month by "Hulking War-Machine Weekly," today announced Zoids Assault, a gritty militaristic strategy RPG featuring enormous beasts of steel, exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Zoids Assault further demonstrates Atlus' commitment to Xbox 360 system and the strategy RPG genre, joining Operation Darkness and Spectral Force 3 in a stacked 2008 lineup.

Manage a team of elite war machines through a campaign of intense military conflicts. Advanced upgrade and customization options combine with challenging objective-based gameplay to offer a fresh new strategy RPG and a daring new vision of the long-running Zoids universe. Commanders, start your engines (of war)!

Zoids Assault is currently scheduled for release on August 26.

Guitar Hero 4 Drum Kit Has Cymbals

Activision's bid to compete with Rock Band's drum kit will include two cymbal pads as part of the peripheral...

Guitar Hero IV will definitely feature a drum kit peripheral and, in a bid to outdo Harmonix's peripheral, Activision has added a couple of cymbals to the setup. However, there will only be three pads on the kit compared to Rock Band's four.

The news comes from scans on internet forums of the latest Game Informer, which pretty much confirms yesterday's rumours. The scans clearly show a bass drum pedal, three pressure sensitive pads, and two cymbal pads on the Guitar Hero IV drum kit.

This compares with a bass drum pedal, four pressure sensitive pads, but no cymbals on Rock Band's drum kit. In another similarity to Rock Band, GH4 will also feature vocals as an instrument when it's released later this year.

The GI scans also confirm the Create a Song feature that was detailed in the earlier rumours. This will allow gamers to create their own songs on GH4 and upload as many as five for others to rate. With good ratings, players will eventually be able to upload 10 or more tracks to the service.

Source: TVG

Rumor: Konami Already Hinting at Metal Gear Solid 5?

Tuesday's Metal Gear Solid 4 press event in Tokyo's Roppongi Hills concluded with an audio clip of a phone conversation between franchise foe Revolver Ocelot and an unknown character, with only Ocelot's side of the conversation presented in the clip (with subtitles shown on the screen). Could they already be hinting at the next iteration of MGS?

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PC game Pro Cycling Manager - Tour De France gets in gear

EXPERIENCE ACCURATE RECREATION OF THE WORLD OF COMPETITIVE CYCLING

Ascaron, 93Games and Cyanide are pleased to announce the release of 5 new screenshots for Pro Cycling Manager – Tour de France 2008, the newest version of the popular racing management series for PC and PSP due out in June.



Pro Cycling Manager – Tour de France 2008 is the most complete recreation of professional cycling yet. The game features the most advanced rider AI yet, highly detailed rider models, animations, environments, lighting and track racing events. Challenge your team’s racing skills on cycle speedway, Keirin and elimination as you tackle a new type of management challenge.


The new management aspects of the game include an entirely new stamina system and highly realistic progression curve for each rider, testing the depth of your training competence. A complete skills editor and a new young talent recruiting system allow would-be managers to modify their cyclists and create the perfect winning team.

The PSP version of Pro Cycling – Tour de France 2008, has been specially designed to make use of the unique features of the Sony PSP. Players can choose from one of the 18 official teams and all-star players to participate in an accurately recreated model of the Tour de France 2008. The new edition includes the option to challenge others in multiplayer mode via LAN or via the PSP WiFi features.

Bullseye for Touch Darts game on Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS game, Touch Darts, will be released in North America in June of 2008.

“This is not just your ordinary dart video game; Touch Darts really takes advantage of Nintendo DS’s unique touch screen and allows players to accurately simulate throwing darts with a simple flick of the stylus,” says Mark Johnson, producer at Agetec. “The developer, Full Fat, made sure to fine tune the controls so that even the most hardcore dart fanatic is happy with this game. It’s quite an achievement.”

Touch Darts comes with four classic dart modes: tournament, challenge, quickplay, and multiplayer. Quickplay and multiplayer mode gives up to four players the chance to square off on the board via single cartridge. Tournament mode includes four different levels of difficulty ranking from Rookie to Expert.

“This game will make you feel as if you were really in your living room, at your friend’s house, in the pub, or in a tournament tossing darts,” continues Mark Johnson. “Another great feature in Touch Darts is the challenge mode, which takes traditional dart tossing and puts a whole new spin on it. Challenge mode consists of ten mini games and includes the classics like Killer, Round the Clock, and 1001, but also includes all new games like Speed Darts. In Speed Darts, players must score a certain amount of points in a given period of time. Challenge mode is a lot of fun and is something even seasoned darts players will find fresh.”

Motion-Sensitive Technology from Sony Ericsson Brings New Challenges to Mobile Gamers

New Motion-Sensitive Technology from Sony Ericsson Brings New Challenges to Mobile Gamers

At the JavaOne 2008 Conference, Glu Mobile, a leading global publisher of mobile games, announced its upcoming original title, Get Cookin’, will utilize motion-sensitive technology available on new Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (“Sony Ericsson”) handsets. The use of this technology challenges players to use a combination of physical gestures as well as button presses to create sophisticated cuisines, bringing an entirely new ingredient to mobile games.

Get Cookin’ is a new title from Glu launching in July 2008 across all major carriers worldwide. Get Cookin’ challenges players to create delicious cuisine by perfecting a wide variety of cooking methods, ingredients, seasonings and recipes. Gamers with the Sony Ericsson W910i, debuted earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, will utilize motion-specific techniques to complete enticing meals in order to rise to the top of their profession.

“Sony Ericsson’s motion sensor technology allows us to incorporate more authentic, true to life challenges in Get Cookin’ and introduce an entirely new dimension to mobile games,” said Jill Braff, senior vice president of global publishing, Glu. “The use of this technology gives developers a way to deepen the gameplay and gives players a truly fun game that incorporates all new ways to play.”

The built-in accelerometer in the Sony Ericsson W910i is used to control game functions such as flipping a steak on the grill by utilizing its sensitivity to allow for a more intense and physical gaming experience. Get Cookin’ will utilize the JSR 256 API motion sensor found inside the W910i and several other new Sony Ericsson devices.