Puffins - Island Adventure for Nintendo DS

Dive into life as a Puffin as Majesco, an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, today announced Puffins: Island Adventure for Nintendo DS. 

Developed by Other Ocean Interactive, Puffins: Island Adventure is an adventure simulation that lets players experience what it's like to be one of Nature's most unusual and endearing seabirds.

In Puffins - Island Adventure, players become part of a Puffin flock and experience their arduous, but rewarding, existence as they learn to fly, dive, start a family and more. 

While navigating through the island, they will interact with other Puffins, play games to earn the favor of their peers and raise a family to carry on their legacy. 

Puffins: Island Adventure features mini-games that relate to real-life Puffin activities underwater, in air and on land. 

By mastering the Puffin 500, Puffin Plummet and Tide Pool Fishing, players earn reputation points that unlock pictures and videos of real Puffins in their natural Canadian locales.

If players make it far enough, they will unlock new levels and even their very own Puffin burrow. Gameplay through the untamed wilderness is accompanied by traditionally-styled Atlantic Canadian music composed of exotic instruments including the tin whistle, fiddle and bodhran. 

Music composition features the talent of one of Canada's most popular artists, Alan Doyle, frontman for the world renowned band Great Big Sea. In addition, Puffins: Island Adventure also features 4 player local and 2 player Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection multiplayer modes.

Puffins: Island Adventure is expected to release this spring.

Unlock Joey Logano in NASCAR Kart Racing on Nintendo Wii

Purchases at GameStop Include Exclusive Code to Unlock Joey Logano and the GameStop Car

Joey Logano, the youngest driver in history to win a Nationwide Series, is one of two unlockable drivers in NASCAR Kart Racing, which ships to North American retailers on February 10th. Logano drives the No 20 GameStop Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. Purchases of NASCAR Kart Racing through GameStop online or at GameStop retailers will include game packaging that contains the exclusive code to unlock Joey Logano and the No 20 GameStop car.

NASCAR Kart Racing, the first and only NASCAR racing title available for the Wii, will ship to retailers in North America on February 10, 2009, just in time for the Daytona 500 and the official start of the 2009 NASCAR season. Designed exclusively for the Wii, NASCAR Kart Racing enables players to grab the steering wheel as a famed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and speed through treacherous landscapes, wind around rocky cliffs, jump rivers and dodge falling boulders. Up to four players can go head-to-head, via split screen, in a mad dash to the checkered flag, making NASCAR Kart Racing an ideal game to play with family and friends.

Enjoy the thrill of racing as rising NASCAR star Joey Logano or choose from 13 additional NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Players can also compete as one of 10 original animated characters.

Licensed NASCAR Drivers:

• Jeff Burton • Jimmie Johnson
• Kyle Busch • Kasey Kahne
• Dale Earnhardt, Jr. • Matt Kenseth
• Carl Edwards • JOEY LOGANO
• Jeff Gordon • Elliott Sadler
• Denny Hamlin • Tony Stewart
• Kevin Harvick • “Unlockable Mystery Driver*

Halo Wars Original Soundtrack 2-disc set - track list

Music Composed by Stephen Rippy and performed by FILMharmonic Orchestra and Choir Prague

Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with Microsoft Game Studios, proudly presents Halo Wars Original Soundtrack featuring the original music score from the action strategy game for the Xbox 360 developed by Ensemble Studios. The Halo Wars Original Soundtrack is released Feb. 17, 2009 to retail outlets through Nile Rodgers’ Sumthing Else Music Works record label www.sumthingdigital.com, and for digital download at www.sumthingdigital.com.

The Halo Wars Original Soundtrack 2-disc set features over 50 minutes of the adrenalized and sublime original score from the Halo Wars game. The music was composed by Stephen Rippy (Age of Empires series, Age of Mythology) with performances by the FILMharmonic Orchestra and Choir Prague. The second disc is a DVD with nine additional bonus tracks, nine 5.1 mixes of tracks from the music disc, two cinematic trailers and one behind-the-scenes video.

“For Halo Wars I wanted to write music that fit both the size of the story and its sense of discovery,” said Stephen Rippy, Ensemble Studios Music & Sound Director and Composer for Halo Wars. “Each of the various worlds in the game feels a little different; each of the main characters brings something to the mix. More than anything else, it was important that these tracks fit comfortably into the existing Halo universe. I hope they’ll take the listener to some new places as well.”

Track Listing:

1. Spirit of Fire
2. Bad Here Day
3. Perspective
4. Money Or Meteors
5. Flollo
6. Just Ad Nauseum
7. Unusually Quiet
8. Flip And Sizzle
9. Put The Lady Down
10. Six-Armed Robbing Suit
11. Action Figure Hands
12. Status Quo Show
13. Part Of The Plan
14. Work Burns And Runaway Grunts
15. Freaked Out
16. Rescued Or Not
17. Best Guess At Best
18. One Problem At A Time
19. De Facto The Matter
20. Part Of The Problem
21. Fingerprints Are Broken
22. Out Of There Alive
23. Through Your Hoops
24. Under Your Hurdles
25. Insignificantia (All Sloppy / No Joe).

Based on the legendary Halo universe, Halo Wars is an action strategy game for the Xbox 360 developed by Ensemble Studios. The epic campaign will allow players to command the armies of the UNSC warship Spirit of Fire in mankind’s initial encounters against the Covenant, an alien coalition threatening to obliterate the universe. Halo Wars immerses players in an early period of the storied Halo universe, allowing you to experience events leading up to the first Halo title for Xbox. For more information visit http://www.halowars.com/.

Ways of upgrading Armor and Weapons in Runes of Magic

There are many ways of upgrading Armor and Weapons in Runes of Magic http://www.runesofmagic.com, but very few of them don’t require the aid of the Arcane Transmutor. Frogster now publishes further information about this powerful and mysterious artifact.

Only the basic recipes were passed on to players: for instance, with the aid of power stones, adventurers can extract attributes from magical items which are then stored in mana stones. Clevery combined, these mana stones can turn into increasingly powerful mana stones, which in turn are used to refine and notably improve weapons or armor, thus making them especially useful tools in the everlasting battle against the fiends of Taborea.

Also, runes - important for improving equipment - can be transmuted in several ways. Five identical runes of the same rank can form a higher tiered and more powerful version of that same rune. Players are encouraged to experiment combining disparate runes with different attributes to create their ideal rune.

Whilst the possible combinations are countless, using the Arcane Transmutor does cost Transmutor Charges – an ingredient which players have to accrue in order to benefit from the Transmutor. Phirius Tokens, a reward from daily quests, can be traded in for charges, while the more impatient players can purchase charges in the item shop.

However, the Arcane Transmutor will not freely reveal all its secrets. But one thing is clear: it is a lot more powerful than it was thought to be. It is now up to adventurers to elicit its inner workings.

Runes of Magic started into the open beta in December with an English and a German version. All interested players can now download the installation files for free on www.runesofmagic.com.

Runes of Magic – a world full of wizardry and adventure
With an extensive range of features Runes of Magic prepares to redefine the standard of free-to-play MMO games. Right from the launch Runes of Magic will convey its absorbing story through more than 1.000 quests embedded in an atmospheric world. Players can choose between six main classes. Combined with a secondary class they dispose of 36 individual combinations of character classes over all. All characters possess unique skills with impressive combo attacks and can use mounts. A particularly attractive feature for guilds and players is the possibility to arrange their own virtual homes with individual furnishing. Thanks to an extensive crafting and reputation system, thrilling PVP as well as demanding dungeons and boss-monsters, no wishes remain unsatisfied. The Taiwanese developer Runewaker has developed Runes of Magic according to western MMO standards within a time frame of three years. The studio will provide new challenges for players every three to four months with free add-ons and updates. MMO fans can find more information, pictures and videos on the official website www.runesofmagic.com.

Runes of Magic features

- Free2play: no monthly fees, free download
- Extensive dual class system (six primary and secondary classes)
- Versatile spell- and attack-combinations
- Enthralling background story
- More than 1.000 quests and quest series on launch
- No zone boundaries thanks to seamless architecture
- Dungeons: Instanced and tile based as well as persistent
- Individually developable skills and spells
- Armor sets with special bonuses
- Dynamic item system with hundreds of runes for upgrading
- Optional PvP system with arena battles and guild wars
- Ranking system with player-ranking lists
- Multitude of unique mounts
- Epic crafting system with the chance to improve existing items
- Personalization of player houses through individual furnishing
- Reputation system
- Customisable user interface with the option to use Add-Ons
- Map and radar system to find dealers, resources and quests easily
- Ingame auction houses for trading items
- Teleport-Runes for instant travel
- Mouse and keyboard controls for movement
- Regular updates with new content
- Cross-server fights in three-server-battle in development
- Guild houses in special zones in development

Colony add-on for Bounty Bay Online has been launched

Frogster has launched the Colony Add-on as the second large expansion to Bounty Bay Online. With the free add-on, players can now establish colonies in 33 coastal regions of the historical explorer world. After completing a special quest series and with the necessary resources, they are able to capture the area and build up their own town and port.

Colony founders can then determine the trade policy and development of their new realm. This way, ambitious guilds can acquire their own retreat and a lucrative trading base. In the German version launched last week, all colonies have been taken over within a few days. Now it’s up to the players to create their first colonies.

Besides the colony features, the Colony Add-on integrates new quests into Bounty Bay Online, which are partly a continuation of quest series from the first expansion Storm Island. In addition to some new land bosses with improved tactics, new powerful pirate ships are now terrorizing the seven seas. Conquerors of these corsairs can expect huge amounts of gold, but they are protected by new dinghies. The small boats are only lightly armored, but dispose of considerable firepower. However, the developers have created a worldwide network of informants, so that news about the sighting of a pirate boat and his whereabouts spread like wildfire within the community. Another new feature of the Colony Add-on concerns ship convoys. As a last resort before sinking, the leading ship of a convoy can now launch small speedboats, trying to save its treasures before the impending demise.

Moreover, with the Colony Add-on players receive the possibility to salvage treasures from the sea. Previously, these could only be found on land. A practical innovation has also been implemented to the complex trading system of the sailor MMORPG. Players can now systematically search all sales stalls of an area for specific items and compare goods and prices to find the best offer.

The free colony add-on is available for both the subscription and free-2-play server and has a size of roughly 500 MB. It is being installed automatically with the next start of Bounty Bay Online. Players can use their existing accounts and characters without any restrictions.

Air Conflicts - Aces of World War II for PSP System out soon

Air Conflicts: Aces of World War II , the arcade flight simulation developed for the PSP (PlayStationPortable) system and is scheduled for release on March 15th, 2009. The gold master status means that all testing and functionality of the game is complete and the game is approved for manufacturing.

Air Conflicts is an arcade flight simulator game set in World War II, featuring the aircraft of this period and historically inspired missions. The emphasis is on intense dogfights, daring bombing raids and exciting aerial missions. Players choose to fly one of 17 authentic planes for the US Air Force, Royal Air Force, Luftwaffe or Red Army Air Force. The game utilizes the PSP wireless capabilities to include a multiplayer mode for up to 8 players.

“The brilliant graphics and wireless multiplayer capabilities of Air Conflicts makes the PSP system a perfect platform for this game and we are very happy with the quality of the gameplay,” stated Kenneth Hurley, CEO of Signature Devices, Inc. and Graffiti Entertainment, Inc. “The game includes some great American missions that we've added that should excite the most avid PSP Gamer.”

King’s Bounty - The Legend, a knight saga that blends role-playing adventure and battle strategy in a fantasy land, out February 2009

King’s Bounty: The Legend, a knight saga that blends role-playing adventure and battle strategy in a fantasy land, will be released in February 2009 by Nobilis and Ascaron Entertainment. Players lead a character through their life, travelling across continents to fulfil the orders of Kings by unlocking mysteries and solving puzzles. Uniquely this increases the character’s skills, which in turn provides the opportunity to take a wife and raise a family.

Players choose their character, be it Warrior, Mage or Paladin. A Warrior is an experienced leader able to slice through enemies with a sword in each hand; a Mage can become a master of magic defeating whole armies with mystical energy; a Paladin is a strong fighter that can harness divine magic to defeat demonic adversaries. Once this decision is made, players customise their character and begin their quest.

As the journey unfolds characters develop key combat skills, learn magic tricks, engage in incredible battles and are able to take a wife and have children. A wife gives useful bonuses to the character and his army, adding the ability to wear more equipment and be more successful in battle. If she agrees to have children, a child will soon appear adding further bonuses to the character. Each wife can have up to four children but in the case of divorce, the wife will take all the children, any equipment and 1/5 of gold reserves.

When a level is completed a Rune of Talent is collected. Runes act as currency that allows characters to learn or upgrade skills. The character’s leadership, attacking and defence skills as well as intellect can all be developed, which enables them to complete difficult quests against formidable foes. Depending on the character’s skills and development, they can also use Mana, the force needed to cast magic spells, to overcome enemies. During battle they will be able to summon the Spirits of Rage; four powerful creatures able to crush enemies, poison whole armies and control time and space.

In anticipation of the release of King’s Bounty: The Legend for PC in February 2009 a demo has now been made available, allowing a taste of the game’s spectacular environments, unique creatures and ferocious enemies.

Fast facts:

Distributor: Ascaron
Publisher: Nobilis / 1C
Web: www.ascaron.com / www.kings-bounty.com
Developer: Katauri Interactive
Release date: 13th February 2009
PEGI: 12+
Format: PC
Genre: RPG / Turn Based Combat

PDC Darts 2009 video game on Nintendo Wii, PSP Xbox 360and Nintendo DS

Oxygen Games would like to congratulate Phil Taylor on winning the Ladbrokes.com Darts World Championship.

After beating Raymond van Barneveld in the 2009 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship and being crowned world champion for the 14th time, Phil Taylor has turned his attention to ensuring the PDC Darts 2009 video game, published by Oxygen Games, upholds his high standard of darts and realism in gaming.

Phil will be providing tips to award winning studio, Rebellion to ensure the game is as realistic as possible in offering players the opportunity to experience the big match experience and the chance to play against all the big names including Phil Taylor.

“I’m very happy to have won the world championship and am looking forward to helping Oxygen Games make the best darts game to date,” said Phil Taylor then added tongue in cheek “hopefully they’ll make sure I’m the toughest guy to play against in the game, you know, to ensure it’s as realistic as possible!” 

Rebellion added “It’s been a real pleasure to have not only a true professional, but also the world champion giving us ideas and feedback on how to ensure we get the throwing motions, dart flight and other crucial factors spot on, to make this the most realistic darts game possible” said Steve Hart, Producer.

PDC World Championship Darts 2009 will be released on the 29th of May 2009 and will be available on Nintendo DS and Wii.

PDC World Championship Darts 2008 is currently available on Xbox 360, PSP System, PC and Wii.

Introducing Professor B M Werken! - CID the Dummy game

The Professor is a good man at heart but seems to work way too hard for his own good, he almost seems obsessive…

He’s a bit of a worrier – always checking and double-checking everything, and constantly worried about his own health. In the old days, he was a bit of a bon vivant, and elements of that seep through in the way he is now. But what has caused him to change so much? Is there a terrible secret in his past? Why does D-Troit hate him so much?

The Professor is very intelligent; you don’t get to where the Professor is through luck alone. He’s a smart man, but increasingly old and doddery. He tends to forget where he puts things, and probably doesn’t have too many of his own teeth anymore.

The professor is also a bit of a worrier and hypochondriac. Not all the time, just when he’s at work, or stressed. It wasn’t always like this, back in the old days, there wouldn’t be a fashionable dinner party in town that the Professor wasn’t invited to. He loved the finer things in life, but some terrible event in his life seems to have changed him.

About CID The Dummy

A star is born and he's made to last. CID THE DUMMY makes his debut in Oxygen Games’ all-new action platformer. CID THE DUMMY is sure to grab you with its enjoyable, fun gameplay, featuring a totally original character with charisma and lots of moves. CID has many different fighting styles with which to battle enemies, from unarmed combat to weapons like the Bazooka that can freeze, hit and burn.

• Interact as only a crash impact dummy can. Climb walls, swing on ropes, burn obstacles, destroy exploding barrels, use lifters, bounce on springs and with a neat head butt destroy walls all in stunningly realized environments. Game environment interaction is the most important part of the gameplay.
• CID's world is swarming with a host of fearfully fun enemies like the Dumper, Cursed Dummy and the bizarre Failed Experiment.
• Apart from fighting enemies, the player will enjoy solving puzzles, avoiding traps and using acrobatic skills to get out of dangerous situations!

CID The Dummy will be released on Wii, Playstation 2, PSP System, and PC.

Mafia 2 video game on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC

From the developers of the award-winning Mafia comes Mafia II, a beautifully crafted look into the dark and unforgiving world of the Mob. Expanding upon the original hit that captivated more than 2 million gamers around the world, 2K Czech takes players deeper into the Mafia with a mature and exciting experience that will immerse players like never before.

Powered by 2K Czech’s next-generation engine built specifically for Mafia II, players will experience the true evolution of the Mob game that defined a genre. Gunfights, hand-to-hand combat and vehicular exploration feature new depth and dimension that allow players to experience the world of Mafia II in a way that will keep them coming back for more.

Storyline:




Born the son of a poor immigrant, Vito is a beaten down Italian American who is trying to secure his piece of the American Dream. Looking to escape the life of poverty that consumed his childhood, Vito is soon swayed by the lure of power and wealth that a life of Organized Crime can bring.

A petty criminal his whole life, Vito, along with his childhood friend, Joe, will descend into the world of Organized Crime. Together, they will work to prove themselves to the Mob as they try to make their names on the streets of a cold and unforgiving city.

Features:

● Gangster-Movie Experience: Through strong, authentic characterization and compelling narrative, the mature storyline will make you understand the pull and impossible escape of life in the Mob

• Action-Packed Gameplay: Take part in heart-stopping car-to-car gunfights, white-knuckled hand-to-hand combat and intense gunplay, all of which come together to form an intense and exciting experience

• All-New Engine Powers the Next Generation of Mob Videogames: 2K Czech’s next-generation engine, allows gamers to travel from beautifully rendered outdoor environments to intricately designed interiors seamlessly without the need for loading times

• Authentic Script From the Writer of Mafia I: The writing team from Mafia I returns to deliver another powerhouse script that portrays a stunning tale of survival, camaraderie and the pitfalls of pursuing the American Dream

• Music as Environment: Players will be immersed in the Golden Era of America as Mafia II features tracks from some of the era’s most influential artists

Title: Mafia II
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: 2K Czech
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows
ESRB Rating: Not Yet Rated
Release Date: Fall 2009