Snowboard Riot on Nintendo WiiWare

Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm of HUDSON SOFT, today released a new batch of screenshots for Snowboard Riot, a distinctive snowboarding game unlike anything players have ever encountered for WiiWare.

In Snowboard Riot, snowboarding reaches new heights when players take to the slopes with action-packed racing utilizing weapons such as homing bullets and invisibility! Battle with up to 4 boarders using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to race online and blow away the competition. Weapons such as mines and turbo are available to give players an edge fighting it out on the mountain.





Gamers have several control options, as they can use the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ or the Wii Balance Board™ to carve their way to victory. Just like a real snowboard, players can lean left and right on the Wii Balance Board, providing a realistic snowboard experience. Boarders can also choose from four characters to bomb the slopes, and can customize their look with Oakley apparel and goggles to improve their performance.

Snowboard Riot is rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

Call to Arms with the Announcement of the First Live Expansion for Warhammer Online - Age of Reckoning

The Armies of WAR Prepare to Go Berserk Over Dwarf Slayer and Orc Choppa Careers, New 'Land of the Dead' Dungeon Zone, and Live Events

GOA and Mythic Entertainment, an Electronic Arts studio, today announced the new “Call to Arms” live expansion for its award-winning MMORPG, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR).
Call to Arms will introduce an array of new content for WAR players, including two highly anticipated new careers – the Orc Choppa and the Dwarf Slayer – and a new dungeon zone called “Land of the Dead,” set in the desert realm of the Tomb Kings.

The Call to Arms live expansion, set to roll out for free in early March and running through the beginning of June, will also include three in-game live events, a new Realm vs. Realm (RvR) Scenario, added functionality to the Realm Wars section of the WAR website, the opening of the official WAR Forums, and a new free trial version of the game.

“Since the launch of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Mythic Entertainment and GOA have been committed to bringing European players a rich and enjoyable MMORPG experience“said Ghislaine Le Rhun Gautier, CEO of GOA. “The integration of these high quality, free 'live expansions' is a testament to both companies' continuing dedication to WAR players in 2009.“

“The launch of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning was only the first step in our ongoing quest to make a great MMORPG that players will enjoy for years to come. Over the next few months, we are going to be treating our players to the first of our ‘live expansions’ planned for the game,” said Mark Jacobs, VP and general manager of Mythic Entertainment. “With the addition of new careers and a huge Tomb Kings dungeon that is the spiritual successor to the Dark Age of Camelot™ dungeon, Darkness Fall, Call to Arms is an outstanding example of the massive amount of free content we are committed to delivering to WAR players now and in the future.”

Call to Arms Live Expansion Schedule

• ‘Call to Arms: Bitter Rivals Bitter Rivals’ Live Event (March) : Successful completion allows head start access to the new Orc Choppa and Dwarf Slayer careers. The event will also include the new Chaos-themed RvR Scenario, Twisting Tower.

• Two New Careers Join WAR (March): The Orc Choppa and Dwarf Slayer answer the Call to Arms.

• ‘Call to Arms: Beyond the Sands’ Live Event (April): Details to be revealed soon!

• ‘Call to Arms: Rise of the Tomb Kings’ Live Event (May): The race between Order and Destruction players begins to unlock the Land of the Dead for their Realm.

• ‘Land of the Dead’ Opens (June):The deserts of Nehekhara open to players with the addition of a new RvR-gated dungeon zone. To gain access to the Land of the Dead, opposing Realms must battle for control of the zone to access dozens of new Public Quests, instanced lairs, and a massive new Tomb Kings dungeon to plunder in search of the Casket of Souls.

More details on these and other new features soon to invade the Age of Reckoning will be revealed as the launch of Call to Arms grows near.

Bitter Rivals Answer the Call to Arms!

The Orc Choppa and Dwarf Slayer may be bitter enemies, but they have at least one thing in common: they live, eat, and breathe close-quarters melee combat. Choppas are ornery and savage, with a one track mind dead seat on bashin’ heads! This savage dedication makes them ferocious fighters, wreaking havoc throughout enemy lines purely for the sake of satisfying their own self-indulgent bloodlust.

The Slayer is driven by a solemn oath to atone for past sins through an honorable death in combat. However, Dwarfs are a stubborn folk and dying quietly is simply not in their nature. Slayers therefore become ruthless and terrifying fighters, throwing themselves into battle with no regard for their own well-being.

“The Orc Choppa and Dwarf Slayer are two of the most iconic characters in the Warhammer universe, and I have no doubt WAR fans will go berserk for them,” said Jeff Hickman, executive producer of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. “Choppas represent the pure anarchy that the Greenskins embody, and the crazed, mohawk-sporting Slayers are their ideal archenemy. It won’t be long before you see both of them adding a new level of insanity to the Age of Reckoning!”

Based on the popular tabletop war game from Games Workshop, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning features revolutionary Realm vs. Realm conflict that will provide an engaging battleground for years to come. Available for PC and rated 12+.

Hotel Giant 2 PC video game opens for business

The sequel to the million-selling original and crafted by developer Nobilis, Hotel Giant 2 is an intuitive and fully customisable experience for players to achieve world domination through the construction of a new hotel empire.

Hotel Giant 2 features 26 locations from around the world including Paris, Los Angeles, Munich, Rome and Phuket for aspiring Donald Trumps to dominate the hotel market.
The key to success is careful observation of your guests’ behaviour and monitoring their happiness in the surroundings you have created for them. Build restaurants, health clubs, swimming pools and business centres to appease their needs, all the while keeping a close eye on your ratings in order to achieve that coveted 100% customer satisfaction rating.

As with any customer-facing business, one of the most important roles is in the business of hiring and firing. Guests will be quick to file complaints about less than satisfactory service; so following your staff’s duties carefully may prove profitable when deciding whether you should be brandishing the P45s or not.

Hotel Giant 2 will test your business brain, people skills and entrepreneurial spirit, and will be available in mid February at GAME, Amazon and Play at £19.99.

Akinai Games Announces Official Launch Date for Evasive Space on Nintendo Wii

Prepare for Evasive Action Beginning February 16 on WiiWare

Akinai Games, the downloadable games division of leading videogame publisher, YUKE’S Company of America, today announced a February 16th release date for Evasive Space for Nintendo’s WiiWare game service.

The new title, developed by High Voltage Software, is a top-down space adventure featuring unique use of the infrared capabilities of the Wii Remote to pilot your ship. As Konki, race against the clock on collection-based missions to rescue the stars from the insidious Dr. Dark Matter. Evasion is the key to survival as your goal is not to blast adversaries, but to skillfully avoid them while traversing through a variety of hazardous intergalactic environments for an experience that will challenge your reflexes.

Key features of the game include:

- Guide Konki through 20 hazardous space missions spanning four worlds
- Deftly pilot your ship with innovative use of the Wii Remote’s infrared pointer capabilities
- Pick up items and ship upgrades to enhance skills and increase your chances for survival
- Four person multiplayer matches locally on your home console
- Compete for best times with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online leaderboards

Evasive Space will be available for download on February 16th through the Wii Shop Channel for 1,000 Wii Points, and has been rated “E” for “Everyone” with Mild Fantasy Violence by the ESRB.

Backstory

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder WHERE you are … The universe is going dark and it’s up to you Konki, Stellar Guardian, to put things right. Dr. Dark Matter and his roving band of space thieves have stolen many of the Constellation Stones that make up the heavens. Some stones have been sold to unscrupulous space types while others were lost during the getaway. Whatever the situation, you must come through. Suit-up, power-up, and live up to the task at hand. Recover the lost Constellation Stones and once again bring light to the night sky.

Star Ocean - The Last Hope Xbox 360 video game

STAR OCEAN - The Last Hope will be released across all PAL territories in spring 2009, on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system.

With this highly anticipated prequel, acclaimed development studio tri-Ace Inc. brings the STAR OCEAN series to Xbox 360 for the first time. STAR OCEAN: The Last Hope continues the series traditions of soaring space opera, blending science fiction with fantasy for a unique RPG experience. The refined gameplay features four party members and team-oriented combat, while maintaining the innovative real-time battle system that has become a trademark of the STAR OCEAN series.

John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Ltd. comments, “STAR OCEAN has already proved to be a popular series in Japan, we now hope that players around the world can discover why. STAR OCEAN: The Last Hope is a stunning new adventure in the series that is sure to delight both fans and newcomers alike.”

About STAR OCEAN: The Last Hope

Story

The year is S.D. 10. In the aftermath of World War III, humanity voyages into the stars in search of a new home… and a second chance.

Features

• A prequel that combines sci-fi and fantasy elements, spanning multiple planets and the vastness of space itself to recount the origins of the STAR OCEAN universe.
• Exhilarating combat expands upon the franchise’s famous real-time battle system, including the amazing graphics and visual effect only possible on the Xbox 360
• Feature breathtaking CG movies by Visual Works, the cutting-edge studio whose previous work includes cut-scenes for the acclaimed FINAL FANTASY RPG series
• Fully localised for PAL territories with French, German, Spanish and Italian subtitles and menu screens

Say Hello to Pocoyo video game on Nintendo DS

PlayV to release officially-licensed Pocoyo title on 27th February

PlayV has announced that its officially-licensed pre-school title Hello Pocoyo! will be released for Nintendo DS on the 27th February. The DS interpretation of the phenomenally popular under-5s' educational series allows parents and children to interact with the wonderful world of Pocoyo and his band of friends via elementary logic puzzles and mini-games. Developed by Zinkia, Hello Pocoyo! represents another key release in PlayV’s eleven-title Q1 2009 line-up, which sees a strong lifestyle focus backed up by an on-going commitment to core audiences.

Hello Pocoyo! sees Pocoyo discover a magical pen with great powers. Whilst playing around with it, he accidentally makes his friends disappear, setting the story for a DS adventure like no other. As Pocoyo searches for his missing friends Pato, Elly and Loula, all of whom have special abilities to help him on his voyage of discovery, he’ll encounter a wealth of puzzles and activities ranging from colouring-in tasks and hand-to-eye co-ordination training through to dance competitions and elementary rhythm action events. With such a varied range of things to do, coupled with the title's faithfulness to the TV series, Hello Pocoyo! represents the ideal game for young children and their parents to play together.

Luiz Ferreira, PlayV’s sales manager comments: “Pocoyo is such a well-loved and well-recognised brand that we’re overjoyed to be bringing it to the UK marketplace. It’s an amazing fit for the DS, and we’ll be supporting Hello Pocoyo! with a full campaign that will include outlets such as Sky Kids, CiTV and a whole host of relevant children’s print press.”

Hello Pocoyo! will be released for Nintendo DS on the 27th February 2009.

About Pocoyo:

Pocoyo has been on air every week on CiTV throughout 2005 - 2008 regularly in the top 10 rated pre-school shows. It has been broadcasted on CiTV during 2008 up to 7 times daily. Pocoyo started strongly on Milkshake! since it’s 7th January 2008 launch. The latest ratings in March showed Pocoyo pulling in a best rating with a massive 327,000 viewers. The brand is supported by more than 15 well known licensors, amongst which are Bandai as Master Toy licensor and ITV DVD as Home Entertainment Distributor.

Pocoyo is co-produced by Zinkia and ITV Global Entertainment Ltd. Pocoyo is licensed to all worldwide territories by ITV Global Entertainment, excluding China, Italy, Latin America, Portugal and Spain where the property is represented by Zinkia.

Pocoyo, which airs in more than 100 territories, has been sold to an impressive line-up of broadcasters including: CiTV (UK), TVE (Spain), RTP (Portugal), Treehouse (Canada), ABC (Australia); Disney Pan Asia, Disney Pan Scandinavia, Kika (Germany), M6 (France), Discovery Kids (Latin America), Televisa (Mexico), WowWow (Japan), YLE (Finland), VRT (Belgium) TVNZ (New Zealand) and Alter Channel (Greece) amongst others.
Pocoyo was awarded Best Pre-school Animation series at the British Academy Children's Film and Television Awards (BAFTA), as well as Best TV Production at The Annecy International Animation Festival 2006, the Pulcinella Award 2006 for Best Pre-school and Best European programme and Best Children's Programme Promo in Singapore at the Promax BDA 2008.

Pocoyo is a fun-loving little boy, with an insatiable curiosity, who lives in a world of limitless opportunities. Featuring a cast of colourful, loveable characters, Pocoyo captures the imagination and stimulates children to watch, listen and interact, promoting creativity, self-awareness and self-confidence by learning through laughter.

Steven Spielberg award winning Boom Blox Bash party video game

Sequel to Award-Winning BOOM BLOX Takes Players from the Depths of the Sea to Outer Space for a Party Anyone Can Throw

Get ready for the ultimate blox-busting action as Electronic Arts today announced BOOM BLOX Bash Party for Wii, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed BOOM BLOX game for Wii.

EA’s collaboration with director and producer Steven Spielberg continues with BOOM BLOX Bash Party, and the destructive fun reaches new heights with richer multiplayer action and more than 400 new levels that will have players of all ages gaming together and solving action-packed puzzles under water, in zero gravity, and beyond!

“BOOM BLOX Bash Party is a wild social gaming experience,” said Steven Spielberg. “We know families and friends really enjoyed playing the original BOOM BLOX together, so we designed more explosive multiplayer experiences with BOOM BLOX Bash Party.”

BOOM BLOX Bash Party is even more fun to play with friends and family, featuring twice as many multiplayer challenges as the original, and now offers team-based challenges! Players can play with or against friends, solo or in teams, knocking down blocks, destroying towers, slinging and launching blocks and characters, for tons of high-energy, family-friendly fun!

BOOM BLOX Bash Party is packed with tons of new features that are sure to get the party started! The game showcases new block types, including: virus and conveyor blox, new blox shapes, such as: cylinders and wedges, and new tools that will make for even more destructive fun. Players will find twists on BOOM BLOX game play favorites like throwing and grabbing. Players now can also sling, launch, and blow the competition away with new cannon, paint ball and slingshot tools.

Even the characters are in on the action as BOOM BLOX Bash Party features a new cast of wacky blox characters. This time they don’t just cheer you on, they are now blox themselves and you can throw, stack or even launch them, utilizing them to create even more madness and mayhem!

The fun continues online as BOOM BLOX Bash Party enables players to download even more new levels via the Internet. With the press of a button, players will be able to grab, play and rate new levels from EA as well as levels created by members of the BOOM BLOX Bash Party community. Using the game’s easy-to-use Create Mode, players now have the power to share the levels they built with friends, or submit their masterpiece to be shared with the world! The expanded Create Mode lets players build and create like never before, giving them access to the same tool set the EA development team used to create each and every level in the game!

"In BOOM BLOX Bash Party we are taking the game elements to the extreme,” said Amir Rahimi, Senior Producer. “In the original BOOM BLOX, we really focused on perfecting the game’s physics so now we can push the boundaries of physics, offering exciting new challenges and completely new ways to play.”

Developed by the EA Casual Studios, BOOM BLOX Bash Party will be available in North America and Europe in Spring 2009. BOOM BLOX Bash Party has not yet been rated by PEGI.

Mahjong Zodiac and Str33t Racing video games on iPhone and Nintendo Wii

Mahjong Zodiac

Mahjong Zodiac is a unique combination of the classic mahjong and the three matching games. The classic mahjong gameplay with the intriguing twist, guaranteed to challenge anyone looking for a brain workout. Embark on a journey through ancient China and Buddha's life in this story-filled mahjong game. As you progress from level to level, a beautifully illustrated story is revealed, immersing you in a great gaming experience.

- 96 well balanced level
- unique hand drawn graphics
- particular mahjong tile set
- beautiful particle system
- authentic background music and sound effects

Release date: Q1 2009

Str33t Racing
Str33t Racing is a classic top-down racing title that has a unique power-ups system which requires players to achieve the best position. The game has been using the company's proprietary technology, which provides stunning graphical quality.

- 10 different dream cars
- 8 high quality racing tracks
- unique power-ups system
- car damage system
- glow, real-time shadow and particle effects
- multitouch and tilt control (iPhone version)
- remote and nunchuck control (WiiWare version)

Release date: Q3 2009

Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars on PlayStation Network

Nitro-Fueled Battle-Cars Rocket Across the Pond

Psyonix Studios announced today that Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars is now available across Europe for download on the PlayStation Network on the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system.

Battle-Cars features several unique rocket-powered cars with incredible physics-based maneuverability, including the ability to rocket into the air or accelerate at supersonic speeds on the ground by racing over boost strips, obtaining boost capsules or by performing a rapid succession of acrobatic flips. While in the air, cars can roll, flip, jump, dodge or spin in a freestyle fashion. In the team-based football game, players maneuver their vehicles to perform breathtaking saves, awe-inspiring shots and of course achieve supersonic speeds that literally turn your opponents into scrap metal. These abilities, combined with the players' own creativity and skill create a unique and thrilling experience every time.

The European release of Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars will also include the recent US update that saw the addition of new features as well as a new Battle-Car arena.

Features included in recent update:

• New "Cosmic" arena*
• Improved performance in network games
• A server browser has been added during matchmaking
• Players can now view leader boards during matchmaking
• News updates appear on the online page
• Meters added to evaluate players' connection speed
• Headsets can be plugged-in or swapped during gameplay

*At absolutely no cost to the player "Cosmic," the newly added arena, presents a brand-new challenge to Battle-Cars combatants by integrating quarter-pipe ramps that lead up to each of the goals. Gamers will be graced with the majestic view of deep-space as the arena orbits a beautiful yet mysterious uncharted planet. Like other Battle-Car arenas, "Cosmic" places the focus on teamwork and communication, but never lets fun fall in second place.

"We've really been looking forward to releasing Battle-Cars in Europe," said Dave Hagewood, Founder/Development Director of Psyonix Studios. "In addition, we have already begun planning for community-based events and challenges that will pit gamers against developers!"

Battle-Cars' wide-ranging community involvement is supported through team and league play, as well as extensive and thorough statistical tracking, rankings and rewards for individuals and teams, including support for PLAYSTATION 3 system trophies. The game features three single player modes as well as team and league matches and scrimmage matches online. Using the full featured in-game video editor, players have the ability to save, upload and share their amazing triumphs and hysterical battle-car antics to their PLAYSTATION 3 system harddrive or upload clips directly to YouTube .

Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars is available now as a free trial featuring both offline and online gameplay with full version players. The trial version can be updated to the full version for only €9.99 (£7.99) on the PlayStation Network.

The Skaven Take to the Pitch in this Blood Bowl Video Game Trailer!

Fast but fragile, the Skaven take on Lizardmen in today's video.

Focus Home Interactive and Cyanide Studio are pleased to release the 3rd of four trailers for Blood Bowl - this one featuring the vicious half-man half-rat race known as the Skaven, born of the foul magics of Chaos.

As we can see in today’s video, Skaven might not be the strongest of the Blood Bowl players, but boy are they fast! Skaven do what they do best – run around the pitch at blistering speed, the Gutter Runners moving the ball quickly with their inhuman agility, and avoiding the desperate attempts of the Lizardmen to stop them. As shown in the video, a running Skaven player is nearly impossible to capture, as he can dodge in and out of the defensive lines with ease, and if that fails, they can always call in a Rat Ogre for heavy support if needed!

An ultra-violent mix of Warhammer Fantasy and American football, Blood Bowl allows players to create the ultimate “fantasy” sports teams. Coaches can build bone-crushing teams of Orcs, Elves, Humans, Dwarfs and many more fantastic creatures – then throw them into the stadium for the ultimate blood sport! Blood Bowl is strategic, action-packed and violent, requiring coaches to use their best tactics, team design – and a dose of pure ruthless bloodlust always helps too!

Published by Focus Home Interactive and developed by Cyanide Studio, Blood Bowl is being developed for the PC and the Xbox 360 as well as for the handheld systems Nintendo DS and Sony PSP and is set for release on Q2 2009.