Apple sell more iPhone games but Android is top for Apps

The majority of sales undertaken via the App Store are for games, while Android users are buying more tools and applications, according to research carried out by app store analytics company Distimo.

Studying the top 15 applications purchased for the iPhone, the report found nine of them were games, while not one game made the Android top 15. On the flipside, not one productivity or utilities app appeared in Apple's top 15.

This pattern continued when comparing the most popular free applications for the two hardware types, where games made up a third of the iPhone's most popular downloads and none of Android's.

Despite an obvious bias towards gaming on the App Store however, Apple's strict vetting process and policy of not allowing emulators on the device could be seen to be harming its sales.

"Classic games on Android Market are more popular than in the Apple App Store, with even three out of the 15 most popular games for Android being emulators," the report said. "These types of emulators are not allowed in the Apple App Store."

A recent example of this ban saw a C64 emulator being banned from the App Store but allowed for release on Android, despite it being legally licensed, according to a TouchArcade report.

Source: GamesIndustry

Bag two exclusive BioShock multiplayer characters with GameStop pre-order

Exclusive - pre-order bonus for Bioshock 2. Whilst this seems to be fairly irrelevant, the bonus itself proves to be rather interesting. Pre-ordering the title, which fairly recently suffered a release date setback, will bag purchasers two exclusive Bioshock 2 multiplayer characters.

The two characters have been revealed as Zigo, a fisherman, and Blanche, an actress, two characters which players are likely to come across within the game’s single player campaign. A post on 2k forums shows (incredibly small) images of the promotion, as well as the first images of the characters. Both characters appeared in the Bioshock 2 gamer picture pack, which released last month for 80 Microsoft Points.

The news comes after the Bioshock 2 beach campaign finished earlier today, proving to be a slight disappointment. The items that washed up on the shores turned out to be glass bottles from Worley Winery, a location in Arcadia, Rapture. Each bottle contained a poster, relating to the just a few of the game’s plasmids.

Source: ConsoleMonster

Come & Quarrel With Denki! Help Denki Make Its New Game Quarrel Awesomer

Digital toy factory Denki is hosting the world exclusive preview of Quarrel, the company’s new Xbox Live Arcade game, at the 2009 Dare to be Digital ProtoPlay event in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Visitors will be able to play Quarrel, talk to the team behind the game and – get this – actually influence what goes into the game in the last few months of development. That’s right – you get the chance to tell Denki which bits of Quarrel you like and which bits need more magic Denki dust.



ProtoPlay is entirely free of charge and part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (the real, official one). It takes place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on August 14th, 15th and 16th. All fourteen of the Dare to be Digital teams (lovingly mentored by Denki, among others) will be there to show off their games.

It’s basically a great big building, full of free games to play. What more do you want?

ProtoPlay is the public face of the astonishingly awesome Dare to be Digital competition, which is the world’s best (and only) competition, which challenges teams of students to build original new games in just ten weeks. In Dundee. In the summer holidays.

Think the World Cup or Wimbledon, but for videogames. That’s Dare. You really do need to visit.

If you’re anywhere near central Scotland come along. All visiting comedians, theatre troupes, journalists, dignitaries, MSPs, geeks, families, kids, coach parties, parents, OAPs, trapeze acts and wandering royalty are more than welcome.

In addition to showing off Quarrel many months before it launches, there are strong rumours Denki will hand out freebies, giveaways and other good stuff to players who are especially helpful, interesting, good-looking or who actually beat us at our own game!

You can find out more about Denki and Quarrel at www.denki.co.uk. Read more about Dare to be Digital and ProtoPlay at www.daretobedigital.com

See you in Edinburgh!

Blood Bowl Meet our Champions - the Wood Elves! video game

Today Cyanide and Focus Home Interactive are pleased to unveil the 3rd video of the series of trailers showcasing the game’s races!

We are presenting today the agile Wood Elves! Wood Elves are extremely agile and fast, and favour passing and running tactics over a brutal blocking game. They are very fragile and won’t survive a very brutal game for long, but they very nimble and as the saying goes: it takes a very agile or lucky opponent to lay a hand on a Wood Elf!

An ultra-violent strategy game based on Warhammer Fantasy and American football, Blood Bowl allows players to create the ultimate “fantasy” sports teams. Coaches can build bone-crushing teams of Orcs, Wood 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!

All of these charming creatures are waiting for you to play in highly contested games soon on PC, Xbox 360 and handheld consoles.

Infernal Hell’s Vengeance will be released in Japan for the Xbox 360

Playlogic, an independent worldwide publisher of entertainment software, is pleased to announce that Infernal Hell’s Vengeance will be released in Japan for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Playlogic recently signed a deal with Zoo Corporation and Russell Corporation who will publish the game in Japan.

Rogier Smit, VP of Playlogic said: “We are thrilled that our first Xbox 360 game will be released in Japan, which proves that its story and gameplay mechanics are globally appealing. We are confident in our cooperation with Zoo and Russell to successfully bring Infernal Hell’s Vengeance to the Japanese market.”

Tatsuya Yonekawa, President of Russell Corporation said: "We are very excited to bring Infernal to Japanese gamers. They will enjoy a new entry of a quality Xbox 360 game like Infernal and we are proud to make that happen."

About Infernal Hell’s Vengeance
Former Etherlite Secret Agent Ryan Lennox, now obsolete and betrayed by those close to him is a man who knows no fear! In a desperate bid to uncover his former employers secret agenda Lennox makes a pact with the devil. Embarking on an action-packed voyage into a world of deception and betrayal, armed with special abilities and military grade weaponry, Ryan Lennox is a man who must succeed.

Lennox will need to master his devilish powers to uncover the truth and restore the delicate balance of good and evil. The captivating plot sees Lennox journey from ancient monastery catacombs and secret mountain hideouts to sprawling harbor docks and industrial oil refineries, before finally facing his ultimate showdown...

Infernal uses a state-of-the-art Physics engine enabling highly interactive worlds with destroyable walls and objects, while giving the player the ability to use a vast array of weapons. This is supported by using high level graphics and a stunning overall design based on locations throughout Europe and the USA.

Features:

* Stunning 3rd Person Shooter with deep & engaging storyline
* Explore a range of stunning environments & locations across 3 levels of difficulty
* Over 10 hours of gamezplay
* Control a variety of guns and weapons as well as supernatural forces to increase their power
* Engange in Hand to Hand combat, or utilize a range of weaponry
* Duck and cover system to avoid enemy attacks
* Fight intelligent opponents who use the environment to their advantage
* Utilize a vast array of supernatural powers such as telekinesis & teleportation to overcome obstacles and enemies
* Harvest the energy of your enemies to heal and to replenish your Infernal mana


Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

Lionel Messi motion capture for PES 2010 video game on PS3 Xbox 360 PS2 and PSP

For the second time, Audiomotion has been commissioned by Konami to provide motion capture services for their flagship title PES 2010.
The mocap session took place in the centre of Barcelona on the 29th May, just 48 hrs after the UEFA Champions League Cup Final with Manchester United.
During this time Audiomotion set up a portable rig of 50 cameras creating a 15x10 metre capture volume. Selected journalists were then able to view the 3D Messi character driven by the real-time motion capture data from Lionel Messi himself.

After the Champions League Final celebrations in Rome and the victory parade through the streets of Barcelona, finishing at the ‘Nou Camp’ stadium the night before the session, Messi arrived fresh and demonstrated his amazing speed, agility and ball control. The session was completed successfully with the worlds press witnessing a full on realtime mocap session along with individual interviews throughout the day.

PES 2010 is due out in the autumn on PlayStation 3, PS2, Xbox 360, and PSP.

Scott Garrod, Konami's European Licensing Manager said: "The Audiomotion crew were fantastic, everything ran very smoothly and we were very impressed with the setup."

Mick Morris, Audiomotions MD stated: "It's been an honour to be commissioned by Konami for this session in Barcelona – and it was especially exciting to work with the incredibly talented Lionel Messi. Location shoots are always challenging but our studio crew stepped up to the mark and, as always, delivered."

Internet smash hit video game Tumblebugs announced for iPhone & iPod Touch New version greatly expands on the multi-million player original

Clocking well over 35 million online plays and downloads since its initial launch in 2005, the puzzle phenomenon Tumblebugs is making its way to iPhone and iPod Touch consoles, courtesy of Dundee-based developer Tag Games and Manchester-based publisher Connect2Media. The collaboration will see a revamped version of Wildfire Studios’ original title, developed exclusively for Apple devices and launching on iTunes in August.

Developed by Tag Games, who recently scored a massive App Store hit with critically acclaimed crime simulator Car Jack Streets, Tumblebugs is an addictive puzzle game for all ages. When the evil ‘Black Bug Empire’ takes over the insect world and starts marching lines of friendly bugs underground to be enslaved forever, it’s up to you to save the day.

Players must launch vividly coloured bugs at the never-ending line of prisoners, lining up three or bugs of the same colour to free them from their captors. It wont be easy however, with rapidly increasing lines and a string of baddies out to gum up the works. Can you be the hero the insect kingdom needs?



The game features slick controls and accessible play style; Simply aim and fire to rack up high scores and advance to the next stage. Power-ups add much depth to the game as you blast your way through 78 challenging stages set across two different gamezplay modes. With crisp, colourful graphics and a superb art style, Tumblebugs is one of the slickest and engrossing puzzle games available on handheld consoles today.

Key Features:
*78 challenging levels with stunningly vivid graphics
*Two compulsive gameplay modes that are easy to pick up but hard to put down
*Amazing power-ups, dastardly baddies and heroic deeds make this a garden-based epic
*Based on the number one web game played by over 35 million people to date

Early review builds and assets for Tumblebugs iPhone and iPod Touch are available now on request. Please get in touch with Ink Media to arrange distribution.

Stereoscopic 3D (S 3D) gaming group formed Need for Speed Shift 3D driving...

As a technology demo, Electronic Arts worked with Dynamic Digital Depth (DDD) to give a flawless glimpse of what their upcoming award-winning title, Need For Speed SHIFT, will look like when played with stereoscopic 3D drivers. Other technology demos included Cryteks CryEngine3 running in S-3D with native support, and a showing of Blitz Games Studios Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao, arguably the first console game to support modern stereoscopic 3D technologies. To add to the fun, all demos were presented on a huge RealD projection screen as part of SIGGRAPHs Computer and Animation Festival.

According to the U-DECIDE Initiative, a well received study of modern gamers, 93% of survey respondents want to see game developers support stereoscopic 3D technology. The industrys answer is to start development of The S-3D Gaming Alliance, an organization that is 100% focused on making stereoscopic 3D gaming possible through standards, education, and product adoption.

Some of S3DGAs founding companies include Blitz Games Studios, DDD, iZ3D, Jon Peddie Research, TDVision Corp, XpanD, and more. The President and CEO of S3DGA will be Neil Schneider, best known for his pioneering work on Meant to be Seen (www.mtbs3D.com), the worlds leading website focused on stereoscopic 3D gaming and entertainment.

I personally love to game in stereoscopic 3D, and its about time this became a mass market technology. We have a great team of expert companies, and with additional industry support, yes - S3DGA is going to make this happen, said Neil Schneider.

High immersion S-3D gaming experiences include explosions that pop out of the screen and a sense of depth so real that players think they can place their hands inside the display. S-3D technology is growing popular in the home with products like LCD shutter glasses, 3D monitors, and several new and developing 3D HDTV and projection solutions.

Neil Schneider, via MTBS, has done a great job of supporting the rapidly-growing S-3D market. There are some amazing creative opportunities in this new field and having the support of a community such as his is a powerful resource for anyone working in this area. We are therefore happy to support and encourage his ongoing work with the newly-formed S3DGA and look forward to its success, said Andrew Oliver, Co-Founder of Blitz Games Studios.

MTBS, and now S3DGA, works with our early adopters, and while other organizations may claim to be able to speak to gaming, Neil and his group actually take the time to play the games. XpanD is very interested in participating in the S-3D Gaming Alliance's next steps, said Ami Dror, Chief Strategist for XpanD.

The effect of a standards group such as S3DGA is to accelerate the adoption of technology by presenting a forum for members to express, test, and agree on ideas and approaches to educating consumers.

Stereovision (S-3D) gaming is here, said Dr. Jon Peddie of Jon Peddie Research (JPR) It is affordable, accessible, and playable, and is in need of a consolidating agency to be the clearing- house for ideas, standards, products, and consumer education. S3DGA is the alliance that has answered that call. We will be working with them to help drive this forward."

Getting Started in 3D Gaming
An introductory S3DGA meeting will be held during the 3D Entertainment Summit. Founded by Bob Dowling, Former Editor in Chief of the Hollywood Reporter, this conference is considered the largest of its type, and features industry leading names including: James Cameron, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and countless more. S3DGA meeting attendees qualify for a 25% discount on summit registration when they use the S3DGA discount code. Attendance will be confirmed.

"I am overwhelmed by the progress made in the last year in the 3D gaming world, and we are excited to be part of the next logical step by helping launch the S-3D Gaming Alliance at this year's 3D Entertainment Summit" said Bob Dowling, 3D Entertainment Summit Founder.

To help interested organizations get started in S-3D, S3DGA is making available the extensive U-DECIDE Initiative Report at a discounted price of $995 USD. For organizations that also join S3DGA, the price of the report will be credited against the organizations membership fees. AMD, Blitz Games Studios, Guild Software, iZ3D, Meant to be Seen, and The Game Creators, made U-DECIDE possible.

The S-3D Gaming Alliance, S3DGA, is a 3D gaming and entertainment industry standards and advocacy group charted to accelerate the adoption of 3D gaming and display technology by providing for standards discussions, consumer promotion, education, and awareness. Membership is comprised of organizations and individuals with an interest in developing 3D solutions.

Tribes of Mexica action puzzle game on Xbox 360 - with video

Incubator Games is proud to announce Tribes of Mexica, an action-puzzle game set in the mythical world of the Aztecs. Tribes of Mexica is currently in development for the Xbox 360 and is an entry in the Dream Build Play contest.

NARUTO Shippuden Ninja Destiny 2 video game Fact Sheet

TOMY introduces NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2, the latest installment to the popular 3D pocket fighting series, Ninja Destiny. Exclusively on the Nintendo DS, NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 features more new Shippuden content than any other NARUTO video game in 2009. With 34 playable characters, this year’s roster has seen an extreme upgrade, complete with all new attacks and cinematic jutsu moves.

With the reworked Story Mode, new Quest Mode and wireless multiplayer battles, Ninja
Destiny 2 puts the emphasis on action as players battle in head to head matches with
Naruto and his friends.

KEY FEATURES:

• The next title in the hit Ninja Destiny 3D fighting series, going further in the
  
NARUTO Shippuden storyline than any other Naruto game

• 34 playable characters, from both classic and Shippuden Naruto story arcs, each
  with upgraded 3D character models and unique special abilities
  
• Featuring enhanced 3D graphics for 2009 creating a visually impressive “pocket
  fighter” for the Nintendo DS
  
• Alongside the all‐new Story mode, Versus mode and Wireless mode, Ninja Destiny
  2 also features an all‐new Quest mode, with a multitude of unlockable content
  
• Wireless multiplayer gameplay functionality for up to 2‐players
  
• Including enhanced fighting gameplay mechanics for all aspiring ninjas

Title: NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2
Publisher: TOMY Corporation
Developer: Dream Factory
Genre: 3D Fighting
Platform: Nintendo DS Exclusive
Available: September 15, 2009
MSRP: $29.99
ESRB Rating: ”T” for Teen with Cartoon Violence