Free MMORPG Rappelz released in French and German

After the great success of Fly for Fun, Gala Networks Europe Ltd. Announces the release of its second free MMORPG: Rappelz in French and German versions. After a short period of a very satisfying beta test which attracted several thousands of players, the game has now been released in its final version on the gPotato Europe portal: www.gpotato.eu.

Rappelz is a free MMORPG taking place in a dark and violent universe where three different factions struggle to survive under the permanent threat of hordes of monsters. Using an optimized in-house graphic engine, the game proposes 24 different character classes spread among three factions, an impressive creature control system avaible to any character, and a lot of skills for dynamic and tactical combats.

With a very huge content spread among 140 levels of play, and a PvP system based on wars between guilds to control the dungeons, Rappelz has what it takes to seduce all kinds of players, and it’s fast growing community clearly proves it.

Already avaible in Japan, China or in the US, Rappelz can count on a very strong and active community in both French and German versions to build its European success.

The Golden Horde – JoWooD Productions Announces New Strategy Game

The Golden Horde takes you back to a place in time where the heirs of Dschingis Khan were ready to fight for their honor and glory. Choose your battles wisely; you will be up against fast and flexible Mongolians, heavily armed Crusaders and seemingly unconquerable Russians.

About The Golden Horde

The Scenario is based on events taking place in Europe, central Asia and Russia at the beginning of the XIII century. The game will offer recreated versions of famous battles and political crisis in an epic campaign where the outcome is yours to determine.

With sophisticated RPG elements, individual Heroes, stunning graphics and easy controls, The Golden Horde offers the perfect exotic setting for a real-time strategy game in the early middle ages of Europe and Asia.

Three different factions
Crusaders, Mongolians and Russians: each faction will have unique types of military forces, buildings and combat and heroes with individual abilities.

Takeover of enemy Units / Weapons
Take control of neutral horses or their slain riders’ weapon.

Equipment “on the fly”
Provide your warriors with new weapons or switch them directly on the battlefield.

Weather is a key element
Wind affects the flight qualities of arrows; Rain greatly affects visibility; Snow slows down units, which may cause the units to break through the Ice of frozen lakes.

Developer: World Forge
Genre: Strategy
Expected Age Rating: 12+
UK Release: March 28th 2008

www.jowood.com

Lighthouse Interactive releases update 1.08 for SUNAGE

Leading publisher Lighthouse Interactive and Austrian developer Vertex 4 today released update 1.08 for SunAge, their sci-fi real-time strategy game for PC. The new update adds several new enhancements, an auto-updater, bug fixes and above all, new multiplayer features.

Roman Pneudl, CEO of Vertex4 said, “We are extremely pleased with this new update since it makes the gameplay experience even more enjoyable. Update 1.08 also includes an auto-updater, which enables the game to automatically check for future updates upon start-up. This will ensure that the user always plays the latest version of the game. We also managed to reduce network traffic by switching to the UDP protocol, which means lag free gaming regardless of router or firewall settings. No more fiddling with port forwarding! In addition, we added a multiplayer lobby feature, allowing SunAge players from all over the world to chat, setup or join servers from within the game.”

SunAge is the modern day answer for RTS fans who want the best possible overview of their troops, while trying to outsmart opponents in frantic battles where strategy and tactics are more important than ever. If you have been into real-time strategy games for a while, this will bring back the good old days!

Key features in update 1.08 include:

• Re-balancing of several in-game units, an added enhancement given community feedback
• Multiplayer game lobby with chat functionalities
• Master server and improved online functionalities
• Improved firewall support and “punch through”
• Auto-updater functionality (future patches or fixes will be downloaded automatically upon startup of the game).
• Heavily reduced network traffic; rework of the network protocol, now UDP
The complete list of new features included in upgrade 1.08, are available at the Lighthouse forums, as well as on www.sunage-the-game.com.

To download the update 1.08 (file size: 5 MB) visit: www.lighthouse-interactive.com.

GAME SUMMARY

Earth is a desolate wasteland destroyed by the radiation and heat of the sun. Humankind, known as the Dome Confederacy, have been forced to retreat into shielded cities enduring constant attacks by the Raak-zun cult; a sect of religious outcasts who live outside the dome. An age long war has ensued as both races battle for the limited resources of the dying planet. Amidst the havoc, the gateway to a bold new planet is unlocked. Hope is on the horizon, but this Mecca is teeming with lethal Sentinel drones who will not hesitate to annihilate any life form that gets in their way.

FEATURES

• 3 Distinct Races - Human, Raak-zun and Sentinel - each with their own units, buildings, technological advantages and disadvantages.
• Unique Upgrades - Alternate modes can be researched for all units, unlocking dual functionality for greater tactical depth.
• Graphics - Stunning sci-fi environments from vast industrial cities and devastated wastelands, to a lush alien planet. While displaying rich graphical environments and visual effects, SunAge is very playable on lower spec PC’s and laptops.
• Tactical Landscape - All units and their alternate modes are crucial to the overall strategy. Exploit weaknesses in the enemy’s network while strengthening your own connection lines.
• Formations - Squad concept combined with long distance camera views allows a large number of units to be fighting onscreen with a clear overview of the battleground.
• Singleplayer - 25 campaign maps with compelling plots for each race.
• Multiplayer - LAN and Online – Classic multiplayer with focus on gathering4 different kinds of resources and outsmarting the opponent in battle. 10 maps created uniquely for multiplayer mode.
• Command Queuing - Command your units to prone, build or attack where you want them and when you want them to do so.
• Indirect Intelligent Targeting (IIT) - Order your units to focus on pre-selected targets.

To find out more about SunAge and to keep up with the latest news on the game, visit www.lighthouse-interactive.com and www.sunage-the-game.com.

Viva Piñata Fact sheet as game goes classic on XBox 360

"Viva Piñata"

Fact Sheet

Title: “Viva Piñata”

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Developer: Climax Group

Format: DVD for the Microsoft® Windows® XP and Microsoft Windows Vista® operating systems

ESRB Rating: “E” for Everyone

Product Overview: “Viva Piñata,” originally developed and released to critical acclaim for Xbox 360™, will now be available for the Windows XP and Windows Vista platforms. Developed by Climax Group, “Viva Piñata” invites gamers to create an immersive world where living piñatas inhabit an ever-changing environment. Beginning with a few basic tools, players build and take control of this environment, using their creativity and imagination to attract, protect and manage over 60 piñata species that can visit their world and make it their home.

Bringing a vibrant and engaging gaming experience to the Windows platform, “Viva Piñata” appeals to kids, adults, casual gamers and enthusiasts alike. This uniquely customizable and social game rewards and challenges all players regardless of their skill level and presents a customizable, social and spontaneous experience in which gamers play an absolutely crucial role. The “Viva Piñata” world is an evolving paradise teeming with fantastic living piñata creatures and vibrant plant life, all determined by the player’s choices and actions.

“Viva Piñata” offers easy installation, reliability standards and support for key features of Windows Vista, including the Games Explorer and Parental Controls.

Features:
Features of “Viva Piñata” include the following:

• Bring your imagination to life. “Viva Piñata” allows players’ creativity to run wild by providing them with expansive freedom and choice:
– Your world. Your choice of contents will determine which of the piñata species are attracted to your world because they all have individual requirements. Sowing grass, digging ponds, planting flowers and growing trees all affect which of the unique piñatas you will see. It’s not just about plants, either; there is a whole range of ornaments and structures that could be decisive. Your reward for creating an appealing paradise is to watch the piñatas visit and eventually reside there, which is where the fun really starts.
– Your piñatas. Once you have resident piñatas, you can begin to personalize your loyal community. Piñatas can be individually named and given their own personally designed tag to put on display as a declaration of their home turf, and the customization doesn’t end there. You can make the colorful critters more distinctive by customizing them with all kinds of costumes and accessories.

• Connect with friends around the world. The “Viva Piñata” community is a rewarding place to be, whether you remain within the boundaries of your own world or venture out into the real world or your friend’s piñata world via Games for Windows — LIVE:
– Interact with the piñatas. Getting to know and understand the personalities and requirements of your piñatas is essential if you want them to stay happy and thrive. Make your world their ideal paradise, and they’ll want to raise a family and expand your community.
– Interact with the characters. Players decide how much help they want from the local guides, shopkeepers and work force. Go it alone or get them involved — you choose.
– Interact with other players online. Via the Games for Windows — LIVE online community, players can contact other gamers to lend a hand or trade items.

• Never experience a dull moment. “Viva Piñata” is a constantly changing world where anything can and does happen:
– It’s happening outside. It’s not just new piñata species that are drawn to your world; untamed sour piñatas with bad attitudes and troublemaking ruffians do their worst to spoil your creation and must be dealt with.

Developer Information: Since its founding in 1988, Climax has rapidly grown into one of the world’s leading independent developers of interactive software. Constantly at the epicentre of technological development, Climax is built on a determination to create cutting-edge games that boast the most advanced technology and superior gameplay. This simple work ethic has inspired the creation of critically acclaimed games for major consoles, wireless devices and interactive television. Using its own proprietary technology, Climax has developed a string of both critically acclaimed and commercially successful hits for many of the major interactive software publishers. Among the company’s high-profile and high-scoring games are “MotoGP: Ultimate Racing Technology 1,” “MotoGP: Ultimate Racing Technology 2” and “MotoGP: Ultimate Racing Technology 3” for Xbox®, Xbox LIVE® and PC, and “Sudeki™” for Xbox.

Babo:Invasion Combines Ultra Fast Team-Based Action with Competitive In-Game Map Making

Babo:Invasion Combines Ultra Fast Team-Based Action with Competitive In-Game Map Making

HeadGames (www.playheadgames.com), a game development outsourcing company, previewed a new multiplayer shooter game, called Babo:Invasion, at the Game Developers Conference today in San Francisco. Babo:Invasion is based on the original IP of the popular freeware multiplayer combat game Babo Violent 2 (www.rndlabs.ca), considered by tens of thousands of players worldwide as one of the most fun, fastest-paced games in the multiplayer top-down shooter category. It has as been called "carnage on a stick" by Maximum PC Magazine and "a great game, originality, blisteringly quick firefights, and very fun gameplay" by GameHippo.

The new Babo:Invasion is a fast-paced multiplayer game where armed ball-like "Babos" navigate maze-like worlds in a free-for-all firefight or team-based combat. Its unique format is easy-to-learn, allows new players to jump into existing firefights for a quick hit any time, and provides fun, mayhem-filled action. The game offers an arcade-style single-player mode and the optional depth of multiplayer team and class-based gameplay. The new version also features top-down and chase cam views, new weapons, and lush 3-D environments. Multi-player Competitive Mapping, a first-of-its-kind game feature, supports the “Invasion” game mode, adding a major strategic and competitive element to gameplay.

Babo Violent 2 proved very popular because of its unique combination of easy-to-learn mechanics; fun, multiplayer mayhem; and the depth of team-based play options," states Scott Simpson, HeadGames Studio Director. "Players love the ability to jump into the action whenever they have a few minutes to get a quick hit of fun and adrenaline. Babo: Invasion takes those strengths to a new level."

The new Babo:Invasion will be released for PCs and consoles in 2008 through Playbrains and can be previewed at www.playbrains.com.

Will Sony let Microsoft use Blu-ray in the XBox 360?

What now for High definition DVDs in the XBox 360?

With Toshiba pulling out of the race all these questions remain un-answered.

With Sony now the only player, with it's Blu-ray format, high definition DVD will Microsoft be allowed to use this format in it's new drives?

Will Sony refuse? Can Sony refuse to licence Blu-ray to Microsoft? Will they charge a fortune?

Microsoft and Sony are not exactly friends... Will this tip the balance in favour of Sony's PlayStation 3 with it's built in Blu-ray drive.

The battle between Microsofts XBox 360 with it's better games line up and Sony's PlayStation 3 with it's Blu-ray drive can only heat up over the next few months.

We can only sit back and watch.

Disney say no to THQ Toy Story 3 Game offer

Say you're in movies, your growth model's frittered away to
break-even, and an industry pretty much symbolized by a butt-stomping
plumber is effectively cleaning your clock -- what's a corporate
dinosaur to do?

Easy: If you can't (sufficiently) milk 'em, depose 'em.

The Wall Street Journal reports that's essentially what Disney did
when longtime Pixar partner THQ came pitching license rights to a Toy
Story 3 game tie-in. Thanks but no thanks, said Disney and Pixar,
opting instead to handle creation of the game (due in 2010) in-house.

You've heard plenty recently about how game sales were up 43 percent
in 2007. Weigh that against box office revenues -- up a paltry 4
percent over the same period, and even then by way of ticket price
inflation, not viewer growth. Home video sales -- still bigger bucks
than gaming, but not by much -- were actually down 3.2 percent.

So when the authors of the WSJ piece suggest that "it isn't clear yet
whether the media companies have the stamina to become serious
competitors to heavyweight game publishers," I'd probably swap
"stamina" for "inclination." Companies like Disney have oceans of
stamina for substantial year-over-year revenue growth, and nothing
suggests gaming won't be nailing that metric for years if not decades
to come.

Source: PCWorld

SEGA say iPod is flawless for video game distribution...

hat most people often forget is that the device can also act as a video game device.

Last December, Sega unleashed their fiery blue mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, on the iPod family tree. Sega remarked that the device is a "flawless" device for developers to sell their video games in.

This comment wasn't directed at the device as a platform, though, but rather at its payment system and its ability to provide media to consumers at large with just a couple of clicks. Hopefully this means we'll be able to see more video games arrive for the device in the future.

Here's what Simon Jeffrey, head honcho of Sega of America, said about developing Sonic the Hedgehog for the iPod:

The iPod is arguably the most pervasive cross-demographic piece of consumer electronics today. There are no age or fashion barriers to iPod adoption, and making Sonic available to tens of millions of iPod owners really is a fantastic opportunity for us

.

iTunes and Apple's whole banking/payment system is flawless. They have to be one of the smartest companies in the world. Being able to buy a game and have it on your iPod with a couple of clicks is just brilliant.

From: MVC

Future of video game industry taking shape at Games Developers Conference

If ever there was a time for a famous futurist to be giving a keynote address at the Game Developers Conference, this is it.

When Ray Kurzweil, the author of The Singularity is Near and one of the most noted futurists around, takes the stage at GDC 2008 in San Francisco on Thursday to talk about "the next 20 years of gaming," he'll be weighing in at a moment in the industry's existence when the lines between games and Hollywood and advertising are blurring, when the term "gamer" encompasses 75-year-old grandmothers and when the barrier to entry to being a developer has never been smaller.

"I think the Kurzweil keynote should be very interesting," said Ron Meiners, community manager for the virtual world platform developer, Multiverse Network. "He's a very original thinker, and I'm curious as to his take on the gaming industry, how games fit into people's lives, (and) how games are changing people's lives."

One thing that strikes me about how video games are intersecting with people's lives in 2008, and it was made abundantly clear over the Christmas holidays, when it was simply impossible to find a Nintendo Wii for sale anywhere, is that finally, the medium is truly mainstream.

And while there will always be a significant segment of the industry that caters to and is serviced by hard-core gamers, what's becoming evident is that there's almost no one who is left out of what video gaming is today. And for those who are left out, that may not be true as the years progress. I suspect that that is something Kurzweil will touch on, at least briefly.

More from: CNet

"It's a very exciting time in the game industry, in that we have this growing recognition of the important of casual and family-oriented content," said Jamil Moledina, the director of GDC. "You're seeing it in the $60 packaged (games) and in the $10 downloads. It's a perfect storm of factors poised to really expand the game industry."

One example of that, Moledina suggested, is the explosion of gamer-created content and social networking in online gamer communities like Microsoft's Xbox Live.

That rationale may well be why GDC's first keynote speaker, on Wednesday, will be Microsoft corporate vice president John Schappert, who will give a talk titled, "A future wide open: Unleashing the creative community."

For Moledina, organizing what is almost certain to be the biggest GDC ever--last year's event drew 16,000 people, he said, and it is expected to grow this year--is a huge job. There are hundreds of panel discussions scheduled, a huge trade show and, as always, GDC will actually be made up of several different events that are linked together throughout the week.

On Monday and Tuesday, the events will include several "summits," such as those on casual games, independent games, game outsourcing, and virtual worlds. As well, there's GDC Mobile, which focuses on games for mobile devices.

Quazal Debuts Online Tech for MacOS X

Quazal, makers of the award-winning Net-Z, Rendez-Vous and Spark! online multiplayer middleware today announced that they have added MacOS X to their list of supported platforms.

With the release of the Mac version of Net-Z, Rendez-Vous and Spark!, Quazal makes available all of the features and flexibility that they’ve become known for on PC and consoles. Developers can even allow for PC/Mac cross-platform play, with very little added effort.

“With the growth of the Mac audience, the quality of the OS X platform, and the increasing interest of game publishers catering to that audience, Quazal has seen the need for a version of their technologies and services on Mac,” says Sylvain Beaudry, president at Quazal.

“It’s often a challenge to find proven game development technologies on the Mac, and this will definitely help to bring more games with rich online experiences to the platform”, says Justin D’Onofrio, Producer at game developer Freeverse. “We are really happy to be early adopters and help Quazal provide their product to the Mac development community.”

Interested parties can contact Quazal for more information at info@quazal.com, or can visit us at the San Francisco Game Developers’ Conference in West Hall, booth ES668 from Wednesday, February 20th to Friday, February 22nd.

Leap, Sneak and Evade Your Way to Safety as the World's Most Elusive Ninja in "N+," An Innovative Platformer Launching on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednes

Become a gold-thirsty ninja battling homicidal robots with “N+” as it lands on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday 20th February at 09.00.

In the enhanced version of the original game “N,” players take on the persona of a ninja who must use agile acrobatic actions to battle robots in the futuristic world of “N+.” Play as a lone ninja or destroy the robots with a friend in Cooperative, Survival or Race modes using local or Internet co-op via Xbox LIVE. “N+” boasts 2-D Ragdoll physics with incredibly styled next-generation graphics for an intense visual experience. With unlimited lives, over 300 levels to master and a built-in level editor for when you crave more, the gold-searching and robot-smashing adventures are seemingly endless!

Where can I get this game from?
N+ is available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E10+ by the ESRB.

More information is available at:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/n/nplusxboxlivearcade

ZeniMax Media Opens London Office

ZeniMax Media Inc., the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, today announced it has begun direct publishing operations in Europe with the establishment of its London-based subsidiary, ZeniMax Europe Ltd. ZeniMax Europe will be publishing titles throughout UK/EMEA territories under the Bethesda Softworks brand.

Bethesda Softworks has a successful history as a developer and publisher of award-winning titles, most recently with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which won critical acclaim and countless Game of the Year awards. While continuing to work with strategic European distribution partners, ZeniMax Europe plans to deliver a range of compelling titles to the European market in the coming years, including the highly anticipated Fallout 3 in Fall 2008.

“This is an important step for us as we look to expand our presence in markets outside of North America,” said Robert Altman, CEO of ZeniMax Media Inc. “We want to establish direct relationships with retailers and distributors throughout Europe and the UK as we bring exciting titles like Fallout 3 and Rogue Warrior to gamers worldwide.”

The European operations of the Company will be headed by Sean Brennan, an industry veteran with over 20 years experience in the European markets. “We are happy to be part of the ZeniMax family,” said Sean “Building upon their great reputation and extending their direct reach throughout Europe and the UK is an exciting, new phase in the expansion of the company.”

Working alongside Brennan are Greg Baverstock, Director of Sales and Business Development, and Christina Camerota, Director of Marketing and Public Relations. With a wealth of industry experience, the team has recently settled into the Company’s new European offices which are located in the heart of London’s West end.

Two New Classic Games Added To Wii Shop Channel

Some gamers get skeptical when Roman numerals populate the title of a game. But make no mistake - this week's offerings are no mere sequels. They are some of the most highly regarded classic games around. So stock up on some Wii Points™ to battle the Dark Force or complete an action-packed trilogy.

Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom: (NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points): Join master ninja Ryu Hayabusa, last member of the famous Dragon Clan, in the third and final chapter of the legendary Ninja Gaiden saga. Ryu is framed for FBI agent Irene Lew's murder, and it's up to him to clear his name. Defeating superior life-forms created out of "life energy" called BIO-NOIDs and avoiding enemy ambushes are among the many obstacles which Ryu faces in this unpredictable adventure of mystery, deceit and destruction. Noticeable changes to the game-play mechanics include Ryu's ability to grab on to horizontal surfaces, his reduced falling speed and altered jumping maneuvers, and visible power-ups. Help Ryu defeat the forces of evil once more and discover the real culprit behind Irene's death as one of the most loved trilogies in video-game history comes to a close.

Phantasy Star II: (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Animated Violence, 800 Wii Points): Hailed as one of the greatest games of all time by fans and media alike, Phantasy Star II is an RPG that features an epic story line and turn-based battles. Play as Rolf, Nei, Rudo or several other characters as you navigate through the Algol star system battling the evil Dark Force. Build your characters, select the right weapons and armor, and take on the forces of evil through various missions as you find the right combination of characters to complete each objective. Experience the magic once again in this great sequel.

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

Paramount Pictures Signs To Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store

Paramount Pictures added to the momentum of Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store in the UK, by confirming today that it is extending its partnership with Microsoft Corp. to bring its catalogue of current and library films to the UK as well. This means that all Xbox 360 owners connected to Xbox LIVE can now download-to-rent both high definition and standard definition Paramount Pictures movies direct to their console via Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store. With this latest partnership, Xbox 360 aims to place itself at the centre of digital entertainment in the living room, giving consumers the best in high definition games, movies and music videos along with access to friends, digital music and pictures.

From Tuesday 19th February, ‘Transformers’, those robots in disguise, will get a LIVE action outing as the war between the evil Decepticons and the heroic Autobots erupts on Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store along with other Paramount blockbusters. Available in SD and/or HD formats, download-to-rent films will cost from as little as 250 Microsoft Points (*ERP £2) for standard definition movies and from 380 Microsoft Points (*ERP £3.20) for high definition movies.

Robin Burrowes, Xbox LIVE Marketing Manager UK, Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division commented: “We are really happy to be able to welcome Paramount to Xbox LIVE Marketplace in UK. This announcement gives our Video Store customers in the UK an even greater choice of entertainment with a great level of HD movie quality, as always.”

Alex Carloss, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Worldwide Digital Distribution, Paramount Digital Entertainment - one of the key studio partners when Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store launched in the US - commented on the expansion into Europe : “We’re excited to be involved in the acceleration phase of the European launch of Xbox LIVE’s Video Store and look forward to watching this service grow. To deliver Paramount’s top films to people in their living room via a games console fits perfectly with our global digital distribution strategy.”

Paramount Pictures / DreamWorks movies coming to Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store this Spring include:

· Transformers (available in SD and HD)
· Goodbye Bafana (available in SD and HD)
· Intersection (available in SD)
· Primal Fear (available in SD)
· Clear and Present Danger (available in SD)
· Naked Gun 2 & 1/2: The Smell of Fear (available in SD)
· Naked Gun 33 & 1/3 (available in SD)
· Top Secret! (available in SD)
· Bug (available in SD)
· Hardball (available in SD)
· The Phantom (available in SD)
· Orange County (available in SD)
· 1408 (available in SD and HD)
· Disturbia (available in SD and HD)
· Hot Rod (available in SD and HD)
· A Mighty Heart (available in SD and HD)
· Heartbreak Kid (available in SD and HD)
· Stardust (available in SD and HD)
· In to the Wild (available in SD and HD)

Additional movies from Warner Bros will also be added to the service this Spring. Many films will be available in high definition. They include:

· The Assassination of Jesse James (Warner Bros, available in SD and HD)
· Beowulf (Warner Bros, available in SD and HD)
· License to Wed (Warner Bros, available in SD and HD)
· No Reservations (Warner Bros, available in SD and HD)
· The December Boys (Warner Bros, available in SD and HD)
· Nancy Drew (Warner Bros, available in SD and HD)

The diverse list of new content means there are even more incredible entertainment choices on Xbox LIVE for everyone in the family. All gamers in the UK, France, Germany and Ireland need to access this service with both an Xbox Live Silver or Gold membership and a broadband connection. More information about the content available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store can be found at: www.xbox.com

2nd Year, Twice As Big, The Elan Awards Deliver The Winners

Last night the Video Game, Animation Industry and Digital Art Students turned out in full force to celebrate Canadian supremacy in the fastest growing entertainment industry in the world. Canadian video game developers and publishers, animators and studio heads and the brightest students and top academia gathered at 2nd Annual Elan Awards held at The Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts in eager anticipation to learn the winning names behind some of the biggest games and shows in North America.

This year’s show also saw the Elan Awards open up to include International Award Categories attracting companies such as Microsoft, DreamWorks SKG, Insomniac Games, EA USA, VIZ Media and, of course, Fuzzy Door Productions that is the brain child of this year’s Host, Seth MacFarlane. MacFarlane lived up to his enormous reputation as one of the Industry’s top talents and rewarded the room full of top Video Game and Animation Talent/Execs with a hilarious “classic Seth” performance including a singing “Stewie” final act to close the show. The night went on to see MacFarlane win his first Elan in the category of “Best International Animated Television Production” for FAMILY GUY.

Nick Fletcher, Producer of DreamWork’s the BEE MOVIE flew in from Los Angeles to accept the “Producer’s Choice for the Inaugural Best Animated Feature” and Don Mattrick, recipient of this year’s “Video Game Hall of Fame” sent a message of acceptance to the evening’s attendees: “I wanted to send a very sincere thank you for this Video Game Hall of Fame Award. I am truly honored to be selected, and sorry that I can’t be there to accept in person. Congratulations to all the other winners at the Canadian Awards for Electronic Arts & Animation! Thanks should also go to Holly Carinci and Jack Weatherell for putting all this together. Hope you all enjoy the evening”.

And on that note, the winners from last night’s 2nd Annual Elan Awards are:

ANIMATION CATEGORIES

1. BEST FEATURE LENGTH ANIMATED PRODUCTION

Barbie as the Island Princess Rainmaker Animation Jennifer Twiner Mccarron

2. THE SEVEN GROUP AWARD FOR BEST ANIMATED PRODUCTION (Television Series)

Edgar & Ellen Bardel Entertainment Delna Bhesania, Barry Ward, Trish Lindsay, Barbara Ferro

3. BEST ANIMATED SHORT SUBJECT

Yellow Sticky Notes Jeff Chiba Stearns

4. BEST DIRECTION in a FEATURE LENGTH ANIMATED PRODUCTION

Barbie as the Island Princess Rainmaker Animation Greg Richardson

5. BEST DIRECTION in an ANIMATED TELEVISION SERIES

Ruby Gloom: Venus de Gloomsville Nelvana LTD Robin Budd

6. BEST MALE VOICE OVER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE OR TELEVISION PRODUCTION

Lee Tockar George of the Jungle Studio B

7. BEST FEMALE VOICE OVER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE OR TELEVISION PRODUCTION

Marÿke Hendrikse Johnny Test Cookie Jar Entertainment

8. BEST ORIGINAL MUSICAL SCORE

Bruno and the Banana Bunch Cuppa Coffee Studios Adam Goddard

9. BEST STORYBOARDING

George of the Jungle: Naked Ape Man Studio B Dennis Crawford / Lyn Hart

10. BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN OR ART DIRECTION

Edgar & Ellen: Crushed Bardel Entertainment Greg Huculak and Zoe Evamy

11. BEST WRITING IN AN ANIMATED PRODUCTION

Storm Hawks Nerd Corps Entertainment Rob Hoegee

12. THE ELECTRONIC ART’S AWARD FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED PRODUCTION (Television Series)

Family Guy Fuzzy Door Productions Seth MacFarlane, David A. Goodman, Chris Sheridan, Danny Smith

13.THE INAUGURAL AWARD FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED PRODUCTION (Feature)

Bee Movie: Dreamworks Animation SKG

14. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN ANIMATION

Kai Pindal

'Rhiannon' Back on Track for Summer '08 Release

Independent adventure game producer Arberth Studios has updated its Website with yet more details of its forthcoming title 'Rhiannon: Beyond the Mabinogion', including a range of screenshots giving some indication of the sheer scale of the game arena and clearly demonstrating the game's high production values. A video trailer is also available.

But wasn't 'Rhiannon' due to be out by now? Game engineer Noel Bruton admits, "we conducted a build of the game last September, and we found we weren't content with the graphics. So we started again at a larger screen size and more colour depth. It's meant we had to render everything again from the models, effectively starting from scratch. But the upside is that 'Rhiannon' is now even more atmospheric and importantly, we're on course to release the game in Summer 2008."

'Rhiannon' weaves classic Celtic legends of revenge into a modern-day setting in a run-down Welsh country house and grounds. The game is aimed squarely at the first-person point-and-click market. Although it is violence-free, it is decidedly not for young children. Its intricate plot deals with numerous grown-up themes from the ancient to the contemporary. It blends magic with technology, fact with myth, horror with compassion and classicism with metaphysics. It is a feast for lovers of ghost stories, mystery, legend and puzzles.

Further details at http://www.arberthstudios.com.

Fashion Boutique enjoys a glamorous grand opening!

Total Eclipse (www.totaleclipsegames.com) is proud to announce that their latest title, Fashion Boutique, is now available. Manage several floundering clothing stores on the East Coast of America on your quest to bring them financial success in this time management game for the fashion crowd.

Fashion Boutique features 5 different stores of 10 stages each. Handle 12 challenging customer types as they bring the game to life, each with their own demands and quirks. As you progress through the game you will move from city to city and at the same time earn new garments for your wardrobe, which you can use to dress the main character, as you like. At several intervals in the game you’ll be presented with a Dress up mini game, both as a memory challenge, as well as in free play mode. The easy going soundtrack coupled with immersive sounds and voice-overs create a well rounded gaming experience you will be sure to enjoy!

Playing Fashion Boutique is simple but it requires quick reflexes. As customers come in the store, you have to serve them by bringing the items they order, drag them to changing rooms, so they can try their new clothes on and then taking them to the counter so they can pay. A fun twist introduced early in the game is called Upselling and it allows you to get the customer to buy something else as well, using your sales ability. You can win back customers who lose hearts when they are kept waiting using your charisma to flirt with the men and compliment the ladies. To increase your abilities, you can choose how to spend your free time during the weekends when you are not working at the boutique. Those choices will also affect the development of the story, which is presented through gorgeously illustrated comic cut scenes.

The Fashion World awaits you! Experience the thrill for yourself by downloading the free demo from the official Fashion Boutique website at www.fashionboutiquegame.com.

Exit Games Announces Neutron Integration With Airplay Platform To Enable Multiplayer 3D Mobile Games

Exit Games, a world leading service provider of mobile and online multiplayer gaming, today announced that it will integrate Neutron, its cross-platform multiplayer gaming technology, with AirplayÔ, the ground-breaking native mobile games platform from Ideaworks3D.

Under terms of the agreement, Airplay and Neutron will combine forces to offer mobile game developers a complete solution for multiplayer mobile game development. The addition of Neutron to the Airplay development platform provides developers with the rock solid framework needed to simplify the development of multiplayer mobile games and social communities. Enhanced connectivity features including in-game voice/text chat, real-time multiplayer gaming, leader boards, in-game billing capabilities, and advertisement delivery are all part of the offering. Airplay provides a powerful integrated C++ development environment, which allows a single native application binary to be deployed unmodified to every accessible native platform, including BREW, N-Gage, Symbian OS (Series60 and UIQ3), Windows Mobile, Linux and selected RTOS environments.

“Joining forces with Ideaworks3D falls right in line with our overall goal of reducing the complexity and the cost of development for multiplayer mobile titles,” said Tom Sperry, CEO of Exit Games. “As companies increasingly turn to connected mobile gaming features, we’re confident that Neutron and Airplay will stand out as leading technologies that push the industry forward.”

“The multiplayer mobile gaming capabilities that Neutron brings to Airplay will lead to the development of advanced, connected, and entertaining 3D titles,” added Alex Caccia, CEO of Ideaworks3D. “The Airplay platform is open for middleware providers to bring their additional value to the offering. We’re now in a great position to provide a connected, graphically-rich and cost-effective development platform that addresses the needs of mobile developers and publishers today”.

Exit Games will be exhibiting at Mobile World Congress (Feb. 11-14 in Barcelona) and Game Developer Conference (Feb. 18-22 in San Francisco).

D3Publisher Of America And Vicious Cycle Software's Dead Head Fred Wins WGA's First-Ever Videogame Writing Award

Dead Head Fred, the critically acclaimed videogame created specifically for the PSP (PlayStationPortable) by publisher D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA), and developer Vicious Cycle Software, Inc., has won the Writers Guild of America's inaugural Videogame Writing Award. The 2008 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for screen, television, documentary, radio, promotion, and videogames during 2007 were announced on Saturday, February 9th.

"D3PA and the entire Dead Head Fred team at Vicious Cycle are all very grateful and humbled by this award," said Yoji Takenaka, executive vice president and chief operations officer, D3PA. "We look forward to bringing fans many more top quality games and continuing to elevate the standard of game writing in the industry."

Developed by the WGA and spearheaded by the Guild's New Media Caucus to encourage storytelling excellence in videogames, improve the status of writers, and foster uniform standards within the gaming industry, the WGA's inaugural Videogame Writing Award spotlights quality work by videogame writers, raising their profiles, and validating their contributions to this rapidly maturing medium. The WGA Videogame Writing Award honors the best qualifying script from a videogame published in the previous year.

"Being nominated along with so many top caliber writers for the first WGA Video Game Writing Award was an honor in itself, so it's fantastic that we won," said Eric Peterson, president and chief executive officer, Vicious Cycle Software. "Dead Head Fred was something we had a lot of fun with and we are glad that players and fans are enjoying the game as much as we do."

Dead Head Fred is rated "M" (Mature - Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor and Strong Language) by the ESRB. In Dead Head Fred, writers and nominees Dave Ellis and Adam Cogan draw players into an original 1940's-inspired alternative universe where players take on the role of Fred Neuman, a private detective savagely murdered and then resurrected in a bizarre scientific experiment without his memory or his head. Players embark on a quest for vengeance as they solve their own murder by using the severed heads of enemies as replacements for the one missing on the game's cranium-impaired hero.

Amazon Software Download Store to include video games soon

A job posting on Gamasutra suggests Amazon will soon start a PC game download store to compliment Unbox, its video-on-demand service, and the site's MP3 download store. The job posting asks programmer/engineers to apply to become a part of the Software and Video Games Digital Technology Team at Amazon, which is "responsible for digital distribution of software and video game products from the Amazon website, including the newly launched Amazon Software Download store."

The job posting itself is unsurprising as Amazon recently launched the software branch of its download services, but the job post includes the bit about the distribution of "video game products," which is currently not happening at the Amazon Software Download Store. The only software presently available from the very new service is unfortunately tax software.

But fear not! We're sure a few competent souls will apply, molding the new service into a very happy reality for those of us that hate visiting and supporting major retail stores like Best Buy and Circuit City.

From: Downloadsquad