Wii Fit game sold - every four seconds

The Currys retail chain, consisting of Currys, PC World and Dixons brands, has revealed that it sold a copy of Wii Fit every four seconds across the release weekend, making it the chain's fastest-selling game ever.

The news comes alongside the announcement that the group is also planning to implement its own game classification scheme to try to better inform shoppers as to the suitability of its products for family entertainment.

PC and console titles will be tested by a selection of families, while some products will also be labelled as suitable for customers over the age of 60.

"The notion that videogames are played by teenagers tucked away in their bedrooms is past its sell-by date," said Amanda Clift, Currys' head of brand. "Videogaming is now a mainstream form of family entertainment and we've seen a huge surge in the number of non-core gamers purchasing consoles and games.

"This new scheme will allow us to rate a game based on the collective feedback of a large number of families so our customers can quickly and easily identify which games are going to provide the best form of family entertainment."

The move follows the release of the Byron Review last month, which recommended stronger measures to highlight and encourage recognition of videogames ratings.

The company also released a top ten chart of its best-selling 'family-friendly' titles, as follows:

1. Wii Fit (Wii)
2. Singstar (PS3)
3. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (PS3)
4. Buzz Hollywood (PS2)
5. Big Brain Academy (Wii)
6. Mario Kart (Wii)
7. Brain Training (DS)
8. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Wii)
9. Sun Crossword (DS)
10. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS)

Exteel - Frontliner Mechanaught And Weapon Highlights

NCsoft announces the third Exteel diary highlighting Frontliner Mechanaught and detailed weapon highlights.

NCsoft announces the third Exteel diary highlighting Frontliner Mechanaught and detailed weapon highlights.

Once most Exteel players complete the full range of tutorials and finish a few matches they probably won’t want to stick with the Pinkett very much longer. Most players by this time should have enough in-game money (credits) to purchase something new, or at least acquire some different Mechanaught parts.

One of the Mechanaught sets available for a reasonable sticker price is the Frontliner, a medium Mechanaught design that is built for battling other Mechanaughts on the front lines (hence the name) and absorbing greater amounts of punishment. It’s a popular purchase among new players, who want to stand and fight the enemy straight-up, rather than run away at the first signs of danger. The heavier armor of the Frontliner means it’s a bit more armored than a Pinkett, but the Frontliner has superior energy generating and heat regulation capabilities without really slowing it down. Both the Pinkett and Frontliner have one MPU or Mechanaught Processing Unit, which dictate how many special skills you can equip your Mechanaught with at any one time.

Pilots upgrading from a Pinkett should take note however that the Frontliner does have a durability rating, meaning it’ll degrade over time until it is either unusable or gets repaired.

Weapon Highlights

• Poseidon – The –C model of this large two-handed underslung cannon is awarded to players for finishing the “Cannon Training” advanced tutorial. It fires large energy rounds at opponents and while the damage may not as great as other two-handed weapons, its ease of use and wide lock-on ability, coupled with a relatively low overheat rating, means it’ll be a favorite for starting pilots who wish to yield the really big guns.

• Defender – Defenders belong to a set of non-weapon items that essentially are shields. The Defender itself looks like a police riot shield. While Mechanaughts can be armed with shields, the shield has to actually be in use (that is, you’re clicking on the mouse button to bring it up to a shielding position) in order for it to work. Shields absorb damage from incoming fire—they more they absorb, the more heat they generate until they overheat and become unusable until the heat dissipates. Players commonly use a shield with a melee weapon since at close range it’s easy to shield yourself from a melee attack, but other combinations are certainly possible (flag carriers in CTF matches for instance have been known to equip two shields at once).

• Death Hurler – The Death Hurler is a low-cost two-handed weapon similar to the cannon, except it fires high explosive-armed rockets. Rocket launchers have some distinct advantages over cannons as they don’t generate as much heat or take as long to reload. Pilots can also fire a rocket launcher while moving or jumping, while cannon users have to remain standing still. The downside is that the rocket launcher requires manual aim; there’s no locking on to an opponent, so the pilot must be very accurate when firing. Plus, a rocket launcher doesn’t pack nearly as much punch as a cannon.

• Beam Spitter – One of the most popular SMG types in Exteel, the Beam Spitter is an excellent weapon in the hands of even a novice pilot, with exceptional range for an SMG and very good ratings for accuracy and reloading. Many pilots that wind up in close-range battles switch to the Beam Spitter for the kill. Like many SMGs, the Beam Spitter fires a one-second burst at a target with the single pull of the trigger.

Practice Mode
Practice Mode offers you the ability to try out weapons and skills in a circular arena without having to attack other players, or worrying about other players attacking you. The arena is populated by four standing Mechanaughts, replicas of your own Mechanaught, that can be targeted and attacked, but not destroyed. Here you can practice how long it takes your weapons to overheat, how certain skills can be used, and you won’t get penalized for leaving (in regular matches you get penalized 200 credits for leaving early).

Battle Modes – Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch
Exteel offers one of the most traditional online multiplayer game modes in the world: the classic deathmatch. Battles can have as many as sixteen players, and the purpose of the deathmatch is simple: accumulate the most points and win. You accumulate points by destroying other Mechanaughts, or assisting in their destruction (meaning you delivered a significant amount of damage but did not make the fatal blow). Players can respawn from generally four different areas on the map, which is usually where the bulk of the fighting is. There’s no healing here; once the damage is taken, it stays that way until your Mechanaught is destroyed and you have to respawn.

Deathmatches can be very intense as everyone is pretty much out to get you, and being successful means being a little careful about which local fights to get into, where you are, and how absorbed your enemies are in each other. A gaggle of Mechanaughts engaged in a giant melee fight can be easy pickings for someone at long range.

The structure of Team Deathmatch is similar to Deathmatch; instead of a free-for-all it pits two teams of players against the other, and the team with the most accumulated points wins. The tactics of Team Deathmatch are of course very different from Deathmatch. Pilots need to stick together in clumps, where the combined firepower can overwhelm singular enemies easily. Since there are no healing pads like other team matches, those equipped with rectifiers will be extremely useful. Team Deathmatch is all about working together to rapidly defeating the opponents without having the same thing done to you.

New Screenshots Available for Theatre of War

cdv Software Entertainment USA today has released a pack of new screens for Theatre of War, their upcoming WWII battlefield simulation/RTS game. In the new screens, bombers and artillery blast to the battlefield while infantry and armored units head into combat. Slated for a May 2008 release on PC, Theatre of War offers an extensive real-time strategy experience. By combining the look, feel and historical elements of World War II, Theatre of War creates an unrivaled tactical battlefield experience that spans major campaigns from the Battle of Moscow to Normandy. With more than 50 missions spread across multiple campaigns and a rich do-it-yourself mission and map editor included, Theatre of War rewards armchair generals with tremendous gaming and replay value.

You can view the screens in the Theater of War section on our website: http://cdvusa.com/games/view/63

Theatre of War offers a fresh take on the WWII Real-time Strategy genre by combining the look, feel, sounds and historical elements of WWII to create the ultimate warfare simulation. The game engine features realistic shell ballistics, armor penetration calculations and damage effects coupled with destructible environments, trenches, fortifications and individually tracked weapons, equipment, ammo and vehicles. More than 50 battles spread across seven different campaigns (US/UK, Soviet, German, French, Polish, Battle for Moscow and Panzer Lehr in Normandy), along with eight non-campaign scenarios, five Training scenarios and 11 different multiplayer missions are available in the game to offer a rich and challenging combat experience to players.

Lineage II - The Chaotic Throne – Hellbound Transformations

NCsoft Europe presents a new Lineage II Hellbound feature describing how moderate-to-high-level players can transform into a variety of creatures.

While our Lineage II players generally enjoy playing and advancing their own characters, they still like to have a different experience every once in awhile. Our players also crave something new and diverse—something they can’t get in any other fashion. How about playing something one normally wouldn’t play, like one of the game’s many dangerous creatures? Players who have experienced Lineage I have seen something very similar to this with polymorph scrolls.

With The Kamael we expanded on this concept, which we call transformations. Moderate- to high-level characters can transform into a variety of creatures for combat and non-combat situations, utilizing a special talisman, skill or consumable scroll. Players level 50 and above from all classes can acquire the “More than Meets the Eye” quest from Necromancer Grand Master Hardin in his Academy. Once the quest is completed, players can then go to Transformation Wizard Avant-Garde on the second floor of the Ivory Tower to get their first transformation skill: Transform Onyx Beast. The player must also possess a Transformation Sealbook for that particular creature in order to learn the skill. The Sealbooks can typically be purchased from various vendors (for example, the Dragon Bomber Sealbook can be purchased from the Town of Aden Adventure Guildsman).

From there, as the player gains levels they can gain other transformation skills and Sealbooks. At level 55 the player can acquire Transform Doom Wraith, and then at level 60 players can get racial specific transformation skills. Each of these skills is geared towards a specific race, though another race may use them with some decreased attributes (exactly how much depends on the race). These battle-oriented transformations are known as combat transformations, where the character assumes the stats of the transformed creature. They also have access to a number of transformation-related skills; the higher the character level, the more skills become available. Combat transformations last thirty minutes and can only be used once every four hours.

A couple of the transformations are special cases, like when a Kamael goes through their third class change, or when the player acquires a specific item (like the Demon Sword Zariche). We also introduced non-combat transformations, which are generally more socially fun and no special skills are required.

With Hellbound we wanted to further add to the transformation system and give it a bit more depth and variety. Five new commonly available transformations were added for all characters that reach level 70. At the same time we introduced a series of very rare transformations, which allow the character to transform into an especially tough raid boss, like Ranku or Kechi. They won’t be as powerful as that raid boss, but they’ll be more powerful than the normal combat transformations. The Transformation Sealbook needed to complete the transformation process can be acquired by hunting certain types of raid monsters, so obviously these items will be highly sought after.

Aside from a couple of new, fun non-combat transformations, a set of class-specific transformations have also been added. Once the player reaches level 80 in their sub-class they can undertake a special quest to acquire it. These transformations into “divine” versions of their sub-class can be especially powerful and have a wide variety of specialized skills available to them.

BRITISH ROCKERS MUSE TO PLAY ENCORE IN DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT FOR GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK

New track pack featuring Brit rockers available on 8th May 2008

Known for their exhilarating live performances and unique blend of rock music styles, British trio Muse is returning to Guitar Hero for an encore performance with the release of a three track downloadable song pack for Activision Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

Featuring the rousing hits “Exo-Politics” and “Supermassive Black Hole” from the band’s critically acclaimed album Black Holes and Revelations, and “Stockholm Syndrome” from their multi-platinum record Absolution, the Muse track pack will be available for Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and in the PLAYSTATION Store for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system on May 8, 2008.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock offers the ultimate rock experience with new wireless guitars, freshly added content and features including a multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a host of exclusive unlockable content and visually stunning rock venues. Expanded online multiplayer modes allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true rock status as they riff through a star-studded soundtrack including master tracks by legendary artists such as Aerosmith, Guns 'N' Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine and Pearl Jam, as well as original songs by guitar icons Slash and Tom Morello. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is now available and is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB. For more information visit www.guitarhero.com.

About Activision, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $1.5 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's World Wide Web site, which is located at www.activision.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Activision generally uses words such as “outlook”, “will,” “could,” “would,” “might,” “remains,” “to be,” “plans,” “believes”, “may”, “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “estimate,” future,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “project,” “remain,” “scheduled,” “set to,” “subject to,” “upcoming” and similar expressions to help identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Activision’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales of Activision’s titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Activision’s ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms (including next-generation hardware), declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Activision’s products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware and related software, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, vendors and third-party developers, international economic and political conditions, integration of recent acquisitions and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities the timing and successful completion of the combination of Vivendi Games with Activision, the combined companies’ success in executing planned strategies and achieving assumed synergies and cost savings, and foreign exchange rate changes. Other such factors include additional risk factors identified in Activision’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision as of the date of this release, and Activision assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and may cause actual results to differ materially from our current expectations.

Theatre of War Readying for a Retail Invasion

Theatre of War, the WWII battlefield simulation/RTS title for PC, has gone gold today. Created by Battlefront.com, a leading developer of strategy games, Theatre of War offers an extensive real-time WWII experience. By combining the look, feel and historical elements of World War II, Theatre of War creates an unrivaled tactical battlefield recreation that spans major campaigns from the Battle of Moscow to Normandy. With more than 50 missions spread across multiple campaigns and a rich do-it-yourself mission and map editor included, Theatre of War rewards armchair generals with tremendous gaming and replay value. For more information about the game, which will be published by cdv Software Entertainment USA in North America on May 19, please visit http://www.cdvus.com.

Theatre of War offers a fresh take on the WWII Real-time Strategy genre by combining the look, feel, sounds and historical elements of WWII to create the ultimate warfare simulation. The game engine features realistic shell ballistics, armor penetration calculations and damage effects coupled with destructible environments, trenches, fortifications and individually tracked weapons, equipment, ammo and vehicles. More than 50 battles spread across seven different campaigns (US/UK, Soviet, German, French, Polish, Battle for Moscow and Panzer Lehr in Normandy), along with eight non-campaign scenarios, five Training scenarios and 11 different multiplayer missions are available in the game to offer a rich and challenging combat experience to players.

NINTENDO ANNOUNCES WORLDWIDE MARIO KART WII TOURNAMENTS

Nintendo has thrown down the gauntlet for Mario Kart Wii racers worldwide. Now it's time to see who's up to the challenge, as players take on the world in Mario Kart Wii Tournaments.

Every few weeks, a new tournament will appear on the Mario Kart Channel, an online feature that not only allows players to compete in tournaments, but also exchange race data with friends. Tournaments might take the form of a challenge for players to race a certain course as fast as they can with specific characters, or to collect a number of coins on a course using the Wii Wheel accessory or another control setup. They can feature unique rules or obstacles on the course.

The first tournament, which appears today, directs racers to compete for the fastest time on the Mario Circuit. Look closely though – something may be different. Players can attempt the challenge as often as they like during the duration of the tournament. Their best time will be recorded and added to the worldwide rankings, allowing players to see how they stack up against the best racers from around the world.

NOTE: If you would like to participate in Mario Kart Wii tournaments, your Wii console needs to be connected to the Internet. For more information about how to get online, visit Wii.com. For more information about Mario Kart Wii, please visit www.MarioKart.com.

HANABI FESTIVAL RETURNS TO VIRTUAL CONSOLE!

Retro gamers everywhere rejoice! The celebrated ‘Hanabi Festival’ is back on Virtual Console, bringing with it another timeless selection of retro titles – previously released only in Japan or the United States – to Wii gamers across Europe. Available via the Wii Shop Channel, discovery is the name of the game as players can experience for the first time many highly entertaining and cult classics, all courtesy of SEGA and Hudson Soft.

Named after the Japanese holiday season renowned for its firework displays, the Hanabi Festival offers Wii owners across Europe the opportunity to experience first-hand a series of gaming greats never released in PAL regions. To kick-start this, the second Hanabi Festival, three high-energy action and puzzle titles are unleashed…

· GRADIUS II GOFER NO YABOU (Turbografx) – the acclaimed space shooter!

· Columns III: Revenge of Columns (SEGA MEGA DRIVE) – the jewel puzzle brain bender!

· Final Soldier (Turbografx) – the action-packed shoot ‘em up sequel!

And there are even more import games planned to launch as the Hanabi Festival continues in the coming weeks, including such diverse titles as Puyo Puyo 2 and Gley Lancer from SEGA, and Star Parodier and Cho Aniki from Hudson Soft – and more.

GRADIUS II GOFER NO YABOU returns you to the helm of the legendary Vic Viper to overcome a new offensive from the Bacterion Empire. Originally only available on the PC Engine (Turbografx) console in Japan, this horizontally scrolling shooter challenges players to conquer the Bacterion’s fleet and its new leader, Gofer. With a total of nine stages, this perfect port of the original boasts one of the longest adventures in the series and also features more trademark fast-paced music to accompany the intense action! GRADIUS II is available now for 900 Wii Points.

If you’d prefer to test your brain rather than your brawn, then the mental tenacity of puzzle fans everywhere will be pushed to the very limit in the compelling sequel Columns III: Revenge of Columns™. Released in the U.S. in 1994 for the SEGA MEGA DRIVE, Columns III offers a single-player or multi-player experience that expands upon the gameplay of the first two Columns titles by giving players extra attacks to spring on their opponents. As in the original Columns, jewels fall into a column bin where gamers have to twist and manipulate them to match three or more jewels in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line to prevent them from stacking up and reaching the top. In Columns III, special magical jewels are available that influence the game in numerous ways such as raising your opponent’s crush bar or lowering yours, adding an extra element of strategy to the game. Columns III: Revenge of Columns is available for 900 Wii Points.

The third Hanabi Festival title this week, Final Soldier, propels you to the 23rd century where you are Earth’s last line of defence against an unknown horde of alien invaders. Part of the celebrated ‘Star Soldier’ series, this action-packed vertical scrolling shooter puts you at the helm of a space fighter created by the finest scientists from across the globe. Armed to the teeth with an arsenal of weaponry you rise up against the enemy overwhelming them with lasers, flamethrowers and missiles, many of which can be upgraded to cause further devastation. Originally released for PC Engine (Turbografx) only in Japan, this Hudson Soft classic can now be yours for 700 Wii Points.

Hanabi Festival titles that were originally released in Japan contain only minimal Japanese text that will not affect players’ enjoyment. All new Hanabi Festival titles will remain on the Wii Shop Channel after the festival has ended. Titles from the previous Hanabi Festival in September 2007 (Sin And Punishment, Ninja Gaiden, Gradius III, Ninja JaJaMaru-kun, and Mario’s Super Picross) are still available, except for the limited edition Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.

And watch this space in the future, because the Hanabi Festival may return…

Virtual Console offers users the ultimate retro gaming experience. This week’s titles join the list of 209 classic titles already available for Virtual Console in Europe.

5 CHILLING IMAGES REVEAL GOTHIC SETTING OF NEW HORROR GAME

Dracula: Origin is the dark new adventure game for PC from Ascaron Entertainment and 93 Games. The game puts you in the role of Professor Van Helsing, the renowned vampire hunter on a quest for Dracula. Hunt down history’s most famous vampire, prevent him from raising the dead, and liberate the souls of all those who have crossed his evil path.

Five fearsome new Dracula: Origin screenshots reveal the stunningly detailed and gothic locations of the game. These images show Professor Van Helsing following the deadly trail left by Dracula as he travels through England, Egypt and, of course, Transylvania. Beware the encounters with Dracula’s faithful worshippers, watch out for the beguiling vampire temptress and be sure to avoid becoming another pile of human remains in Dracula’s Transylvanian castle.

Download the screenshots now or visit www.dracula-origin.com for more information. Prepare to do battle with Dracula, the prince of darkness, on June 6th.

An endless website for deer only

After several months of activity behind the scenes, Michael Samyn and Auriea Harvey have opened The Endless Forest community website to the public. The Endless Forest community of players had been growing steadily and had started to burst out of the Tale of Tales web forums. The new community website offers a place where players of the game can post artwork and images, keep diaries, and check if their friends are online through a live map of the game world.

The Endless Forest is a game without goals or competition. It challenges the imagination and the creativity of the players. Many of them are very talented artists themselves. The new community website offers a platform where their design ideas, artistic impressions and fan art can be shared. A veritable online gallery of some pretty amazing artworks.

The Endless Forest Community Website has its own domain at
http://EndlessForest.org
Login requires being registered for the game, which -as always- is entirely free. But most of the content is available to anyone.

The Endless Forest is a free multiplayer game that can be used as a screensaver. It has been growing steadily since its launch in September 2005. With over 200,000 downloads and more than 25,000 registered players, The Endless Forest is a thriving active community to be proud of.

"The original design of The Endless Forest was created in response to a commission from a museum -the Musée d'Art Moderne in Luxemburg (Mudam), who still host the server. So when it was launched, we thought we had made an artistic statement that would hopefully be appreciated by some art lovers and perhaps get some respect from our peers. To our pleasant surprise, however, the game increasingly exceeds our all too modest expectations. Thousands and thousands of players joined up to experience the tranquility and bliss of a world without violence, without chatter and without anything to do but enjoy. And a vibrant community emerged around it. Despite the continued claims of so-called industry professionals, there is a huge potential for interactive entertainment that is not games in the strict sense of the word."

Tale of Tales is a game development studio located in Gent, Belgium and headed by Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn. Their focus is on the artistic use of the interactive medium, as was recently demonstrated in "The Graveyard", a very short game in which you play an old lady who visits a cemetery. Meanwhile, Tale of Tales are very hard at work on their IGF-nominated horror game "The Path", scheduled for release in early 2009.

All this and more on http://Tale-of-Tales.com