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Saturday, February 28, 2009

Sony want GTA back on PSP as Chinatown heads for Nintendo DS

Grand Theft Auto - Chinatown Wars is heading for Nintendo DS but why not PSP?

GTA was once a top selling PSP series but what of the future?

"That's a tremendous franchise for PlayStation in general. We've had two that are the top two sellers on PSP right now. So, there's definitely continued conversations with Rockstar on all their brands. That's nothing that's left the PlayStation family," Koller told MTV Multiplayer.

Watch the video game trailer on yesterday's post...

Concerns have been raised as to the target age of games on the DS compared to PSP and if Rockstar have picked the wrong platform - only sales will tell.

Chinatown Wars is released on Nintendo DS on March 17th.

PlayStation 3 laptop possible as Sony merger divisions...

Could we see a laptop that plays PlayStation 3 games from Sony?

Sony have announced it's laptop division will join its gaming business in a company shake-up.

Second - Its consumer products group including its television, digital imaging, home audio and video businesses. Hiroshi Yoshioka, currently executive vice president of Sony and president of its TV business group, will become its first president.

A third cross-divisional group – the common software and technology team – which will be charged with ensuring compatibility between the two new division's products.

Any game can be played through a web browser - including Gears of War

Instant Action's vice president claims that any game can be played through a web browser, including Gears of War.

Instant Action recently unveiled its new technology platform, which utilises a proprietary plugin to render games at full speed from a web browser.

The technology performs in a similar manner to some already released MMOs, including the upcoming Free Realms, but Instant Action claims that any 3D game can be played on any web browser with their latest technology.

When asked whether Epic's hit Xbox 360 game Gears of War could be played via a web browser, Instant Action's vice president Brett Seyler told Gigaom.com that with Microsoft's approval, the company could convert the game for web-based play within "two to three weeks, max."

The company is apparently in talks with most video game publishers, with deals to be announced by the end of the year. Whether publishers will jump on board remains to be seen, but with the increased popularity of Steam and the like, they might see the virtues of selling games without the need for a huge PC install: Instant Action's technology only requires the download and installation of a 150kb plug-in.

Source: Gamezine

Instant Action website...

Astonishing - Empire - Total War video game review

PC Gamer gives top honours to Creative Assembly's "strategy masterwork"

PC Gamer UK has published an exciting, gushing review of The Creative Assembly's latest RTS, Empire: Total War.

According to PCG the new instalment is "astonishing. A strategy masterwork." Well worth the 94% and rare 'Must Buy' badge they've dished out, then.

"This is the grandest, most spectacular work of strategy gaming on the PC," the mag gushes. "If you've not tackled a Total War game before, or assume that they're not for you, I challenge you to play Empire and not be impressed, or even fundamentally changed by the experience.

"There had been rumblings about Total War being simplified for the US market, especially with its introductory mini-campaign 'The Road to Independence'," the review continues. But "The Creative Assembly do not seem to have shirked their responsibility, or ever stepped back from including more features, or more detail," it says. "Empire is the opposite of dumbed down.

"While it feels familiar, Empire manages to deliver more nuance on the campaign map than ever before. What's most immediately obvious is the effect of international trade.

"The sheer weight of ideas produced by the Creative Assembly team is in evidence. The battlefields are vastly more detailed than ever before, especially around towns, with the smaller scale details now coming into effect in the form of battlefield defences, use of buildings by troops, and accurate cover. Battles play out more convincingly than in previous games. There's still some errant unit activity, but I've seen little evidence of units sitting around waiting to be killed, or getting lost entirely. Not perfect, perhaps, but certainly more robust.

As if RTS nuts weren't excited enough already. And by the sounds of this, non-RTS fans should be too.

Total War is out next Friday, March 4. Full review in PC Gamer, on sale NOW!

Source: CVG

Crown of Glory - Emperor's Edition Now Available!

Wage total war across Europe and build an empire in Crown of Glory: Emperor's Edition!

Matrix Games and Western Civilization Software are thrilled to announce that Crown of Glory: Emperor’s Edition, the highly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed Crown of Glory, is now available for immediate download! Combining strategy and tactics in one design, Crown of Glory: Emperor's Edition offers gamers an opportunity to test their strength in an age of legends.

The original Crown of Glory won a series of accolades, including the Charles S. Roberts award for best Pre-20th Century Wargame, the War-Historical Group’s Wargame of the Year 2005, 8/10 from IGN and 9+/10 from Wargamer.com. Crown of Glory: Emperor’s Edition is a major step up from the original in nearly every area, with new detailed Naval Combat, a streamlined economic system, a much stronger AI, beautiful new strategic map, new scenarios and significant interface improvements, just to name a few!

To mark the release of Crown of Glory: Emperor’s Edition, three of the tutorial videos included with the game are now available to give gamers a feel for the addicting gameplay and in-depth game system headed their way! The topics of the three tutorials are The Basics, Land Combat, and Naval Combat. Be sure to check them out on YouTube or download a higher quality version from our website.

David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said “Crown of Glory: Emperor’s Edition is a very worthy sequel to the original classic. The new features, improvements and additional scenarios as well as engrossing strategic and tactical play make this an experience that Napoleonic fans should not miss. Anyone with an interest in the Napoleonic period as well as fans of beautifully designed strategy game should give this game a look!”

The initial release is download-only, with options for boxed copies with printed manuals planned to be available next week. Customers who would like a boxed copy and printed manual should wait for those options to show up in the Matrix Games Online Store before purchasing. Also, customers who already own the original Crown of Glory are entitled to a $10 Discount Coupon off the price of Crown of Glory: Emperor’s Edition. This discount coupon can be retrieved by following the links on the product and store pages.

Glory is Fleeting, Obscurity is Forever...

Two centuries ago, Europe was in the midst of one of the most gripping periods in human history. It was an era that saw cobblers become princes and emperors become exiles, an age of legendary diplomats and brilliant tacticians. Listen to the roll of the drum, the call of the bugle, and see the banners unfurled above the divisions and corps. Wide-eyed recruits march next to battle-scarred veterans, sabers clatter alongside the bags of grapeshot, the wheels of hundreds of caissons rattle, as generals plan and diplomats plot, and all of Europe grasps with desperate hands for… The Crown Of Glory.

This new Emperor’s Edition is a sequel to the acclaimed Crown of Glory and improves on the original in every area, immersing the player in the epic events of the Napoleonic era. A beautiful strategic map with more than 200 provinces covers all of Europe and North Africa, with scenarios and campaigns from 1792 up to 1820. Stronger AI, a streamlined interface and a new simplified economic model to allow players to focus on the aspects of the game they most enjoy. Players take the role of one of the crowned potentates of any of the eight Major powers as well as having the option to play as a minor power such as Poland, Denmark or Portugal.

A turn-based structure allows you to play at your own pace, deciding on the military, diplomatic, economic and social paths of your nation, including treaties, trade routes and levying and supplying military units. While your armies march across a worldwide map with monthly turns, detailed land and naval battles allow you to play at a smaller scale, where your brigades, divisions and ships can be commanded with historical tactics. All battles can be resolved quickly or fought out on a detailed battlefield map.

Each unit has its purpose on the battlefield, with such diverse troops as Jagers, Cossacks, Janissaries and Horse Artillery all modeled for individual strength and morale ratings and each beautifully rendered and animated. Similarly, ships ranging from Frigates to massive First Rate Ships of the Line clash on the seas in battles ranging from skirmishes to decisive fleet engagements, all modeled in great realistic detail.

The eight major powers (France, Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, Turkey, Spain, and Sweden) and over ninety computer-controlled minor nations are modeled in rich historical detail. Every effort has been made to bring you as thorough a simulation of the Napoleonic Era as is possible, from the dockyards of Lisbon to the frozen wastes of Holy Mother Russia.

Historical leaders, special abilities, fleets, upgrades, reinforcements, colonialism, guard units and over 100 historical events, give Crown Of Glory: Emperor's Edition a unique and engrossing style. Combining strategy and tactics in one design, Crown Of Glory: Emperor's Edition offers you an opportunity to test your strength in an age of legends.

Emperor's Edition Improvements:

• New strategic map including a network of roads connecting provinces
• 70 new movement areas on the strategic map
• New “Simple Economy” mode for players who want to concentrate on military / diplomacy
• 6 new minor powers
• 101 new historical events such as “Reign of Terror,” “Janissary Revolt,” and “Assassination of Paul I”
• Map zooms in and out smoothly on strategic and detailed combat levels
• Nations gain Experience and Naval Experience and use these to purchase national upgrades, advanced units, and special training for units
• Improved orders of battle in all scenarios with historical names for hundreds of divisions and ships
• New scenarios for 1803 and 1812
• New scenarios that allow Portugal, Bavaria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Poland to be player-controlled
• Changes to strategic A.I. to create more historical decisions for certain nations
• New “Path of Napoleon” victory condition in which player must try to accomplish all of Napoleon’s goals
• New rules for inflation and mobilization limits to better model wartime effects on the economy and to limit army sizes to historical levels
• New rules for march attrition
• New interface screens for strategic overview, unit and province lists
• Ability to fight detailed battles at division or brigade level
• New system of in-game help
• New music and sound effects

Get more information on Crown of Glory: Emperor’s Edition from its official product page and be sure to watch or download the new tutorial videos!

Men of War, Cryostasis and NecroVisioN video games release

505 Games release the long-anticipated 1C game triumvirate of Men of War, Cryostasis and NecroVisioN. Covering the major aspects of the PC gaming market, the three games take you from the trenches of the First World War (and the hell beneath them), to the roving skirmishes of World War II and finally to the frozen wastes of the Arctic in the late 1960s. You’ll battle vampires and the undead, control entire armies, and even have flashbacks into the mind of a cow.

All three games are available in all good high street shops, or from online retailers, and have a recommended retail price of £29.99.

MEN OF WAR

See World War Two from three different sides - Russian, Allied and German – as you command entire armies and plot your battle strategies across epic maps based on real-life locations. Men of War takes place across the globe during the height of World War II and features three different campaigns, each with their own unique units, vehicles and missions. From the Russian missions starring two student comrades fresh to the horrors of war, players are soon catapulted into massive battles with dozens of units under their command. In addition to the in-depth single player experience, Men of War also unleashes a range of multiplayer maps based on the main missions along with action-packed ‘capture the flag’ and ‘high-value cargo’ modes.

CRYOSTASIS

Taking place in the Arctic Circle in 1981, players take on the role of Alexander Nesterov, a Russian meteorologist sent to investigate the final hours of the North Wind, an old nuclear ice-breaker shipwrecked in an icy grave. The freezing cold has turned the inhabitants of the ship into freakish frozen monsters that will hunt down anything warm. Thankfully, Alex possesses a unique ‘Mental Echo’ ability, which allows him to relive the final memories of the dead and change their actions in the past. But, can Alex discover what happened on the North Wind or will he become the latest victim of the terrible cold?

NECROVISION

NecroVisioN is a first-person horror shooter, which sees players taking on the role of American soldier Simon Bukner, who must fight his way through the bleak trenches of World War One and into the jaws of Hell. Dead soldiers are coming back to life with a lust for human flesh, a mad German scientist has created a giant robotic scorpion and an ancient war between vampires and demons is threatening to wipe out humanity. Armed with his powerful Shadow Hand and demonic weapons, Bukner must battle to save himself... and the world.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Rockin' Pretty, a music simulation game, exclusively for Nintendo DS!

Multi-instrument Musical Mayhem on Nintendo DS!

Aksys Games, a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software, is pleased to announce Rockin' Pretty, a music simulation game, exclusively for Nintendo DS! Developed by Arc System Works, creators of Princess On Ice, players will once again test their music-rhythm prowess to the beats of hard rock! Will you be able to rock on and take our lovely girls to fame?

Rockin' Pretty showcases four hard rocking instruments (guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums) for the player to master. Using the stylus, tap or strum the screen according to the beats to gain applauses and stardom. Use the stars collected in each level to unlock new outfits, hairstyles, and instruments.

"Girls of all ages with a love of music won't be able to resist the excitement and fun of being a rock star..." says Frank deWindt II, Project Lead, Aksys Games. "Fans of Princess On Ice and rhythm games alike, will definitely not be disappointed!"

Key Features:

• A Tale of Music and Love…
A great family story of teenage proportions, will our beloved girls pick love, or their love for music?!

• To Trade Or Not To Trade…
Using Nintendo DS™ wireless connectivity, players will be able to trade items, outfits, and instruments they unlock with friends and family!

• Fame Is All You Need!
Earn your audience's love and watch your girl's appearance change!

• On The Road To Stardom!
Perform your heart out at eight tour events, ranging from basic open-mic nights to stardom arena venues!

Rockin' Pretty has not been rated by the ESRB.

City of Heroes Free update includes design your own city

City of Heroes takes another giant step with yet another free update, allowing players to design their own missions and story arcs to share with the entire City of Heroes community across all live servers.

City of Heroes set a new standard for player creation and customization in MMOs with its Character Creator. Now, players will be able to use an intuitive interface to create their own missions from the ground up by determining details ranging from environments, mission objectives, and enemies, to written fiction and character dialogue - giving their stories nearly infinite depth and personalization.

Issue 14 is scheduled for release in March 2009.

What is the Mission Architect?

Mission Architect is a new game system developed for the City of Heroes massively multiplayer game. It allows players to create their own stories and share those stories with other players on live servers. Creators can pick from hundreds of maps and thousands of characters. They can use existing characters or create their own custom enemies. They can get even more detailed and create full enemy groups, giving each enemy unique costumes and powers.

Players can also write all of the dialog for their story as well as decide on level of difficulty and enemy placement. It’s even possible to trigger one mission goal off of another, creating a chain of events within a single mission. Each story can have up to five chapters or missions and each mission can hold up to a maximum of 25 achievable goals.

For people who just want to play the user created content, there is an integrated mission browser that shows all the generated content. It can sort stories by name, highest rated, lengthy and recently added. It can also filter content to show only those with specific ratings, arcs that the player have or haven’t played as well as the alignment of the story.

As people play content, they’ll be able to rate that content from one to five stars. Creators will actually get in-game benefits for making content that gets highly rated and there will be a Dev Choice and Hall of Fame standing for the best of the best.

City of Heroes is rated PEGI 16+. For more information about City of Heroes go to http://eu.cityofheroes.com.

New game details for Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 on Nintendo Wii (PES)

Enhanced AI, Improved Control and Added Game Modes Announced for the Nintendo Wii version of the Next Addition to the PES Franchise

Konami today revealed a new game trailer and details of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PES 2009) for Nintendo Wii scheduled to be released on March 17th, 2009. The new game builds on the innovative control system pioneered by its predecessor, with PES 2009 adding a wide range of new control and content elements which will affirm its title as the definitive football title for the Nintendo console.

PES 2009 for Wii boasts three control methods, with the intuitive 'point and drag' interface of last year's game enhanced to make defending and shooting more instinctive. Players use the Nunchuck or the Wii Remote to control the player on the ball, while they pick the player to pass to, or send them on runs into space. The system has been further refined, so that close control is improved, but two new control ideas have also been implemented.

Users can now play PES 2009 using either the Classic Controller or the Wii Remote held sideways. Selecting these offers a take on the classic PES controls from other versions, with the many through balls, chips and shots allocated individual buttons on both controllers. Mixtures of these systems can also be allowed during co-op multi-player games, with users opting to use their favored system from the user-friendly menu system.

Other key advances include the addition of the UEFA Champions League, the greatest club competition in European football, as a stand-alone option with all-new introductory elements, and a greatly expanded Champions Road mode. Champions Road is an incentive-based game, wherein players are rewarded for success in competitions.

Players are given individual challenges, each of which is allocated a cash bonus. These range from scoring a hat-trick, to string multiple passes together, etc, and the monies raised can be invested in improving the facilities at the user's chosen club. Everything from oxygen capsules through to private jets can be bought, all of which will help entice better players to the club, while the players involved improve their experience stats during matches.

The Wii game also marks the introduction of the Master League, which has proven so popular in PES for other home gaming formats. Master League places the player in charge of a lowly team and charges them with building their reputation and success through astute signings, good on-field performances and training methods. Every aspect of overseeing a club falls under the user's jurisdiction, with success on field used to attract new talent and build a team of stars capable of succeeding in PES 2009's many cup and league competitions.

PES 2009 also has a greatly improved online mode, with up to eight players competing online at once, using two consoles and with four players per Wii console.

Anything up to four against four is allowed online, while offline allows for four players simultaneously. Players can also now use their Mii avatar within PES 2009's Match Mode, and within Champions Road. Miis are easily assigned in both sections, and can also be used within co-op matches.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is currently available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system and will be available for the Nintendo Wii on March 17, 2009.

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