New 'fitba' soccer/football game for Xbox 360 download

Fitba, the football (soccer) game that's not afraid to innovate is out now on Xbox 360 Community Games.

Triple B Games is delighted to announce that Fitba, the football game with soul, is out now on the Xbox 360 Community Games channel.

Fitba brings genuine innovation to one of the most tired and staid of genres, the football game. Twin stick control gives the player the freedom to move one way and pass another. Aftertouch means that putting the ball in the top corner is a matter of skill, not just building up a power meter to the right level. Fully customisable teams allow the player to create whatever team they can imagine and take them online through Xbox Live play.

Fitba runs at a blazingly fast 60fps to deliver the smoothest gameplay experience yet seen in a football game.

Fitba is available to download now for the price of just 400 MS Points.

Triple B Games was set up in 2007 in Dundee by industry veteran Jonathan “Fritz” Ackerley (Harry Potter’s Quidditch World Cup, Shadowman, F1 2002, Actua Soccer 2). The company's aim is to show that great games can be delivered without any of the traditional ‘AAA’ baggage of vast teams & overblown production values. Taking a punk approach to games, developing fast and using free tools wherever possible, Triple B have now launched Fitba on the Xbox 360 Community Games channel. A response to the bland, formulaic approach of current football games Fitba is real football, football with soul, a kick about with your mates rather than the vapid commercialism of the Champions League. You can queue Fitba to download next time you log into your Xbox 360 here. Or find the game via the Dashboard in Game MarketPlace->Community Games->Browse->Sports & Recreation. And it's only 400 points, that's less than the price of a track pack for Rock Band...


Praise already in for Fitba:

“Fitba, the soccer game for people who love the beautiful game but can't be bothered with the ego of the superstars. This is just pure fun. My next CG purchase for sure”: XBLCG team blog.

“Creates a new level of gameplay”: 411mania.com

“A great little football game that gives fifa and pes a run for their money… easily the best Community Game so far”: Pete Rankin, Leith FM

“An interesting and new twist on a soccer, or football game”: 360Evolved.com

“Fantastic game … I am not a soccer/ football fan, but this is still a blast.”, “Excellent game”, “Game rocks”, “I don't watch or play soccer, but I thought this game was a lot of fun.”: Peer review comments.

BRAINPIPE: A Plunge to Unhumanity Mac video game

Have you become more unhuman than human yet?

With the Independent Games Festival fast approaching (as in March 25th in San Francisco) and Digital Eel's latest title, BRAINPIPE: A Plunge to Unhumanity, nominated in the Excellence In Audio category, Shrapnel Games would like to take a moment to point out that everyone should really be playing BRAINPIPE. In fact, we can think of ten reasons you should be playing off the top of our heads.

Reason No10: BRAINPIPE is a fiendishly addictive spatial awareness game that can be played with one hand. And unlike other software that emphasizes a one hand approach BRAINPIPE's one handed gameplay won't put you in an embarrassing situation if someone walks in on you.

Reason No9: BRAINPIPE involves lots of mesmerizing colors. It's like a 15th level wizard cast color spray on your monitor, or the aftermath of a Skittles factory explosion.

Reason No8: BRAINPIPE has really cool audio thanks to its Eelmix. Amazingly cool. So cool it's white hot. Someone should give these folks an award for their audio work.

Reason No7: BRAINPIPE is a game that can be played in short bursts. No need to clear an entire weekend to devote to it, you can fire it up at lunch and worm your way through your subconscious before your Hot Pocket gets cold.

Reason no6: BRAINPIPE hearkens back to the days of the arcade, except instead of being limited to three letters on the leaderboard, you can type out entire words! Have fun trying to beat your high score, or compete against your friends by comparing scores.

Reason No5: BRAINPIPE resurrected Jonathan Winters. Or maybe he was just not dead to begin with. Either way, Jonathan Winters is being talked about and it's all because of BRAINPIPE.

Reason No4: BRAINPIPE is educational. Few people know this but if you were to shrink down to a microscopic size and travel down the neural passages of your brain, it would look like BRAINPIPE. Scout's honor!

Reason No3: BRAINPIPE spelled backwards is EPIPNIARB, which sounds like an asthma medication as created by Jimmy Buffet.

Reason No2: BRAINPIPE is only $14.95. What else will provide you countless hours of entertainment for only $14.95? You can find $14.95 in pocket change in your sofa. Of course, you can't spend it online, so that may not be so helpful.

Reason No1: BRAINPIPE makes you hip and a winner with the ladies. Or guys. But not sheep.

BRAINPIPE: A Plunge to Unhumanity is available right now for Windows and Mac at the amazingly low price of only $14.95. You can read more about this exciting game and download a demo by visiting its product page.

BRAINPIPE: A Plunge to Unhumanity will be featured at the 11th Annual Independent Games Festival on March 25th as part of the Game Developers Conference held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. It is nominated for Excellence In Audio and surely must win. If you're attending the IGF please say hello to Digital Eel. Just make sure you don't get them wet or feed them after midnight.

New PSP video game double packs Metal Gear Solid and Coded Arms or Silent Hill Origins

Konami unveils double-packs comprising classic pairings at a new low price
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced a collection of double-packs for PSP® (PlayStation Portable) featuring pairings of its biggest titles for the format.

Available from March 27th, the new compilations retain their original packaging, but are twinned in a special slip cases for just £19.99. The first two pairings will be Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops with Silent Hill Origins, and Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops alongside Coded Arms.

Set in 1970, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops follows directly on from the events of Hideo Kojima’s renowned Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The player assumes the role of series hero Snake (aka Big Boss), as he puts together the elite FOXHOUND unit made famous in earlier Metal Gear titles, and instigates a bloody revolt with his treacherous FOX unit.

Heralding the return of many notable characters from the Metal Gear series, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops introduces a new team-building mechanic that brings additional depth and gameplay. Players can capture and recruit characters they encounter and assign them to different units that will perform different functions, such as healing teammates, gathering intelligence and creating new items. Players can also recruit rare and unique characters with special abilities throughout the game. Each character is rated on a series of more than ten attributes, giving players incredible variety in building the ideal squad and creating different teams that are best suited to different combat situations.

Silent Hill Origins is the first time Konami’s horror series appeared on PSP® and tells an original story with disturbing graphics and all-new gameplay elements. The game’s narrative reveals the origins that transformed the titular Silent Hill from a sleepy town to a hellish stronghold of terror and introduces several new characters to the franchise.

Silent Hill Origins follows a solitary truck driver, Travis Grady, who gets stuck in the terrifying town while making a routine delivery. He quickly discovers the locals aren't quite normal, and neither is the town. To complicate matters, Grady is confronted by crippling memories from his troubled past. He must escape from Silent Hill while resolving the memories that have plagued him since childhood.

The game introduces several gameplay mechanics that are new to the franchise and provide the player with an enhanced sensation of isolation as they make their way through the desolate streets of Silent Hill. Key to this are new gameplay elements, providing a cinematic experience comparable to the previous games, but framed within interactive moments. This “Cineractive System” allows players to face down horrifying monsters while the control scheme changes intuitively for each situation. Players also utilize an enhanced camera designed with the PSP in mind, as well as an updated control method for improved combat and more detailed exploration of the environment. Fans of the series will also revel in Silent Hill Origins’ original soundtrack by series composer Akira Yamaoka.

Coded Arms is a fast-paced and visually stunning first-person shooter set within an abandoned Virtual Reality system. The VR universe was originally conceived as a training device to prepare mankind for an alien invasion, but was hurriedly shut down when the system became self-aware and created a brutal world populated with virtual, yet hostile alien races. Cast as a hacker, the player is equipped with an array of hi-tech weaponry and must cleanse the VR world of its unsavoury denizens. What follows is a gung-ho blaster, as the VR world adapts to throw wave after wave of monstrous creatures at the player – and where the normal rules of science no longer apply…

FIFA MANAGER 09 Winter Update available now...

EA SPORTS and the developer studio Bright Future have just published a free expansion update for FIFA MANAGER 09. This third update is now available for download. Key aspects of this update are the database, the player pictures and the Live Ticker.

A comprehensive update of the FIFA MANAGER 09 database adjusts the data to the winter season. All transfers from 42 licensed countries are included. Over 900 new player pictures and 60 new XL player pictures offer the player even more realism and fun.

Update 2, which is included in Update 3 focused on a broad extension of the training camp area. The player’s opportunities to build training camps all over the world are nearly unlimited - even the smallest towns are possible.

For a complete list of all improvements and bug-fixings included in this update, please see here...

After the update has been installed, the old save-games can be continued.

The FIFA MANAGER series, formerly TOTAL CLUB MANAGER, is well established since 2003. The player can play in 59 countries, 42 of those are licensed. There are 151 licensed leagues with 3,606 clubs (1,267 licensed) and more than 30,000 players.

Every player in the game is individually evaluated by 43 personal skill values. The strengths of the FIFA MANAGER 09 are the local content, its up-to-dateness and the large number of international competitions. The local content in the EA SPORTS FIFA MANAGER 09 creates an authentic football atmosphere.

Chronicles of Inotia - Legend of Feanor Gets Even Better! with this update

Popular Role-Playing Game Now Features Network Ranking Support

Com2uS, a leading developer and publisher of mobile games, today announced the updated version of the best-selling Chronicles of Inotia: Legend of Feanor. Version 1.0.3 features a ranking system so players can share their level, stats and equipment information, and other minor fixes. Saved data from previous games will carry over safely to the new version. The game is also available in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian languages.

The Chronicles of Inotia: Legend of Feanor has ramined among the top role-playing games since its launch, and continues to win rave reviews from players.

The Chronicles of Inotia: Legend of Feanor is an old school action RPG with PC and console game graphic quality that guides players through a rich fantasy storyline as they protect the beautiful land of Inotia. Players begin by creating a customized character with their choice of attributes, then set out on a journey to find the evil dragon Deathtaker, who disappeared after an epic battle. Villagers and vendors help along the way, and players can raise pets that enhance their attributes.

For more information, tips and FAQs, please visit iphone.com2us.com.

Chronicles of Inotia was selected as one of the best games of 2008 by appstoreapps.com. You can find Chronicles of Inotia: Legend of Feanor by going to here. Chronicles of Inotia is available for $7.99.

Hidden Dawn - a story driven 3rd person action adventure

Hidden Dawn is an upcoming 3rd person action fantasy adventure video game by E-One Studio, a game studio based in KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This story driven for PC and Mac game is slated to hit the shelves in Q3, 2009.

1 Synopsis
1.1 Themes

While loosely described as a fantasy adventure to ‘save the world’, Hidden Dawn attempts to touch sparingly on several concepts such as redemption, sacrifice, family, self-limitation, internal conflict, vengeance, social awareness, independence and overcoming tribulations.

Of note is the design decision to portray the protagonist as a common citizen, instead of a powerful scholar of magic, or a mighty warrior of weapons and tactics. The abilities of the main character are mainly not a talent or skill of the heroine, but conferred upon her at specific moments in the game by the receptacle she carries.

A subtle theme is also of the spiritual aspect of the manner in which these abilities are manifested. Rather than classical origins of powers and magic, the abilities of the heroine derive from tapping into the components of existence, such as vitality, the mind, power of material attraction, and unity.

1.2 Setting

Hidden Dawn is set in an undetermined time within the world of Empyria. Comprising of several sentient inhabitants, from land and sea, these peoples form civilizations and colonies in an intermingle of culture and economy, or maintain an insular and homogenous society in certain areas.

Science and advancement of knowledge is not commonplace, but highly valued. Magick is recognized and respected but not widely practiced. Trade and diplomacy are major ways in which the people of Empyria exchange wares and services.

In a conscious choice to steer away from medieval fantasy, E-One Studio opted to refer to ancient civilizations for inspiration, with locales like ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece. Certain mythical venues were also sources of influence, such as the Amazon people and Atlantis.

1.3 Plot

The story begins several years after a catastrophic battle between two groups of adversaries. The followers of a conqueror wiped out the entire assemblage of a group of people who were protecting an item of importance.

A young girl, driven by her concern over her sick father, sets out from her home of many years, only to find out her family is hunted by someone far across the continents, for an object she carries unknowingly, and with a lot more to lose than her parent.

1.4 Characters

• Heru
• Kai
• Ratna-kul
• Demeius
• Soothsayer
• Venalis
• Anu
• Skol
• Koronna
• Elders
• Antigo
• Invidia
• Jurgium

2 Gameplay

Gameplay will be available to the player through 4 playable characters. Heru, the main heroine, is provided mostly with puzzle and environmental challenges. Combat will be offered through interactive cutscenes and quick time events, sometimes with the heroine. Heru, however, will not be used during player controlled combat sessions, but Kai instead. The player will control the characters through direct control of mouse and keyboard.

2.1 Abilities

Heru will be the only character with access to the Essence, a collection of abilities tapping into the fabric of the universe. Each facet of existence has its own list of sub-abilities. Not all will have the same amount of options. Ratna-kul is known to possess certain abilities, as well as forcefully inserting some of them into his followers.

• Vita – essence of vitality, dealing with rejuvenation and growth (plant control)
• Graviton – essence of gravity, dealing with repulsing and attracting objects, or Heru’s body
• Infusa – essence of unity, dealing with directing characters, or viewing from their eyes
• Cereb – essence of the mind, dealing with reading thoughts, or mental suggestion

2.2 Puzzles

Hidden Dawn provides challenges through various forms of puzzles, from physical ones in environmental travel, to shape-based puzzles requiring the use of certain Essence, to mental puzzles of pattern recognition, time-based puzzles and dialogue-oriented puzzles

3 Content

3.1 Continents

No accurate map is provided for the continents of Empyria. However, the 8 locations in the game attempt to showcase the diversity and range of environments, natural and social, in the world.

• Sardoon – faded dune civilization, with mostly colonists as frontier villages. Generally lawless
• Verdentia – constant warfare under the massive trees, inhabitants are fiercely territorial
• Draka Captio – remote and desolate, only the local people remain while other foreigners yielded their immigrant towns to the formidable icy weather
• Bria – major trading and political hub, it is a regional center of a network of kingdoms and federations
• Marakort – last of the old world order, the small city is a shadow of its once mighty example of urban elitis

3.2 Special locations

The Operis – the famed and feared mobile stronghold of Ratna-kul. Moving by strange magic, and always escorted by an armada of flying monsters. Never seen long enough in one place, it was rumored to be able to travel across vast distances very quickly.

Charon-kor – a floating continent, seemingly by non magical means. Seen as a prophetic site by some, a natural anomaly by others.

Altus – the fabled location of a lost people, with untold riches and power sealed away for aeons

3.3 Inhabitants

Several sentient people of Empyria are represented in the game world. Humans, sea people, goblins, reptilians, and other races pepper throughout the locations. It is not unusual to have migration and settling of foreigners in other regions, primarily in the more urban territories.

3.4 Geography

Glistening Plains – intense heat has given rise to certain parts of the desert with crystallized sand granules, reflecting the sunlight or moonlight in a myriad of colors.

Infinite Arborus – nourished by constant rain and rich loam, a sizeable part of the landmass has produced some of the largest and most prolific vegetation, including the mighty trees of Verdentia.

Depes Sea – rich in pearls and fish, the calm sea offers many wondrous underwater sites, and a haven for maritime industries.

Ngaritas Coast – the very first civilizations were said to appear at this shoreline, and rumor has it that magick was discovered, along with several disciplines of knowledge, by scholars of old.

The Killing Blue – extremely deep, and extremely unpredictable, this ocean possesses dangerous underwater currents and monsters beneath the waves. Sailors prudently avoid it.

Aeria Games' Turf Battles Enters Closed Beta - Free download

Aeria Games announced today that Closed Beta for Turf Battles, the free-to-play Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMORPG) is now underway. Aeria Games has teamed up with FileFront to offer 50,000 Closed Beta early access keys.

Enter a world of conflict where players can engage in battles with friends and allies against opponents ranging in the hundreds or fight in solo competition in honorable combat. In Turf Battles, players can:

• Customize your character to suit your style of play, from the high damage of the mage to the tanking ability of the blade warrior.
• Establish a tribe, work to capture new land and promote or demote recruits to different ranks within the tribe.
• Work together with other players while you explore vast dungeons and battle difficult monsters on your quest to earn great rewards.
• Once a certain level has been achieved, players can develop new skills which transform their very appearance and grant them powerful new moves.
• Conquer an expansive world with forests, deserts, islands, castles, lakes, and much more!

Players are encouraged to join quickly because Closed Beta may not last much longer, however Open Beta will follow shortly after.

Turf Battle fans and those who are new to the game can find more information available on the official website

TrackMania DS - unlockable tracks information - Nintendo DS

Oh, copper. For so many years, you've been second fiddle to silver and gold. Sure, you get the wiring and pipes, but most of the time it's because you're the cheapest of the bunch. When folks are handing out medals, you go to third place, and not even in your pure form. We all see your dark reddish-orange facade, but on the inside, we know you're blue.

But in the world of TrackMania DS, Coppers are everything. For every successful race, players receive Coppers, credits that can be used to unlock a variety of game content from the Shop. Want more tracks to race on? Fork over some Coppers and discover new courses to master (and some of the best ones really must be unlocked). Want more track editor parts to spice up your custom courses? Spend and you shall receive. Tired of the same old texture for your car? New skins are on sale now. There are three different sets of unlockables to shop, based on the environment (Stadium, Desert, Rally) of your choosing.

See, copper, things aren't so bad. You may be the whipping boy of the precious metals, but in TrackMania DS, you're the currency of choice.

TrackMania DS is currently scheduled for release on March 17th.

Rock Band Wii add 14 new tracks - Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmy Eat World and No Doubt

Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of fourteen tracks to the Rock Band Music Store catalog of downloadable content for Nintendo Wii home videogame console from Nintendo, including tracks from electric blues artists Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble as well as alternative bands Jimmy Eat World and No Doubt.

All ten tracks from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble’s debut album Texas Flood (1983) will be made available in the Wii Rock Band Music Store. Tracks include the popular studio cuts of “Pride and Joy,” “Texas Flood” and “Rude Mood,”as well as “Love Struck Baby,” “Tell Me,” “Testify,” “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” “Dirty Pool,” “I’m Cryin” and “Lenny.”

In addition, the lineup will also include “New” from the alternative rock pioneers of No Doubt. The track is featured on the band’s album Return of Saturn (2000). As previously announced, the aforementioned tracks from No Doubt and Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble will also be available to Rock Band owners of Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system this week.

Wii owners can also look forward to three tracks from alternative band Jimmy Eat World including “Lucky Denver Mint” from the band’s 1999 album Clarity, “Futures” (Futures, 2004) and “Sweetness” from the band’s 2001 album Bleed American. The tracks come from the Rock Band Music Store catalog of downloadable content just released last week to owners of Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system.

Wii fans can expect a rollout of previously released downloadable Rock Band content until the entire back catalogue of more than 570 songs is available. In addition, the regularly scheduled future DLC releases for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system will also be available for Rock Band 2 Wii owners soon.

Release Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2009

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **

Tracks:

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Love Struck Baby”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Pride and Joy”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Texas Flood”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Tell Me”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Rude Mood”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Testify”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Dirty Pool”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “I’m Cryin”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Lenny”
No Doubt “New”
Jimmy Eat World “Futures”
Jimmy Eat World “Lucky Denver Mint”
Jimmy Eat World “Sweetness”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Price: $2.00 (200 Wii Points) per track

Location: In-game Rock Band 2 Music Store (Wii Points must be purchased
through the Wii™ Shop Channel)

WordFu game for iPhone and iPod Touch

Highly Addictive Word Puzzle Game Created Exclusively for iPhone and iPod touch

ngmoco, creator and publisher of games exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch, today released WordFu on Apple’s App Store. WordFu is the ultimate word puzzler bringing Kung Fu to the iPhone.


Shake, Flick and Strike! WordFu excites players to unleash their spelling fury as they roll dice to strategically assemble a board of letters, then use multi-touch gestures and Kung Fu strikes to spell as many words as possible before the clock runs out.

WordFu masters direct an endless barrage of martial arts wordplay attacks against their friends over WiFi battle mode. They defend their honor by advancing up the leaderboard and earning the ultimate high score in solo play mode. They earn achievements and master the ability to freeze time and other game changing power-ups in their quest to don the WordFu black belt. WordFu masters can even email their friends to challenge them to battle… WordFu style!

“ngmoco is dedicated to producing quality games that all iPhone and iPod touch users can enjoy,” said Neil Young, CEO & founder of ngmoco. “Utilizing the innovative functionality of the devices, coupled with stunning 3D visuals and addictive sound effects, Word Fu is set to entertain word puzzle fans everywhere.”

Utilizing the built-in accelerometer of the iPhone and iPod touch, ngmoco has created the grand master word puzzler with crisp 3D visuals and wild Kung Fu sound effects. WordFu was developed in collaboration with Demiurge Studios, Inc. and uses MachDice technology to deliver stunning visual effects and authentic physics that capture the look and feel of rolling real dice. WordFu recognizes over two hundred thousand words for virtually endless wordplay.

WordFu is available for an introductory price of $0.99 from Apple’s App Store on the iPhone and iPod touch, or at: appstore.ngmoco.com/wordfu.

WordFu follows the successes of ngmoco’s award-winning title Rolando, special effects-laden action hit MazeFinger and the popular block stacking puzzle game Topple.