Hailed as the true stars of the original Overlord, the Minions will return in Overlord II

Evil may have a new face but he’s brought along some old friends. Hailed as the true stars of the original Overlord, the Minions will return in Overlord II, today confirmed for release on June 26th for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Games For Windows. Ahead of release, gamers can see the maniacal Minions in malevolent motion in the new ‘Minion Maximus’ gameplay video below.



In Overlord II the Minions return stronger, smarter, deadlier (and funnier) and are ready to fight in epic battles that will see them squaring up to the Legions of a new enemy – the Glorious Empire. Their horde mentality is as wild and outrageous as ever and their loyalty to their Overlord has not changed – they’ll do anything and everything that’s commanded of them (and then a bit more) to aid their masters’ quest to destroy or dominate the land.

During the Overlord’s onslaught, the savage pack will gleefully destroy the towns of the Empire and decide the fate of their denizens. Given the right instruction, they’ll even gather voluptuous mistresses for the Overlord and infiltrate the very heart of the Glorious Empire’s army badly (but passably) disguised as diminutive soldiers.

Delivering a whole new level of Minion control, players can equip the Overlord’s devoted brown, green and red Minions with mounts, unique and deadly creatures ready to raise hell. Forming the Minion Cavalry division, brown Minions can ride and control packs of vicious wolves (“Aw, lovelies wolfies”). On wolf-back, the Minions can be swept into attacks and knock enemies off their feet through sheer force and then bite and gore opponents in lupine finishing moves.

Red Minions ride fire salamanders, which become living flamethrowers that shoot fireballs as a primary attack. Green Minions can mount giant spiders, enabling them to climb walls to get to places where no other Minion can get. Meanwhile, the blue Minions, the more ethereal and Zen-like of the tribes, wouldn’t be seen dead on a creature’s back; but they will keep their eyes on their Minion pals and, should they take a tumble or get injured, they’ll dash to the rescue and make use of their unique healing powers.

“The Minions are the stars of the show and we’ve brought them back with bigger personalities and with more abilities than before,” said Lennart Sas, Creative Director, Triumph Studios. “Hilariously supercharged, the Minions can tear down scenery and destroy buildings, ride mounts and operate powerful siege weapons in massive battles with the Empire. They became hugely popular from the first game, so we’re upping their profile, abilities and unique characteristics.”

Prepare to put the Minions into action in Overlord II – the game that puts the laughter into slaughter – coming June 26th for the PLAYSTATION 3 system, Xbox 360 and Games For Windows.

Round 4 video game predicts Knock Out for Manny Pacquiao over Ricky Hatton? Fight night video

11th Round KO Ends Back and Forth Bout

Manny Pacquiao will win his highly anticipated May 2nd bout against Ricky Hatton with a convincing 11th round knockout, according to the official EA SPORTS simulation conducted using Fight Night Round 4.

Available 26th June 2009, for the Xbox 360 video game system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Fight Night Round 4 is the latest entry in the critically acclaimed boxing series from Electronic Arts.
According to the simulation, an aggressive attempt by Hatton to limit Pacquiao’s movement early on was unsuccessful. Pacquiao’s used his speed and control of the ring to take advantage of Hatton’s aggression, picking his punches and keeping out of range. The tide turned in Hatton’s favor in Round 4 when he found some success trapping Pacquiao in the corner. With little room to work with, Pacquiao was forced to trade blows on Hatton’s terms. This relentless exchange proved to be too much for Pacquiao who went down to a powerful left hook at the end of Round 6. The later rounds saw the revival of the quick moving Pacquiao, who outpaced and out boxed Hatton yet again. Lightning fast left jabs wreaked havoc on Hatton through Rounds 7, 8 and 9 before a commanding right hand brought him to the mat in Round 10. Badly hurt and looking sluggish, Hatton was unable to beat the count after falling to another deadly right hook from Pacquiao in Round 11.



The simulation was conducted using Fight Night Round 4’s all-new AI (Artificial Intelligence) system. Dubbed R.E.A.L (Record, Evaluate, Adapt, Learn) AI by the development team, the system re-creates each fighter’s ring strategies in the game based on their real life counterparts. Built with adaptive logic, the system triggers fighters to change their tactics based on their success, or failure, throughout the course of a bout.



One of the most anticipated video games of 2009, Fight Night Round 4 features unique boxer styles and an all new physics based engine that creates one-of-a-kind bouts between over 45 licensed boxers, including Hatton and Pacquiao. Fans will have the chance to recreate this May 2nd bout with the Fight Night Round 4 Demo, which is scheduled for release in late-May.

Pokemonfaceoff.com smashes the 3 million battle barrier! Over 493 Pokemon to battle.

Pokémon World's new Pokémon battling website proves to be a phenomenal success

Pokémonfaceoff.com was launched in December 2008 by Imagine Publishing as part of its online expansion and as a companion to its established Pokémon World magazine.

The online battle engine allows users to choose the winner of a faceoff between two pocket monsters and then records the results of the battle which also count towards a list of the top100 Pokémon of all time. After just four months www.Pokemonfaceoff.com has now hosted over three million battles!

“We could never have imagined the colossal number of players Pokémon FaceOff.com would attract!” exclaimed Nick Roberts, Imagine’s Business Development Manager and the driving force behind Pokémon World and the new website.

“We caused major disruption to Imagine’s websites over Christmas with the number of Pokémon battles taking place, and since then we have gone on to see every one of the 493 Pokémon take part in over 12,000 battles each. That makes over three million Pokémon battles in four months!”

“I would just like to thank all the Pokémon fans that have played the FaceOff game so far and made it the success that it is, and a big thank-you to Electronic Arts, D3 Publisher and Square-Enix for using the site to advertise their latest games too.”

With the launch of Pokémon Platinum for Nintendo DS on 22 May, Imagine is standing by for the next surge of Pokémon FaceOff players to battle it out online. And the number one Pokémon so far? It’s Platinum cover star Giratina, winning 83% of its battles.

Imagine Publishing is one of the UK’s fastest-growing consumer specialist publishers. Formed in May 2005, Imagine now publishes 20 magazines and 27 websites in the videogames, computing, entertainment and photography markets. An Imagine magazine is purchased every ten seconds.

Name: Pokémon World Face Off
URL: www.pokemonfaceoff.com
No. of Pokémon available for battle: 493

New update to the ARMA II video game - declassified for immediate analysis

New update to the ARMA II homepage. This update provides a unique opportunity to explore the world of the post-Soviet Republic of Chernarus, which is the setting of this highly anticipated military simulator. This latest piece of Intel which allows an in-depth look at the ARMA II environment, has been declassified for immediate analysis at http://www.arma2.com

North-Eastern Chernarus is a hilly area with rocky coastlines; the tallest hilltops reach more than 700 m above sea level, covered with temperate forests and is still relatively untouched from logging and mining. The biggest cities and industry are concentrated on the southern coast. There are mostly smaller villages inland, situated in deep valleys, hidden in forested ridges or on elevated plateaus with lush meadows.

ARMA II consists of 225 square kilometers of highly detailed sandbox landscape, modeled with stunning precision and detail, using real-world geographical data of the Ceske Stredohori mountains; a picturesque, volcanic area situated in the northern part of the Czech Republic (GPS location for reference: 50°42'6.477"N, 14°7'55.217"E). Covered by 235 megapixels of open, accurate, aerial mapping (15.3602 pixels), 350 km of roads, more than 50 cities and villages and over 1 million world objects, ARMA II is a true masterpiece of environment creation, never before seen in a tactical military simulator or first person military shooter.

ARMA II benefits from an internal realism based vegetation system called LINDA, capable of generating realistic vegetation both for massive real-time as well as offline rendering. LINDA generates vegetation based on real biological processes including its development over a period of time.

The website update provides a detailed glimpse into the world of Chernarus, including in-depth descriptions of the historical and political situations, as well as a description of specific regions modeled to real world geographic data, supported with in game images. The Intel is being declassified in thematic groups every 12 hours starting this morning at 10:00 CET.

ARMA II will be available on June 26th 2009 on PC.

Ultimate military simulator, for the ultimate combat experience.

The Best Selling Cheerleading Video Game All Star Cheer Squad 2 is Back with High Flying New Moves, Exclusively for Nintendo Wii

All Star Cheer Squad 2, is currently in development exclusively for Nintendo Wii and is scheduled for release this fall. Tony G, world renowned cheer choreographer best known for his work on the Bring it On movies, will once again serve as chief consultant for the title.

In All Star Cheer Squad 2, 14 exotic locations from around the world will serve as the backdrop for global cheer competitions. No longer a newbie, players will start out as the captain of the Tiger Squad, leading the team to victory by utilizing an all-new diverse move set that includes real-world aerial stunts, tumbling, formation changes and advanced moves on the Wii Balance Board™ accessory. Moves can be executed by using two Wii Remotes™, allowing for greater mobility. Players will select their squad members and then choose from more customization options including new makeup, hairstyle and uniforms. Because every routine needs a good beat first, All Star Cheer Squad 2 will feature even more original cheer music. Combined with an upgraded routine editor featuring a music mixer, a choreography editor and the ability to challenge friends via WiiConnect24™, All Star Cheer Squad 2 will allow players to live the ultimate cheer experience.

*Source: The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service; Title – All Star Cheer Squad

Storm into May: Guerilla Event for players at Combat Arms Europe - free download link

Combat Arms Europe storms into May with a guerilla-event for a lavish weekend. On this Saturday and Sunday (May 2nd and 3rd), players who enter the battlefields during the peak hours from 4 pm through 10 pm CET will receive additional 30% on GP and EXP on top of their usual portion, and all that just for playing their usual rounds.

This time’s Bonus GP & EXP event is not the first of its kind, but part of the diverse, non-stop in-game event series at Combat Arms Europe which includes “GM Live” where players can measure their skills in battles with or against GMs, clan events, and the recent festive weeks with Xfire.

“We had several bonus GP and EXP events already, and the responses were always very positive,” says Sung Jin Kim, Directing Manager at Nexon Europe. “We always plan and execute our events to deliver an extra portion of fun and unexpected challenge, but the bonus GP & EXP events are especially a form to express our gratitude for the enthusiasm and support of our players. We really appreciate their dedication for Combat Arms Europe, and hope that they can benefit from the additional GP and EXP and further enhance their game-play experience a bit faster. But this is only one of our “smaller” events, and we have an extensive list of new events lined up. Our players can definitely look forward to receiving more very soon.”

Combat Arms Europe drives on to gain enthusiasm and popularity among European gamers with its exciting mix of various combat styles, battlefields and multiple game modes, presented in eye-catching graphics and customized characters. Combat Arms Europe also features a high level of socialization with in-game Buddy List, Clan System, Community Support and many more. This essential composition of traditional as well as advanced FPS elements and striking socialization features is free-to-play, representing a truly unique offering in the ever evolving world First-Person-Shooters.

To download the game for free and to secure some bonus GP and EXP, please visit and sign up at http://combatarms.nexoneu.com.

Third video game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat announced

GSC Game World is glad to announce a new project in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series – S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (working title) for PC. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat will become a third stand-alone game in the highly-acclaimed Survival FPS S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. The project is slanted for release in autumn 2009.

The events of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat unfold shortly after the end of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. Having discovered about the open path to the Zone center, the government decides to hold a large-scale military "Fairway" operation aimed to take the CNPP under control.

According to the operation's plan, the first military group is to conduct an air scouting of the territory to map out the detailed layouts of anomalous fields location. Thereafter, making use of the maps, the main military forces are to be dispatched.

Despite thorough preparations, the operation fails. Most of the avant-garde helicopters crash. In order to collect information on reasons behind the operation failure, Ukraine's Security Service send their agent into the Zone center. From now on everything depends on the player.

Key game features:

• Photorealistic exclusion Zone – Pripyat town, Yanov railway station, Jupiter factory, Kopachi village and more, recreated by their true-to-life prototypes.
• New story, a number of unique characters.
• Extended system of side quests.
• New monsters: Chimera and Burer. New behaviour and abilities for all monsters.
• New A-Life system, created using the players' best-liked elements of the first two games in series.
• Emissions considerably influence the world of the Zone.
• Sleep function added into the game.
• New player's interface.
• Possibility to continue the game after completion in a freeplay mode.
• The game is developed on X-Ray engine v.1.6

New Web Site Available for Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

Ascaron Entertainment have re-launched the official web site for Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. The updated site, available at http://www.sacred2.com, offers visitors a wealth of information about the upcoming fantasy action-RPG, including new screenshots, trailers and concept art from both the PC and console versions of the game.

Jeremy Soule and Joss Ackland to provide IL-2 Sturmovik: Bird of Prey's soundscap

The duet of Jeremy Soule (KOTOR, Oblivion) and Joss Ackland (Lethal Weapon 2) performing on 1C Publishing’s IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey. Soule will be applying his unique talents to composing an exclusive European soundtrack for the game, whilst Ackland’s momentous, timeless and distinctive tones will be the backbone of the UK and US version of the game’s narration.

London-born Ackland is a distinguished stage actor, and has appeared as a chameleonic cad in over 100 films. Though he has avoided type-casting, in recent years he’s managed to secure many roles as a person of distinction, including Archchancellor Ridcully in Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather, Ambassador Lysenko in The Hunt for Red October, and Winston Churchill in Above & Beyond. Older gamers may remember him as the South African heavy in Lethal Weapon II or even the voice of the black rabbit in Watership Down!

Multi-award winning composer Soule, on the other hand, is a native of the videogame stage, supplying music for the leading games of the last ten years; Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Company of Heroes, Harry Potter, Total Annihilation, SOCOM: The Navy Seals and the Elder Scrolls series all owe their distinctive aural environments to him, alongside many, many more. With a corpus stretching from the deceptively simple Rugrats and Lemony Snicket, to the asian stylings of Guild Wars: Factions, to the opening of the $744 million-earning The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Soule has demonstrated his versatility and professionalism.

Developed by Gaijin Entertainment for Xbox 360 and PS3, DiP Interactive for Nintendo DS and DYNAMICSYSTEMS for PSP, IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey features the greatest aerial battles of all time, during the Second World War, and boasts the most realistic landscapes and aircraft seen in any flight sim. IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey will be published by 505 Games under the 1C Label and is due for a 2009 release.

Features
· Authentic World War II atmosphere
· Engage in more than 50 thrilling missions from famous historical battles over Eastern and Western Europe.
· Five theatres of war to engage in, including The Battle of Britain, Stalingrad, Berlin, Sicily and Korsun' representing the main airborne battles of World War II in Europe.
· Fly historically accurate aircraft, from the iconic Spitfire to the Mustang and of course the Ilyushin IL-2!
· Completely flexible difficulty level system: from arcade to realistic simulation c
· Thrilling multiplayer modes: Dogfight, Team Deathmatch, Ground Strike and Capture the Airfield
· Cutting edge, highly-detailed visuals, realistic sound and original music

505 Games will publish IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey on the 1C Label for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS and PSP in 2009.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine the video game out in UK

Activision Blizzard has sponsored the wolverine enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo for one year. In addition, the lead male wolverine has voluntarily changed his name to Logan in respect of the legendary Marvel character.
The sponsorship will help to ensure that Edinburgh Zoo, who has the only wolverines in the UK, can continue its breeding programme throughout 2009 and 2010.

Quote from Edinburgh Zoo
“It’s fantastic that X-Men Origins: Wolverine is sponsoring our very own wolverines here at Edinburgh Zoo. As a charity we rely on our fundraising to further our work and sponsorship is an excellent way for us raise essential funds, not just for the day to day care of our animals, but for our conservation projects across the globe.”
Cristina Pouso, Corporate Development Manager

Quote from Activision
“What better way is there to pay homage to the mighty Wolverine by making sure his real life cousins are cared for during the next year? With wolverines an endangered species, we see Wolverine having a major role in helping people become more aware of these wonderful creatures and ensuring their survival for many years to come.”
Aruna Sinha, Senior Brand Manager, Activision

About the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS)
RZSS, which celebrates its centenary this year, is one of Scotland’s leading charities at the forefront of animal management, conservation, education and research. RZSS owns and manages two of Scotland’s top animal based visitor attractions, Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park.

About X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Inspired by Twentieth Century Fox’s highly anticipated feature film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the official video game delivers the most true-to-character Wolverine action ever featured in-game. Players will utilise Wolverine’s signature brute strength, regenerative mutant abilities, and indestructible adamantium claws as they perform death-defying feats, take massive damage, regenerate in real-time and uncover the mutant’s mysterious and complex past.

The game is available on PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Games for Windows PC, PSP, PLAYSTATION 2 and Nintendo DS. Please check individual formats for age ratings.