Game On!

Friday 31st March, 2006 – With the new baseball season just hours away, Sports Interactive, the sports management development specialists, have announced that their latest masterpiece, Out of the Park Baseball 2006, will be released on May 31st.

Available via digital download only, Out of the Park Baseball 2006 offers gamers the ultimate in realism with its brand new pitch-by-pitch game engine, unrivalled playability and unparalleled customization. You can create your own fictional baseball universe or team dynasty, sign free agents, draft hot prospects, and more, creating the most engrossing franchise management game ever.

Via his personal blogs on the official game website (www.ootpbaseball2006.com) Lead Developer Markus Heinsohn has kept fans up-to-date with the latest game developments and feature implementations and more are planned in the run up to release. “The community has played an important part in the game’s growth during the past seven years and for me it has made perfect sense to keep them informed every step of the way as the game evolves. Without them, OOTP 2006 wouldn't be what it is once released - the best baseball management game ever.”

Out of the Park Baseball 2006 will be released on PC and Mac and is available from May 31st 2006 priced at $34.99. Pre orders and further information can be found at www.ootpbaseball2006.com

Core game features

Manage your own baseball franchise

Set up the line-ups, your pitching staff and depth charts. Demote the struggling rookie, put the injured starter on the DL and trade for a backup catcher. Manage the 40-man roster, keep an eye on the waiver wire and scout the upcoming amateur draft pool. In OOTPB 2006 you can do almost anything a real life GM can do to guide your team to glory.

A realistic and accurate simulation engine

No baseball game is complete without stats and OOTPB 2006 is king. In addition to the multitude of statistics, a fully flexible engine allows you to make all the calls pitch-by-pitch. The game is truly as real as it gets.

Customizable financial system

Featuring the most flexible financial system in any baseball simulation ever made, OOTPB 2006 lets you mirror existing intricacies or allows you to invent your own. The only restriction is your imagination.

Scouting and coaching staff at your disposal

All of the staff in your franchise have varying strengths, weaknesses, personalities and of course contract demands. OOTPB 2006 puts all of your man management skills to the test; it’s in your hands!

Endless possibilities with historical and fictional leagues

Play the game with the real life setup of every major baseball league in the world and in addition, you can import every historical baseball season from 1900 to the present day. If that’s not enough simply create your own fictional baseball league.

Create or join an online league

Featuring a full online league mode, commissioners and multiple owners can battle it out against each other over the internet. Integrating seamlessly with FTP and HTML you can upload and download files and share them with friends.

Slick and intuitive interface

Utilizing the technology and expertise of Sports Interactive, the game has a faster, smarter and slicker interface than ever before. What’s more, it’s fully skinable allowing you to change the game to suit your own personal tastes.

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO – March 31, 2006 – Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY), a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer, today announced that NBA Ballers: Phenom, follow up to the million unit-plus selling NBA Ballers, has shipped for the Xbox® videogame system from Microsoft and is scheduled to be available on April 5 for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Midway also announced that NBA Ballers: Rebound for the PSP™ (PlayStation® Portable) system is scheduled for release on May 2.

Backed by a multi–million dollar marketing and promotional campaign, NBA Ballers: Phenom sets a new standard for basketball videogames. The highly anticipated sequel in the NBA Ballers franchise takes flight with even more player customization options and all–new game modes that make NBA Ballers: Phenom the most in–depth and innovative basketball game in Midway's rich basketball history.

"NBA Ballers: Phenom is a unique combination of the franchise's highly praised, fast–paced basketball gameplay and the culture of today's professional athlete celebrity, " said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. "Midway is continuously looking for ways to improve the player's ability to fully customize and interact with the game environment and to ultimately make decisions throughout the gameplay experience that affect the end result. NBA Ballers: Phenom retains the over the top basketball gameplay that Midway is known for while also offering the player so much more, both on and off the court."
NBA Ballers: Phenom Multi-Million Dollar Marketing Campaign includes:

* National television advertising campaign on multiple mainstream broadcast and cable networks ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, TNT, MTV, MTV2, Comedy Central, BET, and Spike TV
* SpikeTV’s NBA Ballers Week commenced in April with two (2) NBA Ballers: Phenom–focused episodes of "GameHead" and will continue through launch with integrations across the network's popular programming.
* Large presence during 2006 NBA All-Star Weekend included sponsorship of Club NBA music events, product sampling, and giveaways
* Aggressive online campaign to top-tier enthusiast and mainstream consumer sites including NBA.com, Gamespot.com, IGN.com, and UGO.com, among others
* Print advertising campaign across multiple major video game and consumer publications including FHM, VIBE, Game Informer, and Official PlayStation Magazine
* National launch program across all game retailers, where gamers receive a 16 song NBA Ballers: Phenom Soundtrack featuring video game exclusive tracks by artists like Jin, Basement Beats, and Phife from a Tribe Called Quest. (Limited time offer, while supplies last)
* Dedicated web presence at www.nbaballers.com, the official website of NBA Ballers: Phenom.

About NBA Ballers: Phenom

NBA Ballers: Phenom is a revolutionary sports video game that introduces an entirely new open world and interactive environment, featuring an exciting story mode and even more player customization opportunities than its predecessor. Set in the neighborhoods of Los Angeles, the player controls his own destiny, embarking on a personal quest to become tomorrow’s NBA phenomenon. For the first time ever in the NBA Ballers franchise, the NBA Ballers: Phenom story mode allows the unique opportunity to develop both on and off-the-court adventures. Players can follow the Baller’s dream by getting noticed on the court and drafted into the NBA, as well as become an entrepreneur off-the-court complete with clothing line, record label and movie deal.
About NBA Ballers: Rebound

NBA Ballers: Rebound is the only one–on–one basketball videogame available for the PSP highlighting the rags–to–riches path from an unknown Baller to today's biggest NBA superstar and is based on the original Midway title, NBA Ballers.

About Midway

Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY), headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices throughout the world, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for major videogame systems and personal computers. More information about Midway and its products can be found at www.midway.com.

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This year’s NCAA tournament contained more surprises and upsets than a full day of day-time soap operas, with favorites Duke and Connecticut knocked out of the Final Four. At cbs.sportsline.com, none of the two million brackets submitted this year had all four teams. In the Yahoo Sports pool, just one of more than a million entered had all four.

The folks at 2K Sports have run a series of simulations on our NCAA Basketball Game, College Hoops 2K6 to determine the winner of this year’s tournament based on the four remaining teams: Florida, LSU, George Mason and UCLA. Based on the simulations in our game, UCLA is like likely winner with a 48 per cent chance of winning this year’s title. Hopefully this will bring you and your readers some good old fashioned science and statistics to the last leg of this unpredictable tournament.

ODDS OF WINNING TOURNAMENT

UCLA 48%
LSU 28%
FLA 18%
GMU 6%

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 6:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wagner James Au wrote a fascinating article for Kotaku's Preview Ho blog column about websites that sell placements. This is when a web site, like GameSpot or IGN/GameSpy, sells a prominent link to a story. So you go to GameSpot.com and IGN and see a list of featured reviews or featured previews and it turns out that the games listed there weren't selected because they are better, but rather they were selected because a media buyer bought that placement.

From the article:
This source sent me some invoices for a game studio client. (For good measure, I faxed copies to my Gawker editors.) Several were from Gamespot, and while most of the items referred to legitimate ads, a couple mentioned something called "Front Door rotation"-- or what Gamespot staffers refer to as a "gumball". Gumballs are those thumbnail screenshots you see on the front page of Gamespot, when you visit the site-- clicking on these takes you to an article about the game.

Then the source showed me an invoice for the same game, this one from
IGN/Gamespy. What Gamespot calls a gumball, Gamespy calls, less charmingly, a "Gamespy Spotlight". But the content and the principle is basically the same: the Spotlights are those thumbnail screenshot links that you see on the site's front page. "What you're looking at on the front page is not what the editors decided is the best game," the media buyer informed me.

Of course, when contacted directly, both sites saw nothing wrong with what they had done.

Have they done anything wrong? In my mind they have. Every publication talks the talk that they have a separation between ad sales and the editorial process, that the editorial process exists in a vacuum and is totally impartial. But how can that be? If a game publisher can buy coverage or placement, then can we really believe that the coverage is impartial? Could that be why every single game that these sites review gets a high rating? How many times have you seen this, "blah-blah game is so boring that I couldn't play it long enough to review it, but it has it's merits. I give it an 8.5 out of 10"? Could it be that the entire industry is formulated around the very premise of "you give me good placement and tell people to buy my game and I'll buy some ads from you"? Unfortunately, I think the answer is yes.

I spent 5 years as senior management (Technical Director of PC Magazine Labs) at PC Magazine, the flagship publication of Ziff Davis Media. Compared to other technology magazines we had a very high standard of ethics. We weren't allowed to accept gifts valued at over $50 because it might look like we were influenced by the company we were covering. We weren't allowed to own any tech stocks because that might influence coverage. Yet, the Editor-in-Chief met with the Publisher on almost a daily basis. For those of you who don't know, the Publisher is basically the head sales guy. Our editorial calendar had to be approved by the Publisher; we could only write stories that the Publisher felt he could sell ads against. In fact, when I was laid off in 2004, I was told that "ad sales is having difficulty selling enough ads about your stories to justify having you work on those stories." The separation between ad sales and editorial coverage certainly looked a little blurry to me as I packed my boxes.

So now we have a whole industry that swears that editorial coverage isn't affected by ad sales. I know that we, as readers, would like to believe that as much as the magazines and websites would like to convince us of it. After all, who wants to think that the review they're reading is tainted by the prospect of selling an ad? But it's deeper than that. Even if the reviews are unbiased, the choice of which product to review is not. Kotaku pretty much proves that with their investigative reporting and I'm telling you that my experience is that it is true.

Do we, the gaming public, want the stories that we read spoon fed to us based on ad sales? Do we even want favored placement of a link based on ad sales? I think not. We gamers are a special breed. We want to know that the news, reviews, previews, editorials, etc that we read are honest through and through. Personally, I'm sick of watching sites plug bad games for weeks as if they were gifts from God. There's a grassroots revolution across the web to get rid of that crap. Game On!, like many other blogs, is dedicated to providing honest and accurate stories. That's what this blog is about and why our tagline is "from one gamer to another."

What can we gamers do to combat the game publisher-media complex? We can turn to the independents for their unbiased opinions. It's reached the point where I can't trust anything that the big sites have to say because I know how this business works. I rely on the little guy to tell me the truth. The guy who writes a blog to satisfy his own curiosity, the guy who writes a blog because he wants to share his love for games, that;s the guy's whose opinions matter. The web is supposed to be a level playing field, and a level playing field is one in which the honest little guy deserves as much, if not more, attention than the multi-million dollar media buy influenced sites. It is up to us as gamers to keep it that way.

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 10:28 AM | Permalink

About Crime Stories:

Travel from the busy streets of New York City to ancient Mayan ruins as you take on the role of Martin Mystère, the brilliant detective investigating the brutal murder of the highly reputed scientist, Professor Eulemberg. What fascinating discovery had the professor uncovered and why is he now dead? Engage your inner detective and solve this horrific crime and the mystery that lies beneath…

* A cinematic investigative thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat for hours!
* Beautifully detailed 3D graphics with rich, colorful environments to explore.
* 3rd person gameplay with numerous inventory items to discover and interact with.
* Creative and original puzzles that will challenge you!
* Loads of characters to talk to and assist you with your investigations – you choose what you want to say to them.
* A dark and disturbing tale of betrayal and murder!
* A rich atmospheric soundtrack accompanies gameplay and adjusts to your surroundings.

Crime Stories has an ESRB rating of ‘T’ for Teen and is currently available in retail stores across North America.

Here's the trailer.

To find out more about Crime Stories please visit:
www.crimestories-game.com

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN FRANCISCO March 30, 2006 - Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that its hit title Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter has shipped to retail outlets and is currently available for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is the next installment in the critically acclaimed, squad-based military shooter franchise, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon®. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system has an ESRB rating of T for Teen and an MSRP of $49.99.

About Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter:

The face of war has changed. Enemy lines blur and there is no longer a clear opponent. New enemies and new threats require a new type of warfare - a new type of soldier. Enter the Ghosts. In 2013, the U.S. Army will implement the Integrated Warfighter System (IWS) evolving what we know as the modern soldier. IWS combines advanced weapon systems, satellite communication devices and enhanced survivability into one fully integrated combat system. The IWS program has been developed to meet these new threats head on. Now, it can be tested on the battlefield. Following an insurgence in the heart of Mexico City, the U.S. Army's most elite Special Forces team is deployed to the center of the conflict to regain control of the city. Greatly outnumbered but fully equipped with the IWS, this elite team is the first and last line of defense on the battlefield. They are the “quiet” professionals. They are the Ghosts.

Key Features:
Put on the new lethal, fully-integrated combat system developed by the U.S. Army for its elite soldiers.

The satellite powered CROSS COM communication device:
- Enhances your strategic vision of the battlefield, and allows effortless command of your squad and other allied forces.

- Direct precision air strikes, Apache gunship support and artillery strikes.

Master deadly prototype high tech weapons that are inspired by actual army research programs, like the Crye caseless assault rifle.

Fight through the war-torn streets of tomorrow's Mexico City in exclusively-designed maps.

Online Multiplayer:

3 team-based adversarial modes (Team Survival, Assault, and Supremacy) playable over Sony Online.
10 dedicated multiplayer maps from historical urban zones to shantytowns.

For more information on Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, please visit www.ghostrecon.com.

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 7:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat hits shelves on April 12th, but to make the wait a little easier we’re giving you a free taste of the critically acclaimed multiplayer action. Download your free online multiplayer demo from Xbox Live Marketplace, and experience the no-holds-barred intensity of the massively popular “Bridge Too Far” level. Fly helicopters to the top of towering cranes and skyscrapers, to gain prime Sniper vantage points. Two rivers provide natural barriers, but the raised drawbridges mean a Hummer can execute a heart-stopping jump to gain the element of surprise. Add powerful tanks and devastating artillery strikes to the equation, and it’s no wonder the most popular map from the Xbox version will soon be the definitive multiplayer experience on Xbox 360.

To Download the Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Demo:

1. Sign in to Xbox Live from the Xbox Dashboard. For more info about connecting to Xbox Live, visit www.xbox.com.
2. Download your free demo from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The next-generation debut of the critically-acclaimed Battlefield franchise, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat has been completely rebuilt for the Xbox 360, and delivers all-out war on the modern battlefield.

With new maps taking you to Wake Island, the wilds of the Middle East and the snowy landscape of northern China, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat escalates the battles to a new level of excitement. The game also adds all-new vehicles including snowmobiles and mini-gun equipped vans that offer new ways to eliminate your enemies, rounding out the more than 30 vehicles in the game.

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat also delivers the Battlefield’s trademark multiplayer action on Xbox Live, delivering ferocious 24 player online battles, fighting as one of four high-tech armies – the US, the European Union, the Chinese, or the newly formed Middle East Coalition.

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In order to execute the perfect hit, a detailed plan of action is needed. However, though planning is essential, the actual implementation is where your life is on the line, and a single mistake could be deadly. In order to gain access to your target, you must use a variety of tactics, all without being seen. This latest video shows Agent 47 in action, as he gets close to his target, and obtains a position to make the kill. Hitman: Blood Money, the latest installment of the popular Hitman franchise gives Agent 47 brand new moves to gain access to his targets and puts the decision making in your hands, as the brand new levels provide you with complete freedom to determine how to make the hit. Prepare to make a killing, as Hitman: Blood Money is set to ship this Spring 2006, for the PS2, Xbox and PC.

Download the new video now at:
http://www.eidosinteractive.com/downloads/search.html?gmid=159

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The first ever first Free Xbox Live Gold Weekend takes place this weekend, courtesy of Verizon.

From March 31 through April 2, Xbox 360 gamers are invited to connect to Xbox Live and enjoy an action-packed weekend of multiplayer gaming in a community of 2 million players, free of charge.

The Verizon-sponsored Free Xbox Live Gold Weekend will feature 72 hours of nonstop events, constituting the largest programming effort of online Xbox multiplayer games ever. Events include:

· A 72-hour multiplayer schedule of the most exciting games on Xbox 360.

· Game with Fame with Kamal from The Roots in NBA 2K6. Look for Gamertag “RootsGWF” on Friday, March 31st from 3 P.M. to 5 P.M. Eastern (12 P.M. to 2 P.M. Pacific).

· Download the Xbox Live exclusive acoustic high-def performance of “Single” and Unwritten” from Xbox Live Artist of the Month, Natasha Bedingfield.

· Xbox Ambassadors will be online all weekend hosting new gamers on Xbox Live.

· Lucky 7 Play & Win: You could win simply for playing! Play a total of at least seven hours over the weekend to be entered into a drawing for Xbox Live prizes.

· Ubisoft Challenge: Play Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter with members of the game's development and marketing teams on Friday March 31st from 10 P.M. to 12 A.M. Eastern and Sunday April 2nd from 8 P.M. to 11 P.M. Eastern.

· Frag Doll Friday: Take on Ubisoft's fierce gaming crew on Sunday, April 2, starting at 6 P.M. Eastern (3 P.M. Pacific) in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter.

· Beat the Xbox Team: Challenge Xbox insiders to College Hoops 2K6, Bankshot Billiards 2 and EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3. Earn bragging rights and win awesome Xbox prizes.

In addition, the exclusive Verizon One Million Microsoft Points giveaway offers gamers the chance to win points to purchase the latest Xbox Live Marketplace digital downloadable content, including Xbox Live Arcade titles and the hottest game and entertainment content, while supplies last.

For more details visit - www.xbox.com/livegoldweekend

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA March 30, 2006 Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that Far Cry Instincts Predator for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Far Cry Instincts Evolution for the Xbox® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft are available in stores today. Far Cry Instincts Evolution for Xbox introduces players to an entirely new story, and new characters and game features that reflect and improve upon the critically acclaimed elements of the first title. Far Cry Instincts Predator for Xbox 360 includes both Far Cry Instincts Evolution and an enhanced version of the original Far Cry Instincts game. Both games are rated "M" for Mature and have an MSRP of $59.99 for Far Cry Instincts Predator and $29.99 for Far Cry Instincts Evolution.

"Ubisoft is building on the critically acclaimed Far Cry Instincts brand with the addition of a stellar new adventure that fans of the franchise have been anxiously awaiting," said Tony Key, vice president of marketing for Ubisoft. With an action-packed single-player campaign and an array of addictive multiplayer modes, combined with the highest graphical quality available on current and next-generation consoles, Far Cry Instincts Predator for Xbox 360 and Far Cry Instincts Evolution for Xbox further exemplify why Far Cry is one of the hottest franchises available to the Xbox audience."

About the Game*
The incident at Jacutan Archipelago changed Jack Carver's life forever. Jack has had little choice but to embrace the disturbing talents unleashed by Krieger's unique brand of folk medicine. Back at his home port in Micronesia, Jack thought he had finally found paradise. But when a gorgeous woman draws him in on a dangerous heist, their sun-drenched days take a chilling turn. Hunted for a murder he didn't commit, Jack must draw on his most savage instincts to make his predators his prey.
Game features include:

• Wage war across land, sea and air in a breathtaking tropical wilderness. Take control of 10 drivable vehicles like gliders, ATVs and jet-skis, as well as new vehicles like armored pickups and transport trucks.

• Experience massive gunfights with over 20 action-packed weapons. Cause some serious damage with shotguns, machines guns, traps, and all-new weapons like poisonous dart guns and Molotov cocktails.

• Hunt and be hunted by unnervingly brilliant AI enemies or battle friends in 22 multiplayer missions and 5 customizable game modes. Includes all the classic modes like Predator, as well as the all-new Seek-and-Secure mode.

• Create the perfect paradise. Build your own custom maps and share them on the Xbox Live® online gaming service for explosive multiplayer action

*Refers to Far Cry Instincts Evolution. Far Cry Instincts Predator includes both Far Cry Instincts Evolution and 2005's Far Cry Instincts.

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WILTON, CT (March 30, 2006) - A new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Undercover Mystery Shopper released today shows dramatic improvement in retail enforcement of computer and video game ratings over the past five years, a result applauded by the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA), the trade group that represents the $10-billion-dollar computer and video game industry's leading retailers. The rate at which minors were able to purchase Mature-rated games dropped from 85% in 2000 to today's level of 35% for IEMA member companies, who collectively account for approximately seventy-five percent of the industry's volume.

“I am exceedingly proud of our member companies and their commitment to self-regulation in stemming the sale of Mature-rated games to minors," said Hal Halpin, president of the IEMA. "The FTC’s results very clearly indicate that the nation’s leading retailers of games have steadily improved and are quickly approaching the compliance rates of the Gold Standard, movie theatre owners. In the two years since our carding policy, we have made significant and tangible progress in working with our partners in the industry, with empowering and educating parents, and with those concerned with the issue. And with the industry responding in such a visible and proactive fashion, it is clear that legislative efforts are simply not required.”

The study also showed major improvements in retailers across the board in levels of "carding" underage kids who tried to buy M-rated games (an increase from 15% to 50% from 2000 to 2005), as well as a significant increase in the number of stores which provide information about the rating system to their customers (from 12% in 2000 to 44% in 2005). IEMA members carded kids 55% of the time, and posted information about the rating system 51% of the time.

"Today's FTC shopping survey results affirm what we've been saying, which is that voluntary retail enforcement of video game ratings works, and that retailers are genuinely dedicated to making their enforcement policies succeed," said Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the trade group representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. "The fact is retail enforcement of video game ratings is now equal to or even better than that of any other media. With that said, retailers must continue to move forward with these important efforts, and we know they remain committed to even higher enforcement levels in the months ahead."

"The significant, across-the-board increases in retailer enforcement and education indicate strong support of ESRB ratings, particularly among national retailers, which account for 90% of total game sales," said Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) president Patricia E. Vance. "Store policy compliance has improved three-fold since 2000 when the FTC first conducted these studies, and we will continue to work with retailers in their efforts to train store associates and educate their customers about ESRB ratings."

The FTC's press release on its study can be found at:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/03/videogameshop.htm

About the IEMA:
The Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA) is the non-profit trade association dedicated to serving the business interests of leading retailers that sell interactive entertainment software (including video and computer games, multimedia entertainment, peripherals and other software). Member companies of the IEMA collectively account for approximately seventy-five percent of the $10 billion annual interactive entertainment business in the United States. [http://www.iema.org]

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seattle, Washington - March 30, 2006 - Penny Arcade Inc today revealed the musical lineup for gaming fest Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), slated to turn Washington State into a gamer's nirvana August 25th-27th. Artists expected to participate in the 3rd annual game culture celebration include architect of hip-hop culture Mike Relm, along with returning musical guests The Minibosses, MC Frontalot, Optimus Rhyme, The Video Game Pianist, and the Neskimos.

This Friday, March 31st is the early bird registration deadline for PAX which means gamers can still buy a three-day pass for less than the price they might be planning to shell out for The Godfather game. Online registration is now live at www.pennyarcadeexpo.com. Contestants for the Survivor-style Omegathon gaming Olympics at PAX are drawn only from the pre-registration attendee list. Those selected to participate in Omegathon will compete in multiple game formats for crazy big game prizes.

The PAX06 exhibit floor, which will offer playable game demos of titles still six months away, is already 90 percent sold out, with new sponsors including Turbine, NC Soft, Prima Games, The Behemoth, Flying Lab, Creative Labs, Tablestar Games, Garage Games, Nvidia, Klei Entertainment, Sweet Kitty, Pink Godzilla, Mythic Entertainment, Privateer Press and Paizo Publishing.

About Penny Arcade Expo
Started by videogame-oriented comic strip creators Gabe and Tycho in 2004, Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) is a 3-day, round-the-clock celebration of games and game culture. It includes an exhibition floor filled with playable demos of games that won't be on shelves until next year, a conference program of game industry speakers on topics related to gaming, music concerts, game tournaments and more. For more information visit www.pennyarcadeexpo.com.

About Penny Arcade
Equal parts online comic and commentary, Penny-Arcade (http://www.penny-arcade.com) covers videogames in a way that is genuine, insightful, and respected by the gaming community. What started as a hobby for Jerry "Tycho" Holkins and Mike "Gabe" Krahulik has, over five years, grown into an online phenomenon that serves 45 million page views a month to millions of readers worldwide. In addition to the comic strip and PAX, Penny Arcade Inc. also manages Child's Play (www.childsplaycharity.org), a gamer-driven charity for sick kids in Children's Hospitals across the world.

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 3:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

WALL, NJ. - March 29, 2006 - SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION, the US publishing arm of the SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION, announced today that in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of their classic arcade franchise, METAL SLUG, they will be releasing the greatest array of METAL SLUG titles ever assembled for the
PSP(tm) (PlayStation®Portable) system in fall 2006. The METAL SLUG COLLECTION will feature six great METAL SLUG titles from the past on one UMD. Included in the collection will be METAL SLUG, METAL SLUG 2, METAL SLUG X, METAL SLUG 3, METAL SLUG 4, and METAL SLUG 5.

The METAL SLUG COLLECTION will be perfect translations of the arcade classics and feature Wireless support for intense two-player action.

About METAL SLUG
The METAL SLUG franchise first appeared in arcades in April 1996 on the Neo-Geo MVS arcade platform and later on AES home entertainment system. The first title, METAL SLUG quickly gained a reputation as a spectacularly hand animated one or two-player run and shoot game with a sly sense of humor. The METAL SLUG series follows the story of two military factions, the Rebellion and the Regular Army, and their constant struggle for power.
About SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION
Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION (SNK) develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1978, SNK is one of the largest privately held interactive entertainment content providers in the world. Known for such franchises as THE KING OF FIGHTERS, METAL SLUG, and SAMURAI SHODOWN, SNK continues to be an industry leader by focusing on their rich arcade history. More information on SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION can be found at www.snkplaymore.co.jp

SNK PLAYMORE USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION with offices in Wall, NJ. It handles operations in North America, including publishing, marketing, development and localization. More information on
SNK PLAYMORE USA can be found at www.snkplaymoreusa

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WALL, NJ. - March 29, 2006 - SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION, the US publishing arm of the SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION, announced THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2006, an original 3D fighting game designed specifically for home consoles, and produced by noted artist and designer, Falcoon. KOF 2006 will ship for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system in summer 2006. THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2006 is the sequel to SNK's first 3D fighting game, THE KING OF FIGHTERS: MAXIMUM IMPACT.

Currently celebrating its twelfth year as one of the most popular fighting video game franchises in the history of gaming, THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2006 will continue to build on the series' rich history with several new characters, as well as many returning favorites. KOF 2006 will feature characters from THE KING OF FIGHTERS: MAXIMUM IMPACT and a number of hidden characters.

"KOF 2006 will be a perfect mix of speed, beauty and an all-new story line." said Ben Herman, SNK PLAYMORE USA president. "Our fans expect our fighting games to be fast - whether they're 2D or 3D, and KOF 2006 is not going to disappoint them."
About SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION
Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION (SNK) develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1978, SNK is one of the largest privately held interactive entertainment content providers in the world. Known for such franchises as THE KING OF FIGHTERS, METAL SLUG, and SAMURAI SHODOWN, SNK continues to be an industry leader by focusing on their rich arcade history. More information on SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION can be found at www.snkplaymore.co.jp

SNK PLAYMORE USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION with offices in Wall, NJ. It handles operations in North America, including publishing, marketing, development and localization. More information on
SNK PLAYMORE USA can be found at www.snkplaymoreusa.com

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When trying to take back a city held hostage by a ruthless gang of pyromaniacs, there is no need to play nice. The new action packed first person shooter Urban Chaos: Riot Response puts you in the shoes of Nick Mason, a true civic super hero in charge of the elite anti-gang unit T-Zero, and you have been given clearance to use any means necessary to take back your city. This week’s gameplay video gives you a sneak peak at what the psychopathic gang known as the Burners have in store for them, and from the looks of the video, they are going to have some serious regrets about ever lighting up their torches. Normally a stun gun is one of the more peaceful weapons, however when innocent civilian lives are at stake, leaving it on a tad bit longer than normal to take out a burner in true pyromaniac style can prove a point. Just in case they didn’t get the message, a few up-close blasts from a sawed-off shotgun should make it clear that the time for playing games has passed.

Download the gameplay video now at:
http://www.eidosinteractive.com/downloads/search.html?gmid=162

The city needs a savior, and Urban Chaos: Riot Response puts you in control of the justice, this June 2006 for the PS2 and Xbox.

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It seems as if Lara Croft has acquired the Midas touch, because her latest game Tomb Raider: Legend has officially Gone Gold and is ready for production! Tomb Raider: Legend marks Lara Croft’s return to what she does best, as she is set to travel the world raiding the most deadly tombs the series has seen yet. Equipped with new acrobatic moves and beautiful fluid movement, Lara Croft allows you to explore the vastly detailed and interactive environments with such grace that makes the experience like poetry in motion. Action, adventure and beauty... what more can you ask for from a game?

The time is growing near when you can finally join Lara Croft on her latest adventure as Tomb Raider: Legend is set to ship in North America on April 11th 2006, for the Xbox360, PS2, Xbox and PC!

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Rogue Trooper, the new sci-fi action shooter game based of the comic book series from 2000 AD, puts you in the shoes of a pissed off genetic infantryman whose sole purpose is getting revenge on those who set up his race for destruction.

Vastly outnumbered, take on full platoons of soldiers with only the aid of your fallen comrades, whose bio-chips have been implanted into Rogue’s gear. With such a difficult task at hand, the only chance you have at success is to plan out your attack, stay low, and strike when it hurts the most. Luckily for Rogue Trooper, his comrades Gunnar, Helm and Bagman have a few surprises in store for their enemies. Set up Gunnar as a turret, to provide cover fire while you get a better vantage point. Use Helm to act as a Holodecoy to distract your enemies as you attack them from behind. And when the situation calls for an ambush, Bagman is more than happy to lay down a field of micro-mines to ensure that it’s an explosive encounter. These special abilities give Rogue Trooper the edge he needs, and along with his massive arsenal of high-tech weaponry, anyone who stands in his way is in for some pain.

Revenge will be yours this Spring 2006, when Rogue Trooper ships for the PS2, Xbox and PC.

Download the new trailer now at:
http://www.eidosinteractive.com/downloads/search.html?gmid=161

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Toronto, March 29, 2006 - The Adventure Company, a leading publisher of PC adventure games, today announced that KEEPSAKE has been shipped to retailers across North America. In the enhanced North American version, players will be immersed in an enchanting world of mystery reminiscent of King’s Quest® and Syberia® with a touch of Harry Potter®.

The adventure unfolds as you take on the role of Lydia, a young girl headed to the gates of Dragonvale Academy to become an apprentice. The Academy is an institution of magical research – a place where the arcane arts are taught to a new generation of mages. Upon Lydia’s arrival, she discovers something is terribly amiss... She finds the keepsake she gave her best friend Celeste, but Celeste and the other scholars are nowhere to be found. In this world of mystery, beauty, and unparalleled imagination you will explore and master the forces of magic to uncover the secrets that lie beyond the gates of Dragonvale Academy. Challenge yourself to solve the mystery behind the strange disappearances, the beloved keepsake, and the treachery that lurk the halls of the prestigious Academy.

Features:

* Deep and involving storyline where suspense and mystery await at every turn
* Navigate easily throughout the vast campus using the new in-game map
* Interact with an intriguing cast of characters with the addition of fine-tuned dialogue to minimize repetitive scripts
* New voiceovers have been added including: Mustavio, Celeste, young Celeste, Elvander, and Zak
* Explore stunning environments designed in intricate detail using dynamic lighting and shading
* Unique in-game ‘Active Hint System’ helps players progress further into the game without being stumped by difficult puzzles
* Easy to use interface that evolves as new feature becomes available
* Compelling 3rd person gameplay powered by a state-of-the-art graphic engine
* Learn to cast spells, understand the secrets of the runes and glyphs, and overcome daring trials designed to test your wits rather than your dexterity
* Enlarged ‘hotspots’ making navigation more fluid and intuitive

Developed by Wicked Studios KEEPSAKE has received an ESRB rating of ‘E’ for Everyone and is available at retail for SRP$29.99. For more information, please visit www.AdventureCompanyGames.com or the official website www.KeepsakeGame.com

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 6:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ATLANTA - March 29, 2006 - Don’t touch that dial, er, game controller! GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), today unveiled the all new “GameTap TV,” which features a dynamic mix of new channels and shows for the rapidly growing broadband community with more than 250 videos on demand. GameTap also surpasses a key milestone today by offering more than 400 video games, making it by far the largest collection of on-demand games on the internet. In addition to its new look and content, GameTap subscriptions are now available at a new price of $9.95 per month.

“Broadband entertainment is a brave new world, and as industry leaders, we’re taking it in brave new directions,” said Stuart Snyder, GameTap’s General Manager. “By boasting the largest library of on-demand games coupled with original shows all at the right price, GameTap is at the forefront of broadband entertainment and culture.”

At the center of the new “GameTap TV,” GameTap now offers an array of channels each with their own unique focus, all still appealing to fans of the video games lifestyle. In addition, the shows are easily accessible and fun to watch thanks to the “big screen” TV-style viewing controls which also allow subscribers to bookmark programs, games and more, so they can click back to their favorites at any time.

“GameTap is about playing games and a whole lot more,” said Ricardo Sanchez, vice president of content. “We have compelling and funny TV shows that you really can’t find anywhere else. Every week, we launch new games on our service and serve up original shows to entertain you on gameplay breaks—we don’t just push recycled TV content and cutting room floor material at our audience.”

Among the new channels that GameTap’s subscribers will experience for the first time are:

· OnTap channel: This guide delivers the latest programs on the GameTap service. Whether you want the new episode of “Space Ghost Coast To Coast,” with Apple Computer co-founder Steve Wozniak in the hot seat or the “Tapped In” story of the SEGA Dreamcast, the best shows on “GameTap TV” are always “OnTap.”

· GameTap Originals channel: Exclusive shows you won’t find anywhere else! All of the GameTap original programs are housed in their entirety on this channel, such as the reality show “Challenged” (friends settle grudges with game-offs), “GameTap Survival Guide” (experts teach novices all they need to know to master specific games), “The Class of…?” (a pop-culture clip and quiz show), and “Hyper 5” (a top five countdown show spotlighting the wild, weird and wacked elements of games), to name a few.

· Music channel: The world of games collides with the music scene in original programming and music videos. This channel brings top musical artists to the network, including “GamePads,” a show about celebrities and how games have impacted their lives, and this month’s debut of “GameTap 10,” a celebrity-driven top 10 favorite video games countdown show, featuring segments with Fall Out Boy, Joe Nichols and Dem Franchize Boyz, with many others in the wings. Also featured are dozens of music videos spanning the rock, hip-hop and country genres.

· Animation channel: Debuting later this spring, the channel will kick-off with an original series of animated shorts about a campus computer lab and its unusual characters in a usual situation. It is being developed by Soup2Nuts, the creators of “Home Movies,” which airs on Cartoon Network. Other original animated features are also in the works.

· Games channel: With an industry record-setting library of more than 400 games, this channel lets subscribers preview games in the network prior to selecting what they want to play. Among the marquee titles joining this month are “Crazy Taxi,” one of SEGA’s most revered offerings and “King of Monsters 1 and 2” from SNK. Capcom also delivers its first batch of games, leading off with the legendary “Ghouls ‘N Ghosts” and “Ghosts ‘N Goblins,” as well as classic fighter “Dark Stalkers.” “Populous” from EA, “Oregon Trail” from River Deep and “Baldur’s Gate” from Vivendi Universal round out GameTap’s new March titles. Stay tuned for what’s new in April: Capcom Week, SNK Week, “King’s Quest” Week and “Street Fighter” Week.

With its ever-expanding menu of shows and games, GameTap has established a solid leadership position in on-demand broadband entertainment. The estimated 184 million consumers using broadband in 2005 will nearly double to 360 million in the next five years. With a robust catalogue of on-demand offerings and new competitive price point, GameTap will remain a frontrunner in the broadband movement.

Go to www.gametap.com to preview the shows or sign up for the all you can play and watch broadband network for $9.95 per month.

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (March 28, 2006) – Square Enix, Inc. (Square Enix), the publisher of Square Enix interactive entertainment products in North America, and Buena Vista Games, Inc. (BVG), the interactive entertainment arm of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) announced today that the highly-anticipated role-playing game (RPG), KINGDOM HEARTS® II, has shipped to retailers nationwide. Exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, KINGDOM HEARTS II is the sequel to KINGDOM HEARTS, one of the top ten best-selling PlayStation 2 titles of all time in North America (Source: The NPD Group, Dec. 2005).

KINGDOM HEARTS II features an all-star ensemble voice cast led by Haley Joel Osment (“The Sixth Sense,” “A.I. Artificial Intelligence”) as the main character Sora, joined by David Gallagher (“7th Heaven”) as Riku, and Hayden Panettiere (“Racing Stripes,” “Raising Helen”) as Kairi. KINGDOM HEARTS II will also feature the voice talents of Jesse McCartney (“Summerland,” Recording artist, “Beautiful Soul” CD) as the mysterious boy Roxas, Brittany Snow (“The Pacifier,” “American Dreams”) as Namine, Christopher Lee (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”) as Diz; Steve Burton (“The Last Castle,” “Taken”) as Cloud, Rachael Leigh Cook (“She’s All That,” “Josie And The Pussycats”) as Tifa and Mena Suvari (“American Beauty,” “Rumor Has It”) as Aerith, all characters from FINAL FANTASY® VII; and Hedy Buress (“Boston Common,” “If These Walls Could Talk”), Tara Strong (“Fairly OddParents : Shadow Showdown,” “Teen Titans”) , Gwendoline Yeo (“Desperate Housewives,” “24”) as the popular female-trio Yuna, Rikku, Paine from FINAL FANTASY X-2. In addition, many of the original Disney film voice actors are reprising their role for this project, including Ming-Na (“ER,” “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within”) as Mulan, James Woods (“Be Cool”) as the villain Hades and Zach Braff (“Scrubs”) as Chicken Little.

Since its release in September 2002, the original KINGDOM HEARTS for the PlayStation 2 has shipped more than 2.6 million units in North America. Bridging the gap between the original and the sequel, KINGDOM HEARTS: CHAIN OF MEMORIES followed in December 2004 for the Nintendo® Game Boy Advance® system. With the release of the Japanese version of KINGDOM HEARTS II in December 2005 (1 million units shipped during the first three days after the release date), the series has shipped in excess of 7.5 million units worldwide.

The world of KINGDOM HEARTS joins classic Disney characters and worlds together with a new story filled with new characters and environments from the expertise of Square Enix. The result is a remarkable, innovative, original property that has captured the attention of both gamers and critics alike. In KINGDOM HEARTS II, players will travel through the worlds of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Mulan, Pirates of the Caribbean, Steamboat Willie and Tron as well as revisit worlds from the original, including Aladdin, Disney Castle, Hercules, The Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. The game features more than 100 Disney characters, including the new additions of Chicken Little, Stitch from Lilo and Stitch and one of Disney’s favorite villains, Pete. The game also also introduces new, original characters such as Roxas, members of Organization XIII and the Nobodies, all designed by Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura, director and character designer of the KINGDOM HEARTS series. Nomura is best known for his creations in the top selling titles FINAL FANTASY VII, VIII, X and X-2.

“KINGDOM HEARTS II is a perfect demonstration of what can be created when two companies with astounding resources come together,” said Daishiro Okada, president and COO, Square Enix, Inc. “The result is an absolutely stunning video game that will engage gamers of all ages in multiple worlds both familiar and new."

“The creative collaboration between the Disney and Square Enix production teams has resulted in a game that is not only innovative but truly remarkable in scope,” said Graham Hopper, senior vice president and general manager, Buena Vista Games. “With the addition of new worlds from Mickey Mouse’s classic screen debut in ‘Steamboat Willie’ to the current film franchise ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ KINGDOM HEARTS II covers the spectrum of Disney properties.”

KINGDOM HEARTS II follows Sora, Donald, and Goofy on their continuing quest, after the events of KINGDOM HEARTS. Sora is looking for his lost friend Riku, while Donald and Goofy are searching for their missing king. The story begins in Twilight Town, a quiet burg nestled between night and day. Sora and friends are joined by a vibrant new cast of characters, including the king himself. Together, they will encounter countless dangers in worlds both familiar and brand new.

KINGDOM HEARTS II features a new and improved real-time battle system which provides an increased selection of commands, such as performing special attacks and cooperative attacks with members of your party, adding strategy to the gameplay. Players can also perform the “Drive” to transform main character Sora into his various forms, altering his skills and abilities. Examples include the Brave Form, in which Sora absorbs the power of Goofy allowing him to use two Keyblades; the Wisdom Form, in which Sora absorbs the power of Donald allowing him to increase his magic power; and the Master Form, in which Sora absorbs the power of both Donald and Goofy and increases both his attack and magic powers. These new features bring additional challenges and excitement to players and further enhance gameplay.

Japanese pop artist Utada Hikaru returns to sing the theme song for KINGDOM HEARTS II. The song titled “Sanctuary,” the English version of its original Japanese release “Passion,” was written specifically for KINGDOM HEARTS II. More information on the artist can be found at http://www.utada.com .

The launch of KINGDOM HEARTS II is supported by a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign, driving the message “New Allies. New Worlds. New Adventures. The story is not over.” The campaign rolled out in mid-March and will continue for three months. The broadcast campaign began on March 27 and will run for four weeks. Both :15 and :30 spots will run on networks including Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Fuel, Fuse, G4, MTV and MTV2. The print campaign includes Electronic Gaming Monthly, Game Informer, Official PlayStation Magazine, NewType USA and Disney Adventures. Online advertisements will appear in a variety of sites including 1UP.com, IGN.com, Gamspot.com, Neopets.com, AOL.com, MSN.com, and Yahoo.com.

BradyGames' KINGDOM HEARTS II Official Strategy Guide provides information to assist gamers in helping Sora successfully battle through every world in this highly acclaimed sequel. A comprehensive walkthrough with extensive coverage of all the worlds and detailed area maps with item callouts help players navigate through the game with ease. Players will also learn how to master every mini-game with uncanny efficiency and defeat evil minions with helpful tips and game-tested boss strategies. As an added bonus, a two-sided Gummi Ship foldout containing expert tactics to decisively win each Gummi Ship battle, plus cool artwork of the heroes in their alternate costumes, is provided. Players will also love the Gummi Garage, an all-inclusive list of blueprints and Gummi blocks, to aid them in constructing a top-notch Gummi Ship. The Official Strategy Guide, part of BradyGames' Signature Series, will retail for $19.99 US / $26.99 CAN and is also available online at http://www.bradygames.com .

And for die-hard fans, BradyGames is offering another collectible - a KINGDOM HEARTS II Limited Edition Strategy Guide. This exclusive product features a Signature Series strategy guide with one of four special cover designs-not available anywhere else. A copy of Jiminy's Journal is also included, for players to record their progress through the entire game. With more than 400 stickers, the Jiminy's Journal will help players keep track of characters, treasures and more. A deluxe jacket encases this limited edition package. The KINGDOM HEARTS II Limited Edition Strategy Guide will retail for $29.99 US / $39.99 CAN and is also available online at http://www.bradygames.com for a limited time only.

KINGDOM HEARTS II is available at North American retailers for a suggested retail price of $49.99 (USD). Additional information can be found at http://www.kingdomhearts.com . The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated the title “E10+” for ages 10 and up. For more information about the ESRB, visit http://www.esrb.org .

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 9:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - March 28, 2006 - Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE) announces Untold Legends The Warrior's Code for the PSP (PlayStation®Portable) system is shipping to retail stores in North America today. The Warrior's Code is the next game in the Untold Legends series, following the top-selling Brotherhood of the Blade. The Warrior's Code is a completely new action role-playing game (RPG) featuring an enhanced combat engine, all-new 3D graphics, with special effects, new spells and lighting, and new multiplayer game modes. Untold Legends The Warrior's Code carries a suggested retail price of $39.99.

"The Warrior's Code builds upon the success of the original game while reaching out to new PSP system owners and fans of the action-RPG genre," said Chris Sturr, senior brand manager, Sony Online Entertainment. "The Warrior's Code brings an entirely new level of gaming to the PSP system with an all-new story mode told through in-game cut scenes and two new multiplayer modes featuring cooperative play for up to two players or player-to-player battles for up to four players via either WiFi, or now for the first time, online."

As one of five completely re-designed, shape-changing characters, players will challenge their hack-and-slash skills through an epic storyline consisting of five exciting chapters with dramatic in-game cinematics, voiceovers and exciting, colorful art design. In addition, there are more than 45 areas featuring interactive objects, devious traps, destructible walls and creatures.

The Warrior's Code utilizes the online capability of the PSP system and features two online multiplayer options. The cooperative option features story driven co-op play for up to two players which seamlessly integrates with the single player game. The player-vs.-player option offers combat-focused battles for up to four players. Both options feature a macro-chat communication, online lobby and matchmaking system.

About The Warrior's Code

In The Warrior's Code, the realm is one of chaos and oppression as a powerful warlord's horrific minions continue to slaughter and enslave the people. When members of a secret shape-shifting race begin to disappear, suspicions of an insidious plot to exterminate them lead many of its members to flee into the wilderness for survival. While struggling to escape capture and death, some of the shape-shifting refugees stumble upon a carefully guarded secret that rekindles hope for freedom and peace in the realm.

Key features in The Warrior's Code include:
- Evolutionary Combat Engine - Experience all-new action-RPG combat through an upgraded combat engine, featuring a wider variety of combat moves and special abilities, dynamic attacks of opportunity, and all the intensity of fast hack-n-slash action.
- Epic Storyline - Play through five exciting chapters with dramatic in-game cinematics and voiceovers.
- Enhanced 3D Game Engine - Featuring enhanced graphics, special effects, and lighting with streaming music.
- All-New Online Multiplayer Mode - Featuring story-driven two player co-op play seamlessly integrated with the single player game, or combat-focused player vs. player battles for up to four players.
- New Playable Characters - Five shape-changing player character types featuring enhanced customization and a wider variety of enhanced animations.
- Enhanced Quest System - Challenge yourself with a wider variety of quest types and upgraded Quest Journal.
- New Hand-Crafted Environments - Explore more than 45 all-new areas featuring dynamic events and a wider array of interactive objects, devious traps, destructible walls, and creatures.
- Unique Monsters - Battle and employ different combat strategies against more than 40 unique monsters with improved Artificial Intelligence.
- Massive Boss Battles - Experience 12 massive boss battles featuring interactive lairs and unique new gameplay challenges.
- Enhanced Item System - Collect and utilize a wider variety of items and enhancements and store.

For more information please visit www.untoldlegends.com

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 8:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – March 29, 2006 – Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Bill Cowher will be on the cover of NFL Head Coach¸ available in stores June 20, under the EA SPORTS™ brand. NFL Head Coach is in development at EA Tiburon, EA’s studio responsible for other NFL videogame franchises including: Madden NFL Football and NFL STREET. This is the first-ever 3D sports strategy game where you can experience the emotional rollercoaster of coaching with the most true-to-life and authentic sports strategy game ever created.

Cowher, the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, is fresh off his first Super Bowl title with a 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL in Detroit. In 14 seasons under the leadership of Cowher, the Steelers have earned 10 postseason berths, captured nine division titles, advanced to six AFC Championship games and have made two Super Bowl appearances. The Pittsburgh-area native is one of only six coaches in NFL history to claim at least eight division titles and ranks ninth in NFL history for longest head coaching service with one team.

“With NFL Head Coach there is finally a game that gives true football fans the chance to strategize and become the head coach of their favorite team,” said Cowher. “Coaching is about leadership and everyone will now see how difficult, but also how rewarding coaching can be.”

NFL Head Coach challenges gamers to build and manage every aspect of a football team from the ground up. A simple conversation system and an engaging graphical interface allow users to immerse themselves into the lives of an NFL head coach. As head coach, you develop a team strategy, execute it on and off the field, and try to build a winning organization year after year. Your status as a coaching legend will rise and fall based on all of your actions as you strive to become the greatest head coach of all time.

NFL Head Coach will be available for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Xbox® videogame system from Microsoft, and PC-CD. This product is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information log on to www.nflheadcoach.com.

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – March 28, 2006 – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced that beatmania™, the first DJ simulation video game for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, has shipped to retail stores nationwide. Expanding Konami’s library of leading music video games such as Dance Dance Revolution® and Karaoke Revolution®, beatmania lets players step into the virtual DJ booth as they create music from a number of genres using the game’s unique turntable controller.

beatmania combines fun, fast-paced music with eye catching visuals to create an original experience in the music genre. Using the game’s turntable controller, players perform music by hitting keys and scratching the turntable as indicated by the action on the screen. Players can choose to perform more than 50 tracks, including music by Moby, Timo Maas and other popular songs or select tunes from one of the many leading genres of music, including pop, techno, hip-hop, drum ‘n’ bass, trance and house.

beatmania contains both the original beatmania and beatmania IIDX games that were previously released overseas. Each game consists of several different gameplay modes that make the game easy to learn, yet challenging for advanced players to master. Depending on the skill level of each player, the game can be played with either five keys plus the turntable or the controller’s full seven keys and the turntable for the ultimate intense DJ experience. Players can choose to spin alone or competitively with a friend, and even upload their high scores to an online leaderboard to see how they stack up with the competition from around the country.

“beatmania expands Konami’s leadership in the music genre with a fast-paced experience that recreates the energy of a club and puts the player at the center of the music,” said Jason Enos, Product Manager with Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “With two full games in one package, more than 50 diverse songs to choose from and a turntable controller that brings the hit arcade experience into the home, music fans are in for a treat when they start spinning and scratching with beatmania.”

Exclusively for the PlayStation 2, beatmania is available as a bundle with the game’s turntable controller for a SRP of $59.99 or as a standalone game for a SRP of $39.99. beatmania is rated “E10+” by the ESRB. For more information on the game, please visit: www.konami.com/gs

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – March 28, 2006– Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced that Rumble Roses XX™ has shipped to retail stores in North America for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Konami’s Xbox 360 debut, the follow-up to 2004’s smash hit all-female wrestling video game features an eye-catching lineup of beautiful wrestlers with killer moves, as well as immersive new gameplay modes and online play.

As the “best looking” Xbox 360 game, Rumble Roses XX features more than 20 playable characters including all the popular ladies from the original Rumble Roses – such as Reiko and Dixie. Dressed in flashy outfits and equipped with several costume changes, these wrestlers defy the imagination with all-new new jaw-dropping character models, designed to take advantage of the graphical power of the Xbox 360.

Rumble Roses XX features a number of modes where players pummel their way through the game’s many characters to unlock additional opponents and items. The new Tag Team mode allows for unprecedented group mayhem in the ring, complete with special combo moves and character relationships that change with the results of each match. Dangerous curves lie ahead in Battle Royal and Handicap Match modes, while the all-new Queen’s Match lets two wrestlers battle it out with the loser performing embarrassing acts such as the limbo. The new Street Fight mode lets the girls take out their aggression outside of the ring, unleashing no-holds barred moves as they attempt to knock out their opponent. Players can now also create their own wrestlers with the game’s new Character Customization mode, choosing from a large collection of body types, outfits, accessories and fighting styles to build the ultimate female grappler. Rumble Roses XX also includes online play for up to four players, so competitors from around the country can team up with one another or go toe-to-toe.

In addition to traditional wrestling moves such as suplexes, submission holds and elbow drops, each wrestler has specific attacks linked to her personality that allow her to string together a number of moves to create unique combinations. As each character gains experience in the ring, they will become stronger, developing muscle tone and becoming more proficient in their favorite moves. With the game’s Superstar system, characters will receive bursts of energy as the crowd cheers them on to victory. Depending on how they wrestle, players will develop their character into a “face” or “heel,” each with unique moves that reflect their personality in the ring.

Rumble Roses XX is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB and carries a SRP of $59.99. For more information, please visit: http://www.konami.com/gs.

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's an interview with Gabe Newell today in GameDaily. I've spoken with Mr. Newell in the past and he's a pretty interesting guy.

Anyway, there's a paragraph there that says "That product was the first big retail disappointment we've had in the history of the company," he said. "So that sort of caused us to scratch our heads a little bit. We've never missed our forecast on any significant product before, so the fact that that product under performed by somewhere between the factor of two to three was really surprising to us. We still haven't figured out what the hell that meant."

I figured out what the hell it meant. I figured it out when Half-Life 2 arrived in the mail and I put it in the Xbox. That game sucked. Something was lost in the transition from PC to Xbox that rendered it boring. I still remember sitting there with my friend Mike and the two of us were trying to jump over some pipe and crawl under some steam. What the heck was that? I didn't know Half-Life 2 was a platformer.

The thing is, they made that game tedious to play. The PC version was a thrill a minute, but the Xbox version was, in a word, lame. I think that what happened was that Valve knew that the PC version was excellent and they were blinded by that when developing the Xbox version. I'm trying to think of when the last time a game was good on 1 platform and then actually good on another. Unreal Tournament was a fantastic PC game and an awkward console game. Anyway, my point is that Valve should have looked at Half-Life 2 for Xbox as a stand alone console game and not been influenced by their previous success on PC. Console is tnot the same as PC. The gamer's mentality is different between PC and console. Console users want everything spelled out for them, clear cut objectives, and then we just cut a swathe of death between objectives. PC gaming can be more wide open, although consoles games can be open too they usually aren't. An important difference is that PC games are controlled by a keyboard and mouse and console games are not, different games appeal to each.

As Old Timey Gamer said, "Once they had us jumping over pipes in Half Life 2 that was then end of that."

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Commandos Strike Force, the intense stealth combat game which fuses first person shooter style gamplay with strategic stealth combat is almost at your fingertips. To give you another inside glimpse of Pyro Studios hard at work redefining their successful franchise we have made another developer video available over at Eidos Interactive. This week’s video goes into detail about the teams involved to make the different versions of Commandos Strike Force for the PS2, Xbox and PC, as well as how they strived to make the game set itself apart from other games in the first person shooter genre. There is also a segment that goes into detail about the extensive testing that was done on the title, to ensure that it stands up to their rigorous standards of quality. The wait is almost over, as Commandos Strike Force is set to ship April 4th in North America for the PS2, Xbox and PC.

Download the video now here: http://www.eidosinteractive.com/downloads/search.html?gmid=155!

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Toronto, March 24, 2006 – The Adventure Company announced today the launch of the website for Crime Stories, its investigative thriller now available in retail stores across North America. Junior detectives and adventure gamers alike will be able to find character information, screenshots, artwork and much more at www.crimestories-game.com.

Play as the brilliant detective Martin Mystère as you investigate the brutal murder of the highly reputed scientist, Professor Eulemberg. What fascinating discovery had the professor uncovered and why is he now dead? Travel from the busy New York streets to ancient Mayan ruins as you investigate this murder.

Only you can solve this horrific crime – and the mystery that lies beneath it…

· A cinematic investigative thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat for hours!

· Beautifully detailed 3D graphics with rich, colorful environments to explore.

· 3rd person gameplay with numerous inventory items to discover and interact with.

· Creative and original puzzles that will challenge you!

· Loads of characters to talk to and assist you with your investigations – you choose what you want to say to them.

· A dark and disturbing tale of betrayal and murder!

· A rich atmospheric soundtrack accompanies gameplay and adjusts to your surroundings.

Crime Stories has and ESRB rating of ‘T’ for Teen and is currently available in retail stores across North America.

To find out more about Crime Stories please visit www.crimestories-game.com

Posted by Matt Sarrel at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Toronto, March 24, 2006 - The Adventure Company, a leading publisher of PC adventure games, today announced that KEEPSAKE has gone gold. Developed by Wicked Studios, this epic tale of mystery, fantasy, and friendship will take you deep into a world of beauty and boundless imagination.

Embark on a journey like no other. Playing the role of Lydia, a young girl headed to the gates of Dragonvale Academy to become an apprentice, you will be fascinated by this enchanted world. Upon Lydia’s arrival, she discovers something is terribly amiss... She finds the keepsake she gave her best friend Celeste, but Celeste and the other scholars are nowhere to be found. Accompanied by a unique companion, challenge yourself to solve the enigmas that lie beyond the gates of Dragonvale Academy and uncover the mystery behind the strange disappearances and the beloved Keepsake...

Features:

* Deep and involving storyline where suspense and mystery await at every turn
* Explore stunning environments designed in intricate detail using dynamic lighting and shading
* Unique in-game ‘Active Hint System’ helps players progress further into the game without being stumped by difficult puzzles
* Easy to use interface that evolves as new feature becomes available
* Compelling 3rd person gameplay powered by a state-of-the-art graphic engine
* Learn to cast spells, understand the secrets of the runes and glyphs, and overcome daring trials designed to test your wits rather than your dexterity

Developed by Wicked Studios, KEEPSAKE has received