Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced that The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, an epic multiplayer action/RPG video game based on the renowned novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, is set to launch on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows® in 2011.

Developed in association with Middle-earth Enterprises, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North explores both original and familiar narrative elements as Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment holds the rights to develop video games based on both the literary and motion picture content from The Lord of the Rings. Breaking new ground as a mature RPG video game set in Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North advances the RPG paradigm through innovative online, interdependent co-op play for up to three players who form their own Fellowship to fight Sauron’s forces in the North.

“With The Lord of the Rings: War in the North we are taking a mature approach to the widely celebrated property with authentic portrayals of battles and all new storylines,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Utilising the award-winning and passionate development team at Snowblind Studios, we are looking to evolve the RPG experience and deliver The Lord of the Rings game fans have been waiting for.”

“In The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Snowblind will deliver an action RPG for core gamers featuring authentic narrative and environmental locations from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original The Lord of the Rings,” said Ryan Geithman, Founder and Studio Head of Snowblind Studios. “This game is a natural evolution of the acclaimed RPG gameplay that Snowblind has consistently delivered over the past years. Players and fans will experience an innovative approach to online co-op gameplay, woven throughout every facet of the game in a way that only Snowblind can deliver.”

In The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, players can become the heroes in the great battle of the North as part of the epic War of the Ring. Exploring unseen lands, story elements and characters from Middle-earth as well as elements familiar from past feature films, gamers will experience extensive character customization and development, expansive co-op gameplay options and upgradeable weapons, skills and special abilities.

For more information about The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, visit http://www.warinthenorth.com.

DICE announced that Battlefield: Bad Company™ 2 is on pace to be the top selling title for March 2010. With over 2.3M units sold-through*, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has become the best-selling March release on record in North America and Europe. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is winning accolades from fans and critics for outstanding visuals and action-packed gameplay with no less than 46 outlets having awarded the game a score of 90 or above. GameSpot.com commented that, “whether or not you’re looking for a new shooter in your life, you owe it to yourself to play Battlefield: Bad Company 2.”

The momentum of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 can also be seen across social media networks and in the game’s statistics:

• 81B points have been earned in online multiplayer sessions
• 43M weapons and gadgets have been unlocked in online multiplayer
• Over 6M video views on YouTube
• 2.9M hours have been spent playing online in the last 24 hours alone
• 230K peak-concurrent-users (PCUs)
• Over 44k Twitter fans (most out of any EA title)

“We are so thrilled with the success of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 sales and fan response. In the first 48 hours we had such a tremendous rush to multiplayer gameplay that our servers experienced overwhelming demand. This is a testament to the massive response players have had worldwide for the extraordinary action experienced in the Battlefield sandbox,” says Karl Magnus Troedsson, Executive Producer, Battlefield Franchise. “DICE and EA have brought more servers online. We now have enough capacity to handle all BFBC2 connections seamlessly and we continue to monitor online play daily.”

Defined by its exceedingly intense vehicular warfare, destruction, variety of weapons and huge sandbox environments, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is one of the finest online FPS games of 2010. Developed using state-of-the-art graphics technology, the PC version of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is the first title in the Battlefield franchise to be 3-D-ready, playable in DirectX® 11, and support multiple monitors for properly equipped PCs.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is available in North America and Europe for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC. Two all-new multiplayer maps for the game are coming on March 30 at no extra charge**. These two maps can be unlocked by inputting a VIP code***.

For more information on Battlefield: Bad Company 2 visit: www.battlefield.com.

*According to internal data.
** Internet connection required.
*** VIP codes included with original retail purchase. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 players that do not have a code can purchase one via the in-game store for $15. PC players will get the content as a game update. Internet connection required.

Below you will find a few highlights of what the UT2 Power Pack provides:

Create Add-on Schedules Manually – The UT2 Power Pack includes the ability for users to manually create their own schedules from the ground up, one flight at a time. Users will be able to add smaller airlines that are not available on popular flight sim sites, special event schedules such as special military flights, charter airlines, virtual airlines, and/or use it to schedule GA traffic at your local airport. Virtual Airlines will especially find the tool to be a great utility because they can add their complete schedules to the FSX world.

Import Download Schedules – UT2 Power Pack users can import classic BGL style schedules, with the help of AIFPC or TTools, to create schedules and AI aircraft activity that is not already included with the software.

Airport Modification – UT2 Power Pack features an airport modification tool that will allow users, who have add-on airports that were not included originally with the FSX release, to add/modify these airports so UT2 can handle the AI Traffic scheduled to them.

Share Add-on Schedules – The UT2 Power Pack enables users in the Ultimate Traffic 2 community to share newly created schedules with others.

For more information on obtaining the Power Pack, visit http://ut2.flight1.net/index.php/downloads/ut2-power-pack.html

Wii recorded another strong month of sales, despite being hindered by continued product shortages that affected U.S. retail locations during the month. Even so, Nintendo still managed to sell more than 397,000 Wii systems at retail for the month.

With these sales through the end of February, consumers have already purchased 1.9 million Nintendo hardware systems in 2010 alone.

“Here in its sixth year of availability, Nintendo DS continues to expand the appeal of video games,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “We expect the public’s appetite for these systems will grow even more when we introduce our new extra-large model, the Nintendo DSi XL, on March 28.”

Three of the top five best-selling games of February play on Nintendo systems. These include New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii at No. 1 with more than 555,000 sold, Ubisoft’s Just Dance™ at No. 4 with more than 275,000 sold and Wii Sports Resort™ with the Wii MotionPlus™ accessory at No. 5 with more than 272,000 sold.

Source:  www.nintendo.com

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, The Saul Zaentz Company and New Line Productions, Inc. announce that The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest videogame will launch on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system with full support for PlayStation’s upcoming motion controller technology at the controller’s launch. This family-friendly action-adventure game, based on the films and literature of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, will ship in Autumn 2010 for the PlayStation 3 system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ system.

In The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest videogame, players become the legendary hero Aragorn and relive his most daring battles from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The action-packed sword, bow and horseback adventures will be enhanced for players of all ages through high-quality graphics and gameplay created especially for the PlayStation 3 system. Utilizing PlayStation’s upcoming motion controller for precision through mastery, The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest videogame engages players with intuitive motion-control gameplay where every controller gesture instantly and accurately translates to weapon strikes in the game. Exclusively for the PlayStation 3 system and Wii, two-player motion controlled co-op gameplay featuring Gandalf allows kids, families and friends to battle side-by-side in the heart of the action.

The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest videogame will feature the voice talents of actor Sean Astin (Rudy, The Goonies, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) and actor and vocal artist John Rhys-Davies (Indiana Jones, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy). Both Astin and Rhys-Davies will reprise their on-screen roles of Samwise Gamgee and Gimli. The game also showcases original in-game music tracks along with music from The Lord of the Rings film scores created by composer Howard Shore.

The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest is developed for Wii by Headstrong Games and for the PlayStation 3 system, PlayStation 2 system, PSP system and Nintendo DS by TT Fusion.

FINAL FANTASY XIII marks the dawning of a new era for the celebrated series, bringing the series to multiple hi-definition consoles simultaneously for the first time in its history. Expanding upon the rich tradition of the series, producer Yoshinori Kitase (FINAL FANTASY VII, X, X-2), director Motomu Toriyama (FINAL FANTASY VII, X, X-2), character designer Tetsuya Nomura (FINAL FANTASY V, VI, VII, VIII, X) and art director Isamu Kamikokuryo (FINAL FANASY X, XII) combine their creative vision to deliver the latest masterpiece in the FINAL FANTASY universe. Additionally, Masashi Hamauzu (FINAL FANTASY X, DIRGE of CERBERUS -FINAL FANTASY VII-) presents a sweeping soundtrack while movie director Takeshi Nozue (FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN) and his team of artists adorn the game with seamless cinematic sequences of unparalleled calibre.

Introducing new worlds, memorable characters and extraordinary stories with each new instalment, the FINAL FANTASY series has continued to reinvent itself over the last two decades and has shipped over 92 million copies worldwide. The series is defined by a constant evolution, offering nothing less than the finest creative vision, graphical quality and gameplay system of its generation with every instalment, and FINAL FANTASY XIII will be no exception to its legacy.
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Source: www.finalfantasy13game.com

“Expanding our well-working and established partnership with Meridian4 to a full portfolio scenario is the next strategic and logical step towards our aim to reach gamers on a worldwide level throughout all retail and media channels. We started strong with the first two titles and are very much looking forward to bringing and creating new franchises together with their very experienced team” said Dieter Schoeller, Managing Director of Headup Games.

“Our initial agreement with them for Greed and Gear Grinder was very successful and we are delighted that we are able to continue to work with Headup Games. Their original and unique titles, such as Future Wars are a great match with our audience. We know that this title will do well and will have a wide appeal to all types of gamers.” said Andy Sher, CEO at Meridian4.

Future Wars
Similar to classic titles such as Advance Wars and Battle Isle, the game takes turn-based strategy gaming away from the micro-management overkill that it has become and using simple, proven rock-paper-scissors principles, reopens the genre to a wider audience.

With a modern 3D engine providing the graphics, a proven, easy to learn, but difficult to master set of rules surrounded by an engaging plot and challenging gameplay, the game will appeal to newcomers and hard-core gamers alike.

Also available is unlimited access and infinite possibilities to mod the game through open data structure, open scripts and an easy-to-use editor.

• Modern 3D graphics & proven gameplay embedded in an engaging and sometimes, humorous plot
• Infinite modding possibilities through open data structure, open scripts and editor
• Novel and unique game modes such as AI vs. AI or play-by-email
• Rock-paper-scissors principle makes Future Wars easy to learn but difficult to master
• In-game achievements encourages replay to acquire top honors

Sony Online Entertainment announced that its family-friendly online game, Free Realms, has surpassed nine million registered players.

“With Free Realms, we’ve been able to reflect the needs and wants of our players by keenly listening to their suggestions and feedback,” said John Smedley, president of SOE. “We believe the persistent exercise of capturing in-game research inside Free Realms has been a huge contributing factor as to why we’ve attracted over nine million players in less than a year. It truly helps us give our players a game where they can do and be whatever they want.”

Continuous development of new features and themed in-game events, as well as persistent marketing support, has drawn a constant influx of new players into the free-to-play virtual world. An example of a customer-requested feature recently introduced in Free Realms is Rides.

Introduced last month, Rides not only look cool and come in multiple color choices, but they allow players who have purchased a Membership to hop on the back of a T-Rex or Dragon and travel anywhere in the overland world at 150% of their normal speed. Building on this player-driven feature request, Horses are the next Rides scheduled to be released, with more types of transportation in the works. The development team is also set to introduce new Owl and Groundhog pets, as well as an exciting new 3-D minigame in the near future.

Free Realms offers an endless array of activities and mini-games to entertain players. From ninja fighting to kart racing to raising pets, Free Realms offers a safe, family-friendly environment to connect with old and new friends. Also available is the Free Realms Trading Card Game: a full-featured trading card game, playable both digitally within the Free Realms online game and offline via physical card decks sold wherever you buy trading cards. Free Realms players can also pop into select retailers to purchase Station Cash™ cards, which can be redeemed for Station Cash, and used to buy virtual goodies or upgrade to a Membership status in the game.

Free Realms is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and up with content descriptors of Crude Humor and Fantasy Violence. To play Free Realms, visit: http://www.FreeRealms.com.

Aeria Games & Entertainment, one of the fastest growing publishers of free-to-play online games in North America and Europe, has officially unveiled its newest title, Kingdom Heroes. Players interested in testing the game prior to its Spring 2010 release can visit the official site, starting today, and sign up to participate in the upcoming Closed Beta.

Kingdom Heroes (KH) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that introduces a variety of new, revolutionary features to the MMO genre. In Kingdom Heroes, players will be able to:

• Recruit and customize NPC soldiers to form their own personal armies.
• Organize a crew of players and take to the seas in exciting ship battles.
• Work together to establish, develop, and defend player-controlled cities.
• Conquer enemy strongholds using an impressive arsenal of troops, mounts, ships, and powerful siege engines.

In addition to this unparalleled array of game features, Kingdom Heroes offers numerous character customization options, branching classes and talent trees, mounted combat, a player based economy, instanced battlefields, thousands of quests, and global player-versus-player (PvP) events where rival factions battle for control of player cities and territory.

For more information about Kingdom Heroes, screenshots and video, or to be among the first to register for the Closed Beta period, visit http://kingdomheroes.aeriagames.com.

Unknown Worlds has been funded largely by its community and preorders although many players have been waiting to hear if pre-ordering now would let them download and play the game on Steam later.

Pre-ordering now gives immediate access to NS2 mapping tools and artwork as well as early access to the alpha or beta when ready. Unknown Worlds is now testing its proprietary “Spark” engine with a small number of players and will expand that to everyone that has pre-ordered the Special Edition shortly.

Natural Selection 2 can be pre-ordered for at a special price of $19.95/€14.75 (Standard Edition) or for $39.95/€29.56 (Special Edition) at http://www.naturalselection2.com/buy. Over 10,000 players have pre-ordered to date. The tools and SDK are available now at http://www.naturalselection2.com/download.

Natural Selection 2
Natural Selection 2 is the sequel to the popular Half-life mod, Natural Selection, which was the most popular independent Half-life mod and was played by over 300,000 players for over 2 billion player-minutes. Natural Selection 2 is a online-only first-person shooter and real-time strategy hybrid. Players can play as marines, aliens or commanders and fight in atmospheric sci-fi environments. It features:

• Truly unique sides. Whether you play as one of the elite marine Frontiersmen or the vicious alien Kharaa, you must use unique strategies and your abilities to win. Marines form persistent squads to find and destroy alien hives. Aliens can choose a wall-running Skulk, pudgy Gorge, flying Lerk, murderous Fade or gigantic Onos that can smash through doors.

• Real-time strategy. Commanders play from overhead to lead their team to victory. Build structures anywhere, collect resources and research upgrades. Marines buy weapons at an Armory or build sentry turrets and siege cannons to assault the enemy. Aliens build chambers, evolve special abilities and plant traps.

• Dynamic environments. Spreading alien infestation deforms hallways and causes space station power failure, turning off lights and shutting down marine powered structures. Use a flamethrower to clear infestation or weld a bulkhead shut for a last defense. Every game is different.

• Unlimited variations. WYSIWYG graphical tools and powerful scripting allow you to create new weapons, scenarios or entirely new games. You’ll get all our tools and Lua source code we’re using to build NS2. Ongoing automatic updates keep the game fresh by adding new maps, weapons and abilities.