Groundbreaking Online Co-op In New Action RPG Odyssey

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.

Over 2.3M Units Sold Mark Battlefield: Bad Company 2 as Top Selling March Title on Record in North America and Europe

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.

Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, announces FINAL FANTASY® XIII, the latest project in the multi-platinum FINAL FANTASY series,  it`s available from today, 9th March 2010, for both the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

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.
More

Source: www.finalfantasy13game.com

Massive freeroaming demo planned for hotly anticipated action sequel

Square Enix London Studios announced an incredible, action-packed demo for the hotly anticipated freeroaming action game Just Cause 2 will release on March 4th, 2010.

Available for PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC, the Just Cause 2 demo will feature a massive 35 square miles of the Lautan Lama Desert, a vast expanse of stunning, sun-scorched scenery taking up just one of the many islands in the 400 square miles of the Panau archipelago. Packed with towns, villages, military installations, mountain ranges, missions and more, the demo will feature an astonishing amount of activities for the player… and opportunities for adrenaline-fuelled chaos are limitless.

Hunt down and assassinate one of the game’s 50 military colonels; devastate military bases, bio fuel chambers, government infrastructure and more; hijack tuk tuks, military 4x4s, armoured vehicles, mopeds, helicopter gunships, light aircraft, mini vans and numerous other military and civilian vehicles; freefall from desert outcrops or from burning planes at 20,000 feet; and unlock one full, multi-stage mission, traversing the mountains to a heavily fortified government radar station and ending in an unforgettable desert car chase.

“The Just Cause 2 demo is simply massive and with so much to do, the replay value is enormous,” said Lee Singleton, General Manager of Square Enix London Studios. “It’s easily one of the biggest freeroaming demos of all time and for fans of openworld games, it’s unmissable.”

The Just Cause 2 demo will be available March 4th, 2010, on PlayStation®Network, Xbox LIVE® Marketplace and Steam.

As Rico Rodriguez, the Agency’s most powerful weapon, players must take on the island of Panau and its military regime in order to track down Rico’s former boss and mentor, Tom Sheldon, who has gone rogue with millions in Agency cash and intel. Using a unique grapple and parachute combination, there is no vertical limit as the air becomes your playground: grapple a passing plane in flight, hijack helicopters, BASE jump from the tallest buildings or mountains and leave a trail of chaos and destruction in your wake. Just Cause 2 offers players the freedom to tackle missions any way they choose and, with over 100 vehicles and countless upgrades and collectibles, the choices for relentless adrenaline-fuelled action are limitless.

Just Cause 2 will be available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Games for Windows® and will be released under the EIDOS brand portfolio. All formats will release in-stores on March 23rd, 2010, in North America and March 26th, 2010, in Europe, Middle East, and Australasia. More information is available on the official website at www.justcause.com.

Sequel to the 2007 Game of the Year welcomes players back to the decayed magnificence of Rapture with rave reviews from the industry’s top critics

2K Games announced that BioShock®2, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2007 Game of the Year, is now available worldwide for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows-LIVE. Building upon the original game that shipped more than three million units worldwide, BioShock 2 delivers a single and multiplayer video game experience that is both an artistic achievement in entertainment and a highly addictive first-person shooter.

“BioShock represented a watershed moment in the gaming industry when it illustrated that games, like feature films, can be viewed as art – both in art design and in the rich depth of the narrative,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Most importantly, the media are stating what we’ve known all along; that whether or not you’ve played the original, BioShock 2 is a worthy successor to one of the best games of all time that should not be missed.”

The single player serves as a sequel to the original game and provides fans with an unsettling storyline, dazzling visual design and the evolution of the genetically enhanced shooter gameplay. Set almost a decade after a grueling civil war consumed the once magnificent city of Rapture, evil reverberates through the halls and a wickedness once thought gone forever returns along the Atlantic seaboard. An unspeakable series of kidnappings from local seaside communities by an unseen monster leads to the repopulation of Little Sisters in Rapture’s failed utopia under the ocean. Players must step into the boots of one of gaming’s most iconic characters, the Big Daddy, as they traverse through the fallen city, fending off attacks from an army of genetically modified Splicers, while searching for escape and the key to their survival.

Multiplayer in BioShock 2 provides fans with a rich and engrossing prequel experience that expands upon the fiction of Rapture’s origins. Set during the year before Rapture’s descent into chaos, players assume the role of a Plasmid test subject for Sinclair Solutions, a key provider of Plasmids and Tonics in the underwater city that was first explored in BioShock. Players will enter into areas from the original title as they struggle to gain superiority in frantically paced battles.

Following in the critically acclaimed footsteps of its predecessor, BioShock 2 has already received high scores from the UK’s top gaming and consumer press:

• 9/10, IGN UK
• 9/10, Videogamer.com
• 93%, PSM3 Magazine
• 90%, GamesMaster
• 90%, Xbox World 360
• 90%, PC Gamer UK
• 5/5, 360 Magazine
• 5/5, Nuts
• 5/5, Zoo
• 5/5, The Guardian Online
• 5/5, The Sunday Times
• 5/5, The Mirror
• 5/5, Loaded

BioShock 2 was developed by 2K Marin in collaboration with 2K Australia, Digital Extremes and 2K China for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Games for Windows–LIVE, and is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. Source: www.bioshock2game.com

Six-on-six soccer action coming to PC this March with SFC Soccer: Football Fever from Blitz 1UP and Stir Fry Games

UK Blitz Arcade signs SFG Soccer: Football Fever to its Blitz 1UP label. Due for worldwide release on PC in March 2010, SFG Soccer: Football Fever brings fast-paced footwork to the PC.

A new and improved update of the popular Xbox LIVE Indie Games title SFG Soccer, SFG Soccer: Football Fever has been developed by Stir Fry Games with the help of Blitz 1UP.

SFG Soccer: Football Fever is a six-on-six soccer game, with ‘pick up and play’ controls and deep RPG-style player progression. There’s even a full league system, which you can play co-op or solo while leading your team to battle it out in the 1st Division Championship Game. The new PC version will also boast customizable teams and leagues, so you can challenge your friends to become the reigning champions.

Use bicycle kicks, headers, one-touch passes, slide-tackles and instant replays, it’s all here, with a host of special features:
• Fast, addictive, arcade-style game play
• Easy to learn controls
• RPG-style team improvement and levelling systems
• Deep multi-season Career Mode, featuring 64 teams from around the world.

“This is a tremendous opportunity,” says Andy Kwiatkowski, owner of Stir Fry Games. “Working with a well-established company such as Blitz Games Studios is a big step in increasing both the quality and the profile of our games.”

“The Xbox LIVE Indie Games release of SFG Soccer was a great success, receiving fantastic reviews and great support from the community,” says Chris Swan, Blitz Arcade’s Business Development Director. “We are really looking forward to working with Stir Fry Games to bring an even more polished and playable version of the game to PC portals through Blitz 1UP.”

The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony available together on a single disc and individually for digital download

Rockstar Games announce the much anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows® – LIVE on March 30, 2010. For the first time, PS3 and Games for Windows – LIVE players will have the opportunity to experience the last two thrilling chapters of the Grand Theft Auto IV saga.

The two action packed episodes will also be available for download on the PlayStation®Network and Games for Windows – LIVE on March 30, 2010. Each episode takes place in the same detailed and immersive world that made Grand Theft Auto IV one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time. Games for Windows – LIVE players can enjoy 32-player multiplayer matches and an advanced video editor, and all fans will experience new songs on the updated soundtrack as featured across Liberty City’s 13 diverse radio stations, alongside in-game television and Liberty City’s own internet.

“It’s been a long time coming, but we are proud to finally deliver Episodes From Liberty City for the PC and PlayStation 3,” said Sam Houser. “We appreciate the patience of our PlayStation 3 and PC fans worldwide, and we look forward to putting the games in your hands this March.”

The Lost and Damned is a dark trip through Liberty City’s seedy underbelly as outlaw biker, Johnny Klebitz, fights to keep his gang together as a rift in the gang’s leadership threatens to tear the brotherhood apart. In The Ballad of Gay Tony, players explore Liberty City’s high-end nightlife as Luis Lopez, struggling to balance the temptations of money and vice against loyalties to family and friends. Both episodes feature a slew of new vehicles and weapons, and each episode adds new activities including cage fighting, gang wars and BASE jumping.

Episodes from Liberty City – Available March 30, 2010 globally (The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony together on one disc) Does not require a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV

PlayStation 3 Games for Windows – LIVE

The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony – Available March 30, 2010 globally (Individual episodes for digital download) Requires a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV

PlayStation Network Games for Windows – LIVE

Episodes from Liberty City is rated M for Mature by the ESRB and is currently available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and each episode is also available from the Xbox LIVE® Marketplace.

For more information visit www.rockstargames.com/episodesfromlibertycity.

Warner Bros announced that LEGO® Batman™: The Videogame has sold through more than one million copies across all formats in the UK, since launch in 2008, and continues to be a top-seller week-over-week on the UK charts.

LEGO Batman: The Videogame – developed by TT Games, makers of LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Indiana Jones, LEGO Rock Band™ and LEGO Harry Potter™ – combines trademark LEGO charm and imaginative gameplay with one of the world’s largest entertainment properties to create a runaway success. The title received critical acclaim, subsequently winning a coveted Children’s BAFTA Award for Best Videogame.

LEGO Batman: The Videogame brings the one-and-only CAPED CRUSADER to life in a completely original storyline. Players can take control of the DYNAMIC DUO, BATMAN and ROBIN, to fight GOTHAM CITY’S most notorious criminals including THE JOKER, THE PENGUIN, CATWOMAN, SCARECROW, KILLER CROC and many more.

“The team at TT Games worked incredibly hard to make LEGO Batman: The Videogame a very fun experience for players,” said Tom Stone, Managing Director, TT Games. “We are delighted to know that so many people are enjoying the game.”

“Selling one million units of LEGO Batman: The Videogame in the UK marks a great milestone for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment,” said Spencer Crossley, UK Sales and Marketing Director, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “The fact that the title continues to remain on the best-selling charts more than a year after its release is a testament to the best-in-class gameplay TT Games continues to deliver.”

LEGO Batman: The Videogame is available for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS, PSP and PC.

For more information, visit the official website at http://www.legobatmangame.com/

PlayStation players to publish their greatest achievements to YouTube

Square Enix London Studios, a part of Square Enix Europe, today announced that Just Cause 2 for the PlayStation 3 will ship with a built-in video capture feature, allowing players to record clips of their greatest in-game exploits and upload directly to YouTube.

With some of the most incredible emergent action sequences seen in any game, Just Cause 2 frequently features moments which simply defy description. Moments where the physics, gameplay and AI all come together to create an over-the-top stunt or spontaneously chaotic scene of carnage players will want to watch again and again. By activating Just Cause 2’s video capture feature, players will be able to automatically record the last 30 seconds of gameplay directly to the PlayStation 3’s hard drive and upload to YouTube.

BASE jumped from the highest bridge in the game? Captured. Jumped out of a jet fighter and crashed into an oil rig? Recorded. Parachuted off a cliff onto a passing helicopter, laying waste to a military harbour with missiles, before ejecting, skydiving down through enemy flak, grappling soldiers to passing aircraft, leaving nothing but the smoking remains of the military might? Saved, uploaded and published for the world to see.

Also available from the in-game menu is a 10 minute capture feature which allows players to create more detailed and planned presentations. Gamers will be able to capture and share in-game mission walkthroughs, create online speed-run competitions, direct their own South East Asian-inspired Machinima and more, with the best YouTube videos linked from the official website allowing users to vote on their favourites, with prizes awarded for the best of the best.

As Rico Rodriguez, the Agency’s most powerful weapon, players must take on the island of Panau and its military regime in order to track down Rico’s former boss and mentor, Tom Sheldon, who has gone rogue with millions in Agency cash and intel. Using a unique grapple and parachute combination, there is no vertical limit as the air becomes your playground: grapple a passing plane in flight, hijack helicopters, BASE jump from the tallest buildings or mountains and leave a trail of chaos and destruction in your wake. Just Cause 2 offers players the freedom to tackle missions any way they choose and, with over 100 vehicles and countless upgrades and collectibles, the choices for relentless adrenaline-fuelled action are limitless.

Just Cause 2’s video capture and upload feature will be available exclusively for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. Just Cause 2 will also ship for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows® and will be released under the EIDOS brand portfolio. All formats will release in-stores on March 23rd, 2010, in North America and March 26th, 2010, in Europe, Middle East, and Australasia.

More information is available on the official website at www.justcause.com.

Dungeon Bandits, the North American and Australian counterpart to Europe’s Dungeon Party, will be published by PlayEnvy, a service of Nvinium Games. Scheduled to release in March of 2010, PlayEnvy is introducing new, more dynamic content to a game that has already been enjoyed by thousands of European gamers.

Dungeon Bandits is a fast paced dungeon crawler that allows teams of up to 5 players to compete against other teams for the right to the dungeon’s treasure. Players must fight their way past challenging monsters , bosses, traps and face off against the opposing team in order to claim victory in a game that highly dependent on skillful strategy.

The game operates as an instanced dungeon that is entered through a lobby style set up. You can either join existing instances, or you can form your own. Instance leaders set the overall terms of the matches, such as; how many players will compete, what type of map, how many matches, how many treasures it contains, and several other factors. Great support, fun events and ongoing game improvements makes Dungeon Bandits a fun and rewarding experience for anyone.

Product Features
• Improved Character Control: PlayEnvy has introduced keyboard movement controls for characters, in addition to the previous movement by point and click.
• New Camera Control: Dungeon Bandits will allow players more camera control which includes the ability to rotate 360 degrees around the character. Up close 3rd person perspective is also now possible, allowing players to get into the feel of combat like never before.
• Guild System: Players may form small guilds called Noob Herds which allow players to easily for tournament games and compete for herd rankings.
• 7 Playable Characters: Wizard, Thief, Executioner, Bard, Amazon, Horsewoman, and Engineer.
• Customization: Characters are easily customized to the player’s personality through loads of well designed costumes, armor, weapons, accessories, and facial features. Players can build a truly unique character.
• Useful skill sets: 13 skills from 3 schools can be earned for each character, all of which are highly useful in combat. Characters use up to 5 skills in a given match, this allows strategic combination potential as not all players in the same call will be fighting with identical skill set ups.
• Mini Challenges: In addition to the already fast action combat of the dungeons, games can get a bit more interesting once the room turns upside down or if the lights go off.
• Custom Maps: The Map Editor allows players to contribute content to the game by designing challenging dungeons of their own and share them with the player community.
• Engaging Events: Friendly team of GMs moderate an aggressive event schedule that rewards players for their accomplishments. Tournaments, challenges, and other events will occur daily from the PlayEnvy team.
• Ongoing Improvements: Cyanide and PlayEnvy are committed to bringing new and improved content to Dungeon Bandits. Players can expect regular content updates which will add new systems and dynamics to the game.

Platform: PC
Genre: Action MMORPG
Release Date: 2009
Developer: Cyanide Studios
Publisher: PlayEnvy
ESRB Rating: RP
Closed Beta1: January 22nd, 2010
Release Date: March 19th, 2010