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Archive for July 14th, 2008

Solitaire City v1.00 for iPhone and iPod available

Monday, July 14th, 2008

Solitaire City v1.00 is now available for iPhone and iPod Touch.

July 11, 2008 - Digital Smoke LLC is proud to announce the release of their popular Solitaire City game for iPhone and iPod Touch devices. As with the Windows and Pocket PC versions, Solitaire City on the iPhone is played against the clock for points. The faster a game is completed, the higher the score. If a Wi-Fi or cellular network connection is detected, then scores from players all round the world are automatically downloaded for daily, weekly and long term competition. The graphics are of the highest quality, making full use of the iPhone’s 3D hardware to display rotating, spinning cards, shadows and particle effects. Fun sound effects also add to the experience.

All the popular solitaire games have been implemented such as Spider, FreeCell, Klondike, Poker Squares, Pyramid, Golf, Yukon and more, along with less familiar games such as Casket, Eliminator and Alternations, all with numerous game rules to add variety. Learning the rules of an unfamiliar solitaire game can be tedious and confusing at the best of times but Solitaire City actually makes it fun using a unique training system that teaches people how to play as they participate, pointing out valid moves and explaining the rules along the way. No more boring game rules to read. Learning to play is now fun.

Solitaire City’s artificial intelligence points out when a game has blocked and it’s time to give up, sparing the frustration of searching for a non-existent move. It can also point out the best move to play when the going gets tough, saving valuable time in the quest for a top score.

Solitaire City is available from the new App Store or iTunes and is compatible with the iPod Touch and all iPhone models including the new 3G device.

Digital Smoke is an independent software developer, creating fun video games for a variety of popular handhelds, computers and consoles.

Tags: iPhone, iPod, Mobile
Posted in Mobile | No Comments »

Tetraskates by Tetrapad

Monday, July 14th, 2008

tetraSkates

London, United Kingdom – Saturday 12th July 2008

Tetrapad Gaming, a manufacturer and retailer of high performance gaming peripherals for the PC, has added another product to its portfolio – tetraSkates.

tetraSkates are high quality mouse skates/glides made from woven glass fibre coated in Teflon. These properties not only provide smooth, low friction glide but are also longer lasting than basic Teflon skates/glides. tetraSkates are also thin to provide the most natural feel possible and the self-adhesive backing means that they can be easily applied directly on top of your existing mouse feet.

“We are very happy to add tetraSkates to our product portfolio. With the use of tetraSkates, we are able to offer compatibility for all optical and laser mice with Tetrapad products and therefore allowing more people to experience the products we have striven to develop.”

More information on Tetrapad Gaming and it’s products can be found on the official website – http://www.tetrapad.com , by email or in #tetrapad on the Quakenet mIRC Network.

Tags: Peripherals
Posted in Peripherals | No Comments »

Easy St. Tycoon announced

Monday, July 14th, 2008

Give it up for a game made in my hometown!

Own the Neighborhood with Easy St. Tycoon, the unique and endlessly replayable strategy board game for the PC

Sacramento, California - July 11, 2008 - MindToy Games announces the release of a unique, endlessly replayable and enjoyable strategy/board game for the PC, Easy St. Tycoon. Game developer Derek DiBenedetto, formerly of Stormcloud Creations, where he owned and managed the company for over 8 years with 10 published games to his credit, has included several unique features in the design.

“The game will incorporate a truly random board game algorithm, where the board is generally randomly every game, yet still balanced and playable each time”, says MindToy CEO Derek DiBenedetto, “along with several gameplay features that will force players to make important choices.”

Among the game’s other features: Buy streets and upgrade them so that players must pay a higher toll when landing on them, hold a job and try to increase your paycheck, play 6 different mini-games to win more cash, gain Fortune Points using Big Events, a unique feature where you experience a real life, fully written event and gain or lose Fortune Points to use for game benefits, and play either 2-4 human players via Hotseat, or play any combination of 1-4 human/computer players. It has a price of $14.95 for immediate digital download purchase. A free demo is available on the web site.

Tags: PC
Posted in PC - Windows | No Comments »

cerasus.media announces the release of official Nintendo DS version of “Cradle of Rome”

Monday, July 14th, 2008

July 11th 2008 - cerasus.media brings one of the most successful PC casual games to the Nintendo DS: Cradle of Rome, originally developed by the AWEM studios. Distinctly marrying the Match-3 puzzle mechanic with an enticing resource management system, Cradle of Rome offers players a satisfyingly addictive gameplay experience. This game is the first in a series of popular games which cerasus.media will be adapting for the DS over the next few months.

cerasus.media just closed a deal with one of the major DS publishers in North America who will publish the game this year. Details will be announced within the next weeks. Rising Star Games, home of the popular “Harvest Moon” brand, will bring the game to Europe, with exception of Germany and Benelux, on October 10th 2008. The home market of Berlin based developer cerasus.media, Germany, will be covered by rondomedia and Benelux by Easy Interactive from Holland.

About the Game:

Welcome to the birth of the Roman Empire where players re-create the legendary city of old using a unique variation of the much-loved Match-3 puzzle mechanic. Players still swap two adjacent squares around to create a row of three or more, but instead of completing the board as quickly as possible, the goal is to gather as many resources as you can before the timer runs out. The more resources you gather, the faster you can build Rome. Start with a lowly saw mill and progress to gain access to historical monuments such as the Arch of Titus, the Temples of Venus and Saturn and eventually the mighty Coliseum.

A vast array of bonus tools adds even more incentive to continue the game for as long as possible. Unlocking these tools not only makes clearing the board easier, but also increases the opportunity to gather more resources, gold and treasure!

With conversion from the PC the levels were revised, game play was intelligently adapted to the dual screen and the difficulty level was adjusted more precisely. The completely new Free Play mode allows the user to play his favorite boards again and again.

“The new features added to an already well-loved puzzle mechanic makes this even more fun and addictive to play. Cradle of Rome was a phenomenal success on the PC last year and converting it for Nintendo DS opens up new opportunities for everyone to experience its unique gameplay”, enthused Stefan Juelke, managing director of cerasus.media.

“We are delighted to have signed a deal with cerasus.media to bring Cradle of Rome to European Nintendo DS owners”, said Yen Hau, Product Marketing Assistant of Rising Star Games. “It is a fantastic title that successfully mixes brain-teasing puzzles with thought-provoking resource management in an intensely addictive experience and is the perfect title for a publisher like Rising Star Games to enter the casual market.”

Tags: DS
Posted in Nintendo DS | No Comments »

Atari, Inc. Appoints Jeff Reese as Vice President of Marketing

Monday, July 14th, 2008

Seasoned Executive to Lead Product and Brand Marketing for North America

NEW YORK, July 11: Atari, Inc. (OTC Pink Sheets: ATAR), an interactive entertainment company, announced today the appointment of marketing veteran Jeff Reese as its Vice President of Marketing, reporting to Jim Wilson, CEO and President of Atari, Inc.

“Jeff brings extraordinary industry and marketing expertise to Atari at one of the company’s most exciting times,” said Mr. Wilson. “I am pleased he is joining our leadership team and look forward to his success.”

Said Mr. Reese, “With its iconic brand and established games portfolio, Atari is uniquely poised for growth. I look forward to joining the new leadership team to drive innovation, build further momentum and refresh the legacy behind this famed brand and company.”

As Vice President of Marketing Mr. Reese will lead the development and execution of product and brand marketing strategies for Atari’s North American retail and online businesses. In his role he will oversee all consumer and retail marketing activities and contribute to development of the company’s publishing and third party distribution initiatives.

Most recently, Mr. Reese served as Director of Marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA), where he was responsible for setting PlayStation’s First Party software product marketing roadmap and annual sales targets to deliver on revenue goals. Among his other accomplishments at SCEA, Mr. Reese managed all media strategies, advertising, consumer insights, and brand positioning to drive marketing campaign development and franchise growth across the company’s product portfolio. Mr. Reese was also responsible for PlayStation’s first EFFIE award for a new software product launch.

Prior to joining SCEA, Mr. Reese was the Group Manager, Worldwide Marketing for Intel Corporation where he handled brand development, global marketing campaigns, and overall growth strategies. During his time at Intel, Mr. Reese led Intel’s most successful platform debut with the launch of the Centrino Mobile Technology brand, in addition to leading Pentium 4 processor PC gaming initiatives. Before joining Intel, Mr. Reese was an Account Supervisor for Hal Riney & Partners where he was responsible for establishing and growing the Saturn Corp. business and launching the EV1 from General Motors through strategic planning, creative and media campaign development, and successful integrated national and regional efforts.

Mr. Reese got his start in marketing as an Account Executive at Biederman, Kelly and Shaffer Advertising where he supported the re-launch of the Cadillac brand by targeting a younger audience which contributed to increased annual sales.

Mr. Reese holds a BS in Communications, TV Production, and Marketing from Hofstra University.

Tags: Game Publishers
Posted in News | No Comments »

Xbox 360 60GB to go for $349.00

Monday, July 14th, 2008

Xbox 360 Console Now Offers Triple the Storage for Same Price

60GB storage now included with Xbox 360; 20GB console will drop to $299.99 in U.S. and Canada.

REDMOND, Wash. — July 13, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. is giving consumers more gigabytes for their buck. The company today announced an Xbox 360 console with triple the storage space of the original console, but for the same price of $349 (U.S.) estimated retail price (ERP).

Available in retail stores in the U.S. and Canada starting in early August, the upgraded Xbox 360 will include a 60GB hard drive for storing the growing wealth of digital entertainment available for the console, including music, movies, television shows and game content. In addition, Microsoft today dropped the price of its 20GB Xbox 360 console in the U.S. and Canada to just $299 (U.S.) (ERP) while supplies last, a savings of $50.

“We know consumers need more and more space to store the amazing digital content Xbox 360 offers, and we’re giving it to them at no extra charge,” said Albert Penello, Xbox director of product management at Microsoft. “No one device offers the depth and breadth of entertainment that Xbox 360 can deliver, and now you’ll have three times the storage to manage all that great content.”

Xbox 360 is just one of three Xbox 360 gaming and entertainment systems Microsoft offers. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Arcade, which comes with a 256MB memory unit and five Xbox LIVE Arcade games, is a value for the whole family for $279 (U.S.) (ERP), and the premium Xbox 360 Elite console is available with a 120GB hard drive for $449 (U.S.) (ERP).

Out of the box, the Xbox 360 console is ready to provide an incredible gaming and entertainment experience:

• Xbox 360 console. The console is equipped with a cool white finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best in high definition (HD) entertainment (up to 1080p for gaming), 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) output.

• 60 GB Hard Drive. The 60GB detachable hard drive allows gamers to save their games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the premier one-stop digital download center for entertainment.

• Upscaling DVD Player. With an HDMI cable (sold separately), watch your favorite DVDs in near high-definition using the upscaling capabilities of Xbox 360.

• Xbox 360 Wireless Controller. This award-winning, high-performance wireless controller features the Xbox Guide Button for quick, in-game access to friends and music. It has a range of up to 30 feet and a battery life of up to 30 hours on two AA batteries.

• Xbox 360 Headset. The headset lets friends and family around the world chat while playing games, watching movies, or sending voice messages on Xbox LIVE.

• Xbox LIVE Silver Membership. For no additional cost, Xbox 360 owners can chat with friends online, collect Achievements to improve their Gamerscores, send and receive voice and text messages, and access Xbox LIVE Marketplace content such as game demos, and purchase or rent HD movies and TV shows, as well as the best in downloadable games from Xbox LIVE Arcade. (Broadband Internet access required.)

• One-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold. An Xbox LIVE Gold Membership provides a complete online entertainment experience. Those who subscribe to this premium service can engage in competitive online multiplayer matches, tailor their matchmaking via feedback and accomplishments, and chat with an entire group of friends at a time.

Tags: 360, E3
Posted in Microsoft Xbox360 | No Comments »