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Following in the footsteps of prospectors and frontiersman of years past, Gamecock Media Group is saddling up and heading west – to PAX of course! This year’s expo is poised to break last year’s attendance numbers and the Gamecock crew is going to be there in full effect! They’ll set up base camp at BOOTH 352 with hands-on gaming and special developer demos as far as the eye can see.

Just to give you a quick update on what they’re planning, be ready to get your hands-on four titles and see one kick-ass developer demo. 

Hands-On Play
Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi (DS)
Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars (Wii)
Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball (Xbox Live Arcade)
Legendary (Xbox 360)

Developer Demos
Developers from Red Fly Studio will be on hand to give detailed demos of Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars at various times during the show hours.

Developers from Replay Studios will be present to demo Velvet Assassin for all anxious onlookers.

Not only will there be a plethora of gaming goodness, but also be sure to stop by and meet the one and only Melinda Cohen; the model and voice actress bringing Violette Summer to life in Velvet Assassin.

Here’s a full listing with descriptions of titles that Gamecock has to offer the faithful Penny Arcade Fans.

Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi (Nintendo DS) and
Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars (Nintendo Wii)
www.mushroommen.com

Developed by Red Fly Studio in Austin, Mushroom Men gives players the opportunity to jump into the fantastic microcosm that is the backyard battlefield. Join in the fight from a three inch perspective, creating devastating weapons from everyday items and teaming up with other sentient plant forms that’ll leave the enemy sliced and diced. Let the stylus be your rapier and the Wii Remote your crossbow as you cut down the multitude of household pests that threaten our very existence! Both titles will be available for hands-on access as well as special developer demonstrations of the Wii version at the booth.
Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball (Xbox Live Arcade)
www.piratesvsninjas.com

Developed by Blazing Lizard in Austin, Pirates vs. Ninjas™ Dodgeball brings the ancient debate to the apex of competitive sports. Dodgeballs in hand, the nautical outlaws square off against stealthy martial artists in beautifully designed 3-D environments. In addition to pirates and ninjas, gamers will also be able to unlock special zombie and robot teams. Each team has its own unique style and every character has its own devastating special move. The title will include Exhibition & Story that include traditional and enhanced dodgeball modes with multiplayer support for 4 players Local / 8 players Online.
Legendary (Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION3, PC)
www.legendarythegame.com

Developed by Spark Unlimited in Los Angeles, Legendary centers on the greatest creatures of myth and lore, locked away by ancient forces in Pandora’s Box in order to preserve humanity. There they have spent eons waiting to be freed in order to rule the world once more. When a thief named Deckard is hired to steal an ancient artifact, he unwittingly triggers a war between man and myth. Now he is the only one capable of preventing the destruction of civilization. Giant griffons rule the skies and werewolves tear at the flesh of the innocent as cities are held under siege by creatures we’d dismissed as the imaginings of our ancestors. As the only person able to seal Pandora’s Box and return the beasts to their prison, Deckard must work with a shadowy secret paramilitary society to save our civilization before it’s torn apart by tooth and claw.
Velvet Assassin (PC, Xbox 360)
www.velvetassassin.com 

Developed by Replay Studios in Hamburg, Germany – players assume the role of Violette Summer – a British secret agent during World War II as she heads deep behind enemy lines with no support or official backing from the British Government. Violette risks her life fighting to defeat the German war machine one stealth mission at a time. Velvet Assassin combines lush, surreal visuals and a ground-breaking stealth combat system to deliver a gaming experience which is truly the first of its kind.

LOS ANGELES – August 25, 2008
TOMY Corporation and D3Publisher (D3P), publishers of interactive entertainment software, today released a new trailer for the upcoming NARUTO: Path of the Ninja 2 game for the Nintendo DS™ based on the hit animated series from VIZ Media. Path of the Ninja 2 is an action role-playing game that follows Naruto, Sasuke, and their band of ninja as they journey from the Hidden Leaf Village to fight a new evil. Players can customize their ninja squad and learn new jutsu attacks to help Naruto defend his friends against a legion of never-before-seen villains.

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About NARUTO: Path of the Ninja 2
NARUTO: Path of the Ninja 2 will feature a deep, original storyline and provide players with access to 30 major characters from the series. The improved and intuitive battle system will make it easy for even the newest fighters to get into the combat, using the Touch Screen to unleash devastating melee and jutsu attacks on any opponent foolish enough to get in their way. The new Squad Leader and Ninja Tag systems provide even more squad-building options, while the Wi-Fi multiplayer feature offers aspiring ninja the chance to take on challengers from around the world.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJfzVLkoP0M]

For more information on NARUTO please visit www.naruto.com. For more information on NARUTO: Path of the Ninja 2, please visit www.Naruto.Tomy-usa.com.

Austin, Texas – August 26, 2008
Empire Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of Silverstar Holdings (NASDAQ: SSTR), today announced that Jagged Alliance for Nintendo DS™ is currently under development by Strategy First Inc. and Cypron Studios.

Jagged Alliance is an explosive fusion of role-playing game and turn-based tactical combat, allowing players to become fully immersed in their characters. A new generation of gamers will be charged with liberating the Island of Metavira through the nonlinear gameplay that made the 1994 original so popular amongst gamers.

“Jagged Alliance provides an exciting blend of RPG and turn-based action, which has already won over fans worldwide,” said James Spice, vice president of marketing at Empire Interactive. “It’s the right time to bring the game’s frenetic battles to Nintendo DS and offer a new generation of players an exhilarating gameplay experience.”

“Jagged Alliance for DS is one of the many highlights in our upcoming release pipeline and this announcement augments Empire’s commitment to bringing quality titles to a global market,” said Clive Kabatznik, CEO of Silverstar Holdings. “The title will prove to be a truly entertaining experience for DS gamers.”

Under Empire Interactive’s recent distribution arrangement with Atari, Inc., Jagged Alliance will be distributed exclusively by Atari in North America.

GOA to service the Global Free-to-Play, Micro-Transaction Based Online Game in 56 European Territories

Orange County, CALIF.-August 27, 2008 – Global online game publisher True Games Interactive(www.truegamesinteractive.com) announced today that it has signed an exclusive deal with GOA, Orange’s Games Unit. GOA will exclusively publish, distribute and operate True Games’s upcoming online title from Petroglyph Studios.  In April of this year, True Games announced that it has partnered with award-winning game developer Petroglyph Studios on an upcoming Free-to-Play micro-transaction based online game for the PC.  GOA will manage the launch and all operations for major European territories and True Games will operate the North American version. True Games is also currently in negotiations for the game with partners in multiple Asian territories.

“When we partnered with Petroglyph our pledge to them was that we would make their game a global sensation and that we would work with only the highest quality partners like GOA to help support it,” said Jeff Lujan, Founder and Chairman of True Games Interactive. “Traditionally worldwide partners license a game after it’s been completed, but we are working across the globe to locate partners who can contribute to design direction and adapt the game for cultural tastes in each territory for a true worldwide launch.” 

GOA currently operates one of the largest casual gaming portals in Europe and also publishes EA Mythic’s hugely popular MMO, Dark Age of Camelot and will soon launch EA Mythic’s, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning in Europe.

“GOA’s products are only the highest quality, highly anticipated products in the online gaming category and that is why Petroglyph and True Games’ project is such a perfect fit. We are confident that our audience will be very enthusiastic about this game and that it will be a major title,” said Ghislaine Le Rhun, Executive Director of GOA.

Best known for its award winning Star Wars®: Empire At WarT and Universe at WarT series, Petroglyph Studios members also played a key role in creating the original Command and ConquerT series, while at Westwood Studios. The studio partnered with True Games earlier this year to bring a new online RTS micro-transaction based game to PC’s. This will be the studio’s first micro transaction based game.

To this point the companies have kept details quiet on the game but intend on making a major announcement soon regarding the full features of the highly-anticipated new game.
 
“Whenever we approach a potential partner for this exciting new game their eyes immediately light up,” said Bob Drobish, CEO of True Games. “With Petroglyph’s pedigree and their loyal following of fans we are sure this product will be a worldwide success–it is just a matter of choosing the right partners– and we couldn’t be more certain of our partnership with GOA.”

For more information about True Games Interactive visit the company’s website at www.truegamesinteractive.com.

AUSTIN, TX – August 27, 2008 – Pangea Software, Inc. is proud to announce a special seven day promotion for the award winning physics based puzzle game, Enigmo available for the Apple® iPhone™ and iPod® touch. Consumers who download the game beginning at 9a.m. PST on Wednesday, August 27, through 9p.m. on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 will enjoy a special promotional price of $5.99, a drop from the standard cost of $9.99.
 
Enigmo, recently named as a ‘Showcase Winner’ at the Austin Independent Games Festival and voted “Best iPhone Game” at Apple’s 2008 World Wide Developer Conference, is the ultimate 3D puzzle game for the Apple® iPhone™ and iPod® touch! To complete each level the player will need to manipulate various streams of flowing liquid so that the droplets can reach their destination. Liquids (water, oil, and lava) fall from droppers, and will bounce off walls in a visually stunning cascade. By moving various types of bumpers, sliders, accelerators, and sponges, the player diverts the flow of the falling droplets. The faster players complete each level the more bonus points they receive.
 
Enigmo Features:
• Full interaction using the iPhone and iPod touch screens
• 50 challenging levels for extended play
• Move and rotate the various puzzle pieces to solve incredible 3D puzzles
 
For more information about Pangea Software or its products please visit: www.pangeasoft.net.
 
To purchase Enigmo, please visit the App Store at: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=281736535&mt=8.

Alien Crush Returns and Bomberman Blast WiiWare to Make First Public Appearances At Show in Booth 261

REDWOOD CITY, CA – August 27, 2008 – Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm for HUDSON SOFT, today announced their lineup for the Penny Arcade Expo 2008 that takes place in Seattle later this week.  The Hudson lineup includes  Alien Crush Returns and Bomberman Blast both for Wii(tm) on WiiWare(tm) as well as Fishing Master World Tour and Deca Sports (both for Wii). PAX takes place in Seattle Friday, August 29, and runs through Sunday, August 31. The company will be exhibiting in booth 261 all three days.

Information on each title that will be on exhibit at the show is listed below. For more information on Hudson at PAX or any of these titles, please visit www.Hudsonentertainment.com.

Bomberman Blast (WiiWare)
Bomberman Blast is an all-new Bomberman for digital download for WiiWare on Wii. Retaining the classic features Bomberman fans have come to love such as online multiplayer battles and numerous arenas, Bomberman Blast also incorporates new gameplay elements, including the use of Miis(tm) and 8-person online multiplayer – the first time for Bomberman on the Wii! Players can battle it out with each other worldwide going solo or as part of a team. By using their Mii character, gamers will have the opportunity to show off their Mii by suiting him or her up into a Bomberman costume, then blowing away the competition! Now who has the best Mii?

Alien Crush Returns (WiiWare)
Alien Crush Returns is a sci-fi pinball game based on the classic TurboGrafx-16 Alien Crush series.  In extraordinary pinball fashion, the game offers gameplay spanning two screens, providing players a lot of real estate to rack in points, multipliers, and bonuses. The game is played across multiple boards, all of which feature an eerie alien landscape and enemies that try to prevent pinball perfection. For players who are confident in their alien crushing skills, they can go online to play against friends to see who can get the highest score! Alien Crush Returns is the only pinball game for WiiWare that lets gamers compete head to head online. In addition, the game includes online leader boards for score-obsessed pinball players.

FISHING MASTER WORLD TOUR (Wii)
Coming to North America in Q1 2009, FISHING MASTER WORLD TOUR offers over 200 different types of fish to catch, enabling players to catch fish in their native waters around the world in the first ever global fishing game on Wii. FISHING MASTER WORLD TOUR  offers over forty different locations to fish from in seven different regions. Players can fish on Easter Island, under the Golden Gate Bridge, on the Amazon River and many more exotic global locations. Staying true to the first version’s realistic controls, anglers use the Wii Remote(tm) and Nunchuk(tm) to battle fish just like in real life.  Pull the Wii Remote left and right as the fish fights from the end of the line and adjust the drag to avoid breaking the line. Once players have their skills down, they can compete with friends with four-person multiplayer modes, catch rare fish with exclusive boss battle controls or jump online in Wi-Fi leaderboards tracking the best players in the U.S.

DECA SPORTS(tm)(Wii)
DECA SPORTS(tm), a unique ten-sport game, exclusive to Wii(tm), is now available at retail for $29.99 SRP. Combining ten sporting events into one game, players can compete in beach volleyball, snowboard cross, badminton, basketball, curling, figure skating, archery, supercross, soccer and kart racing. The game offers a wide variety of sporting events and activities, some rarely seen in a video game. Designed with pick-up-and-play intuitive controls for the Wii Remote(tm) and in three sports, the Nunchuk, DECA SPORTS also includes advanced controls for power spikes, curls, and mid air tricks for the gamer!

Agetec’s New Adventure Game Makes Saving the World Fashionable

Sunnyvale, CA – August 26, 2008 – Agetec today announced that its newest adventure game, Falling Stars for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, has shipped to North American retailers everywhere. The title is the perfect entry point for the younger generation to have their first taste of a role playing experience. 

“Falling Stars is a great game the whole family will appreciate,” said Mark Johnson, Producer at Agetec. “Its cute characters, fun quests, and challenging mini-games are something kids will really enjoy, while the lack of blood and gore usually found in games will prove to be a pleasant change for parents.”

In Falling Stars, players take on the role of Luna, a young girl living in Dazzleon, a land that knows no evil. All of this changes when Luna’s Uncle Matt comes to visit and discovers a curiously strange mine. Matt, intrigued by the mine, decides to make Dazzleon his new home and strikes up his own investigation. He slowly starts becoming possessed by the mine and begins obsessively performing evil experiments. Soon, Matt turns his attention onto his cute and loveable pets, eventually turning them all into hideous and evil monsters. Shortly after realizing her uncle’s lost all the good in his heart, Luna decides to take it upon herself to save him from his own madness and prevent Dazzleon from suffering a gruesome fate.

Falling Stars is rated “E” for everyone and is available for MSRP of $14.99.

For more information check out www.agetec.com