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Comic Gives New Details on Deckard’s Battle Against the Black Order

Spark Unlimited announced today that its 96-page graphic novel adaptation of Legendary is now on shelves. Written by comic book veteran, Mark Waid, and penciled by Top Cow Production artist Martin Montiel, readers are given further insight into Charles Deckard, the main character of both the graphic novel and the game.

Based on Spark Unlimited’s upcoming action game that pits players against werewolves, minotaurs, griffons and a horde of other mythological beasts let loose in the modern day, the Legendary graphic novel is filled with story details not available elsewhere. Not only will readers learn more about the backstory of Deckard, the main character in Legendary, they’ll also come to learn how exactly he became involved with Pandora’s Box, his dealings with the Black Order, and how he ultimately comes to terms with being the world’s unwitting savior against the hordes of mythological beasts that threaten mankind’s extinction.

“Our primary focus at Spark is all about making Legendary an epic gameplay experience,” said Craig Allen, CEO of Spark Unlimited. “However, there was a lot more of the story we wanted to tell and so we reached out to Mark Waid and invited him to create a unique expression of Legendary’s characters and narrative as a graphic novel.”

Mark Waid began working in the comic book industry as a writer in the early 1980s and eventually became an editor for DC Comics. He is perhaps best known for his graphic novel KINGDOM COME and SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT – a 12 part limited series generally considered the new official origin story for the Man of Steel. Currently he is Editor-In-Chief of the new comic publishing group Boom! Studios.

“Working with Spark as a writer was great fun,” commented Mark Waid, Editor-In-Chief of Boom! Studios, “because they gave me the creative freedom to adapt their game world into my own vision of how the narrative should be structured to work well on the page.”

“It only makes sense that any adaptation of the game be an equally epic experience,” added Renae Geerlings, Legendary’s graphic novel’s Editor, “and so we worked hard to assemble some of comic’s greatest talent to produce this graphic novel, and together they’ve truly created something incredible.

The Legendary graphic novel is available now at all fine comic retailers for an MSRP of $14.99 (USD).

About Legendary
Legendary places you in the shoes of art thief, Charles Deckard, as he becomes the unwitting pawn in a centuries old struggle over Pandora’s Box. Tricked into opening it, Deckard becomes inexorably linked to its fate and single-handedly responsible for unleashing its mythological creatures upon the modern world.

Please visit www.legendarythegame.com for more info.

MTV Games and Harmonix Release AC/DC Live: Rock Band® Track Pack^TM — Available This Sunday at All Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Locations Nationwide

Cambridge, Mass. – October 31, 2008 – Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game development company, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), announced today the release of AC/DC Live: Rock Band® Track Pack^TM, the video game that gives music fans a whole new way to experience rock’s hardest hitting act with access to 18 live recordings from AC/DC’s epic, live performance at Castle Donington.

AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack is available starting this Sunday, November 2, 2008, nationwide at all “AC/DC Rock Again” store areas within Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club locations for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®2 computer and entertainment system. In addition, the game will be available at the AC/DC Rock Band “pop up” stores in New York City at the MTV Store in Times Square and in Los Angeles at Hollywood and Highland, in partnership with MTV. AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack will be available in the U.S. on the Wii^TM home video game console from Nintendo on November 16, 2008.

AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack marks the first time the iconic rock band has released an entire album for video game play. The band’s first inclusion in a music-based video game came with the launch of Rock Band 2, which featured AC/DC’s “Let There Be Rock”.

The AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack set list includes18 live tracks with more than 100 minutes of game play for each instrument:

“Thunderstruck”
“Shoot to Thrill”
“Back in Black”
“Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be”
“Heatseeker”
“Fire Your Guns”
“Jailbreak”
“The Jack”
“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
“Money Talks”
“Hell’s Bells”
“High Voltage”
“Whole Lotta Rosie”
“You Shook Me All Night Long”
“T.N.T.”
“Let There Be Rock”
“Highway To Hell”
“For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”

All tracks from the AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band Track Pack are also available for play in Rock Band and Rock Band 2by entering a special export authentication code for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system versions.

Pricing Info:

AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack (Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system) MSRP $39.88

AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack (PlayStation 2 system) MSRP $29.88

AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band Track Pack will also be released in Europe, Australia and New Zealand this December on Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 system, PlayStation 2 system and Wii.

AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band Track Pack follows the debut of AC/DC’s newest album, “Black Ice,” which features the first release of all-new material from the band in eight years. The album has quickly become the #1 selling album in the U.S. since its release on October 20th, selling more than 780,000 units. “Black Ice” also represents the first time an AC/DC album has debuted at #1 in the US. “Black Ice” is available now exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam Club retail locations as well as through www.walmart.com, www.samsclub.com and on the band’s web site www.acdc.com.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

Electronic Arts is the exclusive distribution partner for Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band Track Pack.

20 Free DLC Tracks for Rock Band 2 Owners Available Starting November 4th

Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of five new tracks to the Rock Band® Music Store catalog of downloadable content. To celebrate the upcoming election this week’s lineup will feature a 3-pack from alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America, which includes hits “Dune Buggy,” “Feather Pluckn’” and “Ladybug.” The three tracks join one of the band’s best selling singles “Lump,” which is already featured on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack.

In addition, Fall Out Boy offers up its new single “I Don’t Care,” for the Rock Band Music Store. The track comes from the band’s new album, Folie á Deux, due out December 16 2008. “I Don’t Care” will become the third Rock Band DLC release from Fall Out Boy. The band’s first single “Dead On Arrival” was featured on the original Rock Band soundtrack and “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race” was released as downloadable content in May.

Plus, rock band Hinder joins the Rock Band catalog of downloadable content for the first time with the release of “Use Me,” the single featured on the band’s new album Take It To the Limit launching the same day.

As previously announced, MTV Games and Harmonix will also release 20 free DLC tracks for Rock Band 2 owners [1] on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The 20 free tracks, which range all genres of rock from up-and-coming artists, combined with the 84 tracks already available on the Rock Band 2 game disc make for a total of 104 songs on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack. The 20 free DLC tracks can be accessed by using the DLC redemption code located within the game’s retail packaging.

Each track will be available starting on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4, 2008, for the Xbox®360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and November 6, 2008, for PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainmentsystem. Each individual track will be available for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) or $5.49 (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for The Presidents of the United States of America 3-pack. Fall Out Boy and Hinder tracks will be available for a one month special offer of $.99 (80 Microsoft Points.) Prices good until December 2, 2008 on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and December 4, 2008 for PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, when they return to the regular price point of $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360.)

Release date: Tuesday, November 4, 2008 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360)
Thursday, November 6, 2008 (PlayStation®Store)

Tracks: The Presidents of the United States of America – Dune Buggy”
The Presidents of the United States of America – “Feather Pluckn’”
The Presidents of the United States of America – “Ladybug”
Fall Out Boy – “I Don’t Care”
Hinder – “Use Me”

Price: $.99 (80 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) Fall Out Boy and Hinder one month special offer

$1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track

$5.49 (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for The Presidents of the United States of America 3-pack

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Locations: Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 and PlayStation®Network

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **

With the addition of these tracks there are now more than 400 tracks available to date via disc and download purchase (complete list of tracks at www.rockband.com/dlc). Rock Band continues to fly off shelves and satisfy music fans and gamers’ voracious appetite for rock with more than 25 million downloads since its launch on November 20, 2007. The Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks and packs from the vast selection of
offerings available to date without ever leaving the game as they build their own custom Rock Band library.

Rock Band and Rock Band 2 allow online play and features that expand the boundaries of music gaming. Rock Band downloadable content is playable and integrated into setlists in all game modes. In order to play downloadable content for head-to-head matches or multiplayer online, all players must own the same downloadable track. Downloadable content for Xbox 360 is available for purchase via Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360 using Microsoft Points and is downloaded directly to the hard drive of Xbox 360. Downloadable content for the PLAYSTATION 3 system’s version of Rock Band is available for purchase on the PlayStation®Store through the free PlayStation®Network and is downloaded directly to PLAYSTATION 3 system’s built in hard drive.

Rock Band 2 for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system is now available nationwide and supports all previously downloaded content. The groundbreaking music platform that forever changed the face of music video games is committed to taking gaming to the next level with the evolution of the franchise. Rock Band 2 will be available for additional platforms later this year.

Rock Band and Rock Band 2 are rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

For more information on Rock Band2 and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com

Demo Already a Smash Hit on Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network with Nearly One Million Downloads to Date

SAN FRANCISCO – October 31, 2008 – Kicking off the countdown to the game’s release, Ubisoft announced today that a playable demo of Tom Clancy’s EndWar(TM) for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system is now available to consumers. The demo is free and offered for download on the PLAYSTATION®Network.

“The EndWar demo is already a smashing success with more than 900,000 players participating and experiencing the game on Xbox LIVE – making it the biggest demo download in the history of the Clancy franchise,” said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “Ubisoft is thrilled to now be offering PLAYSTATION 3 system owners an opportunity to experience such innovative gameplay for themselves before the game’s release next week.”

The demo features both single-player and multiplayer gameplay. The single-player portion of the demo is part of the “Prelude to War” campaign, serving as a tutorial for players. The multiplayer portion contains one mode, Conquest, and one map, Kennedy Space Center. The multiplayer demo contains one-versus-one functionality and includes full matchmaking capabilities.

Tom Clancy’s EndWar will ship in North America for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION 3 system on November 4, 2008.

Important Info for MotoGP 08 PC

Capcom regrets to inform consumers who have recently purchased the PC version of MotoGP 08 that we have just identified a technical issue with the PC version of the game. This issue only happens with MotoGP 08 PC when installing the game to a custom location on a hard drive; This issue does not affect the default installation, as it only occurs when the destination location has been changed.

To avoid this problem, please do not use the custom installation option to change the destination location for the game.

When the MotoGP 08 InstallShield Wizard reaches the step labeled “Choose Destination Location”, the default installation directory will be displayed (“C:\Program Files\Capcom\MotoGP 08”). Select “Next” to continue to the next step. Do not press the “Change” button.

In the next few days, Capcom will be releasing a patch for MotoGP 08 that will correct this issue. We regret any inconvenience that this may have caused our MotoGP community.

Release dates as follow:

The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions will be shipping on November 4^th, and the PC version will be shipping on November 18^th.

Here’s some fresh screens to keep you going for the next few days…

Scientists Uncover Irrefutable Evidence that Single-Player PC Gaming is not Dead as CD Projekt RED’s RPG of the Year Breaks Sales Milestone

Warsaw, Poland – October 30 – All the ghouls, vampires and wenches in the world couldn’t stop the white-haired Geralt from conquering the world! CD Projekt RED is proud to announce that The Witcher, the epic RPG that puts players in the morally lenient boots of the aforementioned anti-hero, has sold more than a million copies to real, live people since its release twelve months ago. Scientific research has proven that those sales numbers are quite good for a debut game based on a relatively unfamiliar IP from an unknown studio on a “dead” platform.

The news comes just weeks after the release of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, which was developed based on fan feedback to further improve the game that was named PC RPG of the Year by IGN, GameSpy, PC Gamer, Play and many more. The studio spent close to a year improving various facets of the game to deliver the ultimate role-playing game, then released the update for free to existing fans and loaded the retail package with extra value to encourage retail sales. As always, it seems that the customer is always right, as the Enhanced Edition is getting higher review scores than the original across the globe.

“We created The Witcher with the intent of becoming an acclaimed and successful development studio that always made games for its fans; we spent more than $11 million developing The Witcher and the Enhanced Edition, and it sure is nice to make some of that money back!” said Adam Kicinski, CEO of CD Projekt RED. “The success of The Witcher has ensured that we’ll be able to make the games we want – and the games that fans want – for the foreseeable future, and the amazing response we had from the gaming community to the Enhanced Edition really reinforced that we’re on the right track with our development philosophy. We really couldn’t have achieved this sort of success without the support of our amazing fans.”

“This is really just the beginning for us,” said Michal Kicinski, co-founder of CD Projekt. “There are a lot more places to explore in the world of The Witcher and there’s obviously a huge audience out there that would still love to see the game on consoles… we’re PC developers first and foremost, but you never know! We’ve already unveiled our DRM-free classic-games distribution site at GOG.com, and we intend to build that site aggressively in the coming months. We’re also rather close to breaking our silence about the multi-platform project underway at Metropolis Software, in which we recently acquired a majority stake. Needless to say, we’re very excited about the future and we think gamers will be, too!”

A video celebrating The Witcher’s anniversary, featuring footage of unannounced upcoming titles was released earlier today at GameTrailers.com (HD version at http://www.gametrailers.com/player/42116.html). For more information about The Witcher visit http://www.thewitcher.com.

http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/achievements/

Deep Silver, the games label of Koch Media, a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products, today published new background information on their free to play urban MMO 7Million. The latest addition to the site www.7million.com will provide a closer look into one of the three factions controlling Paradise City and introduce some of the movers and shakers players may meet.

Paradise City, a bustling metropolis where our story unfolds, is controlled by three major factions that have divvied up the city’s many districts amongst them. The first faction to be presented is the Cúram, a clandestine brotherhood dating back to the time when the city was founded. Known for never letting the truth get in the way of telling a good tale this group of fierce individualists is shrouded in countless legends – some of which are actually true! The website portrait provides information on the philosophy, structure, and status of the Cúram, as well as presenting some of their members. Details about the other two major factions in Paradise City will follow soon.

7Million is a free massively multiplayer online game, set in a modern world full of life, glamour, and spectacular heists. The freely explorable setting of Paradise City serves as a background for numerous thrilling missions, and as a meeting point for gamers from all over the world who meet and team up here with their individually created characters.

7Million is developed by Team Vienna and produced by Cliffhanger Productions.

Liezen (Austria), 30 October 2008. Vanilla Live Games are pleased to announce the arrival of a new car to join in the ranks along-side the Volvo C30 T5 and VW Golf GTI in their game BETandRACE, the new is the “Ford Focus ST” which has been described as ‘energy in motion’ which is based around Ford kinetic Design philosophy which means it looks stunning, athletic and dynamic.

BETandRACE, which is the first casual online arcade racing game, where the user has the possibility to race in real cities, with authentic cars against real opponents for real money. The user has the chance to select between different cars (such as Volkswagen). The game contains three track-types in each city: a round circuit, a sprint track and a drag track, so download and strap yourself into the driving seat www.betandrace.com.

The user has the possibility to train offline and improve his own racing times. When you play online in the ‘play money mode’ you can race against 7 opponents to train up your skills.

It’s possible to race for play money, which you receive for free from Vanilla Live Games when you register for the game. Real racing atmosphere offers the real money mode (you must be 18+), where you can multiply your stake with only a €1,- bet against 7 opponents. Great money- and goods prizes are waiting for you from September on which you can win in tournaments.  You can already pre-register at www.betandrace.com.