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Independent Developers Association (IDEA) has signed an agreement with the experienced game development studio Centauri Production, author of the adventure games Gooka: Mystery of Janatris and the recently released Memento Mori.

The main goal of this cooperation is to strengthen the position of talented developers from the Czech Republic, in a top level environment of global gaming business and to bring its promising titles to more gamers around the world.

“The idea of our association is to support talented local developers and help them to focus directly on development, taking over the main aspects of sales, marketing and PR activities” said Slavomir Pavlicek, CEO of IDEA Games. “Centauri Production is well-established and has a skilled development team. With their projects added as a part of the forthcoming line-up for our association we can increase the impact and standing of the Czech development scene”.

About AlternativA

AlternativA is a classic point&click adventure game based on an original sci-fi/cyber-punk script. The overlying story is composed of a number of shorter stories that lead us through the lives of a number of individual characters as well as the fictional world of the future.

A non-linear storyline full of unexpected turns, logical tasks, historical and scientific facts in an at times spine-chilling atmosphere all blend together to form the experience that is AlternativA.

About Pat & Mat

Pat & Mat is a puzzle adventure game for everyone. All settings are based on the popular TV stop-motion series about two handymen named “Pat & Mat”. Although the game is fully 3D rendered in real time, it still keeps the dreamy look of stop-motion movies (the characters are modelled in “puppet style” and the animations simulate the “stop-motion“style animation process). The player takes control of both Pat & Mat and solves various tasks through the cooperation and help of both characters.

D2C Games’ Professional Bull Riding Game Available Now for Sony PSP and PC

San Mateo, Calif. – Dec. 4, 2008 - D2C Games, Inc., a leading publisher and developer of downloadable interactive entertainment, and Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) announced today that the PBR Out of the Chute for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and PC is exclusively available for download from www.us.playstation.com/PSN/mediamanagerand www.direct2drive.com.

Capturing all the adrenaline and challenge of the Toughest Sport on Dirt™, PBR Out of the Chute lets you play as a top pro bull rider or as a rank bull in multiple events leading up to the World Finals in Las Vegas.

“As the fastest growing sport in North America, PBR brings high-octane action and incredible excitement to PSP® system and PC gamers everywhere,” says Scott Orr, President of D2C Games. “PBR Out of the Chute is a great family game and fun social experience where players take on the roles of rider and bull in the ultimate battle of brains vs. brawn.”

“A two-ton bull is a lot less dangerous on the PSP® system or PC than it is in a PBR arena, but D2C and Totally Games managed to capture the essence of the sport in this game”, says Sean Gleason, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of PBR. “We are extremely proud of PBR Out of the Chute and couldn’t be happier about the relationship with such great game developers and publishers.”

Players may create their own characters and compete as a professional rider or a rank bull through 10 three-round events in multiple lwww.direct2drive.comocations including New York, Anaheim, and Atlanta. Challenge the best or play as top riders including Guilherme Marchi, Justin McBride, and Chris Shivers. Even compete as one of the tour’s rankest bulls, complete with signature moves! Intuitive controls and three difficulty levels allow everyone to pick up and play, have fun, and be challenged for hours. Multiplayer Mode allows players to compete against each other as rider vs. bull in 8 seconds or unlimited time modes. Season Mode features un-lockable riders, bulls, and videos as players compete to become the best rider or bull through the PBR season and win the World Finals in Las Vegas. Become part of the Millionaire’s Club by beating some of the meanest, rankest bulls in the history of the PBR. Realistic sounds, pre-ride commentary, official rules, and heart-pounding music capture the essence of the PBR experience.

PBR Out of the Chute is now available for PSP® system and PC at a suggested retail price of $14.99.

December 4, 2008: Rumbic Studio announces the release of a new casual game. Lost in Reefs 1.0 presents a fascinating story that will hold a player’s attention till the ancient city reveals its hidden mystery. It is not a usual match3 game: a variety of modes, options and tools, advanced graphics and the charming undersea world guarantee fun and delight!

Each player creates his own profile, choosing time mode or relaxed mode. When the mode is selected, it cannot be altered for this profile, but you can change type of game (Swap, Chain or Group type) and structure of playing area. The types differ in the technique of playing: Swap type implies swapping items to make chains of matching ones; Chain type implies selecting chains of matching items; and Group type requires selecting groups of them.

The structure of playing area can consist of squares or hexagons. Whatever is chosen, it strongly affects the tactics of the gameplay. Five different profiles can exist at the same time – quite enough for the whole family.

When the player selects matching items, they blow up and destroy marble plaques. As soon as all the plaques are destroyed, the player goes to the next level. Seems simple? But the 400 levels of the game vary from easy to extremely difficult ones, which require experience and skill: chains, chests and walls are significant obstacles, and each of them needs a special approach to be removed. However, nothing is impossible, as the player is provided with nine useful bonuses (a hammer, a bomb, a mixer, a magnet, a row explosion etc.) and an opportunity to compose “magic figures”. Moreover, nobody will get stuck to one difficult level, because the game can give necessary hints. And if the player fails to pass a certain level for the second time, it will be skipped.

There are several types of items – gold, fish and tools. The player is to collect necessary resources for building the city. Each new building allows collecting another valuable resource. It is possible to look at what is already built – and to enjoy the special feature of Lost in Reefs: the animation of the undersea world and fishes of different types, swimming to and fro. The fishes are afraid of the cursor, and it is fun to chase them! There are twelve types of fishes that become available as the player advances in the game.

The objective of the game is to build and explore the ancient undersea city, but not all the secrets of the older civilization are revealed at once. Only the most skilled and persistent players will discover the wonders of The Heart of the City!

Pricing and Availability
System requirements for Lost in Reefs 1.0:
OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista
CPU: 1.0 GHz
RAM: 128 MB
DirectX: 7.0
Hard Drive: 35 MB

Further information on the product is available athttp://www.rumbic.com/games/lostinreefs

Game information
Legends of Daemonica: Farepoynt’s Purgatory is a full 3D psychological thriller containing unique features, elaborate characters, and a truly non-linear storyline set in the14th Century.
The player controls Nicholas Farepoynt, an obscure character with a troubled past who, along with twelve others, arrives on a mysterious island. It’s at this place they will be purified meaning stripped of their special abilities. The player will have to help Farepoynt escape this island.

Key features
- Fourteen strong and believable characters with multi-layered personalities. You can become their enemy, friend, or leader, and learn about their special abilities and use them to aid Farepoynt on his journey.
- Unique game mechanics such as influencing the present by altering the past or entering other people’s dreams.
- Interesting game puzzles.
- Deep and rich non-linear storyline. Your decisions shape the gameplay experience right from the start of the game. People die or are saved based on your actions. There are no easy or obvious choices to be made.
- Highly detailed full 3D environments and high polygon characters.
- Numerous special effects and shaders such as dynamic weather and lighting, depth of field, and heat haze.
- Dynamic camera allowing the creation of unique cutscenes using techniques such as split screen or picture in picture technology.
- Atmospheric soundtrack

Visit www.legendsofdaemonica.com for more info.

Following an introductory presentation by the Oliver Twins, attendees were given a sneak peek into some of the exciting projects going on at the Leamington Spa-based studios.

Various key members of staff talked eager audience members through TruSim’s Serious Games division, demoed some upcoming games and showed off Blitz Tech’s impressive foray into 3D game technology.

“We’ve now run many open days for students and lecturers and everyone tends to leave on a high, after seeing Blitz in a whole new light with a true appreciation of what we are capable of,” says Blitz CEO Philip Oliver. “And while our staff know what we’re about, it’s important to them and to us that their family and partners understand and feel proud of what they do every day.”

As well as seeing Blitz’s latest projects, attendees were also given an insight into what their relatives/partners get up to on a day-to-day basis and as well as a general overview of the industry.

“The feedback was fantastic” adds Education/HR administrator Elizabeth Miller, organiser of the event. “It seems the idea went down very well with our staff and their family members and partners. It was a bit of an experiment to see how this would work out but I’m pleased with the result. We’re now planning another Family Open Day, this time aimed towards children of Blitz staff, to give our proud parents the chance to show off our heritage of family friendly games.”

Comments from participants include:

“It was a real privilege to be here. Enjoyed it immensely”
“Would have liked to have seen more game and character demos, they were fascinating!”
“Covered all topics hoped for. Very worthwhile”
“Brilliant thanks!”
“A very enjoyable and informative experience.”

Liverpool, 26 November 2008: New Concept Gaming Ltd, a company dedicated to the development and sale of ground breaking products bridging the video game and health and fitness industries, today announced that its first product, jOG™ is now on sale. Compatible with existing games consoles and games, jOG is an accessory that enables gamers to enjoy their favourite titles with a fun, immersive control mechanic at the same time benefitting from aerobic exercise – quite simply, if you want to run in the game you have to run on the spot to go.

In the basic mode of operation, the user plays their game in the normal way but with one significant difference. jOG detects when the player takes a step and only allows movement in the game while the player is jogging on the spot. Direction and all the other functions are still controlled by the standard gamepad. Using this simple approach, the team at New Concept Gaming has created a very powerful visual feedback loop bringing players deeper into the game experience and compelling them to take light exercise for the duration of game play without affecting the balance of gameplay.

jOG can be used to enhance most existing video games that feature character movement on screen –adventure games, shooters, children’s games, RPGs, sports games. Significantly, in its basic mode jOG requires no changes to any game console or software to use. Players just plug in and go.

“Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions in the Western world, and many sedentary activities are being blamed, not least playing video games,” explains Brendan Ludden, Managing Director, New Concept Gaming. “jOG is a great way to banish those criticisms, and help gaming be both fun and healthy. We want to make video games good for you!”

jOG for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system from Sony is available now from www.ncg-jog.com. A special Limited Edition jOG lite compatible with the Wii™ will also be available in December.

After many tries, I have finally been noticed by the powers that be at Atari, and I now have press access, so look for more trailers and picutres to accompany the news about their games :)

Next stop, EA Games!! Let me in! Let me in! 

A lot of this goes to you guys and word of mouth from you about the site, posting links from here to others and hitting us up on Digg, Technorati and others. The few of you that do this help out immensely. I may even be able to have a giveaway in the future if things go well…

-e

Introducing Sting and Storm…

Introducing another in the range of exciting RC  Racing cars, choose your vehicle and start the race!

Sting: Often First Class: Sport. This sport car’s very high speed, power and moderately high handling give it the balance to quickly steal the lead in any race while still being able to manage turns without losing too much speed.

Storm: Aerodynamic Class: Sport. Storm lives up to its name, with its high power and velocity and very minimal control. Learning how to take full advantage of this car’s speed without succumbing to its lack of restraint will take practice.