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Rock Band rings in the New Year with songs from Snow Patrol, Deep Purple, James Gang and Jethro Tull
Cambridge, Mass. – December 23, 2008 – Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of four new tracks to the Rock Band® Music Store catalog of downloadable content from bands Snow Patrol, Deep Purple, James Gang and Jethro Tull.

Scottish alternative band Snow Patrol makes its debut in the Rock Band music catalog offering their first single “Take Back the City” from their new album A Hundred Million Suns (2008).

In addition, the Rock Band music catalog will expand its collection of Deep Purple tracks, giving players access to the classic rock band’s single “Space Truckin”” from the influential album Machine Head (1972). Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” was featured on the original Rock Band soundtrack.

Next week’s offering also includes the classic rock single “Funk #49″ from the album James Gang Rides Again (1970) featuring Joe Walsh, Dale Peters and Jimmy Fox.

The Jethro Tull single”Hymn 43″ will become the second Tull track in the Rock Band music catalog, joining “Aqualung” which was featured on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack. Both songs are from the band’s fourth studio album Aqualung (1971).

These tracks will be available starting December 30, 2008, for the Xbox_360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and January 8, 2008, for PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Each individual track will be available for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points).

Release Date: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360)
Thursday, January 8, 2008 (PlayStation®Store)

Tracks: (Click on track to view music video)
Snow Patrol – Take Back the City
Deep Purple – Space Truckin’
James Gang – Funk #49
Jethro Tull – Hymn 43
(All tracks are original master recordings)

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

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

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

Rock Band 2 is available now for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation 2 systems and the Wii system. The Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 versions support 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.

There are now more than 500 tracks available to date via disc and download purchase (complete list of tracks at www.rockband.com/music). Rock Band continues to satisfy music fans’ and gamers’ voracious appetite for rock with more than 30 million paid 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.

WOW. ’nuff said.

OUTFITS

From day one the developers at Replay Studios knew they didn’t want to simply sensationalize one of the most tragic wars in human history, but to give gamers one of the first true-to-life experiences. An integral part of that mission was to provide players with an intriguing view of the war by portraying a strong, yet normal woman, not only in physique – but also in the reality of her abilities. Violette is a woman who has lost everything dear to her and now has but one goal – to disrupt and destroy the Nazi regime. Completely alone behind enemy lines, Violette has to do whatever it takes to complete her missions with what she has on hand. Everything Violette has must have a meaning and a use, including her clothing. Depending on the mission, Violette has a few sets of clothing that she can use to her advantage.

OUTFIT EXAMPLES

Pilot Outfit – Violette’s mainstay is her standard brown leather jacket and blue canvas cargo pant set. While not exactly all the rage in Milan, this is a very likely outfit of the times; providing the wearer with the storage of cargo pockets, durability of canvas and toughness of the leather. This outfit gives Violette a solid set of threads to get by with. There isn’t too much to be said for these duds, but they get the job done.

Leather Sneaking Suit – The all-leather suit gives Violette a slight edge in darkness. For obvious reasons she’s able to blend in with the shadows much better in this suit. Made of supple leather, this is the ideal outfit for Violette, with the tough, yet soft feel of the leather offering her great flexibility in both combat and stealth.

Nazi Officer Uniform – As the old saying goes, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! Isn’t it funny how they never seem to find the things right under their noses? With one quick wardrobe change, Violette takes on the Nazi Officer uniform and can easily infiltrate enemy ranks. The minute Violette dons the uniform, she takes on the persona of a Nazi officer, walking and saluting to keep the other soldiers completely fooled. As long as Violette doesn’t have any close face-to-face encounters and doesn’t behave suspiciously, she should be able to fool any soldiers she comes upon.

Night Dress – This outfit is completely unsuited to any of the exploits that Violette will undertake, but that’s the point. The entirety of Velvet Assassin is actually a flashback, with Violette remembering her efforts while in a coma. Whenever players get into a tight spot in the game, they can go into Morphine Mode which simulates Violette getting an injection of the drug from her nurse to calm her down as she lives out the horrific memories of war in her violent dreams. When this happens, the action slows down and the world around her becomes more of a dreamscape, and whatever Violette was wearing is temporarily exchanged with the nightie she’s garbed in at the hospital.

Velvet Assassin will be released for Xbox 360 and PC in early 2009. For more information about Velvet Assassin please visit www.velvetassassin.com. For more information about Replay Studios please visit www.replaystudios.de.

I know it’s a day late, but here’s this week’s Wii content!

Dec. 22, 2008 – Did you think Grandma’s house was the only travel destination on your itinerary this holiday season? Think again. Thanks to the Wii™ Shop Channel, you’ve got some extraordinary places to see, from tropical islands and exotic golf courses to a faraway planet in need of triumphant heroes. Whether you play solo or with family and friends, these awesome new offerings are sure to deliver an extra dose of holiday cheer.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare™

Tiki Towers™ (RealArcade, 1 -2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Comic Mischief, 500 Wii Points): Tiki Towers is a game of construction, destruction, problem-solving and monkeys. Reclaim the islands of your tribe by defeating a series of evil enemy chiefs. Work with your monkey friends to build towers out of bamboo poles, coconuts and vines. Match wits against the enemy chiefs bent on destroying your towers and driving you from the islands. Navigate levels filled with crazy building challenges, and deal with unfriendly wildlife and other environmental obstacles. Get your monkeys to chant for the BananaMana necessary to counter enemy attacks. Play in either single-player or two-player cooperative mode in this game where monkeys rule.

Fun! Fun! Minigolf (Shin’en Multimedia, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 900 Wii Points): Play minigolf with your friends in beautiful environments. Choose a character and turn your Wii Remote™ controller into a golf club. With its easy-to-use controls, all you need to do is aim, swing and see who’s the best putter. Play 27 holes spread across America, Asia and Europe. Enjoy exotic locations all over the world. Go for gold in single-player mode, or invite your friends. Fun! Fun! Minigolf supports up to four players. You can use one to four Wii Remote controllers. Fun! Fun! Minigolf is the ultimate party game for everyone.

Virtual Console™

Phantasy Star™ IV (SEGA GENESIS, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Fantasy Violence, Mild Sexual Themes, 800 Wii Points): Phantasy Star IV is the fourth released game from SEGA’s epic Phantasy Star series, one of SEGA’s biggest RPGs on the SEGA GENESIS. In the year AW 2284, planet Motavia is once again plagued by strange biocreatures, and it’s up to the brave men and women of the Hunters Guild to exterminate them. You are Chaz Ashley, a rookie Hunter straight out of training who is supported by Alys Brangwin-a crafty veteran whose good looks and prowess with the blade have earned her an awesome reputation. These two Hunters, along with a cast of supporting characters, will go beyond Motavia to unwittingly save their entire solar system.

Nyko Technologies Unleashes New Wii Accessories Just in Time for Holidays

Doritos: Dash of Destruction
Format: Xbox 360, Xbox Live
Cost: Free download
Points: 200 total

This is just a quickie review, for the game, Doritos: Dash of Destruction. It’s on Xbox Live Arcade right now as a free download, obviously to help the Doritos brand. You control either a Dinosaur trying to destroy the Doritos truck, or a Doritos truck trying to avoid the dinosaur and make deliveries to the “chips” on the board.  There’s not much depth here, but you get 6 levels (12 total) of easy distraction. They do have a skill level increase, but nothing too difficult. The dinosaur missions are a bit tougher, because he’s fairly large, and not as easy to control. It’s also the most fun to be the dinosaur, as you can destroy all buildings in your way. You can’t jump, so water is your enemy. With each level, you get upgraded, either with cybernetics or vehicle upgrades.

The graphics aren’t too flashy, and it’s worth mentioning that NinjaBee, creators of Kingdom for Keflings. If you’ve played that game, you know their quirky graphic style, and it’s here, making the game fun the see the first time around.

The music is unmemorable, but didn’t get in the way of the game either. You know when the new cars appear, or the dinosaurs are coming.

There’s not a whole lot of replay value, and you can probably finish the game in 20 min if you’re hardcore. The kids love being a dinosaur, and have probably fully played out the game many times over, just to destroy the buildings. It is a fun, fast way to get 200 points, but that’s about it.

Rating 2.5 of 5 – Nothing wrong with the gameplay or graphics, it’s just what it was designed for, a short, playable advertisement for Doritos.

Top-Selling MLB Franchise Ready to Toss Another Complete Game with Enhanced Franchise Options, In-Game Pitcher and Batter Analysis, and Online League Play

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Dec. 22 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) announced today the North American release of MLB 09 The Show(TM) available for PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)), PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable), and PlayStation(R)2. MLB 09 The Show will arrive in stores in time for Spring Training as the longest running, officially licensed baseball title, delivering true-to-life gameplay, deeper franchise and season modes, and incredible detail not found in any other title.

“The MLB franchise has been recognized as the industry leader in terms of realism and overall gameplay and we’re looking to stay at the forefront by taking it to another level with MLB 09 The Show,” said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President, Product Marketing, SCEA. “With enhanced gameplay features and more attention to detail than ever before, MLB 09 The Show is prepared to deliver an unsurpassed next-gen baseball experience.”

MLB 09 The Show continues to set itself apart from the other MLB games on the market with its attention to detail and unparalleled gameplay. Looking to build on that reputation, the game has added several new features and subtleties that play a huge role in bringing the baseball experience to life. Incredible stadium detail and signage, wear and tear on the field, dusk to night lighting transitions, and stadium JumboTron animations help immerse users in the ultimate baseball experience.

The popular “Road to the Show” feature returns, giving fans the chance to play offense and defense and truly immerse themselves in gameplay from a custom-created player’s perspective. This year, Road to the Show includes interactive training and coaching as users navigate through a career that culminates with a shot at the big leagues. “Online Season Leagues” are also newly available, allowing fully functional drafts and providing players with a flex calendar to play games ahead in the schedule. Also back for PS3 and PlayStation 2 is “Franchise Mode,” complete with the long anticipated 40-man roster. In Franchise Mode, fans must think and act like an owner while dealing with issues such as salary arbitration, waiver transactions, and September call-ups along the way. However winning games isn’t the only thing that matters, as users must deal with clubhouse chemistry, roster management, and other issues that arise over the course of a season.

MLB 09 The Show brings back the ability to create custom music tracks using the “My MLB Music” feature. However for this year, players will be able to edit music tracks to assign batter walk-up tunes using the “Custom Music” feature. Additionally, fans can record their own customized chants and yells and integrate them seamlessly into the ambient crowd noise to create an even more personalized rivalry.

The popular “Pitcher/Batter Analysis” feature returns on MLB 09 The Show for PS3 and PSP, detailing the breakdown of how a batter has performed based on pitch type and result. The game offers up 17 different pitch types for players to master and MLB 09 The Show details the different pitch grips and arm angles that hitters must address. Players can also hone their skills using a wide variety of “Training/Practice” drills, with each set of drills focusing on a different area of the game. Utilizing the “Progressive Batting Performance” feature, players are rewarded for superior skills at the plate but are also penalized for hitting slumps.

Once users master the basics and create highlights of their own, they can save each dazzling play to the PS3 hard drive with the “Replay Vault” feature, where every key play in the field and clutch at-bat can be replayed at any time. Also new to the highlight system is “End of Game Replays” where users are given an instant post-game summary of the most exciting and important plays of the game.

For fans who want to take their game on the road, MLB 09 The Show for PSP delivers big baseball action in the palm of your hand by utilizing core gameplay features found on the PS3 version. Unique to PSP, MLB 09 The Show will feature “SportsConnect News2Go” which offers fans the ability to go online to select and save the latest news feeds to their Memory Stick Duo and review at their leisure.

Exclusive for PlayStation 2 is the unrivaled “Player Creator”, providing users with endless possibilities for creating players, including everything down to their player’s face with EyeToy(R). Users can also adjust their personal rituals, swings, and even emotions as they create and place themselves in the heat of a pennant race.

Paradox send along a few Christmas cards in the e-mail, advertising Majesty 2….and wishing Happy Holidays to all. Here’s one of those awesome cards!

A workman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well. Today, the Aurora Blade team (http://ab.igg.com) is giving a brief introduction on equipment Refining and Enchanting system for all players.

In Aurora Blade, although characters are powerful, it is still difficult for them to fight against the evils that plague the world. They must enhance their abilities with the help of equipment. The most important thing for them to know is how to enhance their equipment. This depends a lot on the Refining and Enchanting systems which the Aurora Blade team has talked a little about here.

The gear that players obtain from monsters or that they have bought can be upgraded. They can improve the level of all gear, including two-handed weapons, one-handed weapons, ranged weapons, magic weapons, breastplates, padding, leggings, shoes and assistant hand gear. But they must first refine gear before enchanting it. If players want to refine their gear, they first need to talk to the Refining Master, and choose [Refining/Leveling up equipment]

However, failure is always an option when attempting to refine or enchant gear, because players are unable to completely control the supernatural powers involved in the process. Players who are skilled as well as extremely lucky will obtain top equipment. However, this should not discourage players from trying, because if they don’t give it a try, they will have obtained nothing. Remember, nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

Next time a player walks by proudly wearing some fancy equipment, don’t envy his luck or the size of his money pouch. Simply use it as fuel for the determination to succeed!

For more information about Aurora Blade can visit: http://ab.igg.com/news/news.php?aid=131.