Gamersnewsbits.com

With the occasion of new version 2.0 release fast approaching and to let more players be able to enjoy our VIP service and privileges, Tales of Pirates online (http://top.igg.com) has sent out their honorary invitations to players. We hope that this will give everyone the chance to experience many more great exclusive VIP events. Now let’s take a glance at the Star Services and Privileges of our TOP VIP’s.
I． About TOP VIP:
VIP players in TOP can wear an Exclusive VIP Necklace. VIP accounts can be divided into three grades: 1-Star, 2-Star and 3-Star. VIP privilege is valid for one year only, after that all VIP accounts should apply to extend their VIP privileges.

If Non-VIP accounts will upgrade to 1-Star VIP Account after their purchase reach $399 USD. Once 1-Star VIP accounts purchase overt $600 USD within the 12 months valid period, they can upgrade to 2-Star VIP Account. If 2-Star VIP purchases $2000 USD or more within the valid period, they can became 3-Star VIP.

II．VIP’s in-game privileges and special services:
1. You will be given a special birthday gift: a birthday cake (Each cake adds 1 stat point to a Character).
2. On reaching 1-Star VIP grade you will obtain a Christmas dinner.
3. You will be compensated for main item losses resulting from hacked accounts once per year. (Item Recovery is included if data retrieval is possible.)
4. You will receive special news offers and game information.
5. You will receive special VIP Support to help quickly resolve problems in game.
6. VIP rights and privileges apply to all IGG games.
7. You will be eligible to attend our very exclusive VIP only events.
8. A 3-Star VIP Account may have a bound account with partial VIP privileges.
Become a TOP VIP player and not only get hold of an unique necklace but also enjoy exclusive VIP privileges as well as being eligible to take part in our exclusive VIP events. It sounds like a dream come true! Click the link provided to view past great VIP events held by IGG to get an idea of what could be in store for you too!
For more detailed info about our VIP privileges, visit: http://vip.igg.com/what.php.

Galaxy Online: New Server Released

 

Galaxy Online (http://go.igg.com) is very happy to announce that a new server named “Gemini” was launched on 4:00 a.m. (GMT-4), March 27^th.

 

We thank all players’ wonderful support since Galaxy Online beta test. We are really heartened by this. Your encouragement also stimulates us to make further development. The existing “Aries” server is pushing its upper limit as most of lands have been conquered. In order to relieve population stress and offer better service as well as invite more new players to join Galaxy Online, a brand new server with untouched galaxies is now ready for new and experienced players to explore.

                                                                                                                   

As celebration for the launching of Gemini, we now have confirmed two exciting activities here:
Composite Strength Competition
In the game, the six factions do not usually compete with each other because they seldom leave their own territories. Now, we are excited to initiate a competition between the factions and reward the top 100 players. When the competition deadline expires, the players who rank 1st to 100th on the “Composite Strength” list in the game will be awarded different amounts of Mall Points.

 

Shootdowns Contest
When the event ends, the top 30 players on the “Shootdowns” list in the game will be the winners of the contest. The player who shoots down the most ships (excluding ships they’ve shot down while doing quests) will rank higher on the “Shootdowns” list. The top 10 players will be awarded 200 Mall Points each and those who rank 11th to 30th on the list will be awarded 100 Mall Points each.

First come, first Served. Remember time is everything is this unique game.

 

For more details, please click http://go.igg.com/news/view.php?aid=156just

Beyond Good and Evil, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six and Far Cry among titles coming to Good Old Games

Today, Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, and GOG.com (http://www.gog.com), the games-on-demand platform dedicated to DRM-free classic PC games that’s just too cool for school, announced an agreement to deliver Ubisoft’s best back-catalogue games via GOG.com.

The agreement brings classic Ubisoft titles like Beyond Good and Evil, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, Far Cry, Heroes of Might and Magic and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell to gamers around the world via GOG.com’s DRM-free games catalogue. As with all GOG.com releases, the titles are affordable and accompanied by mounds of extras, including soundtracks, wallpapers, forum avatars and much more.

“We’re incredibly happy to welcome Ubisoft and their much-loved games to GOG.com,” said Adam Oldakowski, managing director of GOG.com. “Ubisoft has long been breaking new ground with innovative and award-winning games, and is strongly reinforcing that trailblazing image by bringing its titles to GOG.com. The warm welcome of GOG.com by gamers convinced us that there is huge demand for classic games at a low price and packed with bonus materials. With more titles from leading companies like Ubisoft we will be able to achieve our goal of becoming the ultimate destination for fans of classic PC games.”

Ubisoft’s classic games have already started to hit GOG.com’s catalogue, with Beyond Good and Evil (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/beyond_good_and_evil), Prince of Persia: Sands of Time(http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/prince_of_persia_the_sands_of_time) and IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/il_2_sturmovik_1946) now available for $9.99 each. Other titles will be added in the coming weeks.

For the First Time, Video Game Developers Can Create True One-to-One Movement Using Softkinetic’s Full Body Realistic Avatar Control System

Speaking at GamesBeat 2009 in San Francisco, Softkinetic today unveiled the next generation of 3D gesture recognition, a Full Body Realistic Avatar Control system.

Set to be included in Softkinetic’s gesture recognition middleware platform iisu™, the Full Body Avatar Control system will revolutionize the video game space by enabling developers to animate on-screen characters that precisely replicate a gamer’s movement. The Full Body Avatar Control system will enable developers, for the first time, to create realistic, third-person avatars that move, in real time, with the player(s) using a depth-sensing camera that recognizes the player’s spatial orientation, limb positions and combinations of hand, feet and torso movements.

iisu, which is the result of five years of research and development, was first launched at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in February 2008 and has since been incorporated into large-scale applications for gaming, multimedia systems, fitness and virtual training. The technology, which supports all 3D depth-sensing cameras, enables a more natural interaction with the digital world as it removes the need for a controller and allows players to command the experience with their body movements in real-time. 
“The world’s largest media and entertainment companies have already embraced our technology, and have helped us refine our understanding of the requirements for realistic polygonal avatar control system,” said Michel Tombroff, CEO of Softkinetic. “Our team is driving the industry and we are confident that it represents the most advanced 3D camera-based avatar animation solution available on the market today.”

Softkinetic’s technology is in a prime position to capture this market opportunity, not only because of the ease of use and the innovative features, but also because it supports all available 3D depth-sensing cameras on the market, including cameras from 3DV Systems, Canesta, MESA, PMDTec, Prime Sense and Optex.

Tombroff continued, “We strongly believe that the video game industry will embrace 3D gesture recognition technology in 2009, and we believe the first games will hit the market as soon as 2010.” 
iisu is delivered as a Software Development Kit (SDK) with which developers can create applications allowing the human body to become the natural input device removing the need for any physical controllers.

Build your own Trading Empire in Upcoming Naval War Strategy Title

Leading publisher Paradox Interactive today announced that they have acquired the worldwide publishing rights to the naval war strategy game, East India Company. The PC game, developed by Finland based Nitro Games Ltd., is based on the historical East India Companies of the 18th century. Players will enjoy building the world’s largest trading empire and engaging in fierce battles in the spectacular naval battle mode.

“East India Company is an excellent addition to the Paradox portfolio of quality games. With a combination of challenging gameplay and outstanding production value, East India Company is sure to impress the most demanding gamer,” says Fredrik Wester, Executive VP of Paradox Interactive.

“We are very pleased to have Paradox Interactive publishing the game,” said Jussi Tähtinen, CEO of Nitro Games. “We feel that their long history and experience in publishing successful titles in the strategy genre is essential in bringing East India Company to the worldwide market.”

In East India Company, players will enjoy building the world’s most powerful trading empire and engaging in vigorous battles in both single player and multiplayer modes, all within a breathtaking cinematic game environment. Players will fight, manage and rule nations from Europe to the Far East with eight nationalities to choose from: British, Dutch, French, Danish, Portuguese, Swedish, Spanish and Holy Roman Empire. 

Starting modestly you will build your fleet, establish connections to far away countries, and keep the rivaling nations at bay. Choose from a wide array of ship classes, including a variety of transport and military vessels. Create diverse fleets and assign each of them specific trading routes. Control and upgrade well situated ports as you form your strategy for domination. 

Conflicts and wars are inevitable. When hostile fleets engage each other, the spectacular naval battles are fought from a real-time tactical level. Devastating broadsides are fired with a deafening roar and cannon balls tear through enemy ships and their crew. For greater tactical depth, command your ship and give independent orders to each of your fleets. Fight against the other European powers to create a trading empire that will rule above all others in this groundbreaking strategy war game. 

Game Features 
• Spectacular cinematic and epic naval battles 
• Two command modes: Give orders to all your ships in RTS mode or take the helm of a single ship in direct command-mode 
• Unique combination of war and trading 
• State of the art diplomacy AI 
• Eight playable nations: England, France, Holland, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire 
• Over 10 realistic ship types; from small sloops and cutters to the East Indiaman and warships 
• Realistic yet fast-paced naval combat 
• Hire fleet commanders who will gain new skills and increase the abilities of your fleets 
• Take over ports and protect your shipping routes to create the largest trading empire 

Multiplayer (internet or LAN) 
• Supports up to 8 simultaneous players 
• Player statistics tracked on the EIC game server 
• Several game modes with 1 on 1 and team play option 
• Raise your ranking by thwarting your opponents

East India Company will be released later this year. Read more about the game: www.eic-game.com.

Acclaimed Fantasy Strategy Wargame Ready to Ship in April

Paradox Interactive today announced that development of Elven Legacy, the upcoming fantasy strategy wargame for the PC, developed by Russian studio Ino-CO, has been completed and has gone “gold.” 

Elven Legacy sends players on an epic quest aimed to restore the former glory of the Elven race. With a thrilling, non-linear storyline and tools that allow players to create their own missions and campaigns and share them in multiplayer mode, Elven Legacy will provide hours of exciting gameplay for strategy fans. 

Elven Legacy is scheduled for retail release in April 2009 and will be published worldwide by Paradox Interactive and will also be available on all leading digital download portals for a suggested retail price of $29.99 / €29.99. 

For more information, go to www.elven-legacy.com.

Over 40 million paid individual songs sold via download to date on Rock Band platform

MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks, Harmonix, and distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. , today announced that the Rock Band franchise has officially surpassed $1 billion dollars in North American retail sales in 15 months, according to The NPD Group. In addition, over 40 million paid individual songs have been sold via download through the Rock Band® platform furthering its position as the music video game leader in paid song sales and downloadable content with over 600 songs available to date in the Rock Band catalogue.
Originally launched on November 20, 2007, Rock Band is the multi-million unit selling, genre-defining music game platform that allowed music fans and gamers to interact with and discover music like never before by choosing guitar, drums, vocals, or bass to start a band and rock the world. Developed by Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game development company, and published by MTV Games, the Rock Band platform has had a positive impact on the overall promotion and sales of music, benefiting artists included in the game both directly through royalties associated with game sales and indirectly by causing the sale of more songs and albums.

Key Stats for the Rock Band Franchise Sales
· Rock Band franchise has officially surpassed $1 billion dollars in North American retail sales in 15 months, according to the NPD Group
· Rock Band was the #1 title of 2008 by revenue across all game genres (NPD)

Music / Downloadable Content
· 614 songs offered via the Rock Band platform, both on-disc and in-game music store, as of March 24, 2009
· 269 different artists / bands offered via Rock Band franchise as of March 24, 2009
· Over 40 million paid songs have been sold via download since Rock Band launched on November 20, 2007
· 11 albums released to date via the Rock Band platform including AC/DC Live, The Cars, Judas Priest, Pixies, Mötley Crüe, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megadeth, Rush, No Doubt and Stevie RayVaughan, as well as special compilations from The Who, Nirvana, The Grateful Dead, Boston and more

Critical Acclaim
· Average Metacritic score of 92[2] for both Rock Band and Rock Band 2
· Rock Band and Rock Band 2 have garnered more than 50 industry awards including:
· IGN’s “Best Music/Rhythm Game of 2008″
· Gamespot.com’s Editor’s Choice Winner for “Best Rhythm / Music Game of 2008″
· Spike TV’s 2008 Video Game Award Winner for “Best Music Game” and “Best Soundtrack in a Game”
· Gametrailers.com “Best Music and Rhythm Game 2008″
· PlayStation: The Official Magazine’s “Best Rhythm Game of 2008″
· Yahoo’s “Best Party Game of the Year – 2008″ and named one of Yahoo’s “Best Tech Products of 2008″
· G4 TV’s X-Play “Best Music Game of 2008″
· Named as one of Entertainment Weekly’s “Entertainers of the Year 2008″
· Called “Best party game of the year” by the Associated Press
· Named as one of USA Today’s “Top Video Games of 2008″
· Cited as one of MSNBC.com’s Top Video Games of 2008 and one of the Best Xbox 360 Games of 2008
· Heralded as “hands down the best party game ever” by Time magazine and named as one of Time’s Top Video Games of 2008

Rock Band Franchise Innovations
· First full band music video game to hit consoles
· First music video game to offer export of content library from disc and cross compatibility of downloadable content (DLC) in sequel games.
· First music video game to offer weekly downloadable content (averaging more than 3 songs per week since its launch on November 20, 2007)
· Lead the way for full compatibility and interoperability between competing peripherals
· First music video game to allow for export of avatars and other game data to create real life merchandise
· First music video game to offer full albums as downloadable content: Judas Priest’s “Screaming for Vengeance,” released in June 2008
· First music game to offer a new song day-and-date with its release to radio, with Mötley Crüe’s “Saints of Los Angeles”

For more information about Rock Band, please visit www.rockband.com

Adrenaline-Pumped Super Moves and Hollywood-Style Driving Action Take to the Streets of Barcelona

Ubisoft, Midway and Tigon Studios announce that Wheelman, the action-packed driving game featuring film star Vin Diesel as undercover agent and expert driver-for-hire Milo Burik, has shipped and is available at retailers. Wheelman is available for the Xbox 360, the PS3 and Windows PC and is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB.

In Wheelman, Milo Burik gets caught in a crossfire of chaos and corruption while trying to stay one step ahead of local law enforcement and rival gangs in the beautifully re-created city of Barcelona, Spain. In Wheelman, the player’s car is the weapon. Players weave in and out of traffic, engaging in intense vehicular warfare, leaving wreckage in their wake as they take out anything or anyone that gets in the way with innovative super moves like “Vehicle Melee,” “AirJack” and the “Cyclone.”

“First and foremost Wheelman is designed to be action packed, accessible and over-the-top driving fun,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft. “Wheelman’s dynamic systems adjust to the player’s experience level so that everyone – from a novice to an expert gamer – can play and feel as if they’re an action hero in a driving game.”

Inspired by Hollywood’s most famous action-sequences, Wheelman will deliver powerful cinematic moments throughout the game’s compelling storyline. In addition, there are more than 100 side missions available, giving players plenty of opportunities to steer through the streets of virtual Barcelona, while earning vehicle upgrades, achievements and trophies.

For more information about Wheelman, please visit www.ubi.com.

Aspyr Media and Activision Publishing, Inc. have teamed once again to rock the computer gaming world with the announcement of Guitar Hero World Tour for Windows PC and Mac. Transforming music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’ssignature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience, Guitar Hero World Tour for PC and Mac offers state-of-the-art wireless controllers to computer gamers for the first time, new online and offline gameplay modes and a Music Studio feature for composing and editing original rock and roll anthems. Guitar Hero World Tour is the most complete music game to-date with 86 on-disc tracks from music legends such as The Eagles, Van Halen, Metallica, Michael Jackson and The Doors and features in-game appearances by world famous artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Corgan and Travis Barker.

“Guitar Hero World Tour is the standard for music games on consoles and we can’t wait to unleash this incredible experience on computer gamers,” said Ted Staloch, Executive Vice President, Aspyr Media. “With full band play, support for the new wireless controllers, the ability to create their own music and an amazing array of customization options, Guitar Hero World Tour will be the definitive music game on PC and Mac. We are proud to once again be working with Activision to extend this powerful brand to an eager audience of gamers.”

Guitar Hero World Tour delivers more ways to play than ever before. Virtual musicians can live out their rock and roll fantasies by playing either a single instrument in-game, or any combination of instruments within the game, in addition to the full band experience. Building on all of the online gameplay modes from Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero World Tour introduces Battle of the Bands mode, which allows eight players to join online and challenge each other band-to-band to determine who is the best of the best. In the Band modes, up to four players can jam together, online or offline, as they progress through the game. In single-player Career Mode, players can jam on any of the instruments in-game utilizing the controllers in branching venue progression enabling them to rock out in the order of their choice.

The game’s innovative new Music Studio lets players express their musical creativity by giving them access to a full complement of tools to create digital music from scratch, utilizing all of the drum kit controller and guitar controllers, and then play their compositions in the game.

Guitar Hero World Tour for PC and Mac will be available summer 2009. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB.

The New Online Game Offers Realistic Billiards Gameplay With A Custom Physics Engine

San Jose-based online game publisher, GamesCampus.com (www.GamesCampus.com, run by OnNet USA), announced today that it will publish Cue Online, a free, item-based realistic online pool simulation game. Nominated as “Best Game of the Month” by the Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the game is developed by Happy Nation, and will be available at http://cueonline.gamescampus.com/ later this spring. Cue Online focuses on competitive billiards games like straight pool, nine-ball, eight-ball, carom and three-cushion billiards.

“Adding a high quality sports game such as Cue Online to our online game lineup is very much in keeping with our corporate commitment to the sports gaming genre,” said David Chang, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for GamesCampus.com. “Cue Online’s truly realistic pool experience is the result of Happy Nation’s years spent designing an engine that captures the most realistic ball movement possible. With an amazing straight line of sight aiming to the ball, precision strokes, and an extensive training and skills system, Cue Online is an online pool experience like no other.”

Happy Nation’s exclusive engine was designed to create as realistic of an environment as possible. Each ball’s movement will depend on each player’s style, including stroke power, table contact, spin and strike quality with other balls, the cloth friction of the table and more. Thanks to the development team’s many years of research and development in optimizing the physics of the game play, even the most demanding and skilled players will be impressed with the realism of their shots when playing Cue Online, when compared to their experience on a real-life pool table.

Cue Online offers five different skills that players can increase and improve upon while training. The game’s skills include: Power, Spin, Push, Pull and Masse. Unlike other games where players automatically increase their skills as their average scores increase, Cue Online players will see their skills improve only after they successfully use that skill over time. As a result, two players in the same average score can have different main skills of their own, just like in the real life pool play.

GamesCampus is scheduled to begin the closed beta of Cue Online on March 30 and the open beta in late April.

For more information about Cue Online visit http://cueonline.gamescampus.com/.