Gamersnewsbits.com

Engine Helps gamerDNA.com Visitors Discover New Games to Play, Extend Their Game Experiences, and Better Enjoy Games

CAMBRIDGE, MA – December 15, 2008 – GamerDNA.com, an online community and social platform for video game identity and discovery, today announced the launch of the gamerDNA Discovery Engine. Powered by passionate feedback from gamerDNA members, the new Discovery Engine allows gamers to identify new video games to play based on their individual interests and preferences.

“The process of discovering games – and expressing what you like about them – is fun,” said Jon Radoff, CEO of gamerDNA, Inc. “Our goal is to improve the experience of how people learn about new games. To do this, we’ve tossed out the one-size-fits-all mentality and, instead, have made game discovery an individualized experience by listening to what people are saying about games and why they are playing them.”

The new gamerDNA Discovery Engine allows gamers to identify traits and preferences that they like about a particular game and receive individualized game recommendations based on those qualities. Members engage with a proprietary trait-based system inside the gamerDNA Discovery Engine to denote what specific aspects of a game they find enjoyable. Members can select from a list of traits or recommend their own trait, such as “Social,” “Competitive,” or “Humorous,” in five categories including Setting, Tone, Hero Archetype, Enemy Archetype, and Game Features. After entering these traits, the gamerDNA Discovery Engine references similar traits selected by others in the community and the popularity of those traits, to recommend games for the individual.

GamerDNA.com is a game community that allows people to build and express their unique gaming identity while discovering new games, extending their game experiences, and better enjoying games from wherever they choose to play. Members develop a unique gamer identity – their “gamerDNA” – that records gameplay history from the places they play (such as Xbox® Live or Xfire) and allows them to share these experiences via popular social media sites and applications like Twitter. In addition, as the largest proprietary database of gameplay patterns in the world, gamerDNA applies the collective intelligence of the gamerDNA community to help members discover new games and to help game developers design better games.

For more information or to sign up for a free account (no software download required), visitwww.gamerdna.com.

New Multiplayer Global Game is Nick’s First Step in Activating Kids to Address Environmental Issues

NEW YORK, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ –Nickelodeon is helping kids get their game on in the name of the environment, beginning Dec. 14 with the launch of “The Big Green Help Global Challenge” (www.nick.com/biggreenhelp) — the first multiplayer kids’ online game with a goal of igniting real-world action for environmental change. Kids will be asked to virtually pledge volunteer hours in the “Global Challenge” that they can translate into actionable steps in their homes, communities and schools. The game is this year’s cornerstone of Nickelodeon’s on-going global pro-social initiative, The Big Green Help, which aims to make energy-saving and earth-friendly activities a part of kids’ everyday lives.

“With about three quarters of the U.S. kid population actively gaming online, we think our ‘Global Challenge’ game is a great way to connect them to the pro-social issues they care about, like the environment,” said Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group. “Our legacy of empowering kids has shown that they can lead the way in addressing positive change, and we hope this game can be the beginning of a kid-led environmental movement.”

In the downloadable “Global Challenge” game, kids have to “green” the last three pollution-free cities on the planet. To play, kids can choose from four Nicktoon characters — SpongeBob SquarePants; Back at the Barnyard’s Otis; The Fairly OddParent’sTimmy Turner; and Avatar’s Aang — and partner with up to three other players in a face-off against CO2-spewing monsters. As kids defeat monsters like the Carbon Creeper, Waste Whirlwind or Guzzlor and move through nine game levels, they will get tips about how to lower their carbon footprint. At the end of the game, kids will be directed to www.nick.com/biggreenhelp where an online meter will measure their individual commitments and the impact of their collective pledges.

The multiplayer online green game will be available in more than 15 Nickelodeon markets, including: UK; Brazil; Germany; Italy; Denmark; Sweden; Portugal; Spain; Australia; New Zealand; Philippines; Indonesia; Mexico; and Argentina, with additional countries to follow. Nickelodeon Kids and Family digital sites — including: AddictingGames; Neopets; Shockwave; and The-N.com — as well as several Big Green Help campaign partners, will also introduce new green-themed mini games in support of the “Global Challenge.”

Next in January 2009, Nickelodeon in the U.S. will provide kids with local resources and events to translate their virtually volunteered hours into real-world action — in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America; Girl Scouts USA; The LeBron James Family Foundation; National Wildlife Federation; Natural Resources Defense Council; National 4-H Council; and NFL. This same kind of activism will be encouraged in local markets globally. Kids can track their pledges and fulfillment through a downloadable widget pledge tracker. Nick’s campaign partners have lent their expertise to help develop various components of the “Global Challenge” including: tips; the pledge tracker; and the equation to measure the implications of kids’ pledges.

The Big Green Help is a multiplatform campaign that provides information and tools to help explain climate change to kids, and taps into Nickelodeon’s history of addressing important issues. Its Plan It for the Planet special in 1993 discussed the environment and how kids can affect positive change; The Big Help created a generation of 40 million kid volunteers; and its Let’s Just Play encouraged millions of kids to adopt healthier lifestyles. For more information on The Big Green Help, visit www.thebiggreenhelppress.com.

Nickelodeon, now in its 29th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 14 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (December 4, 2008)– SEGA Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today launched PlaySEGA™, a completely new SEGA experience for all types of gaming and social networking fans. PlaySEGA is based atwww.PlaySEGA.com and is a mini web game portal with a selection of arcade, word, card, puzzle, quiz, Sonic and sports titles, which are available now and completely FREE to all PC and Mac users.

PlaySEGA has an impressive assortment of titles available on the site including Brain Assist™, which was originally released for the Nintendo DS™, and the successful mobile title, Sonic at the Olympic Games™. Brand new SEGA games that have been created exclusively for PlaySEGA are also available such as Ice Shuffle, Hollywood Adventure Quiz and Aquatic Word Burst. In addition, a selection of all-new Guest Games will soon be unveiled, all entirely FREE to each PlaySEGA user.

Every game has a unique integrated system to calculate players’ highest scores, giving player’s the ability to view leader board achievements, and PlaySEGA Rings earned during each gaming session. PlaySEGA Rings are the site’s currency; the more games you play and the longer you play, the more PlaySEGA Rings you win – it’s as simple as that!

Users can use Rings to customise their site and create an Escape Area, which is essentially their very own profile page. A wide range of Escape Areas are available to purchase and can be anything from a New York apartment, Swiss chalet or Caribbean villa, to a haunted house! Consumers can also purchase luxury items using their PlaySEGA Rings and decorate their Escape Areas with items including; furniture, TVs, lights, flooring and much more. Customers can invite friends to visit their decorated Escape Areas, as well as view their favourite PlaySEGA games, highest scores, and achievements earned.

SEGA is also proud to announce a PlaySEGA VIP (Very Important Player) area of the site. This new area is coming soon and for a small charge users will be able to access and play dozens more web games, including newly acquired titles specifically created for PlaySEGA, along with fan favorites from the respected SEGA Mega Drive™ years. These titles include the genuine SEGA classics we all know and love: Columns™, Puyo Pop™, Chu Chu Rocket™, Sonic The Hedgehog™ and Super Monkey Ball Tip n’ Tilt™ among others.

“What started off as a small project within the SEGA Network Group has now caught the imagination of the entire company,” explains Nick Pili, Network Business Director, SEGA of Europe. “I have suggestions for new games filling up my in-box, from the CEO, to staff I’ve never even met over in our Japanese, European and US offices.”

“SEGA fans and new gamers alike can now come together in one place and enjoy some of our most exciting vintage and new titles,” continues Pili. “There was a story out there recently that we have a locked vault full of retro SEGA classics in Japan. Well, it’s true – and we’ve been given full access to a lot of the properties in it.”

PlaySEGA launches today and is an evolving site that will continue to keep user’s interests piqued by the many new games, social network and community elements available in the near future. To sign up and enjoy everything PlaySEGA has to offer, go towww.PlaySEGA.com .

About SEGA® Europe:
SEGA® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe’s web site is located at www.sega-europe.com.

About SEGA of America
SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America’s Web site is located at www.sega.com/us

Just received a news release from the formerly Wrigley’s-owned Candystand.com. They are an online gaming destination, no longer tied to the candy behemoth. Check em out.

Candystand.com, one of the web’s premier online destinations for branded gaming and entertainment, is bustling with new gaming content and by launching our monthly e-newsletter today, you’ll be the first to know of the latest news and releases in Shockwave and Flash games.  Here’s what’s new this month:

Recently Launched Games

• Has the afternoon slump got you down?  Jumpstart your afternoon and your brain with Virble, Candystand’s newest word scramble game challenging players’ speed, wit, and creativity: http://www.candystand.com/play.do?id=18375
• Had enough of your co-workers?  Email on the fritz again?  Duke it out on Hover Wars, a new futuristic bumper car game full of fast-paced excitement: http://www.candystand.com/play.do?id=18369
• Help Santa during the most hectic time of the year at Santa’s Workshop.  The new holiday Shockwave game will get you in the spirit as you create toys using Santa’s secret machines…but beware, time is running out and the toys are piling up: http://www.candystand.com/play.do?id=18382

Keep busy at work during the holidays, with our December Game Releases

• Bumper Stars – A hit already on Facebook, this pinball arcade game uses large animals to collect strategically placed fruit in three tries or less to advance to the next level
• Ice Storm Speedway – Test your skills and your nerve with this intense fast-paced motorcycle race on ice
• Electric Box – Connect the electric currents by constructing a mechanical device in this puzzle game
• Slipstream 2 – Pilot your ship through a futuristic race course to avoid oncoming obstacles as the never ending tube spins in this gritty Shockwave game
• Lucy Swashbuckler & The Mystery Masks – Help Lucy rotate the mystery masks to align their colors on her quest to unlock the puzzle

Candystand.com News

On November 4, Candystand.com announced the release of Blackbeard’s Assault, its first mobile game developed exclusively for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch devices.  Blackbeard’s Assault is available on iTunes and marks Candystand.com’s first entry into the mobile market. It is just the first among their line-up of mobile games projected for release. To purchase Blackbeard’s Assault mobile game or to play online at Candystand.com, please visit http://iphone.candystand.com.

Ubisoft has joined forces with Handicap International to create a ‘serious game’, as part of the charity’s new campaign “AbilityTogether”. The game’s objective is to make young and old aware of the difficulties encountered by disabled people on a daily basis, and of the realities of disability in today’s world.

A simple concept: 
The game is made up of a main menu and 3 mini-games, each representing a different impairment which puts the player in the shoes of someone with a physical disability, a sensory disability or learning difficulties.

Each level of the game ends on an awareness-raising message. The audience therefore learns, in a fun way, to distinguish between different types of disabilities, and to identify the obstacles encountered by disabled people on a daily basis.

A ‘serious game’ is a game in which the goal is not necessarily to win or lose, but to learn about an issue

The game is a key tool of “AbilityTogether”, and the graphics are inspired by the campaign. Like the campaign, the game is trilingual (French, English and German), and it is hosted on the websitewww.abilitytogether.com.

In order to ensure that our games are accessible to deaf or hard of hearing gamers, Ubisoft has made a commitment to including subtitles in all of our in-house produced video games. This commitment entails modifications to some of our game engines, as well as the inclusion of subtitles in the conception phase of game development. For our games that are already well into production, Ubisoft will include subtitles in all games in which it is technically possible. The first games with subtitles included will be Far Cry 2, Prince of Persia and Shaun White Snowboarding.

To play, visit 
www.abilitytogether.com

Online RPGs Warrior Quest and The Broken Kingdoms Have Both Been Re-Launched Ahead of Forthcoming Special Editions and Sequels

Today NEXTGENBOOKS.COM re-launches two of its most popular online RPGs, bringing adventuring not only to PCs and Macs but to the Nintendo Wii, DS, Sony PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable. NEXTGENBOOKS.COM’s Warrior Quest, which recently celebrated over 100,000 plays, is a traditional RPG that blends card battles, monster collection and turn based combat to create a rich, charming, and accessible RPG experience. The game is playable on PC, Mac, Wii, and PS3 via their respective browsers and has received numerous updates since its original release. Today’s’ re-release marks the beginning of a new chapter for Warrior Quest with further updates and significant expansions planned over the coming months. In addition to bringing traditional RPG gaming to an expanded audience, Warrior Quest also integrates online leader boards and scoring that allows players, regardless of the platform they are playing on, to compete in weekly, monthly, and all-time charts.

The Half Broken Crown: The Broken Kingdoms is a point and click and adventure game that places players into a fantasy world in which they must complete quests set for them by the nefarious Lord Graceland, a local noble who has quietly gone insane amid the chaos of his crumbling world. The Half Broken Crown: The Broken Kingdoms, in addition to being playable on PC, Mac, Wii and PS3, can be played using browsers on both Sony PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS. The game also features real time chat that allows gamers to communicate, share advice and enjoy the adventure together, across different platforms. A Special Edition of this game featuring re-mixed puzzles and new game play features is currently slated for an October 2008 release. A fully fledged sequel is currently in development with a release date to be announced in the coming months.

In addition to these two titles NEXTGENBOOKS.COM is also planning to re-release its interactive novel The Sword of Oz alongside the Special Edition of The Half Broken Crown: The Broken Kingdoms this October. The Sword of Oz is the action packed prequel to L. Frank Baum’s masterpiece The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which combines literature and traditional storytelling with interactive elements that allow the reader to chose and manipulate the course and outcome of the story.

Both Warrior Quest and The Half Broken Crown: The Broken Kingdoms are online now and both are 100% free-to-play at WWW.NEXTGENBOOKS.COM. Future updates to both titles, along with the re-release of The Sword of Oz, are scheduled throughout the remainder of 2008 going into 2009.

“Ribonucleic Rave,” which combines funky-fresh artwork with awesomely addictive (and brainy!) fun, supports Roche Applied Science products used in university research labs across Canada. With absorbing gameplay, a leader board for posting high scores, and a challenge-a-friend feature, “Ribonucleic Rave” brings out the gamer in every scientist.

Awwwh yeaah, ready to get the par-tay started!? You’ve got a limited number of guesses to crack the code needed to enter this ultra-exclusive club. At the start of a round, click on the clues in the order you want them placed from top to bottom. Use your deductive reasoning skills to rearrange the clues, but be careful not to move the clues you believe are in the correct location. Repeat the process until you crack the code and bust into the rave. But be careful: Fail to crack the code before you run out of guesses and you’ll be stuck behind the velvet rope forever, game over!

Play “Ribonucleic Rave” by visiting http://ribonucleicrave.kewlbox.com. To play the game on Facebook, go to http://apps.facebook.com/rocheribonucleicrave/.

InstantAction’s breakout hit, Legions, is expanding its universe once again with a fresh new map – Zenith Cauldron. Boasting real estate four times larger than the two previously released maps (Nivosus and Moonshine), Zenith Cauldron offers players the extra space to make every match a true exercise in both tactics and skill. Expanding on the environments currently available, the new map’s large desert-themed playing field will feature a plethora of rolling dunes allowing players to take full advantage of the Legion’s “ski” feature. Zenith Cauldron also features large slopes surrounding the two bases so players can get a good jump right after spawning. Players should also forward to exploring Zenith Cauldron with the soon-to-be-released “Outrider” class.

So what are you waiting for? Go check out Zenith Cauldron!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 11, 2008 (Dallas, TX) – Dallas-based Blockdot has released “Bright Spot Challenge,” a fantastically fun game for La Quinta Inns and Suites. The “Bright Spot Challenge” is a cornerstone of La Quinta’s wake up on the bright side™ promotion, which gives every game player the chance to instantly win awesome prizes such as gas cards, roundtrip airline tickets, and free nights at La Quinta hotels across the country.

Check into the “Bright Spot Challenge,” and you’ll be transported to a La Quinta hotel bursting with bright suns, comfy beds, trusty laptop computers, and tasty waffles! Your goal: Use your mouse to pop as many of these items as you can while they zig and zag in the wackiest of ways throughout the La Quinta. Post your score at the end of the game on a worldwide scoreboard, then challenge your friends to top your results!

“Bright Spot Challenge” can be played at http://brightspotchallenge.kewlbox.com, as well as on Blockdot’s gaming portal www.kewlbox.com.

We’ve been hearing about Beijing and 8.8.08 for months and the time has finally come for the 2008 Summer Olympics!

PopJax, the innovative new online entertainment company that combines online video content with casual gaming and social networking, has captured some of the excitement with two new games:

Olympics 2008 — Beijing games

http://www.popjax.com/game/standAloneGame.jsp?game_type=HIT&game_id=622&preview=true

Olympics Facts & Trivia — general Olympics trivia

http://www.popjax.com/game/standAloneGame.jsp?game_type=HIT&game_id=624&preview=true

The games will be updated throughout the Olympics to include current questions and footage from Beijing.