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Following their recent announcement (well, over a year ago), Beatnik Games, a far-too-cool independent game development studio, are happy to let everyone know that their caffeine-fueled, dream-inspired debut game Plain Sight hasn’t been canned and is in fact set to be unleashed onto an unsuspecting world on March 22nd via Steam and other digital download platforms at the ridiculously low price of $9.99.

For anyone whose memory doesn’t stretch back to the beginning of 2009 (it was last decade after all), Plain Sight is a multiplayer arcade game set across 13 space-themed mapsand features a unique twist on the standard Deathmatch mechanic. Playing as your average ninja robot about town, you begin each game with a sword and a quantum of energy. Leaping across each level leaving a bright trail in your wake, you must destroy other ninja robots to steal their energy. As you get more energy you change color and get bigger, stronger and brighter. This is where the catch comes in! You only get to convert your hard earned energy into game-winning points if you blow yourself up. The more opponents you take out in the explosion, the higher the multiplier, the higher the score!

Respawn and repeat!!

Features: 13 multiplayer mapsBattle up to 20 players5 self-destructive gameplay modes, ‘Deathmatch’, ‘Ninja! Ninja! Ninja! Robozilla’, ‘Lighten Up’, ‘Team Deathmatch/Weakest Clink’ and ‘Capture The Flag’In-game power-ups30 different robot upgrades to spend your experience points onPerfect your skills against AI ninja robots in the offline practice modeDedicated server software included

For more on Plain Sight please visit the official website at www.plainsightgame.com and the official Steam Store page at http://store.steampowered.com/app/901296

Running since Friday morning (01/22/2010), GOG.com started a countdown to the biggest announcement in GOG.com’s history!

The countdown will reach it’s end on Thursday, January 28 at noon CET (6:00 a.m. EDT). That is when they will reveal the secret!

GOG.com users are already guessing what is the secret announcement on the forums: http://www.gog.com/en/forum/general/the_countdown_has_started/
“There are some great expectations about our this and we promise we won’t let classic games fans down. In the next days we’ll give some hints that should give our users a clue what the announcement is all about. ” (From the press release)

Check it out, the clues are there, and they promise it will be exciting. Classic gamers take notice! We’ll keep up on it and let you know what the big news is all about, in the meantime, visit the forums and see if you can guess for yourself!

Capcom’s legendary lost project, Dark Void Zero, is now available to download on DSiWare. The never-before-released game straight from the Capcom vault is hitting one day before its next-generation sequel, Dark Void, arrives on store shelves for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.   Before you get your hands on the new high-flying adventure, check out Dark Void Zero and see where it all began for 500 points on DSiWare.  

To commemorate Dark Void’s humble origins, Capcom commissioned the recreation of the original 8-bit classic, now re-titled “Dark Void Zero”, on the DSi platform. Players take on the role of Rusty, the first human born in the Void.  With the aid of Nikola Tesla and his trusty jetpack, Rusty embarks on a quest to prevent the evil alien race, “the Watchers”, and their minions from taking over Earth in this retro 2-D action-adventure.   The game also features an authentic 8-bit soundtrack by famed composer Bear McCreary, the man behind the music of Dark Void and Battlestar Galactica!
Dark Void Zero is available to download today for 500 points on DSiWare and will be coming soon for iPhone and PC!   Dark Void Zero was developed by Other Ocean Interactive

There’s a lot to say about this week’s downloadable games. You can check out the brain-training power of The Amazing Brain Train! or the cute puppies of Me And My Dogs: Friends Forever. Fans of more traditional games can protect their space fleet from waves of enemies in STARSHIP DEFENSE™ or explore the dual temporal world of Chronos Twins. Retro gamers will certainly like the ninja stylings of Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi™ on the Virtual Console™ service or the chance to try out the Nintendo DSiWare™ title Dark Void™ Zero, a mythical long-lost game from Capcom’s vaults.

And then there’s Muscle March.

A bunch of bodybuilders (and a polar bear) clad in bikini briefs chase after protein-powder thieves who can bash through walls at will. Strike your best bodybuilder poses to catch the thief and make the protein powder yours again. This surreal experience is best shared among friends, so start flexing!

WiiWare

Muscle March
Publisher: NBGI
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Wii Points™
Description: Muscle March is a quirky Japanese action game stuffed full of macho bodybuilders. The all mighty protein powder has been stolen, so it’s up to Tony and his muscle-bound crew to catch the thieves. Choose from a variety of perfectly molded superstars and bring these terrible villains to justice. As the thieves attempt escape, they will smash through walls while making a variety of poses. You must match these poses to fit through the holes and catch up to the thieves. The protein powder will be yours again! Flex your muscles by yourself or with up to three friends in turn-based macho excitement. Posing for a few minutes not enough? Enjoy Endless Rush mode until your muscles bulge and explode! Muscle March will also be the first WiiWare title to offer a polar bear in tight swimwear!

The Amazing Brain Train!
Publisher: Wahoo Studios
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: All aboard! Power up your intellect and embark on an epic quest aboard The Amazing Brain Train! Fueled by your mental energy, Professor Fizzwizzle’s Brain Train will take you on a brain-boosting adventure. Put your mighty mind to the test and see how far you can go.

Nintendo DSiWareSTARSHIP DEFENSE
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: STARSHIP DEFENSE takes the tower defense genre into outer space. Defend your space fleet from wave after wave of enemy attacks by equipping a variety of weapons and using a combination of strategic skills and resource management. Attach weapons to your ships using the touch screen, making sure to place them for maximum effect when planning your defense. If you don’t, the relentless nature of your enemies could overwhelm you. Increase your chances of success by using energy collected from defeated enemies to install new and more powerful weapons, destroying particular enemies to obtain weapon upgrades, and watching for rare power crystals that unlock advanced attacks, including a devastating black hole. And if you still find yourself in trouble, select an SOS card to call on a special kind of assistance. You’ll have to defend your fleet across 30 intense sectors, some with specific challenges, while advancing your rank from lowly recruit all the way to fleet admiral. Are you up to the challenge?

Dark Void Zero
Publisher: Capcom Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: As the ’80s were drawing to a close, the developers at Capcom began work on a top-secret project that aimed to set new standards for the platformer genre. That game was called Dark Void. Alas, Capcom suspended development on Dark Void as it began to evaluate the SNES™. Before long, the game was shelved and drifted, unnoticed, into the annals of gaming history. Dark Void became a legendary “lost project” at Capcom. Now, nearly 20 years later, Dark Void is back! To commemorate the game’s humble origins, Capcom has commissioned this recreation of the original 8-bit classic, now re-titled Dark Void Zero, on the Nintendo DSi™ system. You play as Rusty, the first human born in the Void, who must take on the Watchers in a quest to stop their domination of Earth. With the aid of Nikola Tesla and his state-of-the-art rocket pack, Rusty must take down the Watchers and their minions across three intense levels of action and intrigue.

Chronos Twins
Publisher: EnjoyUp Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Enter into the original world of Chronos Twins, where you’ll live a fantastic adventure full of innovative ideas never seen before in any game. Thanks to its Dual Gameplay game system you’ll be able to control Nec in two temporal scenarios at the same time. Chronos Twins mixes action, platforms, adventure and puzzles to challenge your intelligence and ability. If you like games with a real challenge, there’s no doubt that Chronos Twins is the game you’re looking for.

Me And My Dogs: Friends Forever
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Have you always dreamed of having a cute dog to cuddle? Thanks to Me And My Dogs: Friends Forever, you can have up to three of the cutest pups imaginable at the same time and take them with you everywhere you go. Choose from friendly Labradors, playful Chow Chows and smart Beagles. Like real dogs, you’ll have to take care of them, feed them, wash them and give them lots of love. Play with them at the park and teach them lots of tricks or train them for competitions at the stadium. You can even call them like in real life thanks to the microphone.

Virtual Console

Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
Original platform: Genesis
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Easy to play, hard to master, Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, first released in 1987, is the sequel to the original Shinobi arcade game, and is one of the only games in the Shinobi series to feature true arcade-style game play. Play as Joe Musashi, the master ninja known to his enemies only as “The Shinobi.” This battle is not one you must fight alone, as this is the first game in the Shinobi series to feature your ninja attack dog, Yamoto, who will charge foes on command, leaving them open to a powerful drop kick. Use your mastery of ancient ninja technique to topple the crime syndicate – the Neo Zeed Corporation – and free the foreign dignitaries they have taken hostage in New York City. Good luck, and may the ninja spirits help guide you in your journey.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.

Capcom has released the demo for the PC version of Dark Void. Since I don’t have the bandwidth to host such a large file, Capcom has provided a link hosted by fileplanet: http://www.fileplanet.com/209065/200000/fileinfo/Dark-Void-Demo-(FilePlanet-Exclusive)

Enjoy. I did hear that a PS3 and 360 demo will be hitting the consoles soon.

Download Complete Trogdor Episode from Telltale’s Game Series Today only at www.trogday.com

Happy Trogday, everyone! Seven years ago today, the beefy-armed dragon, Trogdor, first appeared on HomestarRunner.com, burninating the hearts and minds of audiences around the globe in the Strong Bad email installment, “Dragon.” In celebration of this momentous anniversary, Telltale Inc is giving away the very special Trogdor-themed episode of Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People for free at http://www.trogday.com. As part of this celebration, Telltale is also making the full season available for $19.95 (reduced from its regular $29.95 list price).

First drawn into existence through the artistic aplomb of Strong Bad, Trogdor is best known for terrorizing countrysides and burninating peasants and their thatch-roofed cottages at every available opportunity. Over the years, the green scaled menace has exploded in popularity, with devotees paying tribute through homemade offerings, including delicious Trogdor-shaped baked goods, Halloween costumes, custom plushies, and some pretty legendary tattoos.

“From the instant I drew Trogdor, I knew I’d done something special, something lasting,” said Trogdor creator and all-around awesome dude, Strong Bad. “Even cooler than that butt with three cheeks I one time drew.”

In the Trogdor episode of Telltale’s game series, entitled 8-Bit is Enough, the beefy-armed dragon of legend has broken free of his arcade cabinet prison and is burninating Free Country, USA without remorse! With the help of classic 8-bit Videlectrix characters, Strong Bad must find a way to conquer the scorching menace and restore Strong Badia to its former glory. This episode is the fifth episode of the critically acclaimed five game series.

More information can be found at http://www.telltalegames.com/strongbad.

The Graphically Enhanced Classic Gives Fans Enough Carnage, Smokin’ Guns and

Multiplayer Mayhem to Make Life Worthwhile this January 13th

Start off 2010 with a serious bang as Majesco Entertainment Company today released Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter for Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. For just 1200 Microsoft Points, players and bad-A%#s in training can download the high-definition retelling of the original Serious Sam to blast, battle and obliterate the forces of the evil Mental.

“This game takes my good looks, swarthy charm and timeless cool from the original version and ups it to a level of god-like brilliance,” says Sam ‘Serious’ Stone, everyone’s favorite loud mouth protagonist. “Gamers can even play online with up to three friends to wipe out the thorn in my side known as the Sirian Army.”

Developed by Croteam, the creators of the Serious Sam franchise, and produced in partnership with Devolver Digital, Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter follows our hero Sam as he frantically battles his way through time to ancient Egypt. Throughout 15 levels of awesomeness, he takes on a seemingly never-ending onslaught of enemies, from the charging Sirian Werebulls to the screaming Headless Kamikazes. Whether blowing apart nasties with monstrous cannons or ripping them to shreds with the lead-spewing minigun, the tools and the talent are at your disposal to ensure non-stop butt-kicking action over Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360.

Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is rated M for Mature and now available for download from Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 for 1200 Microsoft Points. For more information on the game, please visit the official site at www.SeriousSamHD.com.

New Beat-’Em-Up Boasts Monsters, Mayhem and Meat Meteor Showers to Spice up Your Spring

Ahoy Matey! Pull up anchor and get ready to set sail in search of stolen booty as Majesco Entertainment Company today announced Pirates Plund-Arrr for Wii. In this fun and frantic beat-’em-up, players hunt the high seas for the renegade captain Rudebelly who has stolen the Scepter of Power and unleashed an army of cursed dead, ghastly ghouls and menacing bosses.

In Pirates Plund-Arrr, players will fight through creature-filled areas like a murky swamp, an underwater city, and a haunted village to ultimately face-off against the scallywag Rudebelly and retrieve their stolen treasure. It’s serious business in a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously: would-be pirates can ride warthogs for “drive-by style” attacks, battle hulking slug bosses and trigger meat meteor showers raining down from above. These cute, but dangerous, swashbucklers will take on more than 40 diverse enemies – including skeletons, slimefish, mummies and lots of other nasties that want to ruin an otherwise pleasant Caribbean adventure. Good thing players have cool combo attacks and a bounty of weapons, from razor-sharp meat cleavers to flaming axes, to ensure that mowing down monsters never gets old! Players can also use the environment to their advantage by picking up rocks and barrels to hurl or simply snatching up the baddies themselves to toss them overboard. As players progress, they’ll gain XP points that will earn them perks and upgrades that will cause more damage to enemies. In addition, Pirates Plund-Arrr lets four mates plunder together for co-op, beat-em action!

Developed by Boomzap, Pirates Plund-Arrr for Wii is expected to release this April. For additional information about Majesco’s exciting line of products, please visit www.majescoentertainment.com.

Players Embark on a Quest to Destroy Dracula in Konami’s New 2D Side-Scroller

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced that Castlevania ReBirth is now available for download on Nintendo WiiWare. A regenerated version of the original 2D side-scrolling Castlevania: Adventure, Castlevania ReBirth brings back the classic adventure from Transylvania to the Nintendo Wii, providing players with the first ever downloadable Castlevania title.

In Castlevania ReBirth, Dracula is back from the dead with his legion of vampires causing disorder in the realms of Transylvania. Players assume the role of Christopher Belmont, the latest vampire slaying hero from the Belmont Clan that is tasked to restore order to the universe before Dracula and his foes take over. Equipped with the legendary whip, players must locate upgradable weapons and holy water to fend off vampires and reach Dracula’s layer in order to dethrone him once and for all.

Created by Koji Igarashi, Castlevania ReBirth is rated E10+ by the ESRB and is now available for purchase for 1000 Wii Points on Nintendo WiiWare™. For assets and more information please visit www.konami.com/downloads.

Independent video games developer NinjaBee is kicking off the New Year with a new game for Xbox LIVE Arcade. Each Tuesday in January the developer will show off new art from the project on its blog www.NinjaBee.com/blog/, leading up to a more detailed, official announcement at the end of the month.

“2010’s gonna be a big year for us,” said NinjaBee’s Art Director Brent Fox. “We’re putting our biggest effort to date into making this game standout. The game is going to give people what we hope will be the most complete and best avatar experience on Xbox LIVE Arcade.”

The new game is NinjaBee’s third XLA title to allow gamers to play as their avatar. NinjaBee’s other avatar-based games on XLA include A Kingdom for Keflings and Band of Bugs. Several developers at NinjaBee also worked on the free Xbox LIVE Dashboard mini-games featuring avatars: Dunk Tank, Football Toss, Snowball Fight and Fireworks.

The new avatar-based game is the second game NinjaBee has announced it is bringing to XLA in 2010. The other, Ancients of Ooga, was announced last fall.

About NinjaBee

NinjaBee, located in Orem, Utah, began developing games in 2004. With every game they make, NinjaBee’s goal is to create a unique, top-quality, fun experience for people of all ages. Their popular titles include Outpost Kaloki X, Cloning Clyde, Band of Bugs, Boingz, Doritos Dash of Destruction and A Kingdom for Keflings.

For more information, please contact the numbers above or visit http://www.NinjaBee.com.