Gamersnewsbits.com

I was just made aware of an indie game from developer Koonsolo has been released: Mystic Mine. It’s an all ages casual game, with simple control and can be played solo or multiplayer. I haven’t have a chance to give it a try, but drop by the page here, and check it out. http://www.koonsolo.com/news/index.php.

Mystic Mine fact sheet

Game name:

Mystic Mine

Official web page:

http://www.mysticmine.com

Demo Link:

http://www.koonsolo.com/mysticmine/demo.php

Buy Link:

http://www.koonsolo.com/mysticmine/buy.php

Price:

$19.95

Description:

Guide your gold car through a mine, switching rails with a single button. You can only go down, but thanks to an optic illusion in the levels, you can always reach every point. Play this game alone or invite some friends and play against each other. The game supports up to 6 people on one keyboard. Everyone can enjoy this family friendly game, regardless of age or experience.

Features:

• Family friendly gameplay for all ages.
• Single-button gameplay.
• Accessible to people and children with limited mobility.
• Adapts the difficulty to your skill.
• Single Player: scenario with 155 levels.
• Multiplayer: up to 6 people on 1 keyboard.
• Over 200 different levels with an impossible structure.
• Various missions and pickups
• No loading screens.
• Accessibility options to slow down game speed and enable one-switch mode.

Platforms:

Windows, Mac OS X, Linux

Feral Interactive has announced it will release the Mac version of Rome: Total War™ Gold Edition in March. SEGA’s top-rated strategy game will be released by Feral as the second in the series of Feral Legends titles.

Encompassing three centuries of warfare from the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire, Rome: Total War is regarded as one of the best strategy games ever with a seamless integration of strategic and tactical modes and featuring a 3d graphics engine that is capable of rendering over 10,000 soldiers on a single battlefield. 

Players take charge of one of three Roman families with the goal of increasing their family’s power in Rome through diplomacy, economic skill, and of course, war! Players can fight epic historical or fictitious battles while negotiating a century-spanning campaign across Europe and Africa. 

Making the appearance of Rome: Total War on the Mac even more compelling is the inclusion of the official expansion pack, Barbarian Invasion. Set some 300 years later, players must decide whether they will save Rome from its enemies or, at the head of a Barbarian faction, fight to destroy it. 

“The Total War series is one of the most-requested additions to Mac gaming” said Feral Interactive’s David Stephen. “It’s a game that is superbly suited to the platform and one that will be available to all Intel Mac owners including those with Macbooks”

The game will retail in for $29.95, It is currently available to pre-order from Feral’s online store (http://www.feralinteractive.com/?section=buy&language=english).

*UPDATED* Minimum system requirements call for a 1.8GHz Intel Mac only, 512MB RAM, 128MB graphics card, DVD drive, 3.5 GB of hard disk space and Mac OS X v10.4 or later. The game DOES support Intel GMA processors. (Intel Mac Minis and MacBooks).

Independent Developer Mikomi.info Today Announces a Massive Expansion of its Range of Free Games and Content for Home and Portable Videogame Consoles

Independent videogame and content developer, Mikomi.info, today announces plans to significantly expand its range of free content available for home PCs and online enabled videogame consoles. In addition to opening new play areas on its consistently popular online RPG Warrior Quest, Mikomi.info has also launched a brand new game, Star Blaster, which can be played on both the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 via their console’s respective browsers. Incorporating a distinctive interface, Star Blaster pits players against waves of invading aliens whilst online leader boards allow gamers to compare their skills with those of other players from around the world.

In addition to the launch of Star Blaster, online RPG Warrior Quest has also been expanded with the addition of a new gaming area, Starshine Towers. Since its launch early in 2008, Warrior Quest has attracted hundreds of thousands of gamers and has consistently proven popular with both Wii and PS3 gamers since its launch earlier this year. Online leader boards again connect players from across the world and across gaming platforms. Starshine Towers can be accessed by entering the password “starkid” when prompted in game. Also announced today is a brand new game, Ash’s Quest, which is due to launch before the end of 2008. Combining RPG elements with a side scrolling mechanic, Ash’s Quest will bring more free adventure gaming to consoles, PCs, and Macs this holiday season.

Today’s final announcement is the unveiling of a planned March 2009 launch for Mikomi.info’s debut graphic novel, Xevicom Forever: Remixed. Previously released as an online exclusive, Xevicom Forever has been reworked with new artwork and an expanded script for its print debut next year. In addition to being available through all good comic and graphic novel retailers Xevicom Forever: Remixed will also see an exclusive version released for PlayStation Portable.

Mikomi.info is an independent game and content developer for PC, Mac, and online enabled home videogame consoles. Its website, www.mikomi.info, hosts a variety of exclusive content for players that include games, comics, and graphic novels. For more information please visit http://www.mikomi.info

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming soon in the U.S., It’s a slow weekend for news, so i’m posting next week’s releases, starting with tomorrow…speaking of which… Guns N Roses’ Chinese Democracy album FINALLY releases tomorrow. Go get a copy, it’s frigging great (well, the leaked tracks and GH:WT songs are, I havent heard all of em). And remember to get your Dr. Pepper coupon! (they’re giving everyone in America a free can since Chinese Democracy is being released this year). Remeber, this is a ONE DAY ONLY promotion, which starts at 12:01AM EST, and will be available for 23 hours and 59 minutes: http://www.drpepper.com.

So, Here’s the list of games and peripherals coming this week to a Gamestop, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, etc near you….A Vampyre Story (PC)
Age of Empires Mythologies (DS)
All Star Cheer Squad (DS)
AMF Bowling World Lanes (Wii)
Band Manager (PC)
Banjo-Kazooie (X360)
Bolt (PC)
Bratz Kidz (DS)
Cake Mania: In the Mix! (Wii)
Call of Atlantis (PC)
Cradle of Rome (DS)
Championship Foosball (Wii)
Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual (PC)
The Chronicles of Spellborn (PC)
Chrono Trigger (DS)
Chrysler Classic Racing (DS, Wii)
Club Penguin Elite Penguin Force (DS)
Colour Cross (DS)
Cooking Guide Can’t Decide What To Eat (DS)
Disney Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force (DS)
Ellen Whitaker’s Horse Life (DS)
Emergency Hospital (360, PC)
Emma Goes to the Mountains (DS)
Football Director DS (DS)
Garfield Gets Real (DS)
Imagine Gymnast (DS)
Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine (Wii)
King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga (Wii)
Lego Indiana Jones (Mac)
Metal Gear Online Meme Expansion (PS3)
Mumbojumbo 6 Pack (PC)
Mytran Wars (PSP)
Neopets Puzzle Adventure (DS, PC)
NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 (360)
Personal Trainer: Cooking (DS)
Puzzlegeddon (PC)
Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure (Wii)
Skate City Heroes (Wii)
Ski And Shoot (Wii)
Sonic Unleashed (360)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (360, PS3)
Syberia (DS)
Tornado (DS)
Ultimate Band (DS, Wii)
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2 (DS)
Winter Sports 2 The Ultimate Challenge (360, PS2, Wii)
Yamaha Supercross (PC)
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 3 (PSP)

Peripherals
4GB Memory Stick (by Sony) (PSP)
6 in 1 Wii Fit Kit (by CTA Digital)(Wii)
DS Lite Clear Case & Stylus (by Intec) (DS)
Playstation 3 InCharge Dual Charge Station (by Tekno Creations) (PS3)
PRO V Gamer 100 10ft. (by Volo) (HDMI Cable)
PRO V Gamer 200 10ft (By Volo) (HDMI Cable)
Rock Band 2 Triple Cymbal Expansion Kit (by MadCatz) (360, PS2, PS3, Wii)
Star Wars Light Up Lightsaber Stylus 2 Pack (by Bensussen, Deutsch & Associates) (DS)
Universal HDMI Cable 4 ft. (by Volo)(HDMI Cable)
Universal HDMI Cable 7 ft. (by Volo) (HDMI Cable)
Wii 6 in 1 Sports Kit (by Intec)(Wii)
Wii Control Pak Essential Controller Kit (by Nyko) (Wii)
Wii Fishing Rod (by Intec) (Wii)
Wii Fit Silicone Armor (by Intec) (Wii)
Wii Fit Workout Belt (by Intec) (Wii)
Wii Hockey Stick (by Intec) (Wii)
Wii Maracas (by Intec) (Wii)
Wii Ping Pong Rackets (by Intec) (Wii)
Wii Pom Pom (by Intec) (Wii)
Wii Pom Pom with Nunchuck (by Intec) (Wii)
Wii Pool Stick (by Intec) (Wii)
Wii Table Tennis Party Pack (by DreamGEAR) (Wii)
Wii Wireless Guitar for Rock Band and Guitar Hero (by Intec) (Wii)
Xbox 360 Official Rock Band Faceplate and Console Skinz – Scorpion (by MadCatz) (360)
Xbox 360 Official Rock Band Faceplate and Console Skinz – Tattoo (by MadCatz) (360)
Xbox 360 Official Rock Band Faceplate and Console Skinz – Tiger (by MadCatz) (360)

Feral Interactive has today announced Friday, November 28th as the worldwide release date for the Mac version of LEGO® Indiana Jones: The Original AdventuresTM, a captivating take on the cinematic adventures of Hollywood’s iconic archaeologist.

Developed by TT Games©^TM and LucasArts – the same people behind LEGO Star Wars II – LEGO® Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures^TM takes the fun and creative construction of LEGO bricks and combines it with the wit, daring and non-stop action of the original movies.

With a unique tongue-in-cheek take on the original adventures, LEGO® Indiana Jones follows Indy’s escapades through the jungles of South America to the mountaintops of India. Players can build and battle their way through their favourite cinematic moments, from Indy’s entanglements with snakes to his dashing boulder run.

“With the extra benefit of Lego Indiana Jones running on all Intel Macs including MacBooks, we are proud to be bringing another great title from TTGames and LucasArts to the Mac platform” said Feral Interactive’s David Stephen.

“We’re delighted to be bringing LEGO® Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures^TM to the Mac,” said Garry Edwards, Business Development Director of TT Games. “The winning combination of charming humour, intuitive puzzles and continent hopping adventure has been a great success and now everyone can enjoy it.”

The game will retail in North America for US $39.95, £29.95 (inc VAT) in the UK and €39.95 (inc VAT) throughout Europe. It is currently available to pre-order from Feral’s online store (http://www.feralinteractive.com/?section=buy&language=english).

Minimum system requirements call for a 1.8GHz Intel Mac only, 512MB RAM, 128MB graphics card, DVD drive and Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later.

More details and selected trailers of the game are now available at: http://feralinteractive.com/game/legoindy

Dallas, Texas, November 3, 2008 - Soldak Entertainment today announced the availability of Kivi’s Underworld for Windows and Macs.
Kivi’s Underworld can be purchased at:
http://www.soldak.com/Kivis-Underworld/Buy.html

Kivi’s Underworld demo can be download from:
http://www.soldak.com/Kivis-Underworld/Demo.html

Kivi’s Underworld is a casual, hack and slash game. Explore the mysterious underworld as a mighty Warrior battling opponents toe to toe, rain down fire on your enemies with the dangerous Fire Mage, sneak disguised with stealth to confound your foes as a Scout, unleash the fury of the Berserker, or adventure with any of the other numerous playable characters.

It all starts after a mining expedition, led by Kivi (a young lumen warrior), ventured into unknown territory, and opened a pathway to a deadly race. Dark elves decimated them. Kivi is the lone survivor, yet no one believes him about the new threat, since dark elves are just a myth. Kivi was there; he saw. The dark elves are real and his people are in great danger. Reluctantly, Kivi realizes that it is up to him.

Playing as Kivi or any of his companions, you leave the safety of the protected, underground cities to rebuild the lost city of Defiance, recruit more lumen to your cause, and defeat this growing dark elf threat, before they destroy your homeland and all of your kind. The fate of the lumen is in your hands. Can you save the lumen people?

Although very easy to learn, mastering Kivi’s Underworld is a different matter. With a fast pace, over twenty playable characters, tons of powerups, many monsters using unique tactics and skills, numerous deadly traps, and multiple difficulty levels, even an expert player will be challenged.

You can go to http://www.soldak.com/
for more information about Kivi’s Underworld and Soldak Entertainment.

The Kivi’s Underworld demo is also available from the following
mirrors:

gamershell
Windows -http://www.gamershell.com/download_35288.shtml

Mac -http://www.gamershell.com/download_35290.shtml

AtomicGamer
Windows - http://www.atomicgamer.com/file.php?id=73015

Mac - http://www.atomicgamer.com/file.php?id=73014

WorthPlaying
Windows -http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=57206

FilePlanet
Windows -
http://www.fileplanet.com/193920/190000/fileinfo/Kivi’s-Underworld-Demo
<http://www.fileplanet.com/193920/190000/fileinfo/Kivi>

GameZone
Windows & Mac -http://downloads.gamezone.com/demos/d24761.htm

AusGamers
Windows -http://www.ausgamers.com/files/details/html/39978

Mac -http://www.ausgamers.com/files/details/html/39979

StrategyInformer
Windows -
http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/kivisunderworld/demo/27509.html

About Whack the Dead

Whack the Dead is a playful addicting game for iPhone, iPod Touch,Mac and PC. Eliminate the zombies, eery creatures and beings from beyond the grave by whacking them. Grab the grenade to get rid of the bad guys as quickly as possible, freeze them by tapping on a snowman.

Find ammunition and other bonuses to help you out and to increase your score. Don’t whack the good guys, though! It can be tricky at times because players might find friendly folks and animals around but don’t get rid of them. If you do, well, you lose time and points, and you end up whacking the wrong things. Focus on the guys with green skin and a blank look in their eyes.

Whack the Dead for iPhone and iPod Touch is available for $2.99 at the iTunes store located at the following link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=291592324&mt=8
Whack the Dead for Mac OS X and Windows is available as a freeware at the following web site address:
http://www.iplayphonegames.com

Final installment in the popular X series brings tons of new features

Würselen, Germany – October 20, 2008 – EGOSOFT, a renowned developer of acclaimed computer games for PC, Mac and Linux, announced today that the latest game in their popular X series, X³: Terran Conflict, is now available for purchase via Steam, a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world.

“Now that gamers can go and grab X3: Terran Conflict off Steam, we here at EGOSOFT couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Bernd Lehahn, managing director of EGOSOFT. “The vision we had for the X game series back in 1999 with X: Beyond the Frontier has been completely realized with X3:TC, and we’re confident that players will enjoy and appreciate all we’ve added to this final installment.”

As with the previous titles in the X series, X³: Terran Conflict is a combat and intergalactic space trading simulator set in the fictional X Universe, where different races compete against each other and travel to a wide variety of worlds and systems connected by jump-gates. This single-player science fiction experience features fast-paced first-person space combat, free-form, open exploration of a huge dynamic universe, and large-scale management of the player’s own intergalactic corporation, leading to the series’ phrase, “Trade. Fight. Build. Think.”

New to the X series with X³: Terran Conflict are:

- A brand new user interface allow full control using only the mouse
- New and improved mouse flight controls
- Several new races and factions, including Earth’s primary military force, the Terran United Space Command
- Independent, non-player owned corporations, complete with unique ships and stations, offering new friends or foes to players
- New group management system allowing for better control of large numbers of ships in your fleet
- Over 100 new ships and several new ship classes
- Double the amount of distinct weapons
- The ability to board and capture huge capital ships with your own mercenaries and soldiers

For more information about the X series, X³: Terran Conflict or EGOSOFT, please visit www.egosoft.com. For more information about Steam or to purchase X³: Terran Conflict, please visit www.steamgames.com

EUGENE, OREGON – October 2, 2008 –InstantAction, the website for gamers that combines the intensity of videogames with the accessibility of the web, announced the introduction of the InstantAction open beta for Mac OS X users. Mac gamers can register and play Rokkitball, Marble Blast Online, Think Tanks and the new FPS, Fallen Empire: Legions at http://www.instantaction.com/mac.

“Mac gamers have always been underserved by the games industry,” said Andy Yang, General Manager of InstantAction.com. “We plan to infuse the large Apple community with console quality games playable at work and at home through their laptops or desktops.”

InstantAction will also allow cross platform compatibility between Mac and PC users. Players from either operating system can join the same game and battle each other. InstantAction makes challenging friends as simple as instant messaging a link, taking all the complicated matchmaking out of the process. The site offers an entirely new way to “hang out” with friends by allowing you to take your party from game to game.

System requirements for InstantAction.com Mac Version are Mac OS X 10.4.11 (or later), Intel chipsets only. For Fallen Empire: Legions or Rokkitball, Mac OS X v10.5.4 and one of the following is required: GeForce™ 7 series, Geforce™ 8 series, Radeon™ HD series or Radeon™ X1900 series. Browsers supported are Safari 3 or Firefox 2 or later.

A recent closed beta tester, Sarvar Usmanov noted: “There aren’t enough games that work on Macs and it’s always good to see new ones, especially when they’re this good.”

About InstantAction

InstantAction is a website for gamers that combines the best of today’s videogame consoles with the best offerings on the Internet. The company draws from the intensity and functionality of videogames and the accessibility and reach of the web. InstantAction’s initial portfolio of original games range from high-profile studios to newly discovered game development talent. InstantAction was created by GarageGames, an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI). InstantAction is located in Eugene, OR and on the web athttp://www.instantaction.com.

Viqua Games today announced the release of First Class Flurry for Mac OS X. First Class Flurry, a new time-management casual game, lets players experience the job of a flight attendant as they help bring a bankrupt airline back to the top of the airline industry.

The game has already received raving reviews from leading casual game review sites such as Gamezebo.com. Rating First Class Flurry 4.5 stars out of 5, Gamezebo.com described First Class Flurry as having ‘Superb production values’ and also added that ‘Try as you might, the game won’t let you grow bored. The developers thought of everything, and First Class Flurry has it all – originality, variety, and a good upgrades system.’

In First Class Flurry, players control the airline’s top flight attendant Claire as she attends to the needs of passengers. The in-game tasks are what you’d expect for a flight attendant including activities such as serving drinks, preparing meals, handing out pillows, and helping passengers find their seats.

The game begins with Claire working in Economy Class and then advancing to Business Class, First Class and beyond. As players play through all 5 classes in the game, they will meet more than 20 different types of passengers, many of which provide new twists to the game. ‘We tried to make each passenger type add something new to the gameplay. ‘ said Chanon Sajjamanochai, the game’s producer.

A free trial of First Class Flurry for Mac and additional information about the game is available athttp://www.viquagames.com/games/first-class-flurry/

The full version can be bought online at ViquaGames.com for $19.95.