East India Company PC video game playable demo download

Paradox Interactive release the first demo for East India Company. The demo, which sets players in the time span of 1650-1660, offers fans a great preview of the trading action and intense naval combat sure to satisfy their anticipation for the release of the strategy title.

Players start with access to some ports & fleets, enabling them to immediately compete for the game’s main trading items. In addition, the demo also features two naval battle scenarios, allowing players to jump right in and try out the ocean warfare for themselves!

East India Company is now available for purchase via digital distribution channels, with the boxed release available from retailers on August 14th. For more information about East India Company, please visit the official website at http://www.eic-game.com.

Square Enix announce video games line-up for Gamescom 2009

World Premieres and Internationally Developed Titles Take Centre Stage

Square Enix Europe announce today its exciting line-up of combined titles which will be on show at GamesCom 2009, Cologne, August 19th – 23rd.

GamesCom 2009 will mark the first time Square Enix and Eidos titles will be showcased together; highlighting the growing diversity of the expanding global entertainment company. This year’s stand features games developed from around the world offering highly-anticipated experiences across genres and platforms.

The playable world premiere of SUPREME COMMANDER® 2 will be joined by the eagerly-awaited BATMAN™: ARKHAM ASYLUM, DISSIDIA® FINAL FANTASY®, FINAL FANTASY XIII, FINAL FANTASY XIV, KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS, MINI NINJAS™ and ORDER OF WAR™.

“We are delighted to be a part of GamesCom 2009. As the largest European games show it is the perfect event for our newly created European organisation to showcase the combined strength of our product line up for the very first time," said Phil Rogers, chief executive officer for the new organisation.

“This year’s show promises to be unforgettable with world premieres and our most diverse range of titles to date,” said Larry Sparks, Vice President of Brand, Square Enix products. “GamesCom 2009 gives us a great opportunity to share our most exciting upcoming games directly with consumers.”

To experience the latest titles from Square Enix first-hand, visit booth B54 in Hall 6 of GamesCom 2009. To find out more about Square Enix’s titles at GamesCom, please visit our official website at http://www.eu.square-enix.com/gamescom

GAMESCOM 2009 LINE-UP

BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Brand: Eidos
Platform: PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system / Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft / Games for Windows® LIVE
Genre: Action-Adventure
Release Date: 28th August, 2009
www.batmanarkhamasylum.com

Featuring the world-renowned characters of DC Comics, Batman: Arkham Asylum, developed by Rocksteady Studios, will offer show visitors a journey into the depths of Gotham City’s psychiatric asylum for the criminally insane as Batman faces his greatest challenge yet.

Visitors will also have the chance to experience a selection of the game’s extensive FreeFlow™ Combat and Invisible Predator™ Challenge Maps. Also playable will be one of the eight maps that allow fans to play as The Joker, a character that is playable exclusively in the PLAYSTATION®3 Challenge Maps that will be made available as a free download for owners of the game through PlayStation®Network.

DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY
Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Brand: Square Enix
Platform: PlayStation®Portable (PSP®) system
Genre: Fighting
Release Date: 4th September, 2009
www.dissidia-finalfantasy.com

DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY does what no other FINAL FANTASY title has done before, bringing together an all-star cast to give players a chance to see their favourite FINAL FANTASY characters engage in high-intensity battles. Experience this renowned franchise, which has shipped over 85 million units worldwide, in a brand new light with this dramatic 3-D action game. Soar through expansive environments and participate in gripping combat, all while enjoying RPG-based character development that adds a rich layer of depth to the story behind the clashing forces. The battle between good and evil begins – What will you fight for?

FINAL FANTASY XIII
Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Brand: Square Enix
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system / Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft
Genre: RPG
Release Date: 2010
www.finalfantasy13game.com

Square Enix proudly presents FINAL FANTASY XIII, the latest instalment in the world-renowned FINAL FANTASY series. To celebrate the 13th numbered release in the series, Square Enix has undertaken a colossal project involving the development of various content for multiple platforms. FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS®, defined in Latin as “the new tale of the crystal,” is made up of several different titles based on variations of the FINAL FANTASY XIII universe. While each title in the project features different characters, different worlds and different stories, all are ultimately based on and expand upon a common mythos.

In FINAL FANTASY XIII, players will embark on a journey through the cityworld of Cocoon and the outerworld of Pulse, encountering and fighting alongside a diverse group of allies. Execute powerful attacks with weapons and magic, and summon the enigmatic Eidolons with an evolved Active Time Battle™ system. Experience seamless transitions between real-time gameplay and in-game cinematics. Do you have the courage to face your destiny?

FINAL FANTASY XIV
Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Brand: Square Enix
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system / Windows PC
Genre: MMORPG
Release Date: 2010
www.finalfantasyxiv.com

The surprise announcement of E3 2009 is set to be one of the main attractions at GamesCom 2009. An all new massively-multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), planned for a simultaneous global release with language support in German, French, English and Japanese.

Adventure begins anew in the vast realm of Eorzea!

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS™
Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Brand: Square Enix
Platform: Wii™
Genre: Action-Adventure
Release Date: This Winter
www.thecrystalbearers.com

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS provides a fresh take on the FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES series as it combines the storytelling depth, expansive world and graphical quality of FINAL FANTASY with motion-driven, real-time action gameplay. In this world, realistic gameplay and fantastical art direction are brought together for a truly unique experience for Wii users around the globe.

FRONT MISSION EVOLVED™
Developer: Double Helix Games™
Brand: Square Enix
Platforms: PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system / Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft / Windows PC
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Release Date: TBA
www.frontmissionevolved.com

From the creative minds of Square Enix and Double Helix Games, FRONT MISSION EVOLVED brings the classic FRONT MISSION® franchise into an action-packed third-person shooter that gives players full control of a massive humanoid war machine—the wanzer. Players will battle through intense combat situations as they explore an immersive world in both the single player campaign and online multiplayer.

KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days
Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd./h.a.n.d.
Brand: Square Enix
Platform: Nintendo DS™
Genre: Action-RPG
Release Date: Autumn 2009
www.kingdomheartsdays.com

Uncover the events that took place during the year Sora was asleep regaining his lost memories. KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days revolves around Roxas, the "other" hero from KINGDOM HEARTS II, and his days as a member of Organization XIII. Follow Roxas and the rest of Organization XIII across the various Disney Worlds, and discover the connection between him, Sora, and the mysterious 14th member, and the reasons behind his eventual departure from the organization. KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days also features a multiplayer mode for the first time, allowing players to control their favourite Organization XIII members!

MINI NINJAS
Developer: IO Interactive
Brand: Eidos
Platform: Wii / Nintendo DS / Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft / PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system / Games for Windows
Genre: Action-Adventure
Release Date: Autumn 2009
www.minininjas.com

Mini Ninjas, from IO Interactive, will take you on a journey to feudal Japan where you’ll join Hiro, Futo, and the rest of the ninja clan on their biggest ninja adventure ever, as they embark on an epic and electrifying quest to restore harmony to a world on the brink of chaos.

Visitors will have the chance to get a free PC DVD containing the very first demo of Mini Ninjas to enjoy at home.

NIER™
Developer: cavia, Inc.
Brand: Square Enix
Platforms: PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system / Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft
Genre: Action-Adventure
Release Date: 2010
www.niergame.com

Nothing is as it seems in Square Enix’s latest action adventure game, set in a crumbling world plagued by disease and dark, unrecognizable creatures. Players assume the role of the unyielding protagonist, NIER, resolute in his quest to discover a cure for his daughter, who is infected with the Black Scrawl virus. With powerful allies and a mysterious book, NIER encounters things that will confound even the mightiest of warriors.

ORDER OF WAR
Developer: Wargaming.net™
Brand: Square Enix
Platform: Windows PC
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Release Date: 18th September, 2009
www.orderofwar.com

Square Enix teams up with strategy game specialist Wargaming.net to present ORDER OF WAR, a brand-new IP set for a simultaneous release across multiple territories. Developed exclusively for Windows PC, the game features massive-scale battles brought to life with a cinematic intensity never seen before in a WWII strategy game. Players will take command of an entire army including ground troops, artillery, tank divisions and aircraft in all-out strategic assaults. The single-player mode can be played out in two campaigns – American versus German forces on the western front and German versus American and Russian forces on both fronts. Missions will be based on key historic events and operations from 1944.

PONY FRIENDS™ 2
Developer: Tantalus Games
Brand: Eidos
Platforms: Wii / Nintendo DS / Windows PC
Genre: Virtual Pet
Release date: Winter 2009
Official website coming soon.

Pony Friends 2 allows players the chance to create their perfect Pony and take part in fun activities. Featuring 12 Pony breeds players can customise every aspect of its appearance, along with its own unique personality. Players can choose all their Pony’s accessories and even design some of their own. Taking special care of their Pony to keep it clean and healthy, players can take it on trail rides across different landscapes and environments. Grab the reins, photograph wildlife and unlock a whole host of secrets on your journey.

Pony Friends 2 features an exciting and energetic competitive mode across all formats: players can compete in races and trick competitions alone or with a friend on the Wii and DS (single cart play).

SUPREME COMMANDER 2
Developer: Gas Powered Games®
Brand: Square Enix
Platforms: Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft / Windows PC
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Release date: 2010
Official website coming soon.

Set 25 years after the events of the original game, Supreme Commander 2 begins with the assassination of the newly elected president of the Colonial Defense Coalition. The CDC members – the United Earth Federation, the Order of the Illuminate, and the Cybran Nation – deny involvement, blame each other, and a galactic war ensues! Experience brutal battles on a massive scale! Players will wage war by creating enormous customizable armies and experimental war machines that can change the balance of power at any given moment. Take the role of one of the three enigmatic commanders, each representing a unique faction with a rich story that brings a new level of emotional connection to the RTS genre, or fight the battle online. Where do your loyalties lie?

Fallout 3 Mothership Zeta download comes to your Xbox 360 this week

Fallout 3 is getting one last piece of DLC called Mothership Zeta this week. This DLC actually takes on a sci-fi look and is totally different than what we have become accustomed to in the Capital Wastelands. In an interview, Fallout 3 DLC Producer Jeff Gardiner describes the new DLC...

"Mothership Zeta begins with the player being abducted and held captive aboard a huge Alien craft hovering high above the Earth. The player will have to escape the craft; along the way they’ll meet other captives, have to solve difficult puzzles and secure new high-tech weaponry to employ against their captors."

If you have bought Fallout 3 and all the DLC episodes...."Operation: Anchorage", "The Pitt" , "Broken Steel", "Point Lookout" and "Mothership Zeta", this becomes around a 100 hour game, not to mention a $110 dollar game. But in all honesty, I would say that Fallout 3 deserves to be a contender for one of the greatest games of all time...

Get your kicks shooting little green men this upcoming Monday August 3rd for $10 dollars (800 MS points). Check out the HD trailer below...

Age gate trailer...



Source: Examiner

Four videos from The Beatles Rock Band video game on Xbox 360

Four tracks from The Beatles: Rock Band. Better yet, we've got the videos from the game as well for your viewing pleasure, just after the break. While we're partial to the video for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band," who are we to go all willy nilly suggesting what you choose to enjoy? Kick off your slippers and get ready for sheep counting with a handful of Beatles music from us to you.

SORRY: VIDEOS REMOVED FROM YOUTUBE BY VIACOM

Source: JoyStiq

PlayStation 2 out sells PlayStation3 and PSP in first quarter of 2009

The PlayStation 2 outsold the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable during Sony's first quarter, according to the firm's fiscal report.

Both current generation platforms saw a decline in sales from the previous quarter, with the PS3 dropping from 1.6 million units to 1.1 million, and the PSP falling from 2.1 million to 1.3 million.

The ten-year-old PlayStation 2 was the only Sony platform to experience a sales increase during the quarter. The console sold 1.6 million units, up from 1.4, with analysts attributing this to a recent price drop.

Software sales for all platforms saw a decline. The PS3 sold 14.8 million titles, dropping from 18.9 the previous quarter. PSP sales fell to 8.3 million, down from 11.2, while PS2 software came in at 8.5, down from 11.3.

PlayStation 3 sales are expected to rise during the next quarter, with the platform's long-rumoured price drop due later this year.

Carmack video game Rage runs slowest on PlayStation 3 The PS3 version of Rage is running at only half the speed of the Xbox 360 and PC

Speaking to CVG in a new feature on id Software's new post-apocalyptic game, Rage, John Carmack has confirmed that the PlayStation 3 version of the game will run noticeably slower that on the Xbox 360 or PC.

The game, which is projected for a 2010 release on all platforms, will be a free-roaming RPG and FPS hybrid with a heavy focus where players are able to compete in races through the wasteland in order to unlock car and weapon upgrades.

According to Edge magazine the game runs at a smooth and brisk 60 FPS on the Xbox 360 and comparable PCs, but struggles to keep things at 20 - 30 FPS on the PlayStation 3. In a series of candid comments about the capability of the PlayStation 3 hardware, Carmack squarely places the blame on the GPU.

"The PS3 lags a little bit behind in terms of getting the performance out of it,[i]" Carmack admits. "[i]The rasteriser is just a little bit slower - no two ways about that. The RSX is slower than what we have in the 360."

Carmack also says that the architecture of the CPU is a bit of a hassle to design for too and, while the PS3 processor is "about the same" as that in the Xbox 360, the Xbox 360 is just simpler to work with.

"The 360 makes it easier to split things off, and that's what a lot of the work has been, splitting it all into jobs on the PS3," Carmack says.

This isn't the first time that developers have said the PlayStation 3 is difficult to work with either - a number of developers in the past have made such claims, though Sony hasn't issued a formal reply that we know of.

Carmack promising that the PlayStation 3 version of Rage will be up to scratch before the game is released.

"Everything is designed as a 60 hertz game. We expect this to be 60 hertz on every supported platform," said Carmack.

Yakuza 3 video game coming to America after all...

Only days ago, that gamers started freaking out over a release date of “never” for Yakuza 3. According to The Examiner, a friend working at SEGA said the title was never coming stateside. It looks like that information was false.

The website has since run an update for that article, stating that the statements that were made were not official Sega statements. Here is the full update:

“To clarify: It was earlier reported that Sega has no plans to release Yakuza 3 stateside. By viewing upcoming release list, Sega still hasn’t made any mention of an upcoming release or revealed plans to release it stateside. However, the statements made earlier are not official Sega statements. Based on Yakuza 2 sales figures, it’s his personal opinion that the game will not sell if it sees release stateside.”

Source: PlayStation Lifestyle

PlayStation 3 slim picture appears on Amazon germany PS3 slim for sale...

After reports of a listing for the new PlayStation 3 Slim console appearing on Amazon Germany the listing has been updated with a picture here...

I wonder how long it will take Sony to have it removed?

PlayStation 3 firmware hacked? Boot copies of games...

Reports on CVG...

With the arrival of every new console comes a race for hackers to crack their way through the new toy's security, and the PS3, after just over six months, has finally been defeated.

An exploit has been found in versions 1.10 and 1.11 of the PS3 firmware which has allowed one cunning hacker to boot up copied versions of PS3 games.

The fight isn't over though - the game boots, but it doesn't actually play, so there's some way to go. And the exploit doesn't allow for the running of unofficial (homebrew) programs, which is where the real meat of modding lies.

Homebrew fans hope the PS3 scene will go the same way as PSP, which has become one of the most thriving homebrew scenes in videogame history thanks in part to easy connection with PC (USB), and its huge storage potential via Sony's universal Memory Stick Duo.

Be warned though, if you mod your PS3 you'll kill your warrantee, face being banned from the PlayStation Network, and causing problems with running new games. Even worse, you could brick your PS3 altogether.

Plus, copying games is bad, so don't do that either, ya' hear?

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box Nintendo DS video game trailer

In the world of Professor Layton, the only way to get past the hordes of mailmen, mad dogs, and other crazed denizens that block your path is by solving fiendish brain bending puzzles. In this follow-up to last year's curious adventure, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box continues the top-hatted adventurer's story as he once again investigates a suspicious murder and explores other mysterious goings on.

In most respects, the Diabolical Box isn't much different than the Curious Village. The sequel maintains the same sepia-tinged, European art style, soothing puzzle music, and excellent voice work of the original. But this new adventure introduces a whole new slew of puzzles, and plenty of extra diversions in the Professor's suitcase. While the Curious Village limited you to building a mechanical dog and decorating your hotel room, Diabolical Box lets you put together a camera piece-by-piece, make various teas, and help an overweight hamster get in shape.


The extras add even more encouragement to seek out and solve each little puzzle, since some reward you with items like new camera parts and workout motivators for the hamster. But, like before, you don't have to worry about getting in a hurry and leaving puzzles behind. Granny Riddleton returns to sweep up any puzzles you miss and store them in her shack for you to finish later. No matter where the game takes you, you always have a chance to visit Granny and collect the puzzles you miss.

Click here for more images from the game...

And collecting all of the Picarats (the game's reward for solving puzzles correctly) earns you even more bonuses this time around, with one piece of unlockable content that's only available after collecting 4,500 of the miniature medallions. Though Nintendo hasn't talked about it yet, the game's menu also has a spot for downloadable puzzles. So, once again, you'll be able to connect to the Internet and nab even more riddles, if the game's already hefty assortment isn't enough to satiate your puzzle-solving lust.

Too many other quality Japanese titles, like Yakuza 3 and Retro Game Master 2, haven't made it to the States, so it's exciting that Diabolical Box is on its way here. Layton followers don't have much longer to wait either, as the game's set to release on August 24. Hopefully, it will sell well enough to bring its already-out-in-Japan sequel, Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel, State-side as well.

Overall, the game is just an excuse to solve puzzles wrapped loosely around a murder mystery story, but searching out and solving those puzzles is almost as addictive as trying to get the right answer the first time. If you think the only way to solve the world's problems is by staring down the sights of an automatic rifle, Layton may not be your cup of tea. But if you're looking for an adventure game that works great on the DS, then Diabolical Box should be on your short list of must-have Fall releases.

Source: 1UP