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f PC Games: Hunter's World The annual migration to GDC is nearly upon us, and Monumental are pleased to announce that this year they will be unveiling the Closed Test of their groundbreaking new MMO ‘Hunter’s World’ to a select audience of current and potential partners. “This will be the first ever demonstration of the first ever Massively Multiplayer Online Hunting Game, so yes, we’re excited about it!” said Ewan Lamont, the game’s Senior Producer. “It’s a title designed primarily for a US audience so it’s fitting that we unveil it at the GDC in San Francisco.” In Hunter’s World players take the role of hunters visiting a massive and varied wild hunting reserve, where they can compete and collaborate with real players in a persistent world. Hunters are able to roam freely, interact with each other, and hunt everything from varmints to big game. Innovations in the game include: • Competition against real people and a wide variety of AI-controlled animals • Collaboration with real people • Multiple hunting lodges, each with their own unique characteristics • A truly social game - players can communicate, hunt and socialise together • Players can roam freely in a virtual hunting world where they can interact with thousands of others • Players can purchase items (e.g. cars, weapons, clothing and so on) and customize their character • Free-to-play - Runes of Magic Frogster today released a new cinematic trailer for its highly anticipated free-to-play MMORPG Runes of Magic. The spectacular cinematic trailer shows a group of Taborea adventurers challenging the Demon Lord, the powerful fiend of the first chapter ‘Rise of the Demon Lord’ which begins on the day of launch. The appearance of the Demon Lord in the trailer, demonstrates some of the powerful abilities which he will use against players who dare to enter his realm. The cinematic trailer is now available on the official website at www.runesofmagic.com/en/videos.html. Runes of Magic will officially launch in Europe and North America on March 19th, 2009. - War Rock GamersFirst, a service of K2 Network and one of today's most popular free2play online game destinations, announces the return of one of the most popular events in War Rock. On March 13th, 2009 St. Karmali’s Day returns to War Rock with even more exciting prizes! The promotion is simple; every time a player spends 500 G1 credits, they receive a promo code for either an in-game item or free premium. Prizes include: either the HK69 or AW50F for 3 days, the FAMAS or L85A1 for 7 days, 5,000 dinar, or Gold Premium for 7 days, 30 days or even an entire year! If these prizes weren’t incentive enough to play, the War Rock team will also be hosting several in-game events throughout the week. Players must band together to either protect St. Karmali from the NIU operatives, or fight together to defeat him. It’s no wonder why this event continues to be one of the players’ favorites every year. “The key to maintaining War Rock is making things fun and easy for new players” says Associate Producer, Jon-Enée Merriex. “In the coming weeks and months we have some exciting changes that will continue to deliver a game that is compelling and exciting but still remains fun.” War Rock is a tactical, modern FPS (first-person shooter) exploding with intense, fast-paced combat. Armed with the world's deadliest weapons and controlling the most lethal vehicles, players attack three story-driven, killer game play modes in the air, on the land and over the sea. The game is free to download and Free2Play so players can get right into “pwning” other players from around the world. Intense with action and competition, War Rock is populated by thousands of players at any given time in servers all over the world. With a wide variety of customizable weaponry and vehicles, intuitive controls, and multiple battle modes, War Rock is a blast for seasoned FPS veterans and first-timers alike. - CABAL Online Games-Masters.com today announced that a brand new content update for its European version of Cabal Online, the widely acclaimed free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), will be available for free download from Tuesday 17th March. Cabal Online - 'Lost World' - will see the introduction of a whole host of new features, maps, items and bug fixes, including the ability to travel to the long-lost 'Forbidden Island'. Based off the coast of Port Lux, this previously undiscovered region of Nevareth will offer explorers an exhilarating experience, with challenging encounters, complex quests and new treasures to be found. The update will also see the introduction of a new 'Title System', a feature that will allow players to gain prestige and honour by completing a number of gruelling challenges. Each title will give the holder unique additional powers and can be displayed to everyone in the land, highlighting to friend and foe alike your position within Nevareth's society. With over 800 titles to be gained the question will be what title best describes you. Master Hunter? Genius Crafter? Or perhaps the infamous GM Slayer? Alongside these brand new features, the 'Lost World' will see the introduction of new skills, changes to crafting, further improvements to the war system and a number of key bug fixes and changes to balance the game. - DOFUS the online video game DOFUS, developed by ANKAMA, has just beaten two new records as of Sunday 8 March: 700,000 players connected over the day and 175,000 connected simultaneously at 6pm! DOFUS, the immensely successful online video game, which is available in 7 languages and played in 150 countries, has just beaten two new records. Thanks to the loyalty of its fans, the game has crossed the ‘700,000 in one day’ mark on Sunday 8 March, and another record was set at 6pm on that day – 175,000 simultaneously connected! To allow even more players access to the game and to reduce waiting times for existing fans, ANKAMA will open a new server named Many on 13 March - Crazy Machines 1 and 1.5 Crazy Machines 1 Turn the crank, rotate the gears, push the levers, Use the catapult, explode it, or fly it...From grilling sausages with a pulley, gears, rubberbands and a candle to firing a cannon with a basketball, these wacky brain-teasers will light up your imagination with creative and addictive fun! Crazy Machines 1.5 Create Your Own Zany "Rube Goldberg" Devices! Go crazy with over 200 brand new gizmo-twisting puzzles to solve! Enjoy all-new elements, music, backgrounds and more. Start off in the Inventor's Training Camp to sharpen your skills. Get ready for explosive action and building fun using 100 awesome & wacky parts – including bottle rockets, cannons, bombs, and robots. The Ultimate Brain-Teasing Puzzle Game! Continuing the fun, but not including puzzles from Crazy Machines: The Wacky Contraptions Game. FEATURES Over 70 Game Elements Addictive Fun Over 200 Challenges Multiple Solutions 3D Graphics and Real Time Shadows Crazy Machines 1.5 Features: Over 200 brand new levels New backgrounds, elements and music Crazy Machines Complete will be released in the UK on 27th March for a recommended retail price of £19.99. For more information on Kalypso Media titles click here Multi-Platform Games: Tekken 6 Publisher: NAMCO BANDAI Games is set to release Tekken 6 Q4, 2009 on the PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360®. Fans of Tekken may be interested to learn about the characters... Name: Christie Monteiro Fighting style: Capoeira Nationality: Brazilian Christie was unable to win The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. She was struggling to discover a way to save her grandfather when Eddy, who had been by her side, suddenly vanished. She searched everywhere but was unable to find him. Ultimately, she was left with no choice but to return to Brazil alone. Christie continued her search for Eddy upon returning to Brazil, when surprisingly her grandfather also disappeared from the hospital. The hospital said that Christie's grandfather had been sent to the Mishima Zaibatsu for treatment. Christie figured that Eddy acted against the Mishima Zaibatsu in same manner, but in that case she should have gotten some communication from him. She could not help but feel that there must be something sinister regarding Eddy's disappearance. When The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 was announced, Christie headed for Japan to get in contact with the Mishima Zaibatsu and to find out where Eddy and her grandfather had gone. Name: Devil Jin Fighting Style: Unknown Nationality: None Under the control of the devil gene, Jin Kazama's power rivals that of a demon. Name: Dragunov Fighting Style: Commando Sambo Nationality: Russian Age: 26 Sergei Dragunov had received orders from the Russian military command to capture the organism known as the 'Devil.' He successfully infiltrated The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, but was unable to locate the organism. Russia was in complete disorder due to numerous internal conflicts and civil disturbances, all believed to be caused by the covert actions of Mishima Zaibatsu operatives. In order to suppress national unrest, Dragunov was fighting across the country. He was then called back by top Russian military command and ordered to infiltrate The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 to crush the Mishima Zaibatsu. Thus, Dragunov embarked once again for Japan. Name: Hwoarang Fighting style: Tae Kwon Do Nationality: Korea Hwoarang succeeded in defeating Jin in The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. However, the next instant, the defeated Jin let out an inhuman roar and Hwoarang was thrown through the air by violent winds. Sprouting black wings, Jin stood before him ....looking just like a devil. Extremely outmatched, Hwoarang was prepared for death as he lost consciousness. When he awoke, he was in a hospital bed. After hearing about what happened from Baek Doo San, who had stayed at his bedside, Hwoarang pushed away the nurse and quickly rushed to his teacher, begging for more power. After leaving the hospital, Hwoarang trained with more vigor than ever before. Intent on defeating his former rival, he left for The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. King Fighting Style: Pro Wrestling Nationality: Mexico In The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, King faced Marduk in a grueling battle. A friendship formed between the two after the fight. Upon returning from the ring, Marduk was ambushed by someone dressed as Armor King. King was furious and vowed to find the culprit, but was unsuccessful. After that, the world was engulfed in war, and King had all but given up looking for Marduk's attacker when he received an invitation from Marduk to join him in The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. If they both participated in the Tournament, perhaps the Armor King imposter would show up again. With that slight hope, King decided to join the tournament. Craig Marduk Fighting Style: Vale Tudo Nationality: Australia Craig Marduk fought against King once again during The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. Although he lost, he had a friendly handshake with King after the match. Returning to his room, the lights suddenly went out, and Marduk was attacked by an unknown assailant. The lights came back on after some time, and the Marduk saw the culprit. It appeared to be Armor King, who Marduk had previously . The world fell engulfed in war when, suddenly, The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 was announced. Marduk reasoned that if he entered the tournament perhaps the unknown assailant would show up again. Along with his new ally King, Marduk entered the tournament to find his attacker. Name: Nina Williams Fighting Style: Assassination Arts Nationality: Ireland After defeating her sister Anna, Nina Williams was without an immediate goal to pursue. Jin Kazama, who had become the leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu, recruited her as a member of his special forces. Nina was not picky about her clients. She engaged in covert demolition operations around the world as part of the Tekken Force. As the world was engulfed in war and the conflict between the Mishima Zaibatsu and the G Corporation heated up, the Zaibatsu announced The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. Nina decided to enter the Tournament in order to those who pose a threat to Jin Kazama. - Resident Evil 5 LOVEFiLM.com, the UK's largest online DVD & games rental service and entertainment website has teamed with Capcom for the first time to celebrate the release of Resident Evil 5. Capcom's LOVEFiLM branded gamespage takeover starts today and will last until Sunday 15th, with a LOVEFiLM homepage beginning Saturday 14th until Monday 16th. Visitors to the site can learn all about the game and the franchise and are able to add titles including the successful spin off film versions to rental / purchase lists. News of the latest title in the Resident Evil franchise will also reach 100,000 customers through LOVEFiLM branded rental envelopes distributed from today. - Rock Band Harmonix and MTV Games announced today it will add the “Get the Funk Out 01” 3-pack, which features music from Average White Band, Earth, Wind & Fire and James Brown, to the Rock Band® Music Store of downloadable content. Next week’s lineup also includes music from a variety of rock artists such as Against Me!, The New Pornographers and Papa Roach. Next week’s 3-pack features some of the best funk songs released in the 1970s. “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown makes his Rock Band debut with “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine - Pt 1.,” which was first released in 1970 as part one of a two-part single. The Grammy-award winning artists that make up Earth, Wind & Fire also make an appearance in the Rock Band Music Store for the first time with the popular single “Shining Star” featured on That’s the Way of the World (1975). Scottish funk group Average White Band rounds out the funk pack with the release of the title track “Pick Up the Pieces” from its 1974 album. All three tracks can be purchased together as a pack or individually. Price: $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track $5.49 (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) “Get the Funk Out 01” pack. Complete list of tracks available so far are available here www.rockband.com/music - Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward Oxygen Games offer up a taste of the excitement to come with a demo of the first Hospital of this frantic game – Test your nerves and see if you’ve got what it takes…… Do you like a challenge? Can you handle the pace of this frantic, fast paced action-packed game? You have a whole Emergency Ward in your hands – can you cope with the responsibility? This demo showing the addictive and fun game coming soon on Wii, Nintendo DS and PC, gives you a taste of the fun to come! You’ll need to give the demo your full attention while you move patients around, control the nurses and take your patients through triage by dragging objects around, making sure no-one is missed out while frantically playing against the clock! It’s your job to keep the patients happy and well – are you sure you’re up to the job? Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward is set for release on Wii™, Nintendo DS™ and PC in May 2009. Games Related News: New Games Review Site In service to gamers everywhere, Algoma University's Masters of Science in Computer Games Technology students are lending their expertise and a critical eye to a new video game review website. The site is located at www.mastersgamereview.com, and can also be found on the Youth Domain page on sootoday.com. Each game that is reviewed is graded on a ten-point scale, with brief remarks being made on common game elements such as controls, difficulty, game-play and presentation. The heart of each review is an essay-type evaluation containing the student's impressions and experiences of playing the game. Visitors to the site also have the ability to offer their opinions. By registering, visitors will be able to pen their own game reviews and issue ratings. - Piracy Costs UK Trader Freedom A UK market trader from Hull has been sentenced to twelve months in prison having been found guilty of selling and distributing counterfeit gaming discs for the PlayStation®2, PlayStation® Portable, Microsoft ® Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii™ and PC at Walton Street Market, Hull. Paul Richard Thornill, 36, appeared before Judge Mettyear at Hull Crown Court on Wednesday March 11 for sentencing for offences under the Trade Marks Act (1994) and the Video Recordings Act (1985) following a prosecution brought by Hull Trading Standards, local police and ELSPA, the Entertainment and Leisure Software Association. The prison sentence was handed down almost a year to the day after Thornhill’s arrest in 2008. Following Thornhill’s arrest at Walton Street Market on Sunday March 9, 2008, a police search of Thornhill’s home in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire resulted in a haul of more than 1,500 illegal game discs on various formats. In addition to £3,000 cash he had at the time of arrest, a further £800 was found hidden in a cooker hood at his home. A further £2,000 was also found in a safe at the home of his mother-in-law. Evidence discovered on Thornhill’s hard-drive, along with details of historical transactions, produced sufficient evidence to convict the criminal. The approximate loss in value to the country’s video game industry was estimated to be more than £44,000. Michael Rawlinson, Director General of ELSPA, said: “ELSPA would like to thank all involved for bringing this case to a successful conclusion. Our investigations will continue to monitor the markets and work closely with our Trading Standards partners in stamping out counterfeiting here. “The simple facts about IP theft and piracy are that they are illegal acts. No matter which way you look at counterfeiting it is nothing more than theft. The public may think they are getting a bargain buying pirated games but it is invariably a false economy as they have no recourse under law for faulty goods.” A Humberside Police spokesman, said: “Counterfeit goods cost the music, film and games industry millions of pounds each year and it will not be tolerated in Hull. “Police will continue to work with partner agencies to bring offenders to justice” “The public are urged not to buy counterfeit goods as it supports an illegal trade that puts many people’s jobs at risk within retail and the entertainment industries.”
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