Archive for September, 2009
From/De: Activision
The World’s Largest Army of Super Heroes Returns to Retail With the Release of Activision’s Marvel(TM): Ultimate Alliance 2
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept 15, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — The sequel to the greatest Super Hero(TM) action/RPG ever heads to retail stores today with the release of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 from Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI). Players will have the chance to experience Marvel’s landmark Civil War storyline first hand, as they fight for their chosen side in the battle over the Superhuman Registration Act. In control of the largest army of heroes and villains ever featured in a game, players will assemble four-character dream teams, utilize their heroes’ unique powers and, for the first time ever, fuse the abilities of two characters to unleash astonishing new attacks during battles.
“Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 builds on the gameplay that made the first title a hit and takes the experience to all new heights,” states Rob Kostich, Head of Marketing for Licensed Properties, Activision Publishing, Inc. “Players will fight through cinematic and immersive environments, engage in graphically vivid and devastating fusions, and interact with or destroy everything in their path as they experience one of the most tumultuous political events ever imagined in comic book lore.”
Continue reading ‘Activision: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2′
15
Sep
09
EA: Skate 3
From/De: EA
EA Announces SKATE 3
Skateboarding Just Became the Ultimate Team Experience
VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today revealed the next title in the company’s landmark skateboarding franchise: SKATETM 3, and confirmed that it will ship in May 2010. SKATE 3 breaks new ground by taking all of the camaraderie and competitive excitement of real-life skateboarding and brings it to the hands of gamers. Whether online or offline, players can now team up to build the ultimate skate crew in the definitive skateboarding co-op experience. In SKATE 3, players take part in team-based challenges, compete against rival crews and leave their mark on the all-new skater’s paradise, Port Carverton.
“The social and community aspects of the SKATE franchise are something we’ve always embraced, but we’ve never done anything to the scale you’re going to see in SKATE 3,” said Senior Producer, Jason DeLong. “We’re giving gamers a very unique experience by providing them with the tools they need to build their ultimate team or to create a team comprised entirely of their online friends. From there, it’s all about proving yourself – teaming up, and throwing down.”
Continue reading ‘EA: Skate 3′
From/De: Vivox
Vivox® to Provide Integrated Voice Services for EA’s Command & Conquer 4 Tiberian Twilight
Natick, MA – September 15, 2009
Vivox, Inc. (www.vivox.com), the market leader in voice services for online games and virtual worlds, has entered into an agreement with Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) to provide voice communication services for several online games and the EA community. The first EA game that will feature integrated Vivox voice services is Command & Conquer™ 4 Tiberian Twilight, being developed by EA Los Angeles.
“Command & Conquer 4 is a huge leap forward for RTS games,” said Rob Seaver, CEO, Vivox. “EA recognizes the impact that voice will bring to Command & Conquer 4, both tactically and socially, and it is a terrific title to kick-off our relationship. With voice, players will experience and create new levels of gameplay for themselves, making the connections they need to move ahead and win the game. It is amazing to work with EA to craft a new experience for the RTS genre, and we expect to keep innovating with future EA titles.”
Command & Conquer 4 Tiberian Twilight, the next installment to the bestselling, critically acclaimed real-time strategy franchise, will feature new levels of competitive multiplayer gameplay, including new features such as the 5v5 objective-based multiplayer mode. This functionality will elevate the social real-time-strategy experience, with the focus on teamwork and cooperation, which will be further enhanced with Vivox’ voice chat.
“Online games are fast-paced social experiences where voice chat is an essential element of user interaction,” said Nanea Reeves, senior vice president of EA’s Online Group. “With Vivox, we are providing our players an incredibly rich communications experience that combines the fun of an old time LAN party in the new age of online games.”
About Vivox, Inc.
Based in Natick, MA and founded in 2005, Vivox is the leading provider of community-building voice services for games and virtual worlds. Supporting over 11 million users in more than 180 countries, the Vivox Network is the world’s largest voice network for gamers. Vivox customers include game and virtual world developers and publishers such as CCP Games, Icarus Studios, Linden Lab, NCsoft, Realtime Worlds, Sony Online Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast. For more information on Vivox and the power of voice, visit www.vivox.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™ EA™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at info.ea.com
EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, Pogo and Command & Conquer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Link to / Enlace a: Vivox Voice Chat @ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=145526109656 & http://apps.facebook.com/vivoxwebchat.
From/De: Vivox
Vivox® Labs Debuts with Voice Mashups for Facebook & World of Warcraft®
Vivox test-drives new technologies to deepen the social web
Natick, MA – September 15, 2009
Vivox (www.vivox.com), the market leader in voice services for online games and virtual worlds, today announced the opening of Vivox Labs, an initiative designed to capture and incubate new ideas around using Web Voice to create voice and web mashups. The first two innovations to come out of Vivox Labs are Vivox Web Voice for Facebook, a way for friends and groups to seamlessly talk on Facebook; and Puggable.com, a website for World of Warcraft players creating pick-up groups (PUGs) with voice chat, character data and boss tactics.
Since the company’s inception in 2005, Vivox has been enabling massive conversations to take place in some of the world’s largest online games, virtual worlds and communities. Now the company is bringing its sophisticated and expertly designed voice capabilities to social web application developers and users with Web Voice.
“We created Vivox Labs because our team was bursting with new ideas to combine voice and web products. This new initiative enables the team to work on new ideas and share these opportunities with our partners,” said Monty Sharma, co-founder and VP Product Management and Marketing of Vivox. “Vivox Labs has now opened up opportunity for us to experiment with Web Voice and leverage what we learn for the benefit of our users and partners. These first two projects coming out of Vivox Labs are extraordinary examples of the passion and talent of our team and the adaptability of Web Voice. While we are excited about the potential of these early efforts we know our partners will take the tools we have developed and create further innovative solutions as gaming and the social web merge.”
Vivox Web Voice for Facebook combines the award winning Vivox Network with the social environment of Facebook, making connecting with friends easier than ever. Users can have virtual reunions, play games or conduct meetings. Vivox Web Voice for Facebook is designed to provide a simple way to get a group talking. In addition to the core app, Vivox is working with developers to integrate custom voice capabilities into their applications.
Also in development in Vivox Labs is Puggable, a website that supports pick up groups (PUGs) commonly formed in MMOs. Gamers often have to find similar geared players in certain roles to achieve game objectives. Presently focused on the World of Warcraft community, Puggable assembles both character and instance data from the game so that players can easily build a complementary team. Once the PUG is set, they can use Vivox voice right from their browser, making it easy and intuitive for players to communicate while playing together.
Vivox Web Voice for Facebook and Puggable are presently in closed beta with expected release dates in Q4 2009.
About Vivox, Inc.
Based in Natick, MA and founded in 2005, Vivox is the leading provider of community-building voice services for games and virtual worlds. Supporting over 15 million users in more than 180 countries, and over 2 billion minutes of voice chat per month, the Vivox Network is the world’s largest voice network for gamers. Vivox customers include game and virtual world developers and publishers such as CCP Games (EVE Online), EA, Icarus Studios, Linden Lab (Second Life), NCsoft, Sony Online Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast. For more information on Vivox and the power of voice, visit www.vivox.com.
From/De: EA
BioWare and Tor Books Expand the Dragon Age Universe with the New Prequel Novel Dragon Age: The Calling
EDMONTON, Alberta & NEW YORK, Sep 15, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Leading video game developer BioWare(TM), a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Tor Books, the largest publisher of science fiction in the world, today announced the publication of Dragon Age(TM): The Calling, a new novel set in the world of Dragon Age(TM): Origins, BioWare’s highly anticipated dark epic video game releasing this November. Veteran video game developer and Dragon Age: Origins lead writer, David Gaider, follows up his debut novel, Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, with a thrilling new adventure set in the dark and epic fantasy universe of Dragon Age: Origins. Dragon Age: The Calling is scheduled to release on October 13, 2009, for $14.99.
In Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, Maric set out on a mission of vengeance against the faithless lords who were responsible for his mother’s death. Now, having reclaimed the throne, King Maric finally allows the legendary Grey Wardens to return to Ferelden after two hundred years of exile. When they come, however, they bring dire news: one of their own has escaped into the Deep Roads and aligned himself with their ancient enemy, the monstrous darkspawn. The Grey Wardens need Maric’s help to find him. He reluctantly agrees to lead them into the passages he traveled through years before, chasing after a deadly secret that will threaten to destroy not only the Grey Wardens, but also the Kingdom above.
The team at BioWare has created a fantasy world on a scale unprecedented in the world of games — filled with compelling characters, gripping storylines, and hidden terrors. Dragon Age: The Calling is a rich, sweeping epic thatwill captivate avid fantasy readers and gamers just weeks before the launch of one of the most highly-anticipated fantasy RPGs ever.
In Dragon Age: Origins, players take on the role of a Grey Warden, one of the last of an ancient order of guardians who have served as protectors throughout the centuries. Only they have the power to unite the shattered lands, defeat the Archdemon and drive back the darkspawn that threaten to destroy the world. Players will interact with many interesting characters who may join them in their quest, and they will choose whether these characters become friends, foes, or even a romantic interest. Featuring a deep and compelling story where every choice can have a dramatic impact on the game, Dragon Age: Origins is scheduled to release on November 3, 2009 in North America and November 6, 2009 in Europe for the PC and Xbox 360(R) videogame and entertainment system and later in November for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system.
Dragon Age: Origins is rated M by the ESRB. For more information about Dragon Age: Origins, visit www.dragonage.com. Pre-order the game now at www.eastore.ea.com.
About BioWare
BioWare develops computer, console, handheld, mobile and online video games focused on rich stories and memorable characters. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world’s best-selling titles, including the award-winning Baldur’s Gate(TM) and Neverwinter Nights(TM) series, Star Wars(R): Knights of the Old Republic(TM) and Sonic(TM) Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (for the Nintendo DS(TM)). Original BioWare-created intellectual properties include Jade Empire(TM) and the 2007 Game of the Year, Mass Effect(TM). With studios in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec), and Austin (Texas), BioWare is hard at work on the epic fantasy roleplaying game, Dragon Age(TM): Origins, Mass Effect 2(TM), the epic sequel to Mass Effect, and the story-driven massively multiplayer game, Star Wars(R): The Old Republic(TM), as well as several unannounced projects. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by the world’s leading electronic entertainment publisher, Electronic Arts. For more information on BioWare, visitwww.bioware.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EATM, EA SPORTSTM, EA MobileTM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
About Tor Books
Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, is a New York-based publisher of hardcover and softcover books, founded in 1980 and committed (although not limited) to SF and fantasy literature. Between an extensive hardcover and trade-softcover line, an Orb backlist program, and a stronghold in mass-market paperback, Tor annually publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction and fantasy ever produced by a single English-language publisher. Books from Tor have won every major award in the SF and fantasy fields, and for the last twenty-one years in a row the company has been named Best Publisher in the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in SF.
BioWare, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. “PLAYSTATION” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.
14
Sep
09
DJ Hero: Daft Punk
From/De: Activision
DAFT PUNK TO MAKE THEIR VIDEO GAME DEBUT IN DJ HERO™
Legendary Electronic Music Duo To Lend Unique Likenesses and Massive Variety of Music Exclusively to the Game
Santa Monica, CA – September 14, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — For the first time ever in a video game, GRAMMY® Award winning DJ’s and producing duo, Daft Punk, will start the party right with Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) DJ Hero™ on October 27, 2009. Featuring 93 exclusive on-disc mixes from some of the biggest acts in hip-hop, pop, rock and dance, players will be able to test their DJing chops as virtual recreations of the renowned twosome and experience their iconic sounds in eleven original mixes, including two signature “Megamixes,” using their music. Among the mixes in the game featuring Daft Punk are:
- Daft Punk “Around the World” vs. Young MC “Bust A Move”
- Daft Punk “Da Funk” vs. NASA “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB and Fatlip”
- Daft Punk “Da Funk” vs. Queen “Another One Bites the Dust”
- Daft Punk “Robot Rock” vs. Hashim “Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)” – Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts
- Daft Punk “Robot Rock” vs. Queen “We Will Rock You”
- Daft Punk “Short Circuit” vs. Boogie Down Productions “Jack Of Spades”
- Daft Punk “Technologic” vs. Gary Numan “Cars”
- Daft Punk “Television Rules The Nation” vs. No Doubt “Hella Good”
“Partnering with Daft Punk is a rare opportunity in any medium and we are extremely honored to have worked with them so closely on integrating into DJ Hero in such a compelling way,” said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Guitar Hero®. “This is the first time in a video game that fans will have this kind of direct interaction with Daft Punk while also experiencing never-before-released mixes that feature some of their most popular tracks. It’s amazing working with Daft Punk as they are the quintessential electronic music act known around the world for their unique style and music.”
Expanding upon the revolutionary easy to pick up/challenging to master gameplay mechanics developed and refined in Guitar Hero, DJ Hero delivers an all-new interactive music experience that allows players to start the party and not only experience, but to hear music in an all-new way. With over 100 individual songs, highlighted in 93 unique never-before-released mixes that blend genres of music, including hip-hop, pop, rock and dance, DJ Hero delivers the most diverse and international collection of music ever assembled in a music game by incorporating anthems from legendary artists. Created exclusively for DJ Hero, the turntable controller immerses fans into the DJ culture and a sea of music as they utilize and master various DJ techniques including scratching, crossfading and sampling, while leaving room for creative expression with a variety of effects and player chosen samples and scratches, transforming a face in the crowd into the life of the party.
DJ Hero is being developed by FreeStyleGames for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems and the Wii™ system from Nintendo. The game is rated “T” (Teen – Mild Suggestive Themes, Lyrics) by the ESRB. For more information about DJ Hero, please visit djhero.com, facebook.com/djhero and twitter.com/djhero. To pre-order DJ Hero, check out djhero.com/buy.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Russia, Japan, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.
From/De: WBIE
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Pre-Launch Event for Scribblenauts, an Innovative, Award-Winning, New Action-Puzzle Game for Nintendo DS
–(Business Wire)– Sep 13, 2009 Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment hosted a pre-launch event for Scribblenauts, an innovative, award-winning, new action-puzzle game for Nintendo DS. Two photos of the event are available on Business Wire’s Web Site and AP PhotoExpress.
Photo one:
Julie Cheng, of Brooklyn, is the first to purchase the highly-anticipated Scribblenauts at a pre-launch event at Nintendo World store, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, in New York. Scribblenauts, an innovative, award-winning, new action-puzzle game, will be available exclusively for Nintendo DS on Tuesday, Sept. 15 from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Photo two:
Maxwell Mania! Hundreds of early-bird fans wear rooster hats inspired by the character Maxwell as they wait to be the first to purchase the new video game Scribblenauts at a pre-launch event at Nintendo World store on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. Scribblenauts, an innovative, award-winning, new action-puzzle game, will be available exclusively for Nintendo DS on Tuesday, Sept. 15 from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Capcom: Spyborgs – Bouncer & Stinger – Combos – Lobber
Capcom: Spyborgs – Bouncer & Stinger – Combos – Shooter
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