Publisher: ClickGamer
Developer: Rovio Mobile
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Available now

Sometimes the simplest of games can cause hours upon hours of what would be useful time to vanish. Simple concepts such as manipulating blocks falling from the sky or realigning jewels can eat up time like Pac Man, and now, using birds as catapult ammo joins the ranks.

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But unlike many of its in-game characters it’s not dead, and instead has taken a change in direction. High Voltage Software (Conduit) revealed at GDC that The Grinder is now a top-down shooter. First appearances suggest it plays very much like Robotron or Gauntlet. The game will focus on multi-play with up to four players sharing the same screen and controlling their characters with dual-analog control: left stick for movement, right stick for shooting.

The Grinder places you in the role of a freelance hunter, in a wild west type setting, who sets out to eradicate blood-hungry monsters. Originally to be a Wii exclusive, the game will now end up on every console, which “allows [High Voltage] to show off what our company can really do and get it into the hands of the most gamers”, boasted a company spokesperson. The Grinder is still scheduled to release late in 2011 on the Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

(click to play the video)A man-made floating city called the Ark, made up of hundreds of separate floating islands, is on the brink of all-out civil war. Originally built as an experimental self-sufficient and 100% “green” habitat, the reported rapid rise of the Earth’s oceans has forced the Ark to become a refuge for humanity. Crammed with the original Ark founders, their descendants, as well as tens of thousands of refugees, the Ark exists in total isolation from the rest of the world. With 25 years of social unrest, the inhabitants of the Ark have reached their breaking point. It’s up to you to decide the future of the Ark and the human race.

Brink is a shooter that aims to blend single-player, co-op, and multiplayer gameplay into a single experience that allows you to develop your character across all modes of play. You decide the role you want to assume as you fight to save yourself and mankind’s last refuge for humanity.

Chess, the unrivalled champion of strategy games has been attracting players of all ages for countless centuries. Battle vs. Chess takes up the mission of adapting the time honored classic for the 21st century, seeking to breathe new life into the beloved game without abandoning the essential concepts that have made it so enduring. Simply digitalizing it is not nearly enough, however, and the title aims to develop a unique fusion between 3D environments & characters, professional chess software and upbeat combat visuals & mechanics.

Battle vs. Chess is currently being developed across multiple platforms, and is scheduled for release in May 2010.

The pools of salivation are quite wet, and gamers are oozing more energy from anticipated excitement than is produced by a small nuclear power plant. What is the source of all this commotion? Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening is about to be unleashed on retail shelves! Yet more news today will only send many gamers into meltdown. Before I spill the beans I suggest you all lie down in a dark room with an icepack on your exhausted brows.

EA has already given a very big hint about the release date for the second installment in the franchise – February 1, 2011! This was allegedly spotted by some in an early retail box of the expansion, and agrees with a release window hinted at by EA earlier this year during a financial call. We’re not exactly sure if this is part of the two years of promised content that BioWare outlined late last year – but hey who cares! Let the party continue!

Publisher: The Game Equation
Developer: The Game Equation
Requirements: Windows or Mac OS X
Genre: Puzzle
Release Date: March 2010

It’s been a few years since the events of Deep Blue Sea. Jessica, the former advertising executive turned treasure hunter, has disappeared. Her younger sister, Melissa, receives a worn postcard with a note in Jessica’s handwriting, written in the secret code that the sisters invented when they were young. The note tells Melissa to go to Billinger Island, which is where the search for her sister – and her own adventure – begins.

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Wargaming.net has just released its World War II RTS title, Order of War: Challenge, for PC. The game is exclusively available on Steam for $9.99, and owners of the original game will receive it automatically for FREE.

Order of War: Challenge is a multiplayer standalone game where players lead the most powerful WWII-era armies (the USA, Germany and the USSR) to reveal the best strategists on the virtual battlefields. The game was designed to provide ultimate “commander” experience.

Look for Andrew Clark’s review in the coming days!

THQ revealed more details about Red Faction 3 at GDC this week. It will be a hybrid of the first two titles and Guerrilla. There will be more structure to the game and it will resemble a “narrative” shooter. Fans of the destruction found in Guerrilla will be happy to know that this feature will be included, and there will be a “much greater impact on cities built closer together in the tight confines of the new underground world.” The current release date for the title is March 2011.

- Benjy Ikimi

Source: CVG

It seems that the console war will take another interesting turn in the form of the motion controller. Nintendo has rebranded itself with this technology and Microsoft has teased us with Natal, but now Sony has entered the ring with the reveal of their own motion controller at GDC.

Dubbed the Sony Move, there are expected to be over 20 first party titles, 36 third party supporters and a lot more to come. SOCOM is the first such title, and boasts that it will have full Move functionality, and you will be able to take aim at your foes in God of War III in full motion eventually. With some Nintendo exclusives taking a dip into Sony’s motion waters, things will get very exciting once Natal comes out.

- Benjy Ikimi

Source: Games Thirst

As mentioned in Episode #69 of the Avault Podcast, we’re giving away three PS3 codes for the new Borderlands DLC, Secret Armory of General Knoxx. In order to win, you’ll need to put your thinking caps on and get creative.

As a loyal listener to the podcast, you certainly have figured out that we’re not going to just “give” the codes away. We’re going to make you work for them. In the comments section below, tell us what part of this week’s show that you liked best, and why you should be selected as a winner. Winners will be notified via email, so please make sure that the email you use for posting comments is a good one.

You can now get the latest additions to Resident Evil 5, for a discounted price. It’s called the Untold Stories bundle and it’s one of the sweetest digital deals you’ll see this year. Players can download this exciting digital package either on Xbox Live for 960 Microsoft points or on the PlayStation Network for $12.50. It includes both the Lost in Nightmares and Desperate Escape DLC episodes, as well as two alternate costume packs that will give players plenty of incentive to replay the entire campaign over and over again.

Ono-san recently unveiled the final new character coming to Super Street Fighter IV – Hakan. A newcomer to the Street Fighter universe, Hakan is an oil wrestler hailing from Turkey. Using lubricant to assist in battle, Hakan has some of the most insane moves and Ultra combos in the series. The game will hit the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on April 27 with 10 new characters added to the full roster, and also features new Ultra combos, new stages, the return of bonus rounds, and beefed-up online modes (including the free Tournament Mode DLC after launch) all for $39.99.

Mega Man 10 has finally arrived for download at the PlayStation Store. There will also be more to come in the Mega Man universe as playable character, Bass, and Special Stage 1 DLC packages will be available on April 5.

The year is 20XX and a suspicious outbreak of Roboenza, a Robot Flu, has broken out. It spreads through the world like wildfire bringing down robots everywhere. Infected robots are on a rampage and out of control as they destroy the city and hold everyone hostage. Who’s behind this mess? It’s up to Mega Man to take on this sinister threat and get to the bottom of this viral mystery.

Green Day: Rock Band, the standalone music video game experience that celebrates Green Day’s career, will launch worldwide June 8, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii.

The title allows players to step onto the stage and into the shoes of Green Day, and assume the likenesses of band members Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool, as they progress through the story and history of Green Day. Throughout, rockers gain access to the band’s media vault, where they can unlock more than 100 collectible images, and more than 40 minutes of rare and unreleased video from interviews, outtakes and performances.

We make a special “soft” announcement in Episode 69 of the Avault Podcast, as Edward Green (aka Evil Ed) from The Evil Ed Podcast joins us this week. Evil Ed announced that his show will be formally announced on St. Patrick’s Day, and jumped right in on the conversation about how to make a better home fry. He also shared some details about his history in the industry and how he was doing podcast review shows before G4 even existed.

Food is an essential part of gaming, and if you’ve never heard of Coffee Bacon Ice Cream, you absolutely must tune in! The guys also delve into Avatar, Chris’ quest to acquire a PS3, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Resident Evil clone?), Heavy Rain, Rush, and Lady GaGa(?).

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