In this new video, mysterious Dragon Knight, Talana, exposes why Dragons and Humans are at war with each other and how evil Damian, after his original defeat, managed to reunite his forces to again threaten the world of Rivellon. If you look carefully, you may even pick up on some secret details about Talana’s very personal role in that story.

Divinity II: Ego Draconis takes the player back to Rivellon, more than half a century after the Divine came to power. Much has happened there since, but the death of the Divine, the hero of the previous game, is undoubtedly the greatest tragedy. He was slain by a Dragon Knight during a battle with Damian, Rivellon’s arch nemesis. The Divine’s paladins swore revenge and so the order of the Dragon Slayers came to be.

Divinity II: Ego Draconis will be released in September 2009 for PC and the Xbox 360.

Soon there’ll be a new and very personal way to play with your friends over Xbox LIVE. For the first time in any Xbox LIVE Arcade game, gamers will be able to take full control of their custom Avatar as a playable, in-game character through Avatar Attack mode in Madballs in…Babo: Invasion for the Xbox LIVE Arcade. By selecting the Avatar Attack mode from the multiplayer Skirmish menu, gamers will be given the option of using their custom Avatar as an in-game character. Once selected, the Decappuccino Machine, in a very sanitary manner, will painlessly separate the Avatar’s head from its body where it will then be fitted and equipped with some heavy hitting and highly explosive artillery, and unlike the bright gooey mess that Madballs and other Babo spew when they take damage, each Avatar head is hand-filled by the loving and caring folks at Playbrains with only the finest confetti to ensure a pleasant and colorful display upon destruction. Madballs in…Babo: Invasion, is set for a summer 2009 release.

SouthPeak Games has released two new additions to their growing Roogoo series: Roogoo Twisted Towers for Wii and Roogoo Attack! for DS. Only quick reflexes and thinking can save Planet Roo from the vicious Prince Moo and his wicked Meemoo followers. Both games follow the Roogoos through colorful (and Meemoo infested) worlds as they fight to save Planet Roo. Using the world-saving power of meteor shapes, players must rotate platforms while strategizing on the fly and collecting quick-falling shapes. As an added bonus, both versions can wirelessly connect and unlock 20 additional levels within each title.

Ubisoft has announced that it will be publishing Heroes over Europe, a flight combat game designed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Features include Ace Kill close combat action, four online modes supporting up to 16 players and customizable aircraft with localized damage. Visually, the game takes players on an adventure through such environments as London, Berlin and the French Alps, within warplanes of the era, all presented in high definition graphics. Heroes over Europe is scheduled for worldwide release in September 2009.

Those of you who loved the WORMS franchise should be wriggling with excitement. This week, the remodeled WORMS 2: Armageddon jumps out into the Xbox Live Arcade, and marks the 10th anniversary of the original war mongering critters game. The new version, while paying respect to the old edition, has obviously been overhauled and features new weapons such as the Sentry Gun which you can deploy to defend your position or the Electro Magnet which will attract or repel deadly metallic explosives. The game will cost 800 MS points, and supports 1-4 players. Crawl on down to the Xbox marketplace now.

- Simon Moore

Treasure World, the game, which encourages players to seek out Wi-Fi signals in order to unlock in-game treasures, is now available on Nintendo DS for $29.99. Treasure World is the world’s largest treasure hunt with hundreds of millions of treasure spots waiting to be found. Players use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to find Wi-Fi signals, DS and Wii systems, and other wireless signals to collect treasures. Each of these signals delivers one of thousands of collectibles. A vast amount of treasures await to be found, ranging from traditional scenery such as flowers, statues and tiki torches, to iconic landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and Big Ben, to holiday themed items like jack-o-lanterns and snow men. In addition, players can unlock new attire for their character, including Panda, Feline, Ninja and Anime costumes. Along the way, players also accumulate in-game currency to purchase additional treasures.

Sign up to become a member of Club Treasure World and you’ll be automatically entered to win your very own copy of the game and a Nintendo DSi system. Deadline to enter is July 31, 2009.

Deep Silver has announced that Risen will make its international debut on October 2, 2009. The new RPG from Piranha Bytes, the developers of Gothic, has already entered Beta phase, and will be available for the Xbox 360 video game and Windows PC. The contents of Risen are already “code complete,” and all voiceovers have been recorded. This role playing game is set in a medieval world on a volcanic Mediterranean island. The story unfolds over four chapters and will offer players multiple ways to develop the story through their own actions and decisions.

Episode 36 includes a conversation with Thom Robertson, who brought us the latest information on the world of Indy games. Thom, a loyal podcast listener and industry veteran, has worked on such great games as Barbie Fashion Designer, Star Trek: Secret of Vulcan’s Fury (never released), Guardian: Agents of Justice (also never released), and Sims 2. In Thom’s opinion, “there’s never been a better time to be an Indy developer”, so check out what he has to say.

In addition to the interview we explore UFC, Fallout 3: Point Lookout (a must buy), infamous (another reason to get your hands on a PS3), Tiger Woods, and Peggle (beware its addictive nature). Also, make sure to listen to the end and discover if you’re a Restaurant Empires 2 winner.

( listen now… )

Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and TT Games have announced the debut of the Guinness World Records game app. Offering gameplay that showcases the capabilities of the iPhone and iPod Touch, Guinness World Records features 36 game challenges based on real life world records. Such oddities range from crushing watermelons with the player’s head and plucking feathers from a turkey, to throwing a washing machine the farthest, all using the touch screen and motion sensing technologies of the iPhone and iPod Touch. The Guinness Worlds Records app is available now at the App Store for $4.99.

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Genre: Action RPG
Release date: Available now

Bethesda’s DLC support for Fallout 3 has been nothing but fantastic. There have been some minor bugs and loading issues when some of the add-ons launched, but all were fixed rather quickly. Each piece of DLC has been progressively better than the last, and Point Lookout continues this trend. It not only expands the universe, but it also truly captures the essence of what it is that fans of Bethesda’s action RPG’s love: exploration.

( read more… )

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, the prequel to the Wild West action shooter Call of Juarez, is now available in stores for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Following the story of the McCall Brothers, players enter a quest for the legendary Gold of Juarez leading them from a war ravaged Georgia to the Aztec ruins of Mexico. The brothers, Ray and Thomas, make their lawless trail into a truly Wild West, using their superior gun-slinging skills to take out everyone that stands in their way.

The game also brings the Wild West mayhem online. Gunslingers, bandits and marshals struggle for bounty, and multiple character classes can be unlocked for use during team-based objective modes or the straightforward team death match. There’s also a Bounty System, which increases the bounty on a player’s head as they rack up the kills.

The Pirate Bay has been purchased and is perhaps looking to go legit. Software company Global Gaming Factory X AB has shelled out approximately $7.8 million for the site, and is set to take possession this August. The acquisition appears to be the first step into turning the Stockholm-based piracy site into a legal operation.

According to Hans Pandeya, CEO of Global Gaming Factory, “we would like to introduce models which entail that content providers and copyright owners get paid for content that is downloaded via the site.“ Pandeya adds that while The Pirate Bay is one of the top 100 most visited sites on the entire Internet, it needs to change in order to survive.

Source: Kotaku

Aspyr Media and Mindware Studios probe the insidious depths of the subconscious to bring Dreamkiller to the Xbox 360 and Windows PC. A fast, frantic and mega-bloodbath first-person shooter, Dreamkiller takes gamers inside the dark and twisted nightmares of tortured souls possessed by unknown forces.

Players assume the role of Alice Drake, a psychologist with the extraordinary ability to enter the minds of her patients and combat the ravenous foes haunting their dreams. Utilizing a host of fantastic weapons and her own special abilities, Alice confronts our common demons only to discover an even deeper menace reigns within. The ultimate showdown becomes inevitable between that which would torment and she who will protect, and only one force will prevail.

Dreamkiller features 12 levels of single-player gameplay, each laced with swarms of hideous and disturbing enemies reflecting the mind’s infinite palette of fear. The onslaught continues with numerous multiplayer modes and a host of weapons and supernatural abilities. Stay awake, Dreamkiller will be available this fall.

Warner Bros. has emerged as the only bidder for Midway Games Inc., all but assuring that it will take control of the bankrupt video game publisher previously owned by Viacom Inc. chairman, Sumner Redstone, and become a major force in the video game industry.

Although Midway has declined in significance in the last few years because of big losses and poor-selling games, it is still a well-known brand with a rich library of titles that Warner will be able to exploit as games or, potentially, movies and TV shows. Integrating Midway will significantly expand the scope of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the studio’s small but growing video game division.

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Matrix Games has announced that Gary Grigsby’s War in the East: The German-Soviet War 1941-1945 is in development. It’s a turn-based World War II strategy game stretching across the entire Eastern Front that allows gamers to engage in a campaign that includes division-sized battles with realistic and historical terrain, weather, orders of battle, logistics and combat results. Features include: weekly turns, 25,760 hexes for over 2.5 million square miles of battle space, division sized maneuver units (with some brigades/regiments and Soviet Corps), German Corps/Army HQs and Soviet Army/Front HQs, detailed production, and Fog of War rules with unit detection levels. Gary Grigsby’s War in the East: The German-Soviet War 1941-1945 is scheduled to be available by the end of 2009.