Alan Wake Screenshots & Developer Video

In this long-awaited exclusive Xbox 360 title, fill the shoes of one Alan Wake, a man who makes his living from the terror of others as a best-selling suspense novelist. Trapped in the deceptively peaceful Washington town of Bright Falls, where he came to escape the trauma of losing his fiancée, Alan must piece together a mystery to prevent himself from being trapped inside a nightmarish world forever.

An intense psychological thriller from Remedy, the creators of Max Payne, Alan Wake looks to raise the bar for future games, creating a true cinematic experience. Explore an expansive world filled with missions, unique puzzles, intense combat, and horrifying enemies. Dig into a twisting and multi-layered story filled with suspense, engaging characters, and shocking revelations.

Here's a few new images released from Germany's GamesCon event.

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Wet Screenshots

WET is a highly-stylized third person shooter that seamlessly blends gun play, sword kills and over-the-top acrobatics to create the ultimate interactive action experience.

The game allows you to shoot anywhere, anytime. You will have the freedom to shoot while running, sliding down ladders, sliding across the floor, or performing any number of acrobatic moves.

Featuring an ironic mix of humor and violence, unique retro film visual treatment, and original 70’s inspired music, WET is a third- person shooter experience unlike any other.

We bring you a trio of new images from Bethesda Softworks slippery action title.

     

     

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Peter Moore Tones Down MMA Snafu

Yesterday, we told about about UFC President Dana White going crazy on Electronic Arts because of the forthcoming release of an EA Sports mixed martial arts video game. White accused EA of passing on the UFC video game rights and downplaying the sport.

It took EA less than a day to address the hot topic by having no other than EA Sports President Peter Moore commenting on the subject. While revealing he saw the first playable build of EA Sports MMA at Tiburon, Moore said:

I know there has been some recent discussion about EA SPORTS bringing a challenger to this sport. I love mixed martial arts, and we’ve been working on a game concept since I came to EA two years ago. I have great respect for the organizations and individuals that have invested in the sport’s growth over the past decade – so this is one that is near and dear to me and I’m excited to see such good progress to date. I trace my MMA video game roots back to my support of Crave’s UFC title on the Dreamcast in 2000, and have been a fan ever since. Our title will bring both innovation and further authenticity to mixed martial arts, not to mention a strong global publishing network that will help spread the sport’s popularity around the world.

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Batman Arkham Asylum Gadgets Trailer

In Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Dark Knight is trapped inside the dark and dangerous confines of Arkham Asylum, Gotham City’s asylum for the mentally insane. When the odds are stacked again him, Batman needs all of his gadgets along with his brute strength to fend off The Joker’s minions. This new trailer showcases how the Batarang, Explosive Gel, Grapnel Gun and Line Launcher are used in Batman: Arkham Asylum to fight against an army of inmates.

Based on the core Batman license, Batman: Arkham Asylum will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system from August 25th, 2009 in North America and August 28th, 2009, in Europe and Australia. The Games for WindowsÒ LIVE version will be available beginning September 15th, 2009, in North America, and September 18th, 2009, in Europe and Australia.

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Taylor Swift Joins Forces with Band Hero

Taylor Swift, global music sensation and best selling artist of 2008, will ascend an all-new virtual stage this November in Band Hero™, the ultimate party game featuring a wide assortment of today’s popular hits and most recognizable pop anthems, created by Guitar Hero® and Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI). Budding music stars, their families and friends, will all live their musical fantasy on the Band Hero stage, playing as Taylor Swift or alongside the singer/songwriter and guitarist, as she performs her smash-hits “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” from her latest album Fearless as well as “Picture to Burn” from her self-titled debut record.

“Anything that encourages people to pick up an instrument and play, I’m fully behind. And, I’m really excited about Band Hero, because not only are fans getting to play my songs, but I’m actually in the game,” said Swift. “There are so many awesome things that go into being in Band Hero, like getting to customize my band to look like my touring band, and it’s so cool for people to feel like they are experiencing one of my concerts. This is one of the closest things out there to going to see me perform!”

     

     

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Taylor Swift and Band Hero will award 20 lucky fans the opportunity to see a Taylor Swift Concert and four of those fans will win the opportunity to meet Taylor Swift in person. Watch for more details on this sweepstakes this summer at www.BandHero.com.

“Taylor Swift’s impressive rise to the top of multiple music genres, along with the broad appeal of her songs, makes her a great example of the type of experience we are bringing to music fans with Band Hero,” said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Guitar Hero. “We’re thrilled to announce her as the very first of several playable in-game artists and showcase her many talents in our game.”

This November, family and friends will come together to ascend the virtual stage and rock their way to superstardom with Band Hero. Brought to you by the makers of Guitar Hero®, one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, Band Hero features the hottest chart-topping hits from everyone’s favorite acts including Taylor Swift, No Doubt, Lily Allen, The All-American Rejects and Jackson 5. Headlined by some of the biggest names in music as in-game artists and playable characters, Band Hero is the ultimate party game where players of all ages will be able to experience the signature, easy-to-learn but difficult-to-master Guitar Hero gameplay. Band Hero allows fans to create the band they always dreamed of using any combination of guitar or drum controllers and vocals, providing rockers and performers of all ages the chance to experience and interact with their favorite music.

Published by Activision Publishing, Inc., Band Hero is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, by Vicarious Visions for the Wii™ system from Nintendo and by Budcat for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The game is rated E10+ (mild lyrics, mild suggestive themes). For more information about Band Hero, please visit www.BandHero.com.

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Kingdom Under Fire II Update + New Screenshots

Blueside provided today an official statement on the Xbox 360 version of Kingdom Under Fire II, confirming the game release on this platform in the second half of 2010. Additionally, the company released seven new screenshots of the game:
Announcement: Kingdom Under Fire II to conquer Xbox 360

BLUESIDE today revealed some good news around their plan on the Console version of Kingdom Under Fire II that was somewhat floating in the air vaguely up until now. While more surprises are waiting their turn, BLUESIDE made official that Kingdom Under Fire II will come out in the platform they are most familiar with, Xbox 360 TM amongst the consoles and once more, offer an epic scale mediaeval fantasy war zone much enhanced in every aspect from the previous versions for gamers to conquer the Bersia continent with the new generation of heroes.

     

     

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Staying true to the Action RTS tradition of the series that began with ‘The Crusaders’ and ‘Heroes’, the convergence of intense combat action and tactical warfare strategy will take place in Kingdom Under Fire II for Xbox 360 TM. While the look and spirit of game will be succeeded from the predecessors that would bring back all the good memories of blood, sweat and tears gamers had to shed in endless fierce warfare, the new Kingdom Under Fire will be presented on much updated visual and game-play with the perfect conciliation of Action and Real-time Strategy based on enhancements made upon every merit of the previous versions. If the series were once described as games that excelled at bringing “massiveness” into the game world, this new sequel will unquestionably redefine the meaning of that word on a whole new level with thousands of soldiers engaging in intense combat and all being vividly displayed at one screen. Accompanied by highly detailed flying creatures, enormous beasts, gigantic siege machines, and heroes of new generation, the intense action of up-close combat will be delivered in the way more realistic, stylish and overwhelming than ever. With over one hundred different types of units available from the roaster along the side of heroes, this time, players will be empowered not only to directly control the hero characters, but also first-handedly maneuver the troops. Introducing new ways to raise the army and travel the world, players will also need to be very tactical outside of battle as managing troops of one hundred different types via electronic game card system and board them in a mother-ship to leave for an adventure where dangers and threats are awaiting.

Kingdom Under Fire II for Xbox 360TM will differentiate itself from the PC Online version in that there will be more focus on the single player aspect as for players to unveil the secrecy of Bersian history as putting themselves on shoes of heroes and reunite the scattered nations in deep and rich storyline. Addition of mind-blowing scale of Castle Siege battle and the conventional Action RTS Multiplayer mode via Xbox Live, Xbox 360TM version of Kingdom Under Fire II being co-developed by BLUESIDE and PHANTAGRAM is targeted to be released in the second half of 2010 with the various kinds of Premium Downloadable Contents to boost up the characters and personalize them. As for the other consoles, BLUESIDE will have more information on them through announcements down the road.

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BLUESIDE Inc., consisting of the core members who created “Kingdom Under Fire” series, is a developer of interactive game software with a mission to break new ground in the electronic entertainment industry. With highly experienced experts in game development, computer animation, and multimedia contents, BLUESIDE Inc. promises to deliver the most exciting and unique gaming experience to all gamers transcending cultures, territories and platforms. (http://www.BLUESIDE.co.kr)

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Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays Marvel vs. Capcom 2

One of the much-anticipated Xbox Live Arcade games is finally arriving this week as part of the 2nd annual Summer of Arcade program. Published by Capcom Entertainment and developed by Backbone Entertainment, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 will be available worldwide this Wednesday, July 29th, for 1200 Microsoft Points.

From Ryu to Wolverine, pit your favorite heroes in dream match-ups thanks to an unprecedented 56-character roster. With all new online play, take the fight across the globe and decide who really has the best "dream team." Widescreen support, enhanced HD graphics, and a robust leaderboard makes Marvel vs. Capcom 2 one of the best fighting games even better!

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Next Xbox Live Update to Bring New Features to Xbox 360

We just got word from Microsoft that we'll have exclusive access to the next Xbox Live Update on Monday, so expect a hands-on preview early next week. Below is the list of features included with this update:

Netflix Updates

Now you can watch movies with your friends no matter where they are and manage your queue from the comfort of your couch.

Movie Parties – Xbox LIVE Gold members can sit together in a virtual theater with up to seven friends no matter where they are while your Avatars watch a movie, flirt or even throw popcorn at each other.Manage Your Queue – Browse the Netflix Instant Watch video catalogue, choose from the most popular movies and genres and add to your queue all from the comfort of your couch – no computer required.Enhanced Playback Experience – Enjoy a smooth viewing experience when your internet bandwidth fluctuates.Friends Info – Richer information is now displayed in the Friends channel and in the Guide showing what you and your friends are doing.

     

     

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Avatar Marketplace

Express yourself! Deck your Avatar out with the latest clothing and props from the top brands and game franchises.



Clothing – Download premium items, including branded apparel from your favorite fashion labels and Xbox 360 games such as "Halo."Props – You can now equip your avatar with animated items they can carry around and interact with.Awardables – The ability to earn Avatar clothing and props as rewards within games has been added. Please stay tuned for an update on supporting titles.

Games on Demand— Please note that Games on Demand will be available in the preview beginning early August.

Enjoy 24 x 7 access to a growing online library of popular full game titles on Xbox LIVE whenever you want them, in the comfort of your living room.

Purchase Options – Browse and download a great selection of full Xbox 360 games using Microsoft Points, direct debit, or credit card.Game Manuals – Game manuals for Games on Demand titles can be viewed, downloaded or printed on Xbox.com.It's Yours Forever! – As with other Xbox LIVE content, Games on Demand titles are linked to your Xbox LIVE account, so you can delete and re-download anything you have already purchased to the same console or another console.

User Ratings

User ratings help you find games that other people think are awesome!

Rate it – You can now rate every game on the Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace using a 5-star system.Sort and Find it – Now you can easily find the games that everyone's been raving about by visiting the Top Rated games in the Browse All category of Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace.

Xbox LIVE Parties

Everyone loves to Party! Check out the new and improved Xbox LIVE Party features.

Party Reconnections – If you are accidently disconnected from your party, Xbox LIVE will automatically reconnect you.Streamlined Party Invites – Invites are now just one click away! No need to click through multiple screens to get all your friends together.

Video Display Options

We've made it easier for you to see your entertainment in the highest resolution possible on your TV using an HDMI connection.

* Display Discovery – Make sure you can see and hear your entertainment in the highest resolution and sound quality possible with the option to override and select audio and video formats independent of the information your television sends to your Xbox 360 console.


Other Improvements

We're always listening to you for feedback, and this Xbox LIVE update will include numerous dashboard updates.

Gold Member Veterans – Xbox LIVE Gold members get to show it off with a stamp on your Gamer Card that tells people how long you've been a Gold member.Indie Games – Xbox LIVE Community Games has been renamed Xbox LIVE Indie Games. We feel this new name better represents the independent spirit of these titles.Achievement Browser – We've revamped the Achievements browser so it's now easier to read through all the achievements while playing a game. You can now also launch a game directly from the browser.Achievements Tracking – A new view inside the profile panel which includes a summary of Achievements earned across all the games played, and shows of all your completed games.Streamlined Navigation - Streamlined navigation, including new entry points in the dashboard for Active Downloads, redeeming codes, recovering Gamertags and more.

Voice Messages – No more blank voice messages! When recording a voice message, a warning will pop up if no audio is detected.Friends List Sorting – It's now easier to find your friends! Find and sort your friends by activity, Gamertag or online status by pressing the Y button while viewing the friends list in the Guide.Memory – Time stamps now appear in the memory area, which particular handy when managing saved games.

Account Management

We've made some changes to make your life easier.

Subscription Notification – If your Xbox LIVE subscription is about to run out, you will now be notified when you sign into Xbox LIVE.Updates for Invalid Windows Live IDs – If the Windows Live ID you provided has expired, you will now be prompted to update it the next time you sign into Xbox LIVE.Account recovery – We've enhanced the account recovery process to make it faster and more reliable.

What does this Xbox LIVE Update not include?

The following features will be coming in future Xbox LIVE updates, which we'll be sure to let you know about.

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Activision Brings DJ Jazzy Jeff to DJ Hero

Activision announced today that producer, actor and world famous turntablist DJ Jazzy Jeff will be one of the playable characters that will appear in DJ Hero , joining a roster that includes DJ Shadow, DJ Z-Trip, Grandmaster Flash, DJ AM and others.

DJ Jazzy Jeff Brings the DJ Hero(TM) Party to Life With His Turntable Skills and Likeness

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 27, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- DJ Jazzy Jeff, GRAMMY(TM) Award winning hip-hop and R&B record producer, actor and world famous turntablist will ascend to the virtual stage this fall in Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and Guitar Hero's highly anticipated video game DJ Hero(TM). In addition to joining the distinguished rank of playable characters that will appear in the game, including DJ Shadow, DJ Z-Trip, Grandmaster Flash, DJ AM and others, DJ Jazzy Jeff will shake the room and bring the party to life with his own set list featuring two exclusive mixes hand created by the legend himself - Tears for Fears "Shout" vs. Eric B. & Rakim "Eric B. Is President" and LL Cool J "Rock the Bells" vs. The Aranbee Pop Symphony Orchestra "Bittersweet Symphony."

"I am very, very excited DJ culture is finally getting its due. To have a song in DJ Hero is a dream come true; to be a character someone can pick up the controller and select you and play is probably the biggest thing to happen to me in my career," said DJ Jazzy Jeff. "Music is so much a part of everyone's life, DJ Hero is going to appeal to almost everybody."

Expanding upon the revolutionary easy to pick up/challenging to master gameplay mechanics developed and refined in Guitar Hero(R), DJ Hero delivers an all-new interactive music experience that allows players to rule the party and not only experience, but to hear music in an all-new way. With over 100 individual songs, highlighted in over 80 unique never-before-released mixes that blend genres of music, including hip-hop, R&B, pop, rock and electronica, 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 DJ culture and a sea of music as they utilize and master various DJ techniques including scratching, blending, cross fading 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(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION(R)3 and PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment systems and the Wii(TM) system from Nintendo. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information about DJ Hero, please visit djhero.com.

For more information on DJ Jazzy Jeff, please visit djjazzyjeff.com.


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.

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Silicon Knights' Next Project Revealed

A press release from Téléfilm Canada has revealed that Silicon Knights, the developer of Eternal Darkness and Too Human , is working on a new project titled "Siren in the Maelstrom." The project was revealed after Téléfilm Canada announced the 56 new media projects that have been selected to receive financial support through the Product Assistance component of the Canada New Media Fund (CNMF). Aside from its name, we don't know anything else about "Siren in the Maelstrom."

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Borderlands Trailer

Borderlands is a highly anticipated original intellectual property from Gearbox Software, creators of the acclaimed Brothers in Arms franchise. Featuring extensive co-op integration that seamlessly blends the single player and multiplayer experiences, Borderlands will allow players to freely join or leave each other’s games at any time for collaborative mayhem or the freedom to choose to play in full single player mode to experience the world on their own.

Borderlands will also include a groundbreaking content generation system that adds nearly infinite variety in the amount of weapons that are available to the player. These features, along with addictive nonstop action, will combine to form a breakthrough experience that challenges the conventions of modern shooters and RPGs.

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Brian Reynolds Joins Zynga as Chief Designer

Zynga announced that Brian Reynolds, the co-founder of Firaxis Games and Big Huge Games, has joined the company in the newly created position of chief designer. Under his new role, Reynolds will lead the product development team and will be responsible for developing new social strategy games.

Legendary Game Designer Brian Reynolds Joins Zynga as Chief Designer

Reynolds Heading Up Zynga East, Expanding Presence on East Coast

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zynga, the largest developer of social games, today appointed Brian Reynolds to the newly created position of chief designer. Reynolds will lead the product development team and will be responsible for developing new social strategy games.

Reynolds, an eighteen-year industry veteran, is recognized as one of the industry’s most talented and productive game designers and was honored by PC Gamer as one of 25 “Game Gods.” Reynolds played a key role founding two successful videogame studios: Firaxis Games and Big Huge Games and masterminded the design of several smash hits including Civilization II®, Alpha Centauri®, and Rise of Nations®, as well as Catan® for Xbox360 Live Arcade. Reynolds’ videogames have sold over six million copies worldwide.

“Brian is not only of the most widely respect game designers, he is also uniquely gifted in that he has mastered the art of programming,” said Mark Pincus, CEO and founder, Zynga. “Brian’s dual specialty gives him the substantial advantage of being able to bring his own visions to life. He has built a reputation for finely tuned game-play.”

“Zynga is one of the most dynamic companies that will have a profound impact on how people connect through games,” said Brian Reynolds. “On top of this, Mark has a created a team of some of the smartest and most talented people in games and I am thrilled to come on board at this exciting time in the company’s growth.”

Reynolds will head up operations at Zynga East, expanding the company’s presence on the East Coast. In 2009 this office will begin with 12-15 employees, including game designers, web developers (PHP, MySQL, Flash), artists, and producers. Based in Baltimore, Md., production efforts will be focused on creating new social network games on Facebook and other platforms--particularly games with a strategic emphasis.


About Zynga

Zynga is the largest social gaming company with 12 million daily users and 50 million monthly users. Zynga’s games are available on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Friendster, Yahoo! and the iPhone, and include Texas Hold’Em Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille, Vampires, Street Racing, Scramble and Word Twist. The company is funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, IVP, Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, Avalon Ventures, Pilot Group, Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel. Zynga is headquartered at the Chip Factory in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.zynga.com.

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