Village Gamer

Quebec – The fate of the earth and the survival of the human race hang in the balance in the Transformers™: Revenge of the Fallen video game from Activision Publishing, Inc. Based on Hasbro’s legendary TRANSFORMERS property and the most anticipated blockbuster film of 2009 from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures in association with Hasbro, the game propels players straight into an adrenaline-pumping battle for supremacy across the globe where every second and every choice makes the difference between mankind’s salvation and annihilation.

“The Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game will give fans the chance to experience their favorite AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS in an all-new, movie inspired adventure packed with the thrilling and explosive action that only the TRANSFORMERS universe can deliver,” said Rob Kostich, vice president of global brand management, Activision, Inc. “We are thrilled to announce that after experiencing the rush of commanding colossal robots on their own, players can challenge their friends for the first time ever in full-featured, blistering multiplayer action as their favorite characters.”
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Vancouver – The zombie masters over at PowerUp Studios are pleased to announce the commencement of the NOMBZ (Night of a Million Billion Zombies) Online Public Beta.

Gamers are invited to try out the newest incarnation of NOMBZ and battle co-operatively against the zombie hordes alongside three other Zombie Hunters in this 3D browser-based survival action game. Or, if you prefer to hunt your Zombies alone, there is a solo play mode to try as well.

When you’ve had your fill of zombie-slaying mayhem, PowerUp invites you to drop by the NOMBZ ONLINE forums and share your comments and suggestions. The development team want to pick your brains (unless they became Zombie snacks) and find out what you liked, what you didn’t like, and what you would like to see in the future. New features and content are ready to roll out in the weeks and months ahead. PowerUp wants to make NOMBZ ONLINE the best it can be, and they appreciate your feedback and assistance along the way.

Images © 2009 PowerUp Studios Inc.

Title: Crash Bandicoot – Mind Over Mutant
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Publisher: Sierra – Activision
Platforms: Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PSP, PS2
Release Date: October 7 2008

Mind over Mutant is the latest addition to the Crash Bandicoot franchise from Vancouver’s Radical Entertainment, and the general consensus among those of us at the Village Gamer HQ who played the 360 version over the holidays is that “Crash rocks!”

The plot line for Mind Over Mutant requires Crash to save his friends and everyone else from the evil clutches of the nasty Dr. Neo Cortex and the equally warped Dr. Nitrus Brio. The squabbling and delusional duo have released a new device called the “NV” on the Bandicoot world, a mind controlling unit which bears an odd resemblance to today’s real world mobile devices. The NV has not only affected Crash’s sister CoCo and his best-friend Crunch, but also each of the Titan “clans” which also populate Crash’s world.

Mind Over Mutant is full of player achievement objectives, ranging from health and skill upgrades for Crash and his small army of Mutant Titans to missions, side-missions and treasure hunts. Skills and health can also be upgraded by collecting mojo jewels, while main mission objectives are obtained from characters in the story. Completing percentages of the game results in achievement awards, and some objectives which can only be successful through co-op play.

While the co-op areas can be accomplished with one player using two controllers, we found it far more fun to actually play co-operatively. Other achievements throughout the game include unlockable skins (or costumes) for Crash and art collections. The art collection featuring fan art must have thrilled the many young artists whose work was included, and I feel this was a very special and thoughtful way to thank Crash Bandicoot fans.

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Official Website: Puzzlegeddon
Format: PC
Developer: Pieces Interactive
Publisher: Pieces Interactive
Genre: Action
ESRB Rating: E – Everyone

Puzzlegeddon features an inventive mix of puzzle, action and strategy. Select your island of choice and puzzle for resources to defend yourself and to defeat opponents throughout the many galaxies, game modes and challenges which await you in Puzzlegeddon.

When I was asked to review this game I had never heard of it or even seen any screenshots; I wasn’t sure what to expect. So when I read how the game functions, I was quite impressed. The main goal of the game is to defeat your opponents by solving a puzzle of different colors. As you solve the puzzle you will earn different resources to use against your opponents and decrease their health. Along with those resources that do damage to your opponent, there are also resources you can collect to protect yourself.

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Official Website: Puzzlegeddon
Format: PC
Developer: Pieces Interactive
Publisher: Pieces Interactive
Genre: Action
ESRB Rating: E – Everyone

Puzzle games are not really my thing, I get bored easily matching shapes or colours or putting numbers in some sequence; so when I was asked to review Puzzlegeddon I was kind of dubious to try it. After setting up my profile I decided to run through the tutorial, usually I regret doing this but not with Puzzlegeddon; the tutorial was informative, concise and you didn’t have to wait forever while some character told you what to do. A quick look at the puzzle board reveals squares of four colours, and placing five or more of them together and right clicking causes them to clear. On top of the puzzle are four meters of matching colours that fill up as you clear tiles from the board.
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Montreal – The critically acclaimed Prince of Persia franchise returns for the first time on next-generation platforms with an all-new epic journey. Developed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC by Ubisoft Montreal, Prince of Persia hits store shelves this week with an MSRP of $59.99 CAD.

Set in a land rooted in ancient Persian mythology, the Prince finds himself caught in an epic battle between the primal forces of light and darkness: the God of Light, Ormazd versus his brother Ahriman, the destructive God of Darkness. The Prince arrives just in time to witness the destruction of the legendary Tree of Life – an act which threatens to plunge the entire world into eternal darkness. Manifested in the form of the Corruption, a dark substance that physically contaminates the land and the skies, the Prince must partner with Elika, a deadly companion, to heal the world from the evil Corruption.

Key Features

• A new hero emerges: Master the acrobatics, strategy and fighting tactics of the most agile warrior of all time. Grip fall down the face of a building, perform perfectly timed acrobatic combinations, and swing over canyons, buildings and anything that is reachable. This new rogue warrior must utilize all of his new skills, along with a whole new combat system, to battle Ahriman’s corrupted lieutenants to heal the land from the dark Corruption and restore the light.
• A new epic journey begins: Escape to experience the new fantasy world of ancient Persia. Masterful storytelling and sprawling environments will deliver to action-adventure fans an experience that rivals even the best Hollywood movies.

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Highly Anticipated Comedic Vampire Adventure Releases in Time for the Holidays

Toronto – The Adventure Company, a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software, today announced A Vampyre Story for Windows® has shipped to retail stores across North America.

This hilarious adventure is the brainchild of adventure gaming veteran, Bill Tiller, known for the adventure classics The Curse of Monkey Island, The Dig and Indiana Jones. It’s got a cast of more than 20 characters each with their own entertaining personality and more than 30 hand-drawn locations in a richly-detailed world. “Adventure gamers should agree that it’s been worth the wait for A Vampyre Story, all the elements are in place to make it a classic,” said Byron Gaum, Product Manager at The Adventure Company. “Gorgeous graphics, vast environments to explore and a hilarious sidekick will keep you entertained for hours!”
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Toronto – Dreamcatcher, a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software and Microïds, one of the leading adventure games producers and publishers, owner of the Syberia franchise, has announced that Syberia for Nintendo DS™ has shipped to retail stores in North America.

A visual masterpiece created by Benoit Sokal, Syberia has captured the hearts and the imagination of PC gamers worldwide. The charming characters, stimulating puzzles and fascinating storyline of Syberia come to life on DS bringing with it the full musical score and breathtaking cut scenes which helped to make this title PC Adventure Game of the Year.

“Syberia has been a favorite among the adventure gaming community since its release in 2002,” said Brian Gladman, Global Product Manager at The Adventure Company. “We wanted to remain true to the quality of this title in the DS version, players will find the adapted soundtrack and stunning visuals of Syberia translate extremely well into the DS platform.”

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Toronto – The Adventure Company and JoWooD Productions, leading publishers of adventure games worldwide, are pleased to announce Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun for Wii™ has shipped to retail stores in North America.

This is the third game in the successful series adapted from the popular Agatha Christie novels and the second release on the wildly popular Wii platform. Based on the novel Evil Under the Sun by the world’s best-known mystery author, this title seamlessly channels the stunning environments, unique puzzles and exceptionally rendered characters into this adventure game friendly platform.
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Crash is Back in Another Ginormous Adventure! Crash Bandicoot: Mind over Mutant, developed by Vancouver’s Radical Entertainment, has hit store shelves worldwide and is available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ home video game system, Nintendo DS™, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system.
In the deepest Crash adventure yet, Crash: Mind Over Mutant arms players with new features, including the ability not only to control enemies once they are ‘jacked,’ but to store the mutants in Crash’s pocket, upgrade them and utilise their unique powers. Players can also roam through Wumpa Island in a two-player cooperative mode with Crash’s sister Coco.
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