Village Gamer

Vancouver – Paradox Interactive and Kerberos Productions today announced an expansion to the critically acclaimed 4X space strategy game series Sword of the Stars.

The new expansion, Argos Naval Yard, can be combined with either the original game or any of its previous expansions and will provide players with:

• 19 new technologies, including advanced drones, over thrusters, two new satellite designs, defensive interceptor micro-missiles, and polarized plasmatics which will unlock a new weapon type
• Over 75 new ship sections to build
• 10 new weapons, including the new inertial cannons, kelvinic torpedoes, and the fearsome rail cannon
• 3 new scenarios
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Toronto – The Adventure Company, a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software in North America, today announced the adventure game Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper for Windows® has shipped to retail stores in North America.

The Sherlock Holmes franchise has proved to be one of the top franchises in adventure gaming, with top-selling titles such as Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened and Sherlock Holmes: Mystery of the Mummy, titles known for their impressive graphics and challenging puzzles. This terrifying new game pairs Sherlock Holmes against one of the world’s most famous serial killers, Jack the Ripper. Players will have the opportunity to step into the shoes of one of the greatest detectives of all time, accompanied throughout the game by his faithful companion, Dr. Watson. The game offers both a first person view and a third person view for a truly immersive adventure gaming experience and players will be able to use their gathered clues to test out their theories throughout the game using a unique crime scene reconstruction feature.
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Montreal – Developed specifically for the Nintendo DS and Wii by EA Montreal, Need for Speed NITRO delivers the fun and exhilaration of high-speed racing, combining the franchise’s trademark attitude and car culture with deep and thrilling gameplay. With the NDS, battle through the mayhem of aggressive cops, take corners at 150 mph, and own the competition on extreme tracks. Boasting a wholly unique look and feel, Need for Speed NITRO thrusts gamers into an exciting flurry of over-the-top fun, where each race track features big air jumps, smackable objects, shortcuts and more!

In Need for Speed NITRO, players will be battling it out right to the finish line. In the heat of adrenaline-pumping competition, gamers must take risks on the road to build up Nitro boost and use it at the right moment to leave their rivals in the dust. They must also be ready to escape relentless cops with a propensity for road blocks. Players who activate their Heroic Driving moves at the perfect time can pull off over the top evasive tricks, outsmarting determined law enforcement in the process.
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Vancouver – Mac gamers rejoice! You too can now manipulate the flow of time and rescue the Princess. Hothead Games proudly announced today the release of the Mac version of Jonathan Blow’s Braid on the Greenhouse indie digital distribution platform. Available for worldwide download at only $14.95, today’s launch of Braid represents the one of the first in a unique collaboration between Hothead and other top-notch independent developers to bring their award-winning titles to new gaming platforms.

Explore the human condition and manipulate time in the lush, painterly world of Braid, a puzzle-platformer that takes you from a house in the city on a journey through a series of worlds to solve puzzles and rescue the princess. In each world, you have a different power to affect the way time behaves, including the ability to rewind, create parallel realities and utilize time dilation. There is no filler in this game; every puzzle shows you something new and interesting about the game world.
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Vancouver – Today Ubisoft® announced a new addition to its sports portfolio, Academy of Champions™, an arcade soccer game featuring legendary sports icons Pelé and U.S. soccer champion Mia Hamm. Developed for the Wii™ system from Nintendo, the game will deliver an engaging, interactive experience for kids and their families. Academy of Champions is scheduled to be released in 2009.

Academy of Champions

“We made our mark in the sports genre last year with the global success of Shaun White Snowboarding,” stated Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “Now, with Academy of Champions, Ubisoft offers another sports game with a fresh approach that has something unique to offer young gamers and sports fans.”

Created by an experienced team of sports game developers at Ubisoft Vancouver, Academy of Champions engages players in a rich, story-driven adventure around the world’s most popular sport. The journey begins with enrollment at an extraordinary Academy where your coach is the legendary Pelé and U.S. soccer champion Mia Hamm is your team member and mentor.
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Burnaby – EA SPORTS™, a label of Electronic Arts Inc., announced today that EA SPORTS Active™ is now available in North American retail stores and will be available worldwide by May 22, 2009*. Developed exclusively for the Wii™ by EA Canada, EA SPORTS Active is an innovative, virtual fitness product that offers personalized, customizable workouts that can be done from the comfort of home. Developed in collaboration with fitness experts, including Bob Greene – renowned exercise physiologist, author and Oprah’s personal trainer – EA SPORTS Active is a fun and cost-effective way to achieve a healthy lifestyle. The product will be the first in a new line of EA SPORTS virtual fitness products to improve the well-being of people of all ages.

“The EA SPORTS brand is known for award-winning sports video games, but today marks our entrance into the entirely new genre of virtual fitness as EA SPORTS Active hits stores,” said Dave McCarthy, vice president, EA SPORTS. “Now more than ever consumers are seeking economical solutions to getting exercise and living a healthier lifestyle, and with EA SPORTS Active we’ve designed an experience that will appeal to a variety of audiences and deliver a truly fun yet challenging workout in the home.”
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Format: Wii™
Launch Date: May 18, 2009
ESRB: E 10+ – Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief
Game Type: Action
Developer: Next Level Games
Publisher: Nintendo
Official Site: PunchOut!!

Vancouver – One of the biggest names in boxing returns after a 15-year hiatus. Grab a Wii Remote™ controller in one hand and a Nunchuk™ controller in the other and step back into the ring with a modern update of the classic Punch-Out!! developed by Next Level Games.

• Little Mac is back! Everyone’s favorite underdog from the 1980s joins the best of the original Punch-Out!! cast in a modern re-imagination of the series. Players will find familiar names like Glass Joe, King Hippo and trainer Doc Louis. These boxers come to life again in cell-shaded 3-D, complete with hilarious fighting animations and back stories that capture all the fun and flair of the original Punch-Out!! games.
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Montreal – Activision Publishing, Inc. has assembled an all-star cast for the upcoming Transformers™: Revenge of the Fallen video game, including the film’s leads Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox, who will reprise their starring roles in the game, and fan favorites Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, the voices of OPTIMUS PRIME and MEGATRON from the original animated series. In the new game, developed under license from Hasbro with Montreal’s Beenox Studio developing the Windows PC version, players are thrust into an adrenaline-pumping battle to defend Earth from a DECEPTICON attack that threatens mankind.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen features an extensive line-up of film actors, along with the voice talent that fans will recognize from the classic animated series,” said Rob Kostich, head of marketing for licensed properties, Activision Publishing, Inc. “The diverse cast allowed us to not only capture the epic storyline from the film, but also seamlessly expand the fiction to create a unique and authentic TRANSFORMERS experience that fans of all ages will enjoy.”

In addition to Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox, Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), Mark Ryan (Bumblebee), Jess Harnell (Ironhide), Charles Adler (Starscream) and Robert Foxworth (Ratchet) reprised their film roles for the game. Voice-over veterans John Di Maggio (Sideways) and James Arnold Taylor (The Fallen) also join the roster.
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Montréal – Ubisoft® has announced that it will launch a new title in the Might & Magic universe. Might & Magic Clash of Heroes, a puzzle RPG, was developed by Toronto’s Capybara Games, creators of award-winning handheld and mobile games, specifically for Nintendo DS™ for release in August 2009.

In this game, through five unique and epic quests, players will alternate exploration and turn-based puzzle battles to save the world of Ashan from demonic chaos. Might & Magic Clash of Heroes also adopts a brand new manga-style art design that is perfectly suited to Nintendo DS. In a world populated by knights, elves, wizards, necromancers and demons, gamers can manage their own hero, customize their army and lead campaigns in the mythic Might & Magic world.

“Our fans have always appreciated the depth and richness of the Might & Magic universe,” said Romain de Waubert de Genlis, senior producer at Ubisoft. “The teams at Ubisoft and Capybara were inspired to extend that universe in a unique way onto DS, creating an engaging new game experience.”

Created for Might & Magic fans while also attracting new audiences, Might & Magic Clash of Heroes can be played in solo mode or shared with a friend in two-player peer-versus-peer mode.

Vancouver – Take command of your armies and unleash the fury of the dragons upon your rivals. Seize land and resources in order to grow your empire. Only one Dragon Lord can survive. Do you have what it takes to reign supreme?

A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games is pleased to announce the release of their latest iPhone title, War of the Dragon Lords, which is available in the App Store for a limited time at the introductory price of 99 cents.

War of the Dragon Lords features classic turn based combat, allowing players to seize territory and claim reinforcements while unleashing horrific destruction with a single command to your dragon force. Up to eight opponents can compete in a world full of random maps – but don’t expect to complete the maps any time soon, as there are over four billion possible scenarios to compete in. Players may also choose to take on the game’s AI instead of playing in multiplayer mode.

War of the Dragon Lords is compatible with both the iPhone and iPod Touch, but does require the iPhone 2.2.1 software update.