Now say it with me: “Hulk Smash!”

 

SEGA ANNOUNCES VOICE TALENT FOR THE INCREDIBLE HULK™

VIDEO GAME

 

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (April 9, 2008) - Marvel Entertainment, Inc., SEGA® of America, Inc and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced that all prominent cast members from the upcoming action-thriller from Universal Pictures and Marvel Studios, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, will also lend their voices and likeness to the video game of the same name, slated to release with the film in June 2008. Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson and William Hurt will all take part in the game as their respective characters. Based on the film and the popular comic book series created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, THE INCREDIBLE HULK™ is being developed by Edge of Reality and published by SEGA for next-generation consoles and the PC.

 

SEGA brings the film’s A-list actors to the game to create a more authentic experience. Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Italian Job, The Illusionist) plays scientist Bruce Banner, a man desperately seeking to rid himself of the unbridled force of rage within him: The Hulk. Liv Tyler (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Strangers) is Dr. Betty Ross, Banner’s love interest, while Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) voices Emil Blonsky (alter ego of The Hulk’s archenemy, The Abomination). Tim Blake Nelson (Syriana, Meet the Fockers) portrays Dr. Samuel Sterns, and William Hurt (Into the Wild, The Village) plays General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the man who wants to capture The Hulk and brutally exploit his power. 

 

Fast-paced and action-packed, the blockbuster franchise and comic book saga will unfold for the first time on next-generation platforms, as Banner scours the planet trying to find anything to help him fight his involuntary rage. Take the role of one of Marvel®’s most powerful Super Heroes in THE INCREDIBLE HULK™, an intensely realistic third-person action video game. Gamers can demolish anything in their path, including lampposts, passing cars and even buildings. The fury-fueled game also features key moments from the film, as well as additional plotlines and characters from THE INCREDIBLE HULK universe. Players crash through New York City, battling gigantic enemies amidst soaring skyscrapers in a massive open world.

 

First reflections from the Black Mirror 2

 

Hamburg/Germany: April 9th, 2008 – Today, Hamburg based publisher dtp entertainment announces first details on the upcoming adventure game Black Mirror 2:

 

dtp will publish Black Mirror 2 in 2009. Black Mirror 2 is developed by Hanover/Germany-based Cranberry productions, formerly known as 4Head Studios.

 

Black Mirror 2 is going to be a classical point & click adventure, based on so-called 2.5D technologies, using a combination of highly detailed 2D backgrounds and 3D characters.

 

“We found the ideal constellation for realizing Black Mirror 2 the way gamers want it”, Markus Windelen, dtp’s COO, explains. “We own the rights of the Black Mirror brand, and we know that it’s our duty to produce a Black Mirror sequel in the right spirit. The first Black Mirror adventure game was a blockbuster and still has a lot of fans awaiting a sequel. So we felt it was right to invest much time and efforts for finding and committing experienced partners, that intensively take care for realizing Black Mirror 2”, Markus Windelen adds.

 

“Cranberry Productions is responsible for developing and technically realizing Black Mirror 2 since the beginning of 2008. Additionally, the team of Bremen/Germany based developer King Art takes care for story and gameplay design. Professional story authors have also been involved in creating the game’s storyboard, so players can look forward to playing a thrilling, scary adventure game that features dramaturgy and tension”, reports Achim Heidelauf, Senior Producer at dtp entertainment and responsible for concept and production of Black Mirror 2.

 

“We decided to make Black Mirror 2 a 2.5D game after last year’s Leipzig Games Convention. Originally, Black Mirror 2 was planned to be a 3D adventure game, but then we felt that Black Mirror’s unique look didn’t work out in 3D. Additionally, we received a lot of response from the adventure gamers community, asking for keeping the unique Black Mirror style when doing a sequel to the game”, Achim Heidelauf continues.

  

Black Mirror 2 will fascinate players with lovely detailed 2D backgrounds and a thrilling story: Black Mirror 2 takes place in the 1990’s, twelve years after the first episode. Solitary Darren, hero of Black Mirror 2, meets cute Angelina while he is working at the local photo shop of Biddeford, a small town in New England. Angelina immediately understands to catch the eye of Darren´s despotic, unpopular boss. To add the mystery, there seems to be a third person interested in Angelina – Darren sees someone chasing her. He decides to investigate these incidents. His researches will soon lead him to several locations – such as the small English village of Willow Creek, that adventure game players know from part #1…

 

dtp will publish Black Mirror 2 worldwide in 2009.

 

Sam & Max: Season 2 finale

After months of building anticipation, the groundbreaking episodic game series Sam & Max Season Two has reached its climax. Now Telltale can at last reveal details about the exciting Sam & Max Season Two finale. With souls on the line and the fate of mankind hanging by a thread, Sam & Max will come face to face with their biggest, baddest adversary ever. The episode, entitled “What’s New, Beelzebub?”, will debut Thursday, April 10 for subscribers of Turner Broadcasting’s GameTap service. Its worldwide release will follow one day later, on Friday, April 11, from Telltale’s website.

“What’s New, Beelzebub?” caps a five-game season that has been gaining momentum since November. During this time, Sam & Max have faced off against a demonically-possessed Santa in the North Pole, visited the tropics to stop a cataclysmic volcano eruption, stormed a trendy Eurotrash nightclub overrun with dancing zombies to vanquish their vampire leader, and launched across space and time to track down their missing friend Bosco. Now, judgment day is at hand, and it’s time for a showdown with the guy downstairs to bargain for Bosco’s soul. But, in the corporate wasteland known as Hell, not even Sam & Max are safe from eternal damnation. Can they wiggle free from Satan’s grasp, or have they finally reached the end of the line?

The Sam & Max series has been widely heralded as one of the best examples of successful episodic gaming. In Season Two, the model has been used to piece out a clever and humorous story month by month, gradually growing suspense and winning the praise of critics and fans as seemingly unrelated threads and increasingly varied scenarios have woven into a surprising and compelling plot. As the most epic and off-the-wall Sam & Max episode yet, “What’s New, Beelzebub?” promises to close the season with a bang.

Anticipation is already high for those following the series, but it’s not too late for new players to dive in. All Sam & Max Season Two episodes can be purchased from Telltale’s online store through a full season set or as individual episodes and are also available as part of a GameTap subscription.  Additionally, customers who purchase the Season Two bundle from Telltale will be eligible to get a DVD that includes all five episodes along with bonus content for just the cost of shipping and handling. Emails will be sent to qualifying customers when the DVD is available for ordering.

The success of the Sam & Max game series has fueled a renaissance for the franchise. Telltale recently released a special 20th Anniversary Edition of Sam & Max creator Steve Purcell’s Surfin’ the Highway comic collection after a decade out of print, and a DVD box set of the 1997 animated series has just been published by Shout Factory. Both are available in Telltale’s online store, along with other Sam & Max merchandise.

Caspian the friendly Prince

The good folks from Disney Interactive Studios sent along this brand-spanking-new trailer for the game based on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Like the last game, this one was also created by Traveler’s Tales, the company best known for the Lego Star Wars games.

Take a look:

Dead Space: Animated

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Starz Media announced today the development of an animated movie prequel to the highly anticipated sci-fi survival horror game Dead Space™. The companies also have animation projects in development for two other EA franchises. The relationship kicks off with this Dead Space prelude that will deliver new details on the horrifying tale the game will unleash this Halloween.

The script for the Dead Space animated feature picks up the plot where the original comic book series ends and leads up to the beginning of the Dead Space game. The story focuses on the events aboard a futuristic mining spaceship, the USG Ishimura, after it pulls a mysterious artifact from a remote dig site. The artifact triggers the sudden invasion of a long-dormant alien presence, and the Ishimura’s crewmembers find themselves locked in a frantic struggle to survive. The animated feature is slated to premiere at the same time as the game is launched.

This project signals both companies’ belief that mass-appeal games provide opportunities for new and exciting programming in a variety of different media. This announcement comes at a time when the video game industry is valued at more than $30 billion worldwide for packaged goods, wireless and online games in calendar year 2007 and game-inspired entertainment is pervasive in movie theaters, on TV and across online media.

Starz Media is currently in discussions with broadcasters worldwide that have already expressed interest in airing Dead Space, which is scheduled to be released via broadcast TV and then on DVD. The company will launch international sales of the animated feature at the upcoming MIP-TV market in Cannes, France. Starz Media will also market the movie through its home entertainment company Anchor Bay Entertainment, as well as via online and wireless distributors.

The deal with Starz Media and its animation unit Film Roman reflects EA’s growing commitment to developing filmed entertainment projects based on the company’s games. For Film Roman, the venerable animation company behind “The Simpsons,” “King of the Hill” and the pre-school hit “Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!,” the booming video game business is fertile territory for developing new hit movies and series.

“Due to the richness and complexity of stories that have evolved for video games, they have become a type of entertainment that can span generations and provide fantastic inspiration for other forms of media; especially in the realm of animated features,” Film Roman President and COO Scott Greenberg said. “We’re particularly thrilled to be starting off with Dead Space.”

“We are really excited to be working with Film Roman to create an animated feature that will tell the portion of the Dead Space saga between the comic and game,” said Glen Schofield, Executive Producer for Dead Space. “With the video game, comic book and now animated movie, Dead Space has become a true multimedia brand. Each of these elements delivers the story to new audiences and tells it from different aspects and perspectives.”

Film Roman is producing “Dead Space” in alliance with Digital Tetra Inc., in Korea. The Gotham Group of Los Angeles, a leading animation representation company, helped put the production arrangement together.

Under development at EA Redwood Shores, Dead Space is not yet rated by PEGI or ESRB. For more information about the game, go to the website at www.deadspacegame.com.

Downey, Howard voice Iron Man game

SEGA® of America, Inc., SEGA Europe Ltd., and Marvel Entertainment, Inc. announced today that the Iron Man™ video game, based on the successful Marvel comic book series and the upcoming film by Marvel Studios, will feature the voice talents of Robert Downey Jr., Terence Howard and Shaun Toub. All three actors will reprise their onscreen roles of Tony Stark (Downey), Lt. Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Howard), and Yinsen (Toub). The Iron Man video game launches day and date with the blockbuster movie on May 2, 2008.

Iron Man, an explosive third-person action shooter game that pits one of the world’s most renowned Super Heroes against unspeakable odds, draws its story from the upcoming movie while also incorporating story elements from original Iron Man comic books. Using the advanced technology in Iron Man’s suits of armor, gamers can take advantage of the wide array of high-impact weapons to strategically annihilate any enemy force standing in their way. Before tackling stunning and immense open battlefields, players can customize their armor suit as they encounter progressively more vicious enemies, and fight in epic battles that could challenge even the toughest Super Heroes.

Iron Man is the story of Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and inventor who had it all. But during a routine weapons test in the Middle East, Stark was captured and forced to construct the ultimate weapon. Instead of following his captors’ demands, Tony built his own devastating weapon – a powerful suit of armor that provided the key to his heroic escape. From this point forward, Tony Stark became more than a man. He became Iron Man.

I am Iron Man

Sega’s trailer for Iron Man: The Game (based on the upcoming movie). I’ve got very high hopes for this one…

EA unveils Sims 3, world yawns

Electronic Arts Inc. announced today the first details on one of interactive entertainment’s most anticipated games, The Sims™ 3. Featuring a brand new engine that has been in development for nearly three years, The Sims 3 allows you to immerse your unique Sims in an open living neighborhood right outside their door. The initial feature-set unveiled includes the new seamless, open neighborhood, new Create-A-Sim, new realistic personalities and new unlimited customization. The Sims 3 will launch globally in 2009.

The Sims franchise has long been recognized for its appeal to a universal audience, both male and female, and at any age. Its broad appeal and loyal The Sims community has vaulted the franchise to an impressive 98 million games sold around the world and translated into 22 different languages. Celebrated for its creativity, humor, and community, The Sims franchise has become a global and cultural phenomenon since its inception in 2000.

Now, The Sims 3 is being designed to be the next-generation flagship game from The Sims Label.

“In The Sims 3, Sims can go beyond the boundaries of their home lot, and immerse themselves in an open, living neighbourhood, interacting with other Sims using our new deeper personality system,” said Rod Humble, Head of The Sims Studio. “It is this type of open-ended gameplay that inspires endless creative possibilities. In addition the new goals and rewards systems will give players of all kinds from core gamers to storytellers the ability to enjoy long-term gameplay.”

New Seamless, Open Neighborhood—Explore the Neighborhood Freely.
See the sights with your Sims! The new seamless neighborhood architecture allows your Sims to roam freely around the neighborhood and visit their loved one and friends—or foes. Discovering other Sims homes and families, traveling around to new locations like City Hall or the local park will create a whole new way of life for your Sims. Storytelling options will multiply as your Sims stroll downtown to meet new acquaintances, head across town for lunch, spy on their neighbors and bump into the boss when they least expect it.

New Create A Sim—Create Any Sim You Can Imagine.
In addition to the open, living neighborhood, the all-new Create-a-Sim interface will feature easy-to-use design tools that allow you to make truly detailed Sims that are more realistic than ever. Create-a-Sim gives you the incredible freedom to customize just about any Sim you can imagine. From thin to full-figured to muscular—everything in between and even the extreme! In addition to determining your Sims body shape and size, you will also be able to fine-tune every feature on their faces, customize their hair style and select their skin tone, all from a vast selection of options. With so many choices to choose from, it is fun to create more realistic characters that look like you, someone you want to look like, or even a famous personality.

New Realistic Personalities—Every Sim Is A Unique Person, With A Distinct Personality
With the innovative and proprietary Realistic Personality System in The Sims 3, you can attribute each character with five distinct personality traits, helping shape your Sims behavior and how they interact with others and their surroundings. This new system will empower you to create extremely complex and diverse in-game personalities. Will you create the nosy, inappropriate, kleptomaniac grandmother who loves to meddle in other people’s business? Or the commitment-phobic, hot-headed punk rocker whose rude nature and childish disposition keeps him from scoring a date? In The Sims 3, Sims will go beyond the basic set of day-to-day needs to be distinct individuals with multifaceted personalities, who can focus both on short-term opportunities and long-term goals. With a wide selection of personality traits to mix and match, more than 700 million combinations of Sims await. You never know who’ll meet in The Sims 3!

New Unlimited Customization—Everyone Can Customize Everything!
New and accessible creativity tools in The Sims 3 make it simple for anyone to customize anything, anywhere! From floors to flowers, fashions to sofas, wallpaper to window shades and more, The Sims 3 gives you all the flexibility and options you need to be the architect of your dream house or explore your interior design skills to outfit your ultimate home. Your Sims can make home an ultra-deluxe mansion, a cool bachelor pad, family’s dream home or charming cottage. The choice is yours in The Sims 3.

”The new engine and technologies in The Sims 3 are designed to unleash the player’s imagination with realistic looking Sims who have distinct personalities and a seamless living neighborhood for them to discover,” added Ben Bell, Executive Producer on The Sims 3. “Players are going to be thrilled by the level of realism in The Sims 3!”

For more information visit www.TheSims3.com.

Edge of Twilight

SouthPeak Games recently announced that FUZZYEYES’ “Edge of Twilight” will be available for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC in 2009. The game is currently deep in development at FUZZYEYES utilizing SouthPeak’s studio-wide Unreal Engine 3 license.

“We are very excited to help bring FUZZYEYES’ creative vision to life. The team spent a lot of time developing a comprehensive story to give the universe a history and purpose, which can change based on the players’ interaction within the world,” said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak.

“Edge of Twilight” takes the player into a lavishly envisioned steampunk world to play as Lex, an outcast bounty hunter who finds himself caught between clashes of two polar opposite civilizations. Delivering a unique brand of fast-paced cinematic action, the game will be a truly immersive experience.

“It is energizing to see our unique vision take shape. We are bringing some unusual ideas to the table and so far we couldn’t be happier with the results,” said Wei-Yao Lu, CEO of FUZZYEYES. “Gamers should look forward to 2009!”

Edge Of Twilight will be released in 2009. Visit www.edge-of-twilight.com for more.

Not so eternal Damnation

Codemasters®, a leading video game publisher, and US creative studio Blue Omega Entertainment today announced Damnation™, a new videogame franchise set to come leaping onto the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows® this winter.

Evolving the shooter genre with its unique and exhilarating combination of fluid action and combat, Damnation will feature huge, open environments, frenetic combat, daredevil acrobatics and high-octane vehicle-based stunts. Presenting players with an intense test of reflexes, quick thinking and rapid-fire conflict, Damnation will feature vast, breathtaking landscapes, each covering miles of distance and thousands of vertical feet.

Billed as a ’shooter gone vertical,’ and visually inspired by iconic elements of American history, these massive streaming landscapes will form the battlegrounds for a post-industrial conflict between humanity and an unstoppable arms dealer hell-bent on total world domination.

Players will be able to choose their own paths and navigate the world by performing daredevil feats on the edge of human ability. However players aren’t the only ones with mind-blowing acrobatic skills; intelligent enemies will give chase and engage players in frantic gun fights and attacks that can come from any direction – in Damnation’s world there’s no safe place to hide.

With up to three hours of actual gameplay stretching out in front of them per level, players will need more than just muscle power to get across each level safely. Damnation will offer players a selection of awe-inspiring vehicles, from motorbikes capable of launching across seemingly infinite chasms, to huge, armor-piercing marvels that will induce mayhem with every huge shell.

The high action will be supported with an epic and in-depth story which, while focusing on the exploits of the hero character Rourke, is truly an ensemble piece. Players will meet and become involved in intricate story plots that reveal much more than the obvious.

In addition to the single player experience, Damnation comes complete with a unique set of multiplayer options that take full advantage of the game’s expansive levels. Currently in development at Blue Omega’s facilities in Annapolis, USA, Damnation will be available for Xbox 360, the PLAYSTATION 3 system and Games for Windows in late 2008. For more information and to catch a glimpse of what the future of gaming has in store, visit http://www.codemasters.com/playdamnation.