According to Jesse Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, Majesco, “Throughout production we have strived to create a game that pioneers new territory on the Wii by giving players the ability to customize every aspect of their gaming experience. Now that it has gone gold, I can truly say that Blast Works has surpassed our expectations and is one of the most unique games that will be available this year. Furthermore, BlastWorksDepot.com provides Wii owners with a new social experience whereby they can create, share and trade their original creations online.”

Featuring bright, abstract graphics and fast-paced side-scrolling action, Blast Works is a “sticky” creative shooter that lets players absorb fallen enemies as protection. The in-depth and intuitive Blast Works Editor allows gamers to customize every element of their game play experience from levels, ships, enemy ships, objects and bosses to unique bullet patterns, movements, sound effects, hit box placement and more.

Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy is rated E for Everyone and will ship this June 10th for $39.99.

Press Release

Xbox LIVE Arcade has just gotten more interesting with the release of Assault Heroes 2. This is one highly anticipated sequel to the award-winning Assault Heroes game, featuring an ever increasing number of high intensity, adrenaline pumping levels, fierce enemies who wouldn’t think twice to take you out, and totally new environments for you to pit your survival skills in among others. Assault Heroes 2 also holds the honor of being the first sequel to a title that originated on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Taking a leaf out of Halo’s book, players have the ability to hijack an enemy vehicle to progress through the game, while other features include more levels and even the ability to spend more time on-foot and join up with friends with enhanced co-operative gameplay modes.

Sinister forces are again threatening mankind and the Assault Heroes are called back in action to save the day in the Assault Heroes 2 game. New and upgraded weapons add greater firepower as players take out waves of fierce enemies and unimaginable mechanical bosses for many hours of destruction. Extended on-foot skirmishes with a more powerful arsenal of weapons allow for up close battles in expansive underground areas. New vehicles including a rapid-fire spacecraft and hi-jackable enemy units increase mobility and protection in treacherous situations.

According to Nicole Perez, vice president of marketing, Sierra Online, “Assault Heroes 2 has a lot to live up to and gamers won’t be disappointed because this sequel takes the arcade shooter to a whole new level. Wanako has created a game that goes above and beyond the high standards set by the hugely successful, original title.”

You will be able to download the T rated game from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 Microsoft points.

Press Release

Sierra Online, a division of Vivendi Games, just rolled out Boogie Bunnies for the Windows PC platform. This is the next generation where match-three puzzle games are concerned, revolutionizing the popular genre with exceptional 3D graphics as well as nutty critters who are full of personality. Boogie Bunnies consist of rich characters, following a bunch of zany rabbits as they start to shake their tails through exotic destinations, ranging from the Artic and Amazon up to the ultimate dance off in Hollywood, California. You can pick up the free trial at here.

According to Nicole Perez, vice president of marketing, Sierra Online, “The PC casual gaming market is booming so we created Boogie Bunnies to give puzzle fanatics the ultimate fix. In addition to the amazing graphics, gamers are going to be amused by the unexpected things these entertaining characters do.”

Gamers must match the colorful bunnies from three different sides - left, right and bottom, in an effort to prevent them from marching mindlessly off the screen into dangerous pitfalls. Sounds a whole lot like those dumb lemmings who made quite a splash many moons ago. Bunny busters will be able to score chain combos, triggering new and entertaining dance moves in addition to amusing chants. There will be three game modes - classic, arcade and endless, allowing players to enjoy the game at their own pace. This game has been rated E for Everyone, and if you enjoy the free trial, you can always pick it up for $19.99. This title can also be downloaded from Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360.

Press Release

Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: War of Two Cities takes classic aspects of Civilization and pulls them into a new strategic game, allowing players to engage in world domination via their mobile phone. Using technology development, army building and combat, players will nurture and expand an empire while progressing from the birth of civilization to modern times. Within this casual format, players will advance through the game revealing new features and strategies.

I wonder what the control scheme would be like, since there isn’t a mouse for you to perform rapid clicks and functions. After all, the cell phone isn’t exactly the most conducive platform for gaming since most handsets have different key layouts, not to mention a wide array of screen sizes for the developer to consider. Text can’t be too small either as it is already pretty hard to read what comes up on certain phone displays these days. All in all, I hope it will be as addictive as the original series, retaining its charm in a whole new way.

Press Release

Criterion Games, a studio of Electronic Arts, announced last week that their award winning driving game, Burnout Paradise, is currently being ported over to the PC platform. I suppose this is good news for many folk, as those who are not into console gaming will be able to see the other side of the coin with such a title, but I must advise you in making sure that you have a pretty souped up PC in the first place if you were to extract the best playing experience from the game as possible. Burnout Paradise will incidentally also be the first Burnout title ever made for the PC (and hopefully not the last), featuring expanded multiplayer, enhanced online features, and community driven content for added replayability.

For those who wonder what Burnout Paradise is all about, why not head to your local video game store and have a good at it on either the PS3 or Xbox 360? This game, after all, has already garnered more than 55 awards worldwide, so it will probably have as much pedigree and prestige as the cars within the game itself. Featuring an open-world environment, gamers will be able to enjoy intense speed, excitement and exploration as they traverse through the game on their set of wheels, setting a new standard in the seamless transition from single-player offline to social online gameplay.

Burnout Paradise for the PC will merge open world racing, intense speed and action of the original game with a new gameplay style. Will you actually upgrade your PC for this title? I think it is imperative that you get a decent steering wheel peripheral of sorts in order to obtain maximum enjoyment from the title.

Press Release

Conspiracy Entertainment has teamed up with Epicenter Studios to bring Wii owners Real Heroes: Firefighters, a fire-fighting action game exclusively designed for the Nintendo Wii. Now this is definitely something new - not everyday do we get to see a game that takes on a whole new level of entertainment, with one focused on something that could very well happen in any home (touch wood). Hopefully with its introduction on the Wii in the US, Canada, Mexico and South America sometime in Q2 next year, it will be able to do something positive against any potential fire breakouts in real life as gamers learn how to circumvent such situations while keeping a cool head.

Real Heroes emphasizes non-violent, game-integral puzzles that mirror the challenges and on-the-fly choices firefighters face every day. Featuring Epicenter’s proprietary “Thinking Fire” technology, Real Heroes’ blazes will seem almost alive as they not only attack structures, potential victims and firefighters, but also cause unexpected changes to the environments that will suddenly alter the player’s options and strategies. No two scenarios will play out the same way.

According to Sirus Ahmadi, CEO of Conspiracy Entertainment, “The motion sensing capability of the Wii Remote, combined with Epicenter’s intuitive fire technology, equips anyone to step into the role of rookie firefighter. Not only is this game thrilling, but its realistic action pays homage to the nation’s real firefighters and is appropriate for the whole family. Sounds as though the replayability value is definitely something to look forward to.

Press Release

The Mummy is one sleeper hit that was released many summers ago, and the movie has apparently done so well to even have a spin-off story in The Scorpion King. This summer, we will have the third installment - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, and what’s the point of a surefire summer blockbuster without a corresponding video game to back it up? Taking on the same namesake, this title will be developed by Eurocom Studios and will be made available for the Nintendo Wii and PS2, while A2M will handle the Nintendo DS version. For all the graphical power of the PS3 and Xbox 360, I guess this game won’t be making an appearance on either platform since most movie franchises on the video game platform are turkeys, and the development costs on both of the mentioned consoles won’t be able to be justified.

According to Al Simone, senior vice president, Global Marketing, Sierra Entertainment, “Sierra Entertainment is pleased to partner with Universal to deliver an exciting extension to this popular film franchise. Developed in collaboration with the film’s creative talent, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor video game will add another opportunity for players to experience the thrill and excitement of this adventure favorite.”

The game will be played in a third-person view, where gamers will be able to fill the shoes of Rick O’Connell and his son, Alex (played by Brendan Fraser and Luke Ford, respectively, in the film). As with previous Mummy movies, do expect a harrowing journey full of thrills and spills across exotic locations as they travel to do battle against the Dragon Emperor (Jet Li) who is hell bent on taking over the world. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ought to be out this July.

Press Release

WiiWare’s launch on the Nintendo Wii (where else) is but a few weeks away, and that news is not lost on Incredible Technologies. Being the country’s largest developer of coin-operated video games, it is also jumping onto the home console phenomenon by finishing up Target Toss Pro: BAGS which will make an appearance on the Wii through WiiWare, and this is also the company’s first WiiWare title. What does BAGS require the gamer to do? The answer is pretty simple - players are required to toss beanbags into a hole in a raised “box” in order to accumulate points. Talk about being simple and yet extremely competitive, since campus quads, tailgate parties, and summer barbecues, often resonate with the unmistakable “thud” of bags landing, making it a universal party soundtrack.

Incredible Technologies is working with console veteran n-Space in order to bring the party experience indoors. With the help of the now famous Wiimote, you will be able to enjoy the natural feel of the actual game, including color commentary, dynamic presentation, and dramatic upsets without having to slug it outdoors where you are left vulnerable and at the mercy of mosquitoes as well as other nasty bugs that make an appearance when dusk falls. There will be a new control mechanism as well as play modes for the home player. BAGS boast 16 player support, and you can choose from BAGS arcade scoring and traditional “cornhole” scoring options.

Development of this game ought to be completed at the beginning of this summer – hopefully there won’t be any delays involved.

Press Release

The game places you as a recent Veterinary College grad, where you will assist your Aunt Lucy to heal a myriad of exotic animals and save the once world-famous Zoo Hospital from a businessman’s bulldozer by attracting more visitors.

Zoo Hospital is the first game of its kind on Wii that lets players experience a veterinarian’s job. Players can use the Wii Remote in surgical procedures to eliminate parasitic pests, perform dentistry, X-ray organs and remove foreign bodies like gallstones to restore the health of 48 ailing zoo animals, including dolphins, gorillas, macaws and camels. Soothing and feeding each animal while following up on post surgical patients in their enclosures is as important as precise operations, since happy, healthy animals increase the Zoo Rating which in turn affects the number of visitors patronizing the zoo.

You can have up to two friends in the game itself to treat animals, making the entire experience all the more social.

Press Release

As with its predecessor, players can still draw their own characters and objects in the game, but this time round the gameplay will be slightly different since you will be thrown straight into the world of SpongeBob Square Pants, where players will cross paths with the denizens of Bikini Bottom as they take on DoodleBob’s rogue drawings. I think fun will be a very big factor here, and not only kids as well as SpongeBob Square Pants fans will be the only ones enjoying this title.

It is good to see such games encouraging gamers to be more creative in expressing themselves, as the video game and Internet generation seem to suffer from this problem of failing to interact with a human properly.

Source: Gamespot