BATTLE OF THE CENTURY INVADES EOLIA AS TWO FEROCIOUS ARMIES CLASH

EOLIA WASHED RED AS ORC AND HUMAN BLOOD IS SPILT

 The clash of swords, the chink of metal armour and the cries of the wounded can be heard for miles, echoing around Eolia. The inevitable battle has finally erupted into a horrific clash of humans and orcs fighting for their lives and their territory. Prepare for Fantasy Wars, an exciting new battle strategy game for PC.

Choose brute strength, size and evil spells.

Play as Ugraum Grableg using your extensive and fearless orc army to mercilessly tear through the human opposition. The orcs have physical strength and brute force on their side and grotesque goblins to unite with them, smashing through the human troops. Powerful orc shaman Ash-hoon summons evil spells to inflict nasty impediments upon the human enemy: magic that makes feet rot, and potions to create deadly poisonous venom. 

Or choose tactics, skill and weaponry.

Play as Derrick Pfeil, the leader of the skilled human army. Feel the ground tremble as your archers take down orcs from a safe distance and hear swordsman roar as they slice through hideous goblins. Flying war eagles circle above, making unsuspected attacks on the enemy below. Noble mage Alfred Brennock can also conjure up spells to freeze the orcs, whilst his Wizard Eye spell spots enemies from afar, useful in the surrounding
mountainous terrain where enemies lurk.

Unlock the Alliance!

After battling your way to complete both the orc and human campaigns, the option to play as either elves or dwarves is now unlocked. The elves and dwarves are independent and pacifist races that ally when needed to fight a common danger. Play as Teya Essente, the renowned elven sorceress, or take charge of the dwarf clan, through the small but mighty Dwarnrock.

Fantasy Wars is a turn based battle strategy game for PC from Ascaron Entertainment. Take on campaigns or missions as either the humans or orcs, later unlocking the elf army. Complete set tasks to win your mission, defeating the opposing enemy. The faster you complete missions, the higher your score. 

http://www.fantasywars-thegame.com/

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates PAL Street Date Announcement

London (17th January 2008) – Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, today announces that FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: Ring of Fates™ will be released across all PAL territories from 21st March 2008 exclusively on the Nintendo DS™ system.

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates has been designed to be the most accessible FINAL FANTASY ever. The unique action-based gameplay offers exciting 3D levels, exploration and puzzle solving, with a control system that allows you to engage enemies on your terms and without any random encounters.

The best part of this exciting adventure is that up to four friends can team-up and co-operate with Nintendo DS Wireless Play. Like all great heroes, you’ll want to look good during the action and there are hundreds of different items and costume combinations to make your character unique.

John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Ltd. comments, “With a strong focus on action and exploration FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates offers an exciting, fast-paced adventure. If you’ve never played a FINAL FANTASY game before, Ring of Fates is the perfect introduction and offers even more fun when played with friends.”

About FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates

Story

The Great Crystal protects the land from the malefic glow of the blood red moon.
Twins are born to this land, endowed with a shared, mystical power.
Their peaceful life is suddenly changed with the rise of the blood red moon.
All fates are etched into the crystal.

Features

• Unique action-based gameplay – with 3D levels, exploration and puzzle solving.
• Action-based control system lets you experience the adventure your way.
• Experience exhilarating real-time battles with intuitive controls.
• Gorgeous 3D graphics and an emotional audio score create a beautiful world to explore.
• Up to four players can co-operate via DS Wireless Play!
• Realise the tale of two heroic yet innocent twins in a unique story of fate, adventure and fraternal love.
• Hundreds of different item and costume combinations add to the fun. Changes to costume/equipment are directly visible on your character in the game.
• Trade with friends using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection functions.
• Additional content over the original Japanese version, with four new quests.
• Can be played in four different languages – English, French, German and Spanish. The multiplayer mode, which allows up to four players to play together, can be played seamlessly even when each player selects a different language.

For more information about FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates please visit the official website at finalfantasycrystalchronicles.co.uk

With their focus on fun for everyone, Nintendo’s Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems are leading a new movement in the world of video games. Games based on brain exercises. … New experiences that surprise even core gamers. … Grandparents buying video game systems – for themselves! Surely, these are unprecedented times.

“The video game industry has never had so many new players, and they’ve never had so much fun,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales & marketing. “Our momentum is not limited to one system or one game. We’re going broad and bold in 2008, with something for every member of the family.”

Nintendo DS and Wii finished as the No. 1 and No. 2 best-selling systems of the year, respectively. Nintendo continues its momentum into 2008 with a strong lineup of games. In the first half of 2008 alone, more than 65 new Wii games will add to the current library of more than 195 and 80 new Nintendo DS games will add to the current library of nearly 500. Nintendo DS opens the first half of the year with games that demonstrate the breadth of the Nintendo DS library. Advance Wars®: Days of Ruin is a treat aimed squarely at core gamers, while Crosswords DS™ is for all consumers, whether they currently play games or not.

Likewise, the first half of 2008 brings a diverse array of Wii games from Nintendo, including core games like Super Smash Bros.® Brawl; games with universal appeal for gamers old and new with Mario Kart® Wii, which uses the easy-to-pick-up Wii Wheel™; and Wii Fit™, which comes with the Wii Balance Board and has appeal for new consumers well beyond the traditional video game audience. On top of all that, new downloadable WiiWare™ games will make their debut. These unique games have much lower entry barriers for developers and let consumers enjoy an incredibly diverse selection of content.

Third-party publishers also continue their strong support for Wii and Nintendo DS. Some of the innovative Wii games for the first half of 2008 include Ninja Reflex from Electronic Arts, No More Heroes™ from Ubisoft, DeBlob from THQ, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from LucasArts and Okami from Capcom, in addition to compelling Nintendo DS games like FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Rings of Fate from Square Enix, Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword from Tecmo and Quick Yoga Training from Ubisoft.

The following is a partial list of Wii and Nintendo DS software for the first half of 2008. Note that details are subject to change.

Wii
Jan. 7: Kidz Sports Ice Hockey from Destineer
Jan. 8: Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law from Capcom
Jan. 15: SAMURAI WARRIORS: KATANA from KOEI CORPORATION
Jan. 15: Furu Furu Park from Majesco Entertainment
Jan. 21: Endless Ocean™ from Nintendo
Jan. 22: One Piece™: Unlimited Adventure™ from Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
Jan. 29: Bomberman Land from Hudson
January: No More Heroes™ from Ubisoft
January: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation™: Hard Evidence from Ubisoft
Feb. 8: Kawasaki Jet Ski from Destineer
Feb. 11: Go Diego Go!: Safari Rescue from 2K Play
Feb. 12: WWII Aces from Destineer
Feb. 12: Dream Pinball 3D from SouthPeak Games
Feb. 18: MX vs. ATV Untamed from THQ
Feb. 25: Agatha Christie And Then There Were None from DreamCatcher Games
Feb. 26: Baroque from Atlus USA
Feb. 26: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors from Square Enix
Feb. 27: Kidz Sports Soccer from Destineer
Feb. 27: London Taxi: Rush Hour from Destineer
February: Garfield® Gets Real from DSI Games
February: Yamaha Supercross from DSI Games
February: Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore from Konami
February: Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30™ from Ubisoft
February: BALLOON POP from UFO INTERACTIVE GAMES
March 3: Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed from THQ
March 9: Super Smash Bros.® Brawl from Nintendo
March 10: Worms: A Space Oddity from THQ
March 25: Okami from Capcom
March 25: OPOONA from KOEI CORPORATION
March: MiniCopter: Adventure Flight from Aksys Games
March: Alone in the Dark from Atari
March: Ninja Reflex from Electronic Arts
March: Obscure: The Aftermath from Ignition Entertainment
March: Target: Terror from Konami
March: Nitro Bike™ from Ubisoft
March: Emergency Heroes™ from Ubisoft
March: HEAVENLY GUARDIAN from UFO INTERACTIVE GAMES
March: Rebel Raiders from XS Games
April 15: Castle of Shikigami III from Aksys Games
April: Pro Evolution Soccer from Konami
April: Wild Earth: African Safari from Majesco Entertainment
April: THE MONKEY KING-THE LEGEND BEGINS from UFO INTERACTIVE GAMES
April: Super Pick Ups from XS Games
May 6: Speed Racer from Warner Bros. Games
May 13: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian from Disney Interactive Studios
May: BlastWorks: Build, Trade, Destroy from Majesco Entertainment
May: King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga from SNK Playmore
May: THE DOG Island™ from Ubisoft
June 8: Wonderworld Amusement Park from Majesco Entertainment
June: Catch of the Day from Electronic Arts
June: Ford Racing Off Road from Empire Interactive
June: Cooking Mama Cook Off 2 from Majesco Entertainment
June: Rygar: The Battle of Argus from Tecmo, Inc.
June: DeBlob from THQ
June: Wall-E from THQ
Spring: Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel from Nintendo
Spring: Major League Baseball® 2K8 from 2K Sports
Spring: Don King Presents: Prizefighter from 2K Sports
Spring: Top Spin 3 from 2K Sports
Spring: Kung Fu Panda from Activision
Spring: LEGO: Indiana Jones from LucasArts
Summer: Deca Sports from Hudson
Summer: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from LucasArts
Summer: Active Life™: Outdoor Challenge™ from Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
Q2: Wii Fit from Nintendo

Nintendo DS
Jan. 21: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin from Nintendo/Intelligent Systems
Jan. 21: Mazes of Fate DS from Graffiti Entertainment, LLC
Jan. 22: Mega Brain Boost from Majesco Entertainment
Jan. 24: Aquarium by DS from Bold Games
Jan. 24: Fantasy Aquarium by DS from Bold Games
Jan. 29: Pet Pals: Animal Doctor from Majesco Entertainment
January: N+ from Atari
January: Barnyard Blast from DSI Games
January: Command & Destroy from DSI Games
January: Miami Nights: Singles in the City™ from Ubisoft
January: Brain Challenge™ from Ubisoft
Feb. 4: Paws & Claws: Pet Resort from THQ
Feb. 5: Homie Rollerz from Destineer
Feb. 5: Nanostray 2 from Majesco Entertainment
Feb. 10 (street date): Professor Layton and the Curious Village™ from Nintendo/LEVEL-5
Feb. 12: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney from Capcom
Feb. 12: New Zealand Story Revolution from Ignition Entertainment
Feb. 12: Dream Pinball 3D from SouthPeak Games
Feb. 19: Spitfire Heroes: Tales of the RAF from Destineer
Feb. 19: Zoo Tycoon II from THQ
Feb. 25: Bratz: Super Babyz from THQ
Feb. 26: Bubble Bobble Double Shot from Ignition Entertainment
February: My Horse and Me from Atari
February: M&M’S® Kart Racing from DSI Games
February: Garfield® Gets Real from DSI Games
February: Yamaha Supercross from DSI Games
February: Insecticide from Gamecock Media Group
February: Anno™ 1701: Dawn of Discovery from Ubisoft
February: Assassin’s Creed Altair’s Chronicles™ from Ubisoft
February: Petz® Wild Animals: Tigerz from Ubisoft
February: Puppy Palace™ from Ubisoft
February: Real Soccer® 2008 from Ubisoft
March 1: Project Exile from Graffiti Entertainment, LLC
March 3: Let’s Ride: Friends Forever from THQ
March 4: Diary Girl from Konami
March 4: Go Pets from Konami
March 4: Disney Friends from Disney Interactive Studios
March 4: Eco-Creatures: Save the Forest from Majesco Entertainment
March 8: Plushees from Destineer
March 8: River King: Mystic Valley from Natsume Inc.
March 8: Harvest Moon DS Cute from Natsume Inc.
March 11: FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Rings of Fate from Square Enix
March 11: Lost in Blue 3 from Konami
March 11: Pro Evolution Soccer from Konami
March 25: Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword from Tecmo, Inc.
March: Alone in the Dark from Atari
March: Drone Tactics from Atlus USA
March: Double Sequence from DSI Games
March: Ninja Reflex from Electronic Arts
March: Myst from Empire Interactive
March: Naruto™: Ninja Destiny from Tomy Corporation
March: Petz® Bunnyz™ from Ubisoft
March: Imagine™ Figure Skater from Ubisoft
March: Commando from XS Games
April 15: Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys from Ignition Entertainment
April: Super Dodgeball Brawlers from Aksys Games
April: Rondo of Swords from Atlus USA
April: Quick Yoga Training from Ubisoft
May 5: Crosswords DS from Nintendo
May 6: Speed Racer from Warner Bros. Games
May 8: Organize It from Summitsoft Corporation
May 13: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian from Disney Interactive Studios
May: Winx Club: Mission Enchantix from Konami
May: Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles from Aksys Games
May: Garfield® Fun Fest from DSI Games
May: 1 vs. 100 from DSI Games
June 8: Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness from Natsume Inc.
June: Shining Stars® from DSI Games
June: Catch of the Day from Electronic Arts
June: PipeMania from Empire Interactive
June: Wall-E from THQ
Spring: Sid Meier’s Civilization® Revolution™ from 2K Games
Spring: Don King Presents: Prizefighter from 2K Sports
Spring: Top Spin 3 from 2K Sports
Spring: Kung Fu Panda from Activision
Spring: LEGO: Indiana Jones from LucasArts
Spring: The World Ends with You from Square Enix
Summer: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from LucasArts
Summer: Tamagotchi Connection®: Corner Shop® 3 from Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
Q2: Bangai-O Spirits from D3 Publisher of America
Q2: PREY THE STARS from KOEI CORPORATION
Q2: Pokemon® Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time from Nintendo
Q2: Pokemon® Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness from Nintendo

About Nintendo: The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.5 billion video games and more than 430 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.

Game Entertainment Europe (GEE) and Lots Entertainment announced today their partnership to release Europe’s first Multi-Player Online Casual Racing Game, Hovorun across Europe. Targeted to be launched in the 2nd quarter of 2008. Hovorun is a free2copy™ online game that will be available in 12 European languages and targets casual gamers aged between 8 to 28 years old.

Hovorun (www.ge-eu.com/games_hovorun.php) is a multi player online game that offers up to eight gamers the opportunity to race against each other in a funny Hovercraft. The challenge is to try to attack one’s opponent while racing and knocking them out of the game. The game client can be downloaded free and gamers can play the game for free except if they want to use game credits to purchase “special in game items”. Gamers can build their own teams or choose single player competition modes where they are offered a large collection of items to customize their hovercrafts as they race against each other either. The game will be available in English and the following European languages: Dutch, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Swedish. Game Entertainment Europe will also seek partners and potential in-game advertisers to also expand the business opportunity potential of online casual gaming.

Co-founder and CCO of Game Entertainment Europe Jurriaan van Rijswijk shared his ambitions to “make Hovorun a big success in Europe”. He added, “There is a large number of casual gamers that we have not reached out to because there has not been any multi-player online racing game available yet in Europe. As a leading Pan European publisher for MMO Games, we are filling that gap for the European gaming community that missed out on Nexon’s Kartrider which was only released in Asia and the US continent. Like the all time success Mario Kart, the Player-to-Player experience in Hovorun focusses on a fun and natural race experience, and with the wide variety of characters and in-game services, we are certain that this game will be a hit in Europe!”

Lots Entertainment is a young and innovative Korean game developer located in Busan. Lots Entertainment started in 2005 as a spinoff of the Tongmyong University. Advanced 3D graphic experience, cutting edge game engine and network technology, offered by Lots Entertainment, combined to GEE’s recognition amongst gamers, will put this partnership well ahead of competition.

“We are extremely pleased to announce this partnership because we are confident that the team at Game Entertainment Europe have a unique expertise in reaching the European game community by focusing on services that gamers in different countries require. It’s exciting working with a company that has a very active community of gamers,” Said James Lee, CTO from Lots Entertainment.

“We have plans to publish more multi-player online game titles which will cater to a wide variety of audience. We aim to expand the casual gaming market in Europe by localizing the game client and making the game available in multiple languages. We also ensure that the different billing solutions are covered as this is important to our gamers who are from all over Europe,” said Richard van Barneveld, CEO and co-founder of Game Entertainment Europe.

Van Barneveld added, “For our online games, we also work directly with advertising customers, to deliver in-game advertising that focus on targeted, measurable and effective opportunities.”

The closed beta launch for Hovorun will start early 2008. Gamers who are interested to sign-up for the closed beta launch can sign up at the Hovorun www.ge-eu.com/games_hovorun.php website to find out more details.

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced a late March release date for its eagerly-awaited PES 2008 for Wii™.

Created specifically to make full use of the Wii’s unique control system, PES 2008 brings all the realism of Pro Evolution Soccer to the Nintendo machine, but with a more ‘team-orientated’ control system. The Wii game mirrors the real sport’s use of open space and the exploitation of defensive lapses and accurate passes essential in creating scoring opportunities. The Wii version of PES 2008 expands on these elements, with the use of the Nunchuck and Wii Remote controllers giving the player control over both the player on the ball, and those around him.

Using a point and drag system, the player uses the Wii Remote to guide the player with the ball, and perform all the skill moves and close control with subtle movements of their hand. Instantly, the Wii Remote is used to point at nearby players to select them to receive a pass or to latch on to a through-ball. The Remote can also be used to steer the run of the receiving player, giving extra control as they thread through masses of defenders or run into open space.

The new system gives the player full control over their team, and allows the man marking of specific threats, while shakes of the Wii Nunchuk can be used to perform sliding tackles, and send the goal keeper out to clear a loose ball. The strategic elements are also easily accessed, with the directional controls of the Wii Remote used to activate tactical plays and spring counter attacks or send players tracking back.

PES 2008 for Wii features six game modes, spanning Match, League and Cup elements, and Training and Trade section. The new version also features an exclusive ‘Champions Road’ competition, wherein players take their chosen team to compete in league competitions all over the world. The idea of the Champions Road tournament is to come top in every league, and build a team by receiving players from recently defeated sides.

Experience points are added to all used players after a match, and bolster the attacking ability, technique and stamina. Extra skills can also be unlocked, allowing users to piece together a ‘Dream Team’ that constantly grows as they become more successful. Additional mini-tasks are also randomly set during the course of a Champions Road match, too, such as scoring a hat-trick, and succeeding allows the player to add higher-rated players to their team.

Full Mii support is also present, and users can integrate up to 16 pre-defined Miis into a team, while the ever-changing teams can be stored on to the Wii Remote and switched between two linked Remotes. PES 2008 also has a strong online element, allowing users to play ‘Free Matches’ against unknown opponents, or ‘Friend Matches’ against people on the Wii’s Friends list. Team data can also be sent to friends via the console’s WiiConnect24 system.

“It was vital that the Wii version of PES 2008 made full use of the hardware’s innovative control system, and we are extremely pleased with what the team has come up with,” commented Jon Murphy, Pro Evolution Soccer Team Leader. “It feels as if you have total control over the entire team and the use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to both implement moves and send players into space or off to make runs is remarkably intuitive. It adds a new layer of realism, and makes this Wii version an essential PES experience.”

PES 2008 will be released for Wii in March 2008.