Week of April 1, 2007

The month of April is upon us and that means another round of game reviews. Out of the ten we reviewed, four of them received our Editor's Choice award.

Soldak Entertainment sends word that they have updated their website with part 1 of a new story which serves as further history for their strategy RPG Depths of Peril. Titled Dragon Stone, this first part can be read by clicking here.

Want to see how you rank against the world’s best drivers? A new version of Gran Turismo™ HD Concept will be available on the PLAYSTATION®Store Thursday, adding worldwide rankings via the PLAYSTATION®Network. This update also adds force feedback support for compatible steering wheels for an even more realistic racing experience. In addition to the updated Gran Turismo HD Concept, Sony Computer Entertainment America today is adding a teaser video for Grand Theft Auto IV: Things Will Be Different, the next installment of the blockbuster franchise, and a demo of the hotly anticipated Armored Core® 4.

Below are the details of the exciting new offerings from the PLAYSTATION Store:

EA sent along another five new images of their WWII FPS spin-off, Battlefield: Bad Company, slated for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

We have ten new images of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, Funcom's MMORPG in the works for the PC and Xbox 360.

IDEA Games – gathering of independent developers – is proud to announce the launching of the online distribution of their PC game Alpha Prime in English! The developer, Black Element Software released their fantasy action game Shade: Wrath of Angels two years ago. Now their second title is getting them a lot more attention.

Alpha Prime is a first-person shooting game with a strong storyline, and fast-paced action. Its futuristic technologies alone make it something worth looking at. If you run out of ammunition or just don’t feel like wasting it you can use your RECON, a hacking device that enables you to control from a distance various devices you find on your way through the dark halls and corridors of Alpha Prime. Also, by injecting yourself with hubbardium, a psychotropic semi-poisonous substance, you develop bullet-time maneuvering which decelerates time to a sluggish pace to give you the advantage against your opponents. And if that’s not enough the real-time physics algorithms are so advanced that they will truly make you feel like you‘re holding the gun!

For online distribution of Alpha Prime (English Version), IDEA games chose to use www.sprocketidea.com ,where you can find and download the computer games developed by members of IDEA games.

Visit www.sprocketidea.com and buy games directly from their developers!

Find more about Alpha Prime on www.alpha-prime.com.

THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced Company of Heroes™: Opposing Fronts™, the next chapter in the groundbreaking real-time strategy (RTS) franchise, from internal studio Relic Entertainment, is scheduled to launch in fall 2007 for Windows PC. Powered by the proprietary Essence Engine and Microsoft DirectX® 10, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts allows players to fight as the tenacious British 2nd Army during the heroic World War II liberation of Caen, France, and command the German Panzer Elite as they struggle to repel the largest airborne invasion in history. Players can battle online in exciting new multiplayer modes with these two all-new armies and utilize full compatibility with the original Company of Heroes™ for a total of four playable armies.

”In Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts players will experience fast-paced dynamic tactics like never before, in two of the most brutal World War II campaigns ever fought,” said Tarrnie Williams, general manager, Relic Entertainment. “With two intensely cinematic campaigns, significant upgrades to the Essence Engine, mission persistence, improved vehicle AI and weather effects that directly impact the battlefield, we’re delivering yet again on our commitment to leading the way in strategic gaming with the best, most innovative titles available.”

Midway today released a few new screenshots of Hour of Victory, their WWII FPS for the Xbox 360. We also have a brand new trailer for you to download. The game is due out sometime in Q2 2007.

Aarrr, swashbuckers! We've got six new images of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

EA Mythic sent out a whole slew of images and concept art for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.

Tournament.com is in the beta phase right now and they are looking more players for online competition. Here’s a quick break down:

Today Nintendo adds three classic games to the popular Wii™ video game system's Wii Shop Channel. The games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Get ready for the most savage, sexy and action-packed MMO ever created as Funcom and Eidos finally open the floodgates to the massive world of Conan. The official Age of Conan Beta sign-up starts today, giving thousands of pioneers a unique chance to play the groundbreaking MMO months before release!

"We have been waiting for this day since we started development on Age of Conan, and it will be an epic moment as we see large waves of players charging into Hyboria," said Gaute Godager, founder of Funcom and Game Director on 'Age of Conan'. "As we get ready to unleash the most brutal MMO ever created we will let an increasing amount of players test our creation. With extended Beta testing for months to come we can hone and polish based on large-scale feedback, allowing us to fulfill the potential of the game."

Just think of it - You – There - On the battlefield. Unleashing devastating damage and death, laughing in the face of danger as you rally forth. Steel and magic, power and war, gods and demons, a barbaric world on the verge of collapse…this is the Age of Conan, this is your chance to shape one of the most anticipated PC games in development.

Go to beta.ageofconan.com to sign up.

'Age of Conan' will release on the 30th of October.

IDEA games – independent developers association– is proud to announce the worldwide online distribution of the 3rd person action PC game El Matador, developed by Plastic Reality Technologies s.r.o., creators of Loco-Commotion and Korea: Forgotten Conflict!

El Matador is available worldwide in English. For online distribution El Matador is using the internet server Sprocketidea.com where you can buy and download computer games developed by members of IDEA games.

Visit www.sprocketidea.com and buy games directly from the developers! Find more about El Matador on www.elmatador.net/

NCsoft® Europe and ArenaNet® are delighted to announce that following the recent Polish localisation launch, the award winning Guild Wars® franchise will now also be available for Russian players in their native language from 19th April 2007.

Guild Wars exclusive Russian distributor, Buka Entertainment have high hopes that the complete localisation of the Guild Wars campaigns will encourage even more players to experience the world of Guild Wars and that Russian Guilds will take their true place in the PvP hall of fame.

Activision has released some details on the new downloadable content that will be made available for Marvel Ultimate Alliance. The update via Xbox Live will feature eight new playable characters. Hit the images to find out who they are and see the new screenshots.

Electronic Arts has sent out four new images of Medal of Honor: Airborne, their latest WWII FPS in the long-running series.

EA released three new screenshots and a handful of artwork of Battlefield: Bad Company, their singleplayer/co-op spin-off of the Battlefield series.