December 9, 2011. InnoGames has officially set the English open beta launch date of its newest browser game, Lagoonia. On December 13, the free-to-play game will be in English on www.lagoonia.com. 

In Lagoonia, players are stranded on a beautiful island where they meet other survivors, build relationships and turn their island into a tropical paradise! The title blends the charm of a sandbox game with exciting social interaction – all on a remote South Sea island. The focus of the browser game is on the relationships between characters and players. Moreover, players plan and create many things that make the island livable and fun: from a warm fire and a cozy shelter, to useful fish nets, and later in the game lighthouses and waterslides. The game is free and no download is required.

“The great feedback from closed beta players allowed us to tailor features of the game to user desires,” explained Game Designer Kathleen Kunze. She goes on by saying: “a new energy system, for example, has been implemented to support smoother gameplay and further uses for objects make life on the island more exciting. Other cool updates include a multiplayer feature, trader, inventory system and resource production buildings.”
With more than 70 million registered players, InnoGames is one of the world’s leading developers and providers of online games. The Hamburg-based company has scored major successes with games such as Tribal Wars, The West and Grepolis.

First releases, Modern Conflict and Gomoku With Pals, are free-to-play on Android Market 

Gaijin Entertainment, an award-winning developer and publisher of multiplatform video games, is announcing that they will start releasing games for Android. The company’s first Android releases,  real-time strategy game Modern Conflict and social game Gomoku With Pals, are now available as free downloads from Android Market. 

Modern Conflict brings Gaijin’s acclaimed iPhone / iPad war game to Android. In this real-time strategy game, players compete in combat missions across America, Russia, and China using simple but addictive touch controls. Tap to select units, then tap to send them into battle. Repeat until you win! The free-to-play Modern Conflict is available on Android Market: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.gaijinent.modernconflict 

A variant of one of the oldest and best-known timewasters, Tic-Tac-Toe, Gomoku With Pals (developed by Indigo Games) is an abstract strategy board game in which each player tries to create a row of his or her own pieces, while blocking the opponent from doing the same. In-game chat and Facebook integration allow players to communicate with and compete against friends while playing. The game can be downloaded for free from Android Market: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.gaijin.gomoku 

“The demand for Android games just keeps growing, and we’re glad to join the party,” says Anton Yudintsev, Gaijin Entertainment’s CEO. “We look forward to expanding our Android roster in the coming years, both with ports of our popular iOS games and with new releases developed for Android-enabled smart phones and tablets.”

First full sized tactical role-playing game exclusively for Android smartphones Redefining Android gaming once again, says CEO

Tokyo, Japan (MMD Newswire) January 25, 2011 – HyperDevbox Japan is making gaming history again with the release of a new title, Spectral Souls: Resurrection of the Ethereal Empires. Spectral Souls: Resurrection is the first full-sized tactical role-playing game (RPG) for Google’s Android smartphone, and it is also the first 1-gigabyte PlayStation Portable (PSP) game to be ported on the Android. Using the latest HyperDevbox technology, Spectral Souls: Resurrection boasts these features:

– 1 GB of data for 100 hours of game play
– 84 characters
– high-resolution graphics
– 52 different high-quality sound tracks

Spectral Souls is the first game of its genre on the Android market, and in fact on the smartphone market, according to Carlo Perconti, CEO of HyperDevbox Japan. It’s an epic good-versus-evil fantasy with an intricate story but plenty of action, and spectacular music to boot. The focus of the tale is the Seven-Year War between humans and demons, taking place in Magic Age 1053 on Neverland, “a world apart from our own, home to strange and dangerous creatures.” It should appeal to all fans of fast-moving tactical RPGs, especially those who want to take their portable gaming experience to new levels.

“We are seeking to redefine Android gaming once again after our ExZeus Arcade,” declares Perconti. ExZeus, a fast-and-furious 3D action/shooter game, broke new ground for Android games by crashing through the 10MB Android app limitation and offering 3D sound support. Spectral Souls uses the same technology but takes it several steps further. “It’s a full PSP game with high-resolution graphics, right in your pocket,” Perconti says.

Spectral Souls: Resurrection of the Ethereal Empires is remarkable not only in that it is the first big game title to be developed exclusively for the Android, but that it is not a product of one of the big studios. Its universe and characters, now well known in the gaming community, were designed by a company called Idea Factory and ported and packed for the Android device by HyperDevbox.

Though not a huge studio, HyperDevbox is poised to be a major force in the advancement of the portable gaming industry. Currently there is an open war between the Android and the iPhone, with gaming being one of the battlegrounds. HyperDevbox is right in the thick of the battle. “After ExZeus Arcade we raised the bar even higher with Spectral Souls,” says Perconti. “With this release, we think we will finally put an end to the perception that Android games lag behind those for the iPhone.”

Perconti predicts that gaming on portable devices is going to be the greatest revolution in the industry. “We believe that sooner or later a phone and a Nintendo DS or Sony PSP will be merged into a single device,” he explains. “HyperDevbox is demonstrating now that we can achieve the same quality as Sony PSP on the Android phones, thanks to our technology.”

Perconti believes that as phones grow increasingly powerful and sophisticated, there will be a demand for higher quality – and higher-priced – games. While other developers are struggling to make headway in the lower end of the market, HyperDevbox Japan is focused on the higher end, believing that the Android gaming market in particular has a robust future. Spectral Souls: Resurrection of the Ethereal Empires is the first of a planned long series of premium titles from the company.

The English version of Spectral Souls: Resurrection of the Ethereal Empires is now available, and the Japanese version is scheduled for release in February 2011.

– To learn more about Spectral Souls: Resurrection of the Ethereal Empires, see the information on the HyperDevbox Web site: http://www.hyperdevbox.com/#/android/game-8/spectral-souls-android-27/
– Preview Spectral Souls: Resurrection of the Ethereal Empires on YouTube: You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_466050&v=OoUa-UT2EQE&feature=iv

HyperDevbox launches ”Generation of Chaos,” first massive strategy RPG for Android

Epic game further blurs the line between console and mobile games

Tokyo, Japan (MMD Newswire) December 9, 2011 – HyperDevbox Japan has just released the newest “must-have” product for Android smartphone gamers: “Generation of Chaos,” the first massive strategy RPG (role-playing game) for the Android. Currently this is the largest game available on the Android market, according to HyperDevbox founder and CEO Carlo Perconti.

The introduction of “Generation of Chaos” should be welcome news for gamers, Japanese RPG lovers, and technophiles everywhere. Originally designed by Idea Factory for the PlayStation® Portable (PSP), “Generation of Chaos” features:

– 1.8 GB of data for 100 hours of play
– Over 150 unique and charismatic characters (players can build and govern their own kingdoms)
– 10 different campaigns in story mode
– Exciting 30-on-30 battles in real time, so players can defend and expand their territory
– A large number of Anime-style movies, with a variety of animated special attacks and spoken events to make the
gaming experience even more thrilling
– Support for both touch and keyboard (with key mapping)
– Two touch configurations, including a tablet mode

HyperDevbox had already made mobile gaming history earlier this year with the introduction of “Spectral Souls: Resurrection of the Ethereal Empires,” the first 1GB game for the Android – and, for that matter, the first game of its genre for the smartphone market. Says Perconti, “With ‘Generation of Chaos,’ we’ve raised the bar even higher.” He says that with the success of “Spectral Souls,” his company demonstrated their audience is willing to pay a higher price for high-quality games on the Android. While many other developers, including the large studios, are still focusing on the lower end of the market, HyperDevbox continues to concentrate on the higher end, believing that the Android gaming market in particular has a vibrant future.

Perconti notes that “Generation of Chaos” is also riding a hot tech trend: the merging of mobile phones and handled game consoles into a single device. “There is definitely a market for console-like games on mobile,” Perconti adds, “and a long and ‘deep’ game like ‘Generation of Chaos’ will help us position ourselves in this market.”

As is the case with previous HyperDevbox releases, the premise behind “Generation of Chaos” has all the elements of a good epic gaming experience. The backstory is that the Dravanian revolution ended in 1701, leaving a nation in ruins. In the wake of this chaos, Minister Zeo deftly rose to emerge as Dravania’s new leader, and before long, Zeo began to transform Dravania into a powerful military force. Now, Dravania has risen from the ashes to restore peace and prosperity to the rest of Lost Grounds. Of course the best-laid plans often go awry, in this case by various parties’ devious plans for world domination…

Perconti says, “We’ve made a lot of technical improvements, and this game runs faster and more smoothly than the original PSP version.” He adds that because “Generation of Chaos” can seem quite complex at first, HyperDevbox included a 30-page manual as well as in-game help menus.

Gamers are giving “Generation of Chaos” a big thumbs-up, and consistent with HyperDevbox’s own observations, quite a few of them don’t mind paying a little extra for a quality game that, as one gaming blogger put it, offers “more depth than mindless hack n’ slash.”

“Generation of Chaos” is available now in the Google Android market. *

Operating system: Android 1.6
Size: 1.8GB
Suggested retail price: $14.98 USD

To learn more about “Generation of Chaos,” see the official page on the HyperDevbox Web site: http://www.hyperdevbox.com/#/android/game-8/generation-of-chaos-29

“Generation of Chaos” description and user reviews on the Android Market Web site: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.hyperdevbox.goc4

Melbourne Australia – December 10, 2011 – Impulse Gamer checks out some of Hollywood’s latest trailers that are making some buzz in tinseltown!

Official Three Stooges Trailer

The 5 Year Engagement Official Trailer

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted Trailer

The Lucky One Trailer

The Cabin in the Woods Trailer

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Trailer

The Iron Lady Trailer 2

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Trailer

The Lorax Official Trailer

Melbourne Australia, December 10 – 2011 – Chanel Preston is one of the world’s hottest adult stars who has been nominated for 6 AVN Awards for 2012, including female performer of the year. Chanel is also known for her adult film parodies such as This Ain’t Avatar XXX and Justice League XXX as the amazing Wonder Woman. Chanel is no stranger to playing “known” roles in her films and Impulse Gamer was given the chance to chat to Chanel about securing the lead role in the upcoming Lara Croft Tomb Raider XXX parody.

Hi Chanel, welcome back to Impulse Gamer! We just heard the exciting news today that you have been chosen to play Lara Croft in the new Tomb Raider movie.

How did you react to the news?

I was extremely excited. I had heard they were planning on shooting Tomb Raider a while back and was interested in playing heard but I had completely forgot about it until now.

Full interview can be found at;

www.impulsegamer.com/interviewchanelprestonislaracroft.html

Experience ultimate 3D entertainment on powerful 3D LED displays 

Sydney, Australia, December 9, 2011 – ViewSonic® Corp., a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today added 3D LED monitors to its ever-expanding line up of displays. With a range of flat panel monitors that include the recently released 53 Series with dual HDMI, LED Series, Graphics Series and Pro Series, ViewSonic has cemented its position at the forefront in display solutions by complementing the category with the new 3D Series LED displays – V3D231 and V3D245. Available in 23 and 24-inch, the ViewSonic 3D Series LED displays deliver supreme 3D cinema-quality images in full HD with enhanced depth and come with their own individual polarized or active shutter 3D glasses.

V3D245 – Soar into Real 3D World

Setting a new standard for 3D-ready monitors, the ViewSonic V3D245 is 24-inch LED display that features a high 120Hz frame rate and exclusive ClearMotiv® II imaging technology that produces superb lifelike effects and crystal clear pictures without blur. The V3D245 refreshes images at twice the speed of standard 60Hz displays and has an ultrafast 2ms liquid crystal response time for digital broadcast-quality and full-motion video. 

Supporting the latest HDMI 1.4 interface and stereo 3D technology, users can enjoy stunning stereoscopic visuals in full HD with 1080p resolution with the included NVIDIA 3D Vision glasses via the V3D245’s embedded 3D emitter. With 20,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio, the V3D245 detects screen content and adjusts backlight brightness, creating deeper black levels and effectively minimising external light interference – auto contrast adjustment also saves energy while presenting incredible images.

In addition, powerful integrated speakers with SRS® Premium Sound deliver amazing audio effects. Dual 2W stereo speakers provide a high-sensory audio experience, eliminating the need for external speakers and saving space. The V3D245 is more than just an LED display, offering an incredibly immersive audio visual entertainment system for listening to music, watching videos and playing games – deep in 3D. 

V3D231 – 23-inch Full HD 3D-Ready LED Display

With advanced 3D technology, the 23-inch V3D231 LED display offers an engaging 3D experience with just a pair of polarized glasses (two pairs included – standard and clip-on), without the need for an additional 3D image transmission device. Images come to life on the V3D231, so vivid and real, that even keen gamers can picture themselves in a scene alongside their favourite characters. As with its bigger brother, the V3D231 supports the latest HDMI 1.4 format and stereo 3D technology, has full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution and SRS® Premium Sound speakers, plus is equipped with ClearMotiv® II technology with 2ms response time and 20,000,000 : 1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio. 

The ViewSonic 3D Series projectors offer an immersive experience with surround sound and are a valuable addition to the perfect audio visual / home entertainment centre. Available now in Australia and New Zealand, RRPs inc GST: V3D231 – AU$499 / NZ$599, V3D245 – AU$799 / NZ$929. 

About ViewSonic

ViewSonic® Corporation is a leading global provider of technology products. ViewSonic develops, markets and supports a broad range of innovative products, including media and PC tablets, LCD monitors, PCs, projectors, digital signage displays, digital photo frames and other technology solutions. For more information, visit www.viewsonic.com.au.

Critically Acclaimed Batman: Arkham City Franchise Debuts Combat Game on the App Store with a New Title from Mortal Kombat Developer NetherRealm Studios 

SYDNEY, Australia– December 9, 2011 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced that the Batman: Arkham City Lockdown App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch is now available on the App Store.  Based on DC Comics’ core Batman license, the app brings the Batman: Arkham City™ franchise, one of the most highly acclaimed and best-selling videogame releases of 2011, to the App Store for the first time featuring stunning graphics and original combat gameplay created exclusively for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. 

Developed by NetherRealm Studios, creators of Mortal Kombat, Batman: Arkham City Lockdown features several of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals, including The Joker, Two-Face and Solomon Grundy, as well as iOS-exclusive character Deathstroke, and engages players in one-on-one combat as they seek justice in a variety of Arkham City environments.    

“We here at NetherRealm Studios are huge fans of Batman: Arkham City, and we were very excited to develop Batman: Arkham City Lockdown to extend the franchise experience to iPad, iPhone and iPod touch,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios.  “The app delivers a different take on Batman gameplay in which players must combat against some of the fan favorite villains in Arkham City.”

Batman: Arkham City Lockdown takes advantage of AirPlay, one of the newly released features in iOS 5, enabling players to wirelessly stream their gameplay experience on their iPad2 or iPhone 4S to their HDTV using Apple TV. 

The Batman: Arkham City Lockdown App is available for $6.49 from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore. 

Fans can also find us at https://www.facebook.com/batmanarkhamcity and http://twitter.com/#!/arkhamcitynews where they can view the latest Batman: Arkham City news and assets.

Trion to Host In-Game Fundraiser for Child’s Play Charity

A Donation to be Made for Every Rift™ Upgrade Purchased This Weekend 

Trion Worlds, the leading premium online game developer and publisher, will be making it easier this weekend for players of Rift™ to support those in need and to give back during this holiday season. Starting Friday, Dec. 9, Trion will hold a three-day in-game fundraising drive in support of the Child’s Play gaming charity. 

For every Rift digital upgrade sold at RIFTgame.com between Friday, Dec. 9, and Sunday, Dec. 11, Trion will donate one dollar to Child’s Play. Established in 2003, the organization brings video games, books, and toys to hospitalized children worldwide. For more information about Child’s Play, visit www.childsplaycharity.org.

For more information on how to purchase a Rift digital upgrade, go to RIFTgame.com.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces Scribble Speak, a new voice recognition feature for its top-ranked Scribblenauts Remix App further expanding the groundbreaking Scribblenauts franchise’s innovative gameplay.  Now available exclusively for iPhone 4S, the voice option lets players say the objects that they want to create and have appear in the game.  

 In Scribblenauts Remix, created by 5TH Cell and developed by Iron Galaxy, gamers write any word, modify it with adjectives and bring that object to life to solve puzzles. To use the Scribble Speak voice feature, players simply tap on the keyboard microphone icon to create objects through speech.  The text field populates with what the player said.  Players can let their imaginations run wild by solving challenges with objects they’ve created such as a “robotic, plaid llama” or a “gigantic, candy-coated triceratops.”

For consumers that have already purchased Scribblenauts Remix, the new feature is available for iPhone 4S with the latest update which also includes a new holiday themed playground with music and iPhone/iPod 180-degree rotation.

To watch a video showing the new feature please click here.

The Scribblenauts Remix App is available from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore. 

Follow Scribblenauts at:

• http://www.facebook.com/ScribblenautsVideoGame
• http://twitter.com/ScribbleMaxwell
• http://www.ScribblenautsRemix.com