Video Game News

Global Phenomenon MMORPG Title Receives Game-Changing Update that Enhances Graphics, Features and Performance

ANKAMA is pleased to announce today that DOFUS 2.0, a game-changing update to the popular tactical MMORPG, has been officially launched worldwide. DOFUS is one of the top five online games in the world with an amazing base of 25 million players, and is translated in seven different languages throughout the world.

Dofus 2.0 DOFUS 2.0 delivers a unique gaming and entertainment experience for newcomers. Filled with eye-popping manga-inspired visuals and performance upgrades, the launch of 2.0 revolutionizes the DOFUS experience. The graphic engine, server and client code have been completely rewritten to offer a wealth of detail and an unparalleled gaming experience.

“DOFUS 2.0 marks a very significant time for us as it is truly the most important update the game has ever seen, allowing us to deliver a whole new experience for players,” said Cedric Gerard, International Marketing Manager at ANKAMA. “It brings a wealth of enhancements to a vibrant world that millions of players have made a remarkable online community over the past four years, so we’re incredibly pleased and look forward to DOFUS 2.0s reception amongst gamers.”

DOFUS stands apart in the crowded MMORPG field as half video game and half interactive cartoon, delivering an engaging concept in online gaming unlike anything on the market. Its beautiful manga-inspired graphics, robust tactical and turn-based gameplay and one-of-a-kind offbeat humor helps to further set it apart from other MMORPGs. Players can choose sides in an epic war and battle to conquer new territories, as well as choose from 12 unique character classes and participate in robust community-driven crafting systems, economies, guilds and alliances.

Set in a magical fantasy world, Amakna, where adventurers set off to recover the six missing Dofus’ – magical Dragon’s eggs – with hidden, mysterious powers that captivate any who behold them. Along the way players will experience a beautiful online world and meet others – friends and foes – who will help enhance and affect their gameplay status.

DOFUS 2.0 is set to engage new players via the all-new additions, as well as the critically-acclaimed, turn-based combat, compelling story, whimsical humor and community-driven economies and adventure. The game features a free to play section, along with a varied subscription model which allows gamers the flexibility to play as they like.

Developed and published by ANKAMA, DOFUS 2.0 is available now at www.dofus.com.

At launch, DOFUS 2.0 will only support new characters. To celebrate the launch milestone, ANKAMA is offering a special incentive by offering double XP and double drop rate from December 2 through December 16, 2009. Character migration from DOFUS to DOFUS 2.0 will be implemented shortly. ANKAMA will make future announcements on DOFUS 2.0 development updates.

New York, NY, November 18, 2009 – Spike TV today announced the nominees and categories for the biggest world-wide event ever to celebrate the video game industry, the 2009 “Video Game Awards.” The seventh annual “VGAs” will be a global event, broadcasting in over 180 territories and countries and gathering megastars from the worlds of video games, Hollywood, music, sports and more to honor the outstanding achievements within the video game industry during the past year. The two-hour event, taking place in Los Angeles, CA, will premiere LIVE on Spike TV Saturday, December 12 at 8:00pm, ET/PT (tape delay west coast). Beginning today, fans can vote for their favorite nominees at VGA.Spike.Com.

The 2009 “Video Game Awards” will reveal blockbuster global premieres of never-before-seen titles and break international news with announcements of new games from the industry’s leading publishers. Game companies contributing exclusive new content to the VGAs include 2K, Activision, Disney Interactive Studios, Electronic Arts, LucasArts Entertainment, Microsoft Game Studios, THQ, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, with more to be announced in the coming weeks..

VGA 2009 This year VGA viewers will get a sneak peek at Halo: Reach with the debut of an exclusive, world premiere video from the opening of the game. Halo: Reach is an all-new prequel to the massively popular Halo trilogy from developer Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios which launches in the fall of 2010 exclusively on the Xbox 360.

“The global appetite and response from the fans internationally has been astounding,” said Casey Patterson, executive producer and senior vice president, Event Productions Spike TV. “Video games, like movies and music, are a universal language and Spike is thrilled that we will now be showing gamers all over the world a glimpse into their future with more than 12 mind-blowing world premieres.”

For additional information about other “VGA” world exclusives and announcements, fans can log onto VGA.Spike.com as well as get updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Spike_TV.

Leading the way with eight nominations this year, including nods for Game of the Year and Studio of the Year, is Naughty Dog’s cinematic adventure Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Batman: Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady Studios’ dark and gritty Batman game, racked up seven nods, including Game of the Year as well as Best Voice for Mark Hamill’s portrayal of The Joker. Infinity Ward’s military shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Valve’s zombie thriller Left 4 Dead 2 each landed six nominations.

Nominees for Spike TV’s 2009 “Video Game Awards” were determined by the VGA Advisory Council, made up of a group of the most well-respected experts in the industry of leading game media outlets such as GameTrailers.com, Game Informer, USA Today, Wired, Penny Arcade, GameSpot and IGN. Games released between December 2, 2008 and November 23, 2009 were eligible for nomination.

Following are several of the nominees and categories for Spike TV’s 2009 “Video Game Awards.” For a full list, please go to VGA.Spike.Com.

GAME OF THE YEAR

o Assassin’s Creed 2 (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)
o Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
o Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
o Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
o UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)

STUDIO OF THE YEAR

o Infinity Ward
o Naughty Dog
o Rocksteady Studios
o Valve

BEST MUSIC GAME

o DJ Hero (Activision Publishing / FreeStyleGames)
o Guitar Hero 5 (Activision Publishing / Neversoft Entertainment)
o LEGO Rock Band (MTV Games – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Traveler’s Tales Games – Harmonix)
o The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games / Harmonix)

The official sponsors of Spike TV’s 2009 “Video Game Awards” are Burger King, Mountain Dew, Verizon Wireless, GameStop, Energizer and U.S. Army.
Albie Hecht, Oscar®-nominated producer and Casey Patterson, senior vice president, event production & talent development for Spike TV will serve as executive producers of Spike TV’s 2009 “Video Game Awards.” Beth McCarthy will direct. Greg Sills is supervising producer.

Record of Agarest War receives a simultaneous release on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system AND?Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Spring 2010!

Torrance, CA (Friday 13th, 2009) – Aksys Games, a publisher of interactive entertainment products, announces its first epic SRPG, with Record of Agarest War for the Xbox 360 to coincide with the previously announced PlayStation Network version. In this game developed by Compiled Heart, RED Entertainment, and Idea Factory, SRPG fanatics will finally be able to play a game worthy of the genre. Sporting over one hundred hours of gameplay, Record of Agarest War invites players into a gorgeous, expansive world of hope and despair. Players will wage war against the evil forces of darkness, take a bride—actually, several brides—and extend their lineage across five generations!

Record of Agarest War “In truth, we had Record of Agarest War ready to go up on the PlayStation Network months ago,” [Ed.'s note: That’s a lie.] says Ben Bateman, Editor, Aksys Games, “But when a haggard man emerged from a ball of crackling energy that materialized outside our office with dire warnings from a dark future, we decided to reconsider. As it turns out, a PlayStation Network-exclusive release of Agarest was—or rather, would have been—the catalyst for World War III. The gaming community was torn apart—literally—by this apparent favoritism, and from that schism poured the infinite minions of Satan himself, the Lord of Lies. The man told us, his eyes blank with the 1000-yard stare, of the horrors of this future war. He had been sent back in time, the last hope of a desperate human resistance, to prevent what the people of this desolate future Earth called, simply, ‘The Breaking.’ As the last spark of life passed from his body, broken and battered by his journey through the time vortex, we swore to honor his final wish.”

“This is why Record of Agarest War has been delayed,” Ben continues, his eyes wet with tears, “So that we may release it on both consoles, and in doing so, save the world.”
Record of Agarest War Prologue

War darkened the skies of Agarest. Not a simple war between mortals, easily ended by divine intervention, but a war that split the gods themselves. Armies such as the world had never seen before, and would never see again, clashed in the skies of Agarest, across its surface, and even in the caverns that wound their way through its interior.

As is the way in war, many died on both sides, gods and mortals alike, and the war left Agarest broken, blackened, and dead. The gods wept for their paradise, and in a final act of creation, sacrificed themselves to bring life back to its charred and twisted surface.

Although the gods are long dead, the withering darkness that began and fueled their war is not. Imprisoned for millennia, its bonds have begun to weaken, and as they do, a shadow once again spreads across the surface of the world.

Born into this world perched unknowingly on the brink of the apocalypse, a young man by the name of Leonhardt and his descendants are the last, best hope for Agarest. Their journey will span generations and continents as they strive to once again bring peace to their beleaguered world, even as the cost of their own souls.

Record of Agarest War Key Features:

* Soul Breeding!

Tired of just living through one lifetime in typical RPG titles? Then witness the Soul Breed system! Choose a bride at the end of your adventure and give birth to the hero of the next generation!

* Collaborative Attacks!

Position your forces on the battlefield and wait for the right moment to string together massive combo attacks using multiple party members—both in melee and at range!

* Affection Rating

Curious how one of Agarest’s lovely ladies feels about you? Look no further than the Affection Gauge, which gives you a quick and easy visual representation of her opinions! Is she smiling? You must be doing something right! Frowning? Uh oh… If only real relationships were this easy!

* Newly Engorged with Content!

* Exclusive Trophy and Achievement Support!

The North American version of Record of Agarest War is the only version in the universe, and all the other places too, to have trophies and achievements!

Record of Agarest War has not yet been rated by the ESRB. More information about Aksys Games and Record of Agarest War can be found at www.aksysgames.com.

Friday 13th November/…Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, announced today the highly anticipated street date for FINAL FANTASY® XIII. This latest project in the multi-platinum FINAL FANTASY series promises to be intensely compelling and will be available for both the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft on 9th March 2010.

Final Fantasy XIII FINAL FANTASY XIII marks the dawning of a new era for the celebrated series, bringing the series to multiple hi-definition consoles simultaneously for the first time in its history. Expanding upon the rich tradition of the series, producer Yoshinori Kitase (FINAL FANTASY VII, X, X-2), director Motomu Toriyama (FINAL FANTASY VII, X, X-2), character designer Tetsuya Nomura (FINAL FANTASY V, VI, VII, VIII, X) and art director Isamu Kamikokuryo (FINAL FANASY X, XII) combine their creative vision to deliver the latest masterpiece in the FINAL FANTASY universe. Additionally, Masashi Hamauzu (FINAL FANTASY X, DIRGE of CERBERUS -FINAL FANTASY VII-) presents a sweeping soundtrack while movie director Takeshi Nozue (FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN) and his team of artists adorn the game with seamless cinematic sequences of unparalleled calibre.

“FINAL FANTASY XIII promises to be a huge event in the 2010 gaming calendar,” said Phil Rogers, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Europe. “This is truly a landmark title, arriving simultaneously for multiple platforms for the first time in the history of the series. We are also immensely proud to be able to bring the game to the European and PAL audience much earlier than was publically anticipated.”
Multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Leona Lewis has come on board with Square Enix to provide the theme song for FINAL FANTASY XIII. The song is entitled “My Hands,” and is featured on her highly-anticipated second album ECHO (J Records/Syco Music) set for release on November 16th. Leona Lewis took the music world by storm with her 2008 6x platinum debut album Spirit which features her chart topping, biggest selling single of 2008 “Bleeding Love,” and mega-hit “Better In Time.”

“When Square Enix approached Leona about including her song, “My Hands,” in FINAL FANTASY XIII, she was honoured to be partnered with such an iconic and groundbreaking video game series,” said Tom Corson, EVP/GM, RCA Music Group. “Leona is a natural fit with the game’s powerful themes and strong female protagonist. We’re delighted to be part of this effort, bringing great musical artistry to FINAL FANTASY XIII which is a riveting and dynamic gaming experience.”

Introducing new worlds, memorable characters and extraordinary stories with each new instalment, the FINAL FANTASY series has continued to reinvent itself over the last two decades and has shipped over 85 million copies worldwide. The series is defined by a constant evolution, offering nothing less than the finest creative vision, graphical quality and gameplay system of its generation with every instalment, and FINAL FANTASY XIII will be no exception to its legacy.

For more information about FINAL FANTASY XIII and to watch the release date announcement video, please visit the Official Website at www.finalfantasy13game.com