Ghostlight has announced To End All Wars, its upcoming first-person shooter set around World War I. Powered by Unreal Engine 3, the game will be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in Summer 2008. The game is being developed by Kuji through its newly appointed Chemistry studio.

The authenticity of the conflict has been put at the heart of the project. Period locations will be recreated in lavish detail, only weaponry of the time will be available and character design will reflect the uniforms and style of the era. Crucially the experience of the gritty combat in the trenches, the fear of charging across no man’s land, deadly secret excursions to enemy outposts in the dead of night and the heart stopping terror of pounding artillery guns will be central to the gaming experience.

Further information, including media, is expected to surface soon, most possibly at E3.

Razer is building a Guild Wars edition of its award-winning Razer DeathAdder gaming mouse. It will be available across Europe early Q4 2007

The gaming peripherals-maker is also an official partner for upcoming competitive play events hosted by NCsoft Europe.

505 Games has announced that it will publish Cookie & Cream, From Sofware’s DS exclusive puzzle game.

Continuing with its approach of releasing titles that make original use of the DS’s unique architecture, 505 Games presents this innovative puzzler, which tasks gamers with controlling both main characters at the same time. On the top screen, Cookie is controlled using the traditional directional pad and buttons, while Cream is controlled on the bottom touch screen via the stylus and microphone.

Players guide Cookie through the game, using Cream to help his partner by removing traps, enemies and a host of other obstacles they encounter in their quest to uncover who has stolen the moon. The secret to beating the game is in mastering both characters and knowing when to use each at the best time!

The game is set for release this September. It will make use of the handheld’s Wi-fi functionality to allow multiplayer battles for up to four players and cooperative two-player gameplay.

This post on Bethesda blog notes that Fallout 3 content has hit Xbox Live in the form oa pic pack (100 points) featuring variations of Vault Boy plus a Brotherhood of Steel image; a theme (150 points) points containing Craig Mullins’ concept art; and a teaser trailer in full 720p resolution.

DS owners can now flaunt their plug-in cameras to PSP owners. Pocket Gamer reports of Face Training, a game that videos you while encouraging you to do face exercises in the hope that it will make you look younger. The site notes that the camera will be purely game-related and not be built into the DS as a general tool.

The camera will use the DS Lite’s GBA slot for power and connectivity, and will come with a plastic stand so you can position your handheld while posing for it.

Face Training is due on August 2 in Japan. It has not been announced for US, Europe or any other region yet.

Indie studio Paleo Entertainment has announced that they are working on a game which will be powered by the new CryEngine 2 from Crytek. Dubbed Merchants of Brooklyn, the game will be set in the year 3100, as players follow the path of Brooklyn-born Dr. Matteo Savio, as he takes part in future mob life. No other details are available.

“Before licensing the CryENGINE 2 for our new project,” said Troy Latimer, President of Paleo Entertainment, “we looked carefully at all our options, and concluded no other engine could produce the kind of AAA quality game we were aiming to develop, nor were any other toolsets as advanced or user friendly as the ones delivered with the CryENGINE 2. The combination of the best rendering and physics engine of any middleware available, together with the powerful Sandbox 2 editing system, was what led us to decide to license this technology from Crytek rather than attempt to develop an engine ourselves, or license something from another 3rd party. With this agreement in place, we can immediately begin to move forward with prototyping our game, secure in the knowledge the engine will be able to handle everything we need, while the tools will give us the creative freedom to build the kind of next generation game no one has been able to make until now.”

The only other third-party company to have announced a project powered by the engine is Avatar Reality, who is working on a Mars-set MMOG.

LucasArts has announced Thrillville: Off the Rails, the sequel to its theme park simulator, for the PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, PC and DS this October.

Off the Rails lives up to its name with 20 death-defying rides so outrageous, they inspire the same word from every park visitor who sees them: “WHOA!” Players build these incredible “WHOA Coasters” to leap from one track to another, launch through the air like cannonballs, blast through burning rings of fire and more.

A new lighthearted story ties together more than 100 missions, complete with 34 playable multiplayer theme-park games and improved social interaction with park guests. The in-depth conversations both advance the plot and suggest better ways to manage the park. But is every guest to be trusted? One never knows when a rival from the nefarious Globo-Joy might attempt to sabotage Thrillville parks with deceptive information…

Those looking to get some thrill from Thrillville will be delighted to know that the original has achieved Greatest Hits status for the PS2 and PSP, as well as joined the new Platinum Family Hits line for the Xbox. It is now available for $19.99 at retail stores.

Creator of the critically acclaimed Kohan series and F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, TimeGate Studios, has announced Section 8, an upcoming cross-platform sci-fi shooter, that will be published by Gamecock Media Group in 2009.

“We are ecstatic to be working with a publisher as developer-friendly and supportive of original ideas as Gamecock,” said Adel Chaveleh, President and CEO of TimeGate. “Section 8 is our most ambitious project to date, and it’s really exciting to have the full support of our publisher to deliver the absolute best game possible.”

No information on Section 8 was revealed, including platform details. However, they did mention that they are also working on other properties as well as several new IPs.

Below are the first three screenshots from the title. More information is expected later this week at E3.

Hoping to make Airborne the best Medal of Honor title ever, EA announced that it has tapped award-winning composer Michael Giacchino to score the music for the upcoming game. Giacchino is the original composer and creator of the theme music for the Medal of Honor series; he is also known for his work on movies and TV shows such as Lost, Alias, Mission Impossible 3 and most recently Ratatouille.

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work on a game that tells such an epic, honest story. The Medal of Honor Airborne team is a very talented group of people and working with them on creating music to fit their innovative game was a true highlight for me,” said Giacchino. “Video games are another vehicle to tell a story, and music plays a vital role in that.”

Medal of Honor: Airborne is set for release on August 24 in Europe and August 28 in North America for the PC and Xbox 360; the PS3 version will be released this November.

Hit the jump for some pictures from the recording sessions.
(more…)

With E3 beginning in just a couple of days, NCSoft sent out its lineup for the show. The publisher will be showing off Tabula Rasa, Aion, Guild Wars: Eye of the North and Dungeon Runners

RICHARD GARRIOTT’S TABULA RASA
Tabula Rasa has been in closed beta testing since May and is set for launch this fall. Tabula Rasa is poised to evolve the massively multiplayer online genre with a host of fresh features such as a character cloning system, dynamic battlefields with contested control points, deep storylines with ethical parables and fully integrated voice chat. Tabula Rasa also offers players an original alien language named Logos that unlocks special powers, and fast paced combat that combines real time action with role-playing game style character development. These kinds of features are the types of touches that players have come to expect over the years from a Richard Garriott game.

AION
From NCsoft’s Seoul studios, Aion, is one of the most visually stunning MMOGs in development. Cutting-edge graphics redefine players’ expectations of online role-playing and reveal a true fantasy world where divine beings wage a war that will determine the future of the world. This highly anticipated title is set for release in 2008.

GUILD WARS: EYE OF THE NORTH
Guild Wars: Eye of the North is the first true expansion to the Guild Wars® franchise, one of the most popular online role-playing game franchises on the market today. Guild Wars: Eye of the North delves into the dungeons and caverns of the lands of Tyria that players first explored in the original Guild Wars game. Guild Wars: Eye of the North continues Guild Wars’ no subscription fee model and will provide new content accessible to players who own both the expansion and any one of the three previously released Guild Wars campaigns. Guild Wars: Eye of the North is set for release on August 31 at an anticipated price of $39.99.

DUNGEON RUNNERS
Dungeon Runners is a free to download and play online multiplayer role playing game set in a sword-and-shield world where players get piles of loot and treasure by defeating hordes of evil monsters enemies. It’s a different game model that fits right in to NCsoft’s diversified online game lineup. Dungeon Runners has recently opened up play to the general public and will have large chunks of new content implemented through the summer.

The company will be based at the Shertaon Delfina Hotel in Santa Monica. Additionally, Tabula Rasa will be on display at the E3 exhibit located inside Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica airport.

A demo for Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM is now available on the PlayStation Network. Developed by Namco Bandai and Koei, the game thrusts players into massive battles with hundreds of Mobile Suits battling for the fate of the galaxy.

The demo offers a sample of the gameplay of the most successful PS3 title in Japan. It is set for release in North America this Summer for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Through this post on the PlayStation Blog, Factor 5 revealed that Lair, its dragon-action game, will hit stores on August 14. Additionally, it was also revealed that Incognito’s multiplayer-only Warhawk will be released on August 28, exactly two weeks later.

Warhawk will also be released via the online PlayStation Store. The retail version will sell for $59.99 and will include a Bluetooth headset, which is said to be a $39 value. Pricing for the downloadable version was not disclosed.

Ubisoft has announced that Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII will launch with exclusive features and gameplay for the PS3 this Summer. A follow-up to the squadron-based flight combat game, Blazing Angels 2 will make use of the Sixaxis PS3 controller for its motion sensor function/tilt feature; feature all-new multiplayer racing; 18 missions and over 50 authentic planes with several exotic WWII settings; up to 15-player multiplayer; experimental weapons and more. Here’s a bit on the game:

In Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII, you are the leader of Operation Wildcard, an undercover and elite squad of pilots secretly created by the American government. Your mission is to sabotage and destroy the Third Reich’s evil plans to create a weapon of mass destruction. During this mission you and your team discover that the bad guys also have an elite team of their own. In an attempt to disarm the enemy, you engage in dramatic and movie-like spy missions in some of the world’s most exotic locations, using experimental weapons and flying never-before-seen prototype aircraft.

Below are the first screenshots from the project.

Remember Heavy Rain, the PS3 tech demo that Quantic Dream showed at E3 last year? The studio is now working with Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) to develop an exclusive PS3 title, more details of which will be announced soon.

Michael Denny, Vice President, SCE Worldwide Studios, said: “We’re really excited to be working with Quantic Dream for the first time and to have this opportunity to once again push the gaming experience to realise a new level of interactivity and, in particular, to engage players at an emotional level never experienced before. We’re looking forward to revealing more news on this special title later this year.”

The game is expected to set a new benchmark delivering “emotionally compelling experiences” to gamers. “We always believed that “next generation” meant more meaningful content based on players’ emotional involvement,” said David Cage, founder of Quantic Dream. “To us, PS3 is the only platform that can truly deliver on this promise, and SCE WWS is a group that is both inspiring and pleasant to work with.”

Quantic Dream, in over 10 years, has released only two games - Omikron and Fahrenheit (also known as Indigo Prophecy). Both titles were well-received.

Interestingly, the studio’s website is due for a relaunch on July 25. Possible project unveiling?

Paradox Interactive sent out word that it has acquired the intellectual property for Majesty, a fantasy kingdom simulation that has become one of the most renowned games to be released in the genre and sold over 500,000 copies worldwide.

The publisher plans on creating a portfolio under the Majesty brand to further strengthen the franchise.

“Majesty was a ground breaking game when it was released and a breath of fresh air in the RTS-genre”, said Theodore Bergqvist, Chairman and CEO of Paradox Interactive. “Our vision is to build upon the strengths of the brand and capitalize on those core elements that have kept fans rating Majesty as one of the best games ever released”.