Haunted House re-visited

Thirty years on from its original incarnation, Atari have updated the classic Haunted House game for a new generation. The iconic groundbreaking game returns with more chills, cool new unlockables and plenty of spooky new enemies and is promised to be available for Halloween 2010.

Haunted House pays homage to the classic favorite as players fight for their lives in Graves Mansion as the grandchildren of the original character that disappeared without a trace in the evil mansion over 30 years ago.

Chased by pesky poltergeists, haunted by scary skeletons and exhausted from battles with creepy creatures, players are in a goosebump-inducing fight to explore the dark and creepy depths of Graves Mansion in search of the four lost pieces of the magical urn.  The player’s goal is to reassemble the urn and defend their family’s legacy with the aid of mystical tomes, powerful light sources and multiple keys.

The pick up-and-play arcade-style adventure allows players to jump right in and begin battling for their family’s legacy and explore the dark and mysterious levels.

An eerie, 3D rich environment of towers, basements and catacombs draws players into the haunted world and cursed story. Find hidden treasures, solve puzzles, fight bosses, and navigate through the spooky mansion and multiple levels on the way to a showdown with Zachary Graves.

Haunted House will take control of Wii®, Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC Download this Autumn, with suspense filled challenges, new chilling environments and more frightful enemies than ever before.

For further information visit the Atari Haunted House website.

Hydro Hurricane Thunder screenshot

Microsoft Game Studios and developer Vector Unit will launch the Xbox Live Arcade sequel to the legendary Midway speedboat racing arcade game, Hydro Thunder Hurricane on July 28th as part of the Xbox Live’s Summer of Arcade promotion.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane is the first official sequel to the classic Midway hit Hydro Thunder, which splashed into arcades and consoles over 10 years ago.  Rather than simply recreate the original game with updated graphics, Vector Unit has delivered an all-new game engine for the sequel, with gorgeous HD visuals and amazing dynamic water physics.

Fans will recognize favorite speedboats from the original Hydro Thunder: Razorback, Damn the Torpedoes, Tidal Blade, Rad Hazard and others return with beautifully redesigned models, multiple unlockable skins, and articulated boost animations with massive rockets folding out from hidden compartments.   Race tracks are all original, but packed with the kinds of shortcuts and spectacular surprises the series is known for.

The indie developer’s motto is ‘Big games in small packages,’ and their first game as a studio delivers on that promise.  The downloadable game features 8 all new interactive race tracks, new Single Player game modes, Xbox LIVE Leaderboard challenges, as well as robust multiplayer support for 8 players online, local split screen races with up to 4 players and a combination of split screen and online play.

Ralf Knoesel, Vector Unit’s Technical Director and the programming visionary behind Hydro Thunder Hurricane’s cutting-edge interactive water, said the team is thrilled to be included as part of the Summer of Arcade.

“We know there were a lot of quality titles vying to be a part of Summer of Arcade, and it’s really a testament to the team’s hard work and creative energy that HTH made the cut. Our goal with Hurricane was to deliver tons of new content with the kind of polish and depth you expect to find in a full retail game. It takes hours to unlock everything in the single player mode, and once you’ve done that you still have multiplayer, which I think is where the game really shines.”

Creative Director Mat Small added;

“The feedback from Hydro Thunder fans has been overwhelmingly positive.  When you put a controller into the hands of a hard core fan, and he nods and grins the first time he goes off some 800 foot jump or nails a shortcut and says something like ‘Oh yeah, this is how I remember it’ – that tells me we pulled it off.
On top of everything else, Hydro Thunder Hurricane  is perfect for Summer of Arcade.   What’s the first thing people think about when it’s summertime?  Sun, fun, splashing around in the water, driving a speedboat at 200 mph, jumping off gigantic cliffs, and dodging dinosaurs.  Right?”

Mmm Possibly.

If thats what summer means to you then visit Vector Unit for more information.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane will be released on July 28, 2010, exclusively on Xbox LIVE Arcade.  The game will sell for 1200 Microsoft Points.

Blade Kitten screenshot

Major videogame producer Atari have announced the upcoming European launch of Blade Kitten, the game based on the  comic book series by creator Steve Stamatiadis.

Developed by Krome Studios, Blade Kitten brings the world of bounty hunter Kit Ballard to life and will launch this September on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation Network, and Windows PC Download.

Blade Kitten marks the latest creation by Mr. Stamatiadis, the force behind the multi-million selling TY the Tasmanian Tiger series. In Blade Kitten, a prequel to the comics set three years prior; players are invited into the world of Hollow Wish where they take on the role of Kit Ballard, one of the best bounty hunters in the business.

With her pink hair and tail, Kit is part cat, part girl – and fully lethal.  As one of the last of her species, Kit commands her unique ‘Darque Blade’ hovering sword to defeat enemies.  Also along for the ride is Skiffy, Kit’s laid-back sidekick who lends a hand in collecting items, solving puzzles, and when needed, serves as Kit’s protector.

Blade Kitten goes beyond most downloadable titles to deliver a strong narrative, with high-quality cinematics, and a colourful, frenetic visual style, that lends to the pick-up-and-play arcade action.  Players will jump right in and easily begin exploring and fighting their way through 19 levels, including three exploration levels with Noot (a rideable alien mount).  Blade Kitten also features innovative gameplay mechanics, intuitive ’scramble style’ exploration, fully voiced dialogue, dramatic narrative and a powerful distinct anime-inspired visual direction.

John Burns, Vice President and General Manager for Atari Europe, said;

“We are pleased to announce the upcoming launch of Blade Kitten for Xbox LIVE Arcade, Playstation®Network and PC Download. With its colourful anime inspired universe, simple pick up and play arcade action and intuitive scramble style exploration Blade Kitten is destined to become one of the hot digital releases of 2010.”

For further information visit the Blade Kitten website.

During this week Microsoft offers the game Football Genius – The Ultimate Quiz for 400 Microsoft points instead of 800.

Football Genius is an amusing mix of sporty quiz questions and challenging knock-out rounds. RTL Sports presents an entertaining multi-player family game about the most popular sport in the world. More than 3,500 different questions will test your expertise in everything related to the round leather. From general trivia to true insider knowledge, all kinds of topics from the wonderful world of soccer are covered in this quiz.

Football Genius – The Ultimate Quiz brings soccer fans together. Players can strive to become dribble king online, but there is also an offline mode that offers fun for the entire family. Supported by Xbox 360® Big Button Pad, your living room will be transformed into an arena with a true stadium ambiance. In several game variations, up to four soccer experts get to emulate their idols on the turf and score one goal after another. Timed play in kick-off mode or daring foul play… in much more than 90 minutes, soccer fans will experience nine different game modes with truly sensational features.

As well as experiencing the Superbike championship, players can also participate in the Supersport series, testing the improvements of the Portimao circuit.

You can try out your riding skills in different weather conditions as well as riding against 15 other riders in the new Online Multiplayer Mode and you can also play both in Arcade or Simulation mode.

As well as the regular Regular SBK®X edition, there is to be a Limited Special Edition which features a list of 17 riders from the history of Superbikes plus a DVD documentary showing highlights of an exclusive interview with the 2009 Superbike World Champion Ben Spies.

Both versions of the game will be available for purchase from the 4th June.

RingMaster novice MissBehave Monster Island

Ring Master
A slalom-style event, Ring Master challenges players to race through a series of rings and compete for best time.  Every track environment in HTH features three unique Ring Master layouts, which ramp up in difficulty from Novice to Pro to Expert.  Novice courses feature larger gates, and are designed to introduce players to the basic mechanics of each level.  Pro and Expert courses feature smaller rings, and the layouts are more challenging – they also introduce players to alternate routes and shortcuts in each level.

Guantlet cut-throat paris sewers

Gauntlet
Time trial with an explosive twist:  every course is peppered with exploding barrels.  The barrels are generally placed off the primary racing line, on the outsides of corners and such, to encourage players to use the fastest racing line possible.  However in spots they are also placed in the center of the track, requiring players to dodge between them or hop over them using the Boost Jump mechanic.

RingMaster novice vector lake powell

Leaderboard Opponents
Single Player Race, Ring Master, and Gauntlet events all support asynchronous racing with your Xbox LIVE Friends through a feature we call “Leaderboard Opponents”.  When you begin an event, we grab your next-best-Friend’s time and display split times at every checkpoint so you can compare your time to theirs as you’re racing.  If you’re the best of all your friends, we pull times from the global Leaderboards.

For more information and regular updates on the Hydro Thunder developments visit the Vector Unit website.

blacklight skull

Ignition Entertainment has revealed the first insight into the back story, setting and weapons of their upcoming multiplayer-focused first-person-shooter Blacklight: Tango Down, currently in development at Zombie Studios.

We are sure that there are many who would like to share this background information, so here it is:

Blacklight Tango Down is a fully featured Unreal Engine 3.0-powered game set to release this summer exclusively through Xbox LIVE® Arcade, PlayStation®Store, and through digital distribution channels on PC, making it one of the most advanced games ever released solely through downloadable channels.

WHAT IS BLACKLIGHT?
Blacklight: Tango Down is set in the near future and revolves around a special operations military group called “Blacklight.” Blacklight is the SECDEF’s (Secretary of Defense’s) personal direct action team comprised entirely of “Tier One Assets.”  These elite soldiers are extraordinary operators recruited from all branches of special operations, including Combat Applications Group (Delta), SF, DEVGRU (SEAL), RANGER, and CIA MSP.  All combatants are hand-selected and trained specifically to be equipped to deal with fast-moving, ambiguous and unstructured situations.  This is the player’s role in the game.

THE WORLD OF BLACKLIGHT: TANGO DOWN
Blacklight: Tango Down’s near-future setting is not that different from our own time and will appear hauntingly familiar to gamers but also distant enough to be surprising and unsettling.  It is a universe that has been overtaken by the exploding speed of technological progress and is left suffering from the unbridled failures that those advances create.
The technological overbuild has created a bleak environment which has transformed once vibrant and familiar cityscapes into dark and endless virtual billboards and danger zones.  An ongoing viral epidemic ravages society and the military’s drive to control and use the virus as a weapon has only created more devastating strains.  Civilians and governments struggle through ongoing unrest.  Order can only be imposed through force and fear.
The military’s attempts to weaponise the virus has lead to what some call “Q-Fever” or SIV (Sentient Insanity Virus) and the people it infects are known as SIVs.  The virus destroys a person’s humanity, transforming them into frightening creatures that are less capable of utilizing tools but are far more aggressive and impervious to pain.

SCIENCE FACT, NOT FICTION
Blacklight: Tango Down is set in a universe that is based in Science Fact, not Science Fiction.  The future combat technologies and weapons featured in the game are based on the bleeding-edge military developments and breakthroughs of today.  Whereas currently, in our real world, these items may exist only in the laboratory or in conceptual designs, in Blacklight: Tango Down, these advanced military tools are deployed mainstream and make up the military reality of the game.
This “science fact” equipment includes exciting new future weapons and support systems, like EMP grenades that disable opponents’ electronic visors, Digi-Grenades that distort the optics of enemies, reactive body armor and widely customizable weapons.  The most iconic piece of Blacklight technology is the “Hyper Reality Visor,” a head piece that uses its own electronic pulse and nearby electro-magnetic fields to render the world in a new way, allowing soldiers to see what is otherwise invisible.

hydro thunder hurricane

Games developer Vector Unit have announced plans to launch an Xbox LIVE Arcade-exclusive sequel to the legendary Midway speedboat racing arcade game, Hydro Thunder Hurricane will be released during the summer of 2010.

Featuring all-new, over-the-top themed environments, rocket-powered speedboats, gorgeous visuals, and amazing dynamic water physics, Hydro Thunder Hurricane is the adrenaline dripping sequel fans have been waiting for.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane includes 8 brand new “theme park” environments, each set in a different location around the globe.  Each world is packed with animated surprises, destructible objects, and special events that players trigger in-game.

New game modes include Ring Master, a series of slalom-style challenges with progressive difficulties; Gauntlet, an explosive new take on time trial; and a series of multi-event Championships. Fan favorite speedboats from the original Hydro Thunder also make a return like Razorback, Cutthroat, and the flying saucer shaped Rad Hazard with beautifully redesigned models, multiple unlockable skins, and articulated boost animations with massive rockets folding out from hidden compartments.  Each boat features unique handling characteristics.

Matt Small, Creative Director at Vector Unit says:

“We’re huge fans of the original Hydro Thunder.There’s so much there that already works — the exhilarating boost speeds, the crazy shortcuts, the gigantic jumps and drop-offs.  We knew we wanted to keep all of that — even add more of it.  At the same time, we had to bring something new to the table, something more than just recreating the original game with high-res graphics.”

Technical Director Ralf Knoesel adds;

“We decided to take the ideas that worked from the original, and then start over from scratch.  The water physics engine is completely new. Everything affects the racing surface — the boats leave wakes behind them that other boats can jump off or draft in, falling rocks and explosions create huge waves, we’ve got wave machines, whirlpools, the works.  The water is always changing, so you never get exactly the same race twice.”

Hydro Thunder Hurricane introduces support for 8-player online racing on Xbox LIVE..  The game also allows for local split screen multiplayer with up to 4 players — or any combination of local and online play.   In addition to races, players can team up in the new Rubber Ducky game mode.

Blacklight: Tango Down screenshot

Ignition Entertainment and Zombie Studios are developing Blacklight: Tango Down, a near-future first person shooter that will offer AAA-quality military shooter action in a downloadable package.  Blacklight: Tango Down will be available Summer 2010 through Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®Network for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and for personal computer.

Blacklight: Tango Down is a fast-paced first person shooter based in a new fictional universe called Blacklight.  Utilizing the cutting-edge graphical power of Unreal Engine 3, Blacklight: Tango Down’s near-future setting is brought to life with disturbingly detailed and old-world architecture dripping with modern sci-fi lighting and brightly lit advertisements, an effect that causes each environment to appear both futuristically alien as well as hauntingly familiar.

The new development will deliver some of the most exciting multiplayer gameplay available in the shooter category and features numerous gameplay styles and functionality.  These modes include traditional formats like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch & Control Point, with other modes being announced in the build up to launch.

Blacklight: Tango Down will set itself apart from other games by virtue of its incredibly deep customization features.  Players will be able to alter and upgrade not only their character through experience gained on the battlefield, but also their weapons.  Weapon customizations will unlock as the player gains skill and experience points and will include more basic add-ons like sniper scopes as well as more complex enhancements, such as improved accuracy.

Ajay Chadha of Ignition Entertainment says;

“We are excited to be working on a gripping new franchise that will deliver the intense action, thoughtful tactics and in-depth strategies of today’s best multiplayer shooters immersed in an all new universe that gamers will really sink their teeth into.”

Watch the trailer and keep up to date with the development on the Blacklight: Tango Down website.

Superbike World Championship Racing Game

The new edition of the Superbike World Championship racing game is due for release in May 2010 for Xbox360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

SBK®09 offers the ultimate experience of the championship with every feature of the game improved-on from the previous year.

There has been a complete track overhaul, new teams, a new 3D environment, new gameplay structure and new game modes, even the pits have been revamped to look as real as possible.

Each player can now fine-tune his chosen race bike by changing the settings just like a real race engineer, using data collected from the real teams.

In addition, for the first time in a motorcycle racing game, damage caused to the riders leather or bike will also show up in the game, giving that extra feel of reality to the player.

The game features five single player game modes; Quick Race, Training, Race Weekend, Championship and Challenges and three online multiplayer game modes; Quick Race, Championship and Team Championship.

There are many Superbike and Motor Racing download games already available and it is worth checking around while you eagerly await the release of Superbike World Championship 2010.