Quazal, makers of the award-winning Net-Z, Rendez-Vous and Spark! online multiplayer middleware today announced that they have been accepted into Nintendo®’s 3rd Party Tools Program for the Wii™ console, and are now shipping their in-game online technology, Net-Z, to authorized Wii developers.

With an established and award-winning product refined over the last ten years, Net-Z for Wii allows developers to rapidly enable online play for their titles using either an object-based network implementation in peer-to-peer or client-server topologies, or the SyncSim implementation for deterministic networked simulations.

“We’ve had a lot of interest in the notion of online gaming for the Wii from a number of developers and publishers over the last year,” said Martin Lavoie, CTO at Quazal. “It’s great to now be able to offer our technology and expertise to the Wii development community as a whole, and we hope that this will promote more online development for the platform.”

“We’re really pleased to join the 3rd Party Tools Program for the Wii, and think that gamers will be excited about the first slate of games using our technology on the platform,” stated Mike Drummelsmith, Developer Relations Manager of Quazal.

Quazal’s Net-Z technology is available for immediate evaluation and licensing to all approved Wii developers. To learn more about Quazal’s technology and service offerings, please visit www.quazal.com, or contact [email protected]. ...

Xbox Live’s “Weekend of Wrath” Kicks Off Friday

The Dark Messiah has dedicated this weekend to the most powerful and feared leader in the universe: himself! This weekend EA is celebrating the evil genius that is Kane, with a number of activities for both PC and Xbox 360 owners of Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath. And while the official festivities will kick off this weekend, PC owners can get some practice in today as the long-awaited patch for Kane’s Wrath has also being released.

Patch 1.01 Arrives! Get Ready for “BattleCast Weekend,” Ladder Season 2
The first patch for Kane’s Wrath on the PC has been deployed! Patch 1.01 is focused mostly on enhancing multiplayer, providing balance fixes to all nine of the game’s factions, while also addressing technical issues some players have been having online.

To help celebrate the release of the patch, EA will be starting two major promotions this weekend:

• BattleCast Weekend – Starting this Friday, July 11th at 12:01 AM PT and ending at midnight on Sunday, July 13th, players who go online to play in ranked 1v1 ladder matches and BattleCast it will qualify for a host of awards, from Kane’s Wrath goodies to a copy of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 when it ships later this year.

• Ladder Season 2 – The ladder season is back and bigger than ever with over 27 countries participating, a $6,000US grand prize and many other prizes for participants. The three month season starts this Friday, July 11th at 1 PM PT and ends October 11th at 1 PM PT.

For more details, including rules and regulations, please visit www.commandandconquer.com.

Celebrate the ‘Weekend of Wrath’ on Xbox Live
Are you ready to welcome Kane into your living room? This weekend, the Brotherhood of Nod’s Kane is extending his wrath from the Tiberium universe to your Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft as the “Weekend of Wrath” kicks off on the Xbox LIVE entertainment network. Featuring tournaments, prize packages and matches with the Kane’s Wrath development team and Kane himself, Command & Conquer and RTS fans are not going to want to miss this action-packed weekend!

The Xbox Live “Weekend of Wrath” will include:

• Play & Win Sweepstakes – All weekend, players who register for the Weekend of Wrath and play will be eligible for a number of prize packages given away every hour. Prize packages range from Kane’s Wrath gear all the way up to the Grand Prize which includes an Xbox 360 Elite

• Game with Developers – Sign onto Xbox Live Friday night from 7 PM – 10 PM ET and show off your multiplayer skills against members of the EALA development team, including:
• KWDevJim: Jim Vessella, Lead Producer
• KWDevAlan: Alan Newton, Tester
• KWDevJason: Jason Savopolos, Tester
• KWDevJeremy: Jeremy Feasel, Designer
• KWDevKeith: Keith Schaefer, Producer
• KWDevWes: Wes Eckhart, Development Director
• KWDevNick: Nick Clifford, Lead Tester
• KWDevGreg: Greg Kasavin, Producer
• KWDevMario: Mario Grimani, Development Director

• Game with Kane! – On Saturday from 3 PM – 5 PM ET, the legendary Joe Kucan, star of Kane’s Wrath and C&C icon will be online taking on all who dare challenge the Messiah – look for the gamertag KWFWFJoeKucan and enter at your own risk

Registration to participate in the Weekend of Wrath has opened and will end at 11:59pm (ET) on July 13, 2008. Terms, conditions, and official rules and eligibility requirements can be found at http://www.xbox.com/livewrath.

Fans of C&C can also visit the Xbox LIVE Marketplace to download a whole host of Kane’s Wrath content including a whole host of delightfully evil themes and gamer pics.

*Online play requires Xbox LIVE Gold subscription and broadband Internet service. ...

Deep Silver, Inc, a publisher of interactive entertainment for PC and consoles today announced the company's lineup for the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit to be held July 13 - 16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. In addition to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky for PC, Deep Silver will showcase three titles for the Nintendo DSTM system: Secret Files: Tunguska, Gravity, and Pet Vet: Down Under. All games will be shown by appointment at the Deep Silver booth #401 in the Showcase Pavilion.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is a survival FPS game for PC based on a 'what-if' scenario of the second Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. The game is created as a warning to mankind against mindless play with technologies. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is the official prequel to the renowned S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game by the Ukraine-based GSC Game World studio. The game is set in 2011and brings forth the events to have preceded the third campaign of Strelok to the Zone center. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky introduces an alternative look onto the events of the original game and offers the player to try himself out as a mercenary s.t.a.l.k.e.r. in search of his own path in the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The game is expected to be available worldwide on August 29, 2008.

In the classic adventure game Secret Files: Tunguska, players unravel one of the greatest mysteries of our time. In 1908 in the Tunguska region of Siberia, a massive explosion of unknown origin triggered a flaming inferno, leaving death and destruction in its wake, but almost 100 years later this mysterious catastrophe is barely remembered. Even Nina Kalenkow knows nothing of it-until her scientist father suddenly vanishes without a trace. Accompany Nina and her boyfriend Max on a fascinating voyage of adventure around the world. Follow the kidnappers' trail through ancient secret passageways in Irish castle ruins, through the flickering heat of Cuba, and aboard the legendary Trans-Siberian Railroad.

Gravity is a fiendishly fun puzzle game that will appeal to the young, the old, and everyone in between. Players must master the correct placement of objects in order to solve each puzzle and advance to the next level. There is more than one way of completing a given puzzle, often with surprising results. With over 100 levels packed full of mind boggling and challenging puzzles, plus 10 sandbox levels and an editor for creating custom levels, the game contains hours of fun and endless replayability. High quality, hand-painted backgrounds and an atmospheric soundtrack enhance the experience.
Both Secret Files: Tunguska and Gravity will also be available for the WiiTM system.

Nurture and care for some of Australia's most adorable animals in Pet Vet: Down Under. Using the Nintendo DS stylus, players can examine, feed, assist, and play with six amazing animals, including koalas, kangaroos, and platypus. Players will be amazed by the variety of reactions as they administer treatments, and correctly diagnosing the animals' ailments will earn money which the player can then use to expand and upgrade the animal hospital. The game contains extensive information about Australia and its wildlife, which players can read in order to treat the animals and successfully grow their veterinarian business. ...

Running With Scissors (RWS) has announced Randy Jones of the original '70's musical group sensation The Village People as the first in a series of celebrities who will be appearing in the third major installment of its long-running POSTAL series, POSTAL III.

American Music Award winner and multi-platinum recording artist Randy Jones has been a pop cultural icon since the 70s, when his band The Village People racked up such musical mega-hits as “Macho Man”, “YMCA” and “In the Navy”. Randy is currently celebrating his 30th year in show business with a new CD and international concert tour "TICKET TO THE WORLD".www.randyjonesworld.com

Appearing for the first time in a video game, the macho man Randy Jones will be cast as the leader of a gay biker gang. . As Running With Scissors ringleader Vince Desi put it: “What more can I say than Y M C A. Who needs John Travolta when we’ve got the original Macho Man, Randy Jones!”

Starting this weekend Randy will be staring in the Broadway hit musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” written by the award-winning team of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice www.fairfieldacc.com.at

RWS will be announcing other celebrity signings for key character roles in POSTAL III. The brands premier on console will release in 2009 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC/Mac.

For more information on Postal games and gear, as well as updates on the development of POSTAL III visit our new expanded site www.gopostal.com and be sure to visit PostalNation.net for in-depth coverage of the RWS scene. ...

Running With Scissors (RWS) has announced Randy Jones of the original '70's musical group sensation The Village People as the first in a series of celebrities who will be appearing in the third major installment of its long-running POSTAL series, POSTAL III.

American Music Award winner and multi-platinum recording artist Randy Jones has been a pop cultural icon since the 70s, when his band The Village People racked up such musical mega-hits as “Macho Man”, “YMCA” and “In the Navy”. Randy is currently celebrating his 30th year in show business with a new CD and international concert tour "TICKET TO THE WORLD".www.randyjonesworld.com

Appearing for the first time in a video game, the macho man Randy Jones will be cast as the leader of a gay biker gang. . As Running With Scissors ringleader Vince Desi put it: “What more can I say than Y M C A. Who needs John Travolta when we’ve got the original Macho Man, Randy Jones!”

Starting this weekend Randy will be staring in the Broadway hit musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” written by the award-winning team of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice www.fairfieldacc.com.at

RWS will be announcing other celebrity signings for key character roles in POSTAL III. The brands premier on console will release in 2009 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC/Mac.

For more information on Postal games and gear, as well as updates on the development of POSTAL III visit our new expanded site www.gopostal.com and be sure to visit PostalNation.net for in-depth coverage of the RWS scene. ...

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced a partnership with Double Fusion to deliver dynamic in-game advertising on PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™). Double Fusion will leverage its expertise, technology and sales force, working with publishers and advertisers to create effective marketing programs for brands targeting PS3’s coveted gamer demographic.

“PS3 is open for the ad business," said Phil Rosenberg, Senior Vice President, SCEA. "We are very excited about hosting contextually relevant and well-crafted creative advertising on PS3. PlayStation is taking a major role in enabling this fast-developing sector that is positive for the games medium."

PS3 provides advertisers with a direct avenue to reach the highly targeted, sought after gaming demographic, and has sold more than 13M units worldwide. DFC Intelligence forecasts that sales for the current generation of game systems including portable devices will pass the 180 million mark by 2011, reiterating the potential for the in-game advertising market. The worldwide in-game advertising industry is expected to grow 1,150 percent to $971.3 million between 2006 and 2011 according to the Yankee Group.

“We have already received tremendous support from publishers who want to incorporate ads into their PS3 games, across all of the regions of the world,” Jonathan Epstein, president and CEO, Double Fusion, said. “We are very excited to work with SCE on this and PS3 will add a vast number of players to our already robust network. SCE’s participation strengthens the in-game advertising ecosystem ...

Powerhouse Games, a Copenhagen, Denmark based multi-platform games developer, announces iPhone and iPod games ready for the launch of Apple’s App Store.

Peter Præst, CEO of Powerhouse Games, states:

"These are exciting times for our company and the mobile applications industry. The iPhone has brought innovation, energy and disruption to the mobile market, and has become an icon in popular culture around the world changing the way people use online content and stay connected on the go."

"Now Apple opens up the device for application developers and what excites us in particular are the gaming and advertisement opportunities."

"We have worked directly and closely with Apple during spring 2008 in order to leverage our games and technology to the iPhone and iPod Touch platforms and are proud to have our titles prominently part the worldwide iTunes App Store launch."

"Powerhouse Games has invested heavily in developing and publishing for the iPhone and iPod for our own in-house titles and together with our partners. We can manage the entire process from development to iTunes App Store publishing making brand launching a breeze for our partners."

"Go try Bubble Bay on your iPhone or iPod Touch today and be convinced by the opportunities provided by Powerhouse Games and the App Store experience!"

The Games

Among the initial titles developed for iPhone and iPod by Powerhouse Games are:

- Bubble Bay (App Store launch title);
- Squirgle;
- Mash-a-Mass;
- Rainbow Ruffle;
- Whac-a-MoleTM.

More material on the games can be found on the Powerhouse Games website. ...

Leading gaming peripherals manufacturer, Nyko Technologies®, today provided a sneak peek at its new lineup of products to be on display during next week’s E3 Media & Business Summit, taking place July 15th through July 17th. The new product debuts fulfill a line of gaming peripherals recently shipped to market and soon to be released, spanning Nintendo’s Wii™ home console, the Xbox 360™, and PlayStation®3.

“It’s exciting to be participating in the annual E3 Media & Business Summit and using the event as a launch pad for several new console peripherals”, said Chris Arbogast, Director of Marketing at Nyko Technologies. “The event has proven successful for us in the past, and we look forward to showcasing our upcoming products of continued quality and innovation.”
The following new products will be on display at the Nyko exhibition booth in Room 505B of the West Hall:

Media Hub for PS3 – August 2008
The all-new Media Hub from Nyko attaches to any available USB port on the PS3 and enables the connection of three additional USB devices including flash drives, PSP, MP3 players and additional controllers. Its form-fitting design matches the contour of the PS3 for a clean look. Expected to ship this August, the Media Hub requires no tools or internal modifications, draws its power directly from the PS3, and easily installs in just seconds.

Intercooler TS for Xbox 360 – September 2008
The successful Intercooler series gets an update! Easy snap-on installation and an AC power supply provides a more convenient and powerful solution than USB. New temperature control technology and additional assets will be revealed during E3.

Intercooler TS for PlayStation 3 – September 2008
Another innovation for this powerful system, the Intercooler TS for the PlayStation 3 also features easy snap-on installation, an AC power supply, and new temperature control technology which will be announced during E3. In addition, four powerful fans reduce ambient air temperature to help keep your system cool and running at peak performance.
In addition, Nyko products released in the first half of 2008 will be on display, including the Charge Base 360, Kama Wireless Controller for Wii, Cord-Free Wireless Adapter for Wii, Energy Pak for Wii Balance Board™ and FrontMan Guitars for Wii and PS3, among many others. ...

Data Design Interactive - a successful video games publisher and games developer, today unveiled NuYu editor lets you put yourself in the game by creating customisable characters that fit your personality. You can then use those characters in compatible NuYu games and even save them to your Wii Remote to take to a friend’s house.

About NuYu

A NuYu (pronounced New-You) is a customisable player character editor exclusive for our Popcorn Arcade Wii range. NuYu’s are customisable and allow the user to capture a likeness, caricature or personality of themselves and others. After creating them, they can be used as participating characters in NuYu compatible games.

The NuYu Editor will be first featured in our soon to be released Kidz Sports – Crazy Mini Golf.

NuYu’s are created through the NuYu Editor. After specifying a gender for the NuYu, the user can alter the shape of the NuYu’s head, its eyes, hair, eyebrows, nose, and mouth. In addition, the creator can give the NuYu glasses or facial hair as he/she desires, or give the face wrinkles, makeup or rosey cheeks, you can also add glasses and other accessories.

Many of the features can be fine-tuned by adjusting their size, position, and rotation to the center of the NuYu’s face. Furthermore using the on-screen keyboard, the creator can name the NuYu. NuYu’s have no impact on the actual gameplay, other than to identify a player visually in another way besides name. NuYu’s are intended to be an extension of the player, and in keeping with the Popcorn Arcade spirit of ‘Family Family Fun’, the user will be able to use their NuYu’s in future Data Design titles for the Wii. ...