Harmonix Brings Paul McCartney Live Tracks to Rock Band

Press release:
Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that a three pack of songs from Paul McCartney’s latest live album will soon be added to the Rock Band Music Store and LEGO® Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Wii™.

Paul McCartney joins the more than 390 bands currently available through the Rock Band platform. With more than 1,000 songs available, Rock Band is, without question, the industry leader in providing the best selection of interactive musical content, songs and artists.

Paul McCartney’s historic three-night musical christening of New York’s Citi Field, witnessed by 120,000-plus attendees and universally hailed as a concert experience for the ages, was immortalized Nov. 17, when Hear Music/Concord Music Group released Good Evening New York City. This momentous musical experience is available in two formats: a three-disc (two CDs and one DVD) standard edition and a four-disc (two CDs and two DVDs) deluxe version, featuring expanded packaging and a bonus DVD including McCartney’s traffic-stopping, headline-making July 15 performance on the Ed Sullivan Theater marquee.

And beginning Jan. 5, Rock Band and McCartney fans will be able to download “New York City Pack 01” in the Rock Band Music Store. McCartney’s solo debut on the Rock Band platform includes “Band on the Run (live),” “Jet (live)” and “Sing the Changes (live).” These tracks will be available Jan. 5 for the Xbox 360 and Wii and Jan. 7 for PlayStation3.

Price: $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track

$5.49, £2.49 UK, €3.99 EU (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for “New York City Pack 01”

$2.00 USD (200 Wii Points™) per track

Divinity II – Ego Draconis “Quest for Glory” Contest Announced

Press release:
Your Quest for Glory awaits! cdv Entertainment USA is pleased to announce its Divinity II – Ego Draconis“Quest for Glory” contest, challenging you to be the first to unlock every in-game Achievement* in Divinity II – Ego Draconis by February 1, 2010 and be immortalized in the annals of Divine history when presented with the Dragon Knight Epic Trophy!! A bevy of gamers will win a boatload of loot, including a truly epic Divinity II – Ego Draconis prize pack. The first place prize package, which includes:

· Awarded the Dragon Knight Epic Trophy
· The Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft Divinity II – Ego Draconis customized system
· Divinity II – Ego Draconis Controller Skin Set
· Divinity II – Ego Draconis Decal Set
· Divinity II – Ego Draconis Game Card Set
· Divinity II – Ego Draconis In-Game Items Pack (weapon /armor)
· Gaming lounge which include a large screen TV, gaming chair, and controllers

The Dragon Knight Epic Trophy, given out only to the first place winner, is a high quality 3D rendition of a dragon’s head mounted on to a plaque. The figurine will be produced using the same 3D models inDivinity II – Ego Draconis and rendered and machine cut for accuracy.

To be entered into the sweepstakes, contestants must earn all the in-game achievements by February 1, 2010. Please visit www.honorofrivellon.com for more details, along with a complete list of all the prizes up for grabs!

The sequel to the critically acclaimed action-RPGDivine Divinity, Divinity II – Ego Draconis transports players back to the wide-open, war-torn world of Rivellon where they will battle the forces of evil not just as a human warrior, but also as a powerful Dragon Knight! Developed by Larian Studios, Divinity II boasts a robust fantasy adventure of more than 60 hours, teeming with massive dungeons and outdoor spaces to explore. It offers deep on-the-ground and aerial combat, and a mystery to unravel that could reveal hidden truths and revive forgotten evils, altering the face of Rivellon forever! Divinity II – Ego Draconis will arrive in North American retail outlets on January 5, 2010, and will be available for Xbox 360 and Windows PC.

Game Power 7 Celebrates Arabic Rappelz First Anniversary

Press release:
Game Power 7, a Middle Eastern publisher of online games, announced that it is celebrating the one year anniversary of its popular Arabic MMORPG, Arabic Rappelz on December 22, 2009.

In celebration of Arabic Rappelz’s one year anniversary, Game Power 7 announced they are planning to launch an exceptional events for Arabic Rappelz players. The events will take place over two weeks: December 22nd  – January 5th. Players will enjoy great gifts and frequent increase of experience rate.

“We are very proud to reach this important milestone for Arabic Rappelz,” said Fadi Mujahid, General Manager of Game Power 7. “As the first MMORPG in the region, Arabic Rappelz has been very successful in introducing this game genre to the region players.”

Game Power 7 is expected to launch several new online games during the year 2010.

Players who want to start playing Arabic Rappelz can find out more about the game and the one year anniversary events and the upcoming new events on Arabic Rappelz website at http://rappelz.gamepower7.com

Dragon Age: Origins ‘Return to Ostagar’ Coming in January

Press release:
Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), announced today that the Return to Ostagar downloadable content (DLC) for Dragon Age™: Origins will be released on January 5 in North America and Europe for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC versions of the game at a cost of 400 BioWare Points or Microsoft Points. The DLC will be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system later in January. Return to Ostagar allows players to exact their revenge and embark on a quest for the mighty arms and armor of the once great King Cailan when they revisit Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens’ darkest hour, to reclaim the honor and learn the secrets of Ferelden’s fallen king.

“We are thrilled at the way the fans have embraced Dragon Age: Origins and we’re excited to welcome them back into the game,” said Aaryn Flynn, General Manager and Vice President, BioWare Edmonton. “Return to Ostagar represents BioWare’s commitment to providing a steady stream of compelling post release content as we continue to expand the Dragon Age universe.”

Return to Ostagar summons players to a new quest in which they will return to the fateful battleground in Ostagar where the Grey Wardens were nearly wiped out. Players will discover King Cailan’s top-secret political agenda and go behind enemy lines to revisit a place that many feared had been lost to history.

Return to Ostagar will be available for 400 BioWare Points on the PC and 400 Microsoft Points on the Xbox 360 on January 5. It will be available for $4.99 on the PlayStation® Store later in the month. Dragon Age: Origins is rated M by the ESRB and 18+ by PEGI.

Borderlands – ‘Mad Moxxi’ Opening Cinematic

2K Games publishes the opening cinematic of Borderlands’ second DLC outing, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot.

Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot presents fans with new gameplay features that expand upon the popular Borderlands video game in dangerous and exciting ways. The all-new Riot Mode challenges players to test their weaponry against hordes of menacing antagonists, thirsting for carnage in tournaments where the rules of warfare are constantly changing. Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot also offers several new game features, including the ability to earn two more skill points making player’s characters an even deadlier lethal weapon, and an all-new bank feature that provides extra storage capacity for weapons of devastation.

“Our fans loved Borderlands because it was addictive gameplay at its best with over the top action that satisfied their appetites for destruction,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot expands upon the original Borderlands universe by taking the co-operative mayhem that gamers loved about the original game and amplifying it.”

Complete with extensive co-op integration seamlessly blending the single-player and multiplayer experiences, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot allows players to freely join or leave each other’s games at any time for collaborative mayhem or the freedom to enjoy the game in full single-player mode. It also includes the groundbreaking weapon generation system that offers more than 16 million weapons from which to choose.

Mad Moxxi Underdome Riot is already available on Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 MS Points. It will be available on the PSN on January 7, 2010 and early 2010 for the PC.

Divinity II – Official Lands of Rivellon Trailer

Mass Effect 2 Cinematic Trailer

Dragon Age: Origins Review

Dragon Age: Origins could not have been released at a better time. With Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 to be released “when ready” (that’s Blizzard spiel for we’ll take as much time as we like. We know you’ll buy the game anyway.), we’re left hankering for a good RPG game. Thankfully, Bioware’s new fantasy game, which has been helmed as the spiritual successor to the popular Baldur’s Gate, is here and we dare say – it’s glorious.

Based in the city of Ferelden, DA:O follows a very Lord of the Rings-esque storyline in the sense that the undead blight army is out to take over Ferelden and you need to round up support from the Elves, the Drarves and the Humans to fight them.

You start the game by choosing your character from a variety of Elf, Human and Dwarf options. Your character can then specialize as a warrior, mage or rogue. Warriors fend off foes with brute strength or fighting skills, mages rely on magic for their attacks and rogues can be archers or close combat fighters who use daggers to deal critical attacks.

Depending on your selection, you start off the game differently with a unique perspective based on your character. Regardless of which character and specialization you choose, you’ll end up moving towards a central storyline.

As you progress through the story, you’ll find many allies and you’ll be able to control a team of up to four members (one of which will always be your primary character). Remember that the game is very story-driven, so your choice of words will often define who becomes an ally or a foe. You also need to work on talking with your allies and keeping them happy. Else, they’ll turn on you and even if you manage to kill them, you’ll lose the ability to control them. The characters really make this game what it is – each of them has a personality and a set view of the world. You have to earn their respect or even love, by playing your cards right.

You can’t control all four characters at once, but can switch among them as you please. If your controlled character dies, you’ll automatically switch over to the next character. A huge advantage to having allies in your team is that you can experience the game as a mage, warrior or rogue as you switch which team member you control.

However, this also means an increase in the number of characters you have to micromanage. You’re tasked with managing everything from inventory (weapons, armor, potions, etc) to skills and attributes. While it can seem cumbersome at times, it really is the micromanagement bit that adds flavour to the game. The right armor with frost resistance for example might be able to help you cull a foe that relies heavy on ice spells. Stocking up on health poultices and lyrium for mana will give you an edge in battle.

Battles can get intense at times particularly when you’re faced with a strong mage or against a swarm of rogues and you’ll have to figure out the right combination of weapons and special abilities to keep you from being killed.

The game also packs in many hours of gameplay. Expect to play about 70-80 hours before finishing the game. The fact that you have so many characters to choose from and the fact that your choices in the dialogue tree affect the outcome of the game, means that you can play the game over a few times and try things a different way.

Claudia Black (of Farscape/Stargate fame) plays the voice of sultry Morrigan

The graphics in the game are above average and it has some great voice acting. The voice acting gives a breath of fresh air to the characters and you’ll find them talking with one another making for some witty (and sometimes annoying) banter. Claudia Black (of Farscape/Stargate fame) does a great job as the sultry voice of Morrigan.

While there’s much to love about the game, there are a few things that annoyed us. The game also has a lot of blood, some of which is just unnecessary. Even if you kill a relatively easy opponent, your face and body will be drenched with blood and it stays around for a while before it disappears. Also, for a game named Dragon Age, there just aren’t enough dragons in the game. There are a few but we’ll leave it to you to discover them.

Overall, this is easily the best RPG game we have played all year. We love the characters, the storyline and the sheer length of gameplay. Buy this game now!

MEGamers: Best Games of 2009

It’s been a brilliant year for gaming and we’re paying respects to the top titles that made it so, by awarding them our Best of 2009 honors.

The Best of 2009 has been decided by our team of games journalists as well as readers who were invited to send us their recommendations. Click on the categories below to see the winners.

Best Driving Game
Best Platformer
Best Rhythm/Music Game
Best Shooter
Best Strategy Game
Best Action Adventure
Best Puzzle Game
Best Fighting Game
Best Role Playing Game
Best Sports Game
Best Indie Game
Best Online Multiplayer Game

Best Graphics
Best Gameplay
Best Sound
Best Story
Best Value

Best Xbox 360 Game
Best PS3 Game:
Best PC Game
Best Wii Game
Best PSP Game
Best DS Game

Game of the Year

Divinity II: Ego Draconis Demo Available on XBL, PC

A demo for Atari’s soon-to-be-releasing action-RPG, Divinity II: Ego Draconis, is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace and on the PC.

Content: Divinity II Demo
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Japan
Dash Text: Summon the dark power in you to free Rivellon from its demonic reign. Only by facing your inner evil, can you defeat the cruel dragon beings. Fulfil your destiny and transform into one of the most dangerous and powerful creatures that ever existed: the Dragon Knight. Be merciless, fight relentlessly and achieve your divine purpose: the salvation of Rivellon.

PC users can download the demo from here or here.

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