GAMESTICK HITS THE SHELVES IN UK GAME STORES IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS

This time its for real.

Never one to duck a challenge, the folks over at PlayJam were at last celebrating the launch of GameStick in the UK today - audaciously close to the launch of the latest offerings from behemoths Sony & Microsoft also shipped.

GameStick is an ultra portable games console built to bring the best Android games to TV. Priced at just £79.99 and with the cost of games averaging £1.99, GameStick is targeted towards Christmas shoppers looking for a more affordable gaming device aimed squarely at the whole family.

Originally billed for launch earlier in the year, roll out via retail was delayed much to the disappointment of fans while feedback from it´s 5,500 Kickstarter backers, 3rd party testers and the media was used to iron out a small number of initial teething issues.

“It´s been a close run thing but we are delighted to have GameStick on the shelves in time for Christmas. Being honest, we could have had less daunting rivals vying for shelf space”, confides Jasper Smith, CEO, PlayJam, “but we do have the added advantage of being in stock and aimed at a very different audience to your typical core gamer so we welcome the challenge!”

GameStick is PlayJam´s latest initiative to bring affordable gaming to the big screen. Working with thousands of independent developers as well as established publishers such as Ubisoft, PlayJam is targeting casual to mid-core gamers with high quality games at a price point that mobile gamers will be very familiar with, via affordable hardware.

GameStick and accessories are now available exclusively in over 300 GAME stores nationwide as well as onwww.game.co.uk.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

GameStick

From:  PlayJam

KONAMI ANNOUNCES PRE-ORDERS FOR METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE ON PC

Fans Can Pre-Order Full Game Via Steam at a Discounted Price

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced the availability of pre-orders for METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE, releasing for Windows PC on January 9, 2014.

Beginning today at 10 a.m. PST, players can pre-order the game on Steam at a special discount of 33% off for the first 24 hours, and 20% off thereafter leading up to the day of launch.

Developed by Kojima Productions and PlatinumGames, METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE takes the renowned METAL GEAR franchise into exciting new territory with an all-new action experience. The game seamlessly melds pure action and epic story-telling that surrounds Raiden, a child soldier transformed into a half-human, half-cyborg ninja who uses his High Frequency katana blade to cut through any thing that stands in his vengeful path.

A huge success on both Xbox 360® and PlayStation®3, METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE comes to PC with all the famed moves and action running, within a beautifully-realised HD environment. The new PC version includes all three DLC missions: Blade Wolf, Jetstream, and VR Missions, in addition to all customized body upgrades for Raiden, including: White Armor, Inferno Armor, Commando Armor, Raiden's MGS4 body, and the ever-popular Cyborg Ninja.

METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE is rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB and is currently available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The PC version will be available on January 9, 2014 for $29.99/£19.99/19.99 Euro.

To pre-order the PC version of the game, please visit: http://store.steampowered.com/app/235460/

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Formats:  PS3, X360, PC Out:  21/02/2012 (PS3)   22/02/2012 (X360)   09/01/2014 (PC) Publisher:  Konami Konami Developer:  PlatinumGames

Xbox Entertainment Studios to Debut Documentary Series Exclusively on Xbox in 2014

First Documentary Explores the Fabled Atari Mystery

Xbox Entertainment Studios today announced an original documentary series to debut exclusively on Xbox in 2014.  Xbox will produce the series with two-time Academy Award® winning producer Simon Chinn (Searching for Sugar Man and Man on Wire) and Emmy winning producer Jonathan Chinn (FX’s 30 Days and PBS’s American High)  through their new multi-platform media company, Lightbox. 

“Our collaboration with Xbox offers an unparalleled opportunity to make a unique series of films around the extraordinary events and characters that have given rise to the digital age,” said Simon Chinn.   “Our goal is to produce a series of compelling and entertaining docs which will deploy all the narrative techniques of Simon's and my previous work. It's particularly exciting to  be partnering with filmmakers like Zak Penn who come to this process from other filmmaking disciplines and who will bring their own distinctive creative vision to this,” added Jonathan Chinn.

“Jonathan and Simon Chinn are the perfect team to spearhead this series for Xbox.  They are consummate story tellers and they plan to match their creative sensibility with the best talent in the industry” commented Nancy Tellem, president, Xbox Entertainment Studios. “These stories will expose how the digital revolution created a global democracy of information, entertainment and commerce, and how it impacts our lives every day.”

The first film in the groundbreaking series investigates the events surrounding the great video game burial of 1983.  The Atari Corporation, faced with overwhelmingly negative response to “ET the Video Game,” buried millions of unsold game cartridges in the middle of the night, in the small town of Alamogordo, New Mexico. 

Fuel Entertainment, an innovator in cross-platform content development, secured the exclusive rights to excavate the Atari landfill and approached Xbox. Lightbox will document the dig planned for early next year. 

Filmmaker and avid gamer Zak Penn (X-Men 2, Avengers, Incident at Loch Ness) will direct. This episode will not only document the excavation, but place the urban legend of the burial in the context of the precipitous rise and fall of Atari itself. 

“When Simon and Jonathan Chinn approached me about this story, I knew it would be something important and fascinating,” said Penn.  “I wasn’t expecting to be handed the opportunity to uncover one of the most controversial mysteries of gaming lore.”

Shooting begins in January.  The series will air exclusively on Xbox One and Xbox 360 in 2014 and will be available globally in all markets where Xbox Live is supported.

MX vs. ATV Series To Be Resurrected By Nordic Games

Beloved off-road racing series given new life as key team members reform ahead of 2014 release

2014 promises to be a very happy New Year for fans of extreme racing, as Nordic Games has unveiled its plans to revive the best-selling MX vs. ATV series.

Nordic Games secured the rights to the MX vs. ATV series as part of its agreement to acquire a range of THQ’s intellectual property earlier this year. Now the firm can reveal it has assembled a team of former MX vs. ATV staff along with other, high-profile developers to properly resurrect the franchise. This dedicated team will be taking it to even greater heights while retaining the ingredients that made MX vs. ATV so successful. It's no coincidence the team is based in Phoenix Arizona where it all began in the mid-90s. Perhaps one can be forgiven for borrowing from the well-worn cliché: the Phoenix has truly risen from the (digital) ashes.

Led by Ken George and comprising of numerous MX vs. ATV staff along with game development veterans including Dave Dwire, Mike Mamula, Brad Bowling, Scott Hofmann, Justin Walsh, David Knudsen, and Chris Gilbert, the new team’s first title will be MX vs. ATV Supercross due for release in the first half of 2014 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac and Linux. As the title suggests, MX vs. ATV Supercross is centered around the popular Supercross sport and has the scope of a downloadable game.

The team is also maintaining the existing MX vs. ATV Alive and MX vs. ATV Reflex code and bringing back as many features as possible including multiplayer on consoles, Motoclub Depot, and more to be announced soon.

"We're absolutely thrilled to be working with Nordic Games because they appreciate the team's passion and dedication to bring the feel of real motocross racing to MX vs. ATV fans.  Not just the adrenaline rush, but the whole experience from top to bottom.", says Ken George, Executive Producer of MX vs. ATV Supercross. "A lot of the original team members have been aching to continue their passion: building the most authentic off-road racing games possible. The hiatus is over, and the team is back to work on MX vs. ATV with great new things to come."

“We’re all devoted fans of the MX vs. ATV games,” adds Reinhard Pollice, Business & Product Development Director at Nordic Games, “so being able to play a part in continuing this brilliant series is a dream come true. We’re absolutely committed to ensuring Ken and his team receive the best support and the freedom to create the games they love making – and we’re confident that the series will continue to grow from strength to strength. Supercross is just the start of our MX vs. ATV plans. 2014 and beyond will prove to be a hell of a ride.”

Further details on MX vs. ATV Supercross will be announced in due time.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

MX vs. ATV Supercross

Formats:  Mac, PC, PS3, X360 Out:  1st half 2014 Publisher:  Nordic Games

Ubisoft^®’s Holiday Gift to Players: 50% Off Assassin’s Creed IV^®: Black Flag^TM

Plus Other Big Discounts 

WHAT:  Ubisoft is treating players to a holiday surprise by slashing prices on Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. For the next 48 hours, players can take advantage of a 50% discount on the Sony PS3^® version of the game.

And that’s not the only gift Ubisoft is putting under the virtual tree: from December 19th through January 5^th, Ubisoft is offering discounts of up to 75% on several digital PC titles via the Uplay^® shop, including all editions of Far Cry^® 3 and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell^®Blacklist^TM. Top titles from other publishers, like Fallout 3 and Batman Arkham City: Game Of The Year edition, will also be significantly discounted.  Finally, Uplay will be offering a new deal on a different game every day until Jan 5^th.

WHO: These offers are available to PlayStation^® Network members and Uplay members in participating countries.  

WHY: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is one of the top-ranked games this holiday season, and Ubisoft wants to make sure as many people as possible have a chance to experience the brash and brutal life of a true pirate.

WHEN: The 50% discount on the Sony PS3^® version of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will be available for 48 hours on PSN, from December 19^th to 21^st. Uplay discounts are available now until January 5^th.

WHERE: Find these offers and more on the PlayStation^® Network and at http://shop.ubi.com

For the latest news on Ubisoft collectible merchandise, please visit and like the pagewww.facebook.com/ubicollectibles.

Get ready for a full season of amazing content with the Call of Duty®: Ghosts Season Pass. With the Season Pass you’ll get 4 epic downloadable content packs: ONSLAUGHT, DEVASTATION, INVASION, AND NEMESIS – providing brand new multiplayer maps, bonus weapons and a completely unique 4-part episodic Extinction experience. 

Also included with the Season Pass is the Team Leader Digital Pack, which comes complete with a unique MP character head, weapon camo, reticle, player patch, player card and player background.

Plus, when you purchase the Season Pass, you get instant access to bonus in-game content including the downloadable multiplayer map, FREE FALL, and the Team Leader Digital Pack, which are available to download and play now.

Upgrading to a next-gen console? Purchase the Season Pass before 31^st May, 2014 and the content follows you FREE within a console family, so you can play now and upgrade later.

Get more info about the Season Pass here: http://www.callofduty.com/ghosts/features/seasonpass

Keep up with the latest news about Call of Duty: Ghosts by following us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/CODGhosts) and Twitter (@CallofDuty and @InfinityWard).

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Call of Duty: Ghosts

Formats:  PC, PS3, PS4, X360, WiiU, XO Out:  5/11/2013 (PC PS3 PS4 X360)   TBA (WiiU XO) Publisher:  Activision Developer:  Infinity Ward

From the award winning developer Press Play and Microsoft Studios comes “Max: The Curse of Brotherhood” – launching tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 20) on Xbox One. 

In this cinematic adventure filled with action-packed puzzles and creative puzzle-solving, Max must confront evil at every turn in a hostile and fantastical world to save his kid brother, Felix. Armed only with a Magic Marker, Max sets out on a perilous journey across deserts, eerie lantern-lit bogs, ancient temples and lush green forests to get his younger sibling back. Along the way, Max gains the powers to manipulate his environment and overcome seemingly impossible obstacles.

“Max: The Curse of Brotherhood” for Xbox One will be available for £11.99.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood

Formats:  XO, X360 Out:  TBA (XO)   2013 (online) (X360) Publisher:  TBA Developer:  Press Play

Welcome to Dealsford!

Population Unknown

Twinned with Columbia, Green Hill, Arkham, Flotsam and many more… 

Green Man Gaming warmly welcomes visitors to its winter village. 

The decorations have been hung with care, and the larders are stocked with cracking deals! Green Man Gaming, the world’s fastest growing online retailer for video games, is set to warmly welcome visitors to its winter village Dealsford.

With over 2000 deals to discover, each house in the village represents a publisher with treats and surprises within; fill your boots in the house of Ubisoft, enjoy virtual eggnog in the house of EA, sing songs in the house of SEGA, and seek out special sales hidden throughout the village.

Before you leave, don’t forget to head over to the Green Man Arms; Dealsford’s community pub nestled in the heart of the village where spicy mulled deals on physical products* can be washed down with a range of fine indie titles.
  
“We’ve had the pleasure of working with a huge range of publishers throughout 2013, all of whom have been eager to support the Green Man Gaming and Playfire community” said Martin Baxter, EVP Trading. “We’ve got so many great deals to share with gamers this winter, we’ve had to build an entirely new village to accommodate them all!”
 
Regular Dealsfordians will also enjoy flurries of flash sales, daily promotions, and cool giveaways.
  
Green Man Gaming’s winter village will run from Thursday 19th December 2013 16:00 GMT - Monday 6th January 2014 16:00 GMT.

The official @greenmangaming hashtag is #GMGdealsford.

We hope you enjoy your stay!

MIGHT & MAGIC® X – LEGACY RELEASES ON JANUARY 23^RD

Today, Ubisoft announced that Might & Magic® X - Legacy will be released on January 23^rd for PC in both digital and retail editions. After a very successful Open Development phase that started this August, with Early Access to Act 1 for all players pre-purchasing the Deluxe Edition, the game will be fully available through both retail and digital channels.

The development team at Limbic Entertainment would like to thank the very active Might & Magic®community for its help to make Might & Magic® X – Legacy the best game possible. The Open Development phase allowed the development team to share its passion for the Might & Magic®franchise by gathering feedback from fans, which in turn has influenced the game’s features and final quality. Might & Magic® X – Legacy is developed by Limbic Entertainment, an independent game development studio based in Germany and has been a third party developer for Ubisoft for almost four years.

Might & Magic® X - Legacy is an authentic solo experience in the classic first-person RPG genre, with a turn-based gameplay system. By creating and leading a group of adventurers in and around the exciting city of Karthal, by battling powerful mythical creatures while collecting ancient magical treasures, players will determine the fate of the Agyn Peninsula.

For more information on the Open Development of Might & Magic® X – Legacy please visit:https://mightandmagicx-legacy.ubi.com/opendev/blog

For the latest news on Ubisoft collectible merchandise, please visit and like the pagewww.facebook.com/ubicollectibles.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Might & Magic X Legacy

From:  Ubisoft

 Batman: Arkham Origins – The making of Copperhead video

Today Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment unveiled a new video for Batman: Arkham Origins – a special behind-the-scenes look at the introduction of Copperhead in the game. One of the assassins out to collect the bounty on Batman’s head, Copperhead is agile, venomous, and ultimately one of the biggest threats to the Dark Knight. This video shows off the elaborate motion capture process that brings Copperhead to life in Batman: Arkham Origins and includes commentary from the game’s Cinematic Director and Stunt Coordinator.

Developed by WB Games Montréal, Batman: Arkham Origins is based on DC Comics’ core Batman license and introduces an original prequel storyline set several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City.  Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals, the game features an expanded Gotham City and showcases a young and unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, players will meet many important characters for the first time and forge key relationships.

Batman: Arkham Origins is available now for the PS3™, Xbox 360®, the Wii U™ system, and Windows PC.  Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate™, the companion handheld game developed by Armature Studio, is available for PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system and the Nintendo 3DS™ handheld system.  

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Batman: Arkham Origins

Formats:  PC, PS3, PSV, X360, WiiU, iOS, An Out:  25/10/2013 (PC) 25 October 2013 (PS3) 25/10/2013 (PSV) 25 October 2013 (X360) 08/11/2013 (WiiU) 25/10/2013 (online) (iOS) Christmas 2013 (online) (An) Publisher:  Warner Bros.