The PC demo for LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures has been released here, weighing in at 464 megabytes. The game chronicles the events of the first three movies in the typical LEGO game fashion, with whimsical hijinks and fun.
Author - Jerry Paxton
Assault Heroes 2 will be launched on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday for a price of 800 Microsoft Points. The sequel to the highly-acclaimed original expands on the action by introducing new weapons, environments, and even on-foot warfare.
You can find the game’s official site here.
Official Release:
‘Assault Heroes 2,’ sequel to the award-winning action extravaganza, ‘Assault Heroes,’ ramps up the excitement on Xbox LIVE® Arcade this Wednesday, 14th May at 09.00.
‘Assault Heroes 2’ reveals that the original enemy in ‘Assault Heroes’ is merely a pawn of a more sinister force, which players must now seek out and destroy. Armed with stronger weaponry and the ability to hi-jack more powerful enemy units, players must prepare to face relentless enemies and outrageous bosses in climactic battles, including an all-out skirmish in outer space.
In the sequel, players can experience the full fury of war outside of the safety of their vehicle with even more intense on-foot gameplay, where increased firepower and the new “dodge roll” feature are necessary to survive. Players can choose to fight alone or battle with a friend using the enhanced two-player cooperative mode. Either way, players will travel through diverse and interactive environments on land and in space to overcome the newest enemy and save mankind.
EA has announced Skate It for the Nintendo Wii and DS platforms. Coming out sometime this year, Skate It will utilize the DS’ stylus pad to execute stunts while it will use the Wii Balance Board on that particular platform.
Official Release:
Electronic Arts Inc. today announced Skate It, a new game in the award-winning Skate franchise that taps into the heart and soul of being on a skateboard. Designed exclusively for the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems, Skate It has Nintendo players riding with the skate pros, owning the best spots in San Vanelona and pulling off the sickest tricks using the popular FlickIt controls. Loaded with all-new gameplay features, 
Skate It breaks new ground by introducing innovative support for the Wii Balance board which gives players a fresh way to create their own signature skateboarding style.
Skate It unleashes the FlickIt revolution on to the Nintendo platforms, letting gamers use the Wii remote or the Nintendo DS stylus to string together their best tricks for the ultimate skate line. The Wii remote becomes a skateboard and reacts to gestures that mirror actual skate flips and moves. Players can also deepen this experience by planting their feet on the Wii Balance board. Skate It brings the hit Skate franchise to a new level of creative ingenuity and gameplay excellence.
Here is the debut gameplay footage from the upcoming Gears of War 2, from EPIC Games and Microsoft Games Studio…
EPIC Games has announced that the first-look video for Gears of War 2 featuring gameplay and more will be available for download via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace starting this Saturday, May 10th, at 7am. So set your alarms for dawn, there are grubs to kill!
Official Release:
Players eager for a look at the highly anticipated Xbox 360™ exclusive “Gears of War® 2” can soon experience the heart-pounding action when the video becomes available for download on Xbox LIVE Video Store on Saturday 10th May at 7am.
With a personal introduction by Epic Games Design Director Cliff Bleszinski, the trailer captures the essence of the bigger, better and more badass gameplay in “Gears of War 2.” Featuring the first in-game look at chainsaw duels, large scale fire fights with Locust Horde and stunning new visuals, the action-packed video is sure to please fans around the world.
Turbine has launched a second mini-game inspired by the upcoming Mines of Moria expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. The mini-game is called Swig and Toss, and is a combination axe-toss and drinking game. The Mines of Moria is due out in the Fall.
You can find the game and official Mines of Moria site here.
Official Release:
Turbine, Inc. and Codemasters Online today announced the launch of Swig and Toss, the second mini-game on www.unlocktheminesofmoria.com. Registered participants can challenge themselves and their friends to earn special deeds that unlock unique rewards including exclusive videos, images, and in-game items that will aid them on their journey when The Lord of the Rings Online™: Mines of Moria launches this fall.
Swig and Toss is an axe throwing competition with a bit of drinking and wagering to make things more interesting! In this 10-round game, players try to keep a steady aim while attempting to hit a target with their axe. Hit the mark and win! Miss and hear the Dwarves around you scoff at your lack of skill.
Between rounds, players can take a few swigs from their mug to help quench their thirst. This will help boost their confidence and loosen their pocket strings, increasing the amount they can wager.
JustFlight has released some packshots for its upcoming FSX add-on, RAF Vulcan, featuring the title aircraft. The add-on features an incredibly detailed Vulcan model complete with animations. The virtual and 2d cockpits are detailed to the level we have come to expect from JustFlight and the flight dynamics were engineered at tested by an actual Vulcan pilot.
There is no concrete release date for the add-on yet, but you can find the official product page here.
Product Description:
The Avro Vulcan’s beautiful lines and distinctive shape make it an icon of cold-war aviation. The Vulcan first flew in 1952, entered RAF service in 1957 and the final Vulcan flight was back in 1993. Thankfully, the last of these milestones has changed – Vulcan XH558 is airborne again thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund grant and the tireless work of its dedicated fans.
Soon to be updated for FSX compatibility, RAF Vulcan includes a faithful model from acclaimed developers PSS of XH558 as it appears currently, an additional eight all-new liveries from some of the aircraft involved in the Falklands conflict of 1982, and some of the preserved aircraft in the UK.
RAF Vulcan contains a total of eighteen examples in different Squadron liveries and with different model variations, including the 2K air-to-air refuelling tanker variant and those carrying the Blue Steel British nuclear cruise missile, the Shrike anti-radar missile as used in the Falklands, and the ‘project cancelled’ Skybolt missiles.
Fifplay.com has opened up the UEFA EURO 2008 community website where gamers can give positive and negative feedback about the game. UEFA EURO 2008 was released in Europe last month and has a scheduled North American release of May 20th.
Official Release:
FIFPlay.com has openned a new feedbacks/comments page at its website to let EA Sports football videogames fans writing their reviews, feedbacks or comments on UEFA EURO 2008 online.
Everyone can write his/her thoughts and ideas about the recently released EURO 2008 game at this page. Submitted feedbacks and comments will be sent to EA developers from FIFPlay.
FIFPlay’s UEFA EURO 2008 Feedback page is accessible under URL: http://www.fifplay.com/euro2008_feedbacks.
A new feature in the upcoming NASCAR 09 was announced today called the ‘Paint Booth’. This allows players to create ‘endless possibilities’ in their vehicle skins. Players will even be able to download templates from the game website to use as a base for their own design in the game. NASCAR 09 is set for a June 10th release.
Official Release:
NASCAR 09 puts more of you in the game than ever before! Utilizing the all-new Paint Booth feature, NASCAR fans can now take in-game personalization to the next level by giving users the ability to completely customize their car from start to finish. In addition, for the first time in franchise history, a car customization template is available online which creates endless possibilities for personalization. Players will be able to see their friends custom designed car skins when racing against them online.
The online connectivity of Paint Booth allows players to download a car template from easports.com and import it into editing programs, such as Photoshop, giving users a multitude of design options. They can then upload those images into the game and show off their dream machine on the track.
In the last couple of years, devices such as the ‘Slingbox’ have become increasingly popular for recording video as well as transmitting it to people on the go. Basically, the idea is to intercept some audio-visual signal, be it from a TV, Xbox, etc and allow a personal computer, which has specific software installed on it, to log in to the device and receive that intercepted a/v stream.
Monsoon Multimedia’s HAVA line of a/v ‘place-shifters’, as they call them, have made quite a splash in this market. By offering units which not only allow multiple connections but also some that have wireless broadcast capability, Monsoon has given every other contender a run for their collective money.
We were fortunate to take a look at their HAVA Platinum HD place-shifter, which is known as the second-tier place-shifter, allowing component cable connections in addition to the composite connection option found on the basic HAVA Gold. The HAVA Platinum HD is made of a hard plastic case which is a dark gray color. This unit is much more plain, style-wise than when compared to their HAVA Gold edition. On the back of the Platinum HD you will find two different areas. The first area is for the inputs and the second area is for all the outputs. Also on the back of the unit, you will find the Ethernet port as well as infrared blaster (more on that later) port.
To install the HAVA, you simply connect it in between the source of the signal and the television (and technically, a TV isn’t even necessary). In our tests, we were more interested in the gaming possibilities of the device, so our plan was to connect it to the Xbox 360. We had a slight issue in that because the Xbox component cables are male and the cables on the HAVA are male, we needed an RGB connector. This is a very cost-effective solution of about $7 dollars from Amazon. After obtaining that, the install was simple. The finishing touch was plugging our Ethernet cable into the HAVA and installing the software on the computers we were going to use to connect to the device.
The software is functional, yet sparse, with the basics needed to watch the video stream, control the virtual remote control, and record the stream. This virtual remote is used to control the ‘infrared blaster’. No, it is not some diabolical death ray, but instead is a unit that connects to the HAVA and hangs over the cable box, tv, etc you are connected to and allows control over it similar to a universal remote from your client computer.
You can have up to three machines logged into this HAVA model at any one time. From the home network, viewing the stream in Mpeg2 quality at 720×480 is really quite good. When logged in from beyond the home network viewing in 320×240 via an Mpeg4 codec, the quality is obviously lessened but still watchable. A very cool thing you can do while on the home network is record the input similar to a DVR system. Obviously, every device connected to one HAVA gets the same video. If you are part of a gaming clan and want to record your games to review your performance or just to gloat, this device is for you! The device could also lend itself to owners of gaming centers to broadcast tournaments to monitors around their facility. The device definitely has alot of possibility.
A feature we were unable to test out was the logging into the HAVA via mobile phone as none of us has a compatible cell phone. However, this ability would definitely be convenient entertainment for someone at the office or just chilling at a coffee shop somewhere. Unfortunately, while outside the home network, the advanced features of recording, etc do not work so you are just left with receiving the a/v stream.
I streamed Gears of War while on the Xbox 360 and forced my wife and daughter to watch from a computer hooked to the network in the other room. It was strange to hear my game noise come out of the room a split-second after it happened on my television set but the overall experience was easy, fun, and useful. I think I will also be using this model to bring cable television to my upstairs rooms which, unfortunately, do not have cable hookups.
We can highly recommend this unit for not only streaming your game sessions but also any other video signal to anyone without pause or concern. Monsoon has created a very well-built and full-featured place-shifter in the HAVA Platinum HD, and at an MSRP of $149 dollars (but some places have it as low as $119), it is worth every penny. The only wish we have for it is to allow more than one connection from beyond the home network.