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Tuesday, June 19, 2007 Shipping Announcements

by Rainier on June 19, 2007 @ 3:48 p.m. PDT

Another day, another batch of games shipped to stores. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are announcements for:

Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition (Wii)

Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition is a new version of the award-winning game that incorporates the control functionality of the Wii Remote. The incredibly successful Resident EvilĀ® series has sold more than 30 million games worldwide.

The game carries an M rating for mature audiences by the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) at a suggested retail price of $29.99.

The Adventures of Darwin (PSP/PS2)

In The Adventures of Darwin, players take on the leadership role in a group of primitive, yet promising, primates. The game follows the evolution of group leader Darwin the monkey and his adorable companions as they grow from a small assembly of simple primates to a powerful, intelligent colony of human cavemen. This process is prompted as players learn about and interact with the vast prehistoric world around them. If gamers want to survive life in the hostile world, they must evolve!

"Just as Darwin does in the game, the PlayStation 2 market is evolving--it's now ready to accommodate more games like The Adventures of Darwin that appeal to family-friendly audiences," said Sam Guilloud, brand manager, D3PA. "With such a large and loyal install base of over 38 million in the US, this is the perfect time in the PlayStation 2's life cycle to release such a unique title."

The Adventures of Darwin utilizes innovative real-time strategy elements and a first-hand evolutionary gaming experience. Commanding up to 30 primates, gamers assign a variety of tasks to their primate companions and make real-time decisions to increase the chances for survival of the fittest. Tribe members become more intelligent as they evolve, improving survival skills and verbal communication as the level of civilization advances. The richly colored world is beautiful but dangerous, filled with lush jungles, volatile volcanoes, dark caverns and raging rapids. The group hunts wooly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, ferocious dinosaurs and other foes for the safety and benefit of the village. Players can lead their tribe on adventures, teach them to hunt, collect raw materials to build with and use as tools and weapons, and encourage the use of increasingly civilized language. The weapons arsenal will advance as the village and its members progress. Players of The Adventures of Darwin will find out if they are capable of becoming a leader of evolution, or if they are doomed to a life of monkey business!

The Adventures of Darwin, rated "E 10+", was developed by Vingt-et-un-Systems Corporation and retails at an SRP of $19.95.

DiRT (X360/PC)

Developed by Codemasters Studios using its new propriety engine, Neon, DiRT takes traditional rally and turns it into an exhilarating thrill ride through a massive range of off-road racing experiences on gravel, mud and dirt, right across the globe.

Expanding on the brilliant point-to-point rally racing, the game includes an extensive range of off road and circuit events, delivering a thrilling, often challenging and ultimately hugely rewarding experience.

Players race in challenging, heavyweight 850bhp cars through high speed blind corners and along perilous cliff edges in the Hill Climb events, including the world famous Pikes Peak International through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

There are also multiple car races with Dakar-style trucks and super-powered 4x4s on grueling desert terrain in Rally Raid competitions. In Rally Cross, players switch between dirt and road racing. The competition is always breathing down your neck and always ruthless.

Then there are Crossover circuits and events from the CORR (Championship Off -Road Racing) series in the U.S. The CORR series is all about head-to-head full on dirt circuit racing. The combination of powerful off-road buggies and exciting dirt tracks incorporating tabletop jumps, drop-offs and moguls is an intoxicating mix.

DiRT also offers a dedicated rally championship section and the opportunity to race against others and the clock with a 100-person online multiplayer mode. In any mode, on any surface, the car handling is sublime, the physics system is thrillingly accurate and the damage engine is as devastating as ever.

DiRT is available for the Xbox 360 and the PC, with the PlayStation 3 edition to follow shortly. DiRT is rated "E" (Everyone) by the ESRB.

Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground,developed by Global A Entertainment, is now available in North America.

Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground (PSP)

An ambitious but novice dungeon maker arrives in a small town known to suffer periodic attacks from violent monsters. He buys a vast plot of land at the outskirts of the town to create a grand dungeon in hopes of luring in various enemy monsters which to hunt to collect gold and items. He envisions his complete dungeon to be one so appealing as to lure the legendary Wandering Demon. Defeating this menacing monster would free the townspeople from the fear he casts upon them, while winning acclaim as a true dungeon maker for the "Architect."

The townspeople are initially skeptical about the Architect's ability to achieve his ultimate goal of building such a dungeon. Over the years, they've watched other such dungeon makers arrive with great plans but ultimately fail -- falling prey to the very monsters they've lured into their dungeons or haphazardly abandoning their creations. However, as the Architect's dungeon grows and improves, luring rarer and more powerful enemies, and he begins bringing back more valuable treasures, the townspeople begin offering support to his mission. Soon the whole town is involved in the dungeon making process; they give advice about the intricacies of dungeon making, sell crucial items, provide weapons and magic spells, treat the Architect when injured, and request various favors to be completed in the expanding dungeon in exchange for generous rewards.

Whether the growing hopes of the townspeople and the Architect will be realized all depends on the quality of the dungeon he creates and his developing battle skills.

Key Features

  • Design and modify a customizable dungeon, floor-by-floor, using simple controls to quickly develop a deep and detailed dungeon.
  • Strategically layout and improve your dungeon to maximize its attractiveness and lure in the most sought-after enemies to take their loot.
  • Fight real-time battles wielding various melee and ranged weapons, casting magic spells, rendering special attacks, and summoning creatures to defeat the wide variety of monsters including undead creatures, orcs, and dragons.
  • Enjoy the vast selection of building materials to customize your dungeon and complete quests to access the rarer items from the wide array of weapons, armors, and accessories to upgrade your warrior.
  • Trade dungeons -- Utilize network connectivity to trade dungeons with a friend. Show off your dungeon creation skills and explore a friend's dungeon to see what kind of monsters and treasures lie inside.
Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground,developed by Global A Entertainment, is now available in North America.

Ingenious (PC)

Based on the work of internationally renowned game designer Reiner Knizia, the board game version of Ingenious has been an international best seller. Incredibly easy to learn and just as addictive, Ingenious provides hours of challenging and thrilling fun for one to four players.

Players place hexagonal chips of six different colors on the hexagonal board, score points, block opponents~ tile placement, and try to protect themselves from being blocked by their opponents. The player who has the lowest amount of points for any of the six colors loses. Game strategy requires that players score points for each color, and this requires concentration and skill.

"We are very excited to be publishing Ingenious," said Lloyd Melnick, Chief Customer Officer for Merscom."It is one of the few games that appeals both to the traditional gamer and the casual gamer; it's just a great game."

Lauded by The Games Journal as ~Easy to learn, quick to play, and absolutely beautiful to look at,~ Ingenious the board game was named the 2006 Golden Geek Best Family Game. It was also nominated for the 2004 International Gamers Best Strategy Game Award and the 2005 GAMES Magazine Best Abstract Strategy Game.

Ingenious will retail for $19.99 USD.

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