Defense Grid: The Awakening (Xbox Live Arcade)
“We built Defense Grid: The Awakening with the Xbox LIVE Arcade audience in mind from the very beginning. Its unique spin on tower defense gameplay is a perfect fit, as it appeals to gamers of all skill levels, but has enough challenge modes to keep those hard-core Xbox 360 users engaged for hours” said Jeff Pobst, co-founder and CEO of Hidden Path Entertainment.
Built on Emergent’s Gamebryo engine (Oblivion, Warhammer Online, Civilization IV), Defense Grid: The Awakening’s features include edge-of-your-seat gameplay, where players need to defeat hordes of invading enemies by strategically building fortification towers around their base. Each base has a number of valuable power cores that players must defend at all costs. Enemies invade your bases in waves, intent on stealing all your cores and escaping. The player can stop them only by strategically selecting and placing defensive towers as resources allow. This action all takes place in beautiful environments, complete with spectacular effects and a dynamic, engaging soundtrack. The controls are intuitive and the gameplay is deep - the special attacks and properties of each tower work together to provide many ways to succeed.
The Xbox LIVE Arcade version of Defense Grid: The Awakening includes:
- New Borderlands mission pack, which has four new advanced levels and 12 challenge modes.
- A unique combination of fixed and open maps that encourage different strategies every time you play.
- 24 total unique maps to strategically position your towers on and prevent alien enemies from stealing your power cores.
- 100 unlockable challenge modes to extend your gameplay.
- 10 different tower types, including Infernos, Teslas, Cannons and more. Each tower can also be upgraded twice for devastating power.
- All towers with unique tradeoffs that affect ideal placement, such as line-of-sight attack or ballistic trajectory fire; a large area of effect or damage over time; and minimum and maximum ranges.
- 15 different types of enemies, each with unique capabilities and strategies
- 10 hours of story and campaign play
- Custom soundtracks and loads of achievements
Defense Grid: The Awakening is selling at a special price of 800 MS points ($10)
Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Tracks (NDS)
“We are thrilled to add the Hardy Boys to the fantastic pedigree of games we have established with our award-winning Nancy Drew lineup,” said Megan Gaiser, president and CEO of Her Interactive Inc. “The introduction of Treasure of the Tracks expands our audience with one of the most well-known and respected brands for boys and girls alike, and is an ideal way in which to introduce ourselves to the Nintendo DS audience.”
For the first time ever, Frank and Joe Hardy embark on an intriguing mystery on Nintendo DS. Traveling by train across Europe, Frank and Joe Hardy follow the mysterious trail of the Romanov family treasure through historic cities like Vienna, Paris, Prague, Warsaw, and St. Petersburg, trying to unlock the century old secret that surrounds the Romanov family. Things get decidedly mysterious on board the Royal Express as players explore train cars for clues, interview passengers and solve interactive puzzles as they hunt down the lost treasure.
The Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Tracks is currently available on NDS for purchase at retailers nationwide, as well as from the Her Interactive website for $19.99.
AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A Reckless Disregard for Gravity (PC)
Indie studio Dejobaan Games has just kicked "AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A Reckless Disregard for Gravity" ("Aaaaa!") out of its nest. Bringing 80 levels of BASE jumping, rude gestures, and graffiti tagging together in a PC title, the game is now available from Direct2Drive, GamersGate, Impulse, Steam, WildTangent, and from Dejobaan's own website.
The jumps you make off buildings floating above Boston, Massachusetts are all about style and timing. You perform stunts, weaving around the bustling City for points, making split-second decisions: do you snake around those girders to earn a dozen "kisses," or glide along the side of that steel super-skyscraper for massive "hugs"? Aaaaa! then throws in the spectators -- as you fall, give fans the thumbs-up and protesters the finger. And if you're hungry for a bit of civil disobedience, you can even ready the spraypaint and tag government buildings for points.
The game will also teach you how to debristle a pig.
Availability and system requirements: AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A Reckless Disregard for Gravity requires Windows XP/Vista; a 1.5GHz processor; 1GB system memory; a 3D card with 128MB video memory; and Microsoft DirectX 9.0c.
Romance of Rome (PC)
Romance of Rome is an enjoyable hidden object game which successfully merges elements of quest and puzzle into one title. Romance Of Rome offers a captivating storyline with notable and smart characters, sets engaging tasks and is filled with lots of pleasant surprises and twists of events. Players will have a great possibility to embark on a gripping journey through the lands of ancient Rome.
"Awem studio is proud of its hand-drawn graphics," said Oleg Rogovenko, Awem studio's CEO. "In Romance Of Rome you will be excited by a captivating story with humorous dialogues and unique interactions with characters. I believe players will enjoy the time they spend on finding cleverly hidden items and enjoy the game atmosphere we created." Romance of Rome features 21 visually stunning locations and tons of inventory based puzzles. Earn over 30 ancient trophies and synchronize your achievements with your awem account.
Romance of Rome runs on Windows XP/VISTA and requires Pentium 800 MHz, 512 MB RAM. A single-user license can be purchased online for $19.95 (USD).
BattleForge: Renegade Edition (PC)
BattleForge: Renegade Edition card set is now live. Players now have access to legendary units and monumental buildings from the Southern Wastes region of Nyn with over 60 additional cards now available through “Renegade Booster Packs” in the in-game store.
Two new support factions have been unleashed on the Battleforge universe, the Bandits and Stonekin, along with a host of new, innovative legendary creatures. With over 60 new units and buildings added to the BattleForge card pool, players will now be able to build a more diverse offensive strike or counter with new defensive strategies against rival players. BattleForge has also added dual orb cards with special affinities that will deepen and enrich the strategic possibilities for the players’ decks and combat.
BattleForge is a Play4Free game that combines strategy, fantasy, trading cards and magical spells in a dynamic online environment. Combining the strategic, real-time gameplay of classics such as Command & ConquerTM with a fully enabled, online collectible community, BattleForge pioneers strategy gaming with its online multiplayer design and community features set. The collectible cards in the game are the tools of war -- each representing a spell, unit or building that is conjured directly onto the battlefield real time in stunning 3D graphics. BattleForge features single-player scenarios and cooperative scenarios supporting 2-12 players, as well as Player vs. Player (PvP) ranked and unranked duels. With co-op play, chat rooms, and a robust marketplace featuring direct trade, an auction hall and in-game mail, BattleForge is the first RTS to combine the social and community aspects of an MMO with an exciting RTS.
The new BattleForge Renegade Booster Packs are now available at the in-game store and can be purchased for 250 BattleForge points or $2.50. To download the Play4Free version of BattleForge or to get BattleForge points, players can visit www.battleforge.com and click Play Now.