Source: videogamesblogger.com

Electronic Arts has revealed NASCAR Kart Racing exclusively for Wii. Which, correct me if I’m wrong, is EA’s first entry in the “kart-racing” genre that was started by Mario Kart and joined by nearly every other mascot character in existence, from Crash Bandicoot to Sonic to LEGO to Bomberman to Konami characters. I’m surprised it took them so long!

NASCAR Kart Racing has been designed from the ground up for Wii and will allow players to “grab the steering wheel as a famed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and speed through treacherous landscapes, wind around rocky cliffs, jump rivers and dodge falling boulders.”

Multiplayer offers up to four-player head-to-head play via split-screen and lots of licensed, named drivers in addition to original characters created just for the game.

Real NASCAR drivers include: Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler, Tony Stewart.

New EA characters include: Billy Backfire, Bobby Backfire, Kelly Kates, Linda Leadbetter, Maurice L’Eclair, “Shakes” McDaniel, “Thriller” Tadwell, Monica Torres, Luke Trigger, Terri Windsome.

Like all cart racers, you can collect power-ups as you race along the tracks either solo or with a teammate. Power-Ups include: Boomstick, Gas Can, Oil Slick, Bottle Rocket, Shockwave, Free Pass, Yellow Flag, Ad. Nothing out of the ordinary there, as the power-ups do what you’d expect. The Bottle Rocket seeks someone out like a Red Shell from Mario Kart, the ad covers an opponents screen so they can’t see, the shockwave spins out drivers near you, the Yellow Flag gives you a speed boost to the front of the pack, etc. No word yet on whether or not the game supports the “Wii Racing Wheel” but I’d imagine that it will.

NASCAR Kart Racing has a release date of February in the U.S. for the Wii. It does not yet have a release date for Europe.

Key Features of NASCAR Kart Racing include:

* Fun, Competitive Kart Racing For Everyone
Race as your favorite NASCAR driver and compete against friends and family with four-player split-screen action.
* Stay “In The Zone”
Fill your boost meter to trigger a speed burst or slingshot around the track with the help of your teammate in a race for the checkered flag.
* Power-Up To Make The Pass
Yellow-flag the competition, throw an oil slick, launch a rocket, and more as you work your way past the field.
* Set Your Sights On The Championship
The competition has taken control of all tracks – now it’s up to you and a teammate to beat each duo and take ‘em back.

Check out the trailer above to see the game in action. Looks pretty much like a standard cart racing game to me . . . does anyone else spot anything unique about this? Either way though, cart racers ARE fun and this game looks like it could be a fun, multiplayer racing game just like every cart racer is.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

EA has announced 3 on 3 NHL Arcade, an all-new downloadable hockey game from the EA Sports Freestyle label, developed by EA Canada.

3 on 3 NHL Arcade is a no-rules barred, fast paced, “hockey experience that gamers of all types can enjoy”. It will be available to download in February of 2009 on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation Network for $9.99.

Due to the no-rules play of the game, players can deliver devastating checks to send their opponents flying over the boards, check the goalies and play some arcadey, action focused hockey. Graphically the players have an exaggerated look with 40 of the top NHL stars representing every team. The game even features power-ups that fall down onto the ice and can change the outcome of the game.

There are two different control schemes that players will be able to choose from that will let you pass, shoot, hit and break out all your trick moves with ease, no matter your skill level. There’s also a more advanced “Skill Stick” control scheme taken from NHL 09.

3 On 3 NHL Arcade also has everything players have come to expect from an EA Sports game, including ranked matches, the ability for three players on one console to play three other players online and more.

“Available through a simple digital download, 3 on 3 NHL Arcade is perfect for sports fans who want to experience the thrill of NHL hockey at a great value without worrying about the rules of the sport,” said Dave McCarthy, vice president, EA SPORTS. “Accessibility is really important. We have worked to make sure that come February, 3 on 3 NHL Arcade is a lot of fun for players of all skill levels.”

Source: videogamesblogger.com

An online Dungeon Keeper MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online game) has been announced for release in China by publisher Netdragon, who is licensing the franchise and its themes, characters and other content from EA in a deal for an exclusive online MMO that they will release and distribute throughout the Greater China region, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.

NetDragon is the publisher behind many free PC MMO’s including: Eudemons Online, Conquer Online, Zero Online, Tou Ming Zhuang Online, Heroes of Might and Magic Online, Era of Faith, and Monster & Me

“We are delighted to enter into an agreement with EA in the development of our first 3D MMORPG. Our partnership with this internationally renowned game developer is proof of our capabilities in game operations and development as well as a reflection of our market reputation,” said Mr. Liu Dejian, Chairman and Executive Director of NetDragon. “Capitalizing our strength to create a strong gaming experience, powerful operating platform and unmatched expertise within China’s online game market, we are confident that Dungeon Keeper Online will not only become successful in the Greater China region but also achieve remarkable results overseas.”

Jon Niermann, President of EA Asia Pacific said, “The partnership marks a significant milestone for EA as it will enhance our intellectual property and extend our product reach throughout the Greater China region. It will also further enhance our intellectual property with differentiated, high-quality games, particularly in the field of MMORPGs.”

Dungeon Keeper was a popular “dungeon-building” real-time strategy game created by Bullfrog Productions. The first game was released for PC in July of 1997 with Dungeon Keeper 2 following in 1999. In the game’s you played as the bad guys as you build a dungeon filled with traps to defend your base and recruited monsters to keep the computer-controlled “heroes” and other dungeon keepers from getting inside and destroying your dungeon. The game was very unique for it’s time and has a large cult following, who have been waiting for a Dungeon Keeper 3.

I never played the Dungeon Keeper games personally, but I remember watching my brother and cousin play the games and they always looked quite fun and amusing. Sadly this isn’t the news that Dungeon Keeper fans were waiting for. So keep petitioning EA until they get the message that we want a true (not MMO, but strategy) sequel to Dungeon Keeper.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

It has been revealed that Electronic Arts is creating a Dante’s Inferno video game based on the famous Italian epic poem written by Giovanni Boccaccio in the early 1300s, as reported by Variety’s The Cut blog.

What’s interesting about this is that the game itself, has not even been announced yet, and already EA has been shopping it around to Hollywood movie studios for a feature film based on the game property. Including in the bidding for rights to create the film are Paramount, Universal, MGM and New Regency.

As you’d expect from a video game based on Dante’s Inferno, the game (likely called “Inferno”) will have players fighting through the depths of hell. The game is scheduled for release next year and was copyrighted by EA back in February (for video game, film and TV purposes). No other details including what system’s the game will be for have been released at this time.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Forget about Mike and Jim promoting cleaning products on your local shopping channel. Electronic Arts hired David Hasselhoff to do their Red Alert 3 infomercial spots and it’s so deliciously corny that you’ll want to see all four on conquerthislife.com.

The Hoff says to play Red Alert 3 and “stay classy!”

PS: David Hasselhoff even has a role in Red Alert 3!

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Electronic Arts are set to resurrect Bullfrog’s cult classic Syndicate series with a new sequel currently in development at Starbreeze.

A CVG source has leaked this secret of a supposed “Syndicate 3″, while hinting the Electronic Arts deal with Starbreeze had the sole purpose of bringing back this “classic franchise”.

The first Syndicate tactical shooting RTS game was released in 1993 and was followed up in 1996 by Syndicate Wars. The game put players in charge of a militant global corporation, and tasked them with leading (drugged out) cyborg agents around a gritty cyberpunk world rescuing captured allies and assassinating rival syndicate executives.

According to Wiki, the original game’s creator Peter Molyneux has said that “Aside from the licensing complications, some sort of next-gen online version of Syndicate would certainly be popular with gamers.”

Let’s hope development is completed and the game is popular, so we can see lots more classic franchises revisited. And if you want to revisit the original on a current-gen system, get EA Replay for the PSP that includes Syndicate.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

About a month after the release of the PC life sim Spore, the first Spore expansion has been revealed by Electronic Arts as the “Creepy & Cute Parts Pack”. The pack isn’t so much a gameplay expansion as it is an item add-on pack. It will set you back $19.95. You can pre-order it for digital download via the EA Store for its release date on November 18th, 2008. It’ll be available at retail stores as well.

I don’t know if you’ve seen Spore’s YouTube upload page or the Sporepedia, but editing together new creatures keeps proving to be really popular with nearly 37 million creations so far.

It’s expected the second Spore expansion pack will be for a Flora Editor.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

The DICE team at Electronic Arts have announced they’ll be releasing four multiplayer maps for Battlefield: Bad Company. They’ll be part of a free Map Pack that will be released by the end of October 2008 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The two community selected multiplayer maps are: “Acta Non Verba” and “Par for the Course”.
The two developer selected additional maps they felt were best suited for Conquest mode are: “Ghost Town” and “Crossing Over”.

Additionally, this month the developer will release a Battlefield: Bad Company title update to fix some of the still outstanding bugs like the VoIP issue on PS3. — Via Bcompany

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Electronic Arts announced that renowned filmmaker Zack Snyder will bring his unique vision to the development of three original EA games. Snyder will lead the creative direction of the games while working in partnership with the production team at EA Los Angeles, the same studio currently collaborating with Steven Spielberg on Boom Blox and other games in development with Mr. Spielberg. Snyder’s recent works include hit movies, “The Dawn of the Dead” and “300”. He is also currently working on a movie adaptation of “Watchmen” based on the legendary comic book series, due to release in March 2009.

Under the agreement with Cruel & Unusual Films, EA will own the intellectual properties and the game franchises will be developed, published and distributed worldwide by EA. The relationship between Snyder and EA includes efforts to extend the game franchises into theatrical motion pictures. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“I think video games are cool because they offer an opportunity to tell a story in an entirely unique way,” said Zack Snyder. “Being a long time fan of the games EA creates, I look forward to collaborating with them.”

Frank Gibeau, President of EA Games Label said, “Zack Snyder has a fresh and bold creative style that resonates with our core audience. Zack is the perfect partner for joining us in creating powerful new interactive fiction.”

Source: infendo.com

Our unofficial Sims Week ends today with a hands-on preview of MySims Kingdom. In case you missed them, we posted an in-depth preview of SimAnimals on Sunday, and we followed up Wednesday with one of the first SimCity Creator reviews to hit the Web.

For some, the term “sequel” carries a negative connotation. Another dose of the same content, a product with no innovation, milking the established rather than creating something new; originality sticklers often paint sequels with this unfortunate shade of contempt.

None of those presuppositions apply to MySims Kingdom.

Perhaps wary of those cynical daggers, Electronic Arts is adamant that MySims Kingdom is “not a sequel” to last year’s MySims, the charming Wii and DS title that introduced Nintendo fans to a new Sims spin-off franchise designed specifically with them in mind.

The truth falls in between. Rhetoric aside, MySims Kingdom most certainly is a sequel to MySims; it keeps the namesake, brings back most of the characters and maintains the same art style.

Surprisingly, that is where the similarities end.

The cynosure of the original MySims was building quaint homes and designing their interiors, but MySims Kingdom embraces a decidedly different gameplay focus. They are so different, in fact, that their commonalities are relegated to simply look, name and feel.

MySims Kingdom takes players on a journey across eleven different islands. You start the game as a lowly pig herder, but you’ll eventually become a “wandolier,” a wand-bearing magician able to construct and build. Yet this time, your ability to create is focused mostly on solving puzzles and progressing the game’s story.

This puzzles-first ethos was clear during our hands-on time. We were presented with challenges that required some sort of puzzle-solving before we could progress. A path to another section of the island, for example, was blocked by a thick stone door. Observation highlighted a broken gear system to the door’s right; explore the island, find the materials required to build gears, solve the puzzle and continue.

You’ll encounter this simple puzzle early in the game, but each island is filled with similar dilemmas that depend on your ability to build and design for solutions. Other puzzles we were confronted with include building bridges, creating a system of watering pipes for a garden and designing an open-air living room for a caveman.

The puzzles also grow more challenging and become part of a larger dilemma. On a forest island, an elf has tore down a unicorn temple to build himself a hot tub, so unicorns have emigrated. Through a series of related puzzles and tasks, you need to bring them back.

Fans of the original MySims will feel at home with the basic purpose of the puzzles; you meet Sims and help them with their problems. At few points during our hour of playtime with the demo, however, did we encounter any of the free-building mechanics of the original.

This is where MySims Kingdom rolls the dice. The creative freedom of the original has been scaled back for this kind-of-sequel, which may split fans of the series. The development team insists it wanted to try something different with MySims Kingdom, and for better or worse depending on your tastes, it has unapologetically done exactly that.

“The first game is still out on shelves,” says associate producer M.J. Chun. “If you want to make the coolest chair ever that looks like a spaceship, you can still do it.

“What we wanted was to give players the ability to do things they’re not able to do in the first game, and that’s solve puzzles, create really elaborate watering systems for gardens, power a centrifuge to make it work, as well as the action-adventure story aspects of the game.”

MySims Kingdom has made significant technical strides over the original, most notably in terms of frame rate. Stuttering was common in the first game, but we experienced nary a second of slow down during our playtime with MySims Kingdom. Load times have also been dramatically scaled back, allowing for increasingly seamless gameplay and a much more streamlined experience for players.

These performance improvements were not made at the expense of presentation, as MySims Kingdom is actually slightly better looking than the original. Colors are brighter and more vibrant in the don’t-call-it-a-sequel, and it also introduces varied topography for the first time in MySims, curing the everything-is-flat feel of the original.

The game also implements unexpectedly beautiful water effects. I marveled at them ad nauseam during the demo, often ignoring my objectives to take walks on the game’s gorgeous shorelines.

The development team laughed. I continued to marvel.

In another change to the original’s formula, you won’t be alone on your journey through MySims Kingdom. There’s still no multiplayer, unfortunately, but players are followed throughout the game by Lyndsay and Buddy, who offer advice and unlock new content.

Essences have returned for the pseudo-sequel, items you collect throughout the game in order to build certain items with certain styles. Red apple essences, for example, allow you to paint objects with an apple-themed aesthetic. An endless list of old favorites and wacky new essences has been added to MySims Kingdom.

MySims Kingdom is a single-player game. No online features have been implemented, an opportunity I refer to as “missed.”

For MySims Kingdom, the bottom line is simple; it’s made several necessary improvements over the original, but it’s also been almost completely changed in the process. I’d wager most fans will embrace the series’ new feel, but the potential for some fans to be justifiably put-off by the reduced creative element is too strong to ignore.

Hesitance to go online aside, MySims has made an interesting evolution with MySims Kingdom. The difficulty level caters toward a younger audience, and the building and creativity elements have been reduced, but the game maintained undeniable charm throughout the demo. The dialogue is particularly sharp and humorous, and the same intuitive Wii remote and nunchuck controls of the original ensure this game is as easy to control as it is to play.

Needless to say, we’re anxious to play the final retail build.

Wii owners are being given plenty of options for simulation games, and it is great to see MySims Kingdom take a unique approach to the genre. The game is scheduled to release on Wii and DS on Oct. 28.

DISCLOSURE: Infendo travel accommodations to this event were provided by Electronic Arts, including the following swag: copies of Boom Blox and SimCity Creator, and assorted Sims merchandise.