PCs and Games

release date: World: 25 August 2009

USA: 25 August 2009

Europe: 28 August 2009

PS3

360

age requirements: 16+ | media: 1 DVD

Batman: Arkham Asylum exposes players to a unique, dark and atmospheric adventure that takes them to the depths of Arkham Asylum - Gotham's psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. Gamers will move in the shadows, instigate fear amongst their enemies and confront The Joker and Gotham City's most notorious villains who have taken over the asylum.

Using a wide range of Batman's gadgets and abilities, players will become the invisible predator and attempt to foil The Joker's demented scheme.

Batman: Arkham Asylum features an original story penned exclusively for the game by famous Batman author and five-time Emmy award winner Paul Dini, whose credits include Lost season one and Batman: The Animated Series.

Features:
Utilize the unique FreeFlow™ combat system to chain together unlimited combos seamlessly and battle with huge groups of The Joker's henchmen in brutal melee brawls.
Investigate as Batman, the WORLD'S GREATEST DETECTIVE, by solving intricate puzzles with the help of cutting edge forensic tools including x-ray scanning, fingerprint scans, 'Amido Black' spray and a pheromone tracker.
Face off against Gotham's greatest villains including The Joker, HARLEY QUINN, VICTOR ZSASZ and KILLER CROC.
Become the Invisible Predator™ with Batman's fear takedowns and unique vantage point system to move without being seen and hunt enemies.
Choose multiple takedown methods, including swooping from the sky and smashing through walls, and use the predator camera get a closer look at the action.
Explore every inch of ARKHAM ASYLUM™ and roam freely on the infamous island, presented for the first time ever in its gritty and realistic entirety.
Experience what it's like to be BATMAN using BATARANGS™, explosive gel aerosol, The BATCLAW™, sonar resonator and the line launcher.
Unlock more secrets by completing hidden challenges in the world and develop and customize equipment by earning experience points.
Move through the environment with the use of Batman's grapnel gun to get to out-of-reach places, and jump from any height to glide in any direction.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

release date: World: November 2009

multiplayer: Internet

age requirements: 16+

Starcraft II continues the epic saga of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. These three distinct and powerful races will clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the legendary original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types will do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles for survival.

Featuring a unique single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft II will present a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in an edgy sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. In addition, Blizzard will again offer unparalleled online play through Battle.net, the company's world-renowned gaming service, with several enhancements and new features to make StarCraft II the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game.

* Fast-paced, hard-hitting, tightly balanced competitive real-time strategy gameplay that recaptures and improves on the magic of the original game
* Three completely distinct races: Protoss, Terran, and Zerg
* New units and gameplay mechanics further distinguish each race
* Groundbreaking single-player "story-mode" campaign
* Vibrant new 3D-graphics engine with support for dazzling visual effects and massive unit and army sizes
* Full multiplayer support, with new competitive features and matchmaking utilities available through Battle.net
* Full map-making and scripting tools to give players incredible freedom in customizing and personalizing their gameplay experience.

Need for Speed Shift

release date: World: September 2009

USA: September 2009

Europe: September 2009

360 PS3 PSP

multiplayer: LAN / Internet

age requirements: everyone | media: 1 DVD

Imagine a racing game built by racers for racers and you'll have a good idea of what to expect with Need for Speed SHIFT. It’ll introduce gamers into a level of realism never before seen in a Need for Speed title, offering an incredible authentic and immersive driving experience.

Need for Speed SHIFT has been designed to replicate the true feeling of racing high-end performance cars and features a stunningly realistic first-person cockpit viewpoint and an all-new crash engine which offers an unrivaled sensation of racing at high speed.

Resident Evil 5

release date: World: September 2009

USA: September 2009

Europe: September 2009

PS3 XBOX 360

multiplayer: Internet / split screen | number of players: 1-2

age requirements: 18+ | media: 1 DVD

From the ashes of old conflicts, a new terror arises. The Umbrella Corporation and its crop of lethal viruses have been destroyed and contained. But a new, more dangerous threat has emerged. Years after surviving the events in Raccoon City, Chris Redfield has been fighting the scourge of bio-organic weapons all over the world. Now a member of the Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSSA), Chris is sent to Africa to investigate a biological agent that is transforming the populace into aggressive and disturbing creatures. Joined by another local BSSA agent, Sheva Alomar, the two must work together to solve the truth behind the disturbing turn of events. Featuring a revolutionary new co-op mode of gameplay, Resident Evil 5 will let players experience fear together as terror moves out of the shadows and into the light of day.

Chris Redfield, protagonist of the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Code Veronica, returns and is joined by new playable character Sheva Alomar, an African BSAA agent tasked with investigating the epidemic. New cooperatively-focused gameplay revolutionizes the way that Resident Evil is played, allowing players to experience the next generation of fear together. Resident Evil 5 supports co-op gameplay, including Online and Split-screen modes.

Features:
Groundbreaking Graphics – Features groundbreaking graphics that utilize an advanced version of Capcom’s proprietary game engine, MT Framework, which powered the hit titles Devil May Cry 4, Lost Planet and Dead Rising.
New "Quick-Select" Inventory System Designed for Co-op Play - Improved inventory system allows items to be traded between characters. To add to the intensity, all inventory management is done in real time; items can even be assigned to the directional pad for instant access.
New Control Schemes – Features new modernized third-person action game control variations as well as the return of the traditional Resident Evil 4 control schemes.
New Enemies Bring New Challenges – Enemies boast increased speed and intelligence, making them as dangerous alone as they are in groups.
Powerful New Weapons – The number of weapon variations has been greatly increased providing new ways to keep enemies at bay.
Fear Light as much as Shadow – Lighting effects provide a new level of suspense as players attempt to survive in both harsh sunlight and extreme darkness.

Bionic Commando

release date: World: 17 July 2009

USA: 28 July 2009

Europe: 17 July 2009

XBOX360 PS3

age requirements: 18+ | media: 1 DVD

The first true sequel to the classic 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System original, Bionic Commando sees the return of the bionically-enhanced Nathan "Rad" Spencer, voiced by Mike Patton, the former lead singer of Faith No More. Time has not been kind to Spencer: 10 years after his heroic defeat of the Imperials in the original game, he has been betrayed by the government he swore to serve, imprisoned for crimes he didn't commit, and sentenced to death.

On the very day of Spencer's execution, terrorists detonate a massive experimental weapon in Ascension City, unleashing an intense earthquake that has turned the city into rubble and wiped out its population. With the terrain in ruins and the city's air defense grid now in the control of a massive terrorist force whose goal remains unclear, the FSA have only one option left - a behind-the-lines assault. The perfect job for a Bionic Commando.

Bionic Commando transposes the swing-and-shoot gameplay of the 8-bit original to a stunning 3D environment of towering buildings, suspended roadways and monorails, deep canyons and sheer rock faces, where every environment is scalable using swinging, scaling, climbing and wall-walking techniques.

Use the bionic arm to swing between towering skyscrapers at breathtaking speed, hook onto distant objects, zip up on hanging girders and choose your own route through the game
Explore anywhere - on land, in the air, or swinging from the top of 50-story skyscrapers - in a game that redefines 3D action
Gameplay that moves through horizontal and vertical environments - a 3D game that truly uses all three dimensions
Use the power of the bionic arm - and of next-gen physics - to realistically throw massive objects, pummel opponents, whip enemies into the air, or pull the landscape apart
Arm yourself with a variety of weapons worthy of a Bionic Commando
Starring Mike Patton, the former lead singer of Faith No More, as the voice of Nathan Spencer
Published by Capcom, the makers of the Resident Evil and Street Fighter series as well as next-gen hits Lost Planet and Dead Rising
Developed by Swedish studio GRIN, developers of the highly acclaimed Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter series for PC

Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward

release date: World: 17 July 2009

Europe: 17 July 2009

Wii NDS

Power That Makes a Statement

age requirements: everyone | media: 1 DVD

At Hysteria Hospital, life will prove to be a manic challenge. Players will have several levels of the hospital to navigate, and they will have to reach desperate patients and demanding doctors within a set period of time. The frenzy inside the hospital will increase as the game progresses with more and more demanding patients desperate to be cured!

It’s just a usual day in Hysteria Hospital – another torrent of patients threatens to turn the emergency ward into chaos. Only one person can control the frantic situation - can you keep your patients happy when your ward is overrun?

You play as a female or male nurse and organise the ward and direct the patients to treat their conditions as quickly as possible

You can design and improve your ward for life-saving efficiency to be the best head nurse in America and save the Hospital from being overrun!

Each of the patients have many humorous conditions, all with cures using the latest, bleeding-edge treatment machines ranging from basic X-Ray’s to steam therapy to the hilarious De-Stress machine

There are 7 different wards to run, from a local Maryville clinic through to New York Central Hospital; over 60 levels including the ‘Endless’ mode that steadily increases in challenge as you progress.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Dell Studio XPS 435 Desktop

Supersonic power. Turbo boost capabilities. Commanding design. The new Studio XPS^TM 435 is Dell’s flagship multimedia desktop.

Combines the power of Intel^® Core^TM i7 processors and fast DDR3 tri-channel memory¹
Immense expandability with up to 24GB of memory and up to 4.5TB² of storage
Bold design with intelligent features and bold accents

Dell Inspiron 537s Slim Desktop

Make It Yours

Everything you want and nothing you don’t. The Inspiron^TM 537s Slim desktop gives you the power to personalize everything down to the chassis color.

Fully expandable, fully customizable desktop designed for essential tasks and available with advanced technology options.

Dell Studio XPS 16 Laptop

Go ahead. Reward yourself.

Blending power with elegance, the Studio XPS^TM 16 is designed to deliver the ultimate multimedia laptop experience.

Premium design with genuine leather accents, anodized aluminum, edge-to-edge display and backlit keyboard
15.6" or 16" ultrawide 16:9 aspect ratio with 1080p HD support & optional RGB-LED for brighter and more vivid colors
The latest Centrino 2 platform for blazing fast performance, amazing battery life and go anywhere wireless connectivity
Premium ATI 512MB graphics delivers incredibly lifelike videos, movies and gaming

Apple MacBook laptops

Apple’s new MacBook laptops can be seen in two ways: more advanced as well as somewhat more expensive 13-inch MacBook classic versions, but they can also be seen as little stripped-down versions of the 15” and 17” MacBook Pro line. Some experts have named these new versions as the Apple MacBook Pro Mini.

When it comes to inner stuff, Nvidia’s new chipset with enhanced integrated graphics is a real nice thing to mention. Many physical changes have also been made outside that include unibody aluminum chassis, the buttonless touchpad and sleek glass on the LED-backlit.

Its base model has the same $1,299 price tag, but the FireWire port is missing in its transition. And instead of a 2.4GHz CPU, this $1299 model houses a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo. There is the same 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor in the high-end model. Both these new MacBook models run on a quicker front-side bus.

Without FireWire and slower CPU, this new MacBook really expresses an impressive feat and value of engineering and this is a thing that almost everyone can expect from a flagship product of the company and which has been serving as favorite for quite some time.

Some notable physical changes have been made that include an aluminum chassis instead of well-known white and black body. New totally redesigned touchpad is another new notable feature and it has the same multitouch gestures that you can see in the iPhone as well as in MacBook Air and Pro.

When it comes to display, the 13.3” LCD display gives out a nice 1280X800 native resolution that is standard for 13 and 15” screens. It makes text and icons quite clearly readable LED-backlit displays have also been added that indicate towards a thinner lid and various benefits including sound battery life.

This new MacBook is not nicely packed with connections as it has only two 2.0 USB ports without any FireWire. But this time you would find them an SD-card reader as well as an ExpressCard slot that you may have desired in Mac for quite some time.

When it comes to performance, without some new CPU options, the real great development has been made by packing a new Nvidia chipset in it that is also called the 9400M GeForce that has some nice improved integrated graphics. These GeForce 9400 graphics are quite impressive and offer 58.7 frames per second at the resolution of 1024×768.

As far as battery life is concerned, these laptops from Apple’s laptops are quite well known for their above average battery life and the same impressiveness you can expect from these new laptops. Apple has the knack to impress as well as somewhat frustrate with its nice service and support and the same is true about these new laptops.

Front Mission Evolved

About This Game:

Front Mission Evolved brings the classic Front Mission franchise into an action-packed third-person shooter that gives players full control of a massive humanoid war machine -- the wanzer. Players will battle through intense combat situations as they explore an immersive world in both the single player campaign and online multiplayer.

Genre: Third-Person Shooter

Also Available On: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release Date: TBA
Multiplayer Functions Online Multiplayer

Published by: Square Enix
Developed by: Double Helix

Front Mission Evolved brings the classic Front Mission franchise into an action-packed third-person shooter that gives players full control of a massive humanoid war machine -- the wanzer.

Latest Preview »

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes

release date: World: October 2009

USA: October 2009

Europe: October 2009

PS3 XBOX360 PS2 Wii PSP NDS

multiplayer: common screen | number of players: 1-2

The events of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat unfold shortly after the end of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. Having discovered about the open path to the Zone center, the government decides to hold a large-scale military "Fairway" operation aimed to take the CNPP under control.

According to the operation's plan, the first military group is to conduct an air scouting of the territory to map out the detailed layouts of anomalous fields location. Thereafter, making use of the maps, the main military forces are to be dispatched.

Despite thorough preparations, the operation fails. Most of the avant-garde helicopters crash. In order to collect information on reasons behind the operation failure, Ukraine's Security Service send their agent into the Zone center.
From now on everything depends on the player.

Photorealistic exclusion Zone – Pripyat town, Yanov railway station, Jupiter factory, Kopachi village and more, recreated by their true-to-life prototypes.
New story, a number of unique characters.
Extended system of side quests.
New monsters: Chimera and Burer. New behaviour and abilities for all monsters.
New A-Life system, created using the players' best-liked elements of the first two games in series.
Emissions considerably influence the world of the Zone.
Sleep function added into the game.
New player's interface.
Possibility to continue the game after completion in a freeplay mode.
The game is developed on X-Ray engine v.1.6

age requirements: everyone | media: 1 DVD

Star Wars® The Clone Wars™: Republic Heroes™ lets Star Wars fans young and old live out the sweeping galactic adventures of the Clone Wars. For the first time ever, players can fight as their favorite Jedi and clone troopers from the preeminent animated television series — from familiar faces like Anakin Skywalker to new heroes like Clone Captain Rex. A brand-new storyline, which bridges the gap between season one and two, takes the player on a multi-faceted adventure to stop a mysterious techno assassin's destructive plot. Built around two-player cooperative action, the accessible controls and family-friendly gameplay bring Star Wars fans across generations together like never before to fight the evil Separatists and restore peace to the galaxy.

Product Information:

Experience an all-new and exciting Clone Wars storyline that bridges the gap between season one and two of the TV series as you learn more about the mysterious bounty hunter Cad Bane and hunt down the all-new Skakoan super villain Kul Teska
Play as your favorite Jedi heroes including Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Mace Windu, and Kit Fisto
Slice and dice your way through Separatist droids with your lightsaber and Force powers and use your agility to perform amazing leaps and navigate levels filled with interactivity
Turn your enemies into weapons as you commandeer droids and use their unique abilities to blast enemies and solve puzzles as a Jedi
Be part of an elite clone trooper squad with unique gameplay that puts firepower at your fingertips. Blast droids and unleash devastation with heavy weapons like rocket launchers and thermal detonators as Commander Cody, Captain Rex and all of your favorite clone troopers
Compete against a friend with in-level challenges for rewards and points to be spent to upgrade your character and unlock bonus items
Experience an expanded season one story that features intuitive touch-screen gameplay on the Nintendo DS where movement, attacks and other actions are all controlled using the stylus.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

developer:

GSC Game World

genre:

action / FPP

platform:

PC / Windows

release date: World: October 2009

USA: October 2009

Europe: October 2009

play modes: single / multiplayer

multiplayer: LAN / Internet

game language: English

age requirements: 16+ | media: 1 DVD

suggested system requirements:
Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz, 2 GB RAM, graphic card 512 MB (GeForce 9800 or better), Windows XP/Vista.

Alpha Protocol: The Espionage RPG

release date: World: October 2009

USA: October 2009

Europe: October 2009

PS3 Xbox360

age requirements: 18+

Loyalty carries a price and no one knows this more than agent Michael Thorton. A talented young agent cast out by his government, Thorton is the only one with the information needed to stop an impending international catastrophe. To do so means he must cut himself off from the very people he is sworn to protect. As players determine how to accomplish different objectives, the decisions made and actions taken in each mission will ultimately transform the type of secret agent Michael Thorton will become. Every choice the player makes as Michael Thorton will carry consequences for his future and the fate of the world.

Rogue Warrior

release date: World: October 2009

USA: October 2009

Europe: October 2009

PS3

360

multiplayer: LAN / Internet | number of players: 1-24