Not long after Grand Theft Auto 4 (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3) rocked the world, and a few weeks before Metal Gear Solid 4 does the same, we're left with several decent titles that can't be dubbed as mere distractions. This week marks the release of Myst on the Nintendo DS, while Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King is set to build a kingdom on the Wii. The rest await at the full article, so hit that jump!

* Article originally posted May 12, 2008 at 12:05AM

If you enjoyed the last Nordic Game conference and are looking forward to this year's event, we've got some news for you. Quite a number of big name speakers will be sharing their thoughts at the Business and Production part of the program. To find out who will at the event, head on over to the full article.

Vivendi recently confirmed its Q3 guidance, and it racked up performance with accurate ties to market analysts' expectations. Apparently, their guidance also falls in confidence with observers in the business market, reassuring investors that its full year outlook is on-track.

Though the conglomerate-like Vivendi ran through Q3 of fiscal year 2007 with flying colors, its own video game publishing segment holds a success story in itself. Vivendi Games' performance also grew with the rest of the corporate umbrella. Read on to find out why.

Sierra Online has sent out word announcing the release dates for the upcoming interactive space combat title, Battlestar Galactica (PC, Xbox 360).The game's PC version will launch October 23. Battlestar Galactica will land on XBLA a day later on October 24.

Fans of the TV show will recognize the ships available in the game. Gamers can choose from four Human and four Cylon ships to pilot in ten missions from the TV series. The game also includes a multiplayer mode that lets players participate in Domination, Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch.

The PC version of Battlestar Galactica will be available at online gaming portals and retail outlets for US$ 19.99. Xbox 360 owners will be able to download the XBLA version for 800 Microsoft Points.

Sierra Online has revealed the first details and screenshots from their two new titles - Aces of the Galaxy and Boogie Bunnies. Both of these titles will be available for PC and Xbox Live Arcade this winter.

Aces of the Galaxy is a third-person retro arcade shooter where players take control of the gun turret on an AI-driven spaceship as they vaporize wave after wave of enemies. The game also has a bullet-time feature that slows down enemies and a number of warp zones. The game also has a two-player co-op mode.

Boogie Bunnies, on the other hand, is a match-three puzzle title. Players match bunnies from three different sides – left, right, and from the bottom to save the bunnies from dying horrible deaths. Scoring chain combos trigger creative bunny dance moves, and more bunnies can also be discovered along the way.

Check out the screenshots for a look at the games.

Aces of the Galaxy screenshots

More screenshots behind the Full Article link!

 

Rebelmind Games, makers of the memorable Space Hack, re-entered the computer role-playing game scene back in 2006 with Frater, a Diablo-esque, single player-only romp against hordes of bats, zombies, werewolves, and their monstrous folk. Faced by a sinister threat, the player stepped into the shoes of three heroes - each with their own specialty - and participated in the righteous fight against an evil mastermind. Frater was released in Europe and the UK and soon embodied the simplistic hack-and-slash types reminiscent of Rogue, a popular dungeon crawler back in the good old days.

Published by Meridian4, The Chosen: Well of Souls is the North American version of Frater. It was probably renamed to emphasize the plot that beckons would-be heroes. Unfortunately The Chosen, like Frater, doesn't come with the epic storyline you'd be used to with Dungeons & Dragons-style storytelling. It doesn't even offer the open-endedness of Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls: Arena (and yes, its successors).

Activision has just sent out a press wire announcing their recent purchase of UK video game developer Bizarre Creations. As some may be speculating, could the purchase be a sign that the studio's in some sort of financial trouble? That doesn't seem to be the case, based on a complementing announcement made by Bizarre's Ben Ward over at the studio's official site.

Ward explained that the move was made so that the studio could push for the development of even better games in the near future. In light of the sale, Ward also explained how the arrangement between Bizarre and Activision was going to play out, specifically regarding their ongoing work on Project Gotham Racing 4 and The Club:

• Bizarre Creations continues to exist as is. We won't become Activision Liverpool or anything like that.
• We will have absolutely no redundancies.
• All of our teams continue to exist exactly how they are at the moment. Amax team (PGR4) and Shitstorm team (The Club) will move onto new games, whilst our Shared Technology team will use this opportunity to take our experience and tech to new levels and new formats.
• The Activision way of running things is "hands off". Bizarre continue to have creative control over what we do, we still run the studio how we see fit, and we still get to run our own web site and do all sorts of fun community things! :)

So, could this new relationship mean we'll be looking at a multi-platform port of PGR4 in the near future? We're not too sure, although Ward noted that the the aforementioned Amax and Shitstorm teams would each be working on two new titles for Activision - one a racing game, the other a character game. And while there weren't any exact details on these new projects (much less a name), Ward did state that more information will be unveiled in the near future. And in case you're wondering, here's what Ward said about how their Bizarre's current titles will be handled:

What about the now? Firstly, Geometry Wars will remain unaffected; we'll continue to expand and advance the series just as we were going to do before. The Club will still be released with SEGA, Geometry Wars Galaxies will still be released with Sierra, and PGR4 will continue to be supported after its launch in October. No massive changes here then...

PGR4 for the Xbox 360 is currently scheduled for an October 12 release in the UK, while The Club for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC is expected early next year. We'll let you know if this news bit picks up any further updates - especially regarding Bizarre Creations' two new mystery projects.

The industry-focused leg of the Games Convention at GCDC 2007 will take place">Leipzig is expected to break its previous record of 650 attendees, after Leipziger Messe GmbH announced through press wire that the registered attendee tally for the 2007 event has hit 850 attendees. The Games Convention Developers Conference (GCDC) will take place on August 20-22, just before the consumer and retailer exhibition.

 

Hailing from 35 countries all over the globe - 60 percent from the North American and UK regions - participants have the opportunity to witness the delivery of more than 80 event keynotes from over 120 speakers. And representatives from their respective industry segments - namely handheld, mobile, console, PC, Mac, and online markets - will expound on visions, themes and issues relevant to the industry's times.

Although much of the planned discussions will be focused on the industry side, there will also be discussions on how society and political bodies can properly recognize the gaming industry, and the significance of associations representing the game industry to the outside world.

And in another note, Leipziger Messe has particularly named Tim Schafer of Double Fine Production (Grim Fandango, Psychonauts) to deliver his keynote speech entitled "Games and Creativity," adapted for the new age of game development. If memory serves us right, Schafer and his studio has been secretly at work on a game project under Vivendi's revived Sierra Entertainment label.

It was claimed to be titled "Brutal Legend", but that has been under question for some time since it was retracted. But if former Leipzig revelations are were groundbreaking, then you may count that fellow blogger Schafer will spill more details on his ambitious "labor of love."

The 2007 Games Convention Developers Conference opening remarks will be delivered by none other than the Chairman of the European Games Development Forum (EGDF), Fred Hasson. More GC and GCDC news coming your way, before the Leipzig-filled week begins next Monday.

Ever wonder what it would have been like if America was faced with a full-fledged Soviet invasion? Check out Sierra and Massive Entertainment's World in Conflict (Games for Windows, Xbox 360) and you'll wonder no more.

The game is built around a Cold War scenario by author Larry Bond. Soviet forces are marching into Europe, but when NATO responds, they're faced with a full-fledged invasion of America. Now it's up to players to halt the Soviet forces and retake America's cities and suburbs.

Today we've got a new bunch of screenshots from the game, which is slated to hit PCs in September and Xbox 360s later this fall. Check 'em out below. Click on the Full Article link below to see all the new screenshots.

More screenshots behind the Full Article link!

Don't let the funky music fool you. Massive Entertainment's new project World in Conflict is serious as can be. Set in the late 80's where the Soviet Union is slowly being paralyzed by a lethargic economy, the plot breaks away from history as we know it by following a "what if" scenario. In the game, the USSR starts a war instead of breaking into several states, thus triggering a response from the international community.

Another interesting thing to note is that this is one of the few real-time strategy games which do not put players in charge of gathering resources and building structures. A preset number of units will be at hand and in the event that they're taken out, funds will be replenished so you can call in new troops.

World in Conflict is set for release under Sierra Entertainment's banner for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and PC platforms. Watch out for this title if you're on the lookout for an RTS with some fresh ideas.