Players Must Use Brainpower to Unscramble Konami’s Latest Family-Friendly Word Puzzle Game

El Segundo, Calif. – Jan. 27, 2010 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced KrissX for Xbox LIVE® Arcade is now available. In this downloadable word puzzle game, players are tasked with deciphering challenging brainteasers and putting their trivia knowledge to the test.

In KrissX, gamers’ must help Wordsworth the Owl on his mission to solve jumbled word puzzles by switching around letters and following clues. If players are successful, they will be rewarded with badges and high scores. As players progress through the game, they can explore 150 vibrant stages while choosing to play at a leisurely pace or facing a timed challenge.

With over 3,500 words to unscramble and a variety of game styles including Quests, Time Attack Mode and Timeless Play, gamers can expand their daily vernacular as they discover secret puzzles that provide endless replay value. Addictive gameplay, uncomplicated controls and intuitive tutorials provide an interactive and fun gaming experience for players of all ages.

Developed by Regolith Games ltd, under the Blitz 1UP label, KrissX is now available on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 points. For the new trailer and assets, please visit www.konami.com/downloads.

About Konami
Konami is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties. Konami’s titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, DanceDanceRevolutionCastlevania, among other top sellers. The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. KONAMI CORPORATION is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. KONAMI CORPORATION is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products published by Konami can be found at www.konami.com.

Technorati Tags: Konami, KrissX, XBOX Live Arcade, Video Game, Gaming, Digital Entertainment, Wordsworth the Owl, Puzzle Game

Fans of the Guitar Hero World Tour game might want to check out the new schedule for the newest packs being released on XBL and PSN. Currently the Victory Track Pack is now live for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 and Wii for Guitar Hero World Tour. The schedule for the other packs is listed below.

The Victory Track Pack features the following singles:
A Day To Remember – “NJ Legion Iced Tea”
The Sleeping – “Bomb the World”
Silverstein – “I Am The Arsonist”

Eagles of Death Metal Track Pack, available July 16th:
“Anything Cept The Truth”
“Cherry Cola”
“I Only Want You”

Vagrant Records Track Pack, available July 23rd:
Thrice – “All the World is Mad”
Alexisonfire – “Young Cardinals”
Senses Fail – “The Martyr”

Knuckle Sandwich Track Pack, available July 30th:
Protest the Hero – “Bloodmeat”
Dropkick Murphys – “I’m Shipping up to Boston”
Against Me! – “New Wave”

The Victory Track Pack is available now via Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 440 Microsoft Points and from the PlayStation Store for $5.49. The songs are also available as singles for 160 Microsoft Points, $1.99 from the PlayStation Store and 200 Wii Points.

Technorati Tags: Guitar Hero World Tour, Games, Track Listings, Upgrade, PSN, Xbox Live, Songs, Music

SAN FRANCISCO – July 2, 2009 – Today Ubisoft announced it will be publishing Heroes Over Europe, a flight combat game designed for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Windows-based PC.

The sequel to Heroes of the Pacific, the World War II flight combat game, Heroes Over Europe builds on the game’s impressive legacy with intense dogfights, a highly detailed realistic visual presentation and even more online options.

Developed by Transmission Games in Melbourne, Australia, and powered by an all-new engine, Heroes Over Europe is set to raise the bar for flight combat games with the all new “Ace Kill” close combat action, four online modes supporting up to 16 players and fully customizable aircrafts with localized damage.

Visually, the game takes no prisoners with meticulously rendered environments including faithful recreations of London, Berlin and the French Alps, and ultra-realistic iconic warplanes of the era, all presented in stunning high definition graphics.

Heroes Over Europe is scheduled for worldwide release in September 2009.

Technorati Tags: Ubisoft, Games, Xbox 360, Playstation, Heroes Over Pacific, Heroes Over Europe, WWII, Shooter, Game, Gamer, September 2009

GAME WITH FAME presents…

Play Call Of Duty: World At War with Derek Mears a.k.a Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th

Derek Mears, the actor who plays Jason Voorhees in the 2009 release of Friday the 13th, will play Call of Duty®: World at War with Xbox LIVE® Gold Members June 19. If you’re an Xbox LIVE Gold Member (if not, upgrade now!), and you want a chance to play with Derek Mears, send a friend request to the following Gamertag and be online half an hour before (6:00 P.M. ET) the Game with Fame session starts on Friday, June 19, 6:30 P.M. ET.

We’re celebrating the June 16 digital release of the movie Friday the 13th by having a Game with Fame with the man behind the mask. Play against Derek Mears and talk to him about what it was like to play one of the most iconic American horror villains–Jason Voorhees. Mears is one of the busiest actor-stuntmen in film and television, with roles in The Hills Have Eyes II, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Men in Black II, and Wild Wild West. His additional feature credits as a stuntman include Blades of Glory, Signs, and more. For television, Mears has been featured in guest-starring roles on such series as CSI: Miami, ER, and The Shield, among many others.

Mears was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. When Derek isn’t working in television and films you can find him performing live improv comedy at Comedy Sportz LA, making videos at Channel101.com, or training MMA at Big John McCarthy’s Ultimate Training Academy. If you get a chance to play with Derek Mears, we want to hear about it! Send us an e-mail(xlmail@microsoft.com) with the subject: “GWF – Derek Mears.” Be sure to include your Gamertag and home town.

Check out some clips from the forthcoming movie:

Game With Fame featuring Derek Mears (aka Jason Voorhees) on Xbox LIVE

Date: June 19th

Location: Los Angeles

Time: 3:30 – 5:30 PM (PST)

Game: Call Of Duty: World At War

GAMERTAG: Jason F13

Technorati Tags: XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Game with Fame, Jason, Friday the 13th, Derek Mears, Call Of Duty: World At War

Halo Reach isn’t slated for release until 2010, but E3 presented us with this debut trailer of a brand new segment in the Halo franchise.

So, Halo fans, what do you think of all the new Halo offerings available soon?

Technorati Tags: E3, Debut Trailer, Halo Reach, Video Game, Xbox 360, E3 Conference, Microsoft, New Game

Game Rating: M
Game Publisher: Activision
Platform: Xbox 360 — also available for PS3, Wii, PSP, PS2, Nintendo DS, and PC (Win XP/Vista)
Release Date: May 1, 2009
Buy this at: Amazon for $59.99

“Playing Wolverine is so awesome it makes every little flaw (such as monotonous gameplay) worth it. With the ability to fully step into the role of one of the most beloved superheroes of all time, Activision offers one of the hottest games of 2009…”

It doesn’t really matter what sucks (if anything!) about this game. Seriously. Playing Wolverine and playing him the right way is just so awesome I could easily overlook it if the game’s graphics or gameplay modes sucked. Luckily, they don’t. Still, the true key in making “X Men Origins: Wolverine” was finding a way to logically play the complex, claw bearing Wolverine.

Wolverine has always been one of the coolest superheroes to exist, but gaming technology never could have captured the essence of Wolverine and his fighting style even five years ago. Now, we have platforms that allow for an immersible ability to take on a role all of us have (until now) only dreamed of playing. Add in a gore filled fun fest and you’ve got yourself one heck of a game.

The…claws…are…cool. That is an understatement really. The claws are the bomb (or whatever phrase you’d use for ’so dang good you can barely put how cool they are into words’). What the claws can do ensures that the high tech graphical worlds, intensive fight scenes and an intriguing back story are simply the icing on an already delicious cake.

I’m going to say this only once. Don’t purchase this game for your kids. This game has a Mature rating for a reason. It is one of the bloodiest, goriest games I’ve played. I absolutely love it, for this reason. I have heard some reviewers complain it is too graphic, but I’m not sure what they would want Wolverine to do if not slash and claw. That’s the coolest part of the character, and it is certainly a refreshing change from all the other heroes I’ve been playing in recent games, most of them shooters. Wolverine doesn’t need a gun. He has his own, permanent weapons, and everything that makes Logan Wolverine, from his ability to heal to his stealth-mode style Wolverine attacks is represented to the max, in this game.

The powerful graphics make the gore even more intensified. You literally rip enemies apart, as their blood and guts spew across the screen. There is something primordial, rugged, and animalistic that makes those of us with too much common sense giddy. Yeah, I’m not going to go out and shred a human being to pieces, but it’s fun to pretend to do it in this game. I’m sure “X Men Origins: Wolverine” will get some harsh criticism due to its intensively graphic violence, but I don’t see the point in denying those of us who like these kind of games the pleasure of playing them. This game isn’t going to make any of us murderers just because watching fake people on a screen’s guts fly is fun. It’s called pretend people. Get over it.

Story:
If you haven’t seen the movie, X Men Origins: Wolverine, don’t be surprised if you find out quite a bit about the movie plot. While the vast majority of the movie storyline is in the game, this is combined with an original story created by the developers of the game, Raven Software. The game explores Wolverine’s origins, with a major focus on his time in Col. William Stryker’s Weapon X program.

The story starts when Logan is a member of a covert CIA team, Team X. When his helicopter crashes in Africa littering his team around the region, he must kill all the enemy soldiers and rendezvous at an enemy temple with his half-brother, Victor Creed. When Victor is nowhere to be found, Logan must escape before the temple, which Creed has wired with explosives, blows up. After he escapes, he meets up with the rest of the team downriver.

The game skips forward three years. Logan has left Team X and the government behind. He’s happily enjoying peace and obscurity with his girlfriend, Kayla Silverfox. When Logan senses Victor, whom he has fallen out of favor with, he sends Kayla off to safety. Ignoring his warning, Kayla watches as Victor breaks Logan’s bone claws and knocks him out. When Logan awakens, Kayla is dead, Victor has gone rogue and Col. William Stryker has promised Logan revenge.

Logan is going to have to endure a painful procedure where adamantium coats his bones, but this will make him nearly indestructible. While Logan is under, he overhears a plot to kill him, by Stryker, who thinks he is too dangerous to let loose. Breaking free, Logan takes over the facility, facing soldiers and even super solidiers called W.E.N.D.I.G.O. prototypes. With the help of Dr. Carol Frost, Logan is able to escape and free another mutant, a child with teleporting powers named Anna.

The story returns to the past again, to Operation Firestorm, when Logan still worked for Stryker. After a brief look into one of the missions Logan experienced, the scene returns to the facility where Logan is trying to escape. Logan is pursued and does battle with his former ally, Agent Zero. He vows to kill both Victor and Stryker. To aid in his search for Victor, Logan visits Wraith, who isn’t there but he finds a message from Raven Darkholme concerning Victor’s whereabouts.

Logan is shocked because he though he killed Raven years ago. He heads to a facility in the U.S. which is home to “Project Wideawake.” He is looking for Wraith, Raven, and any link he can find to Victor, so he can seek the revenge he so badly wants. With a lot more story to be told, we’ll leave it at that. There is a lot of gameplay to be had here and yes, it can get quite repetitious. Still, the gore and the coolness factor of murdering with those awesome claws makes the entire game worthwhile.

Enjoyment/Fun Factor: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Features:
The main feature of “X Men Origins: Wolverine” is the ability to realistically play Logan/Wolverine. The claws retract on their own. There are a series of moves that can be combined and used to defeat enemies. I like the spin attack, in particular, though the lunging attack is also quite effective, especially when an enemy is targeted from a long distance.

Another major feature of the game is the feral senses mode. This is an important part of Wolverine and when he loses his feral senses briefly in the facility after the adamantium bonding process you will be missing them. With feral senses, you can see ghost soldiers, which is helpful as they attack while invisible. You can also find treasures and avoid using your claws to smash barrels and boxes filled with explosives.

Logan/Wolverine has the ability to heal. You will want to find a corner to hide behind if your energy is low and you are being attacked by a variety of enemies. The further along you go in the game, the longer it takes to drain your health. This is much better than other games, which may require power packs to increase health.

Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars

To Continue Reading, Go to Page Two…

DECADES OF ROCK LAND ON THE ROCK BAND MUSIC STORE WITH TRACKS FROM FRANZ FERDINAND, THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, THE DISTILLERS AND MORE

Cambridge, Mass. – May 1, 2009 – Harmonix and MTV Games today announced the addition of 10 songs from six popular rock bands to the Rock Band™ Music Store of downloadable content including a three-pack from Franz Ferdinand and music from The Allman Brothers Band, Prong, The Distillers, Alien Ant Farm and Luscious Jackson.

Franz Ferdinand has produced a string of memorable, chart-topping hits since the band’s formation in 2001. The Scottish band’s signature song, “Take Me Out,” from their self-titled 2004 album will debut in the Rock Band Music Store next week. The Franz Ferdinand 3-pack also includes “Do You Want To” from You Could Have It So Much Better (2005) and “Lucid Dreams” featured on the album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009). The tracks will be available for purchase as a three-pack or as individual tracks.

Southern-rock outfit The Allman Brothers Band makes its first appearance in the Rock Band Music Store with “Midnight Rider,” featured on 1970’s Idlewild South, and “Blue Sky,” featured on the band’s 1972 classic album Eat a Peach. The band has received numerous awards and was named one of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” in 2004. Eat a Peach was the band’s final album to include legendary guitarist and founding member Duane Allman before his tragic motorcycle accident death in 1971. Rolling Stone magazine listed Allman as the second greatest guitarist of all time, behind only Jimi Hendrix. The Allman Brothers Band made it’s Rock Band debut with “Ramblin’ Man” on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack.

New York City metal band Prong makes its Rock Band debut with “The Banishment” and “Idealistic Types,” both featured on Prong’s latest album Power of the Damager (2007). In addition, The Distillers deliver their brand of energetic punk rock power in their Rock Band debut with “Drain the Blood,” the lead single from their third album Coral Fang (2003).

Rounding out this week’s line-up is “Smooth Criminal” from Alien Ant Farm featured on ANThology (2001) and Luscious Jackson’s “Naked Eye” from Fever In Fever Out (1996).

Release Date:
Tuesday, May 5, 2009 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360®)
Thursday, May 7, 2009 (PlayStation®Store)

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **

Tracks:
Franz Ferdinand “Take Me Out”
Franz Ferdinand “Do You Want To”
Franz Ferdinand “Lucid Dreams”
Alien Ant Farm “Smooth Criminal”
The Allman Brothers Band “Blue Sky”
The Allman Brothers Band “Midnight Rider”
The Distillers “Drain the Blood”
Luscious Jackson “Naked Eye”
Prong “Idealistic Types”
Prong “The Banishment”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Price:
$1.99 or 160 Microsoft Points per track
$5.49 or 440 Microsoft Points for Franz Ferdinand 3-pack

Locations:
Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360
PlayStation®Network

Technorati Tags: Rockband, Tracks, Music, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Luscious Jackson, Prong, The Allman Brothers, The Distillers, Alien Ant Farm, Franz Ferdinand

PRE-ORDER WITH GAMESTOP FOR EXCLUSIVE BONUS ROOMS ON “X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE”!

Are you a huge X-Men fan? GameStop wants to give you exclusive access to bonus content on the upcoming “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” game. Pre-ordering the Uncaged Edition for PS3 or Xbox 360 at http://www.gamestop.com/wolverine is the only way you will gain access to the four bonus rooms of the “Weapon X Arena”.

Custom Combat Arena: This huge space lets players select any combination of enemies from within the game, beam them into the arena, and attempt to defeat them. Face ten hulking Leviathans or a blend of towering W.E.N.D.I.G.O. Prototypes, Machete Champions, and Machine gunners. It gives players endless permutations of exciting battles.

The site also features sneak peek videos and images from the game.

Environmental Kill room: This large room features small set-ups of each of the various environments found within the main game. All of these environments contain sharp objects on which Wolverine can impale his enemies. By pushing a red button, players can teleport in a group of soldiers and to see them creatively skewered.

Ladder Challenge room: This features an array of teleportation disks against the far wall. Pushing a red button will cause a group of enemies to beam into the room. Each time the red button is pushed, the enemies get tougher and more numerous, laddering up the challenge for Wolverine.

Dismemberment Room: Using a control panel, this room lets players select various limbs and body parts on a holographic soldier. Once the selections are locked in, the soldier appears in a tiled room viewed and the selected limbs are severed with spectacular results.

Who: GameStop and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”

What: GameStop offers preorder with 4 bonus rooms

Where: http://www.gamestop.com/wolverine

When: Now until May 1, 2009

Technorati Tags: Gamestop, X-Men Origins, Wolverine, Video Game, Gamers, Pre-Release, Bonus Rooms

Game Rating: M
Game Publisher: Atari
Platform: Xbox 360 — Also made for PS3 & Windows Vista/XP
Release Date: April 7, 2009
Buy this at: Amazon for $44.99

“An otherwise fun, but one trick pony type of game, Pitch Black makes ‘Assault on Dark Athena’ all worthwhile…”

One of the biggest titles I’d been looking forward to playing since I’d heard about its release was “The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena.” I’d been checking out the videos, screenshots, and reading up on the impending Atari title for months. Well, the time has come for the release of the game and I just happened to get a copy of it to review!

What a fun game! I’m not a huge online, multiplayer kind of guy, but if one game could sway me in that direction it is this one! While “The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena” shines when it comes to online gameplay, the single player, offline game isn’t half bad either. Okay, it’s pretty awesome. I’m very happy with the entire game, as there is much to do, ensuring I won’t get tired playing this game for a while.

I love the online games the best. Have I said that already? There are a series of different online games you can play with others who own ‘Dark Athena.’ This is the most fun I’ve had in an online game playing environment. The entire online experience is fast paced as you take on other players. They come virtually out of nowhere, and next thing you know, in a split second, you are dead until the next round begins (well, in most of the online games).

I don’t think I’ll get tired of the online portion of “The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena” for quite some time. It’s exhilarating to play these games and it makes the entire purchase of ‘Dark Athena’ worthwhile.

Of course, in single player mode, you either play the title game, ‘Assault on Dark Athena’ or a completely remastered version of the original The Chronicles of Riddick video game, ‘Escape from Butcher Bay.’ The only downside is that the ‘Dark Athena’ game is a lot shorter than your average first person shooter game. This lack of gameplay time is made up for in the time you have to play ‘Butcher Bay’. Still, it was slightly cheap to recycle this game, even if it is ten times better than the 2004 release, allowing for skimping on the play time of the original game. This is a minor complaint, but a complaint nonetheless.

Story:
In ‘Butcher Bay’, you have to escape from Butcher Bay, a highly guarded prison. In both this campaign and ‘Dark Athena,’ you play as Richard B. Riddick. Riddick is a dangerous, intergalactic criminal who uses special goggles/glasses, which allow him to see in the dark. The plot for ‘Assault on Dark Athena’ starts up where ‘Butcher Bay’ has ended. You have escaped the prison with the help of the man who originally took you there, Johns. Leaving by ship, the two of you are captured by the mercenary ship, the Dark Athena.

The Dark Athena is run by Gale Revas, who captures Johns, though you (as Riddick) are able to hide and escape. It is the goal of Riddick to escape the ship, killing both guards (mostly drones) and mercenaries as you travel throughout the ship. Along the way, you (Riddick) meet Lynn. This little girl is hiding in the air vents and is trying to get help for her captured parents. Of course, she turns to you for help.

When you (Riddick) head to the prison cells, you discover that the original captain of the Dark Athena has been captured and is being held there. You also find Lynn’s mother, Alicia Silverman. She plans to help you (Riddick) escape. She can make the parts you need if you get them to her, and if you find Lynn, who she worries will be captured and/or killed if the drone guards or mercenaries find her. Dacher, another prisoner, also plans to help you escape.

With you (Riddick) determined to free the prisoners, escape the ship yourself and give Revas a heck of a fight, this all out action flick will take you (Riddick) to the planet of Aguerra and back to the Dark Athena in an attempt to stop Revas and return the peace on the ship once and for all.

Enjoyment/Fun Factor: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Features:
There are two single player campaigns that are features of “The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena.” In both, you play as Riddick in first-person shooter style. The first campaign, as I mentioned previously, is the remastered ‘Escape from Butcher Bay’ game. The second is ‘Assault on Dark Athena.’ Both games are similar in their styles. The second game is almost an extension of the first.

The real gem is in the multiplayer game options with the crown jewel being Pitch Black. In Pitch Black, one of the players is Riddick. He can see in the dark, obviously, and is in underground, Pitch Black tunnels. The rest of the players are guards. You start out with a standard gun, but before you hop down the hole to go underground, you can choose from submachine guns, assault rifles and shotguns.

Each gun has a light on the end, and this allows you to see right in front of you. The biggest light is on the submachine gun and the smallest is on the shotgun, but the shotgun is also more powerful, so there is good and bad with each choice. Once you jump into the hole you have to find and kill Riddick. Riddick is quick though and the Ulaks he has are dangerous. Just one swipe of these knuckle blades and you are a goner, but if you kill Riddick, in the next round you become him!

While Pitch Black is certainly the creme de la creme of the entire game, some of the other multiplayer games are fun, too. In particular, I greatly enjoyed Butcher Bay Riot, Deathmatch and Team Death Match. In Butcher Bay Riot three groups of players, prisoners, guards and mercs, take on one another to capture a power cell. You have to kill the other groups’ members and get the power cell before they do in order to win UDs which help buy better weapons for the next round of play.

Deathmatch is just that. Your goal is to eliminate your opponent. The longer you last, the more powerful your weapons are. If you get killed, you start over with your mediocre, beginner gun. The Team Deathmatch is similar only it features prisoners versus guards. Other, mediocre, online multiplayer games include Capture the Flag and Arena. Capture the Flag is self explanatory and the Arena game features 3 on 1 or 2 on 2 duels with the winner staying for the next match. These two games are okay, but not as cool as the other online offerings.

The thing I like about the multiplayer for ‘Dark Athena’ is the options you have. You can choose a random game mode or decide to play the specific online game of your choice. You can find games already in progress or create your own. You also have the option to play a quick player match, custom player matches, quick ranked matches and custom player matches.

Note: The one downside to the online, multiplayer game play is the ability to use microphones. Seriously, while I’m killing Riddick (or hunting him down) I don’t want to hear a bunch of teenagers goofing off and acting dumb. This is the only place where the mute button, on the television, comes in handy.

Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars

Controls:
If you can operate an Xbox 360 controller, you shouldn’t have any problem using the controls for this game. The guns aren’t in a weird spot so shooting is easy. Movement is smooth. While the AI isn’t spectacular, your movement both online and in single player campaign mode isn’t hard to control.

The only problem I had was in online player mode. Other players, especially in Pitch Black, can be quite fast. You have to have great reflexes to constantly be at the top of your game. Still, even if I wasn’t the best at this part of the gaming experience, it still was a lot of fun!

Ease of Use: 4 out of 5 stars

Visual Quality:
I didn’t have a problem with the visual quality. The graphics are high tech. The screen depends mostly on dark and black levels. This is primarily because Riddick operates in stealth mode. The advanced stealth mode is pretty cool, when it works.

Be prepared to encounter a few problems with the guards, who seem to sense you, even if they cannot see you. This kind of defeats the purpose of stealth mode, in my opinion. This also gets you into trouble in a few different scenes where guards are swarming and you don’t have much time or ability to kill them all!

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio Quality:
“The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena” shines when it comes to the audio. The voice cast, led by Vin Diesel, the only man who could/should ever voice/play Riddick, is outstanding. There isn’t an excessive amount of dialogue in the game once you get going, but what is here is brilliant. I can’t imagine Riddick speaking without that gruff, rough, Vin Diesel voice. By having him voice Riddick, it just adds to the authenticity of the gameplay. Despite the awesome quality, some of the dialogue does have the ability to be a bit cheesy, but it doesn’t deflect from the game.

Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Replayability:
Due to the variety of games that are available on the “The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena” game disc, I believe the replayability level is high. This game has a lot to do and players won’t get bored too easily while playing. The multiplayer options, alone, make it worth having the game. Sure, you aren’t going out on any major game play campaign. I liken these to the small, arcade style type of games only deadlier and much more fun.

While some of the multiplayer games, such as Capture the Flag, incite the yawn factor, others, like Butcher Bay Riot and Pitch Black, can be played over and over again. These are the types of multiplayer games you want to play. They are fun, violent, and get your heart racing and blood flowing. I haven’t had this much fun playing a game online in a long time.

The two main titles, ‘Assault on Dark Athena’ and the remastered ‘Escape from Butcher Bay’ are fun games, but they aren’t anything I will be wanting to play over and over again. Once you finish the campaigns I don’t really see the point in going through them and doing it all over again. Seriously, the games are fun, but the longevity of this disc depends mostly on the multiplayer offerings. Thankfully, there are some great games you can enjoy online.

Replayability: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Disability/Accessibility Friendliness:
The controls you use to play “The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena” are fairly standard for the Xbox 360. If you have mobility in your hands enough to handle the Xbox 360 controller then you shouldn’t have too much trouble playing this game. Of course, if you have arm/hand mobility issues, this might be one of those games you’ll have to miss out on playing, at least on the Xbox 360.

The hardest part of the game, for me, was the online player games. Sure, they are a lot of fun, but they require some extra quick shooting and I don’t always have the best reflexes. Still, it was amazingly fun trying to keep up with all the other players. Your mobility problems shouldn’t cause too much trouble when it comes to playing this game. On the whole, this game gets the standard rating when it comes to disability friendliness.

For those with mobility impairments that prevent console play, you’ll want to purchase this game for Windows XP/Vista.

Disability/Accessibility Friendliness: 3 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
“The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena” is a pretty sweet game. While I feel that there could have been more gameplay in the title game ‘Assault on Dark Athena’, the edition of the remastered ‘Butcher Bay’ and the variety of multiplayer games, especially the outstanding Pitch Black (which has to be the coolest online mini-style, multiplayer game I’ve played on the Xbox 360) make this game worth your while. Go ahead and pick this up for the Xbox 360 (or one of the other platforms). If you do, there’s a great chance you’ll see see me online!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: The Chronicles of Riddick, Assault on Dark Athena, Escape from Butcher Bay, Atari, Video Game, Vin Diesel, Multiplayer, Pitch Black, Mature Game

‘THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK: ASSAULT ON DARK ATHENA’ BRINGS ITS BRUTAL FIGHT TO NORTH AMERICAN RETAILERS

- Features Brand New ‘Dark Athena’ Campaign, Thrilling Online Multiplayer and High-Definition Remake of Classic ‘Escape from Butcher Bay’ -

- Xbox LIVE and PLAYSTATION®3 Demos Available Now -

NEW YORK, NY – April 7, 2009 – Atari, one of the world’s most recognized video game publishers, announced today that the latest chapter in the Riddick franchise, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, is available now at retailers across North America.

In conjunction with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group, Tigon Studios and acclaimed developer Starbreeze Studios, Atari is bringing the franchise – featuring Vin Diesel reprising his role as anti-hero Riddick – to the new generation of consoles for the first time.

Featuring the series’ signature blend of stealth, action and gripping narrative, all presented in glorious high- definition, the highly anticipated new chapter in the Riddick saga is available at retail in North America for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft ($59.99), PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system ($59.99) and Windows PC ($49.99).

The Chronicles of Riddick Assault on Dark Athena contains a brand new full-length Riddick campaign in addition to a high-definition pixel-by-pixel remake of the universally acclaimed title Escape from Butcher Bay. In addition to the thrilling, visceral single player action, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena brings Riddick into the multiplayer arena for the first time, with six intense online multiplayer combat modes including the unique Pitch Black mode.

Reprising his role as Riddick, Vin Diesel brings his unique vocal talent to The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, creating a powerful anti-hero with a talent for chilling one-liners. Diesel is joined by a high caliber cast of actors including Lance Henriksen, Wade Williams, William Morgan Sheppard, and Michelle Forbes who brings depth and weary malevolence to Riddick’s chief adversary on the Dark Athena, Captain Revas. Starbreeze Studios’ proprietary ‘vo-cap’ technology ensures that every nuance of the actors’ vocal and physical performance ends up in the game, creating a uniquely absorbing experience.

In The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena the player takes the role of Riddick, as played by Diesel, using stealth and action to overcome the merciless crew of the predatory Merc-ship Dark Athena which awaits its prey in the dark reaches of space. Cheating death through a series of spectacular battles and events, Riddick will fight for his life amid a storm of malevolence and horror. The Chronicles of Riddick series of games takes the player deeper into the universe of Universal Pictures’ films The Chronicles of Riddick and cult classic Pitch Black, which first introduced Diesel as enigmatic anti-hero.

Playable demos of The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena for both Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION®3 system are currently available for download, showcasing the game’s evocative art style, exceptional production values, and the breadth and ferocity of gameplay.

For more information on The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, please visit the official website at http://atari.com/riddick/.

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