April 2008

SBK ‘08 is due to be released in either May or June this year (depending on which web sites you read) and the official web site is beginning to take shape. It’s still under construction, but is worth a look.

Being an avid bike rider and follower of both MotoGP and World Superbikes, I’ll be first in line come release date.

SBK 08 is the official videogame of the Superbike World Championship and it will allow the player to enter the fantastic SBK championship. The game is, in fact, fully licensed and simulates every aspect of this world.

“SBK-08 is a highly customizable realistic experience”.

As a matter of fact, realism is still SBK-08’s distinguishing trademark, where realism is about replicating the real Superbike experience. It grants you all the sense of speed, danger and glamour of the Superbike races.
The player has the possibility to choose from the 2008 official riders, teams and tracks, but also to improve the performances of his bike, managing and tuning a lot of aspects like top speed, gear ratios, suspension stiffness, and set of tires for single race.

“SBK-08 is fun and accessible for everybody”.

SBK-08 features a deep simulation mode that aims to capture the attention of “bike enthusiasts” who perfectly know every aspect of tweaking a bike. At the same time the revised full arcade mode gives the player the opportunity to understand the complexities of bike riding by introducing complexity in layers. The arcade mode of SBK-08 will fit their needs giving them a 100% enjoyable and fulfilling experience, void of any frustration.

Paradox Interactive has announced Majesty 2 – The Fantasy Kingdom – a beautiful looking new sim due for release in 2009:

Majesty 2 – The Fantasy Kingdom Sim will focus on reinventing many aspects of the original game, updating the franchise for the 21st Century. A key element that will permeate the game is the charm and humor of the original Majesty.

“This is by far the biggest release from Paradox to date and it is sure to become one of the most anticipated titles of 2009″, said Fredrik Wester, Executive Vice President for Paradox Interactive. “Our aim is to release a fantastic game that not only encourages existing fans to renew their passion for the series, but also to reach out to the broader gaming community that has grown so much since the original was released”, he continued.

“It’s the height of any developers dream to work with such a cherished Triple A franchise with so many fans worldwide and such a unique position in the gaming industry”, said Alexey Kozyrev, CEO 1C:Ino-Co. “As a team we have reached the level of skills and acknowledgement in the international arena to be worthy of such a task.”

Majesty 2 – The Fantasy Kindom Sim is scheduled for release during Q1 2009 for the PC platform. Confirmation of other platforms will be announced at a later stage. Download the first assets here.

Good news for SimCity fans. Electronic Arts have announced they are to release SimCity Box, containing no less than 5 SimCity titles at a special low price.

The bundle will include:

• SimCity Societies
• SimCity Societies: Destinations
• SimCity 4
• SimCity 4: Rush Hour
• The Sims Carnival SnapCity

It’s a pretty good bargain, especially considering Societies and Destinations are fairly new. I know Societies has been getting a pretty bad press from players, but I must admit, I’m having a great time with it.

Political simulations seem to be all the rage at the moment. Geo-political Simulator is a new kid on the block, due to be released in the second quarter of 2008:

Geo-Political Simulator, aka G.P.S., is an economic and geopolitical simulator game for PC.

Far from being just a name, G.P.S is an ambitious and unique project in its own right, offering an extremely thorough and realistic simulation of the planet, at all levels: politics, the economy, environment, the military, science, culture, religion…

G.P.S, is also a constantly evolving product controlled by a team of dedicated developers and specialists. Its purpose is to always offer top notch simulation, notably including regularly updated data, and also to develop new scenarios taking into account the planet’s geopolitical evolution and upheavals.

G.P.S is a software package created by the French company Eversim, specialized in the development of online simulation games in a persistent setting. The company was founded in February 2004 by the former heads of Silmarils, a video game publisher which released over thirty products between 1987 and 2003. For further information, feel free to check its website by clicking the following link: www.eversim.com

Inspired by information TV programs with multiple windows, scrolling ticker tapes, ID cards for countries and personalities, etc.

All items are in 3D, notably the world map with topography, cities, regions, borders, territorial waters, etc. The world map can be displayed as flat or in globe form, full-screen or zoomed to a high level of detail. There are many display modes, based on theme or strategic and economic alliances.

Finally, the game features a printed weekly published every Monday, enabling the player to be informed of the major events occurring all over the planet.

Of great news to folk like myself with a lifelong love of Kraftwerk, AQ Interactive is developing a Korg DS-10 synthesizer due to be released for the Nintendo DS in July this year.

This is probably going to be as real as it gets. The samples are supplied by Korg themselves!

• World’s first music tool software created for the Nintendo DS
• Two patchable dual-oscillator analog synth simulators:
  • Four-part drum machine that uses sounds created with the analog synth simulator
  • Six-track (analog synth x 2, drum machine x 4) /16-step sequencer
• Delay, chorus, and flanger sound effects available from the mixing board
• Three note-entry modes: touch-control screen, keyboard screen, matrix screen
• Real-time sound control mode via touch-control screen
• Exchange sounds and songs and play multiple units simultaneously through a wireless communications link

There seems to be some confusion regarding where it will be released. Some sites are reporting a Japan-only release, whilst others are reporting a worldwide release. Watch this space.