Teens in Tech Games

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that tickets for its fifth BlizzCon gaming convention will go on sale in two batches on Wednesday, June 2 and Saturday, June 5, 2010. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft, Diablo, and StarCraft game universes. The event will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on October 22 and 23.

If you’re a DIRECTV customer, you can watch coverage of the convention live through the Pay Per View package and as a multi-channel Internet stream, allowing viewers online to switch between coverage of multiple panels and activities during the show.

In addition to serving as a gathering place for the different Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, BlizzCon will have an array of activities, including discussion panels, competitive and casual tournaments, contests, hands-on playtime with current and upcoming Blizzard Entertainment games, and more.

Tickets to the convention will be priced at $150 USD each and will be available for purchase from the official BlizzCon website. Tickets will be released in two separate batches on June 2 at 7 p.m. Pacific time and on June 5 at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Those interested in attending BlizzCon can simplify the purchase process by registering a Battle.net account at eu.battle.net before ticket sales begin.

According to the NPD Group, Nintendo’s Wii and DS family of systems outsold all other gaming hardware in the United States during the month of April. Even before the announcement of the new Wii hardware package, U.S. sales of the Wii console topped 277,000 for the month. Meanwhile, the Nintendo DS family of hand-held systems sold more than 440,000 units nationwide. Together, Nintendo video game system sales represented 60 percent of all hardware sold in the United States in April.

New additions to the basic Wii package in North America went on sale May 9. In addition to a Wii console, one Wii Remote controller, one Nunchuk controller and a copy of the Wii Sports game, each system now comes bundled with a copy of Wii Sports Resort and a Wii MotionPlus accessory. Consumers can also choose between two hardware color schemes: white or black. The suggested retail price of the system remains unchanged at $199.99.

Six of the top 10 best-selling games of April play on Nintendo systems. These include Pokémon SoulSilver Version at No. 2 with nearly 243,000 sold, New Super Mario Bros. Wii at No. 3 with more than 200,000 sold, Pokémon HeartGold Version at No. 4 with more than 192,000 sold, Wii Sports Resort with Wii MotionPlus at No. 5 with more than 179,000 sold, Just Dance by Ubisoft at No. 8 with more than 144,000 sold and Wii Fit Plus with the Wii Balance Board accessory at No. 10 with more than 130,000 sold.

Gameloft, a leading publisher and developer of video games, announced that 330 million downloadable games have been sold since its founding. Gameloft’s catalog now numbers close to 300 titles in all existing genres and for all cultures. This includes sports games like Real Football, action games like Hero of Sparta and N.O.V.A. Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance, and adaptations of movies such as James Cameron’s Avatar. Thinking games like Brain Challenge or great intergenerational classics such as Uno, Shrek and Blokus are also widely acclaimed.

Gameloft’s games are available in over 80 countries and in 15 languages thanks to a network of over 300 distributors around the world (telecom operators, phone and console manufacturers and media partners).

According to the press release, in the long term, Gameloft will continue to benefit from the rapid emergence of digital distribution of video games on mobile phones, smart phones, tablets and consoles along with all major technological innovations brought to the market by companies such as Apple, Nintendo, Sony, Samsung and Nokia. The company has thus positioned itself this year as one of the first publishers for Apple’s App Store with 65 iPhone games launched since July 2008 and 15 games already available on the iPad.

2K Sports announced today that 24 year-old Wade McGilberry of Semmes, Alabama has won $1,000,000 by being the first person to throw a verified perfect game in Major League Baseball 2K10, the latest iteration of the popular Major League Baseball 2K series. The special contest, which was available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation3, features vastly improved gameplay and pitching mechanics this season in Major League Baseball 2K10.

Fans were able to participate in the $1,000,000 Major League Baseball 2K10 contest beginning on March 2, 2010 at 12:01 AM PST. The competition ended on May 1, 2010 at 11:59 PM PDT. To compete, gamers had to play in MLB Today mode, select from any of the available matchups, and then choose the option to participate in the ‘MLB 2K10 contest’ that automatically defaulted to the proper gameplay settings as defined by the official contest rules. Entries had to be recorded via camera or digital video recorder in compliance with guidelines provided by 2K in the official rules, and all eligible entrants had to submit a copy of their recording in its entirety for verification. Submissions were only accepted on DVD.

To ensure accuracy in the verification and submission process, 2K Sports partnered with Twin Galaxies International, the worldwide authority on video game world records, and provider of scores to Guinness World Records that are published in the Guinness World Records: Gamer’s Edition. On May 2, 2010, 2K Sports, in conjunction with Twin Galaxies International, began reviewing player submission videos. After a thorough review process, 2K Sports determined that Wade McGilberry was the first person to throw a verified perfect game in Major League Baseball 2K10.

You can pick up Major League Baseball 2K10 today in stores.

After the much anticipated wait, Halo: Reach is finally available for download as a beta. Halo fans around the world are now able to download the Halo: Reach multi-player beta via their Halo 3: ODST game discs and help make entertainment history by participating in the biggest console beta ever. Starting yesterday and concluding on May 19, the beta is a chance for millions of people to experience a portion of the competitive multiplayer offering in Halo: Reach, and an opportunity to test and help perfect the definitive multiplayer experience.

Building upon the successes of its predecessors, “Halo: Reach” breaks new ground with a host of new content and features, delivering the most thrilling and feature-packed multiplayer experience yet. With new game types, weapons, armor abilities, players rewards, customisation options, social settings and more, the “Halo: Reach” multiplayer beta introduces a wave of innovations that will take the award-winning “Halo” multiplayer experience on Xbox LIVE to the next level.

Additionally, an introduction video to the “Halo: Reach” beta featuring actress Aisha Tyler, which debuted last week via the “Halo 3: ODST” game disc, is now widely available. In the light-hearted video, Tyler breaks down all the action-packed new game types in the beta and offers insider tips, all while wielding a variety of life-size “Halo” weaponry. It’s a must-watch for any “Halo” fan.

Funcom, the developer of Age of Conan, is offering a exclusive pre-launch sneak peek for ‘Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer’, the first expansion for the best-selling massively multiplayer online game ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’. In cooperation with IGN.com, Funcom is giving thousands of gamers the opportunity to jump into the final days of the ‘Rise of the Godslayer’ beta and experience much of the content and gameplay that will be made available when the long-awaited expansion launches online and as a part of an updated package in retail on May 11th.

Starting today IGN.com will be handing out exclusive keys that will allow anyone to jump onto a special ‘Rise of the Godslayer´ beta server and play from Thursday May 6th at 3:00am PDT / 12:00 CET to late Monday evening – the day before launch. Keys are limited and are only available to Fileplanet subscribers. Certain European websites, such as Buffed.de in Germany, will also be distributing a limited number of keys during the next few days. We encourage gamers to keep an eye on the official community sites for the latest news on where to get keys.

Also, here are some interesting status Funcom provided for us:

Launching in May 2008 ‘Age of Conan’ quickly became a smash hit in retail, shipping over 1.2 million copies around the world. In the weeks after launch ‘Age of Conan’ simultaneously topped the charts in 17 countries, and the game received critical acclaim from gaming press across the globe. ‘Age of Conan’ is now available in English, French, German, Spanish, Russian and Polish localized versions, and is being prepared for launch Korea. The game has received multiple upgrades since launch, adding new playfields, multiple gameplay changes and several fixes.

Funcom is an independent developer and publisher of online games for PC, consoles and mobile platforms.

Blizzard, the publishing house behind such titles as World of Warcraft, Warcraft, Diablo and others, today announced that on July 27, 2010 the long awaited Starcraft 2 will become available. Starcraft 2 is a long awaited update to the 1998 hit game Starcraft. The sequel game once again pits three reaces against each other: Terrans, the Zerg, and the Protoss, with units from each race pitted against each other both in a single-player game as well as with a revamped Battle.net matchmaking system. The original game shipped more than 11 million copies, including one expansion, Brood War.

It’s good to note that Blizzard kept Starcraft 2 in beta for year, to to polish the gameplay before its release. The game will include 29 missions, plus several challenge mini-modes, according to Blizzard. According to Blizzard;

The solo campaign for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will continue the epic saga where it left off in StarCraft: Brood War®. The story line chronicles the exploits of marshal-turned-rebel-leader Jim Raynor and features both familiar faces and new heroes. Players will be able to tailor the experience, choosing their own mission path and selecting technology and research upgrades to suit their playing style throughout the 29-mission campaign. Several challenge-mode mini-games will also be included, with focused goals designed to ease players into the basics of multiplayer strategies.

Starcraft 2 will be released in the United States, Canada, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Mexico, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Pricing for the game has not yet been released. Players will also be able to purchase StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty directly from Blizzard Entertainment shortly after the retail launch.

2XL Games, the company behind the hit game ATV Off-road Fury and MX Unleashed, today announced the release of their new motocross racing game for the PC, 2XL Supercross. The new game offers a new rhythm-based, off-road racing experience that’s fun to play, but adds some challenges as well. 2XL Supercross is also available on the Apple App Store.

There are some hidden features inside the game, like gaining secret jump combinations by mastering the physics of a specific jump. Also, Motocross champion Stephane Roncada designed custom Supercross and Freestyle tracks in this high-speed excursion.

2XL Supercross comes with three levels; Time Trials, Practice and Racing. You can also choose three different types of motorcycles to race on — the 125cc, 250cc and 450cc bikes.

One of my favorite features of the game is the online element — even through the game is played through Steam, there are statistics and rankings live on the web when you play.

2XL Supercross is now available on Steam for $9.99, and is coming soon to additional digital distribution outlets. You can check out a trailer of the game below.

Iceberg Interactive and Gaijin Entertainment today announced that Wings of Prey is now available in the UK at major retailers and independent games shops. Wings of Prey is a Windows based game.

According to Iceberg and Gaijin, the World War II spectacle comes in a luxurious slipcase packaging and will also be released in retail in the German-speaking territories, Scandinavia, Benelux and France by Iceberg Interactive and its partners in May and June 2010.

Some Wings of Prey features include;

• Authentic World War atmosphere: Cutting edge technologies with highly detailed visuals bring the epic battles to life
• Engage in more than 50 missions from famous historical battles over Eastern and Western Europe
• Historically accurate aircrafts: Experience over 40 planes including fighters, battle planes and bombers. Learn to master Spitfire, Mustang, Messerschmitt and many more.
• Flexible difficulty level system: from arcade to realistic simulation
• Downloadable content support: more planes and missions coming in 2010
• Support of 6-DOF TrachIR, TripleHead2Go, Saitek and Thrustmaster joysticks, mouse and voice headsets
• Vast multiplayer: 4 game modes to choose; VoIP, lobby, game system, leaderboards, friends lists, join-in-progress and host migration features provide great experience
• Realistic sound effects and original music from Jeremy Soule

If you’re a reader of Teens in Tech Games, and based in the UK, go ahead and pick up Wings of Prey in your local game shop, and let us know what you think in the comments!

MobileBits, an independent game developer and publisher on the App Store, today announced the availability of Flight School Tests, a game for the iPhone and iPod touch that lets users control an aircraft with their fingers and attempt to avoid crashing with other flying objects.

For each aircraft type there are five tests the user has to pass. The game mechanics are easy to learn, but it is still hard to become an elite pilot, according to MobileBits.

Flight School Tests combines fun, with gaming with flying objects, and levels to beat. There are six different “domains” in the game.

Paper airplane test
Model aircraft test
Helicopter test
Airliner test
Spacecraft test
Elite test

If you pass five tests, you master the domain. If you master all the domains, you’re considered a master pilot in the game.

The app is $.99, and available in the App Store today.