The PC Centric Extravaganza 5.20.08

Posted by Chris Evans on 05.20.2008

Red Alert - Bunnies on the GRID

The PC Centric Extravaganza 20th May 2008


Welcome to another edition of the PC Centric Extravaganza! Apologies for what is going to be a short column, but my last university exam of term last Friday meant I didn't get the time to keep track of all the PC news. In good news though I am now free from university for a few months and later this week I will be getting some great new components so I can fix my PC!

On with the news!

Red Alert 3 Trailer



What thoughts go through my mind after watching that?

Poor, very poor, I don't know what it is, but this trailer does nothing for me. Everything just seems wrong. Apart from Hell March that is, a great song that seems ruined by being attached with this trailer. It really just seems a mess of varying art styles that currently just leaves me wondering what has happened to the C&C franchise these past few years.

Golden GRID

In some exciting Race Driver: GRID news the Executive Producer has confirmed that it has gone gold. So we can expect GRID to land on the 30th of May. It is also confirmed that GRID has had the Games for Windows label stuck on it.

The following trailer shows off some sexy looking cars burning rubber on the Japanese tracks. Also of note in the trailer is a new song, 'Phat Planet' by Leftfield replaces the usual Queens of the Stoneage remix.



As soon as I get my PC up and running expect a preview based on the demo for GRID.

Boogie Bunnies

Boogie Bunnies has been released on the PC and is avilable for $19.99 or you can try out the free trial.

The aim of the game is simple, match up three bunnies of the same colour to prevent some great evil falling upon them. Cute and fun this looks so get more information here.

Los Angeles – May 12, 2008 – Sierra Online, a division of Vivendi Games, has released Boogie Bunnies for Windows PC. The next evolution in match-three puzzle games, Boogie Bunnies revolutionizes the popular genre with exceptional 3D graphics and wacky critters full of personality. The character rich Boogie Bunnies game follows a mob of zany rabbits as they shake their tails through exotic destinations including the Artic and Amazon all the way to the ultimate dance off in Hollywood, Calif. A free trial of the game is available at www.boogiebunnies.com.



"The PC casual gaming market is booming so we created Boogie Bunnies to give puzzle fanatics the ultimate fix," said Nicole Perez, vice president of marketing, Sierra Online. "In addition to the amazing graphics, gamers are going to be amused by the unexpected things these entertaining characters do."



In the Boogie Bunnies game, players match the colorful bunnies from three different sides – left, right and bottom - to save them from marching off of the screen and into dangerous pitfalls. Bunny busters can score chain combinations, triggering unexpected, entertaining dance moves and amusing chants. The three game modes – classic, arcade and endless – allow players to enjoy the game at their own pace.



The Boogie Bunnies game is rated E for everyone and is available on major gaming portals for $19.99. The game is also available on Xbox LIVEฎ Arcade for the Xbox 360ฎ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. For more information or to download a free trial visit www.boogiebunnies.com

AMD Game!



AMD have launched a new PC labeling system based on the performance of the PC the label is thrown on. The AMD Game! (AMD exclamation mark) system has been designed to show to prospective PC buyers the PC gaming potential of the PC at hand.

There are two labels, both of which will be updated with performance levels every six months, the labels are known as AMD Game! and AMD! Game Ultra.

AMD's Brent Barry told Shacknews this:

"We're trying to help people identify PCs that are really ready to play the latest games," AMD desktop gaming strategist Brent Barry explained to Shacknews. "Basically, to bring a little bit of that console-like simplicity to the mainstream gamers."

While this is an innovative and novel idea to help push the PC as a gaming platform the system only applies to PC systems based on AMD or ATi processors and graphics cards. It must also be noted that AMD are not part of the PC Gaming Alliance. As such it is debatable how much of an impact this will have with it being limited to the PCs which it applies to.

Mystery PI

Mystery PI - The Vegas Heist is the latest game from SpinTop games and published by PopCap Games. The Vegas Heist is a sequel to last years Mystery PI - The Lottery Ticket and this time throws you in a Las Vegas themed story.

The Vegas Heist challenges players to solve the crime of the century by exploring dozens of "crime scenes" and other locations for hidden "clues."

"There's no better place than Las Vegas to solve a multibillion-dollar theft via hidden object puzzles – from deep inside a casino's vault, to the Vegas Strip, hotels, limousines and exclusive country clubs, the locations were all created to transport players to this amazing city," stated Duncan Magee, co-director and co-founder of SpinTop. "Our entire team rallied behind bringing the visual excitement of Vegas to a casual game. In addition to creating more than two dozen intriguing locations, we focused our efforts on making Mystery PI Vegas a game for all those arm chair detectives out there – players must spot clues and solve riddles to find the money!"

The Press Release follows and you can either purchase or try out the game here.

PopCap Launches Mystery P.I. ™ – The Vegas Heist Game

New Hidden Object Mystery from SpinTop Studio Jets Players to Las Vegas



Vancouver, British Columbia – May 19, 2007 – SpinTop Games, a division of leading casual game developer and publisher PopCap Games, today announced the immediate availability of Mystery P.I. ™ – The Vegas Heist, a new "hidden object" puzzle game with a Las Vegas storyline. A sequel to the popular Mystery P.I. – The Lottery Ticket launched last year, Mystery P.I. – The Vegas Heist challenges players to solve the crime of the century by exploring dozens of "crime scenes" and other locations for hidden "clues." Mystery P.I. – The Vegas Heist carries a retail price of US$19.95, and a free trial of the deluxe version is available now for download at www.popcap.com and www.spintop-games.com. The game will also be available on other leading game portals, including RealArcade.com, MSN Gaming Zone and Yahoo! Games, later this quarter.



"There's no better place than Las Vegas to solve a multibillion-dollar theft via hidden object puzzles – from deep inside a casino's vault, to the Vegas Strip, hotels, limousines and exclusive country clubs, the locations were all created to transport players to this amazing city," stated Duncan Magee, co-director and co-founder of SpinTop. "Our entire team rallied behind bringing the visual excitement of Vegas to a casual game. In addition to creating more than two dozen intriguing locations, we focused our efforts on making Mystery PI Vegas a game for all those arm chair detectives out there – players must spot clues and solve riddles to find the money!"



In Mystery P.I. – The Vegas Heist, the theft of the century has just happened! Over $4 billion in cash has been stolen from the state's newest casino the day before its grand opening, and the casino has hired you to find the money – fast. Your fee will be $50 million if you succeed. Investigate 25 intriguing Vegas locations to find over 2,300 cleverly hidden objects. As your investigation skills improve, your P.I. rank increases. Strive for a Perfect Investigation every time to earn bonus points. The game offers two addictive ways to play: in Vegas Heist mode, you must find clues and piece the clues together to discover the location of the money and return it before the casino's grand opening. In the unlockable Unlimited Seek & Find mode, you can search for every hidden object in every scene with no time limits.



Key features of Mystery P.I. – The Vegas Heist include:

• Find over 2,300 cleverly hidden objects.

• Investigate 25 lushly rendered Vegas locations to locate and return the stolen money.

• Play 5 unique mini-games: Word Search, Tile Rotation, Tile Swap, Jigsaw and a unique crime-solving puzzle.

• Locate the secret keys and poker chips to unlock Unlimited Seek & Find game mode.

• Go for a Perfect Investigation and speed bonuses to become a Master P.I.



About PopCap

PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of "casual games" — fun, easy-to-learn, captivating computer games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 180 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C. and Dublin. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweledฎ, has sold more than 10 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap's games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, mobile operators and developers, and game device manufacturers.

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The PopCap logo and all other trademarks used herein that are listed at www.popcap.com/trademarks are owned by PopCap Games, Inc. or its licensors and may be registered in some countries. Other company and product names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners and are used for the benefit of those owners.

Wrapping Up

So sorry about the lack of much news this week, should be back on track for next week!