gPotato Europe is celebrating: Street Gears is one year old
Enjoy the party in Park Town and join our anniversary events, starting today
gPotato Europe is delighted to announce the first anniversary of the free cel-shaded inline skating MMO Street Gears tomorrow, March 5th. To celebrate this date, the Street Gears team has prepared many different events for all players from March 4th-17th, 2010.
Everyone who logs into the the game will automatically receive a unique anniversary item for 14 days. But you will also have the opportunity to keep it as a permanent fashion item. All you have to do is to share your experience and impressions about Street Gears in our social media event, and the anniversary helmet will be yours forever.
Are you in a racing mood? Compete with your friends or other riders to take part in a number of races together with the entire community, with new races announced every day. If you can complete the number of races we will unlock 50% or 100% EXP for the whole server for seven days, starting immediately after the event on the March 18th.
Prepare for the St. Patrick’s tournament from March 11th-17th! Register your pre-set team by March 10th in order to participate in the Team Time Attack Beta. Run as many races as you want and your average time will be added to the team result. In the Time Attack Beta tournament you can further reduce your team’s time by doing more races. Start to train your racing skills today, as the best teams will be rewarded generously.
For more information on Street Gears, and to download the free game in French or German, check out the official Street Gears website at http://sg.gpotato.eu.
Transpee an extreme online racing game
Fans are invited to join the upcoming closed beta test February 19-21
GameHi officially announced Transpee, the free-to-download, free-to-play extreme online multiplayer racing game. Interested players can register at http://transpee.gamehi.com/ to take part in the upcoming closed beta test scheduled for February 19-21.
Transpee offers players a thrilling online racing game boasting innovative 3D tracks, unique cars and characters, and customization options to make each user’s experience different. The addictive multiplayer races are set on six elaborate adrenaline filled maps like the 3D Roller Coaster track featuring massive jumps and cars without breaks! Closed beta testers can get a feel for its easy-to-learn yet hard to master controls, single, team, speed and item racing modes, and endless car modifications. Players can choose among several characters including Denis, the leader of a bike gang, or Arumi, a female cop who chases after him, but soon realizes her passion for racing.
The characters might be cute, but the cars are dangerous offering players the ability to carve up another’s car and use a variety of stunt skills. The car’s surfaces are designed to produce optimum speed using the air-pressure of the cars ahead. Their reinforced durability and physical system enable drivers to use a driving strategy allowing massive crashes with the other drivers. The elements controlling each car’s distinct running characteristics include; weight, wheel size, steering angle, horsepower, tires friction, and engine characteristic curves. These new technologies also allow parts of the car’s bodies to be replaced with more aerodynamic pieces to improve the car’s ability to draft another.
Pole Position 2010
GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES!
Kalypso Media revealed details for the new racing management simulation title Pole Position 2010. Scheduled for release in April 2010 for PC Pole Position 2010 boasts extensive management simulation gameplay to satisfy racing fans worldwide.
Pole Position 2010 will test your tactical mind and managerial skills to the limit as you head up your very own racing team. Whether you choose to take over an existing crew or establish a brand new team, you will be tasked with negotiating with drivers, suppliers and sponsors as well as participating in research and development of cutting-edge technology. Build your team from a pool of more than 200 drivers and 1000 crew members before constructing, testing and fine tuning your race car and heading to one of the 17 race tracks to put all your hard work to the test.
As the manager you must decide the team’s race strategy and communicate tactics throughout the race, watching them play out in real time. Races are won by a matter of seconds so one wrong decision could cost you a podium place. Once you have your team established why not challenge a friend via the multiplayer mode to decide not only who has the best team but who has the best tactical mind.
Do you have what it takes to take your team to Pole Position?
Features:
• Extensive management simulation for racing fans
• 17 race tracks all recreated in stunning detail
• Take over an existing crew or establish your very own racing team from more than 200 drivers and 1000 other team members
• Construct, test and race your own team cars using 17 different components
• Powerful race driver and team editing tool
• Give instructions to the team during the race and see your plans unfold in real time
• Multiplayer mode for 2 players via LAN or internet
Pole Position 2010 is scheduled for an April 2010 release on PC DVD (RRP £19.99).
New official FIA World Rally Championship game to be launched
WRC’s unique off-road driving experience is coming back
Fans of the FIA World Rally Championship will soon be able to get closer to the action after it was announced that a new official WRC console game is now under development and scheduled for launch in 2010.
The agreement with leading Milan based publisher, Black Bean Games, will see the WRC game available across the world for the first time on PlayStation®3, Xbox360® videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft® and PC formats. Black Bean Games, and their in-house development studio Milestone, have an excellent track record of successful motorsport games including the SBK Superbike championship and MotoGP.
The new official WRC game will provide the sport with major promotional and commercial opportunities, which will continue to grow the reach and appeal of the WRC on a global scale.
Simon Long, ISC CEO, said: “The official WRC game will engage a whole new audience for the sport and we’re tremendously excited at the opportunities to grow our fan base and the profile of the WRC. It provides a hugely powerful touch point for us in which to showcase the WRC to consumers, and it will be the most realistic and playable rally game of all time. We chose to work with Black Bean Games because they have a proven track record making top level games with the official license in two-wheel motorsport.”
Virgilio Bixio, Black Bean Games President, added: “We are particularly proud to bring the WRC franchise back into the videogames arena after so many years of absence. Milestone has been working hard on this title and our expectations are really high. We will be able to provide the utmost competitive title that will provide extremely positive results. Furthermore, Milestone’s work is enriched by the overwhelming support we have received from the WRC community.”
The official WRC game agreement was secured by ISC, the exclusive worldwide media and commercial rights holder for the FIA World Rally Championship.
gamescom 2009: Cologne eagerly awaits the gamescom premiere, with more than 420 exhibitors from 30 countries expected
Fans of interactive entertainment can look forward to world and European premieres of games, action, events and entertainment in Cologne at gamescom, already the international meeting place of the industry at its very first staging
Gamescom is under starter’s orders and the stands are already being set up in Cologne. Organiser Koelnmesse and its ideal partner the German Association of Interactive Entertainment Software (Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware – BIU) are eagerly waiting to greet more than 420 exhibitors from 30 countries from 19-23 August. With foreign participation at 45 per cent, gamescom has become the industry’s international meeting point at a stroke. Over a total of 120,000 square metres of exhibition space, the industry community, from developers to publishers and trading partners all the way to the large group of gamers, will meet in halls 4 to 9 of Koelnmesse.
Fans and friends of interactive entertainment can look forward to a grand show of game premieres, a spectacular event and entertainment programme on the entire trade show grounds – indoors and outdoors – and in the city itself at the gamescom Festival. Already well over 100 world, European and German premieres of games in all genres are on the bill. With more than 30 exhibitors from the areas of media learning and expertise, and the gamescom congress organised by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Europe’s largest event for interactive entertainment and games is also giving a huge boost to child welfare. Koelnmesse, the German Association of Interactive Entertainment Software (BIU), the City of Cologne and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia are ready to launch the premiere of gamescom. “The games can begin,” say Oliver P. Kuhrt, Managing Director of Koelnmesse, and Olaf Wolters, head of the BIU, in unison.
Industry meeting place
With foreign companies making up 45 per cent of exhibitors – including firms from the UK, France, the US and Canada – gamescom is already the new international industry meeting place right from the start. Games producers from France, Italy, the UK, Scandinavia, Taiwan and Thailand will present their products on six shared stands. The business area (halls 4 and 5) will see the European games industry do business with their trading partners, while the entertainment area (halls 6 to 9) is devoted to companies presenting their new products to private visitors. For example in hall 6 of gamescom, companies including Activision Blizzard, Capcom, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Square Enix and Take Two will showcase their latest titles. In hall 7, Konami, Sony and Ubisoft, Bigben Interactive, Hama, Koch Media and others will cater to fans of interactive entertainment. In hall 8, next to the north entrance, firms including Nintendo, Namco Bandai, Sega, Warner Brothers, dtp and Tivola will present their innovations. Hall 9 puts e-sports, core gaming and the dynamic online gaming segment centre stage. Here, Turtle Entertainment, GOA, NcSoft, Funcom and others will show their products in the best light. To ensure that visitors to gamescom have as much active gaming time as possible, themed game zones (lifestyle, sport, action & adventure, e-sports) will complement the exhibitor stands. This is where the virtual world of games meets its real-world counterpart.
World premieres and interactive supporting programme
In the entertainment area, visitors to gamescom will experience a festival of new computer and video games. It will feature new products in just about every genre, from infotainment and edutainment games, to casual, sports and music games, all the way to action and adventure. In short, video and PC, online and browser games producers and hardware providers, too, will be presenting their latest developments, with exhibitors presenting more than one hundred world, European and German premieres. Sports fans, for example, can look forward to the premieres of Pro Evolution Soccer 10, FIFA 10, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Tony Hawk Ride, while racing aficionados will be treated to Need for Speed Nitro and Forza Motorsport 3. The pulses of music-lovers will also be quickened by titles such as Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero 5, The Beatles Rock Band, Band Hero, LIPS – No. 1 Hits and Just sing.
The line-up of global players from around the world is already being hotly awaited by the European gaming community in the focus area of online, browser and mobile games. Besides browser game market leaders gameforge and Bigpoint, more than 20 companies from Germany, Europe and South Korea will present the entire gamut of games and latest blockbusters, among them World of Warcraft and “Celebrities”.
Away from the screens and monitors, the interactive supporting programme at gamescom will provide the best in entertainment. Creative costumed action fans and friends of relaxing entertainment at gamescom will certainly get their money’s worth in the real world too. For example, from Thursday the best case modders will battle it out in the German case-modding championships, which will award prizes to the most inventive homemade PC housings. People looking to enter the games industry or move within it will want to head straight to the job and career centre in hall 8. There visitors will also find the “Retro Gaming 1972-2009″ exhibition, showcasing almost four decades of gaming history. Outside, cosplayers – costumed players – will be awaiting their turn. On Saturday, the south entrance will be the setting for a cosplay world record attempt, which has been officially registered with Guinness World of Records. Another outdoor event will see the most daring motorcyclists take their racers through the freestyle course. In hall 8, the German Motorcycle Trade Association (Industrie-Verband Motorrad Deutschland – IVM) will showcase the fascinating world of motorbikes and scooters. Participation is the order of the day in other supporting events too. The outdoor course will test entrants’ mettle in overcoming obstacles and becoming the fastest and most effective in getting from A to B, a skill that comes first and foremost in many games, after all. Trade show visitors can also attend small workshops to learn the basics of this trend discipline straight from the pros. From Thursday to Sunday, the other outdoor exhibitor events will provide perfect entertainment for fans and families alike. Those in need of a break from the hubbub in the halls and the grounds can escape to the gamescom beach, where they can relax and recharge before the next round of show highlights.
“gamesCompetence” unites teaching content and expertise
Youth protection, media learning and instruction in media skills come under the “gamesCompetence” heading at gamescom. This event throws the spotlight on offers from young people for their age group, associations, clubs and institutions, as well as the gamescom congress organised by the state government. Almost 40 exhibitors, among them associations, clubs, and educational facilities, will actively participate in the “gamesCompetence” event highlight. The NRW 2009 Youth Forum in hall 8 hosted in collaboration with Cologne Youth Welfare Office will centre on offers from young people for young people. Also taking part in the “gamesCompetence” programme: the Federal Centre for Political Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung – BpB), the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz – KJM), the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien – BPjM) and educational facilities including the University of Cologne. The main highlight of the gamescom days under the sign of youth protection, media learning and expertise is the gamescom congress to be staged under the state government’s auspices on 20 August in the Congress Centre North. The congress, which is free to all, is devoted to the latest debates revolving around the world of computer gaming. The topic of age-appropriate use of interactive media does not only play a role in the specialist part of gamescom – the right way to deal with games will also be demonstrated live in the trade show grounds. To ensure young people are protected at gamescom itself, visitors will be given coloured armbands according to their age. This follows the guidelines of self-regulating software body the USK and enables exhibitors to ensure that games are only played by the age groups they are intended for. Games for players aged 16 and over will be demonstrated in a closed-off area of exhibitor stands. All in all, the offers for parents and teachers, educators, politicians, media and other interested parties at “gamescompetence” range from practical applications and tools all the way to top political discussions.
The gamescom Festival takes the games into the city
The supporting gamescom Festival takes the games into the city where it will address the target group of casual gamers, leisure and occasional players after the trade show closes with lots of fun. The city centre around Rudolfplatz, Friesenplatz and Neumarkt will feature two stages with an entertaining line-up of live acts, while the area between Rudolfplatz and Friesenplatz will be given over to interactive gaming with show trucks and game modules. The festival will open its doors on 19 August with top European music act Die Toten Hosen who will appear with Gentlemen and other top names to rock the audience in the dancing zone adjoining the trade show grounds. Following the opening ceremony on Wednesday, the city festival in downtown Cologne will provide spectacular entertainment from Friday to Sunday. National and international music acts, interactive gaming and the BÄM Awards will showcase fun from its best angle over three days true to the gamescom motto, “Celebrate the games”.
PC Classic Serious Sam HD to be released by cdv this autumn
cdv Software Entertainment AG is working with Croteam and Devolver Digital to bring Serious Sam HD for PC to retail and digital download in all worldwide territories excluding Russia.
Originally released in 2001, Serious Sam won numerous accolades including Game of the Year on Gamespot and Editor’s Choice on IGN. Developed on Croteam’s proprietary Serious Engine 3; Serious Sam HD stays true to the source material, as our hero takes on Lord Mental’s forces across a variety of battlegrounds set in various ancient civilisations. The gameplay remains as intense as ever and the humour intact, all this in glorious high definition!
Roman Ribaric, CEO of Croteam said “We have been really excited to see Sam being recreated in stunning high definition and to have the opportunity to truly update our hero. The fans of Sam have never gone away and have been lobbying us hard to do this, so we are really excited to be able to confirm that Sam will be back as big, bold and bad as he ever was and we are really stoked about introducing Sam to new gamers as well as his loyal fans.”
Arne Peters, COO of cdv Software Entertainment AG commented, “cdv are very excited to be involved in bringing Serious Sam HD to market. The game has an outstanding heritage and is still talked about today in reverential terms. Therefore, this HD version of a classic can only be great news for PC gamers everywhere.”
For more information about cdv Software Entertainment AG please visit www.cdv.de
Gametrailers.Com Announces Winners Of Distinguished Game Of The Year Awards 2008
Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV Takes Home Coveted “Game of the Year” Award, Along with “Best Action Adventure Game,” “Best Story,” “Best PlayStation3 Game” and “Best Xbox 360 Game”
GameTrailers (GT) – the premier provider of video for gamers – announced the winners of the “GameTrailers Game Of The Year Awards 2008,” crowning Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV as “Game of the Year.” Other notable winners include Bethesda Software’s Fallout 3 and SCEA’s LittleBigPlanet.
Celebrating the outstanding caliber of games in 2008, GameTrailers revealed the nominees and winners of 28 game award categories during a ten-day series, culminating on New Years Eve. The GT editorial staff selected the nominees and winners after spending countless hours reviewing hundreds of games for their gameplay, design, artistry and innovation. In honoring the five nominees and ultimate winner in each category, GT produced informative video packages that showcase gameplay highlights and editorial comments on the merits of each nominee.
“This was yet another epic year for the gaming industry, and choosing a winner for each category proved to be very difficult,” said Shane Satterfield, Editor in Chief, GameTrailers. “It was a lengthy, yet fulfilling task to sit with our experienced editorial staff and pick the winners. We want to congratulate the many developers and publishers for their exceptional games and hope their great results carry on into the New Year.”
Log on to GameTrailers to watch all of the “Game of the Year Awards 2008” at www.gametrailers.com
Winners of the “GameTrailers Game Of The Year Awards 2008” are as follows:
Best Puzzle/Parlor Game
Professor Layton and the Curious Village – Nintendo
Best Strategy Game
Sins of A Solar Empire – Stardock
Best New Franchise
LittleBigPlanet - SCEA
Best PlayStation 2 Game
Rock Band 2 - MTV Games/Electronic Arts
Best Racing Game
Burnout Paradise - Electronic Arts
Best PSP Game
God of War: Chains of Olympus - SCEA
Best Nintendo DS Game
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia – Konami
Best Action Adventure Game
Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games
Best Sports Game
NHL 09 - Electronic Arts
Best Role-Playing Game
Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks
Most Innovative Game
LittleBigPlanet - SCEA
Best Story
Grand Theft Auto IV – Rockstar Games
Best Third-Person Shooter
Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios
Biggest News Story
Final Fantasy XIII for Xbox 360
Best Downloadable Game
Braid - Number None Inc.
Best Music and Rhythm Game
Rock Band 2 – MTV Games
Most Disappointing Game
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - LucasArts
Best Graphics
Gears of War 2 – Microsoft Game Studios
Best First-Person Shooter
Resistance 2 - SCEA
Best Trailer
Resident Evil 5 Tokyo Game Show Trailer – Capcom
Best Software Lineup
PlayStation 3
Best Multiplayer Game
Rock Band 2 - Electronic Arts
Biggest Surprise
Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360
Best PC Game
Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks
Best Wii Game
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Nintendo
Best PlayStation 3 Game
Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games
Best Xbox 360 Game
Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games
Game of the Year
Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games
Racing Instinct Given the Green Light for Beta Testing
Waygate Publishing Limited, a London-based company specialising in the localisation and operation of Russian online games for the Western market, today invited beta testers for its latest project: Racing Instinct (www.racing-instinct.com and www.racinginstinct.com), an action-packed, thrill-filled, nitro-fuelled racing game with more than just fast cars. There are 30 beta testing places up for grabs, so contact Waygate Publishing on beta-1@waygate-publishing.com now for your registration code!
Join the race
Take on racers from all over the world, take your place on the podium and assume your position at the top of the leader board…all via your keyboard! Start out with an old banger, soup it up and show off your skills with the best car on the track.
Mini-games galore
And it’s not all about burning rubber…if you’re short of cash to splash on your motor, earn some money by cleaning windscreens at the local petrol station. The canaries have been eating something that has greatly upset their stomachs and everyone’s been driving down to the car wash… Or you could get your hands dirty by searching for useful junk in the scrap yard. And if you really want to make a mess, throw some eggs in the classic Egg Wars!
Fireworks
Once you’ve proven yourself the undisputed champion of the world, or the race track, at least, you can celebrate by letting off some fireworks in the city centre to show the world that you’re number 1!
Minimum requirements
- 64Mb Direct X 9 video card
- 512Mb RAM
- 1.9GHz processor
- Windows XP SP2 (generally works in Windows Vista but some users may experience compatibility problems with the Virtools plug-in which are being resolved)
- Internet Explorer 5.5 or above (not yet available on Firefox)
- Virtools plugin
Contact beta-1@waygate-publishing.com for further details.
GTR EVOLUTION
SimBin has released the official demo for GTR Evolution including Brands Hatch 07 and the Sunred Sr21 race car.
Following the success of GTR Evolution, SimBin has decided to release a demo to share the success with a wider audience. In the demo players will also experience the new Race-line and track map functionality.
Sunred is a Spanish built supercar hailing from Barcelona that aims to become a serious threat to the more established teams in current GT racing. A Judd V10 delivers around 500 horsepower, enough to propel its 1100 kilos around any track at breathtaking speeds. In this demo the Sunred Sr21 is available in the distinct Logitech green or in the blue and white of MotorsTV.
Brands Hatch is an old favorite and any SimBin fan will have driven it countless times in search of the perfect lap. Drivers new to Brands Hatch will note the feared first dipping turn; get that one wrong and you’re in big trouble before the lap has even started. Brands Hatch is a driver’s track and a true challenge of skill and nerves when attempting to tame it in a powerful GT car.
When you feel confident in your ability to power the Sunred around Brands Hatch, then jump online and show the world your skills! The demo has full online capability, and you’ll face great drivers from all over the world when you decide to take the next step into multiplayer gaming.
For a download link please visit www.simbin.com or the official GTR Evolution website at www.gtrevolution.com/downloads.htm
About GTR Evolution for PC:
GTR Evolution contains 5 new classes of the finest cars with a total of 30 new models to race.
In the GT classes players can experience legendary cars like the Corvette C6R, Aston Martin DBR9, BMW M3 GTR, Koenigsegg CCGT and Spyker GT2R.
Even more exciting are the all-new WTCC Extreme cars. These are pumped up fictional WTCC car designs developed by SimBin in cooperation with the FIA WTCC, and are exclusive to GTR Evolution.
The racing thrills continue with the Production Car Class featuring the street versions of the Audi R8, Dodge Viper SRT/10, Koenigsegg CCX and Gumpert Apollo.
Overall, GTR Evolution offers 49 unique cars in 12 classes with more than 500 variations as well as 19 tracks in over 40 different layouts including the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Features:
- In-game file sharing lets players upload and download settings and ghost files
- Online scoreboards and ranking is available for all the new tracks and classes
- Updated and improved Race-line in Time-Trial featuring distinctive brake-markers, multiple race-lines to compare and follow, and more
- The Replay system has been upgraded with the possibility to not only save the full replay after the race but also the instant replays that can be viewed during the race.
- New R-cade ExtremeTM mode shifts the emphasis from realism to pure action by implementing more intense backfires, damage, and debris along with easier physics for tearing up the course
- Championship functionality allows full integration of the GT cars to run an endurance championship as well as a touring championship
GTR Evolution is distributed by Viva Media in the US, Atari in Europe, Akella in Russia, QV software in Australia, and Zoo in Japan.
City Interactive Launches Overspeed – take to the streets of LA to feel the force of illegal street racing
Title: Overspeed: High Performance Street Racing
Publisher City Interactive
Format: PC DVDROM
Genre: Racing
Brand: Premiere Silver
Price: £4.99
Age Rating: 3+
Available: 13 June 2008

Overspeed: High Performance Street Racing, a racing game for the PC launches from City Interactive’s Premiere Silver range of brand new games priced at just £4.99. Drivers of the fastest and most showy cars take to the streets of L.A, the birthplace of illegal street racing to become legends of the night. The competition is cut-throat but race well and climb the ladder of the underground street racing hierarchy to become L.A.’s new racing hero! As players progress through the game, they must modify their rides, take up challenges and win, win, win!
Overspeed puts players in the seat of one of 10 stock import cars challenging them to seek out random street races where you can win parts and cars. Faithfully recreated famous locations of illegal races in Los Angeles come to life for players with diversified roadways, corners, and intersections that made the dynamic street races a possibility. Players must slowly mold their vehicle into a finely tuned racing machine, capable of taking on the streets, but it won’t be easy! There are many other racers out there with these same aspirations, willing to do whatever it takes to get the checkered flag first!
Disassemble, repair, and upgrade vehicles part by part – from bumpers to sway bars – nearly every possible part that is found on an actual vehicle will not only be present in Overspeed, but removable, damageable, and upgradeable. Basic rules of tuning allows players to improve the efficiency of the engine in top gear in order to achieve more speed, change the exhaust system in order to have better acceleration, install a spoiler, a diffuser and door sills to improve aerodynamics and install a nitrous oxide system to boost the power of their ride.
Game features:
• 10 highly detailed vehicle models
• Locational damage and realistic damage modelling on every part of the vehicle
• Visual and mechanical tuning – match the performance of your ride with the right look to reflect your own personal style and create the fastest car in town
• Interchangeable parts from bumpers to exhaust pipes to engines, allowing for numerous of customising options
• Supports standard PC driving wheels and peripherals
• Expanded single player career as well as a multiplayer mode for up to 8 players
• Online live head-to-head play, with score/time based competitive play, ranking and matchmaking system
• Ghosting or collision enabled play
Overspeed: High Performance Street Racing is just one of six brand new PC games launched this month by City Interactive, one of Poland’s largest games developers and international multi-format publishers. The new releases are from the Silver Premiere collection priced just £4.99 and follow hot on the heels of the first three Gold Premiere titles launched in May which marked City Interactive’s long awaited UK arrival.





