2OpGaming

Chertsey, UK – February 12, 2008 – Leading video game developer BioWare™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) company, has announced that the award-winning space epic Mass Effect™ will be released for the PC in May 2008. Published by EA and re-designed for the PC, Mass Effect invites players to take the role of Commander Shepard as they set out on an adventure to save the galaxy from imminent destruction. Wrought with treachery, heroism, difficult decisions and a universe filled with unique and colorful species, Mass Effect delivers a truly compelling storyline.

Optimized for the PC, Mass Effect for the PC incorporates the following features:
• Optimized controls designed specifically for the PC.
• High resolution visuals – Mass Effect for the PC features highly detailed textures, characters and environments.
• Fully customizable controls – PC gamers can re-map the control scheme any way they like.
• Run & Gun Control – Players can assign biotic powers or skills to ‘hot keys’ allowing them to play Mass Effect with a heavier focus on action.
• New decryption mini-game.
• New inventory screen GUI and functionality – The enhanced inventory system makes it easier for players to equip and modify their weapons and armor.

“Mass Effect serves as a powerful example of video games as an art form, delivering new levels of emotional intensity, realistic characters and a gripping storyline – all set in a compelling new universe,” said Ray Muzyka, General Manager, BioWare and Vice President, Electronic Arts. Frank Gibeau, President of EA’s Games Label added, “EA has struck an agreement with Microsoft to handle future publishing for Mass Effect. We are looking forward to releasing Mass Effect on the PC this Spring and brand new titles in the future.”

Originally released for the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system, Mass Effect has received critical acclaim throughout the world with more than 70 awards including Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year and Role-Playing Game of the Year. Mass Effect combines a deep story with intense combat and challenges the player to make difficult decisions that can significantly impact the course of events. An innovative conversation system allows for lifelike interaction with some of the most realistic digital actors, voiced by Hollywood actors such as Seth Green, Marina Sirtis, Lance Henriksen and Keith David. Mass Effect for the PC has not yet been rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

Beautiful looking shots of Dice’s new upcoming game for the 360, PC, and PS3.

At the Macworld Expo today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced that SPORE™ will be available for the Mac later this year. From Will Wright, creator of the mega-hit The Sims™ comes Spore, the only game that allows creative personalities to explore the depths of their own personal galaxy. A sneak peek of the game will be on display at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, CA throughout this week. A PC version of the game will also be released later this year.

“We couldn’t be happier to bring Spore to the Mac at the same time as the PC version. Spore is a highly creative game and I look forward to seeing what the players come up with to fill the universe they design,” said Will Wright, Chief Designer of Spore.

Spore is your own personal universe in a box. In this universe you can create and evolve life, establish tribes, build civilizations and even sculpt entire worlds. In Spore you have a variety of creation tools at your disposal that allow you to customise nearly aspect of your universe: creatures, vehicles, buildings, and even spaceships. While Spore is a single player game, your creations and other players’ creations are automatically shared between your galaxy and theirs, providing a limitless number of worlds to explore and play.

“I am excited that we’ll be able to bring Spore directly to the Mac community. The intuitive Creature, Vehicle, and Building Creators in the game are so powerful that the possibilities are limitless. Players can create anything they can imagine and see them come to life in the game,” said Lucy Bradshaw, Executive Producer of Spore.

Spore is made up of five phases, each corresponding to a stage of evolution: cell, creature, tribe, civilization and space. Each phase presents different challenges and goals. You may choose to start with the cell phase and nurture one species from its humble aquatic origins to its evolution as a sentient species. Or you may decide to start building tribes or civilizations on multiple planets. What you do with your universe is up to you.

Both the PC and Macintosh versions of the game will feature the full experience of cell through to space with editors for designing creatures, buildings, and vehicles. Spore for the Mac will be made possible through TransGaming’s Cider Portability Engine, with experience gained from the past EA Mac titles.

Nice of EA come through on their commitment to putting games on Apple’s machine.

It’s official, the Turok Community Forums are now live! Visit www.turok.com (in the “Platoon” section) to interact and chat with more fans of our dino-hunting hero.And, if you haven’t visited recently, the entire Turok.com Web site has just been re-launched with a new design and includes: a series of gameplay videos; story, character and weapon information; screenshots; wallpapers; and, the first in a new series of Turok Podcasts, called The Propaganda Transmission. Check them out.And, for the uninitiated…in Turok, players take on the role of Joseph Turok, a former black ops commando, who is now part of an elite special forces squad, known as Whiskey Company. Turok is on a mission to take down a war criminal - Turok’s former mentor, Roland Kane. Turok must use his elite military training to elude Kane’s well-trained army (the Mendel-Gruman Corporation) as well as dinosaurs, huge insects and other ravenous creatures that populate the environment, in order to capture Kane and bring him to justice.

The cinematic-quality story of Turok combined with top Hollywood voice talent, including Timothy Olyphant, Powers Boothe, Ron Perlman, William Fichtner and Donnie Wahlberg, immerse the player into the world of Joseph Turok and his team.

Turok is being published by Touchstone and developed by Propaganda Games, and will be available for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 and Xbox 360(TM) on February 5, 2008. A Windows PC version will be available in Spring 2008.

Turok has been rated “M” for Mature with Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, and Language by the ESRB.

Pre-order Turok for the Xbox 360 or PS3 for a low $53.99 at Liongames.com

Merriam-Webster today announced that the 2007 word of the year is w00t! Internet gamers everything have ahernia and el o el and r o f l at the news.

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