Adam's Venture II: Solomon's Secret (PC)

Adam's Venture II Adam and Evelyn become entangled in a ruthless dig on the Temple Mount that's stirring up the entire region.
Release Date: Apr 8: 2011


 In Adam's Venture II: Solomon's Secret, Adam Venture and his crew end up in 1920's Jerusalem after having escaped alive from the Caverns of Eden. On their continuous search for the Lost Garden of Eden, they become entangled in a thickening plot featuring a ruthless dig for the ancient King Solomon’s treasure - but is that really all there is to it? Not all is as it seems.

Videogames publisher Iceberg Interactive and game developer Vertigo Games today are proud to announce that Adam’s Venture 2: Solomon’s Secret (PC) has been shipped to major retailers where the game will be available at the end of the week.

Adam Venture is an action explorer hero: Adventurous but using his wits rather than resorting to violence. Brought to life from a third person perspective with the Unreal 3tm engine, adventure gamers are in for a real visual treat in combination with family values storytelling. In this second installment of the episodic series, Adam Venture and his crew end up in 1920’s Jerusalem after having escaped alive from the Caverns of Eden. On their continuous search for the Lost Garden of Eden, they become entangled in a thickening plot featuring a ruthless dig for the ancient King Solomon’s treasure – but is that really all there is to it? What is the real goal of the infamous Clairvaux Corporation?

Adam’s Venture 2 picks up where their previous episode left off. If you're not familiar with the original Adam's Venture, think of this as an Indiana Jones game with Biblical overtones.   Adam and his partner Evelyn barely escape with their lives from the lost Garden of Eden.  Upon boarding their plane, the pilot is upset that the professor who was with them (and turned on them) did not survive.  Adam and Evelyn are quickly thrown into jail and must find a way to escape and find out what this Clairvoix Corporation is really about.

After breaking out of jail in the game's early moments, Adam and Evelyn run for their lives by heading to Jerusalem. It turns out that this corporation is mining in the temple mount seeking Solomon’s lost treasures.  Their motive is greed and they don’t care what the cost is for the locals as well as our main characters.  You must beat them to the treasure and prevent them from discovering it!


As if locating the temple isn’t challenging enough, the puzzles guarding it will make you put your thinking cap on.  Besides lock pick puzzles, you will have to solve various math equation and scripture puzzles, too.  Many of the brainteasers come back with harder versions later on in the game, but the difficulty of all of the puzzles is just about right in my opinion. I didn’t need to hunt the web for any solutions, but I did need to jot some notes down to solve and analyze these riddles.


It's been a long time since I played a game that does not require mouse input: the controls consist of using the arrow keys for movement, the space bar to jump, and the control key to crouch.  While the control scheme works pretty well, you cannot customize or re-map the keys to your liking.

The game automatically saves your progress at check points so it's pretty painless to return to where you left off.  I’m happy to report that this game is at least twice as long as the first installment, but it’s still short, offering roughly four to five hours of game play.  There are some unlock codes for extra online content but as of this review they don’t appear to be functional yet.

Graphically, this game is stunning, as it takes advantage of the Unreal 3 engine. There are some minor graphical glitches and modeling imperfections but this is still the best looking Christian themed game I've played so far. The caves and caverns look as creepy as they are intended to. The human models and animations look great. The engine handles the water, fire and textures with ease.


The voice acting and sound effects are well done. The character development is believable and you can’t help the urge to want to smack Adam for being so oblivious when it comes to Evelyn and her feelings. The scenery is both creepy and gorgeous at the appropriate times. There are murky caverns to explore and the remains of Solomon's temple are breathtaking. While the music is fitting, ultimately it's forgettable.

From an appropriateness standpoint this game is pretty clean as there is no blood or gore. It’s safe to play for all ages.

Game Features:

* Developed using the critically acclaimed Unreal 3 Engine.

* Second game of the episodic series. Brilliantly rendered in vivid 3D for striking visuals and truly stunning environments that breathe life into the story.

* Non Violent gameplay.

* Engaging storyline weaving a classic adventure with biblical overtones, adding more characters, depth and twists in this second game of the series.

* 8 distinct levels, including outdoor environments, with much longer gameplay.

* Over 50 challenging puzzles, varying in difficulty degree.

Dino D-Day (PC)

Dino D-Day is a frantic, action-packed multiplayer game that will transport you to a World War II full of dinosaurs.

Release Date: Apr 8, 2011

Adolf Hitler has succeeded in resurrecting dinosaurs. The reptilian horde has trampled Europe and the Mediterranean. Can nothing stop the Nazi’s dinosaur army?

 You and your friends will battle online choosing to serve the cause of the Allied nations or Adolf Hitler. The Allied side includes six playable characters each with unique weapons and abilities to use in combat. Gun down a Dilophosaur with your trusty M1 Garand, blast a kamikaze pterosaur out of the sky with your Thompson sub-machine gun, toss out a dead jack rabbit to lure a raptor into a trap.

As an Axis player you will have your choice of three human classes and three dinosaur classes. Ambush your enemy with speed and stealth as the Raptor, mercilessly pound the enemy with the Desmatosuchus' heavy 20mm gun, rampage through enemy groups as the Dilophosaur, pick up a body and throw it at an enemy for a double kill! The German soldier classes are the perfect complement to their dinosaur comrades.

You've played World War II games before...but have you played a World War II game with dinosaurs?

Let’s be honest here, we’ve been pretty spoiled this spring. Week after week we have seen one AAA release after another. This week the industry is taking a little break and letting us spend time with all the games we already have. Isn’t that kind of them? Maybe you will finish Dragon Age 2 after all!

For those who still want something new every week, we have Nazi dinosaurs. Screw zombies; Dino D-Day is hitting PCs everywhere this week. That’s right: Adolf Hitler has resurrected Nazi dinosaurs. 800 North is creative if nothing else. Don’t worry though, dino sympathizers will get a chance to control an ally-munching reptile.

Dino D-Day is WWII multiplayer shooter with a twist. Allied players will choose from 6 different human characters, each with unique loadouts and abilities. The Axis will have three human characters as well as a raptor, desmatosuchus, or dilophosaur to choose from. There is nothing quite like playing a dinosaur with a 20mm gun. Good luck taking one of those down with your M1 Garand.

100 Classic Games (DS)

100 Classic Games is a follow-up to Classic Games.

Release Date: Apr 7, 2011

De Meern, Netherlands - Easy Interactive is pleased to announce that 100 Classic Games for Nintendo DS will launch on 7th April 2011. 100 Classic Games is a follow up to the popular Classic Games, which launched in 2010 and featured 50 all-time classics. 100 Classic Games, as the name implies, brings double the value. 

Featuring a wide variety of board, puzzle, logic, dice, card and table-top games, 100 Classic Games is the definitive collection of much loved classics. Whether players want to bluff their way through a hand in Texas Hold'Em, check mate an opponent in chess, win big on the slot machines or number crunch through a Sudoku puzzle, they will be spoilt for choice. Other notable titles in the 100 Classic Games compilation include Air Hockey, Match-3, Freecell, Klondike, Mahjongg, Spot The Difference and Tennis, just to name a few. 

Easy Interactive Managing Director, Michel van Elmpt, comments, "We are fully committed to bringing our fans the widest selection of family friendly and casual video games, and 100 Classic Games falls perfectly in to this sphere. With such a fantastic assortment to be had, we're sure there will be a game for everyone to enjoy in this timeless collection." 

100 Classic Games features in full: 

• 100 classic games 
• More than 2,300 levels 
• Puzzle, board, logic, card, dice and table-top types 
• Multiplayer option - hot seat support 
• Challenging computer opponents 
• Intuitive touch-control with the stylus 
• Step-by-step demonstrations of each game

Full game list: 

4 in a Row, 5 in a Row, 8 Queens, 9x9, Add it up, Air Hockey, Arrow, Ataxx, Backgammon, Battle to the Sea, Bingo, Black Jack, Blackjack, Blocks, Blocky, Boule, Bridge, Bubble Fire, Canasta, Card, Combinations, Card Square, Casino Dice, Casino Roulette, Catch the Butterfly, Checkers, Chess, Chinese Checkers, Combine, Dice Combo, Domino, Dots and Boxes, Farkle, Fences, Fisherman! Five Field Kono, Freecell, Gomoku, Gravitat, Harvest, Hearts, House of Fortune, Influence, Kakuro, Klondike 1, Klondike 3, Lock n Roll, Magic Square I, Magic Square II, Magic Square III, Mahjongg 10 Sec, Mahjongg Countdown, Mahjongg Match, Mahjongg Point Race, Mahjongg Standard, Mancala, Match 3, Matchsticks, Mate in 1, Mau Mau, Mazemaster, Memo Pair, Memo Quartet, Memo Trio, Mercury Drops, Minefield I, Minefield II, Minefield III, Mixing Pallet, Music, Nim, Omaha Hold'em, Orbital, PathFinder, Peg Solitaire, Pentalpha, Piper Pipey, Push the Box, Puzzle Pieces, Puzzle Strip, Reversi, Same, Shell Game, Slide Puzzle, Slot Machine, Spot the Difference, Square Puzzle, Sudoku, Superbrain, Symboku, Tangram, Tennis, Tennis Training, Texas Hold'em, Tic Tac Toe, Towers of Hanoi, Trace, Tri Peaks, Way and Weight Puzzle. 

100 Classic Games for Nintendo DS will be released in the UK on 7th April 2011, with a suggested retail price of 24.99 UK. 

About Easy Interactive 

Easy Interactive, BV is an innovative creator, publisher and distributor of family-friendly and casual video games for a wide array of devices including game consoles, handheld devices and personal home computers. The company has exclusive publishing rights to a large range of games titles, including those from the hugely successful "Purple Hills" brand. 

Since formation in 2001, Easy Interactive has built a distribution network in over twenty countries and has localised products into more than six languages. The firm was acquired by Foreign Media Group in 2006 and reclaimed its independent status in September 2010 following an acquisition by private equity firm, Triacta. 

Red Faction: Battlegrounds (PS3 AND X360)

Red Faction: Battlegrounds pits four players either locally or online in a variety of game modes, including Survival, Annihilate, and Flag Frenzy.

Release Date: Apr 6, 2011

Mechs or tanks? The age-old debate will be settled in Red Faction: Battlegrounds. Set in the Red Faction universe, Red Faction: Battlegrounds is a fast-paced multiplayer-focused vehicular combat game in which fast-attack vehicles, heavy tanks and combat walkers wreak havoc above ground and beneath the surface of Mars.

Jump into your favorite tank or mech using your Gauss Cannons, Rocket Launchers and Singularity Bombs to destroy the competition, and environment along with it. Battle your way through treacherous Martian deserts, terraformed enclaves and more in a variety of different multiplayer modes and single player challenges. Rank up by defeating the competition and unlock new content including maps, vehicles, weapons and even items. Staying true to the signature destructive gameplay of the Red Faction universe, players can demolish anything that stands in their way, from military compounds to enemy vehicles, using advance Martian artillery and explosives.

The signature destructive gameplay from Red Faction: Guerilla comes to the downloadable arcade with Red Faction: Battlegrounds! Jump into your favorite tank or mech using your Gauss Cannons, Rocket Launchers and Singularity Bombs to destroy the competition, and environment along with it.

Battle your way through treacherous Martian deserts, terraformed enclaves and more in a variety of different multiplayer modes and 16 single-player training missions. Obliterate the competition however you see fit with eight unique vehicles and mechs. The dynamic camera system zooms in and out of the four-player matches so you are always on top of the action.

Rank up by defeating the competition and unlock new content including maps, vehicles, and vehicles, including items for the upcoming Xbox 360, PS3 and PC game, Red Faction: Armageddon. Players that reach Rank 20 in Battlegrounds will be rewarded in Red Faction: Armageddon with the Enforcer, an EDF rapid fire smart rifle that uses heat-seeking ammunition to take town enemy targets. 

In addition, players that reach Rank 10 in Battlegrounds will receive 2,000 Salvage Points that can be used to instantly purchase upgrades to Darius Mason’s Nano Forge and weapons arsenal.

Features:

• Martian Mayhem: Go head to head with 8 vehicles, including the EDF heavy tank, the speedy ATV and the agile light walker in this fast-paced vehicular combat game. Enjoy competing against your friends at home on the same screen or teaming up against competitors online.
• Explosive Weapons: Take down your enemy in creative ways with a treasure trove of weapons at your disposal. Choose anything from Rocket Launchers to Singularity Bombs and Remote Charges to cause the maximum amount of mayhem.
• Shake Things Up: Fight your way through a variety of multiplayer modes and single player challenges like Survival, Annihilate, Flag Frenzy and more to earn points and bragging rights via online leaderboards.
• Rank Up & Unlock: Earn achievements, trophies and new ranks to unlock additional vehicles, weapons and maps, including unique content in Red Faction: Armageddon.

Stacking: The Lost Hobo King (PS3 AND X360)

Stacking: The Lost Hobo King is the first downloadable content for Stacking.

Release Date: Apr 6, 2011

Set in a diorama world, Stacking is a third person adventure puzzle game where you play as Charlie Blackmore, the world tiniest Russian stacking doll. He is all too accustomed to being overlooked and dismissed--too small to be of any consequence. But Charlie's size turns out to be his greatest strength after all.

Explore a vintage world inhabited by living Russian stacking dolls as you jump into more than 100 unique dolls and use their special abilities to solve a wide variety of puzzles & challenges.Embark on an adventure to rescue Charlie's family from the nefarious industrialist known only as the "Baron." This imaginative 3rd person puzzle adventure game will take you on a journey from a bustling Royal Train Station to a high-flying Zeppelin as you collect unique dolls and matched stacking sets to display in Charlie's secret hideout, where you chronicle your adventures.

In "Hobo King," Charlie travels to the kingdom Camelfoot to help his hobo friend Levi. In order to help Levi's uncle Rufus become king of the hobos, Charlie must recover the lost crown. He'll have to use his wits and his special abilities to overcome the ancient hobo mystics' tests of valor. 

Stacking imagines a world populated entirely by Russian stacking dolls. As the smallest doll of all, Charlie is able to hop into other dolls and acquire their unique abilities. These abilities allow him to solve the game's various challenges. There are often multiple solutions to each scenario. "Hobo King" adds 15 new types of dolls as well as several new challenges. 

The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile (X360)

Grimly gorgeous and violently entertaining, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is one of the finest games released so far this year.

Release Date: Apr 6, 2011

It's hard to believe that this entertaining XBLA title is largely the work of one person. But it is, and you should play it.

Gamers will wield new weapons like the Violence Hammer, whose business end consists of a section of girder wrapped in barbed wire and random hardware, and the Painkiller, a six foot long syringe. The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile comes with two solo character campaigns as well as a co-op campaign, 50 quick arcade challenges and an endless Dish Challenge.

In 2004 James Silva was a dishwasher, a position I myself held at one point in life. Troubled by the fact that the job garnered little or no respect and inspired by the fact that legendary martial artist Bruce Lee was once a dishwasher himself, Silva began crafting a game in which a dishwasher tore through hordes of skilled minions and their more powerful leaders.

Eventually his designs led him to Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio Express, the development platform indie developers use to create games for the Xbox 360. He entered his design in Microsoft’s first Dream.Build.Play competition, and walked away with $US10,000 and an Xbox Live Arcade publishing contract.

The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, released on Xbox Live Arcade on April 1, 2009, was bloody brilliant. A side-scrolling beat-em up, the combat was lightning-fast, unapologetically gory, and rendered in an art style that calls to mind the work of black and white indie comic book creators like Jhonen Vasquez of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and Invader Zim fame. The game rocked so hard it included a guitar mini-game, compatible with both the Xbox 360 gamepad and the guitar controllers used for Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

And now the sequel is out. The story is a bit deeper, with two playable characters – The Dishwasher and Yuki, his sister that seemingly suffered a horrible fate in the original game. Two stories to play through is just the tip of the “more” iceberg. There are more enemies, more weapons (love the scissors), more bosses, and more ways to tear your enemies apart and keep them separated for good.

The action feels more natural than ever. Slicing, dicing, grabbing, and throwing your enemies about is a simple task, and using the right stick to dash about the screen both for navigation and evisceration purposes soon becomes second nature. Magic attacks light up the screen, and in between battles there are plenty of hidden items to discover as you traverse The Dishwasher’s stylized corridors.

If you didn’t enjoy the first game, more of the same won’t mean much to you. I loved Silva’s initial outing, so Vampire Smile has me grinning ear-to-ear. There are times when the art direction reminds me uncomfortably of the angry notebook scrawlings of a disenfranchised teenager, but then more enemies show up and I take out my troubles on their innards with a pair of meat cleavers.

Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 2 (WII)

The McKinley High GLEE club is back with Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 2, featuring a new set of songs and show moments from Season 1. This includes hits such...

Release Date: Apr 5, 2011

Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 2 will let gamers once again feel like part of the world’s most popular glee club - New Directions - as they sing alongside their favorite characters.  Players will be able to take the mic and belt out Gives you Hell alongside Rachel, pose with Kurt as he performs Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance or shake the rafters with Mercedes when she brings down the house in Like a Prayer, and more.‘Gleeks’ can also expect some new faces, including songs sung by the Vocal Adrenaline heartbreaker, Jesse St. James! To top it all off, the game will also feature extended performances and exclusive clips from the show offering fans excellent video montages and never-before-seen show moments.

"We knew that GLEE fans were unbelievably passionate and loyal, but even we were surprised by the overwhelming success of the first Karaoke Revolution Glee title and the demand for the follow-up," said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "Well, now ‘Gleeks’ have their wish and with this new game they can perform even more of the hits that have made the show such a runaway success.” 

"The close and personal connection that comes with a GLEE videogame is unparalleled and this next installment to the Karaoke Revolution Glee franchise will allow us to bring fans even closer to the music, the storylines and the characters that they’ve come to love," said Gary Rosenfeld, Senior Vice President, New Media for Fox Consumer Products. “It’s also going to feature some of the hottest musical numbers the show has ever produced, so fans will have a lot to look forward to.”

In addition to Karaoke Revolution’s proprietary voice recognition technology, which accurately recognizes and scores vocal pitch and rhythm, Volume 2 comes fully equipped with all-new audio features and voice applications. A newly added vibrato indicator will help players hit those high notes and improve their vocal skills, while independent volume controls are available to adjust the vocal and instrumental noise levels on each track depending on the singer’s preference. For a truly unique performance, players can also add vocal effects to every song. Additionally, as new achievements are reached, gamers can unlock themed GLEE items to collect in Scrapbook Mode.

Key Features:

• Perform to an All-New Lineup of Songs from Season 1– Enjoy performing 20 unforgettable songs alongside your favorite GLEE characters
• Check Out Extended Performances and Exclusive Clips – Sing along to full music tracks and the show’s most memorable video montages featuring never-before-seen show moments
• Develop Your Glee Singing Ability – Test out the newly added vibrato indicator while you belt it out to hard hitting notes
• Score GLEE Unlockables for Every Character – Reach new achievements to unlock themed GLEE items in Scrapbook Mode while singing with the New Directions and new characters
• Play Interactive Multiplayer Singing Games – Have a blast perfecting your performance while 4 of your friends compete against one another with their Wii Remotes in Shooting Star Mode
• Check Out New Audio Features and Voice Applications – Independently adjust the volume on the vocal or instrumental tracks in every song or add vocal effects for a unique performance