Yes you read right, Peggle has now become immortal with the World of Warcraft theme and it’s available for free, for PC gamers, as a stand-alone game.

Details from PopCap Games:

This all-new WoW-themed Peggle mash-up is a stand-alone version of Peggle, available for free and combining the sights, sounds and storyline of World of Warcraft with the rainbows and unicorns of everyone’s favorite peg-popping pastime. It features ten new levels with Peggle masters Bjorn the Unicorn and Splork with his Space Blast facing off against denizens of Azeroth in scenes with names like “Too Soon, Executus” and “The Traitor King” – as well as ten new challenges with titles such as “Phat Lewtz” and “Pwnyxia.”

Features include:

- Play 10 WoW themed levels with the new backgrounds from Blizzard artists.
- Compete against a friend or the computer in Duel mode.
- Quick Play levels anytime you want to hone your Peggle skills.
- Add to your Peggle Master rank with super-extra-hard challenges.

Download your free WoW themed Peggle free from here

After seeing the story below about how successful Sony are with PSN in comparison with Xbox Live I just had to repeat this story from Edge Online:

Sony Computer Entertainment president Jack Tretton has spoken of fiscal 2008 as “a very challenging period of trying to sell future technology.” Tretton told Fast Company that Sony had successfully met its PlayStation 3 sales target during the last financial year, but he also noted the difficulty of pushing a high-end device at a time when consumers were being particularly cost-conscious. “Hopefully last year is as bad as it gets. I think all indicators are that 2009 is going better than 2008. In 2008, we had a 38 per cent increase in sales and we hit our ten million units worldwide goal for PS3 sales… At the worst possible time, if you’re hitting numbers and delivering success… my hope is that as our production efficiencies improve and more great games come to market, the horizon has got to be better for 2009 and 2010.

“It’s like being out there in a storm - it does cause you to question your conviction, and tie yourself to the mast and weather the storm,” he added. “We have hit a very challenging period of trying to sell future technology, a high-end device, but is on the high-end retail pricing spectrum, at a time when people’s disposable income is limited. But I think the fact we were successful in that says people are getting the message, that you get tremendous value when you buy a PlayStation product. Yes there are cheaper machines out there, but not ones that deliver the degree of value for the money that ours does.”

Having sold ten million PS3 units last business year, Sony is targeting 13 million system sales during the current one. The predicted 30 per cent sales increase has led analysts to forecast a PS3 price cut this summer, but earlier this week Sony CEO Howard Stringer dismissed rumours of an impending price drop as illogical.

So, There you have it! A PS3 price drop is totally illogical…..and as the PS3 is doing so well in the current market then Sony need not worry about a thing. Obviously their gaming will work, their 10 year lifecycles are successful as is their PSN service, as it on par with XBL now. All we can say is well done Sony! Pity you are still 3rd place in the console market selling worldwide, pity developers are dropping from your platfrom like flies…but it doesn’t matter….it’s all part of the plan!

Sony’s PlayStation Network is no longer lagging behind Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade, according to SCEA’s director of network operations.

Microsoft’s digital distribution platform had a significant head start over PSN, but Eric Lempel has insisted that his firm has now made up for lost ground.

“At this stage of the game when I really look at PSN and the entire offering I think we’re in great shape. I don’t think there’s a lot of ‘catch up’ [with XBL] anymore,” he told Industry Gamers.

“In some cases, I think we’ve got more. In terms of strengths, of course we’re still free, and we’re giving you a lot for free. It’s not just free online gaming, but we’ve got PlayStation Home, which is a massive community and application that’s totally free to use.

“Our video download service is also a little bit different from theirs in that we sell movies in addition to renting movies. I think there’s a lot we’re doing that in some cases they’re not doing, and I don’t see a lot of things they’re doing that we’re not.”

Lempel recently refuted claims that another PSN firmware update is on the way, saying that there will be no NXE-style overhaul of its menu system.

“iPhone is not a serious gaming platform”, oh how many times have those words been echoed around the gaming industry. 13,000 games later who is doubting the little gadget, Do you realize that the number of games has doubled since March? Doubled. If the App Store continues that exponential rate of growth, games will outnumber humans in about 5 years.

I found this timely due to the legend that was Micheal Jackson bowing out with his funeral watched by billions today at the staples center in LA, whether a fan or not of MJ the world recognizes the impact and change he made to the entertainment industry. As far as videogames are concerned, it is no secret that Michael Jackson was a huge fan of fun. To that end, he not only had an arcade at his Neverland Ranch and played videogames himself, he had a starring role in one video game and made appearances in a few others. If you want to track these games down in remembrance of him, here is the list followed by a short description. Credit to VGB for their research on his game appearances.

Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker (arcade, Genesis, Master System from Sega):
MJ landed on the videogame scene with this side-scrolling action title from Sega. In it a “Smooth Criminal” version of Michael Jackson must rescue kids from the gangs of Mr. Big with dance-related attacks like kicks and hat thwacks. Bubbles the chimp made an appearence and Jackson could drain enemies with a dance attack. The arcade version was different, top-down, three player and MJ would transform into a robotic version of himself that shoot lasers if you found Bubbles the Chimp. Hopefully the console version and/or arcade versions of this game will be released on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network or WiiWare/Virtual Console in remembrance of him. And also cause there are a whole host of people who have never played it.

Here is a video of the arcade version of Moonwalker.

MJ MOONWALKER

Space Channel 5 (arcade, Dreamcast from Sega):
Michael’s second biggest appearance came from another Sega title, Space Channel 5, a decade after Moonwalker. He made a small appearance in this eccentric music rhythm game in which heroine Ulala has to dance to free the people from slave-driving aliens by countering their dance moves. Michael appears as “Space Michael” in a clever cameo. His appearance in this game actually happened because he showed interest in the game and approached Sega about appearing in it. This years before the music genre really took off.

Space Channel 5: Part 2 (Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 from Sega):
Michael Jackson actually appears as the boss of the game in Space Channel 5: Part 2 where he has been kidnapped by aliens and must be rescued by Ulala. Once you beat and thus save him, he will then appear alongside her.

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 (PS1, PS2, N64, Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance from Midway):
Michael Jackson actually appeared as an unlockable, playable boxer in Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2, where he has a few dance-related moves.

So as i bring this article to a close I’ll include some kind words expressed by SEGA

“We here at SEGA were very sad to hear about the passing of Michael Jackson. He was a true music legend whose songs touched each of us at some point in our lives. We are proud to have worked with him and included his music in some of our most well-remembered games and are sure that his genius will live on through his great body of work. We have no doubt that future generations will be moonwalking to all his greatest hits.”

Today is Bungie Day - the seventh day of the seventh month of the year , so for all you Halo junkies bungie has asked you to join them in rejoicing this day.how you ask ? bungie are hosting the “Bungie Vs. The World” playlist, putting forth its best most kick ass team to compete against the common muggles. the reward for all this, is becoming the new owner of the rare sort after recon armor.Furthermore, Bungie will be revealing new info on some upcoming maps: Heretic, Citadel, and Longshore.

Strange as it may appear, but this week Battlefield 1943 is heading for XBLA (for 1200 pints)/PSN (for £15). This really isnt a an arcade game in my opinion, however, it should prove interesting a download for both systems especially for its multiplayer aspects! According to MTV Multiplayer:

Pick of the Week: “Battlefield 1943

For 15 bucks you get 3 maps (a 4th will come later, for free) set across the Pacific theater of World War 2. If you’ve played a “Battlefield” game before, you’ll be able to hop in pretty much instantly. If you haven’t, the simplified class structure and new squad supports should help you to learn the ropes. Just don’t try flying for a while, it’ll only piss people off.

hummm…ok…we shall see eh?

Another Final Fantasy, you say? On the Nintendo DS, you say? Impossible! And yet it is true: Square Enix has announced Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden via a teaser website

Get your R4DS ready people, this one looks like it might be good.

About the game:

Four Warriors of Light takes Final Fantasy back to the old school. As a 14-year-old boy, you’re tasked by the king of your tiny hamlet to go off and rescue the princess, a classic videogame story if ever there was one. You’ll eventually form a party of two boys and two girls, who will go off and save the world.

It’s slated for release this fall in Japan.

Another week and another update for the PlayStation Network Store. This time round there’s several expansion packs available for both the PS3 and PSP. Also on the PSP are five full games for download including Monster Hunter Freedom: Unite and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09.

Numblast is available on both systems for £3.99/€4.99. Move the cursor around the board to swap the numeric cell positions. Combos can be achieved by lining identical numbers up in 2×2 squares.

Read the full list of games added after the break.

PS3 Downloadable Games

Numblast (£3.99/€4.99)
To play Numblast, move the cursor around the board and swap the positions of numeric cells to create combos of identical numbers aligned in 2×2 squares. These combos trigger explosions and as your skills improve so will the size of your combos.
PEGI 3+

Punisher: No Mercy (£6.99/€7.99)
The Punisher comes straight from the Marvel Universe to the PlayStation Network in this exclusive game – Offering frantic, arcade-style shooting action, with a heavy emphasis on multiplayer (supports eight players online), the goal is simple – survive!
PEGI 18+

topatoi: The Great Tree Story (£7.99/€9.99)
You may have already read the post by Natalia from the Boolat team on the blog yesterday about topatoi - this unique puzzle/platform game allows you to control a gyroscopic vehicle and offers varied and inventive ways to control, and make your way round, the 3D environments.
PEGI 7+

Trial (and unlock)

Red Baron Arcade (Trial free – unlock key £6.29/€7.99)
Available to buy via this trial version, the full version of Red Baron Arcade features 20 historic WW1 planes, where you can battle against countless enemies including zeppelins, battleships and other authentic aircraft. This game offers 36 levels of single player action, and you can also take the fight online against 7 other players.
PEGI 7+

PSone Classics (PS3 & PSP compatible)

James Pond 2: Codename Robocod (£3.99/€4.99)
(I don’t know about you, but this game was one of my most-played when I was younger). Join James Pond as he jumps and stretches his way around some truly memorable levels. This is a true platforming classic.
PEGI 3+

Add-On Game Content

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10
There is a vast array of content which will allow you to customise the way you play the game, give you a competitive edge (if you feel you need it) or add more gameplay; all this new content is listed below:
PEGI 3+

• +0.5 Putting Equipment (£0.79/€0.99)
• +0.5 Short Game Apparel (£0.79/€0.99)
• +0.5 Short Game Equipment (£0.79/€0.99)
• +1 Accuracy Apparel (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1 Accuracy Equipment (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1 Power Apparel (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1 Power Equipment (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1 Putting Apparel (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1 Putting Equipment (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1 Short Game Apparel (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1 Short Game Equipment (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1.5 Accuracy Apparel (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1.5 Accuracy Equipment (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1.5 Power Apparel (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1.5 Power Equipment (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1.5 Putting Apparel (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1.5 Putting Equipment (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1.5 Short Game Equipment (£1.19/€1.49)
• +1.5 Short Game Apparel (£1.19/€1.49)
• +2 Accuracy Apparel (£1.59/€1.99)
• +2 Accuracy Equipment (£1.59/€1.99)
• +2 Power Apparel (£1.59/€1.99)
• +2 Power Equipment (£1.59/€1.99)
• +2 Putting Apparel (£1.59/€1.99)
• +2 Putting Equipment (£1.59/€1.99)
• +2 Short Game Apparel (£1.59/€1.99)
• +2 Short Game Equipment (£1.59/€1.99)
• Advanced Drivers (£1.19/€1.49)
• Advanced Fairway Woods (£1.19/€1.49)
• Advanced Irons (£1.19/€1.49)
• Advanced Putters (£0.79/€0.99)
• Advanced Wedges (£1.19/€1.49)
• Expert Drivers (£1.59/€1.99)
• Expert Fairway Woods (£1.59/€1.99)
• Expert Irons (£1.59/€1.99)
• Expert Putters (£0.79/€0.99)
• Expert Wedges (£1.59/€1.99)
• Intermediate Drivers (£0.79/€0.99)
• Intermediate Fairway Woods (£0.79/€0.99)
• Intermediate Irons (£0.79/€0.99)
• Intermediate Putters (£0.79/€0.99)
• Intermediate Wedges (£0.79/€0.99)
• Max Stats Costumes (£2.39/€2.99)
• The Predator Fantasy Course (£4.79/€5.99)
• Spyglass Hill (£4.79/€5.99)
• Course Pass (£1.59/€1.99)

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift – Expansion Speed (£4.79/€5.99)
The Expansion Speed pack contains three extra tracks, with three track variants, three previously unseen vehicles and a Speed mini-festival featuring 48 new brutal events. There are also plenty of unlockable rewards, and new trophies to be gained too.
PEGI 12+

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift – Monarch Signature Livery Pack (free)
Another exclusive livery pack to customise your vehicle with, available for a limited time only; hurry if you want to download this free pack before it’s gone.
PEGI 12+

LittleBigPlanet – Sacktue of Liberty Costume (free)
Free and available only for one week, you can dress your Sackboy up in iconic fashion!
PEGI 7+

Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires
You can now customise your characters with these additional armour sets:
PEGI 12+

• Kempo Armour Set (men) (free)
• Royal Armour Set (men) (free)
• Artemis Armour Set (women) (free)
• Queen Armour Set (women) (free)

Guitar Hero: World Tour
This week Guitar Hero offers tracks from the punk label Epitaph available to download:

• 21st Century Digital Boy by Bad Religion (£1.59/€1.99)
• Linoleum by NoFX (£1.59/€1.99)
• Ruby Soho by Rancid (£1.59/€1.99)
• Epitaph Punk-O-Rama Track Pack (This pack contains all three tracks listed above) (£4.39/€5.99)

PEGI 12+

Rock Band
Further your Rock Band experience with this selection from Foreigner, an additional track by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club as well as the second pack taken from the Warped Tour 2009:

• Blue Morning, Blue Day by Foreigner (£0.99/€1.49)
• Feels Like The First Time by Foreigner (£0.99/€1.49)
• Head Knocker by Foreigner (£0.99/€1.49)
• Foreigner Pack 01 (this combines all the above tracks in one pack) (£2.49/€3.99)
• Hey John, What’s Your Name Again? By The Devil Wears Prada (£0.99/€1.49)
• Image of the Invisible by Thrice (£0.99/€1.49)
• Sweet Talk by Dear and the Headlights (£0.99/€1.49)
• Warped Tour 2009 Pack 02 (this combines the above tracks in one pack) (£2.49/€3.99)
• Weapon of Choice by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (£0.99/€1.49)

Videos(free)

• WipEout HD Fury Trailer
• Battlefield 1943 Coral Sea Trailer
• MotorStorm: Pacific Rift Adrenaline Expansion Trailer
• Batman: Arkham Asylum Combat Trailer
• Batman: Arkham Asylum Breakout Trailer
• Batman: Arkham Asylum Invisible Predator Trailer
• Bayonetta Second Climax Trailer
• Mini Ninjas Hiro Gameplay Trailer
• Astro Tripper Trailer

PlayStation Store via PSP and Media Manager

Downloadable Games (also available via the PS3 store)

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (£24.99/€39.99)
The massive hit in Japan makes it way over to Europe and now you can experience the phenomenon for yourself. Embark on a massive adventure (with up to three friends in Ad-Hoc Mode) hunting down possibly the fiercest monsters ever known!
PEGI 12+
(817 MB required)

Numblast PSP (£3.99/€4.99)
The only difference between this version and the PS3 version is that you can take this one of the move with you via your PSP. Create those combos everywhere you go!
PEGI 3+
(43MB required)

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (available from Friday the 3rd of July - £29.99/€39.99)
Play tournament golf with Tiger Woods and many other PGA Tour pros as you aim to be the best golfer in the world, feel the drama with every swing.
PEGI 3+
(982MB required)

Donkey Xote (£7.99/€9.99)
Join Rucio, Sancho and Don Quixote on a journey to Barcelona Fair, where a prestigious battle is set to take place.
PEGI 3+
(687MB required)

Super Hind (£15.99/€19.99)
What would you do if you were given access to the deadliest military helicopter created and the power to change the world? Now is your chance to find out.
PEGI 7+
(182MB required)

Add-On Game Content (also available via the PS3 store)

Rock Band Unplugged
Further your Rock Band Unplugged experience with this selection of tracks now available:
PEGI 12+

• Losing My Religion by R.E.M. (£0.99/€1.49)
• Sin Wagon by Dixie Chicks (£0.99/€1.49)
• Still Alive by GLaDOS and Jonathan Coulton (£0.99/€1.49)

All the controveresy surrounding the rather quick release announcement of Left 4 Dead 2 at E3 has left a lot of L4D fans reeling in frustration and anger. Why?  They believe it is far too soon to be releasing a sequel to Left 4 Dead (PC/X360 only) in just under a year between releases. However, Valve, the developers of the series have stated that they will be supporting the 1st Left 4 Dead as planned with more DLC coming soon in an announcement today. The Valve plan is for both games to run concurrently alongside each other which rarely happens in the Video game industry as people/consumers usally move onto the sequel. According to Valve:

 At a recent press event that took place in London earlier today, Lombardi told us, “We plan to keep supporting Left 4 Dead 1. There will be some announcements coming before summer’s out about what’s coming there, and then we haven’t shown everything that’s in Left 4 Dead 2 yet.” Lombardi added, “I think 8, 9 months from now once everything’s been out for a while and everyone’s had time to see the complete product of Left 4 Dead 2 and see continued support for Left 4 Dead 1, they may sort of see what we were up to and what the method of our madness was there.”

The upcoming DLC will be for both PC and Xbox 360, he confirmed. As for Left 4 Dead 2, you’ll be able to try before you buy with a pre-release demo. “With Left 4 Dead in particular we’ve found that word of mouth really is the strongest thing,” Lombardi told OXM. “With Left 4 Dead 2 we plan do a demo before the game comes out that’ll have multiplayer in it and hopefully we can continue the free weekends with the full game post-launch.”

So, there you have it from the horse’s mouth ( or dead horse!). more L4D1 DLC is coming and it’s free before the sequel, L4D2 very soon, both games will run concurrently with each other. This may in fact work, it may be a dead loss……..(sic)