PS3

SouthPeak Games today announced that its inventive strategy game Battle vs. Chess will ship to retailers on September 28, 2010. Developed by TopWare Interactive and Gaijin Entertainment, Battle vs. Chess redefines what chess is and can be. Although the ‘classic’ game of chess remains at the core of the game, players will experience not only the pieces on the board coming to life through fantastic animation in a battle between darkness and light, but also innovative new game modes, puzzles and story-driven campaigns. These twists offer players a range of challenges delivering a strategy game experience like no other.

Electronic Arts announced today that Madden NFL 11 is delivering a strong performance in August in both retail sales and direct-to-consumer digital revenue. Based on internal estimates, Madden NFL 11 is the #1 selling game in North America in August – sales are projected to be up approximately 5% year-over-year across all platforms for the month.

Today, Madden NFL Superstars, an all-new NFL social game experience, launches on Facebook.

“Madden NFL 11 is the number one selling game in August, and the game has created enormous enthusiasm in the online community,” said Peter Moore, president of EA SPORTS. “Each day on consoles, fans are playing as many games online as the equivalent of 750 full NFL seasons. Now on Facebook, Madden NFL Superstars will bring a whole new dimension and audience to the Madden NFL experience.”

This month, Madden NFL 11 has reached a number of important milestones:
• On the strength of the Madden NFL Ultimate Team game mode being released this year at launch, digital revenues for Madden NFL 11 are up more than 200 percent year-over-year.

2K Games announced today that Mafia II, an epic crime-action tale, is now available for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC. This pistol-packed period piece transports players to Empire Bay, a fully realized and immersive urban cityscape set in America during the 1940s and 1950s. The action unfolds with white-knuckled car chases, explosive gunplay, compelling characters and an engaging narrative set against a backdrop of meticulously detailed period environments that showcase the difference a decade can make in the evolution of music, fashion, advertising and automobiles.

“Mafia II is what gamers want in a mob game – the marriage of a compelling story with edge-of-the-seat action and lifelike characters that immerse players in an epic entertainment experience,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “When you add in a setting that accurately reflects a period in history that has never been rendered so beautifully, it sets a new benchmark not just for the action-crime genre, but for any game set in the real world with a rich story to tell.”

Rockstar Games today announced new details on the Liars and Cheats Pack, available on September 21st. This brand new pack focuses on expanding the free roam multiplayer experience as well as adding new modes to competitive multiplayer.

The Liars and Cheats Pack will contain a great range of new highly-requested features to expand the Free Roam world including Multiplayer Poker and Liar’s Dice, as well as a brand new Competitive Multiplayer gameplay mode. The Liars and Cheats Pack will also include the content previously announced as the Free Roam Pack. The Free Roam Pack was originally planned as a free download, but due to the platform networks’ restrictions on numbers of free packs that can be given away, Rockstar has instead added it to The Liars & Cheats Pack as one Free Roam release boasting the following features and more:

THQ today announced that the Windows PC version of the hotly anticipated first-person-shooter, Homefront, from Kaos Studios, is being developed by a dedicated team at Canadian-based studio, Digital Extremes.

Homefront on PC further illustrates THQ’s commitment to PC gamers with additional features and options for multiplayer fans.

“Digital Extremes has a superb track record in PC development,” said David Votypka, General Manager at Kaos Studios, THQ. “While the team here at Kaos is completely focused on the core Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Homefront, our partnership with Digital Extremes means that PC gamers can look forward to a version of the game tailored to the demands of the discerning PC gamer.”

“We’re building on the great game that Kaos Studios is making and enhancing it with specific PC relevant features,” added Frank De Lise, Executive Producer, THQ. “PC players will be able to set up and host Homefront dedicated servers and enjoy additional community features including clan support. We believe the core PC first-person-shooter fan will really appreciate these features, which are becoming increasingly rare.”