http://www.stageselect.com Video Game Information - Pictures, Rarity, Codes, Collecting, and Community. Music, games, and more all in one great URL. Copyright 08/01/2002 - 1/6/2009 12:00:00 AM, Stage Select LLC. comments1@stageselect.com (Chris Larson) comments1@stageselect.com (Chris Larson) en-us http://www.stageselect.com/images/icons/logoRSS.gif http://www.stageselect.com 144 123 Stage Select AUSTIN, TX andndash; January 5, 2009 - Pangea Software, Inc., today announced a major update (version 2.0) is available now for Bugdom 2, its 3D action-adventure game for the Appleandreg; iPhoneandtrade; and iPodandreg; touch. The 2.0 update for Bugdom 2 features a new refined control scheme that adds a virtual gamepad which employs breakthrough technology of high-precision, highly responsive control mechanics for seamless interaction, making the game much easier to navigate. andldquo;Weandrsquo;ve been spending a lot of time working on updates for our customers as feature requests come in,andrdquo; stated Brian Greenstone, president of Pangea Software. andldquo;The 2.0 release of Bugdom 2 is the most significant update weandrsquo;ve released so far, and it really makes Bugdom 2 our best iPhone app to date.andrdquo; Integrating version 2.0 will further enhance the control capabilities already offered by the iPhone, allowing for a simple and enjoyable experience for players of all ages. In Bugdom 2 players take on the role of Skip, an enthusiastic grasshopper who battles roache. . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3407 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3407 San Francisco andndash; January 5, 2009 andndash; Outspark, a leading entertainment services company that publishes and operates massively multiplayer online games, announced today the closed beta test for its newest game, Wind Slayer. Between January 7th and 14th, players will have a chance to embark on a heroandrsquo;s journey through hundreds of quests and intense battles to earn experience, treasure and prestige. Outspark encourages gamers of all ages to sign up for a free account and register for the closed beta now at www.playwindslayer.com. The testing period offers participants the elite opportunity to be one of the first to experience Wind Slayer in its entirety. Participants will also provide Outspark with valuable feedback that will be used to further refine the game before its wider release later this year. andldquo;Outspark offers rides for every type of thrill seeker coming to play in our virtual playground,andrdquo; stated Susan Choe, CEO and founder of Outspark. andldquo;Wind Slayerandrsquo;s character customization and multiplayer options combined with its side scrolling . . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3406 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3406 Xbox 360 Hotel for Dogs PS3 Hotel for Dogs Nintendo Wii Fantasy Aquarium Fishing Master World Tour Hotel for Dogs Paws and Claws Pet Resort Nintendo DS Animated Hotel for Dogs Jumble Madness Elebits: The Adventures of Kai andamp; Zero Australia Zoo Quest Paws andamp; Claws: Pampered Pets Sony PSP Hotel for. . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3361 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3361 Happy New Year to the entire Stage Select community! Let's start 2009 off with a bang! Welcome to the second installment of the soon-to-be worldwide phenomenon that is Another Level! In this episode we discuss: - Industry News, including Wii headlines, offensive content banning, and top 2008 XBOX Live titles - Recent goodies from the site-wide Steam Holiday sale. Everything from Bejeweled to the original Doom series! There is no excuse to be gameless for the first part of 2009! - Exclusive game strategy for Left 4 Dead online multiplayer - Includes classic promotional game intermissions! Download the Show (ALP #2, 57 MB). . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3405 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3405 Welcome to 2009 from your friends at the Video Games Show! We catch up on the news missed over our holiday break, start our year with a review of a 'blockbuster' game and even found time to answer your emails! Here's to another 365 great days of VGS in '09! Oh, Kraft's birthday was today too. COOKIE CAKE! Download the Show (VGS #73, 43.2MB). . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3395 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3395 For all of you hard-core Stage Select groupies, you probably noticed that our weekly-scheduled podcast, Another Level, is not yet on the site. We've got a recording in the mix, but due to some unfortunate events over the holidays, we'll be publishing the episode a little bit late. We apologize for the inconvenience and to all of you commuters that had to suffer your ride to work without the weekly joy that is Another Level. Rest assured you will be able to keep your pods scheduled for every Monday morning, but this week's installment should be posted within the next 24 hours. As always, thanks for your awesome support and patience!. . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3403 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3403 Santa Clara, Calif. - Dec 30, 2008 - Aeria Games, a publisher of Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games announced today the open beta launch of Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online. The game, already highly successful in Japan, proved to be popular amongst English speakers during the closed beta test. For open beta, everyone is invited to play the game for free without download or subscription fees. Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online is the first MMO game in the franchise's 20 year history which includes such popular titles as Digitial Devil Saga and the recently released Persona 4. In Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online Players fight alongside friends and demon allies to restore order in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo. The game features a real-time battle system, advanced character customization with modern and traditional Tokyo fashion, and demon fusing - the process of fusing multiple demons toge. . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3402 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3402 Guitar Hero Metallica takes the band-based music games to a new level of heavy... andldquo;Ride the Lightningandrdquo; and join Metallica, the greatest metal band of all time, and musicians selected by the band including Alice In Chains, Foo Fighters and Queen in an all new Guitar Hero experience -- Guitar Hero Metallica. Grab your friends and feel the intensity and skill of Metallicaandrsquo;s music as you shred guitar, rip on drums and wail to songs that span the bandandrsquo;s illustrious career.Guitar Hero Metallicaandrsquo;s set list is comprised of over 45 explosive metal and rock hits from Metallica and other legendary artists that are performed in venues reminiscent of the bandandrsquo;s epic album covers, themes from their music and real world locales. Guitar Hero Metallica will be available for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and PS2.. . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3401 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3401 December 22, 2008 -- Valve today announced Spore(tm), Spore Creepy andamp; Cute Parts Pack, Mass Effect(r), Need for Speed(tm) Undercover and EA SPORTS FIFA Manager 2009 are available now to gamers in most of Europe, the United States and Canada via Steam, a leading platform for PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world. In the coming weeks, Mirror's Edge(tm), Command andamp; Conquer(tm) Red Alert(tm) 3, and Dead Space(tm), will be added to the catalog of EA's titles available via Steam. . . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3400 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3400 Another Level is our newest podcast about the gaming industry as well as a direct channel to discuss feedback from you, the Stage Select community. Hosted by the owners of Stage Select.com, Another Level returns to the original podcasting roots started by Chris Larson to analyze and commentate about everything video games! New to the roster is Mr. Christopher Bell, Co-Owner and Assistant Janitor to the redesigned StageSelect.com. Mr. Bell brings a lifetime of video game playing (and developing) experience to the show, delivered in a hilarious doesn't-know-when-to-shut-the-hell-up fashion. His attitude and perspective are a welcome addition to the Co-Host hotseat and we hope you'll welcome him with good nature and minimal death threats. In this episode: - An introduction to the NEW Stage Select! - How is the recession affecting the gaming community; players and developers alike? - Nintendo sales break records, but will it translate to better gaming? - Is Left 4 Dead the best thing since sliced bread? Listen in to find out! And don't forget to set your I-Pod schedules now because there will be a fresh-from-the-oven episode waiting for you every Monday. Compliment that with our syndication of the immortal Video Games. . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3370 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3370 Game companies aren't releasing anything Christmas week. The reason for this is that they are not insane. Here's your chance to catch up on all of the new (and slightly older) games to come out this year... The nearly impossible Mega Man 9 was released on all major systems - our review was less than glowing, but the game is fairly competent, and is more than likely one that you have not beaten yet. It's worth another look during this Holiday break. Left 4 Dead has so much multiplayer goodness it's ridiculous Guitar Hero World Tour is a fun experience for parties, as is Rock Band 2 . . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3360 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3360 El Segundo, Calif.- Dec 22, 2008 - Players of OGPlanet's popular 3D MMORPG Cabal Online and side-scrolling 2D MMORPG La Tale will find game-changing challenges in their preferred game in the recent updates. The whole landscape of Cabal Online has been changed in the most recent update, beginning with a revamped skill system and new rewards for gaining honor points in the game. The game's popular Nation War has also expanded, giving players above level 52 the ability to choose a nation and their own new battleground to wage war. Higher level players who excel in the Nation War can also receive special Guardian and Bringer titles that come with increased powers and abilities. Meanwhile, in La Tale, the mysterious lost city of Atlantis has resurfaced, bringing with it several new adventures. The most anticipated of these challenges is the new Class Change Center in the Ruin of Abyss where players above level 80 can unlock one of the eight new character classes, including the Gunslinger and Bard classes. These new challenges, as well as several holiday-themed events, are available now in Cabal Online and La Tale. . . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3399 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3399 Stage Select has received some long awaited news regarding the Street Fighter IV box art and different editions Capcom will be selling in the near future. FINALLY! Weandrsquo;ve been in the lab for months now, tinkering away on both the Street Fighter IV packaging as well as the details for what the faithful will be receiving in the Collectorandrsquo;s Edition version of the game. Apologize for the delay on bringing you the official news, but as you can see, there have been some serious changes made. More after the jump! Exclusive Collector's Edition and Standard Edition Collections for XBOX 360 and Playstation 3. First off: weandrsquo;ve been listening to players for the last two months, collecting feedback on your thoughts and impressions on the SFIV box art, especially after images appeared showing the Japanese version. After collecting data from the Unity boards and comments, as well as from other sites like shoryuken.com and conducting some space-age focus tests with two-way mirrors and laser cats, we had a total re-think on our SFIV packaging. As a result of the studies, we have opted to drop the initial Chun-Li packfront in favo. . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3398 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3398 PLANO, TEXAS- Dec. 19, 2008 - Online entertainment company KingsIsle Entertainment, Inc. today officially announced Dragonspyre, the first new 3D world to be added to the popular virtual world Wizard101 since the game launched this fall. Dragonspyre is a large, high level world expected to launch in January 2009. Dragonspyre continues the storyline of Wizard101. It is an ancient haunted world in which renegade professor Mallistaire has recently been spotted. Once an advanced militant society, Dragonspyre had an esteemed Academy rivaling that of the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts in Wizard City. It is a dark world where the inhabitants held a special interest in Fire Magic. Legend has it that in the summoning of a great Dragon Titan, the world was destroyed. Wizard101 features spell-castin. . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3397 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3397 SAN FRANCISCO (December 19, 2008) - SEGAandreg; of America, Inc. today announced the return of Outrunandtrade;, theclassic arcade racing game. Developed by acclaimed Sheffield studio Sumo Digital, OutRunandtrade; Online Arcade has been updated for the 21st century in stunning high-definition and will be available in January 2009 via Xbox LIVEandreg; Arcade for the Xbox 360andreg; video game and entertainment system from Microsoftandreg;. Dodging opponents at full throttle, players will be overcome with nostalgia as they rediscover the 15 glorious OutRun2SP courses. From hilly streets to sunny beaches, the game offers mile after mile of unrelenting acceleration, thrills and action. The draw to the open road has never been so appealing as players race across the U.S. in one of 10 high-performance, fully licensed Ferrari cars to a heart pumping soundtrack. . . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3396 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3396 El Segundo, Calif.- Dec. 19, 2008 - As the holidays approach, Albatross18 players have even more to celebrate. Albatross18, OGPlanet's ground-breaking fantasy golf game, is entering its fourth year. To celebrate the anniversary and the holiday season, OGPlanet is proud to offer players a host of events and prizes, starting with a 20% coupon that may be used on items throughout the store. Additionally, from Dec. 18 - 24, players can win special prizes by finding the Albatross18 Santa. Santa will be hiding in Psquares (the game's social areas) and the players that manage to hunt down the jolly man in red will receive a prize for their diligence. Holiday stockings have also been hidden in present boxes in the holes out on the green. Players that break par on a hole will get a chance at one of these presents and, if they can get both a left and a right stocking, they can take it to Bree's Cauldron in the game to combine them into a variety of prizes including a special holiday present. Finally, in celebration of the colder months, Albatross18 is giving away special in-game winter golf balls called 'Snow Phoenixes.' Everyo. . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3394 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3394 Konami has released a free demo of the ultimate squad, tactical shooter based on the popular Metal Gear Solidandreg; Universe. A limited version of the Metal Gear Online game is now available exclusively on the PlayStationandreg; Network. This demo is only playable on PLAYSTATIONandreg;3 computer entertainment systems that do not have a previously installed and registered retail copy of Metal Gear Online. A must for anyone who wants to experience the Metal Gear Universe, this demo showcases the multiplayer aspect of the series including specialization skills, the new Sons of Patriot (SOP) system, online play and so much more. Additionally, Metal Gear fans can now purchase Metal Gear Online - MEME Expansion and have the opportunity to win a limited edition, Metal Gear Online Happy New Year T-Shirt. MEME Expansion contains a vast amount of content including new maps, special characters, new skills, new customizable characters, funny avatar parts and more. 1,200 randomly selected players will win one of three different styled in-game shirts, which will be distributed on January 5th, 2009. Metal Gear Online is available for a SRP of $9.99 through MGOnline's in-game shop.. . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3393 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3393 SANTA MONICA, CA - December 19, 2008 - Building upon the extensive variety of chart-topping hits that span multiple genres of music available to Guitar Hero fans, Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) will release over 20 party-rocking anthems as downloadable content for Guitar HeroR World Tour throughout January 2009. Before fans ring in the New Year, additional downloadable content for Guitar Hero World Tour from hard rock bands Hinder, Nickelback and Rev Theory, will be available on December 23rd. Hinder's first single 'Use Me,' from their recently released album Take It to the Limit, is joined by Nickelback's 'Because of You' and Rev Theory's 'Light it Up.' Further diversifying the catalogue of songs available for download for Guitar Hero World Tour is the debut of the Country Rock Track Pack featuring Rascal Flatts 'Me and My Gang,' plus GRAMMYR Award winning artists Brad Paisley's 'Ticks' and Brooks andamp; Dunn's 'Hillbilly Deluxe.' Country music fans can rock out starting on January 8th. World-renowned drummer Travis Barker, whose likeness appears in Guitar Hero World Tour, is returning to the Guitar Hero stage on January 15th for an encore with a three-song Track Pack illustrating his talents across various styles of music. Two of . . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3392 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3392 VANCOUVER, BC andndash; December 18, 2008 andndash; IUGO Mobile Entertainment Inc. today announced that its widely downloaded tower defense title Zombie Attack! for the Appleandreg; iPhoneandtrade; and iPodandreg; touch will now feature an online leaderboard, and will remain at the promotional price of $.99 US until January 15, 2009 andmdash; at which time it will increase to $1.99. The leaderboard feature will enable gamers to post their scores and view competitorsandrsquo; rankings via their iPhone or the IUGO Web site (www.iugome.com). andldquo;IUGO listens to its fan base to not only make the games they want but to add the features and functions that they ask for,andrdquo; said business development executive Sarah Thomson. andldquo;The new Zombie Attack! leaderboard will help players keep an eye on other playersandrsquo; scores, so they know who the best Zombie slayer is.andrdquo; Zombie Attack! is an addictive 3D tower defense strategy game with a special, scary twist! Choose from an array of Zombie-blasting weapons such as flame throwers and cannons. Earn points and cash to upgrade your weapons and bolster your fire power. Easy tilt and touch-screen controls have made Zombie . . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3391 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3391 LOS ANGELES (December 18, 2008) andndash; Today, Square Enix, Inc. announced that they have reinstated the popular FINAL FANTASYandreg; XI andldquo;Return Home to Vanaandrsquo;dielandrdquo; campaign. Players with lapsed accounts, deleted Content IDs and deleted PlayOnlineandreg; accounts can now restore their favorite characters and dive back into the fight to restore peace to Vanaandrsquo;dielandreg; once again. The restoration of the andldquo;Return Home to Vanaandrsquo;dielandrdquo; service brings a new element not previously offered to fans. Players can now restore any deleted character they have created, rather than only being able to restore the last deleted character. Additionally, users who created their restored characters before 8:00AM PST on May 28th, 2008, can receive the highly coveted Anniversary Ring. The Anniversary Ring is a powerful asset in FINAL FANTASY XI, as it gives players the chance to receive experience point bonuses and level job. . . http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3390 http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?NewsID=3390