D3Publisher of America and Digital Extremes' Dark Sector (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) has gone gold. Pretty soon fans of this game across North America will see if all the hype that has been building for this title is well deserved. If you want to find out more about this (like when it's expected to ship to the retail stores), head on over to the full article.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has awarded the very first Videogame Writing Award to D3Publisher of America and Vicious Cycle Software's Dead Head Fred for the PSP. As expected, the entire team behind the video game was very excited to hear the news. For more information, head on over to the full article.

A recent press release by D3Publisher of America has announced that they have just entered an agreement with Vicious Cycle Software, where the makers of the Vicious Engine for consoles, handhelds and PC platforms shall become a subsidiary of D3PA after the agreement pulls through.

 

D3Publisher was signed up as Vicious Cycle Software's publisher for Dead Head Fred for the PSP, but it appears that D3Publisher wishes to extend their relations with the North Carolina-based developer studio for a much longer time. And Vicious Cycle will be marked their first true internal developer studio as soon as the share acquisition agreement is successfully concluded.

"Having worked with D3PA for the past few years, we know the company shares our passion for creative excellence and our commitment to quality," said Eric Peterson, president of Vicious Cycle Software. He added that they are excited to be part of the D3Publisher family and providing their skills and talents to D3PA's game portfolio.

Details of the agreement seems to affect nothing throughout the management of Vicious Cycle, as the current leadership will not be changed nor shall the studio be moved from North Carolina. That said, financial figures pertaining to the acquisition have not been revealed, however.

Vicious Cycle Software, founded back in 2000 by former MicroProse game developers, is a developer for titles for a broad range of customers, including educational titles for children and action games for the mobile gamers. Their works include titles that were released on the Sony PS2, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube. They have recently focused a development effort toward the Windows platforms.

However, since the release of their Vicious Engine middleware solution, they have delivered a cross-platform edge for games on both the next-gen and current-gen consoles. The Vicious Engine was conceptualized back in 2005, but recent improvements to the software allowed the engine to be the first to extend toward the Wii and the PSP.

We don't know if you guys are interested to compute your intelligence quotient or something but in case you are, then you are probably anticipating the release of video game PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient from Nowproduction Inc. and D3Publisher of America (D3PA).

The game was developed with the help of Kyoto University Professor Masuo Koyasu. What it does is present various puzzles to players, and then compute their PQ based on the number of moves and the speed with which they complete the given puzzles. The game is actually a sequel to title PQ 1 and some of the improvements include:

• Players will encounter more than 10 new obstacles, more than 250 puzzles, and unlock 10 hidden puzzles; themed puzzles will focus on Single Moves, Traps, Reasoning, Fewest Moves, and more.
• Players will discover their preliminary PQ score in roughly 10 minutes through Quick Mode, or play through the full puzzle set for their full PQ Score.
• Players will move around with faster and sharper movements as well as choose which puzzles they want to play first.
• Using Infrastructure Mode for the PSP system, players can upload their unique puzzles and download puzzles created by other players or new tests that will be made available weekly.
• Using Ad-Hoc Mode for the PSP system, players can send out a trial version of the game to their friends allowing them to solve 10 puzzles to discover their preliminary PQ score.
• Players will check their rank among the world’s top 100 scores, their country, their region, their age group, their gender and even their own blood type.

Fans in North America should get PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient this coming June 12.

This was the message plastered on the front page of Load Inc's website, and it sure is good news:

Mad Tracks XBLA has passed final Xbox certification and is good to go. Microsoft, D3PA and Load Inc. are still adjusting a release date. Thanks for everyone's patience; the wait is soon over.

While fans have been waiting for Mad Tracks to run its course on Xbox Live for quite a while now, it does send truckloads of relief for the bosses involved (read: publisher and developer) to finally confirm that it's soon coming our way.

While there's still no specific release date yet, we did pick up word from the Xbox GamingTalkHQ site for how much it will be available. Confirmed by Denis Bourdain himself of Load Inc., Mad Tracks is yours for 800 Microsoft Points. Anyhow, enjoy this bit of good news first. We'll be sure to bring you some more sweet goodness as they trickle in.

Video game title Dead Head Fred features the dark, bizarre, and undead character of Fred Neuman. You see, he was a private detective savagely murdered and then resurrected in a bizarre scientific experiment. The thing is, upon his return, both his memory and his head are missing.

Developer Vicious Cycle software and publisher D3Publisher of America (D3PA) announced earlier today that Hollywood actor John C. McGinley will lend his voice talent to help re-animate Neuman. Vicious Cycle President Eric Peterson strongly believes that McGinley's personality and vocal style will perfectly suit Neuman's character.

The Hollywood veteran is currently portraying the character of Dr. Perry Cox on the NBC sitcom Scrubs. Before this, his acting experience transcends two decades including appearances in popular movies Identity, Are We Done Yet?, and Platoon among others under his belt, not to mention several roles in various TV shows and theater performances.

"Mr. McGinley is one of the most versatile and talented actors in the business and he is the perfect choice to bring the lead character in Dead Head Fred to life. The combination of Mr. McGinley's superb voice acting and Vicious Cycle's compelling storyline and gameplay will make Dead Head Fred a must-have title for the PSP system," commented D3PA's Brian Christian.

Dead Head Fred will be exclusively released on the PlayStation Portable (PSP) across North America this coming August 21.

 

After the official announcement of D3Publisher that they will be bringing in more games to the Xbox Live Arcade for later this year, here comes a set of screenshots for the Xbox Live version of the handhelds original (PSP, DS) Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords.

This might just be right up D3PA's alley, especially since the handheld versions proved to be such a hit. Anyhow, this puzzle game offers you an adventure like no other as you set out into the Warlords universe. Here, you must face the challenge of creating, developing, and customizing the hero in order to salvage the land of Etheria from Lord Bane.

We still have no details as to whether or not certain elements of gameplay will be tweaked for the Xbox Live version. But whatever it may be, we're pretty sure it's going to be received just as well on Microsoft's Xbox 360.

In the meantime, why don't you go check out the screenshots?

There's more to see over at Full Article!

Cartoon Network's hit original series, "Ben 10", will be making its way to the PS2, Nintendo DS, and the PlayStation Portable (PSP), thanks to D3Publisher.

Coming to the world of video games as Ben 10: Protector of the Earth, you'll find Ben still accompanied by his friends and foes, Gwen and Grandpa Max, the Forever Knights, evil Kevin 11, and his arch-enemy Vilgax. Apart from this, you may very well expect the Omnitrix's most popular alien heroes to be playable characters. As for the storyline, it is set in Ben's summer vacation, and will include all-new locations and content for players.

Says Christina Miller, vice president of Consumer Products for Cartoon Network Enterprises,

Taking the action-packed world of "Ben 10" to the next level and creating an immersive gaming experience for our fans is really exciting for us... D3PA has a proven talent for turning Cartoon Network's popular characters into authentic and well-designed video games. The variety of powerful action play in Ben 10: Protector of Earth will engage players of all levels and keep them coming back.

1st Playable Productions has taken Ben 10: Protector of Earth's DS version under its wing, while the Sony PSP and the PS2 versions are being developed by High Voltage Software, Inc. ESRB still has yet to rate the game, but it is already slated for fall this year.

Tomy Corporation and D3Publisher of America (D3PA) today announced that the upcoming Nintendo DS title Naruto: Ninja Council 3 will ship to retail stores on May 22. The game will carry a suggested retail price of US$ 29.95.

Based on the hit manga and anime series "Naruto", Naruto: Ninja Council 3 features 27 playable characters and mission-based gameplay. Players can choose to go through the 60-plus missions in the game on their own or team up with up to three other players for some coop action.

The same press release from both companies also heralded the launching of a new website that focuses on Naruto games for Nintendo consoles. Fans can get updates on Naruto: Ninja Council 3 and other Naruto Nintendo games on the website. More are also planned for July. To check it out, click on the "read" link below.

D3Publisher of America (D3PA) has announced that it will begin bringing games over to the Xbox Live Arcade later this year. In a press release fired off through the Intertubes, Yoji Takenaka, executive vice president and chief operating officer of D3PA, said that the company looks forward to "capitalizing on [XBLA's] wide reach and ease of use to bring gamers unique titles that fit the bill of delivering the highest enjoyment factors."

The first set of titles from D3PA consists of three titles. First off is Mad Tracks, a racing game that takes its inspiration from the old pull-back-and-go toy cars that were all the rage back in the day. Next up, RocketBowl. This will be the first bowling game on XBLA and "brings the fun of miniature golf to the bowling alley".

Finally, there's Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, a downloadable version of the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP title. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords blends match-three puzzle gameplay with strategy, character-building elements and a persistent storyline set in the Warlords universe.