- Village Gamer - http://a.villagegamer.net -

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa and a Sword of the Stars Sequel

EA Sports [1]BurnabyElectronic Arts [2] will celebrate the single largest sporting event on the planet with the only official and exclusively licensed videogame for the EA Canada-developed 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Now everyone can play in the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, Wii™, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) and mobile in April 2010 in anticipation of the real-world tournament which begins in June. EA Sports FIFA World Cup [3]

EA SPORTS™ 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa will feature all the emotion and passion of the fiercest national rivalries battling on the world’s biggest stage, with all 199 national teams that took part in qualification, all 10 official stadiums to be used in South Africa and stadiums from each qualifying region. Gamers will be able to play as their home nation from qualification right through to a virtual reproduction of the FIFA World Cup Final™ and feel what it is like to score the goal that lifts a nation. Everything fans love about the World Cup will come to life in spectacular detail, including confetti rain, streamers, & fireworks—just like the official tournament.

For the first time ever in a videogame compete in a full and authentic online World Cup tournament. Carry the hopes and dreams of a nation into battle against fans from rival countries, from the group stage through the knockout rounds to the chance to be crowned 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa TM champion. For fans of nations that failed to qualify for South Africa this is the chance to replay and re-write history. Plus, gameplay innovations capture the journey from qualification to the final tournament with home and away strategies for every nation, situational tactics in-game, and altitude effects that fatigue players faster and even impact the flight of the ball.

Presented in an art style that celebrates the cultural vibrancy of the first FIFA World Cup TM to be held in Africa, EA SPORTS 2010 FIFA World Cup on the Wii is an action-packed soccer game that brings friends together in their living rooms to compete for the 2010 FIFA World Cup TM. Travel around the world virtually to take on all 32 nations competing in South Africa in head-to-head challenges in Zakumi’s Dream Team mode. Start the journey with random players and then build your team by stealing an opposition player after each victory. Win a challenge and pick a player until you have conquered the world. Plus, take your team to a friend’s house on your Wii Remote.

Kerberos Productions [4]Vancouver – At the Paradox Interactive Convention in New York last week, Kerberos [4] revealed that their next project is the much awaited sequel to the critically hailed Sword of the Stars 4X franchise. Today, Paradox Interactive summarizes some of the details revealed.

In Sword of the Stars 2 [5], gamers will be reacquainted with the original six races from Swords of the Stars I and its expansions as well as reveal the dark secret of the original series, the Suul’ka – an ancient race that is responsible for tampering with the Liir, Zuul, and other races in the SotS universe! Sword of the Stars 2 is in early production and is scheduled for release in 2011.

Not limited to another entire new race and their unique drive technology, SotS2 will be a major step forward in the SotS approach to 4X gameplay, taking the easy-to-learn-hard-to-master philosophy set out in SotS1 and following that path to a new standard in space strategy games.

”We’ve always felt there are many parallels between Paradox Interactive and Kerberos. We share a passion for game development, a dedication to a strong community and have earned a great deal of recognition and credibility in the strategy gaming community for our work. Sword of the Stars 2 is in its early conception but is already showing potential of becoming Kerberos great masterpiece and we are very excited to play a part in bringing it to gamers worldwide, said Fredrik Wester, CEO Paradox Interactive.

“Sword of the Stars 2 represents not only an evolution of the SotS gameplay and story, but also a union between a developer and a publisher who understand gameplay and strategy above all else. To us, Paradox is more than just another publisher, they are fellow gamers who love strategy and action as much as we do. When it comes to the game itself, Sword of the Stars 2 will be far more than just a sequel where the graphics have been tuned up and a new unit or two thrown in. Instead players can look forward to a whole new game that is based on the central SotS experience, but willing and able to grow beyond it to offer even more in terms of strategy, tactics and gameplay.” Martin Cirulis, CEO Kerberos Productions.