Console Digest

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Eidos Interactive Ltd., creators of some of the world’s leading videogame properties, has today confirmed that Gauntlet™, a modern reworking of the classic fantasy hack and slash arcade game from Midway, will be released on Nintendo DS this October.

Gauntlet is set in a fantasy-themed universe where evil cloaks the world from the high clouds of Ascendia to the depths of the lava-ridden Abyss. Players can choose from the four classic heroes, Elf, Warrior, Wizard, and Valkyrie, each with their own strengths, weaknesses and special abilities. Throughout the journey, the heroes will slash their way through demonic foes and gain up to four power move abilities to aid them in their battle with evil.

“With Gauntlet we’ve revitalised all of the action and fun of the original 1980s arcade classic, whilst updating the visuals and gameplay for today’s DS gamer,” said Ray Livingston, Brand Manager at Eidos. “With four-player Wi-Fi cooperative mode, one of the most memorable multiplayer gaming experiences of all time is back with a bang.”

One of the few titles taking full advantage of the hardware capabilities of the Nintendo DS™, Gauntlet offers Voiceover IP (VoIP) which allows voice communication through the Nintendo DS microphone, giving players more options to interact with their friends online.

Featuring 40 maps across three realms, Gauntlet offers fast-paced, retro RPG crusade-style gameplay in addition to new and in-depth multiplayer features including cooperative play and competitive multiplayer. The arcade style competitive multiplayer feature strengthens the addictive Gauntlet experience by introducing ranked multiplayer games like - Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Treasure Hoard game modes, hosted with local Nintendo Wireless play or via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Developed by Backbone Entertainment, a division of Foundation 9 Entertainment, Gauntlet is set for release on Nintendo DS later this year.

XIDER Games is to release Ankh: Curse of the Scarab King on Nintendo DS. Following the success of the popular PC versions, this fun and colourful adventure will be available to play on DS in September 2008. Players will need to think outside the box and solve many puzzles in order to explore new areas in their quest to save the young adventurer, Assil, from the death curse put on him by an ancient Mummy.

Mischievous Assil steals his father’s key to get into the Scarab King’s tomb. As he and his friends party away inside, their search for a bottle opener rudely awakens a Mummy. Unhappy at being disturbed from his peaceful slumber and unimpressed by the gang breaking seven of his precious urns, the Mummy casts a lethal curse upon Assil leaving him with just 24 hours to live. Shocked, Assil stumbles back home where he is greeted by his unhappy father, who grounds him for a week so he is unable to escape the house.

The game begins in Assil’s bedroom. Players must help him escape from captivity without crossing the path of his angry father. The stylus or the d-pad can be used to direct Assil around his environment, discovering clues to help solve puzzles and progress through the quest. The bottom left hand corner of the screen displays four hieroglyphic symbols that players can select to look, talk, pick up and use items.

Players will need to examine every bit of their surroundings, as objects that look harmlessly decorative may play a key role in moving the quest forwards. For instance, by combining two items of clothing found lying around, a rope is produced sufficient for escaping his room through the window. Other objects stored in the inventory can be combined with each other to create new and inventive ways of solving puzzles. There is however an easy setting to guide players to the key objects so they can progress.

Time is of the essence though, as Assil must find the Pharaoh, the only person who can save his life, before time is up!

Ankh DS is the follow up to the classic PC adventure games introduced in 2005 and 2007.

Again: She’s 17, she’s blonde and she only faces “problems“ with her hair and make up. No need to worry about anything when Sunny cruises with her rich parents the Caribbean to celebrate their wedding day.

But suddenly a thunderstorm hits the ship, Sunny falls overboard into a life boat. When she regains consciousness, she notices herself being washed ashore on the beach of an island. She has no idea either where she is or where her parents and all the other cruise shippers are – she’s lost.

This is how the PC version of Steve Ince’s adventure game So Blonde starts. Back then, Sunny faced that beautiful Caribbean scenery – now, in So Blonde for Wii™ and Nintendo DS™, this has changed: The island appears dark, no one is to see at the shores and strange black sand crunches underneath Sunny’s feet. Rugged rocks border the beaches – Sunny has to make up something to get to the inner island. What was that up there on the cliff? Wasn’t there a man? If so, why does he ignore Sunny’s cry for help? Sunny will face a new adventure…

dtp entertainment and Wizarbox have announced the adventure game So Blonde for Wii and Nintendo DS which is a completely new adventure game, based on the beautiful heroine of the already-released PC versions. This time, the game’s story, again written by adventure gaming legend Steve Ince, makes Sunny explore the dark side of the Forgotten Island, where she stranded.

Some of the incidents happening on the island are the same as in the PC version – but this time, Steve Ince drives the story into a completely new direction. Other islanders are coming to the fore and are taking over the lead roles in So Blonde for Wii and Nintendo DS.

Both version’s controls have been adapted to fit Wii Remote, Nunchuk and Nintendo DS-Touchpen easily. So, point & click control feels as it’s meant to be. Also the party mini games included in So Blonde benefit from Nintendo’s intuitive control systems. dtp entertainment is going to release So Blonde for Wii and Nintendo DS in 2009.