THQ today announced that its critically acclaimed action-adventure title Darksiders for Windows PC has now shipped to retail outlets across the world.

“It is important that the PC audience get to experience the same great product as the console audience so we pulled out all the stops to optimize this version. If you didn’t previously buy the console version now is the perfect opportunity to try Darksiders for yourself.”
Released earlier this year for home consoles, Darksiders is now available for PC gamers to enjoy in all of its apocalyptic glory. Developed by THQ’s in-house studio, Vigil Games, the Windows PC version of the game has been re-engineered from the ground up to deliver the same great action as the console games, while taking advantage of keyboard and mouse controls.

The Windows PC version of the game has already begun to receive critical acclaim from the gaming press with scores including 91% The Games Machine, 87% Gamers Plus, 86% 3D Juegos, 8/10 Eurogamer.de and 9/10 on Multiplayer.it.

Travis Plane, Vice President of Global Brand Management commented, “It is important that the PC audience get to experience the same great product as the console audience so we pulled out all the stops to optimize this version. If you didn’t previously buy the console version now is the perfect opportunity to try Darksiders for yourself.”

The most anticipated entertainment event of the year is almost here. Starting at midnight tonight, millions of people around the world will embark on a mission of courage, sacrifice and valor in “Halo: Reach,” the thrilling prequel to the iconic “Halo” trilogy that became a global entertainment phenomenon and defined a generation of gamers over the past decade.

Not since the debut of “Star Wars: Episode I” have fans been so excited to revisit a beloved franchise. Recently dubbed “a pop culture phenomenon” by Variety magazine and hailed as the No. 1 game series of all time, the “Halo” franchise will once again make history with the launch of “Halo: Reach,” which goes on sale at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 14 in more than 25 countries.

To celebrate the launch, tens of thousands of retailers around the world are opening their doors at midnight exclusively to sell copies of “Halo: Reach,” as well as “Halo: Reach” Xbox 360 consoles and accessories. Special marquee launch events are taking place in major cities around the world, including New York, further adding to the fervor surrounding the highly anticipated video game, which is expected to top all previous entertainment launches this year.

“Halo” fans in New York will be treated to a special performance by hip-hop star Kid Cudi at the new Best Buy Theater in Times Square. The New York launch event will be broadcast live in HD on Spike TV beginning at 11:33 p.m. EDT, and it will also air live on the Times Square MTV billboard.

“Halo: Reach” tells the tragic and heroic story of Noble Team, a group of Spartans, who through great sacrifice and courage, saved countless lives in the face of impossible odds. The planet Reach is humanity’s last line of defense between the encroaching Covenant and their ultimate goal, the destruction of Earth. If it falls, humanity will be perched on the brink of destruction.

Published by Microsoft Game Studios, the “Halo” franchise of games is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. As evidence of the game’s highly anticipated release, more than 2.7 million players participated in the “Halo: Reach” multiplayer beta in May, making it the largest console video game beta test on record and more than triple the size of the historic “Halo 3″ beta.

The “Halo” franchise is an award-winning collection of properties that has grown into a global entertainment phenomenon. Beginning with the original “Halo: Combat Evolved” (2001), the critically acclaimed and record-shattering series of games has since inspired multiple New York Times best-selling novels, comic books, action figures, apparel and more. To date, more than 34 million copies of “Halo” games have been sold worldwide, driving more than 3.3 billion hours of gameplay by people connected to Xbox LIVE.

Regional Launch Events and “Halo: Reach” Midnight Madness
In New York, Seattle and beyond, Microsoft and retail partners are hosting events to give fans a truly memorable “Halo: Reach” launch experience. The launch events will be held at the following venues:

New York: Best Buy Theater, 1515 Broadway (at 44th St.), New York, N.Y. 10036 (event begins at 8 p.m. EDT, Sept. 13)
Seattle: Experience Music Project | Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, 325 5th Ave. North, Seattle, Wash. 98109 (event begins at 6 p.m. PDT, Sept. 13)
U.K.: GAME, Westfield Shopping Centre, London, W12 7GF (event begins at 9:30 p.m. GMT, Sept. 13)
Norway: Spaceworld Megastore, Storgata 12, 0155 Oslo (event begins at 12:01 a.m. CET, Sept. 14)
Sweden: Webhallen, Sveavagen 39, 11134 Stockholm (event begins at 10 p.m. CET, Sept. 13)

In addition, retailers around the world will host midnight madness store openings to usher in the launch of “Halo: Reach,” demonstrating the appeal of an entertainment phenomenon that has elevated video games into mainstream pop culture and permeated every corner of the globe.

Made exclusively for Xbox 360 by acclaimed developer Bungie, “Halo: Reach” will be made available in Standard, Limited and Legendary Editions. As a special bonus, fans can receive a token to unlock an exclusive in-game Spartan Recon Helmet, by picking up a copy of the game on launch day at North American retail stores, and outside North America by making a preorder reservation at participating retailers. More information can be found at http://www.xbox.com/haloreach.

The team at Fly Away Simulation has added a whole new dimension to its flight simulator portal following an exciting announcement by Microsoft. Microsoft has announced that they will be releasing the next in its series of flight simulator packages for PC users, with the next release being called Microsoft Flight.

Microsoft Flight is set to become the biggest complete flight simulator package available to PC users. With drastic enhancements in technology, and more powerful machines for the software to run on, the graphics will be like nothing yet seen in a simulation package.

Fly Away Simulation have already begun opening up sections of their website to cover this release. While actual news and information on the product is somewhat speculation at the moment, they have covered all angles on their website.

Fly Away Simulation have already featured Microsoft Flight preview videos, a screenshots gallery, discussion forums and news articles. The main attraction at Fly Away Simulation’s website is their flight simulator downloads section. The download section already boasts over 3,000 add-ons and enhancements for flight simulator packages and with a user base of over 125,000. With the release of Microsoft Flight round the corner, users can expect hundreds of downloads such as aircraft, scenery, tools and utilities to be made available following its release.

While there is no official release date for Microsoft Flight, users should expect the release to be before Christmas 2010. All aspects of the release will be covered on the Fly Away Simulation website (http://flyawaysimulation.com) in real time.

Users should expect many new features in the next version of the Microsoft Flight Simulator package. New features will include many new aircraft, better scenery and graphics, more realistic flight environment and integration with the Windows Live system.

On 10 November 2010, be among the first to get Kinect for Xbox 360 with the Special Edition Xbox 360 250GB with Kinect, available for a limited period. This all-inclusive package includes the Xbox 360 250GB console, a Kinect sensor and “Kinect Adventures” for £299.99. Set up controller-free entertainment in your home with the glossy black 250GB console that boasts 802.11n built-in Wi-Fi, an internal removable 250GB hard drive and touch sensitive controls. Plug in the Kinect Sensor to the dedicated port on the console and load “Kinect Adventures” where you can float in outer space, experience the thrill of roaring rapids and tackle mountaintop obstacle courses. Enjoy controller-free fun with any of the more than 15 games launching with Kinect and experience new ways to enjoy your favourite entertainment.

Xbox 360 paired with Kinect has something for everyone. Play an exciting game of football in “Kinect Sports,” go for the ride of your lives with the massive jumps and full-body stunts in “Kinect Joy Ride,” or adopt a pet tiger cub with “Kinectimals.” Get the most out of your morning workout with “Your Shape: Fitness Evolved.” Your virtual trainer will help you meet your specific fitness goals by providing feedback on your form in the comfort your own living room. Gather friends for a dance party, or work on your own moves one step at a time with “Dance Central” by MTV Games and Harmonix. Spend quality time with friends and family around the world through Video Kinect. Watch your favourite movies, TV programmes and live sports from Sky on Xbox LIVE, all with the wave of a hand.

Kinect for Xbox 360 will take to the global stage once again at the Tokyo Game Show next week to reveal even more new controller-free games and experiences never before possible.

ORIGIN PC unveils The Big O, their latest creation designed for dominance and destined to make high performance computing enthusiasts and gamers to drool uncontrollably. The Big O fuses the capabilities of the fastest computing hardware on the market, ORIGIN’s expert overclocking, and a built in Xbox 360 to create the ultimate gaming weapon.

Absolute Power – With Intel’s Xeon X5680 processors there is nothing you can throw at The Big O that will slow it down. Each X5680 features six-cores, twelve threads, supports ECC memory-and that’s before we add a second CPU and overclock it to a lighting fast 4.3GHz. Add in up to 24GBs of Corsair GT 2000MHz memory and then dare any computer task to slow down your Big O.

Quad Damage – A strong core with excellent liquid cooling is the key to lasting performance and EVGA’s GeForce® GTX 480 FTW graphics cards delivers the best graphical power money can buy. This power is multiplied in a SLI multi-GPU configuration creating the most immersive visuals imaginable in gaming and beyond. The Big O provides the unmatched graphics performance that will shatter any benchmark thrown at it.

The X-Factor – To empower gamers with the most comprehensive gaming platform on the planet, ORIGIN integrates a liquid-cooled Xbox 360 slim directly into each Big O. Every Big O system is strategically modified so the Xbox ports are easily accessible with liquid cooled processors for extreme performance. You can even game on the Xbox 360 while your computer is busy dominating whatever other task it is assigned.

Liquid Cooled to Perfection – ORIGIN keeps your Big O cool with its state of the art liquid cooling system that maximizes performance from the CPU, motherboard, graphics card and even the integrated Xbox 360 slim. The ORIGIN custom liquid cooling system aggressively dissipates heat and eliminates fan noise ensuring your system remains cool and whisper quiet.

The Big O features a 1 year free shipping and free part replacement warranty backed with the best in class integration, quality testing and support. ORIGIN offers a free life-time phone and online service guarantee and each customer has a dedicated support team and free life-time labor for upgrade needs. Pricing for The Big O starts from $7,669 and can be configured one on one with an ORIGIN specialist through http://originpc.com/thebigo-features.asp.

New strategy games Bye Bye Brain! is rocking the mobile scene with its intuitive, easy to follow Zombie killing plot.

Bye Bye Brain! is completely done in XNA using Microsoft Silverlight and is based on a classic Tower Defence game, Bye Bye Brain! takes the zombie killing to a whole new level providing camera control. Bye Bye Brain! is developed by Ricardo Acosta Luis Guerrero y Rodrigo Díaz for PlainConcepts.

Bye Bye Brain! will be a home run when it hits the Windows Phone 7 market.

Bye Bye Brain, Windows Phone 7 Game from riacosta on Vimeo.

Black Box and Dolby Laboratories announced that Need for Speed World, the massively multiplayer online (MMO) action racing game will incorporate Dolby Axon voice chat technology before the holiday. Need for Speed World combines the rush of illicit street racing, deep RPG style progression and vehicle customization into an immersive, socially-connected Need for Speed experience.

By integrating Dolby Axon into online game titles, game developers can provide players with a new level of realism in online gaming:

Improved audio chain processing (noise suppression, echo suppression) for clear voice communication.
Surround sound voice chat over stereo headsets, stereo speakers, and 5.1 playback systems delivering realistic and exciting in-game communication with teammates.

Compatibility with any stereo headset, enabling gamers to experience clear, crisp voice quality without specialized equipment.
Need for Speed World is being developed by Black Box, an Electronic Arts studio and is available on the PC.