Sometimes you find stuff that’s just interesting to see I received this in my mail today and I have to say kudo’s to Shinobi Ninja for going out there and finding a market for there music. A little less Games related but I think it’s worth a mention….

NEW YORK, NY, February 22, 2010 – These days it is harder than ever for independent bands to get noticed in the music world and break through to the next level.

That’s why when New York City-based rock/rap group Shinobi Ninja created their app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, they knew it had to be not only new and different, but also a property that would help market their unique brand to their fans, and even expand their fan base. In the first three weeks of
availability, “ Brooklyn to Babylon: Shinobi Ninja Attacks!” has been downloaded more than 5,000 times, and Twitter followers, Facebook fans and MySpace friends have also increased. “It’s like we have rocked five sold out shows at Grammercy Theater in less than one month,” mused Dave Machinist, drummer and bandleader.

Perhaps the biggest positive development for the band has been the industry reaction to Shinobi Ninja since the app released on February 1, 2010. “We had A&R requests from three major record labels and several booking agents the day after our app released,” said Machinist. “That was way beyond what we’d hoped or even dreamed.”

“Everybody’s using social media to connect with fans, but until we came along there were few bands that were building apps that were good at driving deeper fan engagement with their music and their overall brands,” said manager Stephen Sternschein. “Our app has already begun to help us achieve our goals of bringing our current fans closer to us, and it’s expanding our fan base far beyond New York City, to places as far away as Asia and the U.K.”

Shinobi Ninja has realized a 10 percent conversion rate from the free “lite” version of the game to the full retail version (i.e., users downloaded the free app then paid to download the retail version), which compares favorably to the industry standard conversion rate of half a percent to five percent for iPhone apps. According to Sternschein, “our conversion rate is so much higher than average, because we’ve been focusing mostly on our strong fan base for initial sales, and we expect it to climb even higher, when we take it on the road to the South by Southwest Music Festival in a few weeks. It’s a great tool to help new fans discover the band and stay connected with us, once we’ve performed in their home towns.”

About “Brooklyn to Babylon: Shinobi Ninja Attacks” iPhone App
Part cartoon video game, part music video, and part music/video player, “Brooklyn to Babylon: Shinobi Ninja Attacks!” is an app developed by rock/rap band Shinobi Ninja for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. It integrates digital music and video into a classic eight-bit video-game environment, so players get immersed in the band’s imagined cartoon world and are rewarded for playing with free music downloads, music videos, and promotional merchandise. Developed by Shinobi Ninja Video Game, Llc., a partnership of Shinobi Ninja and Heard Games, “Shinobi Ninja Attacks” was designed and animated by Interabang Entertainment, with software programming by Cerulean Games. A “lite” version is available free from the App Store; the fully loaded retail version sells for $3.99.

About Shinobi Ninja
Shinobi Ninja, is an independent rock/rap group comprised of six New York City performers: lead singers DA and Baby Girl, bassist Jonny on the Rocks, drummer Terminator Dave, guitarist Maniac Mike, and DJ Axis Powers. Inspired by acts as diverse as Nirvana, Janet Jackson, Faith No More, Sublime, and the Beastie Boys, Shinobi Ninja crafts their own brand of party music into an eclectic mix of musical styles designed to appeal to a wide variety of music fans. Shinobi Ninja recently debuted their latest extended-play (EP) single, “Brooklyn to Babylon,” and they recently released their first video game app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch,
“Brooklyn to Babylon: Shinobi Ninja Attacks.” Their latest music video can be viewed here. Shinobi Ninja’s next album is scheduled for release Spring 2010. Join Shinobi Ninja at Twitter.com/shinobininja. For more
information, visit www.shinobininja.com.

Ndoors Interactive today announced the release of a “lite” client for their award-winning strategic turn-based MMORPG, Atlantica Online. The lite client is about 700MB and enables new players to play Atlantica while the full client conveniently downloads in the background.

While playing with the lite client version, players will be able to create characters and explore the beginning parts of the game and experience what it has to offer until they reach Level 20. This version was developed specifically to improve the new user experience and to allow players to get in and play with a lighter download. To play beyond Level 20, the full client is required.

For more information on Atlantica Online and to download the lite client, please visit www.playatlantica.com/ao.

About Ndoors Interactive

Ndoors Interactive is a leading global publisher of online games. With US headquarters in Los Angeles, Ndoors boasts an award-winning catalog of micro-transaction based free-to-play MMOG’s. Ndoors’ popular online games include the strategic turn-based MMORPG, Atlantica Online, the political and economic MMORPG, Luminary: Rise of the Goonzu, and the 2D side-scrolling MMORPG, WonderKing. More information is available at http://www.ndoors.com.

Sryth is a single-player, story-driven, fantasy text RPG you play right your web browser.

All you have to do to start playing is create an account.  That process is kept easy and fast.  No need to validate anything just login and start playing.

The Story

In the world of Sryth™ you are the hero!
You take on the role of a bold adventurer (a custom character you will create) whose heart yearns for fame, fortune, and of course…the thrill of adventure! However, you’re not just any ordinary adventurer…

In Sryth, the game’s storyline revolves around you. You’re the main character — perhaps the greatest adventurer since the glory days of Tallys — and your actions and decisions will not only shape your destiny, but perhaps alter the course of history!

Srynth is a free to play game.  There are options to become a payed subscriber doing so will get you access to premium content that only subscribers have access to.

System Requirements

All reviews are subject to change. We did not receive any compensation for this review.

Customers who pre-order East India Company: Privateer will be given early access to the free add-on “Designer’s Cut.” The add-on, which introduces new gameplay enhancements based off of input from both the game’s developers and East India Company fans on the Paradox forums, will release to the rest of the public on October 27.

East India Company: Privateer Features:

• Two new campaigns in which you play the game as a privateer and complete missions for different nations.
• New missions, including destroying forts, locating and either sinking or capturing enemy ships, blockading enemy ports and escorting friendly fleets.
• New commander skills to fit the life of a privateer, such as “False Colors,” which allows the player to get close to the victim without them perceiving a threat, and “Critical Hit,” which gives the player a chance to hit an enemy ship’s magazine, causing the enemy ship to explode.

East India Company: Privateer requires the original game East India Company, which is now available at 50% off for a limited time with the purchase of Privateer at most digital download portals. The expansion East India Company: Privateer will be exclusively available for digital download at all major digital download portals for a suggested retail price of €9.99 and $9.99.

For more information on East India Company: Privateer, visit the official East India Company website at www.eic-game.com.

About Paradox Interactive

Since 1999, Paradox Interactive has been a leading global developer and publisher of PC-based strategy games. World-renowned for its strategy catalog, the company holds a particularly strong presence in the United States and Europe. Its steadily-growing portfolio includes originally developed titles such as the critically acclaimed Europa Universalis and the Hearts of Iron franchises, as well as publishing titles such as the Penumbra series, Supreme Ruler 2020, Elven Legacy, Mount&Blade and Majesty 2 – The Fantasy Kingdom Sim. For more information, please visit www.paradoxplaza.com and follow @pdxinteractive on twitter.

About Nitro Games

Nitro Games Ltd. is a Finnish game developer that produces high quality video games for worldwide distribution. Since it’s founding in 2007, the company has grown rapidly and become one of the largest game development studios in Finland producing games for both PC and Next-Gen console platforms. The company focuses on creating interesting titles with strong intellectual property values. Company offices are located in Kotka and Helsinki, both in southern Finland. The development team is comprised of skilled professionals who know what it takes to make a game that is fun to play and easy to sell. Read more at www.nitrogames.com.

Taste the salt on your lips while a gentle breeze from the ocean fondles your face. You feel how the magic flows through you and you are ready to meet every challenge. The world’s stability is fragile.  You need strong allies to fight against the sinister monsters on land and also at sea. Explore the world of Florensia!

Story Line

From the Florensia Website:

Florensia invites you to immerse into a world of scattered islands and the huge Hoomanil Ocean. You can travel and fight both on shore and at sea. Thus you can grow your personal characters and ships to become an individual hero. The outstanding anime style graphics and numerous features create a stunning atmosphere. Whether exploring sinister dungeons, relaxing in the marvelous towns, traveling through the countryside or over the ocean, there are countless possibilities for all kinds of players. What will you experience in the world of Florensia?

Review

I tried to login on the American servers at first, which made Florensia crash.  When I logged into EU English server, there  was no problem.  While jumping into Florensia for the first time  you’ll notice the great design of the game.  It looks really sharp.  The game is not choppy at all and even with heavy downloading the game still works like expected.  The world looks like it came straight out of the pirate era.  The Character costumes are awesome and the ships are even better.  I had a lot of fun just running around meeting all of the in game characters.  I’m actually looking forward to the next time I get to play this awesome game.   This game can be played as an individual or you can join a guild.  It offers PVP(Player Vs. Player) actions as well as the usual guild vs guild action.

System Requirements

All reviews are subject to change.  We did not receive any compensation for this review.

Installation

After installing the 1.1GB download and starting the game for the first time it goes online to download updates and game data.  For me this was a total of 750+ files.    Funny enough the window that opens is still called Dekaron.

Story Line

From the 2 Moons Website :

Overall Story
They called it The Corruption, those charged with the telling of the story. When the two moons aligned, the exiled king, Rictus, bid his magician open the gate and unleash the pestilence of the Pitborn and their dark ruler Abaddon upon Haran, The Immortal Land. In his hubris, Rictus thought he might control them, that he might herald his conquering of Haran on the crest of a black wave of the accursed. But there could be no alliance with Abaddon, the lord of the pit whose blessing is pain, whose enchantment is the wage of sorrow. He bound Rictus in the darkness of the abyss and every time a man fell to claw, tooth or blade, every time a woman or child burned to black flesh, choked to blue or starved to sallow skin, Rictus died their death and lived to die again. This for all eternity, for such was the will of Abaddon.  Read More

Description

Game play doesn’t seem to hog up all of the resources, on this laptop which is a standard sub 500 Dollar laptop.   There is some lag from time to time but it’s to be expected it is after all a Fantasy RPG that you play online and the network here is always very busy with some downloads.  2 Moons has all of the to be expected functionality built in.  A messenger,  a quest notice window and even a shout-box for quick messages.  It has a lot of keyboard shortcuts for those of us that like to stay on the keyboard when we game.  Check out the 2 Moons Website for more info about gameplay and guides.  View the video below for a short impression of the game.  Submerge yourself in fantasy characters, slashing and killing and awesome battles

System Requirements

All reviews are subject to change.  We did not receive any compensation for this review.

collective minds and were able to get some Q&A time with the producers of MegaTen Imagine, Aeria Games.  Here is what we found out for you!

Q&A About MegaTen Imagine For Aeria Games:

Zownder: What prompted you to create Mega Ten?  Was it the popularity of the RPG games Megami Tensei or the horror novel series itself?

Aeria Games: Atlus, along with Cave, decided to make the MMORPG for the Japanese market.  When Aeria took a look at it, we knew it would be a big hit for our players, so we licensed it for North America and Europe.  We’re seeing interest from all over the world, so we’re glad we can bring this title to our community. 

Fantasy-RPG: How did you determine the different types of demons in the game and how they looked – were they all taken from the original RPG games or were some created from scratch?

Aeria Games: Players of the other SMT games will recognize Demons from a wide variety of other games in the series.  There aren’t any invented Demons for MegaTen: Imagine, but if you only play the North American ports, you may find some Demons from games that weren’t brought to North America before.   

Fantasy-RPG: The training system for new players is completely unique and offers MMO gamers a way to get their feet wet with the interface and fighting system before they are thrown into real combat in game.  What led you to create this type of awesome training for Mega Ten?

Aeria Games: Finding the right amount of tutorial instructions are difficult because we have players coming from different backgrounds:  some played MMORPGs before, some are SMT console players, some are experts, and some are complete beginners.  The tutorial is integrated into the opening storyline so players may find it a little more entertaining and fast-paced than what you may find in other games.

Since MegaTen isn’t just a point and spam the mouse button type of game, players will learn basic combat moves and strategy in the tutorial.   

Fantasy-RPG: Give gamers a bit of a sneak peek to what they can expect in the way of end-game content that they can engage in when they reach the current maximum level.

Aeria Games: Aeria’s MMOs are an ongoing adventure.  We’re always adding new expansions to our games to keep our players entertained.  MegaTen is a game you can play for months without subscription or download costs. 

By the time you hit the high levels, your character will be decked out in a unique combination of clothing items and weapons—other players will “ooh” and “ahh” and ask you where you were able to find certain items.  Many of them you had to upgrade on your own.  You would also have a group of powerful Demons at your disposal.  Many of them, other players have probably never seen.  By then, we also hope you joined a Clan; maybe you even created one.   If you have done all that, I’m sure you’ll also be doing dungeon runs with some friends you’ve made in the game.   

Fantasy-RPG: And, last, but not least – tell us what your favorite parts of the game itself are and why. 

Aeria Games: For me, my favorite part is the Demon Fusing.  I like going out and negotiating with a bunch of Demons, then bringing them all back to town to see what new Demons I can make with the different combinations.  I guarantee you’ll think it’s cool once you start riding your first mountable Demon.

In my real life, I don’t enjoy experimenting so much with dressing up in different outfits and different hairstyles, but for some reason in MegaTen, it’s a lot more fun.  I suppose it’s because MegaTen has so many outrageous costumes, and some of them are pretty funny.  You can swing around a hand bag as a weapon—it only does only 1 point of damage, but it’s funny to watch.

Lastly, it’s our community.  Aeria has been fortunate enough to have a lot of really great people within its games.  Players will find lots of helpful volunteers in the games and on our forums if they have questions.   It’s a different type of attitude at Aeria than other gaming communities.  I feel the atmosphere here is more conducive to meeting cool people with similar interests—not just gaming.  Players can hang out with their friends and chat and game together.

Check out some of the awesomeness that is MegaTen Imagine from Aeria Games and see for yourself what you are missing.  This is truly one of those free to play MMO games that anyone would gladly pay to play, as everything you’ll find here is unique and just down right awesome to check out.

We here at Fantasy-RPG want to say a special thank you to Spencer Chi at Aeria Games for making this Q&A happen!