According to a transcript of the event from Seeking Alpha, Lau discussed the future of Cryptic within Perfect World.

“…when Perfect World acquired Cryptic, one of the contributions from Perfect World to Cryptic is we can share our free-to-play experience with Cryptic,” Lau said. “So I want to emphasize is that never we’ve done a free-to-play model game, so we’re going to launch this game in US and also in China, so we expect to run these type if free-to-play model game. We have a bigger potential in US and also in China.”

Lau continued by addressing Star Trek Online.

“…Star Trek Online, after the acquisition, in fact Cryptic is working on the free-to-play model for Star Trek Online. This is going to be launched by the end of this year as well. So I think free-to-play model we have a bigger potential in US market and also in China market.”

Slightly broken English, but give the guy a break.

Right now, the thought is that STO’s model may look similar to that of Cryptic’s other MMO, Champions Online. That model…looks pretty similar to every other MMO that has gone free-to-play.

DEMO/PASS

Throughout this review my boyfriend Jamie and I (Lindsey) will give our different points-of-view on this game, The UnderGarden.  We’ll start with a breakdown of all the elements of a video game such as graphics, music, etc. To tell you the truth we play totally different games being a couple, he is more into first person shooters such as COD: Black Ops and Halo, though Jamie enjoys the occasional WOW or Fable III, he never gets sick of those violent games. Me on the other hand, I stick to more of the Dragon Age and Pokemon games. So different points of view can be kind of fun when playing the same game.

Lindsey: First off I would like to say that the graphics of the game are AWESOME. In HD, they give a sense of calming and serenity. Now I have viewed the UnderGardern on Jamie’s sweet TV, so I can’t say how it looks on other TV’s but this is definitely the only thing going for this game, since The UnderGarden’s content is BORING!   The game had no plot to it; no purpose other then pollinating a fantasy world and earning achievements. This game was so boring and repetitive that if you play through it once, you’ll have had more than enough.

Jamie: I agree with the graphical part; however this game is worse than boring. I was looking at the menu and the first level assuming this was going to be some awesome mind-tripping experience only to find this game to be kind of childish in ways. There is no real outcome for this game but here we jump ahead. Graphically I give this a star because it’s really unique and stunning. Thus why I thought this would be mind-tripping.  And, the Gardener looks like a little plush toy you find in a store. I do like the plants with all the colors and how they change when a musician is around.

L: Okay, so to start off, this may be a spoiler, but to tell you the truth, I don’t even think you will get as far into the game for it to spoil anything. When I started the game, it gave me literally no useful instruction on how to play the game or even what the game was about. There is no story line, no point to playing this game besides the facts that we are suppose to listen to the same lame music and look at the same old but beautiful repetitive graphics. Oh and can I ask… what is this creature?  Agreed, graphics are amazing. No clue what the main character is though. I love the little outfits you can earn. It’s an interesting concept, but it feels like they spent the most time on the visual aspect of the game and less on the actual content.

Each level is different puzzles where you are suppose to pick up these seeds and move them around to find out how to open new passages. From what I got from it, we were growing plants and spreading pollen.

J: I agree. There really is no point to this game. I get the idea of spreading pollen and collecting crystals and using musicians to make the plants look different. Oh and the whole puzzle. It is a puzzle game but with no real purpose. The first thought in my head was “where the heck am I?”, and of course I still haven’t figured any of this out. I assume there is somewhere to go to look for that information but now I really don’t care. The controls are very intuitive and easy to use; however the use of them is vague at first. The music is fitting for the game. I personally find it a little fun to find the musicians to make the different beats and sounds to the song. The same song is played throughout the whole game however which can eventually lead to someone wishing they were listening to nails on a chalkboard just for something different.  The music fits the game pretty well and is very calming. My favorite part is getting the band together to make the music less boring. However, it’s very repetitive and like I said before, makes you seek something different musically. I would definitely suggest playing music off your 360 instead of listening to this the whole time.

L: I don’t agree on the easy to use part. I find it difficult to move about! I get really frustrated trying to solve the puzzles. I didn’t know what to pick up or move about because of the lack of instruction. I found you do not die in this game which can sometimes be a plus, but really? Where is the challenge in that? I feel that I am really not working to achieve anything in this game other than getting gamer points and different outfits for my weird little alien dude.  The music can be relaxing for a little while and it does fits well with the calming graphics but it is REALLY annoying that it is the only thing that plays over and over. The music actually reminds me of something that I would fall asleep to at night. It doesn’t keep my attention for long.

J: To me, the game isn’t meant to be a challenge, but more of a visually and musically relaxing type of game. A game to get away from the normal gore infested, violent games we have these days. You play as an underground gardener and make plants with no real purpose but to make plants. The puzzles are there but seem to be really easy and can eventually become more of a challenge. I did think that the puzzles really don’t take any real effort. It’s all laid out for you so you can figure it out pretty easily despite the fact that there is no instruction on what the items do. You run around making a garden out of barren tunnels and caves. Then you find these obstacles that you must overcome in order to move on. You can collect crystals and other items and move through warps to get to other areas. In co-op mode, one would think this game would expand your exploration by using two different gardeners. However, the camera only focuses on the first player making it hard for the second player to move around at times. The second player can also go off-screen which makes it even lousier. I think the co-op mode wasn’t thought through thoroughly. Overall this game is just an explorative, fairly simple, and entrancing game made for casual puzzle gamers who just want something to get their mind off of things. As a hardcore gamer, I do not find this game really a challenge or interesting as I get bored of it too easily and play Halo instead. This game is only entertaining and poses no real challenge for the player to overcome.  The controls, to me, are fairly simple and intuitive. It understands your movements and moves with them. The buttons are simple as well. Press X to pick things up, A to speed up, and Y to warp. I don’t think B has any purpose whatsoever. I definitely give the controls thumbs up.

L: And I think the controls were difficult and annoying. I kept getting caught in areas and wasn’t able to get out of them. I also sometimes got the buttons messed up and often lost everything I was carrying. The whole floating aspect didn’t appeal to me though I know it was meant to be like you were underwater, I just had a hard time.

J: The UnderGarden really has no story to it. There is no real purpose to what you’re doing. You just do it and enjoy it. It can be fun but only if you’re into repetitive puzzle games. The levels and puzzles are consistent and has no deviation whatsoever. This to me and I’m sure many other gamers, is not worth the download and annoying boredom.

—

We both believe the game to be very relaxing and entertaining but not challenging and climactic. We would definitely say if you’re a casual puzzle enthusiast looking for a trippy game, then give this a try. If you’re a hardcore gamer, this game is NOT for you.  Though the graphics of this game were phenomenal, that was the main focus of the whole game was to make it look good. This game is not worth buying on Xbox Arcade, you will be bored to tears after about 30 minutes of play time and will most likely turn it off.

Rating: E (for Everyone)
Genre: Puzzle
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Eko Software
Release Date: October 19, 2010

BUY

Aqua Panic PS3 is a downloadable game from the Playstation Network. In it, you are given an unlimited amount of time to consider how to reverse engineer a way to save some unfortunate fish from an unhappy demise. In this cute and funny game you will be charmed by the funky and weird sounds that all the critters make. Who can resist tiny friendly fish who exclaim “Whoopie!” for you when they are saved?

The sound track is certainly unique with everything going on from carnival music, cash registers cha chinging, bubbles bursting, horns going off and a variety of animal sounds. “Woo Hoo!” “Ahh!”

Remember Lemmings, Katamari Damacy and more recently Trash Panic? Aqua Panic is one of that same sort of ultra quirky game. There is a big bright smiling sun overlooking it all. The violence is minimal, and the point of the game is to avoid it. Pinchy fish and sharks are the enemies and they aren’t frightening. Butterflies flutter around, flowers sway, it’s all good. It’s the type of thing that will not fail to make you smile.

It is a safe for family game too. You can put it on and play for a little session when ever you only have a few minutes. But beware, once it is on the screen it’s a conversation piece. Anyone around will have a suggestion about how to get the fish to safety.

Gameplay consists of using the array of strange ‘tools’ provided to whisk the fish away from danger. You’ll need to save as many fish as you can. As you control the flow of water with turnip plants, snails, bombs and harpoons your fish are moved to the next level. It’s a platformer after all. Collecting coins will earn you more tools.

Simplicity is a theme that you see in many casual games now. Everyone tries to get that perfect mix of unusual art – style and easy game mechanics right. Few do, usually the result is something that looks shoddy and playing it is just annoying. This one they got right. You won’t want to stop playing.

The underwater world is full of color. It will certainly keep you busy for a long time with 90 levels, 6 different environments, and
3 Modes which are Adventure, Free Play, and Survival.

This game is hilarious. It has many different types of gamers that it will appeal to. Mom’s, kids, casual gamers, and even the hardcore consumers of cuteness won’t be able to resist this addictive little puzzler.

Review copy provided by Eko Software and does not affect the outcome of this review.

.

.

This is the first game based on Fourth Edition D&D rules. You choose from one of five D&D character classes, and play either online with friends or alone with computer-controlled comrades. Using the Forge tool system, you’ll be able to create your own adventure, too.

The beloved city of Neverwinter has a very unclear future ahead. The Spellplague took down a lot of the city’s population, factions are battling and even the dead are marching on the city. R.A. Salvatore will have a trilogy (the first volume is scheduled for release in October) that lays the groundwork for Neverwinter. It will feature several creatures from the game as well as tell Neverwinter’s backstory.

To learn more, visit the game’s website.

Now, perhaps I’m a little old fashioned, but wouldn’t you normally think a company’s founder would have at least some kind of seat on the Board? I don’t know, maybe I’m weird, maybe that’s not how they traditionally work, but it makes sense to me, so I’m glad they did it. (If anyone can enlighten me, feel free.)

Bushnell is a co-founder of Atari, as I’ve mentioned repeatedly, and he was instrumental in the launch of Pong and the Atari 2600. He’s also an accomplished businessman, having started 20 companies since. He’s currently in the Video Game Hall of Fame, too. But he’s back with the company he founded, and that always sounds like a positive development to me.

Tom Virden, an executive in the online leisure, tech and travel businesses (oh, hey, sounds like some pretty nice business to be doing) brings his knowledge of online business to the table. He’s previously held positions at lastminute.com, Netscape, and Digidesign. This sounds an awful lot like they’re going to be attempting to get into the digital distribution market. (Virden will serve on the Audit Committee.)

So, do we get that E.T. sequel now?

Inspired by the very real threat of nuclear retaliations in 1980, Missile Command has the player protecting six cities from a continuously-larger library of missiles with a trackball control method. Missile Command was an Atari 2600 bestseller.

The online version is the result of an Atari/OMGPOP collaboration, and includes new features like new power-ups, new enemies, upgrades, and online multiplayer co-op. It also features somewhat adaptive difficulty, with the difficulty changing in response to the level of the game and number of players. For being a top player, you even get a little virtual medal to place you on the online leaderboard!

If you visit the official website, you can compare the two versions by playing the original, which is also available. Atari has also created a retrospective that revisits the game’s entire history, from coin-op to today. Speaking of coin-op, if you visit the website, you can even win a refurbished original cabinet from the 80s! You know that would be a standout in your living room.

Want to give the new Missile Command a shot? Scroll down, and enjoy!

Play fun multiplayer games

Project Runway lets you control nearly every aspect of the design and modeling experience – from designing the look to walking the walk (with the Balance Board, of course).

The game will feature the Tim Gunn we all know and love as well as host Heidi Klum and judges Nina Garcia and Michael Kors. Season 6 winner Irina Shabayeva will also appear. Check out the trailer below for some gameplay footage. I sort of wish we got more control over the clothing design, but hey, it’s a Wiimote, not a pair of scissors, right?

Atari and Cryptic Studios have announced today that Leonard Nimoy will be revisiting Star Trek by joining the Star Trek Online cast, the first MMORPG set in the Star Trek Universe.

“I am happy to be involved with Star Trek Online. In this game, the essence of Star Trek – exploration and adventure – lives long and prospers,” said Nimoy. “I’m pleased that a whole new generation of fans will be able to discover new frontiers in the Star Trek universe.”

Nimoy’s voice will be heard during key scenes and events in-game.

“Mr. Nimoy’s participation in Star Trek Online brings the game to a whole new level,” said Jim Wilson, President and CEO of Atari, Inc. “When Star Trek fans hear his voice they will know that Star Trek Online truly is part of the Star Trek universe.”

Atari is being sued by Hasbro who is claiming that Infogrames committed fraud and breached the terms of its licensing agreement for the D&D brand.

“Dungeons & Dragons is owned by Hasbro’s wholly-owned subsidiary Wizards of the Coast, who discovered earlier this year that Atari may have entered into an unauthorised sublicensing relationship with Namco Bandai Partners (NBP) for the Dungeons & Dragons digital game rights,” said Hasbro in a statement.

We received the following press statement from Atari about the lawsuit:

“Atari has had a long and rich history with the Dungeons and Dragons franchise, investing millions of dollars into numerous critically acclaimed and commercially successful games that have generated significant revenue for Hasbro,” a spokesperson said. “Hasbro has resorted to these meritless allegations, in an apparent attempt to unfairly take back rights granted to Atari.”