When ACE Team came up with the idea of Rock of Ages, I imagine they were playing a lot of Super Monkey Ball and watching Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail because that’s the exact vibe I get when watching this mad cap trailer. Poking fun at video games through the ages and busting out a great one liner (Rock beats everything!) this is one of the funnier previews I have seen in a while.

While there is only a little gameplay footage on show, the animation style has clearly been influenced by Python’s Terry Gilliam, with the paper cut-out style scenery, people and livestock all becoming victim to a giant rolling boulder. How this translates into an actual game I have no idea but after seeing this, I am sure it will be a laugh finding out.

According to publisher Atlus, Rock of Ages is scheduled for release on XBLA on Wednesday 31 August, with Steam and PSN versions to follow.

If pop culture is any guide, the 80s and 90s were the golden years of computer hacking. This was an era in which penetrating the network of a nefarious corporation required you to fly through a realm of kaleidoscopic colour and clash with fearsome avatars in order to escape with the requisite data. Prepare to relive those halcyon days with Child of Eden, a game that understands that hacking has nothing to do with learning a programming language or poring over reams of code and everything to do with blasting barnacles from the hide of a neon whale as it glides majestically through cyberspace. Read the rest of this entry »

Well folks, do you like sand? You do? Excellent, because do I have the trailer for you. Sand as far as the eye can see! There is white sand, orange sand and even red sand. You can fly over the sand, walk in the sand and even make the sand rise into the air. But that’s not all! Your avatar in this game is a strange genderless being. I mean, does it get any more artsy then that?

Sorry guys for being a little facetious about Journey but I find it hard to get enthused by what thatgamecompany has shown us so far. They’re the people that brought us Flower and Flow so they have a history of putting art before gameplay, and call me crazy but personally the “games as an art form” argument has no meaning to me. What I look for in a game is fun, not art, so hopefully Journey surprises me with a little substance behind the (admittedly stunning) sandy front end.

Journey is coming to the PSN sometime this year

Presented in glorious alphabetical order, New Media: Retail Roundup is your indispensible checklist of the home console and handheld titles arriving in stores this week. What will you be playing?

MICROSOFT Xbox 360 Deus Ex: Human Revolution * Rugby World Cup 2011

NINTENDO Wii Nothing 3DS Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions DS Nothing

SONY PS3 Deus Ex: Human Revolution * Rugby World Cup 2011 PSP Nothing

VARIOUS PC Deus Ex: Human Revolution

New Media: Downloadable Digest is your handy reminder of the new downloadable titles released during the past week.

MICROSOFT XBLA Toy Soldiers: Cold War

NINTENDO WiiWare Flight Control eShop 3D Classics: Urban Champion DSiWare Moto eXtreme

SONY PSN Nothing Minis Carnivores: Ice Age * Fighting Fantasy: Talisman of Death * Omgz!

VALVE Steam Avadon: The Black Fortress * Bastion * From Dust * Hacker Evolution Duality * Space Pirates and Zombies

Recent instalments of New Media: 14.08.11 l 07.08.11 l 31.07.11 l 24.07.11 l 17.07.11