Replay Studios’ PC and Xbox 360 WWII stealth-action game Velvet Assassin has come a long way. Since first being announced as Sabotage over a year ago, Velvet Assassin has continued to show signs of improvement with each new showing. The same holds true of these latest screenshots. There are only three unfortunately, but in each one you can see a level of detail and polish that didn’t exist even a month or two ago. That’s good to see. How the recent Gamecock/SouthPeak merger will affect the game’s release status is uncertain, but as of now it is still planned to ship early next year.

Don’t go away just yet. We’ve also got preview details on two of the game’s levels, The Lost and The Third Man. Read up on those on the jump.

Velvet Assassin Level Previews:

The Lost begins at sunrise in deepest Nazi controlled France on an autumnal day, bringing with it long shadows offering the element of surprise. With plenty of potential coverings scattered around, along with autumnal trees and bushes providing further excellent cover from detection, players will have to take care not to make too much noise crossing the dried leaves and twigs that layer the floor. If successful in avoiding capture by the SS guards, players will then have to secretly enter the grim and poorly lit Maginot Line bunker system set deep in the hills and mountains of the French border.

Once inside the bunker, lighting is controlled by intense lamps and dodgy electric ceiling lights in certain rooms. This is where sneaking becomes extremely important as players will have nowhere to run if the alarm goes off. Working through the bunker system the claustrophobic and dirty conditions that soldiers lived through on a daily basis can become all too real.

The Third Man brings with it three separate sections involving three distinct environments. During one mission Violette works her way through a sewers system and reappears in daylight in the middle of the Warsaw Ghetto. At this point the historical accuracy that Replay Studios invested so much time in becomes very apparent, from abandoned belongings in the street and executions of families in broad daylight, to gun flashes in the windows of homes as soldiers search for people hiding in the walls, the brutality of what happened soon hits home.

With this mission players lose the cover of darkness and have to be especially careful when sneaking around, remaining observant at all times for any potential cover. As Violette progresses the brutality and the nature of what happened here really is unique to Velvet Assassin.

Wow, now here’s a bit of news I certainly didn’t see coming. Midlothian, Virginia-based game publisher SouthPeak Interactive announced this morning that it has acquired Austin-based publisher Gamecock Media Group. Specific details behind the acquisition have not been announced, but thankfully this development is not expected to hinder the planned releases of Gamecock titles Legendary and Mushroom Men (though I have a feeling this is why Legendary missed its previously scheduled September 30th launch date). Here’s what the SouthPeak and Gamecock CEOs had to say about the move:

“Gamecock brings us a solid slate of upcoming titles, including Legendary, Mushroom Men and Velvet Assassin and supports our strategy of working with independent developers,” stated Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak. “We are excited to give the Gamecock titles a bigger platform to succeed.”

“We are thrilled to be joining forces with SouthPeak to continue to bring great original titles from independent developers to market with a stronger sales and distribution reach,” said Mike Wilson, CEO of Gamecock. “We have followed each other’s progress closely over the last two years, and combining our team with theirs results in a very strong and well-rounded force in the market.”

Remember Legendary? You know, Spark Unlimited’s mythical FPS for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360? Yeah, it was supposed to ship September 30th, but quietly seems to have been delayed considering we’re now in October and the game has yet to ship. According to retailer listings it’s now due to ship October 21st on consoles and November 4th on PC, though I have a line in to Gamecock for official confirmation on the current release schedule and will update if/when I hear back. Until then, enjoy these 11 new screens and the game’s complete achievement list posted on the jump.

Legendary Achievement List:

You Call This Security?: Bypass the electronic lock in Episode 1 (5 Points)

Heeeeeere’s Deckard!: Chop your way out of the Internet Café with the Fire Axe in Episode 1 (5 Points)

Death To Soda!: Create a ramp with the soda machine using your Pistol in Episode 1 (5 Points)

Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey: Extinguish the doorway fire using the water valve in Episode 1 (5 Points)

Flashpoint: Complete Episode 1 on any difficulty (10 Points)

Upper Management: Unlock the warehouse exit in Episode 2 (10 Points)

Live Wire: Find the Black Order-eliminating electric switch in Episode 2 (10 Points)

Escape From…: Complete Episode 2 on any difficulty (20 Points)

Gum On My Shoe: Get stepped on by the Giant Golem in Episode 3 (5 Points)

Revenge Of The Soda!: Escape the Nari-possessed vending machine room in Episode 3 (10 Points)

Jazz Hands!: Look at all “The Great Langtini” posters littering Times Square in Episode 3 (15 Points)

Jack? Beanstalk, Beanstalk? Jack: Destroy the Giant Golem in Episode 3 (15 Points)

All Fall Down: Complete Episode 3 on any difficulty (20 Points)

Barf Piñata: Destroy a Blood Spider Queen in Episode 4 (10 Points)

Werewolf Whisperer: Defeat the first Alpha Werewolf in Episode 4 (15 Points)

Just Another Day At The Office: Eavesdrop on the Black Order as they cage up a Werewolf in Episode 4 (5 Points)

Full Moon: Complete Episode 4 on any difficulty (20 Points)

Tenderized!: Defeat the Minotaur in Episode 5 (20 Points)

Bull In A China Shop: Cause the Minotaur to destroy all Graveyard wall sections in Episode 5 (15 Points)

I Hate Ornithology: Defeat the Griffon in Episode 5 (25 Points)

Bullets & Blood: Complete Episode 5 on any difficulty (25 Points)

Science!: Run all Council Base lab experiments in Episode 6 (10 Points)

10-Piece Bucket: Shoot down the low flying Griffons in Episode 6 (15 Points)

Counterstrike: Complete Episode 6 on any difficulty (25 Points)

Not OSHA Compliant: Cause the crane to drop the metal beams in Episode 7 (10 Points)

Power Outage: Take out the power to the Black Order outpost in Episode 7 (10 Points)

My Kind Of Town: Complete Episode 7 on any difficulty (25 Points)

DouBull TrouBull: Survive the double-Minotaur attack and terrible Achievement pun in Episode 8 (1 Point)

I Owe You An Apology: Unlock DouBull TrouBull (14 Points)

I Will Find You!: Free Vivian from captivity in Episode 8 (10 Points)

Endings & Betrayals: Complete Episode 8 on any difficulty (35 Points)

Petting Zoo: Complete game on Easy difficulty (50 Points)

Animal Control: Complete game on Normal difficulty (70 Points)

Savage Law Of The Jungle: Complete game on Hard difficulty (90 Points)

Bookworm: Collect 1/2 Of PDA Entries (20 Points)

Mint In Box: Collect All PDA Entries (40 Points)

Gun Nut: Fire all 8 projectile weapons in Single Player at least once (10 Points)

Axe-Wielding Maniac: Kill 25 enemies with the Fire Axe in Single Player (15 Points)

I Have A Problem With Intimacy: Use the Animus Pulse ability 10 times (15 Points)

Fair-Weather Friends: Use Animus to change the frequency of an Aniform Control Device in Single Player (5 Points)

Walkies!: Start and finish a ranked Multiplayer match (5 Points)

Right Tool For The Right Tool: Fire every weapon available in any ranked Multiplayer match (10 Points)

Warm Fuzzy Feeling: Fill 50% of your machine with Animus in a ranked 4v4 Multiplayer match (15 Points)

Party Animal: Add 10 friends during ranked Multiplayer games (15 Points)

Zookeeper: Kill 10 Werewolves in a ranked Multiplayer match without being killed (20 Points)

Bounty Hunter: Kill 10 enemy players in a ranked Multiplayer match without being killed (25 Points)

Leader Of The Pack: Be first place in kills in 10 ranked Multiplayer matches in a row (30 Points)

Survivor: Survive a ranked 4v4 Multiplayer game without being killed (30 Points)

Combat Veteran: Played 200 ranked Multiplayer matches (45 Points)

King Of The Jungle: Win 50 ranked Multiplayer matches (55 Points)

Legendary ships in just two weeks on September 30th for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

I just knew there was no way in the world Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball was going to be kept exclusive to the Xbox 360. No way was a game like this going to be limited to one platform. While the XBLA version is due out next week, Gamecock and Blazing Lizard have announced this morning that a beefed-up Wii version is also now in the works. The Wii version is scheduled for release this winter and will feature new teams, added story and challenge modes, and multiple control schemes to enable players to sling their balls however they please. Today’s press release doesn’t make any mention of WiiWare, so it would appear that the new features have upgraded Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball‘s Wii port from downloadable title to full retail release.

“The competition between the Pirates and the Ninjas is so huge that battles are breaking out all over,” said Harry Miller, El Presidente of Gamecock Media Group. “We’re happy to bring this grand conflict to the Wii, and give players the chance to help determine who the ultimate champions are.”

In dire political times like these, it’s great to see a game like Hail to the Chimp come along and poke fun at the world of politics in a satirical tone that isn’t trying to indoctrinate players with the developers’ political beliefs. But sadly, this game is more depressing than real-life politics. Actually, in Hail to the Chimp — The Presidential Party Game as it is so subtitled — the plot setup is somewhat familiar to what’s going on in our own election cycle. The Lion, proclaimed King of the Animals, has been forced out of his job and 10 dull, unqualified animal candidates begin their campaigns to take office as President of the Animal Kingdom.

Along the campaign trail, you hop into the role of each candidate at one of ten different primaries (or stages) and compete in simple party games to earn that candidate votes. Votes in Hail to the Chimp come in the form of clams, and during a primary you go toe-to-toe with three of the other candidates in frantic battle royales to obtain the most votes. Mini-game objectives come in a wide variety (there are 16 different game types if I remember correctly), but the overall idea is to collect the most clams while trying to keep your presidential opposition from doing the same by pounding on them with fists of fury. Thusly, Hail to the Chimp becomes nothing more than a mindless, button-mashing beat-‘em-up. Whether you play online or locally with four players or go at it all by your lonesome, the gameplay peters out after a single match. It’s that shallow and boring.

Hail to the Chimp’s real crime, however, is how disappointingly unfunny it is. It’s been continuously hyped as one of the funniest games ever made, and really, Wideload Games’ whole plan was to make it funny above anything else. I don’t know if they tried too hard or what, but the game simply isn’t funny. Like at all. Woodchuck Chumley, the Animal Kingdom’s Ron Burgundy, and his oddball news reports are a bright spot, as is some of the spoofy video content consisting of mock infomercials, campaign ads, commercials and public service announcements, but even they don’t generate anything more than a few chuckles. The hand-painted art style and cutesy animal characters have an undeniable charm about them, too, but sadly none of them have anything that interesting or comical to say either, and overall the game’s charm only runs skin deep. All in all, the 10 candidates are stereotypical and devoid of any distinct personality you can really latch onto.

I really, really, really wanted to enjoy Hail to the Chimp. Even after realizing how dull it was after my first five minutes at the helm I continued to plug away through the entire campaign trail and squeeze in some online time to try and give the game a chance to grow on me. Obviously, it didn’t take. Somewhere along the way the developers clearly became so focused on creating a funny game that they forgot to provide gameplay that is, you know, functional and entertaining. Being brutally honest here, Hail to the Chimp is the worst game I’ve played all year so far, and subsequently a supreme personal letdown given how much I had been looking forward to it. But if it is any consolation, the front end UI, comprised of a live GRR news broadcast playing in the background as you set options and choose modes, certainly gets my vote for best menu design of the year.

Pros:
+ Woodchuck Chumley and many of the mock TV ads, news reports and infomercials are good for a few chuckles
+ News broadcast menu presentation and hand drawn graphics style have a nice charm

Cons:
– Shallow, mindless, repetitive gameplay wears out its welcome after one match
– Poor controls make getting around the maps and bashing opponents a chore
– None of the candidates’ personalities are really that interesting
– Generally speaking, the game just isn’t that funny, and that’s mainly what it was supposed to be

Game Info:
Platform: Reviewed on Xbox 360, also available for PS3
Publisher: Gamecock Media Group
Developer: Wideload Games
Release Date: 6/24/08
Genre: Party
Players: 1-4 (online and local)

Originally due for a spring release, Blazing Lizard’s Xbox Live Arcade game Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball missed it’s scheduled launch so that more modes and features could be crammed in. Work on the additional content, which includes an option for multi-ball matches and new Traditional Dodgeball and Enhanced Dodgeball modes, is nearing completion and thusly the game has a brand spankin’ new launch date. Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball, published by Gamecock Media Group, is now set to go live on XBLA September 3rd.