Two Ben 10 games land on PSN

D3Publisher announced today that PSP games Ben 10: Protector of Earth and BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE The Game are now available for download via the PlayStation Store in North America. PSP owners can now divest themselves of the need for UMDs to play Ben 10: Protector of Earth, the first-ever interactive title based on Cartoon Network’s Ben 10 animated series, or the fast-paced 3D action adventure game, BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE The Game.

Ben 10: Protector of Earth is available for download for $14.99 and BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE The Game is available for download for $19.99. Ben 10: Protector of Earth for the PSP system was developed by High Voltage Software, while BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE The Game was developed by Monkey Bar Games.

You can learn more about both games by visiting www.Ben10theVideogame.com.

Torchlight now available

After a number of false starts and technical problems yesterday it looks like both publisher Perfect World entertainment and developer Runic Games have sorted out all the problems with the digital release of their game, Torchlight. Now users can visit both web sites and purchase the game for right around $20. In addition the game is also available via Steam.

Torchlight was developed by Runic Games, whose collective experience includes Diablo, Diablo II, Mythos, Hellgate London, and the wonderful RPG FATE. Taking a page for that latter title, Torchlight refines and improves on core elements like pets, fishing, retirement, and oodles of side quests and equipment to sort through. New to the formula are three brand new charcter classes, a much improved pet system, better fishing, even more loot, plenty of side quests, new types of weapons. and a light but compelling main storyline that revolves around the most powerful magical substance in the world: Ember.

You can get your copy of torchlight by visiting Steam, the Torchlight web site or the Perfect World site. Also worth noting is this brand new launch trailer.

Queen headlines Rock Band DLC next week

Harmonix and MTV Games will bring Queen to the Rock Band platform next week with a 10-pack of songs in the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii.

Tracks from Blink-182 and The Offspring will also be available for download next week for Rock Band Unplugged on PSP

Available on Xbox 360 and Wii (Oct. 20) and PlayStation 3 system (Oct. 22):

- “Another One Bites the Dust”

- “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”

- “Fat Bottomed Girls”

- “I Want It All”

- “I Want to Break Free”

- “Killer Queen”

- “One Vision”

- “Somebody to Love”

- “Tie Your Mother Down”

- “Under Pressure” (with Davi Bowie)

These tracks will be available for purchase as “Queen Pack” and as individual tracks on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and as individual tracks on Wii. Price: $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track; $15.99, £9.19 UK, €11.25 EU (1280 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for “Queen Pack”; $2.00 USD (200 Wii Points) per track

Tracks available for Rock Band Unplugged (Oct. 22):

- Blink-182 – “The Rock Show”

- The Offspring – “All I Want”

Price: $1.99, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU per track on the PSP system

Runic Games, Dungeon Masters: The Torchlight Interview, Part I

Runic Games first title, an action RPG called Torchlight, got a lot of buzz at the Penny Arcade Expo in Sept. and a lot of positive feedback from fans that were seeing it for the very first time. A month later the game is in its final stage of development as the team races towards its Oct. 27 release date. To understand the appeal of Torchlight, you need look no further than the gentlemen working on the game and their influences and past accomplishments. Collectively the small development team working on this game has worked on such titles as Diablo and Diablo II, the indie hit RPG FATE, and the now cancelled MMO Mythos. While that list of accomplishments might seem short, it’s also very impressive.

What I learned from talking to Runic Games co-founder and CEO Max Shaefer, Art Director Jason Beck and Runic Games co-founder Travis Baldree was that these influences are helping them to build a better game and later to build a perfect extension of that game with an MMO project. In part I of my interview with this trio I learn about the first fruits of their labors: Torchlight. Read on.

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Capcom joins R4 lawsuit

According to a report on Game Politics, Capcom is the latest company to join in on a lawsuit against R4 flash cartridge makers using Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act as the hammer.

Capcom joined Nintendo and 53 other game publishers in this lawsuit that hopes to curtail the use of this game copying device for the Nintendo DS. While Nintendo managed to get an injunction against the makers of these devices last year in a Tokyo court, that doesn’t seem to have had much impact of the situation.

“We are expecting the entire society including users to recognize that our company and other software manufactures have extremely sustained damages from proliferation of illegal instruments, such as the Game Copying Devices,” said Capcom is a statement today. “..and the computer industries have sustained serious damages because of those vendors, and we expect to influence the society to eliminate such illegal instruments from the market.”

It will be interesting to see if Nintendo and friends can do anything to curtail the use of the R4 in Japan. While it’s not impossible, it won’t be easy either. It will be a lot harder to deal with the use of the R4 in places like China where piracy and black markets are an integral part of the consumer shopping experience.

Naruto: Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 tips and tricks

TOMY Corporation today released some handy dandy tips and tricks to help players battle their way through the latest installment of the 3D pocket-fighting series, NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 for the Nintendo DS. With the three special screenshots included (click to enlarge them if you have trouble reading the print) after the break, players can learn Gamers will learn the best ways to fight, as well as where and how to unlock secret characters including Nine Tailed Naruto, Four Tailed Naruto, Sasuke and more. Players will also find tips on how to fight including blocking and strafing to avoid enemy attacks, as well as using Chakra control to have the upper hand throughout the game.

Find these tips after the break. NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 is rated “T” for Teen and is available for $29.99.

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City of Heroes Guest Author program missions soon

Paragon Studios announced the addition of Bill Willingham, along with Rooster Teeth and Scott Kurtz as inaugural participants in the recently announced Guest Author program, made possible through the Mission Architect tool set in City of Heroes. The Guest Author program lets writers and story designers work alongside a world-class development team to bring their ideas to life within City of Heroes.

The four inaugural guest author missions will premiere in-game on Tuesday, October 13, following the Reactivation and Double XP weekend that’s going on now. The missions can be found in game by opening the browser inside one of the Architect Entertainment Buildings. Brief descriptions of the Guest Author missions after the break:

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