The thrill and high-speed action of flying meets the creative, immersive world of MySims.

The EA Play Label of EA today announced MySims SkyHeroes, a new flying action-adventure and the next installment from the MySims franchise is in development for Wii, Nintendo DS, and for the first time, the Xbox 360 and PS3.

“MySims games have truly become favorites among kids, families and gamers alike, so we have challenged ourselves to take development to the next level and deliver a new style of adventure for fans with game features and MySims-style fun that can be enjoyed equally by all,” said Scott Evans, General Manager of the The Sims Studio. “We are thrilled to have many firsts with MySims SkyHeroes, like introducing epic boss battles, cooperative gameplay missions and online multiplayer, all available for the very first time in any MySims game.”

In MySims SkyHeroes, players take to the sky to lead the resistance against Morcubus and his drone army and to stop his plans to take over the skyways. Starting as an unknown pilot, players fight to become a celebrated hero as they defeat dangerous enemies in aerial combat, test their reflexes in fast-paced speed challenges, and take on massive enemy bosses that demand all their skills as a pilot to survive. As they progress, players build, customize and tune their aircraft to give them an edge in combat – upgrade wings for swifter maneuvers, switch out the engine for a speed boost, or change the paint job to camouflage the plane and avoid enemy fire.

The popular MySims franchise, which has sold over 8 million units worldwide, will debut for the first time on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with MySims SkyHeroes. Expanding to these new platforms, the game will feature a full solo campaign, as well as local split-screen and online multiplayer where fans will be able to fly with or against up to 10 friends in – cooperative or competitive modes.

Developed by The Sims Studio in the EA Play Label, MySims SkyHeroes is scheduled to be available worldwide Autumn 2010.

Today, Sky and Microsoft launched the Sky Player plugin for download to xbox live and the download has been so popular it has been taken off again as connection failures seem to have been rife.
Subscribers to the Xbox LIVE gold service will also be able to enjoy a range of interactive features to enhance their viewing with friends and family.  For example, viewers will be able to use their Xbox avatar in the ‘Avatar Party Mode’ to watch live TV alongside their friends’ avatars. Once there, they will be able to chat live and interact with each other through their Xbox – yet another feature that makes Xbox LIVE a fun, social experience whether you are together with friends or wherever they are located from London to Limerick.

As well as 24 live streaming channels, Sky Player offers thousands of hours of on-demand programmes, making it the most comprehensive web-based on-demand service available from any UK and Ireland broadcaster.  There are over 400 movies to watch at anytime from Sky Movies, over a thousand sporting highlights from Sky Sports, and hundreds of other programming highlights spanning entertainment, drama, comedy, music, documentaries and kids.

To watch Sky Player on Xbox 360, customers will need an Xbox LIVE Gold membership.  Non– Sky Direct to Home (DTH) customers will also require a monthly subscription which starts at £15 per month to Sky Player’s Base Entertainment Pack. Customers who want to watch Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 and Xtra, ESPN and the Sky Movies channels will be able to add these channels to their Base Entertainment Pack for an additional cost.  In addition to the live channels, customers will also have access to on-demand programmes from channels they subscribe to. Existing Sky customers with Xbox Live Gold membership will be able to access Sky Player’s on-demand content in line with the channels they are able to access through their core Sky TV subscription.  Customers with Sky Multiroom or Sky Broadband Unlimited subscriptions are additionally able to access live channels for no extra charge.

Sky Player is the latest addition to Xbox LIVE’s ever increasing range of entertainment. From enjoying high definition blockbuster movies, watching the best music videos, video chatting to friends, or playing games with people wherever they are, Xbox LIVE offers the best entertainment whether you’re into gaming or not.

A Sky Player retail bundle pack including 1 month Sky Player Subscription (Sky Sports Pack), Media Remote and 3 month LIVE Gold Membership Subscription Card will be available from stores priced at £29.99 and it is a deal that could be a necessary welcome as we have looked into the add ons which can amount to a total of £38 per month which is a huge amount to pay on top of your live subscription.

Microsoft has confirmed today that the sky player for xbox live will go live on October 27th.

“October 27 – that’s the date when you’ll be able to watch TV from Sky on your Xbox 360,” said Graeme Boyd, Microsoft Europe’s Xbox community manager.

Announced in May, the service will allow Xbox 360 owners to access a range of channels and programmes to view live or on-demand. Content will initially be offered in standard definition only, and won’t be recordable.

While Boyd added that channel line-up and pricing are “to come at launch”, users can expect to be able to access movies and entertainment shows, as well as documentaries and programming dedicated to kids, music, the arts and sport, including Premier League football and Test Match cricket.