Koch Media has signed a distribution deal with Virgin Play for the games Dead'n'Furious and Final Armada in the UK. Both games are said to be coming out in the fourth quarter of this year.

The Managing Director of Koch Media Craig McNicol seems to be very thrilled about the entire proposition saying that, "it’s our [Koch Media UK's] aim to expand our console portfolio with quality titles, and the new products on DS and PSP from Virgin Play are great games to get excited about".

The Managing Director of Virgin Play Francisco Encinas, shares the same thoughts. He noted that "Wew are very pleased to have found the best possible partner to distribute our products in the UK. We are confident that this will be the beginning of a long and prosperous relationship for both companies."

So what exactly does Dead 'n' Furious and Final Armada bring to gamers?

Dead 'n' Furious, developed for the Nintendo DS by Dream On Studios has been called a "tribute to the House of the Dead" series. After checking out some of the awesome screenshots and reading up on the game play options, it looks like this game is going to be a killer. This game is essentially like an arcade shooter where you kill zombies by blasting their heads off. Your character is taken along a predefined path as you point and shoot with a stylus.

Final Armada for the PSP and the PS2 is a different story altogether. This one is about big mecha-like vehicles battling to the death. To be honest the visuals on this one are absolutely stunning. No word on how polished the gameplay is yet, but if it plays like it looks, then it'll be worth buying.

Virgin Play steps up to the competition of football games by inking a licensing deal with world famous Spanish champions, Real Madrid.

Having been involved in other European games before, Virgin Play aims to widen its market worldwide. During the five year contract with Real Madrid, Real Madrid: The Official Videogame is expected to reach all major consoles (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii), handhelds (PSP, DS) and the PC.

Announcement of the game will be made later in the year, directly from the Spanish champions themselves. Success of this game will mean a lot to the growing publication company, but fighting head-on with FIFA and Winning Eleven will prove to be quite a challenge. Time will tell if this license deal would gain some goals, or if other franchise giants will be impregnable walls.

Hamburg-based publisher dtp entertainment (Yes, it's all in small caps. Don't us ask why.) will be handling the distribution of Spanish video game publisher Virgin Play's current game portfolio in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This was announced by both companies earlier today.

The distribution deal covers the following games:

• Torrente 3: El Protector (PC, PS2)
• Final Armada (PSP, PS2)
• Dead'n'Furious (Nintendo DS).

"We are glad to co-operate with a new and strong partner who will add innovative games addressing mainstream gamers to the German market. We are continuing to expand our 3rd party distribution services in Germany, Austria and Switzerland," said Steffen Hippe, Sales Director, dtp entertainment.

Virgin's Managing Director Francisco Encinas echoed Hippe's statement. "This is an important step in Virgin´s international expansion," said Encinas. "We are extremely pleased to be working with dtp and are confident that our products will achieve nothing but success in their hands."

For some reason, South Park comes to mind while watching this Dead'n'Furious trailer, though why the connection exists is beyond me. The only thing similar between this zombie-shooting game and the South Park series is the funny way in which things get blown off, kind of like seeing Kenny die repeatedly throughout the game trailer.

Yeah, that's probably looking mighty sick to you. Oh well.

You don't really get that many rail shooters for the DS, and a wholesome company like Nintendo doesn't have the reputation as being zombie city, even if they did have some Resident Evil games on their earlier consoles. That makes Dead'n'Furious even more of an interesting addition to the stable of DS games.

Dream On Studio and Virgin Play have made this game in such a way that furious, well-aimed tapping will lead you to victory against the zombie horde. From the trailer below, it also looks as if you can blow certain parts of the body, which is definitely a throwback to other rail shooters we've grown to love in arcades. Oh, and did we mention that you get to whack stuff with a crowbar too? Sweet!

For now, just take a peek at this trailer for the game think of the characters in South Park dying horrendous deaths at your hands, and laugh like a bloody fool. Enjoy!

It's been quiet around Virgin Play's on-rails/arcade shooter Dead 'n Furious for a while, but a new trailer has just emerged that shows the game in motion. It promises old-school zombie shooting action with a huge arsenal of weapons; and a 2-player coop mode, letting you blast through the game together with a friend on your side, should make it even more fun.

While some elements of the trailer look a bit strange (Why is the gun not moving regardless of which direction you shoot at?), overall it could be a fun experience, especially if the developers also add a bit more variety to the zombies and environments. Dead 'n Furious has no release date yet, but we'll keep you updated.

  
 

Last April, France's Dream On Studio together with Virgin Play has announced their latest game for the Nintendo DS - Dead'n Furious. This one is a shooting game which utilizes the DS' stylus. Personally, this one reminds me of those shoot 'em up arcade games with the fake gun controllers that I usually play with my friends back then. Those arcade games are fun, I hope this one is too.

The game will be filled with loads of weapons, plenty of zombies, and a mysterious storyline to keep you glued to your DS and to the game. The best part is that there will be a cooperative 2 player mode (more of the arcade feel right there), and with that, you can work hand-in-hand to eliminate those evil undead.

Its scheduled release is still too far from now - November 2006. So with that, go ahead and take a look at some of the games screens, while we wait for it to come out.