New Demos and Patches

Paradox Interactive today announced the release of an extensive patch for Crusader Kings II, which adds new content and improves various components.

“The key new content includes:

CRUSADES

• New Crusade System – The Pope declares the war and other rulers can join the attacking alliance with the ruler contributing the most gaining the targeted kingdom
• Coalition Armies – Armies can now be ‘attached’ to each other after which they will follow the lead army

EVENTS & PLOTS

• Two New Plots – Plot to revoke your vassal’s title, plot to cut a more powerful fellow vassal down to size
• More than 100 new events (Friendship & Rivalries, Regencies and others)

DYNAMIC KINGDOMS

• Six New Kingdoms – Added the kingdoms of Frisia, Lotharingia, Bavaria, Pomerania, Aquitaine and Brittany

GAMEPLAY & FLAVOR

• New diplomatic options – offer to Join War, Matrilineal Betrothal)
• Causes of Death – See what characters have died of to determine whether they were murdered or not
• War Contribution Score – Participants in wars now get a contribution score which determines how much prestige and piety they get when the war ends
• Culture uncoupled from ethnicity

Complete patch notes: http://bit.ly/HR8h3I

In addition to patch 1.05, several DLC:s have also released today. The Crusader Kings II Ruler Designer DLC introduces a range of creative options for players including character creation when starting a new game, portrait customization, Dynasty naming, designing Coats of Arms, assignation of skill points & traits, creating a spouse & children and replacing a historical character with your own.”

Hi-Rez Studios today announced the released of another major update to the Open Beta of Tribes: Ascend.

Updates include:

• Added Sunstar, a new Capture the Flag map.
• Temple Ruins, a Capture the Flag map, has been revised based on community feedback and returns to the Quick Play rotation.
• Additional European servers added.  Region selection includes Europe – London and Europe – Amsterdam.
• Additional Asian servers added.  Region selection includes Asia – Japan, and Asia – Singapore
• Server performance optimizations.
• More polished reticules and HUD icons.  Also, users may now disable unwanted HUD elements using SETTINGS menu.
• User settings now stored server-side.  Setting may be reset with this patch but settings should be preserved upon future patches.

The full list can be found in the patch notes.

For more information and to sign-up for the beta visit: http://www.tribesascend.com.

Paradox Interactive and Deep Silver today released a demo for Defenders of Ardania, the recently released tower defense game by Most Wanted Entertainment.

“Defenders of Ardania presents a deep, immersive game world to play in, featuring three unique races and the themed environments they inhabit. The strategic tower defense gameplay will challenge players to make use of 24 different upgradeable towers to stop the invading foes, along with 24 varied units to send out for counterattacks. With an interactive environment, an arsenal of magic spells, and multiplayer battles included, Defenders of Ardania has more than enough to intrigue the most seasoned defenders of towers everywhere.”

The PC demo can be downloaded via Steam.

A demo for  J.U.L.I.A. has been released, giving players a chance to try out the upcoming space adventure game by CBE Software.

“J.U.L.I.A. is an innovative narrative driven PC game. The story centers on Rachel Manners, a 35 year old astrobiologist. She is a member of an elite group of scientists, chosen to embark on one of the most critical missions ever conceived on Earth. Now Rachel is alone, orbiting an unknown planet. Her only companions are J.U.L.I.A., the space probe’s artificial intelligence and Mobot, a huge reconnaissance robot. Together, this unlikely trio will explore the mysteries of this solar system. But are they prepared for what they will find?”

Download mirrors are listed on the official site.

Paradox Interactive today announced the release of a demo for Victoria II: A House Divided, the recently released expansion in the strategy series. In addition, an “After Action Report” contest has been launched giving players a chance to win one of two Paradox Complete bundles on Steam.

“The demo for the game that focuses on the American Civil War era allows players to:

• Play from 1836 to 1860
• Play as Prussia with the chance to form Germany through warfare or diplomacy
• Play as Japan to westernize your country while fighting back reactionary forces.

The devs have cooked up something for those already playing the game as well. Join the After Action Report contest on the forums. Winners stand to pick up a big chunk of the Paradox catalogue. “

A list of download mirrors can be found on the official site.

BioWare has released the Mass Effect 3 demo has promised. If only it was available without Origin.

“The demo for 2012′s most anticipated game is here! Experience two spectacular levels from the single-player campaign, along with intense four player co-op multiplayer matches. The multiplayer section of the Mass Effect 3 demo will feature an early access period running from February 14 to February 17.

Early multiplayer access has been granted to players who have activated their Battlefield 3 online pass. Visit this page and log in with your EA Origin account (this is the same as your BioWare Social account) to see if you currently have early access.”

The Bethesda blog today announced the release of patch version 1.4 for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which is now available on Steam. In addition, another new post details the soon to be released Creation Kit and mod Workshop (related video below).

“In addition to bug and quest fixes, 1.4 adds launcher support for the Skyrim Workshop. Currently we’re putting the final touches on the Creation Kit and Skyrim Workshop and will let everyone know as soon as they’re up.”

The full release notes on version 1.4 can be found on the Bethesda blog.

Paradox today announced the release of a demo for King Arthur II: The Role-playing Wargame, giving players a chance to try out the upcoming role-playing strategy sequel by NeoCore Games.

“This demo for the anticipated sequel to Neocore Games’ critically acclaimed King Arthur series gives players a taste of what’s to come, allowing champions of Britannia to play through the title’s tutorial and first mission. With an expected gameplay session of about 60 minutes, King Arthur fans will be able to manage their army and territories, and lead their battalion into battle.

Help set Britannia free when King Arthur II – The Role-playing Wargame releases on January 27th, 2012 (PC, $39.99).

Pre-order King Arthur II: The Role-playing Game and get access to the prologue chapter for free: http://www.kingarthurii.com/buy

A list of download mirrors for the demo can be found on the official site.

A demo for The Darkness II was released on Steam today, giving players a chance to try out the upcoming FPS by Digital Extremes.

“Embrace the Darkness and download the demo now! In this specially-constructed demo, experience the gripping and brutal journey of Jackie Estacado, head of a New York crime family and wielder of a ruthless force of chaos and destruction known as The Darkness. Master the power of Quad-Wielding as you slash, grab and throw with your Demon Arms while simultaneously firing two weapons.”

BioWare announced that a demo for Mass Effect 3 is scheduled to be released on February 14th.

“The extensive demo will allow players to experience the all-out galactic war against an ancient alien race known as the Reapers from multiple fronts, including the mind-blowing opening attack on Earth that kicks off the single-player campaign.  Players will go deeper into the campaign and also get a taste of the franchise’s new co-operative multiplayer mode as they preview the epic story, adrenaline-pumping action and deep customization options that lie ahead when Mass Effect 3 launches on March 6, 2012. The Mass Effect 3 demo will be available for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC.”

Paradox Interactive today announced the release of a large tech overhaul for the game engine in the Magicka series. A trailer for the upcoming The Stars are Left expansion was released along with this announcement.

"Full details for what is featured in the game engine update:

• Fairy familiar added, revives characters after death occurs in solo campaign
• Checkpoints now save progress even if game is quit
• Chapter select added to replay previously played chapters
• Several improvements to the server browser
• Physics and collision detection improved – less falling through the floor
• Frame rate stuttering – should be less noticeable for some users
• Extended particle system with particle lights
• Improved light performance
• Several minor bug fixes, game balance, and tweaks

The Great Old Ones also unveiled a gameplay trailer that was available before the existence of man. However, since the Great Old Ones only had dial-up internet access until just a few days ago (old habits die hard), they’re finally able to share it with all of mankind who have since started to exist; the trailer is sure to excite players who are Thurston for more Magicka action—bah-dum-ching!"

Nemesys Games today announced the release of an Ignite demo on Steam, giving players a chance to try out the recently released racing game.

"Players can feel the heat of the nitro and get to know the asphalt with 3 cars, spanning 4 different
circuits with single and multiplayer action!

Ignite is an edge-of-your-seat racer, which pits you against your opponents in a unique way.  Players must collect  points while racing, by performing maneuvers, stunts and destruction to add to their overall score.  Once  past 1000 points, players can burn away their score to get ahead or save it for a time bonus at the end of the  race. Ignite sports 3 racing modes, 35 circuits to run, and a multitude of cars and configurations to speed through 7 different locations in single player or with up to 5 friends, via multiplayer."

Ubisoft today announced the release of a demo for Anno 2070, the next installment in the strategy series by Blue Byte.

"The demo will allow players to experience the first two missions of the game, where you will work for a tycoon leader who is building a hydroelectric power plant. Players will be required to generate manpower to construct a turbine for Global Trust, the organization belonging to the tycoons. During the missions, the player is guided by quests through the core gameplay mechanics imbedded in the brand new setting, dealing with its challenges.

The demo can be downloaded from: http://anno.ubi.com/anno-2070/demo

Anno 2070^TM is scheduled to release on November 18, 2011.  For more information, head to: www.annogame.com"

Flying Wild Hog today announced the release of a v1.2 patch for Hard Reset, which includes a new Survival Mode.

"Survival Mode unleashes wave after wave of robotic hell upon the player, who has make good use of weapon upgrades to delay the inevitable as long as possible. The new game mode is available in all of the game's difficulty modes, and brings with it two new maps, as well as leaderboards to compare scores with friends.

In addition to Survival Mode, the 1.2 patch adds full NVIDIA 3D Vision and Surround support, as well as support for multiple displays. A number of other gameplay tweaks and fixes are also introduced in the patch, with Flying Wild Hog busily working on future content and gameplay updates.

Full patch notes can be found at http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2216821. For more information about Hard Reset, visit http://hardresetgame.com."

Ubisoft today announced the release of Might & Magic Heroes IV, which is now available worldwide. In addition, the first patch for the game has been released, bringing the game up to version 1.1.

"In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Might & Magic universe, Heroes VI reboots the acclaimed classic by rediscovering the essence and richness of previous universes and introducing a high-fantasy atmosphere in Ashan. In this updated installment, the landscapes and creatures from the World of Ashan are presented in improved 3D designs and includes an exclusive new bestiary. Also new to the franchise is the Reputation System, which allows Heroes to shape their own destiny through two intriguing scenarios, Blood and Tears.

Heroes VI is available as a PC Download for $49.99. A Deluxe Edition is also available for $54.99. This bonus edition of Heroes VI contains exclusive content including one bonus single player Skirmish map, four Dynasty Heroes, two Dynasty weapons, a one month subscription to Might & Magic Heroes Kingdoms, game soundtrack, artbook and poster.

For more information, visit: www.mightandmagicgame.com"

Patch:

"On top of various bug fixes and balancing, this “Day-1 Patch” also adds 5 new Multiplayer maps! Your game should update automatically when you launch the game while connected to Internet."