PC Game News

THQ today announced that "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising" has gone gold and is scheduled to be released on March 11.

"Developed by award-winning internal studio Relic® Entertainment, Chaos Rising features the traitorous Chaos Space Marines army as a playable race, a new single-player campaign, a level cap increase from 20 to 30, more powerful war-gear and a suite of innovative multiplayer options. Scheduled for a nationwide release at all major retail and online outlets on March 11, 2010, Chaos Rising will be available as a Games for Windows LIVE® PC title for a suggested retail price of $29.99.

“Chaos Rising is the perfect follow up to Dawn of War II, 2009’s RTS Game of the Year, offering an incredible amount of new content for an amazing value,” said Travis Plane, Vice President of Global Brand Management, THQ. “Relic Entertainment is the industry’s leading RTS developer and will once again deliver bone-crushing action, breathtaking visuals and unprecedented innovation in the genre.”

“Chaos Rising builds on the success of Dawn of War II to create a truly epic and memorable experience for fans and newcomers alike,” said Jonathan Dowdeswell, General Manager, Relic Entertainment. “The game features an intense single player campaign with 15 action-packed missions and introduces our most brutal multiplayer army yet, the Chaos Space Marines.”

About Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising

Set in the grim, war-ravaged world of Games Workshop’s vast Warhammer 40,000 science fiction universe, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising transports players into the midst of an intergalactic war between ancient enemies. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising introduces the Chaos Space Marines as a new playable army, continues the single player campaign from the original Dawn of War II with 15 new missions, delivers all new wargear and raises the level cap from 20 to 30. Relic Entertainment will also deliver new multiplayer maps and new units for the Orks, Eldar, Tyranids and Space Marines. For more information on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising, please visit www.dawnofwar2.com."

THQ and Valve today announced an agreement that will bring Steamworks features to "Metro 2033," the upcoming post-apocalyptic FPS by 4a-Games.

"Metro 2033 is an upcoming action-oriented title with a combination of horror, survival, RPG, and first-person shooter elements. Based on the novel Metro 2033 by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, the game is being developed by 4A Games in Ukraine.

All PC versions of Metro 2033 will be powered by Steamworks, providing gamers with auto-updating, Steam Achievements, Steam support for in-game DLC, and more.

"Metro 2033 is an incredibly rich experience featuring a truly unique setting, haunting atmoshphere and cutting edge graphics," said Richard Williams, THQ Vice President of Global Brand Management. "By leveraging the power of Steamworks and the reach of Steam, we are able to provide an even greater gameplay experience and expose the game to millions of gamers around the world."

Metro 2033 is available for pre-purchase via Steam. Those who pre-purchase the game will also receieve one free copy of Red Faction®: GuerrillaT. The game is slated for worldwide release the week of March 15 at retailers and via Steam. More information about Metro 2033 can be found at www.Metro2033Game.com.

Steamworks is a complete suite of publishing and development tools — ranging from product key authentication to social networking services — offered free of charge to publishers and developers.

For more information, please visit www.steampowered.com."

Egosoft today announced the release of "X3: Gold Edition" in the US and Canada.

"North American distribution is being handled by Interactive Gaming Software.

“The X3 series, including X3: Reunion and X3: Terran Conflict, has been consistently successful in Europe in several languages and it was time to bring this special edition our space adventure games to North American markets,” said Bernd Lehahn, CEO of Egosoft. “We’ve bundled these two titles and other assets into one package which offers PC gamers hours of gameplay fun.”

The X3: Gold Edition includes:

• X3: Reunion 2.5 including the Bala GI Missions
• X3: Terran Conflict 2.5 including The Aldrin Missions
• X3: Terran Conflict Soundtrack CD
• X-Universe Personal Uplink access, part of EgoSoft’s online community, allows players to compare their X-Universe statistics with one another.

The X3: Gold Edition is rated “T” for “teen” by the ESRB."

1C Company today released a new trailer and launched the official site for "Reign: Conflict of Nations," an upcoming historical rel-time strategy game by Lesta Studio.

"Reign: Conflict of Nations is a large-scale real-time historical strategy game covering three centuries of medieval Europe. The player becomes a monarch testing their skills by controlling one of 26 unique fractions as they develop smart economics, work political maneuvers, maintain thoughtful diplomacy, take care of resources and wage war. As the ruler players have absolute command and the ability to thrive or fail and die.

Reign: Conflict of Nations allows players to have a well thought-out and historically accurate system of building and assigning labor forces in cities, a large selection of scenario-based and random missions, an expansive and realistic technology tree, more than 150 types of military units and elaborated graphics and animations which bring the war to life."

2K Games today announced that Firaxis is developing "Civilization V," not to be confused with the upcoming Facebook game – titled  "Civilization Network." A teaser page is up at https://www.civilization5.com/.

"Civilization V takes this definitive strategy game series in new directions with the introduction of hexagon tiles allowing for deeper strategy, more realistic gameplay and stunning organic landscapes for players to explore as they expand their empire. The brand new engine orchestrates a spectacular visual experience that brings players closer to the Civ experience than ever, featuring fully animated leaders interacting with players from a screen-filling diplomatic scene and speaking in their native language for the first time. Wars between empires feel massive as armies dominate the landscape, and combat is more exciting and intense than ever before. The addition of ranged bombardment allows players to fire weapons from behind the front lines, challenging players to develop clever new strategies to guarantee victory on the battlefield. In addition to the new gameplay features debuting in Civilization V, an extensive suite of community, modding and multiplayer elements will also make an appearance.

“Sid Meier’s Civilization franchise has been recognized as one of the greatest PC game franchises of all time with millions of units sold worldwide,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Civilization V takes the franchise further by offering players a more immersive experience with deeper strategies; heightened tactical combat; vast, realistic landscapes to explore, battle over and claim as their own; and an in-game community hub where Civ fans can share content and compete against each other without leaving the game. This marks a new era that will forever change the franchise responsible for sleep deprivation and reduced productivity for nearly two decades.”

“Each new version of Civilization presents exciting challenges for our team,” said Sid Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis Games. “Thankfully, ideas on how to bring new and fun experiences to Civ players never seem to stop flowing. From fully animated leaders and realistic landscapes, new combat tactics, expanded diplomacy and shared mods, we’re excited for players to see the new vision our team at Firaxis has brought to the series.”

In addition to Civilization V, Firaxis Games is also currently developing Sid Meier’s Civilization® Network™, a Civ game for Facebook. With Sid Meier leading design, Civilization Network will offer yet another option for world domination to both the casual gamer and the biggest fans of the series. It’s another way to access the famously addictive world of Civilization.

For more information on Sid Meier’s Civilization V, please visit www.civilization.com. To find out more about Sid Meier’s Civilization Network visit https://www.facebook.com/civnetwork. "

The second community trailer for "Napoleon: Total War" has been released, offering more insight into the upcoming real-time strategy title at Creative Assembly.

"In Napoleon: Total War, aspiring generals have the chance to play as the legendary French general Napoleon Bonaparte or as one of his opposing factions. Battling through his three biggest military campaigns, the game will take you through Italy and Egypt, narrating the early years of the fearsome commander, while the third campaign will tell the story of his fateful drive towards Moscow and, ultimately, his showdown with the Duke of Wellington at one of the most famous battles of all – The Battle of Waterloo."

Previously set to be released in 2009, Keen Software House today announced that "Minder Wars" will now be released late this year.

"Keen Software house has decided to take the following steps in order to release a product that the community of 6DOF gamers deserve.

1. We will start offering our game at a promotion pricing level that will be at roughly 1/3 of the final product price
2. All the players that will buy the game at this promotion pricing will get a full game with no extra charge on the day of release
3. Our promotion pricing will only be applied to the PC version of the game. Xbox360 release will feature a full game with future upgrades.
4. All the players interested to participate on this model will receive a release in these steps:
   1. Single-player beta featuring some basic features and missions
   2. Improved single-player beta with more features
   3. Single and multi-player beta access with some basic features
   4. Single and multi-player full game with all the features set to the date of release
   5. Stable flow of upgrades for their full game

We at Keen software house love our community and listen to our fans.
When you enter our community you will receive many more things that we only show at our forum webpages at https://www.minerwars.com"

Futuremark announced that this weekend players will have the chance to try out "Shattered Horizon" for free on Steam. In addition, the game will be on a 50% off sale.

"Shattered Horizon's innovative zero gravity gameplay has recently been enhanced by the Moonrise content pack which added four new levels and a major update which included many features requested by players.
 
"This weekend PC gamers everywhere can play Shattered Horizon for free," said Jaakko Haapasalo, producer at Futuremark Games Studio. "And for the duration of the weekend, even though we recently doubled the size of the game by adding new levels, we are offering it to players for half the price, just $9.95 /  €9.95."

In Shattered Horizon, a catastrophic explosion on the Moon has filled near-Earth space with billions of tons of rocky debris. Teams of players fight in zero gravity to control the limited supplies that mean the difference between survival and death in the cold of space.

Details:

Starts 00:01 GMT Friday 19 February (19:01 EST Thursday 18 February)
Ends 21:00 GMT Sunday 21 February (16:00 EST Sunday 21 February)
Players can start pre-loading Shattered Horizon from Steam late Wednesday evening onwards."

Funcom today announced the release of "Age of Conan: Return of Thoth-Amon," a large free update.

"Update 6: ‘Return of Thoth Amon’ introduces the much anticipated guild renown feature, where any guild on any server can acquire renown points that unlock exclusive rewards. Anything that the members of that guild do – fighting monsters, fighting other players, crafting items – will generate renown for the guild. Renown points will unlock guild levels, and will for instance allow the guild to decorate their guild city with new buildings, statues and banners, or allow the guild’s members to gain access to exclusive item rewards. Players can view a list of the top ranking guilds on all servers from inside the game as well as through the new guild rankings website available on the community portal.

The update also introduces tons of new content, mainly the addition of Thoth-Amon’s Stronghold – a new dungeon featuring, for the first time ever, tier three raid content. Here players will be able to encounter Conan’s arch-nemesis Thoth-Amon and even fight alongside King Conan himself.

For more information and how to purchase ‘Age of Conan’ please visit www.ageofconan.com. ‘Age of Conan’ is also available as a free trial for players wanting to try their luck in Hyboria."

Futuremark Game Studio today announced that "Shattered Horizon: Moonrise," a DLC pack for Shattered Horizon, has been released.

"In Shattered Horizon, a catastrophic explosion on the Moon has filled near-Earth space with billions of tons of rocky debris. Teams of players fight in zero gravity to control the limited supplies that mean the difference between survival and death in the cold of space. The Moonrise content pack includes four new levels set around the shattered Moon, taking the fight deeper into space and showing a new side to the conflict.

Players and game hosting companies can get the new dedicated server files that include settings for the Moonrise levels from the Shattered Horizon website or from Steam."

Sony Online Entertainment today announced that "EverQuest II: Sentinel's Fate" has been shipped and is available worldwide.

"Sentinel’s Fate is the sixth expansion for the groundbreaking EverQuest II franchise. This all-in-one compilation pack will be available at select retail stores on February 16, 2010 for the suggested retail price of $39.99 USD plus applicable tax and via digital download at www.everquest2.com beginning February 23, 2010.

“Sentinel’s Fate is the result of inspiration derived from both the original EverQuest franchise and suggestions made by our dedicated player community,” said Alan Crosby, Producer, Sony Online Entertainment. “By honing in on what’s important to our players, we have been able to refine the overall gameplay experience and ensure that there is something for everyone to enjoy in this expansion, new players and veterans alike.”

EverQuest II Sentinel’s Fate transports players into a universe of legend and lore where exploration is just the beginning. It includes many highly-detailed areas that are fondly remembered from the original EverQuest®, as well as brand new areas to discover. Players can now explore the fabled lands of Odus, filled with epic quests, magnificent dungeons and limitless content provide the ultimate MMO experience for new players and seasoned veterans alike. Sentinel’s Fate presents the next chapter of the EverQuest II legacy which has been written by the passion of players and fueled by the hunger for adventure. Retail customers will enjoy up to a 7-day head start of gameplay access before the digital release. Customers who purchase the Collector’s Edition will receive an exclusive Armored Highland Stalker in-game mount with matching pewter figurine.

Finally, current EverQuest II subscribers with characters level 80-90 can now participate in the ultimate PVP with the complimentary addition of Battlegrounds. Battlegrounds allows players to engage in the most exciting and intense PvP battle against their friends or foes, regardless of server, and provide thrilling group-based, competitive matches in three all-new zones."

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and movies opening the week of February 15th, 2010.

PC Games:

• Aliens vs. Predator
• EverQuest II: Sentinel's Fate Expansion

Movies Opening This Week:

• Shutter Island
• The Ghost Writer

DVD and Blu-Ray Releases:

• American Indian Collection
• Barnaby Jones: The Complete First Season
• Best of the Loretta Young Show – Seasons 3 & 4
• Black Dynamite [Blu-Ray]
• Branded: The Complete Series
• Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever
• Cannon: Season Two, Vol. 2
• Claymore: Complete Series [Blu-Ray]
• Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years at Warner Bros.
• Coco Before Chanel [Blu-Ray]
• Contempt [Blu-Ray]
• Dirty Harry Collection
• ESPN Ultimate NASCAR
• Freeway Killer [Blu-Ray]
• Good Hair
• Goodfellas: 20th Anniversary Edition [Blu-Ray]
• Halo Legends [Blu-Ray]
• Head Case: The Complete Series
• Hot Wheels Battle Force 5: Season 1, Vol. 1
• Hunger [Criterion Collection Blu-Ray]
• Kingdom: Series Three
• Lady Killers [Blu-Ray]
• Lark Rise to Candleford: The Complete Season Two
• Law Abiding Citizen [Blu-Ray]
• Lincoln Heights: Season One
• Lola Montes [Criterion Collection Blu-Ray]
• Melies Encore: 26 Additional Rare and Original Films by the First Wizard of Cinema
• Profumo Di Donna
• Ran [Blu-Ray]
• Revanche [Criterion Collection [Blu-Ray]
• Shark City
• Shaun The Sheep: A Wolly Good Time
• Small Wonder: The Complete First Season
• The Guild: Season Three
• Women in Trouble [Blu-Ray]

Arrowhead Game Studios today announced that Paradox Interactive will be publishing "Magicka," their upcoming action adventure title.

"Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester comments "We've had our eyes on the team at Arrowhead for some time. They've really managed to find a unique humorous tone and coupled it with great gameplay in Magicka. The game is going strike a chord with our fanbase while appeal to a broader audience and will fit perfectly into the Paradox portfolio."

Magicka was first announced October 2009 and promises 13 different levels of various environments, a dynamic spell casting system and 4 player co-op; all set in a generic fantasy world full of satire and dark humour. The game is expected to be released in the latter half of 2010 and will be multiplatform, “We’re still looking into the different possibilities.” says Pilestedt.

Find out more at www.magicka.se."

A new multiplayer trailer for "Aliens vs. Predator" has been released, showing off species deathmatch mode.

"Aliens vs Predator is an entirely new title for PC and high-definition consoles from acclaimed British developer Rebellion, the team behind the 1999 original PC gaming classic.

Bringing the legendary war between two of science-fiction's most popular characters to FPS fans, AvP delivers three outstanding single player campaigns and provides untold hours of unique 3-way multiplayer gaming.

Experience distinctly new and thrilling first person gameplay as you survive, hunt and prey in the deadly jungles and swamps surrounding the damned colony of Freya's Prospect."

New screenshots and a video of Gateway to Khitai, a location in the upcoming "Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer" expansion, have been released.

"Rise of the Godslayer tells the story of an Empire slowly spiraling into chaos, as a consequence of the actions of a young Conan many years ago. After killing the Elephant God in the famous Robert E. Howard story 'The Tower of the Elephant', strange and horrible things have been happening to the Empire of Khitai. As a player you must explore the dark roads of the Empire and walk the path of the Godslayer as you unravel a mature and deep storyline full of brutal conflict and political intrigue."