PC Game News

BioWare today announced details on "The Cerberus Network," an in-game portal which players will be able to use to get bonus content and DLC packs for "Mass Effect 2." In addition, day one DLC for the game has been confirmed.

"‘The Cerberus Network’ is a conduit for players to receive bonus content as well as daily messages and news on upcoming releases for Mass Effect 2 for no extra charge. For players who do not buy the game new, ‘The Cerberus Network’ can be unlocked through a one-time, in-game purchase of a new activation code*.

Mass Effect 2 is the first blockbuster video game release of 2010, having recently been named as one of the “Most Anticipated Games of the Year” by the New York Times, IGN and Wired.

“The Cerberus Network augments and extends the rich universe of Mass Effect 2,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. “We’re thrilled to be able to reward loyal BioWare and Mass Effect fans with ongoing, high quality content and provide a direct channel for our players to dive deeper into the intriguing lore of Mass Effect.”

Players who access ‘The Cerberus Network’ will receive the first DLC pack on January 26th (launch day in North America) featuring new missions and in-game items. Included in this pack is a mission that introduces Zaeed, a rugged and deadly gun-for-hire who is recruited to join Commander Shepard’s mission to save mankind.

After launch, BioWare will release another DLC pack for Mass Effect 2 that introduces the Hammerhead, a new vehicle in the Mass Effect universe. This agile hover tank features improved handling on rough terrain and maneuvers deftly in combat — a necessity for players traveling across harsh planetary environments throughout the galaxy. In addition to this new vehicle, BioWare will release new missions and unique in-game items, including Cerberus Assault Armor which boost shields, health and heavy weapon ammo and the M-22 Eviscerator Shotgun.

The Mass Effect trilogy is an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding a crew of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, stunning space exploration and emotionally engaging characters, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience.

Mass Effect 2 is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC on January 26, 2010 in North America and January 29, 2010 in Europe and has been rated ‘M’ for Mature by the ESRB and ‘18+’ by PEGI (please visit www.esrb.org and www.pegi.eu for more information on ratings). For more news from the development team, please follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/masseffect2 or visit the game’s official website at https://masseffect.bioware.com/."

Paradox today announced "Achtung Panzer: Kharkov 1943," an upcoming WWII strategy game that is based on the Kharkov Defense Operation during World War II.

"With the ability to play as either German or Russian forces, Achtung Panzer puts the destiny of the USSR and Wehrmacht armies in one's hands.

Featuring a masterful reconstruction of the battlefront setting of Kharkov, players will engage in unique combat that offers the highest level of authenticity. With the incorporation of highly flexible AI, players will have the opportunity to choose new strategies based on opponent behavior with every new round of gameplay. The inclusion of realistic missile trajectories and destructible environments is set to keep all army commanders hanging on the balance of the historic struggle. Achtung Panzer: Kharkov 1943 delivers a thorough recreation of the battle with precisely detailed soldier units, weapons, artillery units and vehicles based on actual military archive materials and WWII chronicles.

Achtung Panzer: Kharkov 1943 Features:

• 6 scenarios taking place in 1943 during Kharkov Defense Operation
• 2 playable opposing forces: USSR army and Wehrmacht
• Play as up to 250 soldiers and officers and up to 40 vehicles in each tactical battle
• Detailed, destructible environments
• 87 unit types: infantry, artillery, support vehicles, battletanks and aviation units
• More than 40 carefully reconstructed weapons and vehicles of WWII armies
• 2 control modes: turn-based strategic mode and real-time tactic mode

Achtung Panzer: Kharkov 1943 will be available Q1 at major digital retailers."

I finished Men of War: Red Tide a couple days ago and I just sent in the review. One thing I touched on in the review that I didn't expand upon but would like to is the fact that Red Tide appears to be commercially unviable – yes, there is a brand established and all that, but who is going to scan the shelf at Best Buy, pick up a game about Soviet marines in a marginal theater of the second world war and say 'I've gotta have this'? Nobody.

The thing wrong with the above scenario is that nobody at Best Buy needs to buy Red Tide for it to actually become commercially viable. There's a game-playing audience in Russia now, with its own critical establishment, its own prestigious development studios, its own professional standards and awards and the rest of it. If Red Tide bombed (and it probably will) in the West, nobody at 1C would have any reason to care. They can now (and have been able for several years) make games that only Russians will care about.

Without getting stuck in essentialism we can say that this means that Russian games and Western games will diverge and explore first different content and then different forms, because Russians and Britons and Americans and the French all have different visual cultures, different ideas about literature, the role of art, and most everything else. This is a consequence not of any kind of empirical difference between American People (whoever they are) and Russian People (same), but of the separation historically between the two peoples which was partially geographical bad luck and partially conscious exclusion, blah blah. You can read all of this in books.

Getting back to games: Cryostasis, Red Tide, and even S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are all examples of the former, lesser type of divergence (content) – a western studio would be less likely to make a game about a Soviet nuclear icebreaker, a bunch of Russian marines, or a Ukranian nuclear accident. But western studios have made survival horror games, tactical combat games, and first-person shooters which resemble those games named in form if not in content. In many ways these Russian developers aren't making something totally original so much as responding to games they've played before, when westerners had the run of things. What will happen when the Russians start making games that are as wildly different from ours in form as their poetry is?

I don't think the Russians even know yet. And perhaps the new art form, games, will be more homogeneous across cultures, because its development coincided with the arrival of the internet. It's important to not make too much of this – Russians get on the internet, as Americans do, and chat generally with people that speak their own language and share their own culture. But surely it means something that basically all media regardless of origin is at your fingertips now?

I know what it means for the present: having to wait for localization patches.

Sega released a new trailer for "Napoleon: Total War," giving viewers more of a look at the anticipated next installment by 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."

Eidos released  a new trailer for "Just Cause 2," which highlights the way in which the game allows you to choose your own path.

"With complete freedom to take on the Island of Panau from any angle, a mission in Just Cause 2 is never quite the same twice. So when Jade Tan, one of the Agency’s key operatives in Panau, falls into enemy hands, how you get her back really is up to you.

Use your grapple and parachute to go in stealthily, coming in from the air and grappling guards out of towers; or go all-guns-a’blazin’, destroying everything and anyone in sight? Take a jeep and ride it down a mountainside or use an aerial bombardment of rockets from a hijacked helicopter? The choice is yours, and each clip will give you a different taste of the high-octane gameplay that will make Just Cause 2 one of the stand-out titles of 2010.

As Rico Rodriguez, the Agency's most powerful weapon, players must take on the island of Panau and its military regime in order to track down Rico's former boss and mentor, Tom Sheldon, who has gone rogue with millions in Agency cash and intel. Using a unique grapple and parachute combination, there is no vertical limit as the air becomes your playground: grapple a passing plane in flight, hijack helicopters, BASE jump from the tallest buildings or mountains and leave a trail of chaos and destruction in your wake. Just Cause 2 offers players the freedom to attack missions any way they choose and, with over 100 vehicles and countless upgrades and collectibles, the choices for relentless adrenaline-fuelled action are limitless."

New screenshots from "Metro 2033" have been released, giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming FPS by 4a Games.

"Set in the shattered subway of a post apocalyptic Moscow, Metro 2033 is a story of intensive underground survival where the fate of mankind rests in your hands.

In 2013 the world was devastated by an apocalyptic event, annihilating almost all mankind and turning the earth's surface into a poisonous wasteland. A handful of survivors took refuge in the depths of the Moscow underground, and human civilization entered a new Dark Age.

The year is 2033. An entire generation has been born and raised underground, and their besieged Metro Station-Cities struggle for survival, with each other, and the mutant horrors that await outside."

An exclusive demo for "Dark Void" has been released on FilePlanet, which requires free registration. You can probably expect to see it mirrored across the web after a certain number of hours but that's just an assumption. The game is currently scheduled to be released next Tuesday.

"Dark Void is a new sci-fi action-adventure game that combines an adrenaline-fuelled blend of aerial and on-foot combat set in a parallel universe called "The Void". Players will take on the role of Will; a pilot dropped into incredible circumstances while on a routine air cargo flight crashes in the Bermuda triangle leading him to be trapped in the Void. This unlikely hero soon finds himself swept into a desperate struggle for survival at the head of a group called The Survivors. Trapped in the Void, these resistance fighters are battling to hold off a mysterious alien race that plans to threaten Earth."

Another new "Mass Effect 2" trailer has been released, this time highlighting the soldier class in the anticipated upcoming sequel by BioWare.

"This latest video from Mass Effect 2 features the Soldier character class and is again narrated by Lead Gameplay Designer Christina Norman. Not only is the Soldier the master of all weapons and specialty ammunition types, they also can use a concussive shot to knock enemies off their feat and use Adrenaline Rush to "slow" time while doing extra damage to targets."

Flying Lab Software announced a second anniversary event for "Pirates of the Burning Sea" that will take place on January 23rd. In the event, players will be able to play against the creators of the game and rewards will be given out. In addition, new updates to the game were revealed.

"To join the party fun and check out the game, prospective pirates can test out their swashbuckling skills for free for 2 weeks by signing up at www.burningsea.com/try.

The game is rolling into 2010 bigger and better than ever with new and robust cinematic avatar combat; new conquest features, such as improved ship battles and blockading; and an abundance of new content including ships, missions, and clothes. A more detailed list of the new features can be found on the Pirates of the Burning Sea web site.

“Flying Lab is very proud to have such a strong and active gaming fan base for Pirates of the Burning Sea, and we are looking forward to celebrating many more anniversaries with our community,” said Russell Williams, CEO of Flying Lab Software. “In the last 2 years, we have packed this game with loads of new features, and the gameplay is now more robust and action-packed than ever.”

Set against the backdrop of the New World of the 18th century, Pirates of the Burning Sea™ is an MMORPG featuring high-seas action and adventure in a bold world of pirates and plunder, where players can choose to play as one of three nations — England, France or Spain — or choose the role of a Pirate and battle it out for glory and power.

Flying Lab Software is also still offering a special promotion to U.S. military personnel. This special deal for U.S. military men and women waives for 6 months the normal game costs of $19.99 on Steam or the Sony Store, as well as the monthly $14.99 subscription. The six months starts when they sign up and download the game."

Got Game Entertainment announced that "Twin Sector," the action adventure game by DnS Development, has been shipped.

"Twin Sector is a thrilling physics-based action-adventure for the PC that allows players free interaction with their environment. Using the advantages of the powerful HAVOC®-Engine, innumerable puzzles, challenges and enemies await the players in a hostile and threatening futuristic environment.  Featuring more than 15 missions, alongside a thrilling story line unfolding over the course of non-stop action, Twin Sector appeals to core gamers worldwide.

"We are excited that gamers who enjoyed the demo can now enjoy the full Twin Sector experience," said Howard Horowitz, Founder of Got Game Entertainment, LLC.  "Twin Sector offers one of the only opportunities on the market for players to truly take on a physics-based first-person exploration adventure  with a compelling sci-fi mystery plot. PC gamers who are looking for a fun, challenging and action-packed adventure should make sure that Twin Sector is on their shopping list!"

Featuring innovative and physics-based high-energy gameplay, Twin Sector is now available for an MSRP of $29.99. For more information visit https://www.twinsectorgame.com"

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-ray releases, and movies opening the week of January 11th, 2010.

PC Games:

• Twin Sector

Movies Opening This Week:

• Chance Pe Dance (limited)
• Fish Tank (limited NYC)
• The Book of Eli
• The Lovely Bones
• The Spy Next Door

DVD and Blu-Ray Releases:

• 10 Things I Hate About You, Vol. 1
• 8 1/2 [Blu-Ray Criterion Collection]
• Amreeka
• Becker: Three Season Pack
• Big Fan
• Billy Jack
• By the People: The Election of Barack Obama
• Downloading Nancy
• ER: The Complete Twelfth Season
• Fame [Blu-Ray]
• Ghost in the Shell 2.0
• Halloween II [Blu-Ray]
• House On Sorority Row
• I Can Do Bad All By Myself [Blu-Ray]
• In the Loop [Blu-Ray]
• Like Stars on Earth
• Make It or Break It: Volume One
• Moon [Blu-Ray]
• Post Grad [Blu-Ray]
• Robin Hood: Season Three
• Route 66: Season Three – Complete Season
• The Brothers Bloom [Blu-Ray]
• The Burning Plain [Blu-Ray]
• The Hurt Locker [Blu-Ray]
• The Matrix [Blu-Ray]
• The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season [Blu-Ray]
• Top Gear: The Complete Season 11
• Top Gear: The Complete Season 12
• Transfomers: Season 2, Vol. 2
• Transformers: Season 2, Vol. 2
• Tyler Perry's House of Payne 5
• Urban Action Collection: 4 Film Favorites
• Urban Action Collection: 4 Film Favorites

EA today released a beta version of the "Create a World Tool" for The Sims 3, giving players a chance to build and share worlds

Registered players will be able to step into the shoes of The Sims 3 development team by using the same robust world-building tools the team uses to create worlds and towns for The Sims 3. This massive, creative tool allows players to design and build entire worlds for their Sims or begin their creations with pre-made Sunset Valley or Riverview terrains. Once players are satisfied with their brand new world, they can then share their creations online through The Sims 3 Exchange. The tool allows for endless creative possibilities and countless new stories to be told using a brand new world, designed by the players, as the canvas!

FEATURES

• Design Entire Worlds – Players can choose terrain patterns, vegetation and neighborhood accents like water towers and lighthouses, then place lots and roads to create something totally unique.
• Players Choice – Players can start with a blank canvas, or modify the terrains that formed the basis of Sunset Valley or Riverview.
• For Advanced Designers – Those with design skills can bring creativity to life by creating and importing designs from Photoshop and other programs into their world.
• Trees Galore! – Combine objects and items from The Sims 3 World Adventures expansion pack or items from The Sims 3 Store to create a one of a kind landscape.
• Share with the World – Created worlds can be shared and downloaded through The Sims 3 Exchange. Sims players will now have additional worlds to choose from beyond the extra town of Riverview, which has been downloaded 2MM times.

The Sims 3 Create a World Tool – BETA is a robust tool for avid Sims players that want to expand their gameplay experience and create an entire world. Players can build anything from mesas, mountains, and waterfalls to their favorite The Sims 2 neighborhood, their own home town, or even the Moon! A walk-through guide is located here to help players get started creating their own worlds. Now The Sims 3 players can be game designers and take their creativity to a whole new level.

The Create a World beta can be downloaded from www.TheSims3.com

Kalypso Media today released a trailer for "Grand Ages: Rome – Reign of Augustus," the upcoming strategy expansion pack.

"Reign of Augustus expansion pack includes a brand new campaign, 12 single player missions, 12 new maps, 6 multiplayer maps and a wealth of enhanced gameplay features.

Reign of Augustus will be available exclusively through digital download and will not be sold through retail. For more information go to www.grandages.com or www.kalypsomedia.com"

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Valve, Razer, and Sixense announced a new motion sensing controller for the PC platform. The concept controller being presented looks somewhat similar to a Nintendo Wii controller but it apparently isn't the final design. For a video demonstration and photos, check out this CNET post.

"Marking the next step in user interface technologies for gaming on the PC, Razer and Sixense scientists and engineers along with select PC OEM partners have been working on ultra-precise one-to-one motion sensing controllers that use electromagnetic fields to track precise movements along all six axes for use in current and future generation PC games. The absolute controller position is tracked to within a mere millimeter for positioning and to a degree for orientation.

“Razer is extending its vision for PC gaming by partnering with Sixense on this exciting new endeavor,” said Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff, president, Razer USA. “The magnetic motion sensor technology combines precision and speed with the freedom of other motion sensing technologies to fill the gap between consoles and PC in terms of human interface devices.”

The multi-year technology partnership between the companies have been in the works at Razer’s design innovation centers in San Francisco as well as in Singapore, where Razer recently announced a US $20M investment in the Razer-MDA IDM Lab for the research into next generation user interfaces for gaming.

“We are really excited to be working with Razer to bring motion gaming to the PC world. This technology collaboration will allow PC gamers to experience true-to-life gaming in a different dimension,” said Avi Arad, chairman and cofounder, Sixense. “This is a strong partnership that will not only enhance the entire gaming experience, but will truly revolutionize how games are played on the PC.”

“With this controller, Razer and Sixense have created the most immersive way to play our games,” said Chet Faliszek, team lead on Valve’s recent best-seller Left 4 Dead 2. “For us and for our customers, this release represents motion-enabled gaming that’s more integrated and visceral than any platform has so far achieved.”

Working together with Valve, Razer and Sixense will be presenting a first glance into the future of PC Gaming with Left 4 Dead 2, a co-op team based tactical FPS game that is available on the Steam network, with a technology demonstration of what is slated as the first true one-to-one motion sensing and gesture recognition platform for the PC, which adds a totally new dimension to the Left 4 Dead 2 experience. Technology demonstrations with prototype motion sensing controllers will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 4, Meeting Room #S215. Products utilizing the motion sensing technology showcased at CES will be launched later in 2010."

New wilderness enhancements for "Fallen Earth" have been added to the MMORPG that was released in September.

"Sharpening and blending textures, colors and lighting, the new and improved details enhance the look and feel of the Fallen Earth post-apocalyptic environment and heighten player immersion.

“The environment in Fallen Earth adds so much to the players’ experience,” said Chris Deavellar, art director for Fallen Earth. “We want to capture the mood of the post-apocalyptic world and the improvements certainly enhance the appearance and atmosphere of the game.”

The new, full scrub enhances several environmental aspects, sharpening textures and adding more detail with improvements to the resolution and quality of the previous scrub. With the new enhancements, players who view the landscape in first-person character mode will notice more volume within the brush and grass than before.

Additionally, players will see improvements on terrain as detail textures have been blended to enhance the appearance of the landscape and color maps have also been re-worked in order to provide a smoother blend between shades and augment color variation.

Leaving no environmental element untouched, developers have also incorporated distinctive cloud movement and have further taken a look at fog effects. Improvements on the existing fog equation now enable fog to build up more gradually, distance-wise, to players, creating a more realistic and layered appearance."