PC Game News

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and movies opening the week of November 2nd, 2009.

PC Games:

• Dragon Age: Origins
• Shattered Horizon
• Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

Movies Opening This Week:

• A Christmas Carol
• Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire [limited]
• The Box
• The Fourth Kind
• The Men Who Stare at Goats

DVD and Blu-Ray Releases:

• A Christmas Carol [Blu-Ray]
• Aliens in the Attic [Blu-Ray]
• Doctor Who: The Black Guardian Trilogy
• Eddie Izzard: Live from Wembley
• Edge of Darkness: The Complete BBC Series
• Food, Inc.
• Forrest Gump [Blu-Ray]
• Fraggle Rock: The Complete Final Season
• G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra [Blu-Ray]
• Here’s Lucy: Season Two
• Howards End [Blu-Ray Criterion Collection]
• I Love You, Beth Cooper [Blu-Ray]
• Love Actually [Blu-Ray]
• Mission: Impossible – The Final TV Season
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation [Blu-Ray]
• Not Forgotten
• Rocky: The Undisputed Collection
• Say Anything [Blu-Ray]
• Spin City: Season Three
• Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Complete Season One [Blu-Ray]
• The Donna Reed Show: Season Three
• The Rockford Files: Movie Collection, Vol. 1
• The Taking of Pelham 123 [Blu-Ray]
• Unmistaken Child
• Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro = The Complete First & Second Season
• Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut
• Will Ferrell: You’re Welcome America, A Final Night with George W Bush
• Wings of Desire [Blu-Ray Criterion Collection

Paradox Interactive today announced that "For the Glory: A Europa Universalis Game" has gone gold and is scheduled to be released via digital distribution portals on November 10th.

"Developed by Crystal Empire Games, a team formed within Paradox’s Europa Universalis II fan community, For the Glory is built upon the Europa Engine. The title is a product of the developers’ vision for the ultimate historical strategy game. Players take the reins of a country, guide domestic and foreign policy, navigate thousands of historical events, engage in various struggles and lead their country to prosperity – all in the name of glory.

The team has been actively discussing its efforts in a series of developer diaries that can be found on the For the Glory forums at the following address: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=444.

For more information on For the Glory: A Europa Universalis Game, please visit https://forum.paradoxplaza.com."

       
       

BioWare announced that "Dragon Age: Origins" has been shipped to North American retail stores. Additionally, the game will be available in Europe on Friday.

"Dragon Age: Origins introduces a dark and gritty approach to the fantasy genre where players must make ruthless decisions and be willing to sacrifice their friends and loved ones for the greater good of mankind. Several downloadable content packs are also now available, including Warden’s Keep, The Stone Prisoner and the Blood Dragon Armor.

“The launch of Dragon Age: Origins is the fantasy event of 2009,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder of BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group at EA. “I am extremely proud of the entire development team – and we’re all very excited to release one of our best games yet!”

BioWare has also launched a robust package of downloadable content (DLC) for Dragon Age: Origins. The Stone Prisoner gives players access to new environments, items, hours of additional gameplay and the mighty stone golem Shale who can become one of the most powerful party members in the game. The Warden’s Keep premium DLC provides players of Dragon Age: Origins with a new dungeon-exploring adventure, new loot including a set of ancient Grey Warden armor, a chance to gain two of six mysterious new abilities, a new base complete with merchants and a party chest to store their hard-earned items. In addition, BioWare has released the Blood Dragon Armor DLC, a set of themed armor that gives players additional protection in combat and will be available for use in both Dragon Age: Origins on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC and in Mass Effect™ 2 on the Xbox 360 and PC.

Players who previously downloaded the Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator to create their player character can now bring their hero to life in Dragon Age: Origins for PC. Screenshots, game data and story information can be uploaded to the new BioWare Social Network at https://social.bioware.com as players share great moments of their own personal adventure with other community members.

In Dragon Age: Origins, players take the role of a Grey Warden, one of the last of an ancient order of guardians. Now, as a rising evil threatens to destroy all life, it is up to players to unite the shattered lands and slay the corrupted dragon known as the Archdemon. On this journey, players will need to make critical choices that affect them and various members of their party.

Dragon Age: Origins is available today in North America on PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC. In Europe, Dragon Age: Origins will be released on November 6th on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC and later in November on PlayStation®3. Dragon Age: Origins is rated M by the ESRB and 18+ by PEGI.

For more information on Dragon Age: Origins, please visit www.dragonage.com."

THQ released a new trailer for "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising," giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming expansion in the strategy series by Relic.

"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, 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.  Veterans of the Dawn of War II single player campaign can use their existing squads’ accumulated wargear, abilities and experience to battle the traitorous Chaos Space Marines of the Black Legion throughout 15 new missions.  Newcomers to Dawn of War II will begin the single player campaign with a squad of Space Marines fully equipped to take on the malevolent forces of Chaos.  Powerful Chaos tainted wargear can be equipped and used against your enemy, but doing so could lead to dreadful consequences.  Will you risk corruption for power?  For more information on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising, please visit www.dawnofwar2.com."

Uforia today announced the launch of its second closed beta test for "Mercenary Wars," which began at 5PM PST today and will run through 5PM PST on Thursday.

"Now through November 5th, players may obtain a beta key from www.mmosite.com  or  www.onrpg.com, or by signing up for an Uforia account at https://mercenarywars.uforia.com. 

This new beta test will feature all new content including a new free-for-all mode which does away with teams and places players on a map to have an all out war with each other.  The player with the most kills when time ends is the winner!  A new map is also featured that is ideal for a multitude of different play styles introducing lots ofplaces to hide and great sniping locations.  Three new guns round out the new content; G36K, SPAS12 and a Mac10."

Sony Online Entertainment and Wizzards of the Coast have announced "Magic: The Gathering – Tactics," an upcoming extension to the turn-based strategy series.

"Magic: The Gathering – Tactics will allow players to command forces of dramatic 3D figures and powerful spell cards pulled from the Magic: The Gathering Multiverse. Players can participate in single player scenarios or jump right into PVP action against other players worldwide, 24 hours per day. Magic: The Gathering – Tactics is expected to feature regular content expansions, a robust tournament environment, an achievement and rankings program, and original stories of the Planeswalkers of Magic: The Gathering.

“By collaborating with Wizards of the Coast, we’re able to combine the strengths of both companies to develop an innovative, online, 3D game based on an extremely popular IP,” said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Entertainment. “We’re going to be taking the Magic: The Gathering Multiverse places players have never seen.”

“The growing Magic: The Gathering community has an insatiable desire for great strategic game experiences. Sony Online Entertainment is the perfect partner to transform the best of Magic’s story, strategy and competitive play into a fantastic ‘Tactics’ game experience for current and new Magic fans,” said Greg Leeds, president, Wizards of the Coast.

Magic: The Gathering – Tactics is being developed by SOE’s Denver studio and scheduled to be available for the PC in early 2010, with a version for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system to follow.

For more information on Magic: The Gathering – Tactics, visit www.magicthegatheringtactics.com."

This little trifle of an addon doesn’t deserve its own full-length review since it’s so short, so here are my thoughts in blog (bleh) format.

You get quite a bit for your $10- a full campaign which is about half the length of the one that came with the original game, a bunch of new artifacts and spells (which you can rely on extensively in the new campaign) and  that’s basically it. The campaign focuses on the Order of Marcus and one of its commanders, a spearchucker named Cornelius. Your units this time around are mainly human (Elven Legacy focused on elven units, duh) so in addition to your contingent of rangers you make use of yeomen, halberdiers, royal archers, knights, etc. The new campaign took me a solid afternoon to finish, and by the time you’re done with it you’ve seen all there is to see that is new.

  The upper bound of enjoyment time here is around eight hours. You might be able to increase it by playing some of the included individual scenarios (which are identical to the ones that accompanied the original game) and trying to beat them again with some different units or spells. The monster-scenario ‘The New King’ which can take two solid hours and a couple hundred turns to finish, is worth beating again. Most of the other additions are in the same vein- interesting but not exactly earth-shattering.

Those 8 hours rely on a couple of obvious assumptions- you’ve got to have the original Elven Legacy and you’ve gotta enjoy it, because this is the same sort of stuff. I enjoyed it so I enjoyed this too. If you got in on Elven Legacy (or Fantasy Wars) a few months ago and have been waiting for more Ranger is a no-brainer. If you haven’t, try the Elven Legacy demo or read my review to figure out if it’s for you. 

Paradox released another trailer for "Fort Zombie," giving viewers another look at the horror game that’s scheduled to be released tomorrow.

"We have one chance. Find a strong place, and band together. Build our defenses. Gather supplies. Arm ourselves for the fight and save as many souls as we can. Take back our town, our lives, our world from the hungry dark." Check out the latest Fort Zombie gameplay footage as presented by the developer, Kerberos Studios. When they get here, will you be ready?

Fort Zombie will be available on October 30, for purchase exclusively through all major digital distribution channels for the hauntingly low suggested retail price of $9.99 and €9.99. For more information, please visit: www.fortzombie.com.

DICE today released details on a limited edition version of their upcoming "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" game.

"The Limited Edition game features six special gameplay unlocks that give players a tactical advantage on the battlefield from the minute they fire up the game. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has been recognized by critics worldwide for its uncompromising action gameplay, unprecedented level of destruction, vehicular warfare, squad play and open sandbox environments in a modern warfare game. Available while supplies last, the Limited Edition version of the game will be sold at the same price as the standard version of the game with participating retailers in North America on March 2, 2010 and in Europe on March 5, 2010.

The Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition delivers six special customizations early to give players a day one advantage in multiplayer matches. Four vehicle warfare unlocks will immediately enhance the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 best-in-class online vehicle warfare experience, delivering extra firepower, radar, and armor for the vehicles. Additionally, the tracer dart attaches to any enemy vehicle and allows RPG-toting teammates to track, lock on, and destroy their adversary. Seasoned veterans of Battlefield 1943™ will be able to immediately re-acquaint themselves with two classic and highly powerful weapons, the M1A1 submachine gun and the M1911 pistol.

The full list of six unlocks are as follows:

• Four vehicle warfare unlocks
• Improved Vehicle Armor – An up-armor package is mounted on all vehicle types, decreasing the effect of both explosive and penetrating warheads, significantly improving vehicle survivability.
• Supreme Vehicle Firepower – Additional weapon packages are mounted for the driver of all armored vehicles, greatly expanding the range of targets the vehicle can successfully engage and destroy.
• Vehicle Motion Sensor – Use this electronics warfare package to locate enemy units in direct proximity to the vehicle.
• Tracer Dart Pistol – This magnetic dart attaches to any vehicle surface, allowing squad members to track, lock on, and fire rockets onto moving targets even beyond line of sight.

Two classic Battlefield 1943™ weapons

• M1A1 Submachine Gun – Reliable but heavy this classic weapon is a powerful force in the hands of any Battlefield veteran.
• M1911 Pistol – Highly customized M1911 are favored for its dependability and the power of its large .45 caliber round.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be available on March 2, 2010 in North America for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the PC. The game will be available on March 5, 2010 in Europe.

For more information on the Battlefield franchise please visit: www.battlefield.com."

Another new "BioShock 2" teaser trailer has been released, this time showing off the game’s version of capture the flag multiplayer mode.

"Set approximately 10 years after the events of the original BioShock, the halls of Rapture once again echo with sins of the past. Along the Atlantic coastline, a monster has been snatching little girls and bringing them back to the undersea city of Rapture. You are the very first Big Daddy as you travel through the decrepit and beautiful fallen city, chasing an unseen foe in search of answers and your own survival."

Valve sent word that the promised "Left 4 Dead 2" demo for customers who pre-ordered the game has been released.

"The Left 4 Dead 2 Demo is now available on both the PC and Xbox 360 for those who pre-ordered and obtained early access to the demo. For more information on Left 4 Dead 2, please visit www.l4d.com"

"Set in the zombie apocalypse, Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2) is the highly anticipated sequel to the award-winning Left 4 Dead, the #1 co-op game of 2008.

This co-operative action horror FPS takes you and your friends through the cities, swamps and cemeteries of the Deep South, from Savannah to New Orleans across five expansive campaigns.

You’ll play as one of four new survivors armed with a wide and devastating array of classic and upgraded weapons. In addition to firearms, you’ll also get a chance to take out some aggression on infected with a variety of carnage-creating melee weapons, from chainsaws to axes and even the deadly frying pan."

Focus Home Interactive released new screenshots from "Runaway A Twist of Fate," giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming adventure game by Pendulo Studios.

"The great adventure game Runaway: A Twist of Fate’s release is less than a month away and we are pleased to present a new series of images of the game. Madrid Pendulo Studio has worked very hard to make this final Runaway adventure the best of all and to beautifully put an end to a saga that had a strong influence on adventure games over the past few years.

The adventure has never been so beautiful. It is based on a deep story full of twists that often humorously pays tribute to movies or cult series. The game has been largely improved visually, thanks to a new game engine: high resolution backgrounds, more detailed characters, livelier animations and more expression during dialogs that give the impression of watching a great animated movie.

For the first time, the game offers players funny and inventive help from the "players in distress" office managed by Joshua, one of the series’ crazy characters. Always with great humor, Joshua’s interventions will point the players in the right direction for any puzzles. Calling Joshua is always funny and represents a story within the story.

Runaway « A Twist of Fate » is scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2010 on PC and Nintendo DS™."

       

So in the new Call of Duty game your first task is to wade into a crowded civilian airport and kill shit relentlessly. Every last mom, pop and 2 kids on their way to Sochi (I think the massacre takes place in Russia? I can’t be sure) is supposed to get it within the first five minutes. That barrel can’t go cold. Get ’em.

Since I’m positive the suits at Activision have exactly as much backbone as their bean-counters tell them they have, this is probably some sort of calculated marketing stunt. They are relying on the (pretty safe) assumption that this sequence will be seen as ground-breaking, scandalous and the rest of that breathless nonsense. Is this assumption really correct, though? Is this sequence such a radical departure from the normal FPS toolbox that it’s going to absolutely change everything? Or is this kind of mindless slaughter perfectly in line with the most basic moral touchstone of the modern FPS?

Let’s back up for a minute and compare this ‘controversy’ with the non-controversy that ensued following the release of the last Call of Duty, a game in which he who was quickest to zap the raghead with the biggest gun was the one most assured of survival in the end. Why is that kind of inculcated murderous impulse blameless and this murderous impulse not? They’re both on the same decrepit moral level, aren’t they?

The answer lies in the fact that FPS enemies are always on the same plane regardless of how they’ve been skinned or what the ancillary narrative tells you they are supposed to be. You are never supposed to question what it is you’re actually doing, you are supposed to kill anything you’re told to kill, reload, find the key and move on. And if you have trouble doing that then it’s your fault for not being able to fit into the violent and absurd straitjacket of the ‘modern’ FPS. Who is actually catching your lead matters about as much as the trash decals applied to the floors of the levels. This sequence couldn’t fit in with the rest of them any better. 

In fact as far as clarity goes this scene has the drop on probably every other FPS game this year. Where else are you going to see the moral poverty of the FPS totally stripped of any kind of half-assed excuse and laid this bare? Which other game is going to provoke you to think about what it is you’re actually doing when you kill people virtually? This game may not do that for the vast majority of those who will be exposed to it, but I’m betting nothing else will even try. 

Gamescampus.com today announced the release of "Asda Story Chapter 2: The Nightmare Begins," a new version of the MMORPG that includes a new high level map, a Roulette system, a new vehicle, improved skills, updated quests as well as a generous amount of Halloween events.

"The update includes all of the following features:

• Chapter 2: The Nightmare Begins!
• New Map! – The highest level map yet in Asda Story will soon be released:  The Castle of Chaos!  With never before seen enemies and the best item rewards to be found anywhere, get ready to fight your way through the Chaos inside!
• New Roulette System! – Playing alongside your Soul Mate is more rewarding than ever!  As you battle together you now earn special in-game benefits, items, and perks through the new Soul Mate Roulette system!
• New Vehicle! – A new vehicle will be added to Asda Story alongside the major Chapter 2 update!  Blast into the future on the sleek new Centrifuge Bike!
• New Armor Sets! – The sinisterly powerful new Dragon Master Set will soon arrive with Chapter 2, along with the ferociously noble Lion Armor!
• New Skill Updates! – Character abilities have been improved and strengthened throughout the game to make Player Versus Player Combat fiercer and prepare users for the fights ahead through the highest level maps yet!
• New Questing Updates! – New Elite and Repeatable quests have been added to the game to increase the challenges players face and allow them to earn plenty of Gold and the items they need to get ahead on their journeys through Asda Story!
• Halloween Events! – Alongside a complete redecoration of the game’s major city to help get players into the holiday spirit, Halloween events will soon be starting all over Asda Story!  Trick or Treat for goodies from your favorite characters around town, get Rare Halloween costumes available for a limited time, fight beasts across the world for special Halloween items, and fearsome Franken Monsters will soon be prowling about offering periods of Double Experience for taking them on!

Based on a colorful, bright and cheerful world, Asda Story is a free to play exciting fantasy-style anime 3D MMORPG game that features a unique ‘Soul Mate System.’  The unique party system offers two players the ability to align to become ‘soul mates’ and allows them to wear unique costumes and use special skills. Another key feature of the game is the ‘Real Costume System,’ which gives players some of the most extensive personalization and design options ever seen in an MMORPG.

For more information about Gamescampus.com or Asda Story, please visit www.gamescampus.com."

The list of new PC game releases, new DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and movies opening the week of October 26th, 2009.

PC Games:

• Borderlands
• East India Company: Privateer

Movies Opening This Week:

• Gentlemen Broncos
• The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
• The House of the Devil
• This Is It

DVD and Blu-Ray Releases:

• 42nd Street Forever 5: Alamo Drafthouse Ed.
• Adult Swim in a Box
• Battlestar Galactica: The Plan [Blu-Ray]
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs [Blu-Ray]
• IL Divo
• Into Temptation
• Jazz Icons: Series 4 Box Set
• Life After People: The Series = Complete Series One
• Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown [Blu-Ray]
• Luis Bunnuel’s Death in the Garden
• Mannix: The Third Season
• Medicine for Melancholy
• Monty Python: Almost The Truth [Blu-Ray]
• Night of the Creeps [Blu-Ray]
• Nothing Like the Holidays [Blu-Ray]
• On the Road with Charles Kuralt, set 1
• Orphan [Blu-Ray]
• Patton 360: The Complete Season 1
• Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970s Vol. 2
• Stan Helsing
• Stargate 15th Anniversary Edi. [Blu-Ray]
• Tales from the Darkside: The Second Season
• The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Vol. 1
• The Diary of Anne Frank
• The Fugitive: Season Three, Vol. 1
• The Guardian: The First Season
• The Prisoner: The Complete Series Megaset
• The Sam Fuller Film Collection
• Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure [Blu-Ray]
• Trial and Retribution: Set 3
• Whatever Works [Blu-Ray]
• Z [Criterion Collection]