PC Game News

Ugh, is it already September? Here’s the list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and movies opening the week of August 31st, 2009.

PC Games:

• Champions Online:
• Section 8

Movies Opening This Week:

• All About Steve
• Carriers
• Extract
• Gamer
• No Impact: The Documentary (limited NYC)

DVD and Blu-Ray Releases:

• All in the Family: Complete First Season
• Braveheart [Blu-Ray]
• Bring it On: Fight to the Finish
• Brothers and Sisters: The Complete Third Season
• C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation: The Complete Ninth Season
• Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fifth Season
• Disney Nature Earth [Blu-Ray]
• Fate Stay Night
• Gladiator [Blu-Ray]
• Heroes: Season 3 [Blu-Ray]
• Impact
• Lilacs in the Spring
• M*A*S*H [Blu-Ray]
• Monster [Blu-Ray]
• Rescue Me: Season 5, Vol. 1
• Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices
• Shaun the Sheep: Little Sheep of Horrors
• Sin Nombre
• State of Play
• State of Play [Blu-Ray]
• Sugar [Blu-Ray]
• Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season [Blu-Ray]
• Tennessee
• Terry Fator: Live from Las Vegas
• The Ascent of Money: The Financial History of the World
• The Evil That Men Do
• The Girl Next Door [Blu-Ray]
• TMC Greatest Classic Films Collection: Horror
• TMC Greatest Classic Films Collection: Murder Mysteries
• TMC Greatest Classic Films Collection: Science Fiction
• Two and a Half Men: The Complete Sixth Season

Codemasters released a new co-op trailer for "Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising," showing off the single-player campaign that allows up to four players online.

"In Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, the entire single player campaign is fully playable co-operatively for up to four players online. Teamwork and communication are key as gamers take on USMC infantry and spec ops roles battling the might of the Chinese PLA as the war plays out across Skira island.

“There’s no better FPS experience than playing together with mates in a fire team and four-player co-op is the sweet spot; I’d say it’s the ultimate Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising experience,” said Sion Lenton, Executive Producer for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. “The nature and freedom of the game lends itself perfectly to the spirit of co-op play – especially as human players explore avenues that the AI won’t always,”

During a co-op game, the host assumes the role of fire team leader and the remaining players choose their role, including medic, rifleman, engineer or anti-tank specialist, via the load out screen. The fire team leader is responsible for issuing specific commands, such as directing suppressing fire, setting way points and instigating flanking manoeuvres. Similarly, if players take control of a vehicle during a mission, roles specific to that vehicle become available, such as driver, commander, gunner or co-pilot in a helicopter.

“Good communication between fire team members is hugely important, especially when mission objectives can be handled in multiple ways. The successful co-op team will learn authentic USMC tactics via the command radial and gameplay encourages the discussion of those tactics; that’s the key to winning the battle and ultimately the war,” continued Lenton.

“It’s a thoroughly immersive co-op experience; the tense atmosphere becomes especially apparent in the spec ops missions, where players will find themselves whispering commands to each other as they become gripped by the fear of being discovered by the enemy.”

In addition to the campaign, the game’s individual single missions, once completed, can be set up as self contained co-op games. This enables players to jump straight to their favourite missions have up to 3 players to join as part of their unit. Co-op play also offers re-spawn points at checkpoints gameplay that encourages the fire team to stick together."

Frogster Interactive today announced "Beyond the Horizon," a new upcoming expansion for "Bounty Bay Online" that’s scheduled to be released in quarter 4 of this year.

"Right from first glance the add-on will integrate a significant geographical expansion of the historical explorer and sailor world. With South America, experienced players will receive a completely new continent as a destination for their voyages of exploration. Six new port cities ranging across the western coasts of South and North America serve as focus points for a vibrant trade with the new world. For the first time ocean adventurers will have the opportunity to sail right around the whole world in ‘Beyond the Horizon’ using the Cape Horn route. Passing by the village-like ‘Magellan Supply Station’ on the tip of South America, players will be able to arrive at San Diego. Those who venture further up north will discover the Mayan capital of Salinas to be an important hub of the expansion. The tropical metropolis represents the showplace for a high level quest line which leads player groups past snakes, Maya guardians and other dangerous creatures in a jungle-draped Mayan instance with some valuable treasures. Following Salinas players reach the scenic Cruz in Middle America as well as San Francisco, the first glamorous and sophisticated city on America’s west coast – each city featuring its own trading port. In the far north players who aren’t too shy of the cold can discover the snowy Seward and its off-shore icebergs on the Alaskan coast.

Frogster is going to publish the expansion ‘Beyond the Horizon’ with its many new features in both German and English language versions. A little later French players of Bounty Bay Online will also be able to check out the new content, such as five new character classes, the active pet system, new instances, new PvP arenas and tournaments, new ranking system and new mini-games. In keeping with its predecessors, ‘Beyond the Horizon’ will be available free of charge. Players can obtain regular information bulletins about the up-coming expansion at this micro-site: https://bth.bountybayonline.com"

THQ and Relic have announced a new multiplayer mode called "The Last Stand" for "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II," which will be released as a free downloadable content pack in October.

"The Last Stand is a cooperative survival mode that gives gamers control of an individual hero unit and drops a small multiplayer team into a battle with impossible odds.  Players can choose between a Space Marine Captain, Eldar Farseer or Ork Mekboy and will team up with two other squad-mates in an attempt to hold out as long as possible against wave after wave of relentless attackers.  Hero units level up and are fully customizable as new armor and weapons become available from game to game.  Working together to devise innovative strategies is the key to success in this brand-new battle mode.

The Last Stand download also contains two new multiplayer maps, balance updates and bug fixes for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, developed by THQ’s internal studio, Relic Entertainment, is a Real-time strategy (RTS) game set in the grim, war-ravaged world of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 science fiction universe.  Featuring vicious front-line combat, destructible environments, a fully cooperative multiplayer mode, four unique playable races, and a non-linear single player campaign with branching storylines, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II delivers the ultimate sci-fi fantasy RTS experience for Windows PC. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is available now at retail and online outlets.  For more information on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, please visit www.dawnofwar2.com."

The THQ Collector Pack will be on sale this weekend at 25% off.

This weekend only, The THQ Collector Pack — now including Dawn of War II — is 25% off its regular price on Steam. The THQ Collector Pack also includes:

• Company of Heroes
• Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
• Frontlines: Fuel of War
• Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
• Titan Quest
• Titan Quest – Immortal Throne
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Dark Crusade
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Gold Edition
• Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War – Soulstorm
• Full Spectrum Warrior* and
• Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers

For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com

A new trailer for "Cities XL" has been released, giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming simulation game by Monte Cristo.

"CITIES XL allows gamers to develop cities on realistic 3D maps using an incredible collection of unique structures and monuments based on American, Asian and European-influenced architectural styles. The maps feature a variety of environments: mountains, hills, canyons, beaches and islands, all set in different climates from tropical to desert, Mediterranean to temperate. Players must create the right combinations of social services, leisure activities, special events and other job opportunities within their cities in order to feed, clothe, employ and entertain their citizens. Be it planning and building a new zoo, public park, residential neighborhood or transit system – there’s always a fresh and exciting challenge for would-be city managers and mayors in CITIES XL."

NCSoft today announced that open beta testing for "Aion: The Tower of Eternity," the upcoming MMORPG, will take place from September 6th through the 13th. The game is scheduled to be released in North America on September 22nd and in Europe on the 25th.

"Aion’s Open Beta Test featuring version 1.5 will take place September 6 – 13 and will include numerous Western enhancements, including improvements to Aion’s innovative character customization with a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements. Open Beta will retain a level cap for both Elyos and Asmodians characters at 30 allowing players to focus on getting to the same level so they can explore the lands of Atreia together, as well as the Abyss.

Players who have preordered Aion will be treated to a Pre-Select and a two-day Headstart period giving them the opportunity to explore, organize and progress through the game prior to the official launch. Pre-Select will take place on September 18, while Aion’s Headstart will begin September 20. Players can still participate in the Aion’s Pre-Select and Headstart programs by preordering the game through several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers, including Aiononline.com, Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games Canada, Fry’s Electronics, GameStop, Steam and Target.

Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online experience where flight offers much more than just a way to explore the landscape – it is a strategic and integral part of combat, quests, and exploration. Players will dive into battle and plunge through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customization systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets.

For more information about Aion go to https://www.aiononline.com."

505 Games released a new developer diary video today, highlighting the audio in the anticipated upcoming sequel. When watching the video, you’ll see that the dev team went out searching for sounds from many different regions and captured detailed noises from authentic weapons and vehicles.

"In the ‘Sounds of War’ video, key development team members explain how meticulous attention-to-detail has helped provide the long awaited military shooter with stunningly realistic audio, taking players as close to war as they’ll ever want to get.

"The sounds in Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising are very authentic,” explains Audio Lead Oliver Johnson. “We’ve strived to record every vehicle and every weapon in the game. We know how passionate people are about the game and how passionate they are about the sound in the game."

"Audio plays a vital role in every mission in Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising," says Chief Level Designer James Nicholls. "It’s really important in dictating the mood of what’s going on, whether you’re using the sound of long-distance gunfire in combat to work out where engagements are or whether you’re using it to target enemy locations during Spec Ops missions."

"One of the best feelings in Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising and the one that gives you the fear the most is hearing the bullets whizz and snap past your head," says Johnson. "These things really make you panic and it was one of the most important aspects to get across in the game."

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising will set the new standard for sandbox shooters when it arrives October 6th (US) / 8th (EPAC) / 9th (UK) for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft(R), PlayStation(R) 3 computer entertainment system and PC."

Sony Online Entertainment today announced the release of "Broodcall," the eleventh expansion for PoxNora.

"The Broodcall storyline introduces players to eight new dragons, powerful new runes and an Avatar level cap increase.

"With Broodcall we’re introducing a new storyline with eight faction-specific dragons for players to add to their battle groups," said Dan Kopycienski, director of development for SOE Tucson. "As the popularity of PoxNora continues to grow with more players jumping on board every day, it’s exciting that we are able to provide new and returning players with fresh and engaging content."

About Broodcall In Broodcall, the peoples of Valdac have fallen victim to a dreadful plague that changes the inhabitants into monstrosities, and the arrival of dragons threatens to plunge the entire world into a never-ending abyss of fire and ash.

Broodcall Features:

• 72 New Runes – Broodcall introduces 72 powerful new runes to PoxNora, including 40 champions, eight of which are brand new dragons that have come to the aid of their factions in the ongoing war.
• More Experience – Broodcall will expand the Avatar’s level cap to 30 making them even more powerful, just in time to meet the new dragon menace!
• New Relics, Spells and Equipment – A strong Battle Group doesn’t depend upon units alone and Broodcall introduces a host of new supplemental runes to help you turn the tide in a fierce melee.
• New Campaign – Broodcall introduces one new campaign with four encounters, which thrust players into the dragon storyline.
• Trader Update – The trade system will be more streamlined for our advanced and newer users. This includes a new feature, Quick-Trade, that allows trade creators to state their ideal bid for the trade, and if a bidder fills the request the trade is completed instantly.
• Premium Membership – Warbanner Rentals will now be included with Premium memberships in Broodcall. The new feature will allow premium members to use any of the eight warbanners, unlimited, while a member. Once the player chooses to stop their membership s/he will lose access to the warbanners.

Broodcall is now available at www.PoxNora.com"

EA released a new fact sheet for "Command & Conquer 4," offering some more details on the recently announced upcoming strategy sequel in development at EA LA.

"Behold disciples of Nod, for the end is soon upon us. Electronic Arts’ award-winning and best-selling Tiberium saga is coming to a powerful conclusion with Command & Conquer 4, which will introduce a multitude of innovations to the classic fast and fluid Command & Conquer gameplay, while retaining the core compulsions that fans have come to love over the series’ history.

It is the year 2062 and humanity is at the brink of extinction. Tiberium, the mysterious, alien crystalline structure that has infested Earth for decades and served as the primary reason for years of relentless conflict between the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod, is close to rendering the planet uninhabitable. Mankind is on the verge of extinction when Kane, Nod’s prophetic leader, emerges from seclusion to deliver GDI the message that he has developed a system that could control Tiberium and harness its power. But he cannot build this “Tiberium Control Network” without GDI’s cooperation. Thus, the two opposing factions – GDI and Nod – inevitably find themselves in desperation for the same cause: to stop Tiberium from extinguishing mankind.

After 15 years, the network is nearly complete, Tiberium is under strict control and our revitalized, newly terraformed planet is on the cusp of a new age of prosperity and progress. It is then that the world’s citizens begin to seriously ponder why Kane chose to help, and what will he want in return. These questions and more lead to the dramatic final act of the Tiberium saga.

With a multitude of innovative new features to the fast and fluid C&C gameplay, Command & Conquer 4 offers players an entirely new way to play C&C. An all-in-one mobile base, persistent player progression across all game modes that is constantly updated in a real-time online profile, a 3-class system for each of the two factions, co-operative play, and a 5v5 objective-based multiplayer mode that promotes teamwork and social interaction, make Command & Conquer 4 unlike any other C&C experience.

Key Features

• The Epic Conclusion of the Saga – Command & Conquer 4 brings the 15-yearTiberium saga to a powerful and epic conclusion, told through grittier and darker live action cinematics, the return of Nod’s enigmatic leader Kane (Joe Kucan) and all the answers on the fate of Earth, GDI, Tiberium, Nod and most of all, Kane himself.
• First Class-based C&C – Play as Offense, Defense or Support classes from GDI and Nod. Each class is unique, offering players different play styles, giving you tons of strategic options and coming with its own set of units designed to support your chosen style.
• Mobile bases!– The Crawler is your giant, new, all-in-one mobile base that you control on the battlefield to produce new units, structures, powers and upgrades, each specific to the class and faction you chose to play with. Build units and store them in your hull as you move around the map and surprise your enemy with a sudden fury of units!
• Persistent Player Progression – Every unit you destroy awards you with experience points. Level up and spend your experience points on new units, powers and upgrades that give you more strategic options to choose from. Your progression is stored in your online profile that you can access from any PC with C&C 4 installed.
• 5v5 Multiplayer – With its objective-based 5v5 multiplayer, Command & Conquer 4 brings a new, social, real-time-strategy experience to your PC. Choose your individual classes and play together as a team to conquer your enemy. The all-new party system lets you move with your party of friends from one online battle to the next."

The list of new PC game releases, new DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and movies opening the week of August 24th, 2009.

PC Games:

• Fallout 3 Broken Steel / Point Lookout
• Raven Squad: Hidden Dagger
• Still Life 2

Movies Opening This Week:

• Big Fan
• Halloween II
• Taking Woodstock
• The Final Destination

DVD and Blu-Ray Releases:

• Adventureland [Blu-Ray]
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Vol. 1
• Californication: The Complete Second Season
• Children of the Corn [Blu-Ray]
• Devil May Cry: The Complete Series
• Duplicity [Blu-Ray]
• Eclipse Series 17: Nikkatsu Noir
• Fighting [Blu-Ray]
• Goodbye Solo
• Here’s Lucy: Season One
• House, M.D.: Season Five
• How Bruce Lee Changed the World
• How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days [Blu-Ray]
• Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles [Criterion Collection]
• Lie to Me: Season One [Blu-Ray]
• Live: Season Two
• Mistral’s Daughter
• NCIS: Seasons 1-6
• Newcastle
• One Piece: Season Two, Second Voyage
• One Tree Hill: The Complete Sixth Season
• Rudo Y Cursi
• Scrubs: The Complete Eight Season
• Smallville: The Complete Eighth Season [Blu-Ray]
• Sunshine Cleaning [Blu-Ray]
• The Adventures of Robin Hood: The Complete Series
• The Complete Billy Jack Collection
• The Informers
• The Informers [Blu-Ray]
• The Last Days of Disco [Criterion Collection]
• The Untouchables – Season Three, Vol. 1
• thirtysomething: The Complete First Season
• Trouble the Water
• Wanted Dead or Alive: The Complete Series
• When They Cry: Complete Box Set
• Yo Gabba Gabba!: Halloween!

I had a feeling this was coming but since every gaming site on the net was posting the story, I thought I should too. Gamer.nl posted a story yesterday about an upcoming revival of the Commandos series, using a fictitious quote from Pyro Studios. Eurogamer received the denial from Pyro today. This is why I usually avoid posting rumors. Game delays are another thing I typically avoid because it seems like there are lots of times where the game will be pushed back further, released early, or released on time.

From Eurogamer:

"Pyro Studios has rubbished claims of a new Commandos game, calling them "totally false" and wishful thinking on the part of Gamer.nl.

"The news story that Gamer.nl published is totally false," Pyro told Eurogamer Spain. "We always had in mind to bring back to life the Commandos series; this isn’t something new, but nowadays there’s nothing official or decided and everything is still a wish, nothing else."

"I think that the Gamer.nl journalist turned the wish into news, and he quoted things that nobody said (I was in the gamescom and we always said to whoever asked, and was a lot of people, that perhaps in the future but nothing now).

We’re only focused in the Planet 51 game and this is the only game that we’re working on," Pyro added, pointing out that the Commandos mobile game may have caused confusion."

The Dutch website Gamer.nl received word from Pyro Studios that the company will return to the WWII strategy series when development on "Planet 51" is wraps up in November.

Rough translation:

"We’re certainly working on a new Commandos, the time is ripe," said a spokesman at Pyro Studios.

The game will be a turn-based strategy game, not another first-person shooter like the last Commandos, Commandos: Strike Force from 2006. According to Pyro studios, the transition to 3D was a bad choice.

UPDATE: This turned out to be a fictitious story.

A new gameplay video of "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat" has been released, giving viewers a look at the upcoming sequel in the series by GSC Game World.

"S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat takes PC gamers once again into the deadly area surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear reactor explosion of 1986. Cordoned off by the military, this highly contaminated “Zone” is scoured by treasure hunters known as s.t.a.l.k.e.r.s, who search the irradiated lands for unique artifacts. In the role of Agent Alexander Degtyarev, the player must go undercover as a s.t.a.l.k.e.r., investigating the mysterious disappearance of five military helicopters while standing against various s.t.a.l.k.e.r. groups.

Using the time-tested X-Ray graphic engine developed by GSC, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat skilfully combines first-person shooter action with role-playing elements in a realistic post-atomic world. The grim realities of this deadly environment are underscored by the many desolate industrial ruins, reproduced using aerial pictures and the developers’ own photographs. Mutants, s.t.a.l.k.e.r. groups, and lethal anomalies are everywhere, posing a constant threat to the player. The thrilling story is advanced through numerous quests, taking gamers through such diverse areas as a secret military base, the Jupiter factory site, and the titular city of Pripyat. The player decides how far to explore and which tasks they undertake – freedom determines the gameplay. Other s.t.a.l.k.e.r. groups respond to the player in a friendly or hostile manner, depending on the group to which they belong. In this ever-dangerous world, the player is supported by various weapon systems and upgrades, as well as several types of equipment."

Blizzcon 2009 began yesterday and the big announcement was "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm," a new upcoming expansion.

"Hidden away in a secluded sanctuary, the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing has waited, recovering from the wounds of his last battle against Azeroth and biding his time until he can reforge the world in molten fire.

Soon, Deathwing the Destroyer will return to Azeroth, and his eruption from Deepholm will sunder the world, leaving a festering wound across the continents. As the Horde and Alliance race to the epicenter of the cataclysm, the kingdoms of Azeroth will witness seismic shifts in power, the kindling of a war of the elements, and the emergence of unlikely heroes who will rise up to protect their scarred and broken world from utter devastation.

Game Features:

• Two New Playable Races: Adventure as one of two new races–the cursed worgen with the Alliance or the resourceful goblins with the Horde.
• Level Cap Increased to 85: Earn new abilities, tap into new talents, and progress through the path system, a new way for players to improve characters.
• Classic Zones Remade: Familiar zones across the original continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms have been altered forever and updated with new content, from the devastated Badlands to the broken Barrens, which has been sundered in two.
• New High-Level Zones: Explore newly opened parts of the world, including Uldum, Grim Batol, and the great Sunken City of Vashj’ir beneath the sea.
• More Raid Content than Ever Before: Enjoy more high-level raid content than previous expansions, with optional more challenging versions of all encounters.
• New Race and Class Combinations: Explore Azeroth as a gnome priest, blood elf warrior, or one of the other never-before-available race and class combinations.
• Guild Advancement: Progress as a guild to earn guild levels and guild achievements.
• New PvP Zone & Rated Battlegrounds: Take on PvP objectives and daily quests on Tol Barad Island, a new Wintergrasp-like zone, and wage war in all-new rated Battlegrounds.
• Archaeology: Master a new secondary profession to unearth valuable artifacts and earn unique rewards.
• Flying Mounts in Azeroth: Explore Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms like never before.
• And much, much more…"

You can find more information on the official Cataclysm site.