PC Game News

Atari and Cryptic Studios have announced that "Champions Online" has gone gold and will be released in September.

"Cryptic Studios – creators of the award-winning City of Heroes and City of Villains MMOs – has taken the massively multiplayer role-playing game genre to new heights with Champions Online. The experience begins with Champions’ immensely powerful character creation and customisation tool, which enables players to fashion truly unique superheroes by choosing from thousands of costume pieces, body types, powers, and character appearances. Players can then modify their choices with an array of configurable sliders and colour options, resulting in a completely individualised hero.

No superhero, however unique, can be complete without a super villainous Nemesis or two. With Champions Online’s powerful customisation tools, players can also design the perfect Nemesis to oppose their superheroes. These ultimate adversaries appear throughout a hero’s career, sometimes issuing challenges, other times ambushing their heroic foe. Champions Online brings epic superheroism to the MMORPG genre with depth that challenges the most experienced online gamers, while its fast-paced action promises to engage new entrants to the online superhero universe.

Be among the first to experience this one-of-a-kind online superhero gaming universe by taking part in the open beta, exclusively run by IGN’s Fileplanet. Players can access open beta by registering at Fileplanet. Additionally, this thrilling title is available for pre-order at Game, Game station, Play, Amazon, and HMV – Check exclusive campaigns.

Champions Online promises to redefine online gaming with the power comic book fans have been craving. The only question is… What hero will you be?

Champions Online releases on Windows PC this September.

For additional information, please visit: www.champions-online.com"
 

If you didn’t catch it already, the "Team Fortress 2" classless update was released yesterday. The final day 3 update on the TF2 site announces that Sawmill has been reworked, community map Yukon has been added, and has a full list of new items that the update includes.

"Sawmill Reworked:

Arena Sawmill has been re-worked to function as the third official Valve ‘Capture the Flag’ map. Two side access routes have been blocked off to concentrate gameplay, and a building near each spawn point is now accessible. These lead to a flooded underground stronghold that holds the enemy’s top secret intelligence—a flag made entirely out of microfilm. Or possibly nylon. Either way, yoink!

Yukon Community Map:

This abandoned mountaintop coalmine was repurposed by shadowy operatives into a top secret surveillance outpost—one which also, so nobody gets wise, insidiously continues to mine coal. There is also a log hanging in the center of the map—possibly as an example to other logs. Logs that said too much.

Five control points promise a lot of momentum swings in this compact outdoor map, with plenty of tunnels and rocky outcroppings. Plenty of alternate routes ensure that if you can’t get past a well-placed engineer through one tunnel, you might be able to sneak up behind them through another.

CP_Yukon is a community map from the brilliant dual-powered brain trust of Patrick “MangyCarface” Mulholland and Joachim “Acegikmo” Holmér."

Cyanide and Focus Home Interactive have released a new races trailer that features the dwarfs in the upcoming sports action game.

"This week’s trailer focuses on the Dwarfs! Desperately slow but incredible resilient, the Dwarfs are really tough Blood Bowl players not afraid to pick on targets way, way bigger than they are! Tactics involving a running or passing game are out of question: the Dwarfs will always prefer to run through the obstacle rather than avoiding it!

An ultra-violent strategy game based on Warhammer Fantasy and American football, Blood Bowl allows players to create the ultimate “fantasy” sports teams. Coaches can build bone-crushing teams of Orcs, Wood Elves, Humans, Dwarfs and many more fantastic creatures – then throw them into the stadium for the ultimate blood sport! Blood Bowl is strategic, action-packed and violent, requiring coaches to use their best tactics, team design – and a dose of pure ruthless bloodlust always helps too!

All of these charming creatures are waiting for you to play in highly contested games soon on PC, Xbox 360 and handheld consoles."  

A "Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood" demo has been released, giving players a chance to try out the western FPS prequel that was released in June.

"Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood transports players from a ravaged Civil War-era Georgia to the Aztec ruins of Mexico. In the wildest West ever depicted, players can embody both McCall brothers in an intense storyline full of greed, lust and lawlessness."

The 1.06GB demo can be downloaded from AtomicGamer, FileShack, Gamer’s Hell, Strategy Informer, or Worthplaying.

IDEA Games and Bohemia Interactive have announced "ARMA II Operation Arrowhead," an upcoming standalone expansion.

"Three years after the conflict in Chernarus, portrayed in the original ARMA II, a new flashpoint in the Green Sea region heats up and coalition forces led by the US Army are sent to Takistan to quickly restore peace and prevent further civilian casualties.

Set into the new, visually attractive environment of hilly central Asia, Operation Arrowhead will offer realistic combat simulation experience in a modern day setting with unprecedented freedom of movement, actions and tactics. Players will enlist into various roles within the US Army, from basic infantrymen, through special operatives, to pilots and tank crew in this new installment in the award winning line up of military simulators for PC from Bohemia Interactive.

ARMA II Operation Arrowhead will be presented during the Gamescom; trade fair for interactive games and entertainment in Cologne, Germany 19th – 23rd August 2009. Visit us at our stand in hall 4.2, stand no. L034.

"Bohemia Interactive is fully committed to supporting the existing ARMA II user base whilst also working on the expansion pack, this will not only allow us to introduce a new and original theater of war to the simulation series, but also improve numerous areas of the core game, for both the original game and the expansion, where we can go even further with adding completely new features" said Marek Spanel, Bohemia’s CEO.

Join the duty in ARMA II, this ultimate military simulator, and get a taste of what it takes to be a soldier in a modern warfare conflict! Visit www.arma2.com"

The "Team Fortress 2" site has been updated again today with more information on the "classless update" that was announced yesterday. Today the site reveals a "king of the hill" gameplay mode as well as another map titled "Koth Viaduct."

"New Mode:

King of the Hill (KotH) is an intense new game mode focused around a single central capture point that must be defended for three minutes. Gameplay begins with the point initially locked—after a short time, it will open for capture by either team. Once the point is captured by a team, their team clock will start a three minute countdown. If the enemy team manages to capture the point back, their clock will start counting down while the other team’s clock freezes at the time the point was recaptured.

New Map:

Viaduct is an all-new map especially built for KotH, set outside of the entrance to a secret underground base. Viaduct is also the first Team Fortress map to take place during a snowfall (not counting Acegikmo’s awesome cp_glacier map, or for that matter all the other community mappers who manage to think up and execute on all the cool stuff before we even think of it). Both teams start at the base of a low hill, and will have to climb to get to the capture point at the hill’s peak. The various elevations of the map and multiple routes to the central point guarantee some frenzied battles as the point changes hands during gameplay."

Paradox has announced "Ship Simulator Extremes," a new sequel in the simulation series by Dutch developer VSTEP.

"Ship Simulator Extremes gives players the opportunity to take on exciting missions all over the world as they captain an impressive array of vessels and live the story of real ship captains.

Have you ever wondered how it feels to sail a half-million ton supertanker through the perfect storm or to take on illegal whale hunters in the Antarctic? Feel the rush of serving as a coast guard as you evacuate an island threatened by a volcanic disaster. With missions based on actual events that take place in realistic environments and locations from all over the world, Ship Simulator Extremes has you endure extreme conditions, fight the elements and face all of the challenges associated with being a ship captain.

“Following the successful legacy of our game series, we look forward to cooperating with Paradox Interactive and continue to give gamers worldwide all the excitement of being in the captain’s helm chair,” said Frank Dolmans, CMO of VSTEP.

Wide range of vessels to control, including hovercrafts, coast guard interceptors, mammoth tankers, tugs, cruise liners, and many others.

Key features:

• Wide range of vessels to control, including hovercrafts, coast guard interceptors, mammoth tankers, tugs, cruise liners, and many others.
• Includes exciting storylines and missions all over the world.
• From the very hot to the very cold, sail to the most enchanted regions of the world. Explore the Antarctic or take in beautiful Bora Bora. Includes famous harbours and locations worldwide.
• Official Greenpeace license : sail famous Greenpeace ships and take on ecological missions based on real events!
• Realistic water & weather system. Sail a calm sea or take on the most extreme conditions ever witnessed at sea.
• Online Multiplayer mode. Sail online with your friends and take part in cooperative missions and community events.

Ship Simulator Extremes is scheduled for release in Q1 2010 and will be officially introduced to world press at the Gamescom 2009 in Cologne. To keep up with the latest news about Ship Simulator Extremes, visit: www.shipsim.com"

EA released new screenshots from "Command & Conquer 4," giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming anticipated sequel in development at EA Los Angeles.

"The story of Command & Conquer 4 takes place after the events of the critically acclaimed Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. The year is 2062 and humanity is at the brink of extinction. With only six years left until the mysterious crystalline structure Tiberium renders the earth entirely uninhabitable, the two opposing factions – Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod – inevitably find themselves in desperation for the same cause: to stop Tiberium from extinguishing mankind. The unthinkable becomes reality and Nod’s enigmatic leader Kane takes off for GDI headquarters. What is Kane planning in the heart of his enemies’ base? Command & Conquer 4 draws the epic conclusion to the beloved Tiberium universe, where fans will learn the fate of Earth, Nod, Tiberium, GDI and most importantly, Kane’s motivations behind his decade-long plan."

The Team Fortress 2 blog has been updated with news of an upcoming "classless update," updating some of the other features in game. The day 1 updates page gives details on 18 new hats as well as a new map titled "Arena Offblast."

"After setting a new standard for Lack of Class in an FPS with the addition of Jarate (the jar-based Karate), we’ve raised the bar on lowering the tone even further with the first ever Classless Update!"

Hats:

Throughout history, men have worn hats as a way of showing how much better they are than other men. “I buy hats,” a behatted man seems to say. “I am better than you.”

In wartime, hats were a useful way of conferring rank, and ensuring that casualties were confined to the lower classes (hence the famous command of “Don’t fire till you see the tops of their heads” at the Battle of Bunker Hill by William Prescott, a general renowned for only shooting enemy combatants who were poor). During peacetime, hats have been instrumental for men to let the non-hatted know just who is wearing the hat around here.

And that’s the entire history of hats. The history you were spoon fed at school, that is, in your government-run hat class. But here’s a little truth bomb your teachers, pastors and ombudsmen of your regional newspapers DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW: Team Fortress now has MORE hats. We hope this didn’t blow your mind out of the top of your head, since you’ll need a place to put all these cool new hats.

Arena Offblast Map:

Arena Offblast is a fast-paced, high-altitude community map set in a top secret missile silo wedged into the top of a hollowed-out mountain. Open-air paths and narrow hallways converge on a central control point located just under the silo’s blast doors.

This mountaintop arena also boasts a sheer cliff face encircling the battleground, giving you the chance to help your opponents improve their tactics. Specifically, anyone you blast over the side will get some time to think about the various flaws in their “standing next to the edge of a cliff” strategy as they plummet to an excruciating, non-respawnable death.

A new developer diary video for "Section 8" was released today, giving viewers more information on the background of the upcoming FPS by TimeGate.

"Section 8 is a large-scale, sci-fi first person shooter where fast-paced action meets military strategy in the far reaches of the galaxy. Join the epic battle between the 8th Armored Infantry and the Arm of Orion by taking part in fierce squad-based combat across majestic alien worlds."

The promised "Darkest of Days" demo has been released, giving players a chance to try out the upcoming sci-fi FPS by 8monkey Labs.

"Created by newly formed development team 8Monkey Labs, Darkest of Days is a combat-based, first-person shooter (FPS) which takes players on a journey through time to some of the darkest days in the history of mankind. The action begins with the player being ripped from his period in time by a mysterious organization just moments prior to his own grisly demise. In order to ensure the future of mankind, he is then tasked with traveling back and forth through time to famous, turning-point battle campaigns in world history – acting as the organization’s agent in a larger, seemingly otherworldly, battle between good and evil. Developed with the company’s proprietary Marmoset game engine, Darkest of Days boasts spectacular visual effects, superb gameplay, and one of the most compelling storylines conceived for a videogame."

The 741MB demo can be downloaded from AtomicGamer, FileShack, Gamer’s Hell, Strategy Informer, or Worthplaying.

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and movies opening the week of August 10th, 2009.

PC Games:

• Joint Ops: Combined Arms Compilation

Movies Opening This Week:

• District 9 (Remember, not directed by Jackson, ONLY PRODUCED)
• Grace (limited)
• I Sell the Dead (limited LA/NY)
• It Might Get Loud (limited)
• Paper Heart (limited)
• Ponyo
• Spread (limited)
• The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
• The Time Traveler’s Wife

DVD and Blu-Ray Releases:

•  17 Again [Blu-Ray]
• 90210: The Complete First Season
• About Last Night… [Blu-Ray]
• Adam 12: Season Three
• Alien Trespass [Blu-Ray]
• America’s Test Kitchen: Season Nine
• Are You Being Served? The Complete Collection
• Blue Thunder [Blu-Ray]
• Chaos [Blu-Ray]
• Classic 1940’s Action Box Set
• Cutthroat Island [Blu-Ray]
• Designing Women: Season Two
• Eagles over London
• Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid
• Gigantic
• Grindhouse Girls of the 1970s
• Hey Abbott!!
• I Love You, Man [Blu-Ray]
• Jesus in India
• Katyn
• Olivia
• Paris 36
• Pulling: The Complete Second Season
• Sea Monsters – A Prehistoric Adventure
• St. Elmo’s Fire [Blu-Ray]
• Starman
• Super Friends: The Lost Episodes
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Film Collection
• The Art of War III: Retribution
• The City: Season One
• The Class [Blu-Ray]
• The Final Inch
• The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle
• The New Detectives: Season 4
• The Ninth Gate [Blu-Ray]
• The Rudolph Valentino Collection

Codemasters updated the "Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising" website with a new developer trailer that focuses on the hardcore mode in the upcoming war simulation game, in which the HUD, compass, etc. are stripped out.

"Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising’s Executive Producer Sion Lenton, Chief Games Designer Tim Browne and Chief Level Designer James Nicholls explain how ‘Hardcore Mode’ has been developed with fan feedback to deliver the ultimate challenge in the authentic sandbox shooter.

"We take all of the HUD off, there’s nothing there at all, no cross hair, no compass, you’re all on your own other than a map. This is about as hardcore as it gets," explains Executive Producer Sion Lenton. "I think the hardest thing that we set out to achieve, that I’m certainly most proud of, is putting the fear back into first person shooters, getting that element of tension as you’re creeping through the woods, not knowing where the next shot’s going to come from."

"What makes an Operation Flashpoint mission special is that it’s so open world in nature. In most games you’re drawn through a very narrow corridor whereas in Operation Flashpoint you really are left open to translate your orders as you see fit," says Chief Level Designer James Nicholls. "There’s a lot of room for manoeuvre and to adapt your tactics on the fly.".

The video is available now at www.flashpointgame.com. "

1C Company and Tripwire Interactive have announced a publishing agreement in which 1C will publish "Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad" in European countries.

"Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad will focus on the Battle of Stalingrad and the surrounding operations, both German and Russian, from July 1942 to February 1943. The game allows the player to experience one of the most brutal battles in all of human history. The game consists out of two campaigns – the Red Army and German missions.Delivering unrivalled accuracy and attention to detail, along with gritty, vicious combat in multiplayer, co-op and solo modesthe game will feature everything from quick, brutal firefights to more intricate and challenging simulation modes.

The developers have built upon their huge success with the last title and have added a slew of new features including:

• RO multiplayer taken to new heights: In addition to the award winning Territory gametype from RO, all new gametypes such as Firefight and Countdown add greater diversity, replayability and fun.
• Persistent Stats Tracking and Player Progression: Grow in rank, earn medals, improve abilities, and become a Hero – all visible to the complete online gaming community and embedded within the game.
• Heroes: Obtain the ultimate goal and become a Hero online. Players with hero status inspire troops around them and cause fear in their enemies. Heroes have access to the best and rarest weapons and equipment, and will stand out visually from the rest of the soldiers.
• Stalingrad Campaign: The Stalingrad campaign will feature the multiplayer maps used in a campaign layout recreating the battle for Stalingrad from both the German and Russian sides.
• First person cover system: Experience the ultimate firefights that a cover system allows, from the immersion of a first person view. Peek or blind fire over and around cover and more.
• Squad Command: Command fire teams on the battlefield using an easy to use first person interface.
• WWII weaponry redefined: true to life ballistics, bullet penetration, breathing, adjustable sights, free aim, weapon bracing, photo-real graphics and more.
• Co-op: Players can connect with their friends and battle the AI in multiple game types including the Stalingrad Campaign, Skirmish Mode, and more.
• Morale: Experience what it is like to be a soldier in one of the bloodiest conflicts in history and the importance of a soldier's state of mind and how it can turn the tide of battle.

Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad will be shown at Gamescom 2009 (Cologne, Germany) in 1C's business booth located in Hall 4 booth C-021. For more information please go to: www.HeroesofStalingrad.com"

Paradox has announced that "Hearts of Iron III" has been shipped, the anticipated WWII strategy sequel. You can purchase the digital version on GamersGate, Direct2Drive, Steam, and probably a few others and the game should now be available in retail stores in the US.

"Set to release in stores in North America and via all major digital download portals on August 7th, the game was recently awarded the Readers Choice “Best of E3 – PC Strategy” on Voodoo Extreme, along with being nominated for the “Best of E3 – PC Strategy” on IGN and Gaming Excellence. Releases in Europe will follow on August 14th (UK, Scandinavia) and August 28th (France and Germany)."

Launch trailer: