PC Game News

1C Company and Aspyr Media have announced that a digital version of "Death to Spies: Moment of Truth" is now available to customers in North America via Gameagent.com or Direct2Drive. The game will be shipped to retail stores on the 18th.

"Death to Spies: Moment of Truth is a sequel to the popular stealth action title Death to Spies. The game’s main character is Semion Strogov, a captain in the 4th department of the Soviet counterintelligence service called SMERSH. SMERSH, a Russian acronym that means "Death to Spies", was the name of a set of Soviet military counterintelligence departments that were formed during World War II. Strogov is back from his previous missions and must now participate in a series of even more complex and exciting military operations.

Death to Spies: Moment of Truth is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

A new web site dedicated to the game has been recently launched. For more information, new screenshots, video and game demo please visit www.death2spies.com"

The anticipated demo for "Batman: Arkham Asylum" has been released, giving players a chance to try out the upcoming action adventure game by Rocksteady.

"The Batman: Arkham Asylum(TM) demo opens as the DARK KNIGHT and COMMISSIONER GORDON return The Joker back into confinement at ARKHAM ASYLUM. But things soon fall apart as THE JOKER gains the upper hand and springs a trap, setting Arkham Asylum’s occupants upon Batman. The demo offers gamers a taste of the fierce FreeFlow(TM) combat system, the cunning stealth of the Invisible Predator(TM) mechanic, and the feeling of becoming the WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE as they navigate Arkham Asylum’s imposing Intensive Treatment facility. Players can unlock character bios, as well as get a sneak peak at some of the infamous foes that BATMAN will encounter within the cavernous and macabre confines of Arkham Asylum."

The 2.037GB demo can be downloaded from AtomicGamer, FileShack, Gamer’s Hell, NVIDIA’s nZone (supports GeForce 3D vision with the correct hardware),  or Worthplaying.

SouthPeak Games today announced that "Raven Squad" has gone gold and is scheduled to ship on the 20th.

"Coming to the Xbox 360 and PC, Raven Squad combines Real Time Strategy and intense First Person Shooting with a flare akin to the iconic 80’s action flicks that inspired an entire generation to create a genre all it’s own.

Combining two distinct genres of gameplay, Raven Squad allows players to choose how they want to approach each mission, with the options to play through entirely in RTS, FPS or a mixture of the two modes. Using two squads of three, players will help Raven Squad work their way through the Amazonian jungles in an effort to put down a rebel group attempting to overthrow the Brazilian government. Vicious shootouts, hostage situations, peasant persecution and vehicle chases offer players a myriad of exciting interludes throughout the 12 level campaign. Oh, and did we mention it’s fully cooperative both online and local via system link? Well, it sure is hoss.

Raven Squad is ready to explode your face and grill your burritos on August 20, 2009."

A Blizzard staff member announced on the Battle.net forums that "StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty" will not be ready for the scheduled end of 2009 release and will instead be pushed to the first half of 2010.

"Today we announced that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will not be ready for release by the end of 2009. Over the past couple of weeks, it has become clear that it will take longer than expected to prepare the new Battle.net for the launch of the game. The upgraded Battle.net is an integral part of the StarCraft II experience and will be an essential part of all of our games moving forward. This extra development time will be critical to help us realize our vision for the service.

Our mission is to develop games that deliver an epic entertainment experience. As part of that commitment, we will always take as much time as needed to ensure that our games and services meet the expectations of our players and the standard for quality that we set for ourselves as developers. As we work to make Battle.net the premier online gaming destination, we’ll also continue to polish and refine StarCraft II, and we look forward to delivering a real-time strategy gaming experience worthy of the series’ legacy in the first half of 2010.

We will share more details about the beta, Battle.net, and StarCraft II’s launch in the future. Keep an eye on the official website at https://www.starcraft2.com for updates, and as always, thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support for StarCraft II and all of Blizzard Entertainment’s games."

Paradox released a demo for "Hearts of Iron 3," giving players a chance to try out the upcoming WWII strategy title.

"The playable demo gives players a taste of what they can expect from the complete game upon its release. Containing the Tutorial plus Single Player Campaign of 1939, the Hearts of Iron III demo allows you to play as either Germany, France, Poland or the United Kingdom for the first four months of World War II."

The 615MB demo can be downloaded from AtomicGamer, Gamer’s Hell, Strategy Informer, or Worthplaying. Additional mirrors are listed at Paradox.

Gala Networks released new screenshots from "Allods Online" giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming free-to-play MMORPG by Nival Interactive.

"Allods Online will feature classic fantasy MMORPG gameplay that fans of the genre’s most successful titles can enjoy. It features extensive questing, intense player-versus-player combat, grand exploration, in-depth character development and plenty of social interaction. In the Astral, players will have the chance to put their wits and brawn to the test in larger-than-life Astral battles, the game’s giant fights between competing ‘Astral ships’ manned by multiple players. Adventurers from all over the world will have to choose between six races and eight character classes before choosing their allegiance between the two warring factions: the League and the Empire."

Electronic Arts today announced the first expansion pack for "The Sims 3" titled "World Adventures," which will be arriving on November 16th.

"Players can take their Sims on new journeys to famous real-world inspired destinations around the globe for the first time ever and seek out new adventures. While exploring the landmarks of an exotic city, there is no telling what the Sims will find. From mastering martial arts in Shang Simla, China, discovering rich culture and famous landmarks on a romantic getaway to Champs Les Sims, France or exploring the depths of ancient tombs in Al Simhara, Egypt, players can take their Sims on a journey that will change their Sims’ lives. Players can accept challenges to search for secret treasures, learn new skills and chase down new personal opportunities, meet new Sims with unique personalities, share their culture and bring them home, discover new styles on their travels, and share everything they encounter on their adventures with the world through personal photographs, movies, and stories. Additionally, players will receive 1,000 SimPoints to be used online in The Sims 3 Store*** for the PC/MAC versions of the game. Exclusive online content, available only for the expansion pack at launch, will be revealed soon."

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and movies opening the week of August 3rd, 2009.

PC Games:

• Hearts of Iron 3

Movies Opening This Week:

• A Perfect Getaway
• Cold Souls (limited LA/NY)
• G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
• Julie & Julia
• Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock

DVD and Blu-Ray Releases:

• Adventures of Black Beauty: Season Two
• Agatha Christies Marple: Series 4
• Big Iron Collection
• Big Trouble in Little China [Blu-Ray]
• Delgo
• Elvis Presley: The Ed Sullivan Shows
• Flight of the Conchords: The Complete Second Season
• Fragments
• Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 [Blu-Ray]
• Icons of Screwball Comedy: Vol 1 & Vol 2
• Labor Pains
• Mutant Chronicles [Blu-Ray]
• My Cousin Vinney [Blu-Ray]
• Obsessed [Blu-Ray]
• Project Runway Season Five
• Race to Witch Mountain [Blu-Ray]
• Sling Blade [Blu-Ray]
• Stargate Atlantis: Fans’ Choice [Blu-Ray]
• The Battle of Mary Kay
• The Beast – Special Extdended Ed. [Blu-Ray]
• The Chaos Experiment
• The Love Boat: Seasons One & Two
• The Mysteries of Pittsburgh [Blu-Ray]
• The Soloist [Blu-Ray]
• The Tigger Movie
• Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!: Season Three
• Ulysses
• You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story

Valve today announced new upcoming DLC for "Left 4 Dead," which will add new single-player, multiplayer and co-operative gameplay and is scheduled to be released in September.

"Crash Course bridges the gap between the end of the "No Mercy" campaign and the beginning of "Death Toll" in the original game, expanding the game universe with new locations, new dialogue from the original cast, and an explosive finale.

While containing both Survival maps and a Co-operative Campaign, the primary goal of "Crash" is to deliver a complete Versus mode experience in just 30 minutes, resulting in a streamlined version of the game’s existing Versus campaigns. A recharge timer for infected teammates has also been added, and item spawn behavior has changed for more balanced gameplay.

"Since the release of Left 4 Dead last November, the design team has been excited about creating new experiences for this world and allowing players to do the same, by releasing much of our internal toolset, like the Survival Pack and Authoring Tools," said Gabe Newell. "We’re working with the fans toward the ongoing entertainment value of the product."

Left 4 Dead is an action horror game from Valve that blends the social entertainment experience of multiplayer games such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress with the dramatic, narrative experience made popular in single player action game classics such as the Half-Life series of games. Released in November of 2008, L4D has earned over 50 industry awards from outlets around the world and sold almost 3 million copies
worldwide.

Left 4 Dead: Crash Course is targeted for release in September and will be available free of charge on the PC and for 560 Gamer points on Xbox Live.

For more information, please visit www.l4d.com"

When there’s a trailer for the upcoming demo – to be relased Friday, Eidos knows they have you in their pocket. Joking aside, this game seems to be highly anticipated – hopefully it won’t be a let down.

"The Batman: Arkham Asylum(TM) demo opens as the DARK KNIGHT and COMMISSIONER GORDON return The Joker back into confinement at ARKHAM ASYLUM. But things soon fall apart as THE JOKER gains the upper hand and springs a trap, setting Arkham Asylum’s occupants upon Batman. The demo offers gamers a taste of the fierce FreeFlow(TM) combat system, the cunning stealth of the Invisible Predator(TM) mechanic, and the feeling of becoming the WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE as they navigate Arkham Asylum’s imposing Intensive Treatment facility. Players can unlock character bios, as well as get a sneak peak at some of the infamous foes that BATMAN will encounter within the cavernous and macabre confines of Arkham Asylum."

Paradox released a demo for "East India Company," giving players a chance to try out the newly released (digital dist.) strategy game by Nitro Games.

"The demo, which sets players in the time span of 1650-1660, offers fans a great preview of the trading action and intense naval combat sure to satisfy their anticipation for the release of the strategy title. Players start with access to some ports & fleets, enabling them to immediately compete for the game’s main trading items. In addition, the demo also features two naval battle scenarios, allowing players to jump right in and try out the ocean warfare for themselves!

East India Company is now available for purchase via digital distribution channels, with the boxed release available from retailers on August 14th. For more information about East India Company, please visit the official website at https://www.eic-game.com."

The 793MB demo can be downloaded from AtomicGamer, FIleShack, Gamer’s Hell, or Worthplaying.

dtp Entertainment today released new screenshots from "15 Days," the upcoming adventure game by House of Tales.

"15 Days is a fast-paced and sophisticated adventure game about Cathryn, Mike and Bernard – a troupe of political activists – stealing art for good causes. In meticulously planned coups, the three Londoners steal precious paintings from the best guarded museums in the world. The group then donates their millions, Robin Hood style, to development projects in Africa. Their goal is to share out the money of eccentric art collectors to the poor.

Only two weeks ago, Cathryn and her comrades broke into a special exhibition in Cape Town, South Africa. From there, they purloined the portrait of Cecil Rhodes, former British Governor of Rhodesia, nowadays Zimbabwe. The next painting to steal is a portrait of Winston Churchill located in the London Modern Museum.

In the meantime US special agent Jack Stern has a murder case to solve. British Foreign Secretary Henston collapsed at his desk, bleeding from his ears and nose. He died the next day in hospital. As he is a member of the British government, an assassination has to be considered. Agent Stern’s attention is caught by a note about the transport of Rhodes’ portrait from the Secretary’s office to the special exhibition in South Africa and back.

The next weeks will be a hard trial for the young thieves as well as agent Stern, entangling all four into affairs of international politics.

Together with the conspiring gang, the player will steal precious paintings in spectacular coups using ingenious devices and gadgets. Their paths are destined to cross with Jack Stern regarding the obscure Henston murder. Do the anarchistic young thieves have something to do with the Secretary’s death?"

Aspyr and 1C Company have announced the release of a "Death to Spies: Moment of Truth" demo, the upcoming action sequel.

"The game’s main character is Semion Strogov, Captain of the 4th department of the Soviet counterintelligence service called SMERSH. SMERSH literally means in Russian Death to Spies, which was the name for a set of counterintelligence departments in the Soviet Army formed during World War II. Strogov is back from his previous missions and must now participate in a series of even more complicated and exciting military operations under the code name Death to Spies: Moment of Truth.

The demo features a single level from the game called "Polish Surprise." In this level the player infiltrates a Nazi castle to destroy a weapons cache and intercept a radio transmission of top-secret intelligence."

The 600MB demo can be downloaded from AtomicGamer, Gamer’s Hell, or Worthplaying.

Telltale Games announced the release of the final episode in "Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures" titled "The Bogey Man."

"Available today for PC at www.telltalegames.com, "The Bogey Man" puts Wallace’s mechanical and social skills – not to mention his golf swing – to the test. Filled with unrequited romance, hidden mysteries, perplexing contraptions, and a heavy dose of comic relief, "The Bogey Man" brings the series to an exciting climax in grand Wallace & Gromit style.

In the previous episode, Wallace inadvertently got down on one knee before his prim neighbor Felicity Flitt – who interpreted the gesture as a marriage proposal. In a twisted plot true to Wallace & Gromit form, his only chance for a reprieve is admission into the prestigious Prickly Thicket country club, an association distained by the Flitt family due to a centuries-old dispute. It seems like the perfect escape, but once Wallace is admitted into the club, he learns of a much larger mystery that must be solved to protect the West Wallaby Street lifestyle he and Gromit hold dear. Built by Wallace and Gromit’s own ancestors, the club itself is a grand machine in the style of Wallace’s own inventions, and its mechanical inner-workings hide a secret that must be recovered to return life back to normal. Only Wallace and Gromit have the technical know-how to unlock the mysteries protected by this contraption to top all contraptions!

Over the last four months, Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures has taken the heroes through exciting new stories – from a honey business plagued by giant problems (and giant bees!), to a whodunit set at an underground beach resort in Wallace’s cellar, to a heartwarming tale of canine wiles triumphing over an oily villain’s greedy deceit. Today’s release represents the first time the complete episodic series is available on PC, making now the ideal time for new players to dive in and enjoy all four Grand Adventures stories.

Customers can purchase the complete set of Wallace & Gromit games from www.telltalegames.com for $34.95. This purchase includes the option to receive a Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures Collector’s DVD containing the four games plus bonus content for just the cost of shipping, to be released shortly. Individual Wallace & Gromit episodes can be purchased for $8.95. Telltale is also introducing an upgrade offer today, which allows customers who own one of the individual episodes to get the remainder of the series for only $19.95. Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures includes subtitles in German, French, Italian, and Spanish. To buy the games for PC or download the free demo, visit https://www.telltalegames.com/wallaceandgromit."

Mythic Entertainment today announced the release of the "Mondain’s Legacy" expansion pack for "Ultima Online," which is free to subscribers.

"Launched in the summer of 2005, the 7th expansion to the legendary MMORPG Ultima Online (UO) introduces the Elven race and several sprawling dungeons to the vast game world. For current Ultima Online subscribers that do not have Mondain’s Legacy, the game client will be automatically updated with the expansion content.

For players that are new to Ultima Online or for those interested in returning to the world, they can download the 14-day free trial which now features all seven expansions, including Mondain’s Legacy. Now all players can experience the Elves, new human racial abilities and new dungeons with dozens of new monsters to battle and weapons to wield.

“Mythic is extremely excited about offering Mondain’s Legacy as a free upgrade to all Ultima Online subscribers, as well as new players who sign up for the 14-day free trial,” said Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer for Mythic Entertainment. “Our goal is to continually provide fresh and rewarding experiences for our thriving UO community. By opening up our 7th expansion to all players, we hope to get everyone excited for the upcoming summer release of our 8th addition, Stygian Abyss.”

Coming this summer, Ultima Online™: Stygian Abyss™, the game’s 8th expansion, revolves around the introduction of the playable Gargoyle race. Players will find expansive new areas to explore, including Ter Mur, the Gargoyle homeland, and the Stygian Abyss – the largest dungeon area ever introduced to Ultima Online. This sprawling dungeon will contain new boss monsters of unparalleled difficulty, including the Medusa, Primeval Lich and the Stygian Dragon, as well as Player vs. Player zones where adventurers will be turned against one another.

Ultima Online: Stygian Abyss expansion requires the original Ultima Online game to play and will be available in the summer of 2009 via digital distribution only. To download Ultima Online at no charge or to find out more information about Ultima Online and the additions from Mondain’s Legacy and Stygian Abyss, please visit: https://www.uo.com."