PC Game News

Hi-Rez Studios announced that closed beta sign-ups for "Global Agenda", the upcoming futuristic MMORPG powered by the Unreal 3 engine, have begun.

"Global Agenda, built using Unreal Engine 3, is set in a near future world of advanced technology and player-driven conflict. It features fast-paced ranged and close combat, RPG-style character progression, solo or cooperative team missions, and epic, competitive campaigns between player-created agencies.

“Our alpha testing has gone very well – in terms of game stability and, most importantly, very positive feedback from an active alpha community”, said Todd Harris, Executive Producer of Hi-Rez Studios. “Based on these results we are excited about aggressively growing the Global Agenda player community in Beta”

The closed beta is anticipated to begin in the second quarter of ’09 and players can apply by visiting https://www.globalagendagame.com/"

Uforia announced that they will be bringing "Nostale: Global", a free-to-play MMORPG, to North America.

"Nostale is a free-to-play casual MMORPG which takes gamers through seventy exciting levels of the wonderful world of East Mile. Gamers can choose from one of four character classes, each with unique powers and features. The ultimate goal is to fight Dark Horn and his legion of demons in the land of death.  On their way to the top, players have the choice of completing a variety of raids and acquiring a large selection of specialty cards which transform your character into one of over twenty specialty classes.

The game has its own unique sense of ownership. Each player has their own Mini-Land with a virtual player housing area where they can build their house, decorate their homes and environments to match their personality, store their pets and items and invite friends over to take a break and visit.

Nostale features a unique character progression system where characters progress to one of three classes and then are allowed to progress to specialized classes through class cards.

The game also includes an attractive set of comic-style characters that range from cute to fearsome. Players can capture monsters to fight alongside them as well as make friends with NPCs that will follow you around and be your ally in battle.

From January 2009, gamers in North America can play the free MMORPG by going to Uforia’s website at https://www.uforia.com."

Bethesda has released three new screenshots from "Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage", one of at least three upcoming downloadable content packs planned to be released for "Fallout 3".

The following explanation of the screenshots was given in a new Eurogamer interview:

"All three of these shots are taken inside the ‘simulation.’ One is a shot of the approach to a Chinese base. Another is a shot of a player, donning a winterised version of combat armor looking out over a lake. The third, and most sexy shot, is a "Chinese Stealth Suit". If worn, it will greatly increase the stealth rating of a PC while crouching. It makes for a quite interesting fight when equipped by enemies as well…"

   

Frogster announced that "Runes of Magic" has hit 300,000 players in less than a month after its initial release.

"The steady population growth will enable Frogster to continuously update and polish the game during the run up to its formal launch in March 2009.

“Frogster would like to thank our dedicated community for their constructive feedback since the beginning of the open beta,” said Daniel Ullrich, Director of Product Management at Frogster Interactive. “With the development of the launch content almost complete, it’s now up to the community to do their part in giving us feedback to make the game great. Runes of Magic is their game and we want to make sure the new content and features we are creating continually add to the excitement and fun in the world.”

During the festive break, Runes of Magic convinced critics and won several prestigious awards from the games media. After declaring Runes of Magic as the best free-to-play game of Show at the Games Convention 2008 in August, TenTonHammer.com named Runes of Magic “Surprise Hit 2008”.  The editors of Mmorpg-planet.com selected Runes of Magic as the “Best Free MMORPG of 2008” and it was the only free-to-play title to be nominated for MMORPG.com’s upcoming “Most anticipated Game of 2009” Readers Choice award."

Runes of Magic began its open beta in December with an English and German version. All interested players can now set up an account and download the client for free at www.runesofmagic.com.

THQ announced that a "Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II" beta, which will be hosted via Steam, will be available to Soulstrom owners on January 21st and to the public on the 28th.

"The beta will feature all four playable races, five multiplayer maps, and Microsoft’s Games for Windows – LIVE TrueSkill Matchmaking.

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. The game is scheduled for release on February 23, 2009 for Windows PC, and will be available through worldwide retail and online outlets.  For more information on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, please visit www.dawnofwar2.com."

Electronic Arts and Paramount have announced that "The Godfather II" video game will ship to North America on Feb. 24th and to Europe on the 27th.

"The Godfather II allows players to both act like a mobster and think like a Don, by immersing them in a 1960’s organized crime world. As a Don, players can build a crew and grow their family in an effort to become the most powerful mob syndicate in America. Players will be able to choose how and when to use their Made men, either by commanding them directly in battle as part of their crew, or by sending them to do a job in another part of the world – bombing rival family rackets, attacking their businesses, or defending your own.

Players who pre-order The Godfather II at participating retailers worldwide will receive an exclusive crew member, named Tommy Cipolla, to hire into their family. While the other soldiers at the start of the game come equipped with one specialty and level-one firearms, Tommy will be the only crew member to possess two specialties – arsonist and medic – as well as carry a level-two double-barreled shotgun. With Tommy in your family, players will have a strategic advantage in the game, using his advanced skills either directly in battle, or sending him to take over and defend rackets on his own.

The Godfather II takes the open-world genre in an entirely new direction. Part of the fascination with The Godfather fiction is the feeling of power that comes with being the Don of an organized crime family – and The Godfather II game puts the control in your hands. While at its heart The Godfather II remains an action game, it also features deep new strategic gameplay mechanics never before seen in an open-world game. The strategic elements to the game allow you to extend the fantasy of building and running your own organized crime family. This means that you have to build and invest in your family, manage your businesses, and reach out to corrupt officials – all of which is done through the revolutionary Don’s View. The Don’s View is a 3D representation of your criminal empire in all three cities; it allows you to coordinate your strategy, plan hits on rival Made men, attack enemy rackets, and much more. The Godfather II delivers the ultimate organized crime experience by allowing you to call the shots.

Developed at the EA Redwood Stores studio, The Godfather II will be coming to the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and PC. The Godfather II has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB and 18+ for PEGI.

For more information about The Godfather franchise, please visit https://godfather2.ea.com"

After a digital delay of one day, "Saints Row 2" is now available to purchase on Steam and Direct2Drive. The retail version was available in the Americas yesterday.

"An update from THQ has been received stating that everything has been cleared, and the digital download of Saints Row 2 PC can now be accessed on Steam by clicking here.

In addition to that, Saints Row 2 PC is live on Direct2Drive for digital download, which can be found here.

For our users outside of the Western hemisphere, Saints Row 2 PC is expected to ship to retail outlets in Europe on January 23, 2009 and Australia on February 5, 2009, at which time the digital download for those regions will also go live."

New screenshots from "Grand Ages: Rome" have been released, giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming strategy title that will be published by Kalypso in North America.

"Grand Ages: Rome is a stunning strategy game based in Ancient Rome during the rise of Julius Caesar. As a member of a prominent noble family, players will be immersed in the intrigue and adventure of the rising Roman Empire, rubbing shoulders with some of the greatest historical figures of the era. Grand-scale city building and detailed combat scenarios unfold against a backdrop of breathtakingly detailed environments. Players can choose from historical campaign and freestyle game modes along with advanced online multiplayer controls."

       
       
     

Ubisoft announced that it has signed an agreement with ABC to develop and publish a game based on the medical television series "Gray’s Anatomy".

"Designed for the Wii, the Nintendo DS and PC Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game is scheduled for release early 2009.

"Ubisoft is thrilled to be collaborating with ABC Studios to turn this phenomenal television series into an interactive experience," said Christian Salomon, vice president of worldwide licensing at Ubisoft. "In Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game, fans will have a chance to take on the roles of all of their favorite doctors in an all-new original storyline. As each doctor, players will make important personal and professional decisions, explore the direct relationships with each other, and perform the delicate surgeries the series is known for, all through fun and engaging game play."

About Grey’s Anatomy

The doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital deal with life-or-death consequences on a daily basis – it’s in one another that they find comfort, friendship and, at times, more than friendship. Together they’re discovering that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white. Real life only comes in shades of grey."

There isn’t an official press release yet but it should be noted that "Saints Row 2" has been shipped to retail stores and is now available. On the digital front, the game has been delayed for Steam customers. The following was posted today on the "Saints Row 2" community website.

"As stated in my last post, Saints Row 2 for PC was set to be released today (January 6th) in North America (and Central / South as well), but we hit a small snag. It appears that we have experienced some issues with the Steam client and both THQ and Valve are working on the issue and hope to have it resolved soon.

This delay does not affect the retail version (in-store) of Saints Row 2 PC, but the game will not be available for digital download off of Steam today.

Once again, anyone who picks up a boxed copy today will be able to authenticate and play SR2 once installed, and if you need some help setting up Steam, please see the post directly below this one. I’ll update this post once the digital download is available through Steam and a big "Thank you" to everyone for your patience while this issue is worked out."

The list of new PC game releases, DVD releases, and movies opening the week of January 5th, 2008. Wow, looks like a slow one.

PC Games:

• Saints Row 2

Movies Opening This Week:

• Bride Wars
• Not Easily Broken
• The Unborn

DVD Releases:

• An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong
• Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Collection 3
• Bangkok Dangerous [Blu-ray]
• Battlestar Galactica – Season 4.0
• Dexter: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]
• Frisky Dingo – Season 2
• Pineapple Express
• Righteous Kill
• Secret Diary Of A Callgirl – Season One
• The Tudors – Season 2
• The Waltons – The Complete Eighth Season

Eidos has launched a new community site for for the upcoming naval action game "Battlestations: Pacific", Battlestations.net. The sequel is scheduled to be released this Spring. Along with this announcement, new screenshots and a trailer have been released.

"Sequel to 2007’s critically acclaimed Battlestations: Midway™, Battlestations: Pacific™ picks up where its predecessor left off. Pitching players into the might of World War II’s Pacific conflict, the game delivers intense, action-packed combat and strategic warfare on an extraordinary scale and features two distinctly different single-player campaigns. A historically accurate US Campaign puts players in command of the US fleet through The Battle of Midway to Okinawa as they try to secure peace in the Pacific. Or play as the Japanese and take control of the Imperial Japanese fleet with the unique chance to fight at Pearl Harbor before attempting to change the course of history and take full control of the Pacific Ocean. Players can also take the battle online with an enhanced multiplayer, offering five new and innovative co-op and team-based modes.

“Battlestations offers a blend of action and strategy unlike any other videogame on the market and as such has a dedicated and committed community of fans,” said Lee Singleton, General Manager of Eidos Game Studios. “The launch of Battlestations.net as a destination site for both information and discussion on the game comes as a direct result of listening and interacting with our communities.”

Launched today, the new Battlestations.net site offers a feature-rich destination for information, entertainment and discussion on this anticipated sequel. News, screens and movies on the game will be accompanied by in-depth developer blogs, podcasts, exclusive website competitions and Eidos-hosted Battlestations: Midway™ multiplayer sessions, allowing fans of the game a chance to brush up on their skills before the launch of Battlestations: Pacific™.

Those interested in enlisting can join the discussions at www.battlestations.net."

       
       

Outspark has announced that closed beta registration for "Wind Slayer", an upcoming online action adventure game, has begun on PlayWindSlayer.com.

"The testing period offers participants the elite opportunity to be one of the first to experience Wind Slayer in its entirety. Participants will also provide Outspark with valuable feedback that will be used to further refine the game before its wider release later this year.

“Outspark offers rides for every type of thrill seeker coming to play in our virtual playground,” stated Susan Choe, CEO and founder of Outspark. “Wind Slayer’s character customization and multiplayer options combined with its side scrolling style and simple controls make the game a perfect fit for all gamers wanting to enjoy a fun-filled crusade with friends they meet in the Outspark community.”

Set on the beautiful continent of Beuritania, Wind Slayer invites adventurers to travel a diverse land filled with everything from beautiful, grass covered meadows and mountaintops to curious villages, dark caves and even an underwater city. Along the way players gain skills, weapons and experience as their characters grow stronger and choose one of the game’s six exciting classes – Warrior, Archer, Mage, Rogue, Monk and Priest."

With a new year comes more games. More games with really big numbers attatched to them, games that we’ve read up on and seen for years, and unique franchises and IPs that will surely whip up the interests of many. Basically, this post will have two functions: I’ll bring up ’09 games I’m looking forward to and you can go ahead and you post your own playlist. Efficiency! Hooray!

– The first thing comes up in my mind is Mirror’s Edge. It’s a huge departure from DICE’s previous work, which was 95% Battlefield and 5% pre-cursor to their series. In very basic, and general terms, I think Mirror’s Edge looks like any of Ubisoft’s Prince of Persias, except it’s in first-person. That sounds awesome, potentially frustrating and pretty awesome. Looking forward to it. First January game I’ll play, that’s for sure.

– In terms of general popularity, I’d say the "Big Three" WRPG developers are BioWare, Bethesda and Obsidian. Out of the three, Obsidian is my absolute favorite. Granted, their games have more technical problems and hang-ups than five just-launched MMOs combined, but those get ironed out soon enough, and we’re left with really playable and fun stuff. Mask of the Betrayer proved they have the ability to provide great dialogue, an interesting story and lots of real choices with real consequences. Oh, and it was stable game. Alpha Protocol is their latest project, and while it is a multi-platform game, if they can at least provide the same, great dialogue that’s permeated all their games, I will be pleased. I mean, dude, the head writer for Bloodlines is the a key writer for Alpha Protocol. Dude. Dude!

– Cool stuff down the road. Relic’s RTSes look really sweet, even though I’m terrible with the genre. Looking forward to Episode Three screenshots and videos, because we all know they aren’t going to hit an ’09 release. In the world of adventure, Sam & Max’s third season and Wallace & Grommit look sweet and the Adventure Company will surely publish some winners. Oh yeah, is Alan Wake getting here any time soon?

I like working in threes, so I’ll stop there. I don’t have classes again until the 26th, so I got plenty of time to go through my backlog and play Mirror’s Edge with the new setup I’m getting. It’s basically a small hadron collider.

Valve provides a little more insight into what is undoubtedly, at least in my mind, one of the best games of ’08. It continues from the first post on art direction, and this time Valve delves into how they played with the light and visual effects to really give the game the atmosphere that is very tangible when playing. Of course, Valve mentiones their valued playtesters, too. Seems like if it weren’t for them, Valve would be shipping dud after dud. So, to playtesters.

Source: Left 4 Dead Blog