PC Game News

The list of new PC game releases, Blu-ray releases and movies opening this week.

PC games:

• Awesomenauts
• Bust-n-Rush
• Death Rally
• Mad Riders – Daredevil Map Pack
• Orcs Must Die! 2
• Panzer Corps: Afrika Korps
• The Book of Unwritten Tales
• The Host Holic
• The Political Machine 2012

Movies opening this week:

• 360 (limited)
• Celeste and Jesse Forever (limited)
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
• The Babymakers (limited)
•  Total Recall
• You’ve Been Trumped (limited)

Blu-ray releases:

• 2:22 in 3D
• 4.3.2.1
• ATM
• Body and Soul
• Detention
• Enemies Among Us
• Faculty
• Fire With Fire
• Firstborn
• Force of Evil
• Forever Marilyn
• Fortress
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
• Hatfields & McCoys
• Heaven Strewn
• Hijacked
• How to Marry a Millionaire
• Le Grande Illusion
• Le Harve (Critertion Collection)
• LOL
• Nazi Invasion – Team Europe
• Puccini: II Trittico
• Punch and Judy and the magic broom
• River of No Return
• Scalene
• Seven Year Itch
• Shark Week: 25th Anniversary
• Slipknot: (sic)ness
• The Bunny Game
• The Job 3D
• There’s No Business Like Show Business
• TJ – Next Generation
• Total Recall
• Wagner: Lohengrin
• War Flowers
• Whisperer in Darkness

Paradox Interactive today released a new ranted unit trailer for War of the Roses, the upcoming action game by Fatshark that’s set in the middle ages. Additionally, tournament footage from last week’s event in San Francisco was released.

“War of the Roses, an upcoming exercise in medieval multiplayer mayhem, pits players against one another in roving squads of armored knights, unleashing their fury on a variety of battlefields in painful, real-time combat. Sign-ups for the upcoming Beta are still being accepted at the following link: https://www.waroftherosesthegame.com/“

Travis Ormandy, an Information Security Engineer at Google, recently discovered a security vulnerability with Ubisoft’s Uplay. While installing Assassin’s Creed Revelations Travis noticed the installation procedure created an insecure browser plug-in for the Uplay launcher.

“…while on vacation recently I bought a video game called “Assassin’s Creed Revelations”. I didn’t have much of a chance to play it, but it seems fun so far. However, I noticed the installation procedure creates a browser plugin for it’s accompanying uplay launcher, which grants unexpectedly (at least to me) wide access to websites.”

Ubisoft responded later today with Uplay version 2.0.4, which users should install without a web browser open. Additionally, the following statement was issued:

“Ubisoft takes security issues very seriously, and we will continue to monitor all reports of vulnerabilities within our software and take swift action to resolve such issues”

Bohemia Interactive today announced the release of the Czech Republic DLC for Arma 2. This pack features the Czech Army, authentic weapons, new diverse missions, and Bystrica nd Bukovina summer-season terrains. The pack is currently available to purchase on Bohemia’s Interactive’s digital distribution portal and will be coming to steam in mid-August.

“The civil war in Bystrica is at its end. But it’s not the end of fear for the people. War criminals like Colonel Miyovic still terrorize the country with their militia looting and murdering civilians. Forces of the Czech Republic Army are sent to restore order.

After restoring partial order in Takistan; Allied forces were able to send in a small number of provisional reconstruction teams. Unfortunately local rebels are still planning operations to damage the reconstruction process. However, Czech forces are operating in the area and that should help change the status quo.”

Paradox Interactive today announced Impire, a new strategy game in development by Cyanide that will be set in the world of Majesty.

“Taking place within the fan-favorite world of Majesty, players of Impire will be tasked with ruining the lands of Ardania for those fans by reviving the greatest threat the realm has ever known within a dungeon lair of their own design.

Run your Impire by defending against heroes invading a personalized demonic compound while also sending underlings to the surface to wreak chaos among those who call the land near yourImpire home. Utilizing a vast array of minions, deadly traps, and a growing arsenal of wicked spells, players will guide the demon Báal-Abaddon to his rightful place atop the skulls of his mortal foes… just as soon as they can help him escape the body of a pathetic little imp.

Developed by Cyanide in Montreal, Impire tells the sordid tale of Báal-Abaddon, a once-mighty horror from the Bottomless Pit, who finds himself summoned by the incompetent sorcerer, Oscar van Fairweather, and trapped in the form of a laughable imp. Using their cunning and an array of devious tricks, players will help the demon lord break free, rebuild his proper hell-spawn body, and construct an impressive dungeon to form the seat of his new kingdom. Players will have to design, develop, and defend their demonic dungeon from would-be do-gooders in order to expand and triumph.”

SEGA today announced that Saints and Heroes, the elite unit pack for Shogun 2: Total War is now available for download.

“Honed by years of relentless training and tempered in the fires of countless battles, these nine legendary warrior units are the masters of their combat disciplines, and stand head-and-shoulders above their rank-and-file brothers.

Batter the enemy into submission with the war-clubs of Tadakatsu’s Tetsubo Warriors. Perform devastating flank attacks with The Spears of Shizugatake, spear-wielding cavalrymen of the first order. Or strike fear into the hearts of your opponents with Hanzo’s Shadows, elite Ninja who are unparalleled in the use of stealth, and trained to scale castle walls at lightning speed.

All nine of the elite units in the Saints and Heroes unit pack are available for use in both single player and multiplayer modes of Total War: Shogun 2. Visit www.totalwar.com for further details”

The Baldur’s Gate website has finally been updated with news that the Enhanced Edition of the Game will be released for the PC on September 18th on the PC for $19.99.

“Since its initial release in 1998, Baldur’s Gate has entertained millions of fans around the globe, and has received countless awards. This classic saga of mystery, intrigue, and adventure has set the standard for Dungeons & Dragonsâ„¢ computer role-playing games ever since.

Running on an upgraded and improved version of the Infinity Engine, Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Editionâ„¢ includes the entire Baldur’s Gate adventure, the Tales of the Sword Coast expansion pack, and never before seen content including a new adventure, and three new party members: The Calishite Monk Rasaad yn Bashir, Neera the Wild Mage, and Dorn Il-Khan, the evil blackguard.

Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition for Windows contains the following enhancements:

•     New Adventure: The Black Pits
•     New Character: Dorn Il-Khan
•     New Character: Neera the Wild Mage
•     New Character: Rasaad yn Bashir
•     A new collection of player character voice sets
•     Native support for high resolution widescreen displays
•     Over 400 improvements to the original game
•     Improved multiplayer support, with connectivity between all platforms

Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition for Windows will be available as a direct download from Beamdog, with no client install necessary. Pre-purchasing will allow you to preload the game, so you can access it immediately after release.”

Sony Online Entertainment released a new CGI trailer produced by Blur Studio for the ChinaJoy 2012 expo last night, showing off the upcoming MMOFPS.

“The CGI trailer for the award-winning upcoming massively multiplayer online first-person shooter (MMOFPS), PlanetSide 2, personifies the unprecedented online multiplayer gaming experience in this reimagining of the ever-popular PlanetSide franchise where players battle in massive environments alongside and against thousands of players for empire control over the planet of Auraxis.

PlanetSide 2 is currently in a Pre-External Beta Technical Testing  phase and will be available as Free-To-Play. Your Way.â„¢ on PC systems via digital download later this year. Optional content will be available for purchase in the marketplace.”

Piranha Games today revealed the Jenner mech in a new video for MechWarrior Online.

“The Jenner JR7 is a Light, 35 ton ‘Mech with a max speed of 118 km/h. Quick, agile, and with an impressive weapons loadout of four medium lasers and a short range missile 4, the Jenner can make quick work of larger opponents. The jumpjets merely add to the flexibility of this ‘Mech.

While not outfitted with much in the way of armour, the Jenner lives by the motto ‘Speed is life.’ Holding still is a death sentence, thus Jenner pilots must become familiar with weaving through opponents, turning to fire at their exposed backs.

Heat management, and knowing to always move, and always find your opponents weak spots are key to becoming a successful Jenner Pilot. The Jenner has a very small amount of armour, however. Getting caught in a bad turn (or worse, holding still) will see your ’Mech torn apart in seconds. Always stay on the move, always manoeuvre, always shoot their backs. Use your jumpjets to get out of bad situations, or jump into the middle of the enemy, and then jump out.”

Stardock today announced that Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion has become the fastest-selling game in the company’s history, selling over 100,000 units since its mid June release. Further, the company credits Steam for much of this success.

“The game is the first major Stardock game not released at retail, and instead, it was released initially via Steam, GameStop, and direct from Stardock. Additionally, Steam sell-through of Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion in the first 30 days beat the combined sell-through of all physical retailers during the same period for the original Sins of a Solar Empire.

“When we combine our direct sales of Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion with the sales from GameStop, we see unit sales similar to what we’ve seen previously when at retail. This contradicts our projection that sales via Steam would share the overall digital pie we’d previously seen,” said Brad Wardell, president & CEO of Stardock. “Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion on Steam didn’t cannibalize its GameStop or direct sales.”

Wardell continued, “Normally, when you get sales figures, the publisher is talking about overall sell-in, not sell-through. But that figure is largely irrelevant, other than sounding awesome because anything that doesn’t sell at retail later gets marked down or returned.”

Stardock is in the process of re-evaluating its global retail strategy with future games. As a result of Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion’s success, The Political Machine 2012 and Elemental: Fallen Enchantress will be released digitally through Steam, GameStop and other digital distributors, skipping retail.

“I remember it was somewhat dramatic in the community when we announced that Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion wasn’t going to be at retail,” said Wardell. “The reason was because we have moved away from having set release dates, which are largely announced for to kickoff presales, or for shareholders and retail distributors. Now we don’t plan a release date until the game has reached a quality level where we feel comfortable doing so.”

He continued, “Retailers require a six-month lead-in to reserve shelf space for indies, and that’s if you can get in. By contrast, with Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, we didn’t set a release date until after the public BETA feedback was universally positive.”

Reviews for Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion have been positive with the game averaging an overall 85 out of 100 and the title garnering several Editor’s Choice awards.”

Square Enix today announced that owners of Just Cause 2 will be eligible to receive a free Just Cause 2 clothing outfit for Sleeping Dogs, the upcoming action adventure game by United Front Games.

“Available in-game from launch, players browsing protagonist Wei Shen’s safehouse wardrobe will gain access to a unique new player outfit… a Just Cause 2 clothes set. Featuring Rico Rodriguez’ trademark look, players stepping out onto the streets of Hong Kong dressed as the King of Chaos will gain a distinct boost to their action hijack ability, allowing them to perform stunt-style takeovers of enemy vehicles from an even greater distance.
 
This exclusive Just Cause 2 clothes set will be available in-game from launch across all formats upon detection of a Just Cause 2 game save on the machine’s hard drive.”

Firefly Studios today announced that Stronghold Kingdoms, the free-to-play MMORTS, has reached one million registered players.

“Stronghold Kingdoms, consistently the second most popular free-to-play game on Steam for nearly five months now, has reached 1,000,000 registered players. “Adiewux” joined World 3 on Monday at 11:45 BST, bringing the total number of Lords and Ladies playing Kingdoms to a massive one million. World 3 was the first of many new game worlds launched to keep pace with a huge influx of new players, following the game’s Steam launch in February. Reaching one million players has been a goal of Firefly’s for some time now and achieving it opens the door to even greater heights. The company hopes that with new markets and platforms, such as the recently launched Amazon Game Connect, the Kingdoms playerbase will continue to grow in 2012 and beyond.”

Square Enix today announced that two new puzzles for Quantum Conundrum will be released late this summer for $2.99 on Steam.

“The two puzzle packs, “The Desmond Debacle” and “IKE-aramba!” are expected to be available later this summer and will add hours of additional puzzles and adventure through the twisted Quadwrangle Manor.

About The Desmond Debacle
In The Desmond Debacle, the first puzzle pack, gamers will power up the Inter-Dimensional Shift Device for a brand new adventure deep in an unexplored wing of the labyrinthine Quadwrangle Manor. Old friend Desmond, the drinking bird, offers up even more brain-twisting and complex puzzles for hours of inter-dimensional puzzle solving.
 
About IKE-aramba!
In IKE-aramba!, the second puzzle pack, gamers are charged with rescue duty once again, but instead of a missing uncle, this time the victim is IKE (Interdimensional Kinetic Entity)! In this all-new adventure, players will have to rescue IKE and leap seemingly endless chasms while traveling through a newly discovered  wing of Quadwrangle Manor.”

Gala Networks Europe today announced that a new add-on titled Phoenix has been launched for Dragonica, the free-to-play MMORPG.

“Upon entering Dragonica, the complete graphics overhaul is the most striking change in the Phoenix update, giving the game an enhanced look and improved feel, with all maps showing more definition and detail. Along with this the world map has had a facelift, making it easier for players to cross continents. The local maps of all towns now include new icons for all merchant types such as the blacksmiths and the potion merchants.
 
Odelia, the starter town, has been updated to make it easier for new players to get around, while the City Hall Sewers dungeon and its bosses have been updated to provide more of a challenge for seasoned players. All dungeons now feature an exit button that allows players to leave a dungeon whenever it suits them, and mission maps have been updated to include easy, normal and hard difficulty modes.
 
The Phoenix update makes Dragonica even more fun to play, thanks to a series of upgrades to existing features. The chain combos, available for both human and drakan classes, allow for breath-taking combat, and players will now be warned if they are low on health with the whole play screen flashing as a warning. All NPC merchants now have lowered prices on all potions and players can access their in-game mailbox by clicking the icon on their screen. Pet lovers will also be delighted to hear that all mount and battle pets have had their stats unified, and the pet evolution system has been simplified.
 
From today, players will also be able to enjoy a new party buff event, where they can receive double friend points, as well as up to three other buffs depending on the size of each player’s party, including increased gold-drops, increased EXP rate and increased attack rate.
 
Gala Networks Europe can also confirm that additional in-game events, with some very exciting new features, are also set to be made available with a further update due out in a few weeks.”

gamingo today announced that a “game-changing” expansion was released for King of Kings 3 yesterday, which is titled Divine Rebirth.

“The add-on, entitled ‘Divine Rebirth’, allows long-time players to take their characters to new heights with new maps, quests and instances. However, long-time players aren’t the only ones who’ll reap the benefits. There has never been a better time for new players to join up and fight for their realm. With a new level cap of 215, there is now even more adventure and excitement to be had.

Protect the gods by undergoing a Divine Rebirth and players will be able to use powerful new Divine Skills, which allow them to combine components to create unique skills never seen before. The new Artefact tool lets players combine skills of other classes, giving them a higher level of customisation than ever before. Pummel opponents with these skills in new events, such as the Tower of Kings challenges. They bring PvP battles to a higher level with a point-based standing system and a more sporting attitude. Speaking of sports, there’s the world football event, which promises to give players the “kick” they’ve been looking for while in between battles.

Also new to the game are the War Engines. Construct and maintain one of three fully customisable vehicular weapons that will bring the pain to your enemies during PvP wars. The Ballista, Tank and Battering Ram are your long-range, mid-range and short-range keys to victory and destruction against enemies or even other War Engines in battle. These new features, along with adjustments to nearly half of the game’s classes, deeper advanced crafting options and other refinements are sure to give players, both old and new, a much bigger experience inside the world of King of Kings 3.”