Bethesda released a trailer for the upcoming Dawnguard expansion for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It appears that the expansion will revolve around dark magic with images of vampires and undead featured in the video. As far as we know no other details on the expansion have been released at this point but the Bethesda Blog has stated that details will be released at E3, which is next week.
Trion Worlds today announced Rift: Storm Legion, the upcoming first expansion that will feature an increased level cap, two new continents, additional souls and a new storyline. The expansion is scheduled to be released this fall.
“In Rift: Storm Legion, Crucia – the Queen of Storms – prepares to wreak havoc on the Ascended of Telara. Now that they have wiped out most of her Blood Storm competition, the time for Crucia to reveal her full power is at hand. Players will explore huge, previously inaccessible continents where they’ll fight to take down Crucia before she brings her legion from the Plane of Air through the mysterious Infinity Gate.
Rift: Storm Legion features:
A VAST NEW WORLD
10 MORE LEVELS, 4 MORE SOULS
BRAVE THE STORM
MAKE TELARA YOUR OWN
Rockstar Games today announced that Max Payne 3 has been shipped and is now available worldwide.
“Max Payne 3 for PC delivers the ultimate Max Payne 3 experience, supporting a wide range of PC specifications, plus advanced graphics options, scalable high-resolution textures and character models, DirectX11 features, LAN support, multi-monitor support and stereoscopic 3D compatibility.
Max Payne 3 is the story of former New York City detective, Max Payne. His life in ruins and unable to move on from the tragic events of years past, Max looks for a new start working private security with an old friend in São Paulo, Brazil. When the wife of his employer is kidnapped by a street gang while under Max’s protection, Max’s life spirals out of control as the factions of a dangerous and unfamiliar city close in on him, conspiring to keep Max from the real reasons behind the kidnapping and his part in a much larger conspiracy.”
Valve today confirmed that Dota 2 will be free to play and also announced a few details on the game’s store.
“Upon its opening, the Dota Store will offer items created by Valve and members of the community that may be used immediately and carried over after the public launch of the game. Early Access to the game is not required to purchase items before launch. However, gamers may get into the game now by purchasing the Dota 2 Early Access Bundle of items.
“The opening of the Dota Store is a big part of our final push to launch,” said IceFrog, design lead on Dota 2. “With support for the Steam Workshop, the majority of the items made available on day one were created and being sold by members of the community. By making the game Free to Play, we hope to give gamers the ability to decide how – and how much – they want to invest in the game.”
Targeted for full release on the PC later this year, Dota 2 promises to take the unique blend of online RTS and RPG action that has made Dota popular with tens of millions of gamers around the world.”
Humble Bundle V has been launched and it includes some really great titles. The games in this round include Bastion, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Psychonauts, Limbo and Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP in addition to each game’s soundtrack. Both Limbo and Bastion were on our on our 2011 top indie games of the year list.
“Each of these DRM-free games works on Mac, Windows, and Linux, and can optionally be redeemed on Steam if you choose more than $1. Bundle buyers can also benefit the Child’s Play Charity and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, non-profits doing excellent work in the name of gamers worldwide.”
Paradox Interactive today announced Sword of Islam, upcoming DLC for Crusader Kings II in which players will be able to play as Muslim rulers.
“The DLC will release at the same time as the next hefty patch which adds new features to the game, such as an expansion of the map into Mali-Songhay, differentiation on strong and weak claims, new plot, expanded combat and more.
Sword of Islam enables players to rule as the Muslim lords, delivering a wealth of specific new mechanics distinctive to these rulers, creating a whole new gameplay experience. Laws, marriage, holding, traits , titles and more will work completely differently. “
NeoCore Games today released a new trailer for The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, giving viewers a look at the young Van Helsing in the upcoming action RPG.
“Featuring young Van Helsing, son of the famed monster hunter, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing sets players on a fantastical journey to Borgovia, a kingdom on the very edge Eastern Europe, and the perilous lands surrounding it. In a place where unexplainable technology and supernatural creatures are prevalent, players will take on the role of the romantically dark protagonist in this modernization of the legendary vampire killer. Featuring an immersive storyline, a memorable cast of characters, and a beautifully dark and gothic art style, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing looks to test the bravest hunters in Q4 2012.”
CD Projekt Red today announced their new upcoming RPG, which will be titled Cyberpunk. The game will be based on pen-and-paper RPG designer Mike Pondsmith’s Cyberpunk system.
“CD Projekt co-founder Marcin Iwinski promised players that this game would have all of the hallmarks of the Witcher series that has made the developer so well-known and loved, and even more. Their upcoming RPG will be designed for mature and demanding players who expect to be treated seriously, and the game will be richly detailed, non-linear, and with a complex and gripping story. This much is expected from the talented studio, but the new universe brings with it some new twists in their game design. Players will experience the world through their own, unique characters chosen from different classes – be they blood-thirsty mercenaries or cunning hackers – that they will equip with vast selection of cybernetic implants and deadly weapons. As in the Witcher series, players will face morally ambiguous choices, their actions influencing events in the world at large and the fate of the individuals they encounter.”
Larian Studios announced Divinity: Original Sin, the next game in the Divinity universe, which will be a prequel to Divine Divinity. The game is currently scheduled to be released for PC and Mac in 2013.
“Divinity: Original Sin is the next game in the Divinity universe, and tells the tale of two unlikely heroes – a condemned warrior released from his chains and a mystic heroine restored to life.
The orcs of Tanoroth are on the march, wielding magic never seen before: bloody, deadly, realityâ€bending. The free nations of Rivellon are about to fall beneath their blades. Yet there are two unlikely heroes who can resist this savage magic: a condemned warrior released from his chains and a mystic heroine restored to life. Will they be strong enough to cope with the sins of their past? And will they be strong enough to counter the even greater threat that hides behind the marching orcs? “
Ubisoft has released a new teaser trailer for Far Cry 3 just days prior to the 2012 E3 conference, where the game will be featured.
“With Far Cry 3, players step into the shoes of Jason Brody, a man alone at the edge of the world, stranded on a mysterious tropical island. In this savage paradise, where lawlessness and violence are the only sure thing, players dictate how the story unfolds, from the battles they choose to fight to the allies or enemies they make along the way. “
CD Projekt and GOG.com are holding their Summer Conference tomorrow and a new “AAA” RPG from the company will be revealed. Today, they sent out the following teaser image. At first glance it appears that the game will be borrowing elements from Blade Runner but we’ll learn more soon.
The list of new PC game releases, Blu-ray releases, and movies opening the week of May 28th, 2012.
PC games:
Movies opening this week:
Blu-ray releases:
Bohemia Interactive posted an interview with Pavel Guglava, the lead artist responsible for overall color and lighting settings in the upcoming sequel.
“In the spotlight this week is Pavel ‘Gugla’ Guglava, who’s responsible for the overall colour and lighting settings of Arma 3 (A3), and drives much of the research and graphical advancements of the Real Virtuality (RV) engine. Below, we focus upon some of the fantastic advancements to lighting, taking a look at how these new changes improve the overall ‘look and feel’ of A3, the underlying gameplay, and how everything fits together with engine optimisations.”
Read the full post on the Bohemia Interactive blog.
The Bethesda blog has been updated with news of a new mounted combat feature that will be included with the Skyrim version 1.6 update. Interested players can try it out now by downloading the latest Steam Beta update. Be sure to back up your game saves before downloading the beta though.
“Like the recently added Kinect support (360) and new kill cameras, this highly-requested feature that was seen in the Skyrim Game Jam video is arriving for free. In fact, by opting into the latest Steam Beta Update, PC users can check out the feature today. As far as release on other platforms, we’ll let you know when we have more information.
Thanks again to all our fans, we remain committed to supporting the game through our free updates, mod tools, and more. And yes, we’re still working on our first add-on, Dawnguard – some great stuff to show you soon, stay tuned!”
2K Games and Firaxis Games today announced that a Civilization V free weekend has begun on Steam, which will run through May 27th 1:00pm PDT.
“As part of the celebration of the upcoming release of the expansion pack, Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Gods & Kings, the entire Civilization V franchise will be 75% off on Steam this weekend.
Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Gods & Kings can be pre-ordered starting at 1:00 p.m. PDT on Monday, May 28, 2012 and players who choose to take advantage of the free-to-play weekend can continue their quest for world domination and keep their progress intact by purchasing Civ V before Monday, May 28, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. PDT.”
