PC Game News

Tripwire Interactive today announced the release of the software development kit for Red Orchestra 2 to all owners of the game.

"While the limited functionality preview versions of the SDK have been available to select modders for a while, this release now makes the full capabilities of the Mod SDK available to everyone. Users can now make and publish everything from simple mods and mutators, through custom maps and on to full total conversion mods.

Modders and map makers have been hard at work with the pre-release SDK and several great maps and mods are already coming together. For a preview of what is to come, check out these three total conversion mods already in production for Red Orchestra 2:

• Rising Storm
  
• In Country Vietnam
  
• Iron Europe
  

And to check out all of the latest custom maps, mods, and content head on over to the modding section of the Tripwire Interactive forums:
 
https://forums.tripwireinteractive.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

The Mod SDK is available to download from Steam, completely free to anyone that owns Red Orchestra 2. Just go to the tools tab in Steam and install the SDK. "

Paradox Interactive today released the fourth Deadly Sins live action trailer for Crusader Kinds II titled Greed.

"The fourth, and perhaps the last. True to the game, our King has overstretched himself, conquered the lands of far too many rulers and finds himself with a list of enemies as long as his codpiece. Only his spymaster can save the day, and the man is a conniving, filthy, traitorous, two-faced scoundrel. Could anyone ask for a better political ally*?

* SPOILER: Probably they could, yes."

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-ray releases, and movies opening the week of January 9th, 2012.

PC games:

(Looks like nothing again this week)

Movies opening this week:

• Albatross (limited)
• Beauty and the Beast (3D re-release)
• Contraband
• Don't Go in the Woods (limited)
• Joyful Noise
• Loosies
• The Divide
• The Iron Lady

DVD and Blu-ray releases:

• 1911 [Blu-ray]
• A Beautiful Mind [Blu-ray]
• A Bronx Tale
• All the President's men [Blu-ray]
• American Gangster [Blu-ray]
• American Graffiti [Blu-ray]
• An Idiot Abroad
• Answer This
• Apollo 13 [Blu-ray]
• Babe [Blu-ray]
• Battlestar Galactica: Razor [Blu-Ray]
• Billy Elliot [Blu-ray]
• Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]
• Brokeback Mountain [Blu-ray]
• Bruno [Blu-ray]
• Bulletproof [Blu-ray]
• Cape Fear [Blu-ray]
• Carlito's Way [Blu-ray]
• Catfish [Blu-Ray]
• Changeling [Blu-ray]
• Charlie St. Cloud
• Cool Hand Luke [Blu-ray]
• Crossing Jordan: Season 1
• Dante's Peak [Blu-ray]
• Daylight [Blu-ray]
• Death Race 2 [Blu-ray]
• Dennis The Menace: Season Four
• Devil [Blu-ray]
• Do the Right Thing [Blu-ray]
• Doctor Who: Invasion of the Dinosaurs
• Doctor Who: The Android Invasion
• Doomsday [Blu-ray]
• Downton Abbey Christmas Special [Blu-ray]
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High [Blu-ray]
• Fever Pitch [Blu-ray]
• Field of Dreams [Blu-ray]
• Film Socialisme [Blu-ray]
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall [Blu-ray]
• Get Him to the Greek [Blu-ray]
• Green Mile [Blu-ray]
• Hawaii Five-O: The 12th and Final Season
• Hellboy II: The Golden Army [Blu-ray]
• Higher Ground [Blu-ray]
• Inglourious Basterds [Blu-ray]
• Jack of All Trades – The Complete Series
• Jane Eyre
• Jane Eyre [Blu-ray]
• Jet Li's Fearless [Blu-ray]
• John Tucker Must Die [Blu-ray]
• Just Married [Blu-ray]
• Just My Luck [Blu-ray]
• Killer Elite [Blu-ray]
• King Arthur and Medieval Britain
• King Kong [Blu-ray]
• Legally Blonde [Blu-ray]
• Legend [Blu-ray]
• Little Fockers [Blu-ray]
• Looney Tunes Showcase 1 [Blu-ray]
• Love Happens
• Mad Max 2 Road Warrior [Blu-ray]
• Mile in His Shoes
• Milk [Blu-ray]
• Moneyball [Blu-ray]
• Mystical Tibet [Blu-ray]
• National Parks Exploration Series: The Black Hills and the Badlands [Blu-Ray]
• National Parks Exploration Series: The Everglades [Blu-ray]
• Nature: The Animal House [Blu-Ray]
• Never Been Kissed [Blu-ray]
• North By Northwest [Blu-ray]
• Nova: Finding Life Beyond Earth [Blu-ray]
• Pacific Blue – Complete Series
• Paul
• Pride & Prejudice [Blu-ray]
• Primeval: Vol. Three [Blu-ray]
• Public Enemies
• Quantum Leap: The Complete First Series
• Saving Private Perez
• Seabiscuit [Blu-ray]
• SeaQuest DSV: Season Two
• Serenity [Blu-ray]
• Shallow Hal [Blu-ray]
• Sinners and Saints [Blu-ray]
• Skyline [Blu-ray]
• The Adjustment Bureau [Blu-ray]
• THe Bourne Trilogy [Blu-ray]
• The Breakfast Club [Blu-ray]
• The Cape: Complete Series
• The Dilemma [Blu-Ray]
• The Eagle [Blu-ray]
• The Equalizer: Season One
• The Express [Blu-ray]
• The Fletch Collection
• The Hellstorm Chronicle [Blu-ray]
• The Invisible Man: Season One
• The Jackal [Blu-ray]
• The Last House on the Left [Blu-ray]
• The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption [Blu-ray]
• The Wolfman [Blu-ray]
• There Be Dragons [Blu-ray]
• Titanic – The Definitive Documentary Collection
• Traffic [Blu-ray]
• Treasure of the Sierra Madre [Blu-ray]
• Tremors [Blu-ray]
• Van Helsing [Blu-ray]
• Wanted [Blu-ray]
• Waterworld [Blu-ray]
• What's Your Number [Blu-ray]
• When Harry Met Sally [Blu-ray]
• Wild South America: From the Andes to the Amazon
• Your Highness

ZeniMax today announced that a settlement has been reached in the Bethesda vs Interplay lawsuit over the MMO rights based on the Fallout brand. ZeniMax will pay Interplay $2 million and Bethesda will continue to own all Fallout rights. Interplay will be able to sell previous Fallout titles through December 2013.

"Under the terms of the settlement, the license granted to Interplay to develop the Fallout MMO is null and void, and all rights granted to Interplay to develop a Fallout MMO revert back to Bethesda, effective immediately. Interplay has no ongoing right to use the Fallout brand or any Fallout intellectual property for any game development. ZeniMax will pay Interplay $2 million as consideration in the settlement, each party will bear its own costs of the litigation, and Bethesda will continue to own all Fallout intellectual property rights. Interplay will be permitted to continue to sell the original Fallout ®Tactics, Fallout® and Fallout® 2 PC games through December 2013, after which time all rights to market those games revert to and become the sole property of Bethesda. Under the original agreement pursuant to which Bethesda had acquired the Fallout property, Interplay was granted certain merchandising rights to sell those original Fallout games, but those merchandising rights will now expire on December 31, 2013."

Valve today announced the growth rate of Steam in 2011, revealing that year-over-year unit sales increased more than 100% for the seventh year in a row. The announcement also casually mentions that big picture mode is coming soon.

"Meanwhile Steam doubled the amount of content delivered in 2011 vs. 2010, serving over 780 Petabytes of data to gamers around the world. To meet the increasing demand for games and services on the platform, the Steam infrastructure more than doubled its service capacity and a new content delivery architecture was deployed to improve user download rates.

Over 14.5 mil copies of Steamworks games were registered during the year, a 67% increase over 2010. Steamworks titles shipped during 2011 include The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution , and more. Since the suite of services was released three years ago, Steamworks has shipped in over 400 games.

"Steam and Steamworks continues to evolve to keep up with customer and developer demands for new services and content," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "Support for in-game item trading prompted the exchange of over 19 million items. Support for Free to Play (FTP) games, launched in June, has spurred the launch of 18 FTP titles on Steam, with more coming in 2012. Looking forward, we are preparing for the launch of the Big Picture UI mode, which will allow gamers to experience Steam on large displays and in more rooms of the house."

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

2K Games today announced XCOM: Enemy Unknown, a new strategy game in development by Firaxis based on the classic original, which is scheduled to be released next fall.

"XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be instantly recognizable to fans of the original X-COM, while breaking new ground in strategy games for today’s console and Windows PC gamers. With equal emphasis on deep strategy and intense tactical combat, XCOM: Enemy Unknown will place players in control of a secret paramilitary organization called XCOM. As the XCOM commander, players will defend against a terrifying global alien invasion by managing resources, advancing technologies, and overseeing combat strategies and individual unit tactics.

“We’re looking forward to building upon the core gameplay experiences that fans of the original X-COM love, while introducing the franchise to a new generation,” said Sarah Anderson, senior vice president of marketing for 2K. “With Firaxis’ XCOM: Enemy Unknown and 2K Marin’s upcoming XCOM, 2K Games will be offering two different gameplay experiences drawing from the classic X-COM universe. Each game offers a unique XCOM experience in different genres, as envisioned by two different studios with unique creative visions.”

Released in 1993, the original X-COM is widely regarded as one of the best games ever made and has now been re-imagined by the strategy experts at Firaxis Games. XCOM: Enemy Unknown will expand on that legacy with an entirely new invasion story, enemies and technologies to fight aliens and defend Earth. Players will control the fate of the human race through researching alien technologies, creating and managing a fully operational base, planning combat missions and controlling soldier movement in battle.

To learn more about XCOM: Enemy Unknown, gamers can pick up the latest issue of Game Informer Magazine, which currently has the worldwide exclusive cover story on the title. The story is rich with game details, including gameplay impressions, a first look at four of the alien enemy types, insight into combat strategies and tactics, the new base setup and more.

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

Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order today announced that Cities in Motion: U.S. Cities, an upcoming expansion scheduled to be released on the 17th of this month, will add San Francisco and New York.

Both cities will be available to play in campaign and sandbox mode, and will include new vehicles, new transportation types, and plenty of new American buildings, landmarks, and commuters.

In Cities in Motion: U.S. Cities, players will have a chance to try and serve the City by the Bay, as the city’s colorful citizens and tourists alike cross the Golden Gate and ride SF’s famous cable cars, a new addition to players’ transport options. Or, they can try to tackle the traffic in the Big Apple, making use of trolley buses as they move harried New Yorkers, and the just as harried cab drivers, from borough to borough.

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-ray releases, and movies opening the week of January 2nd, 2012.

PC Games:

• (Nothing this week)

Movies opening this week:

• Beneath the Darkness (limited)
• Bir Zamanlar Andalu'da (limited NYC)
• Roadie (limited)
• The Devil Inside

DVD and Blu-ray releases:

• 60 Minutes – President Obama
• Adventures of Dante
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season Five
• Alpha Dog
• American Scream King
• Attack Of The Vegan Zombies
• Calvary
• Citizen USA: A 50 State Roadtrip
• Clancy in Wall Street
• Contagion [Blu-ray]
• Don't Be Afraid of the Dark [Blu-ray]
• Don't Let Him In
• Double Exposure
• Dr. Willoughby
• Drones
• Dude Bandit
• Ghost City
• Greening of Whitney Brown
• Hell's Fury: Wanted Dead Or Alive
• I AM
• I Don't Know How She Does It
• I'm Glad My Mother is Alive
• Ice Quake [Blu-ray]
• Jouney to Freedom
• Justified: The Complete Second Season [Blu-ray]
• Marley & Me: The Puppy Years [Blu-ray]
• Mildred Pierce [Blu-ray]
• Navy Spy
• Paranormal
• Pearl Jam Twenty [Blu-Ray]
• Puncture [Blu-ray]
• Red: Werewolf Hunter
• Royal Pains: Season Three – Vol. One
• Serendipity [Blu-ray]
• Shark Night [Blu-ray]
• She's All That [Blu-ray]
• Social Secretary
• Swastika
• The Chateau Merox
• The Fat Boy Chronicles
• The Guard [Blu-ray]
• The Last Lions [Blu-ray]
• Unleashed [Blu-ray]
• Windsors From George to Kate

Paradox Interactive and Neocore Games today announced the pre-orders for King Arthur II: The Role-playing Wargame have begun and those that do pre-order will receive a bonus prologue chapter titled Dead Legions. The pre-order is available on Steam at 10% off and the prologue can be played immediately.

"All knights that pre-order on Steam will be able to play the prologue chapter immediately.

Pre-order King Arthur II & get access to the prologue chapter for free: https://www.kingarthurii.com/buy

King Arthur II: Dead Legions is a tale of revival, resurrection and revenge; the chronicle of how the greatest adversary of King Arthur came into power – and the terrible price he had to pay. The fate of the Romans lies in the hands of a noble man Septimus Sulla while the Once and Future King lies wounded in the south. The time has come to unearth the secrets of Hadrian’s Wall while venturing into the mists of the underworld to find the fabled ghost legions of Rome."

Wargaming.net today announced that World of Tanks now has over 18 million registered users.

"Since the release in Russia on August 12, 2010, World of Tanks has successfully entered the European, North American, and Asian markets. The title also holds the Guinness World Record for Most Players Online Simultaneously on One MMO Server.

The company is working hard on new updates for its highly-acclaimed title, providing constantly evolving game experience."

Join World of Tanks:

• https://worldoftanks.eu/registration/ (Europe)
• https://worldoftanks.com/registration/ (North America)

BioWare today announced the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, the highly anticipated MMO.

"Star Wars: The Old Republic is a story-driven, massively multiplayer online (MMO) game from BioWare and LucasArts, breaking new ground in online gaming by delivering high quality, fully voiced storylines with personal choice and consequences. Set thousands of years before the classic Star Wars movies, players will be immersed as they team up with friends online to fight in heroic battles reminiscent of the films, exploring a galaxy of vibrant planets and experiencing visceral Star Wars combat. Players will be asked to join forces with either the Galactic Republic or Sith Empire and choose one of eight iconic Star Wars characters, including the Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, Trooper, Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent. Set against a sweeping musical score, Star Wars: The Old Republic will be the most emotionally engaging online gaming experience ever.

Included with the purchase of every copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic is 30 days of access to the game, after which players can continue to play through subscribing* at either $14.99 per month, $41.97 for 3 months ($13.99 per month), or $77.94 for six months ($12.99 per month). For more information on Star Wars: The Old Republic, please visit www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com"

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-ray releases and movies opening the week of December 19th, 2011.

PC Games:

• Postal III
  
• Star Wars: The Old Republic
  

Movies opening this week:

• In the Land of Blood and Honey (limited LA/NYC)
• Miss Minoes
• Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
• Pina (limited LA/NYC)
• The Adventures of Tintin
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• We Bought a Zoo

DVD and Blu-Ray Releases:

• A Farewell to Arms: Kino Classic Ed. [Blu-Ray]
• Angel of Attack
• Blackthorn [Blu-Ray]
• Burke & Hare
• Catch .44 [Blu-Ray]
• Colombiana [Blu-Ray]
• Dolphin Tale [Blu-Ray]
• Donizetti: Anna Bolena [Blu-Ray]
• For Love of Amy
• Full Signal
• Futurama 6 [Blu-Ray]
• Glee: The Concert Movie [Blu-Ray]
• Lang Lang-Liszt Now [Blu-Ray]
• Love Exposure
• Margin Call
• Margin Call [Blu-Ray]
• Midnight in Paris [Blu-Ray]
• Nothing Sacred: Kino Classics Ed. [Blu-Ray]
• NY Ink
• One Tree Hill: The Complete Eighth Season
• Prehistoric: Predators of the Past
• Saint Nick
• Sniper Comp
• Stravinsky: Petrushka, Firebird Suite [Blu-Ray]
• Straw Dogs [Blu-Ray]
• The Donna Reed Show: Season 4 – The Lost Episodes
• The Franchise: Season 1
• The Tempest
• Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland [Blu-Ray]
• Underworld Trilogy [Blu-Ray]
• Warrior [Blu-Ray]
• World is Big & Salvation Lurks Around the Corner
• WWE: Survivor Series 2011
• Zen

Paradox Interactive and Neocore Games released the second article in a King Arthur II series on quests and objectives in the upcoming sequel.

"The latest article in the series sheds light on the importance of overarching objectives found in the game, including the use of Faith and Morality within them, while also unveiling the three categories of quests players will encounter when attempting to complete their objectives.

Read the new King Arthur II in-depth article here: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?575302-King-Arthur-II-%96-In-depth-feature-Part-2-Your-Quests-and-Objectives"

Valve sent word that the 2011 Steam Holiday Sale has begun and will run through January 1st.

"In addition to huge savings throughout the store, the 2011 sale features two special promotions that allow you to win like never before.

The Great Gift Pile challenges gamers to complete up to six objectives each day. Completion of each objective grants the chance to win a free game or discount coupons for select games available on Steam. If you don't win, no worries, you'll be given a piece of coal. But hold onto that coal!

Why?

Coal is the ticket to enter the Epic Holiday Giveaway. It's called Epic because the top prize is every game on Steam. The more coal you have, the better your chance of winning. Players may alternatively choose to magically mix their coal into something shiny and new by "crafting" seven pieces into a gift from the Great Gift Pile. So this year receiving coal is a good thing.

Didn't get what you want?  Of course Steam allows you to trade coal and prizes with your friends.

Further details on these events and information on how it's progressing may be found here: https://store.steampowered.com/holidaysale/details"

Zenimax today announced that 10 million copies of The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim have been sold since its November 11th launch, which equates to about $650 million in sales.

"The PC version of Skyrim in North America outsold all other PC games by a factor of over three to one in the month of its release. Large retail reorders across all platforms and record-breaking digital sales reflect the ongoing global demand by consumers excited to explore this extraordinary fantasy epic.

Bethesda Softworks’® Skyrim has already garnered over two dozen ‘Game of the Year’ awards from major outlets worldwide, including winning the top honor of Game of the Year at the 2011 Video Game Awards which are voted on by a panel of editors from the industry’s most respected magazines and websites. In addition, Skyrim has received ‘Game of the Year’ awards from numerous other game critics, which, to date include such respected media outlets as G4TV, Official Xbox Magazine and Machinima.com. Skyrim was named ‘Most -Played Game of 2011’ by Raptr, based on research data which confirms its highly popular gameplay experience. 

“We are gratified that Skyrim continues to garner high review scores and accolades around the world,” said Robert Altman, Chairman and CEO of ZeniMax Media. “We are most grateful to our fans for their support and enthusiasm for the game, and their love of the hundreds of hours of gameplay it offers. We continue to strive to deliver the highest quality entertainment experience for everyone. 2012 will be another huge year for our fans, with the release of the Creation Kit, as well as exciting DLC which will add to the richness of this epic adventure."

“Skyrim is the fastest selling title in Steam's history” said Jason Holtman, Director of Business Development at Valve Corporation. “Bethesda’s commitment to and understanding of the PC as a gaming platform shows in the great review scores, spectacular launch, and continued high player numbers that Skyrim has received.  We are delighted that Bethesda chose to use Steamworks to support Skyrim both at retail and digitally.”

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been rated M for Mature by ESRB. For more information on Skyrim visit https://elderscrolls.com."