PC Game News

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and movies opening the week of November 7th, 2011.

PC Games:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Heavy Fire: Afghanistan
• L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition
• Saints Row: The Third
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Movies opening this week:

• 11-11-11 (limited)
• Immortals
• J. Edgar
• Melancholia
• Jack and Jill
• Into the Abyss (limited)
• London Boulevard (limited)

DVD and Blu-Ray releases:

• 1 in the Gun
• 13 [Blu-Ray]
• 7 Nights of Darkness
• Absence of Malice [Blu-Ray]
• Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl [Blu-Ray]
• Alleged [Blu-Ray]
• Apocalypse-HD [Blu-Ray]
• Atlas Shrugged Part 1 [Blu-Ray]
• Bedlam: Season 1
• Beethoven's Christmas Adventure
• Blue Velvet [Blu-Ray]
• Bolt [Blu-Ray]
• Born Bad Uncut [Blu-Ray]
• Boy Wonder
• Case Histories
• Chicken Little [Blu-Ray]
• Christmas Mail
• Crime of Love
• Destroy All Monsters [Blu-Ray]
• Doctor Who: Colony in Space (Story 58)
• Doctor Who: The Sixth Series – Part 2 [Blu-Ray]
• Executive Decision [Blu-Ray]
• Fanny and Alexander [Criterion Collection Blu-Ray]
• Frankenhooker [Blu-Ray]
• G-Force [Blu-Ray]
• Gia [Blu-Ray]
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 [Blu-Ray]
• In a Glass Cage [Blu-Ray]
• In My Sleep
• In My Sleep [Blu-Ray]
• Life in a Day [Blu-Ray]
• Little Big Man [Blu-Ray]
• Lully: Atys [Blu-Ray]
• Masterpiece Contemporary: Page Eight [Blu-Ray]
• Meet the Robinsons [Blu-Ray]
• Mortal Kombat: Legacy [Blu-Ray]
• Mutiny on the Bounty [Blu-Ray]
• One Eyed Jacks [Blu-Ray]
• Picture Perfect HD Caribbean [Blu-Ray]
• Putty Hill: Two Disc Collector's Ed.
• Red Tail Reborn [Blu-Ray]
• Restitution
• Richard Strauss: Capriccio
• Romeo X Juliet: THe Complete Tragedy S.A.V.E.
• Satan's Blood
• The Cannonball Run [Blu-Ray]
• The Carpenter
• The Change-Up Combo Pack [Blu-Ray]
• The Collector [Blu-Ray]
• The Fisher King [Blu-Ray]
• The Human Resources Manager
• The River Why [Blu-Ray]
• Tim Tebow: Everything In Between
• To Die For [Blu-Ray]
• Twelve Thirty

Activision today announced the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which is now available worldwide.

"Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 kicked off its worldwide invasion at midnight as gamers crashed launch parties at over 13,000 retailers from Sydney to London to New York City, intent on being among the first to pull the trigger on the title dubbed “the most anticipated video game in history” by GameStop’s Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Bob McKenzie. “This watershed launch extends the legacy of the franchise like no other previous release,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI). “Combining the narrative punch and gameplay innovations of the next chapter in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series with the unique services of Call of Duty Elite will bring Call of Duty gamers together in a cohesive, fan-focused environment like no other.”

Co-developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games, Modern Warfare® 3 delivers a full assault on gamers’ senses, including an intense single-player campaign that picks up immediately following the events of Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 and escalates into World War 3, as well as groundbreaking upgrades to the beloved Special Ops like the all-new Survival Mode. Special Ops serves as the perfect springboard to Modern Warfare 3’s re-imagined multiplayer, featuring the series’ trademark visceral gun-on-gun combat, a revamped pointstreak system with the introduction of “Strike Packages,” devastating new modes like “Kill Confirmed” and other gameplay enhancements, new features and a bevy of new weapons, equipment, and perks.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is rated “M” (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Strong Language and is available now for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Windows® PC. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for the Nintendo Wii, developed exclusively for the platform by Treyarch, is also available for a suggested retail price of $49.99.

For more information visit www.callofduty.com/mw3 and www.callofduty.com/elite."
 

DICE today announced a thank you Sweepstakes which players can enter by playing Battlefield 3 from Friday, November 11th at 12:01am GMT through the 13th at 11:59pm GMT. Three prizes will be given away and the grand prize will be a round-trip visit to DICE in Stockholm, Sweden.

"The Grand Prize is a round-trip visit to DICE in Stockholm, Sweden for one player and three of their squadmates for three nights. Included in the visit is a tour of the state-of-the-art studio and an introduction to the development team behind the award-winning game. The second prize is $5,000 USD in cash, or equivalent local currency, with the third place winner taking home a brand new game system with the full catalogue of corresponding Battlefield games. Complete sweepstakes rules can be found at www.battlefield.com/saysthanks.

The November play sessions will be followed in December with even more fan engagement when Battlefield 3 releases the first digital expansion pack, Back to Karkand. This expansion comes with the Limited Edition of the game and delivers four fully remastered Battlefield maps; Strike at Karkand, Wake Island, Gulf of Oman and Sharqi Peninsula, all with enhanced levels of destruction. In addition, this expansion pack includes five new dog tags, five new achievements/trophies, three new vehicles (DPV, BTR-90, F-35B STOVL jet fighter), 10 iconic Battlefield weapons and a new persistence system where players complete assignments to earn their rewards. Back to Karkand will be sold separately for $14.99 or 1200 MS points on the PlayStation®Network and Xbox LIVE® Marketplace, respectively. The expansion pack is available now for PC pre-order on Origin.com.

As DICE continues to support Battlefield 3 as a software service, the development team has been collecting player feedback, responding to issues and working non-stop to provide improvements to both the single player and multiplayer campaigns. Updates include improved Quickmatch and squad functionality, improved game stability, reduced lag and rubber-banding, and added hardcore servers to meet demand. Details of ongoing updates can be found on the Battlefield blog at https://blogs.battlefield.ea.com/."

The Bethesda blog has been updated with the announcement of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim going gold. The game is set to launch this week.

"It’s done!!!

We’re pleased to announce that after more than three years of hard work, the team at Bethesda Game Studios has completed over 20 versions of Skyrim — across multiple platforms, languages, and countries. That’s right, Skyrim is officially gold!

The team celebrated last night with sweet golden mead brewed by Kurt Kuhlmann, Ryan Jenkins, and Shane Liesegang."

Ubisoft today announced the release of a demo for Anno 2070, the next installment in the strategy series by Blue Byte.

"The demo will allow players to experience the first two missions of the game, where you will work for a tycoon leader who is building a hydroelectric power plant. Players will be required to generate manpower to construct a turbine for Global Trust, the organization belonging to the tycoons. During the missions, the player is guided by quests through the core gameplay mechanics imbedded in the brand new setting, dealing with its challenges.

The demo can be downloaded from: https://anno.ubi.com/anno-2070/demo

Anno 2070^TM is scheduled to release on November 18, 2011.  For more information, head to: www.annogame.com"

Ubisoft today announced Rainbow 6 Patriots, a new installment in the series by Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Toronto and Ubisoft Red Storm. The game is scheduled to be released in 2013.

"In Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots, Team Rainbow faces a new and very real threat called the “True Patriots,” a highly-trained, well-organized revolutionary group that claim the American government is irrevocably corrupted by greedy politicians and corporate special interests.  The True Patriots will do whatever it takes to reclaim their country.  Playing as Rainbow, players will face critical scenarios that will require them to make tough ethical decisions in order to stop this new breed of terrorists.

In addition to the immersive single-player storyline, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots will introduce a huge variety of new innovative co-op and multi-player experiences. Players will be rewarded for working as a team and mastering the game’s new features that enhance communication and tactical execution between teammates. Success will come from a mix of split-second decision making and working to coordinate attacks against the enemy.

Additional details on Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots can be found in an exclusive cover story in the Christmas issue of Official Xbox Magazine, available 30th November.

For more information about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots, please visit www.rainbow6.com"

Sony Online Entertainment today announced that DC Universe can now be downloaded and played for free.

"Starting today, all PC and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system players can create their own legendary superhero – or villain – and join forces with their favorite DC Comics characters, including Superman, Batman and the Joker to either save – or destroy – the planet.

“We are confident that going free-to-play will expand the action combat experience of DC Universe Online by making the game more accessible to every type of player so they can choose to play the game their way,” said John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment. “With a portfolio that includes three successful free-to-play games – EverQuest II: Extended, Free Realms and Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures – we have extensive knowledge and experience to apply to DCUOand are thrilled to be taking the game free-to-play today.”

There are three access levels in DCUO: Free, Premium and Legendary. All three levels will provide access to the game and include all game updates and fixes to the game, with each level offering differing game options and features. DLC content and features will also be included for Legendary players, and can be purchased by Free and Premium players.  The levels include:

• Free Access: New players now have access to the base game content in DC Universe Online, including Gotham City, Metropolis, and all current raids and alerts outside of DLC packs.  Free Access provides players with the ability to create two characters, join a League and many other benefits. Free level players can also purchase DLC packs, additional character slots, and more in-game.
• Premium Access: Any player who has spent at least $5 USD (including former paid subscribers and new players who have purchased $5 of in-game items) qualifies for the Premium Access level. Premium level players have more benefits available to them than the Free level player, including additional character slots, additional inventory slots, and higher cash limits. DLC packs, additional character slots, and more can be purchased in-game. All previous subscribers are granted Premium Access automatically.
• Legendary Access: Legendary Access provides the most content, features and benefits of the three access levels.  Loaded with enhanced features, Legendary Access is available for a $14.99 USD monthly fee (multi-month discounts are available) and includes access to all DLC packs at no cost, more than 16 character slots, over 60 inventory slots, the ability to form Leagues, and many other benefits.

DC Universe Online is licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on behalf of DC Entertainment. For more information about DC Universe Online, visit www.DCUniverseOnline.com."

Flying Wild Hog today announced the release of a v1.2 patch for Hard Reset, which includes a new Survival Mode.

"Survival Mode unleashes wave after wave of robotic hell upon the player, who has make good use of weapon upgrades to delay the inevitable as long as possible. The new game mode is available in all of the game's difficulty modes, and brings with it two new maps, as well as leaderboards to compare scores with friends.

In addition to Survival Mode, the 1.2 patch adds full NVIDIA 3D Vision and Surround support, as well as support for multiple displays. A number of other gameplay tweaks and fixes are also introduced in the patch, with Flying Wild Hog busily working on future content and gameplay updates.

Full patch notes can be found at https://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2216821. For more information about Hard Reset, visit https://hardresetgame.com."

The promised Grand Theft Auto V trailer was released today, which reveals the "Los Santos" location (a fictional implementation of Los Angels) and surroundings such as Vinewood (Hollywood). No other additional details were released with the trailer.

Infinite Game Publishing and Piranha Games today announced MechWarrior Online, and upcoming new free-to-play installment in the series that's expected to be released in the second half of 2012.

"Set in the year 3049 during the early stages of a massive interstellar war, MechWarrior Online puts you in command of the most powerful war machine to ever walk the field of battle, the mighty BattleMech™.  Command your Mech™ and customize it to suit your battlefield role; upgrade systems, replace weapons, and tweak armor with endless options.
 
MechWarrior Online lets players command at will: go head-to-head online alone or with friends in high-octane Conquest and VS modes. Band together and form your own Mercenary Corp, invite friends and battle other player-made Merc Corps for prestige and power.  Pledge your allegiance to one of the five great houses and fight for control of precious Inner Sphere planets.
 
You will play a key role in a dynamic and ever-changing universe where player exploits impact the world around you and daily story updates and frequent content additions create epic changes to the Inner Sphere universe and its many inhabitants.
 
MechWarrior Online delivers a rich online experience, rewarding everything a player does with experience points, C-Bills, unlocks, and recognition. Upgrade skills and refine  your role in gameplay using an all-new leveling system, and up-to-the minute detailed player statistics allow you to compare, track and share your progress with other players.
 
“We’re excited to lead the MechWarrior franchise online for fans of the series,” said Russ Bullock, co-founder of Piranha Games. “We’re proud to partner with Infinite Game Publishing, and are thankful for the fans of the MechWarrior series that have been so patient for the next MechWarrior game to arrive. Infinite Game is a partner who understands both the world of games publishing and the crucial technical needs of today’s AAA online gaming experiences. Together we are bringing fans epic next-generation Mech combat online in 2012.”
 
More information about MechWarrior Online at www.mwomercs.com."

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced the launch of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North.

"In The Lord of the Rings: War in the North gamers will play as part of a three-player Fellowship including Farin the Dwarf Champion, Eradan the Human Ranger, and Andriel the Elf Loremaster. Each character boasts different strengths and abilities needed to defeat their foes, requiring players to play together or perish. The Giant Eagle, Beleram, lends crucial support to the Fellowship, and can be called in by players for strategic attacks against hordes of Orcs, Trolls and other remorseless creatures of Middle-earth.

Also launching today from WaterTower Music is The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – Original Video Game Score by award-winning composer Inon Zur. This 19 track score to the game, recorded at famed Abbey Road Studios in the UK, will be available at all digital retailers; the CD will be available at Amazon.com.

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is rated “M” by the ESRB. The Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 versions are priced at $59.99 and the Games for Windows version is priced at $49.99. The Collector’s Edition price is $129.99."

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and movies opening the week of October 31st. 2011.

PC Games:

• Angel Code and Vampire Mansion – Double Collector's Edition Pack – 2 Complete Linda Hyde Mysteries
• Cities XL 2012
• NCIS
• Nuclear Dawn
• Sonic Generations
• The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

Movies opening this week:

• A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas
• Goethe! (limited LA/NY)
• Killing Bono (limited)
• Tower Heist
• The Son of No One

DVD and Blu-Ray releases:

• An Invisible Sign
• An Invisible Sign [Blu-Ray]
• Brideshead Revisited: 30th Anniversary Ed. [Blu-Ray]
• Bunraku
• Bunraku [Blu-Ray]
• Californication: The Fourth Season
• Cars 2 [Blu-Ray]
• Christmas Carol: 60th Anniversary Diamond Ed. [Blu-Ray]
• Christmas with a Capital C
• Confessions of a Dangerous Mind [Blu-Ray]
• Cop Land [Blu-Ray]
• Crazy, Stupid, Love [Blu-Ray]
• Deadliest Catch Season 7
• Dear Santa
• Essential Daffy Duck
• Fast Times at Ridgemont Heigh
• Frontline: The Man Who Knew
• Going Places [Blu-Ray]
• Golden Christmas 2: The Second Tail
• Great Explorers
• Hell in a Cell 2011
• His Way
• Holiday Baggage
• Hook [Blu-Ray]
• HOt Coffee
• How the States Got Their Shapes: Season 1
• Machete Maidens Unleashed
• Magic Trip
• Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon [Blu-Ray]
• Phantom of the Opera [Blu-Ray]
• Pie in the Sky Complete Collection
• Placebo: We Come In Pieces [Blu-Ray]
• Rawhide: The Fourth Season, Vol. 2
• Scarface [Blu-Ray]
• Scrooged [Blu-Ray]
• Snow Flower and the Secret Fan [Blu-Ray]
• Tabloid
• The Big Country [Blu-Ray]
• The Christmas Bunny
• The Last Mountain
• The Nutcracker: The Untold Story [Blu-Ray]
• The Perfect Gift
• The Philadelphia Experiment
• The Santa Incident
• Toy Story 3d Trilogy [Blu-Ray]
• Trespass [Blu-Ray]
• Trespass [Blu-Ray]
• Victorious: Season One, Vol. Two
• Water for Elephants [Blu-Ray]
• Wintervention [Blu-Ray]

The Humble Voxatron Bundle has been launched, which includes the action adventure Voxatron alpha by Lexaloffle Games.

"Pay what you want for the Voxatron alpha and…

Be the first to tackle this voxel-based, old-school-gone-new platform shooter. Pick up your trusty pea gun and shoot your way through more than twenty areas filled with blocky baddies, destructible toys, and palliative powerups.

Get Voxatron's future content and gameplay updates. As a customer of the Humble Voxatron Debut, you'll receive access to all of Lexaloffle's future updates to Voxatron: levels, characters, and more!"

More info at: https://www.humblebundle.com/

The Team Fortress 2 blog has been updated with the announcement of the third annual Stream Fortress Very Scary Halloween Special.

Steam news has the details on what the update includes:

Updates to Team Fortress 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:

•  Halloween 2011 Event
  • Viaduct has been haunted and is now… Eyeaduct!
  • One full multi-piece costume set has been added for each class
  • Random gifts containing costume pieces drop in Eyeaduct on registered servers
  • 2 new Halloween 2011 achievements
  • Any unusual hats uncrated during the event will be Halloween-themed
  • New Halloween-themed items are available in the Mann Co. store, but only for a limited time!
• Updated effects for The Cow Mangler 5000
• Updated in-game abuse reporting tool to include option for reporting abusive game servers
• Added mapcycle_halloween containing all Halloween event maps
• Fixed team colors and styles not updating properly in store previews
• Fixed bug in reputation trend status display for registered servers
• Fixed a problem that could cause repeated stutters after joining a server
• Fixed the Spine-Chilling Skull not appearing when equipped by soldiers
• New Halloween-themed community-created items submitted to the Workshop are now available in the Mann Co. store!

Adventure Productions and 10th Art Studio today announced Shadows on the Vatican, an upcoming episodic adventure title.

"A blood-red sky surrounds the city of Rome in a surreal, neverending twilight. Under the shadow of St. Peter, an American ex-priest investigates a series of events that exposes a deeper, more complex web of political and religious intrigue than he ever could have imagined.

Visiting Rome from Chicago, where he works as a doctor, ex-priest James Murphy answers a mysterious call for help from his friend Cristoforo.

The disappearance of a briefcase containing compromising documents is enough to convince James that his friend is a victim of something shady and sinister. The Vatican’s involvement and some strange parallels with his own traumatic past inspire James to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Along this dangerous and disturbing path, James finds the most unlikely travelling companion who will question his deepest beliefs. And so the two characters begin both a physical journey in search of the truth, and a metaphysical exploration of the inner soul and the darkest secrets that everyone hides, even a "champion of the faith" like James.

Rome is the stage for this adventure – a city bathed in eternal twilight, its skies tinted the color of blood spilled in more than thirty years of intrigue: blood of innocents and guilty, unknown and famous victims alike."

Features:

• A thrilling new point-and-click adventure in 4 acts, inspired by real events in recent Italian history and freely adapted from David Yallop's bestseller "In God's Hand".
• Over 10 locations per episode with high resolution graphics (max resolution 1920×1080) directed by Lorenzo Ruggiero (Marvel/DC Comics)
• Realistic characters with hours of motion-capture animations
• Well integrated puzzles and several hours of gameplay
• Animated coloured comics by award winner Daniela di Matteo
• Fully dubbed in English

More information at www.shadowsonthevatican.com