PC Game News

Trion Worlds released a new GamesCom trailer for End of Nations, the upcoming MMORTS by Petroglyph.

"The new Metagame video features the developers from Petroglyph discussing the Metagame aspect of End of Nations while including tips and details on how to be more effective on the battlefield, strategic advantages and how to conquer the world! 

End of Nations brings RTS and MMO games together for an experience that is a revolutionary leap forward, allowing players to join the battle against the Order of Nations and develop their own Commander persona."

EA Play today announced the launch of The Sims Social on Facebook, which is available globally. The Sims Social builds on the popular series and allows you to play the "browser-based" game with your real friends on Facebook.

"The Sims Social allows friends and rivals to play with life on the largest social-networking site where they will be able to interact with each other and create fun, humor and mischief like never before. The Sims Social showcases the best gameplay from The Sims, one of the world’s most popular videogame franchises,combined with innovative social game features. Players create their Sims in any likeness they choose and experience every aspect of their Sims’ social lives, including building a variety of relationships with their real Facebook friends.

To play The Sims Social, please visit Facebook."

Frozenbyte today released a GamesCom trailer for Trine 2, which highlights cooperative play in the upcoming sequel.

"Boasting sumptuous visuals, a masterful musical score, and clever physics-based gameplay, Trine 2 is the perfect mix of old-school platforming action, original physics-based level design, and cooperative multiplayer fun!"

Paradox Interactive and Fatshark today announced War of the Roses, an upcoming team-based multiplayer melee combat game set in 15th century England. The game was previously codenamed Project Postman.

"War of the Roses will pull players into a team-based multiplayer melee combat experience, putting their band of knights right in the thick of chaotic battles against opposing hordes armed with swords, battleaxes, longbows and other iconic medieval classics.

Featuring top-notch graphics portraying the fighting from an up-close-and-personal third-person perspective, War of the Roses features both online multiplayer and a deep single-player campaign. Players will get the chance to lead their knight through a progression system, gaining upgrades and unlocking new content on their path from filthy peasant to unstoppable armored killing machine.

Gamers should be ready to pick up their lances in 2012."

Nordic Games today announced the acquisition of JoWood and The Adventure Company with plans to re-launch the back catalog of games and invest in developing new games based on existing franchises.

"JoWooD and The Adventure Company will become publishing labels within Nordic Games GmbH, with the plan to re-launch the huge back catalogue of games and invest in developing the wholly owned IP’s and franchises, including SpellForce, Painkiller, ArcaniA, The Guild, Panzer Elite, Legend of Kay, The Nations, Safecracker, and Neighbours From Hell, amongst others.

Nordic Games GmbH has recently opened its new office in Vienna, Austria. The team members have been carefully selected for their enthusiasm and desire to make a successful publishing company, and their care and attention to the former JoWooD Entertainment AG brands and products.

Nordic Games GmbH CEO, Lars Wingefors said: “This new venture will be a fresh start, and we will be introducing new systems, procedures and business ethics to ensure the company goes from strength to strength.”

Wingefors continued: “This is the beginning of a new era and over the coming months product development will start on a variety of well loved and respected brands and products.”

Klemens Kreuzer, General Manager added: “We have a great range of back catalogue that will keep our team busy in these early days.”

A new corporate website is currently under construction at www.nordicgames.at"

Electronic Arts today released a new GamesCom gameplay trailer for Battlefield 3, which highlights a "Caspian Border" map and unveils in-game jets.

"Battlefield 3 ended EA's press conference at GamesCom with a sonic boom. 1,000 people at the Palladium and everyone following the EA press conference live could see and hear it. While it was very exciting for us to play one of our co-op missions live on PlayStation 3, it was equally exciting to finally unveil jets in Battlefield 3 multiplayer."

2K Games released a GamesCom Borderlands 2 teaser trailer, offering a short glimpse of the Gunzerker class.

"Borderlands 2 is the epic sequel to the ultimate four-player Role-Playing Shooter loot fest. Combining invention and evolution, Borderlands 2 features all-new characters, skills, environments, enemies, weapons and equipment, which come together in an ambitiously crafted story. Players will reveal secrets, and escalate mysteries of the Borderlands universe as they adventure across the unexplored new areas of Pandora."

The LEGO Group today announced the launch of the Free to Play Zone for Lego Universe, giving players free access to a select portion of the game.

"The LEGO Universe free-to-play experience offers a selection of game content, including two adventure zones and one player property area for building your own virtual LEGO models as well as access to thousands of other players' Properties. Paying members will have access to all areas in the full game, along with membership benefits such as competitions and community events. In addition to the 15+ robust adventure zones and instances as well as 5+ property worlds currently in-game, access to new expansions, like major Ninjago content coming later this year, will require players to register for full membership.

Here’s a list of all the cool stuff Free to Play players can do in LEGO Universe:

• Custom build one LEGO hero
• Interact with in-game friends
• Collect up to 10,000 coins
• Earn Universe Score to level up
• Play through The Venture Explorer
• Play through Avant Gardens
• Join the Nexus Force
• Sample Faction Gear
• Play the Survival mini-game
• Claim the Avant Gardens Block Yard Property
• Fight the Spider Queen
• Place LEGO models you have collected
• Build LEGO models of your own
• Bring LEGO models to life
• Visit thousands of other players’ Properties

More about full membership benefits"

Valve today released the Gamescom trailer for Defense of the Ancients 2. The DOTA 2 Championship at Gamescom will be held from August 17th – 21st.

"The International features the 16 best Dota teams in the world competing in the Dota 2 Championships through a group stage, double elimination playoff format over the course of Cologne's five-day trade show.

The tournament will be broadcast in four languages (Chinese, German, Russian, and English) free of charge. The winning team will receive $1 million.  In addition to the cash prizes awarded by Valve, NVidia is providing all the hardware for the event.

Dota 2 will be available for the PC and Mac later this year. For more information on Valve and its games, please visit https://www.dota2.com/"

Valve today announced Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which will features new maps, weapons, models, etc. for the legendary FPS multiplayer game.

"Targeted for release via Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and Steam (for PC and Mac) in early 2012, CS: GO will expand upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched exactly 12 years ago (CS beta 1, August 1999).

CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.

"Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999," said Doug Lombardi, VP of Marketing at Valve. "For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS' award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac."

CS: GO is being developed by Valve in cooperation with Seattle-based Hidden Path Entertainment. The title is targeted for release in early 2012 and will be playable at this year's PAX Prime and Eurogamer Expo 2011.

For more information, please visit https://store.steampowered.com/app/1800/"

ALT1 Games today announced the launch of an open beta test for Troy Online.

"ALT1 Games has plans to release new updates during the open beta test, as well as run a number of events including beta key giveaways for new and current users. For the open beta test, ALT1 Games has changed the game engine to enhance the quality of game graphics and improve game. If you participated in the previous test, you can check how much the graphics have changed. You can view the updated graphics at the Troy Online official homepage.

ALT1 Games has placed a server in Europe to solve the lagging problems which plagued international users. The strong point of the game was that the battle system allowed more than a hundred users to fight at once and thelag did not allow players to experience these wars. The lag issues should slow down if not cease entirely with the implementation of a European server.

ALT1 Games has also announced that they will continue to update the game to reduce further lagging issues and place servers in other territories in accordance with user distribution.

To participate in the open beta test, players need to sign up at the Troy Online official website and download the client. All players, even those with the closed beta client, must download the new client. Don’t miss the open beta events, starting August 12th! Check out more details at the event page."

Perfect World Entertainment today announced the launch of the "Chains of Kluer" content update for its MMORPG Forsaken World.

"Players who bring down the legendary ogre Kluer will be automatically be entered for a chance to win a statue of Kluer worth $300. Other prizes that players can vie for in-game are transformation items to become Kluer as well as mini-ogre versions of Kluer as an in-game pet.

"Forsaken World Forsaken World has been one of our most successful games to date and with the new 'Chains of Kluer' content update, players will not only be able to take on the legendary Kluer himself, but also enter contests that include a one-of-a-kind Kluer statue, an in-game Kluer pet, and transformation item!," said Clifton Chu, Product Manager for Forsaken World." We look forward to continuing to support Forsaken World's thriving community with exciting new content and like all of Perfect World's games; players can look forward to high quality games that are truly free to play."

Other features in the 'Chains of Kluer' content update include:

• Ever-changing world – New events including the revamped Eternal Faith, a Hunting Festival, and an advance pet catching dungeon
• Build up your guild base – Guilds can now unlock level 3 for their guild bases, which includes higher construction buildings and lower maintenance costs
• Train up – The character level cap is now raised from 70 to 80 and players can now master even more jobs as they train themselves to be the best fighter
• A pet's journey – Free up your play time by having your pet help you do your daily quests and events
• Faster kills with mounted combat – Take the fight to the next level with mounted combat as death comes swifter than ever in Eyrda

For official sweepstakes rules, terms and eligibility requirements, players can visit https://www.perfectworld.com/blog/?p=296941"

NCSoft today released a new video with Kristen Perry and Ree Soesbee for Guild Wars 2 highlighting the sylvari race.

"Four years ago, the Guild Wars 2 writers and designers came to the artists with a crazy direction for a new race. They are a brand new species to Tyria—less than 25 years old—innocent to the world, they nevertheless possess a collective wisdom. They have a certain noble quality, incorporating Arthurian chivalry as well as all the secrets that the darker places may reveal. They are mysterious. They are unusual. They are unique. They are the sylvari.

Oh yeah, and they are plants.

In the following video, Continuity & Lore Designer Ree Soesbee and I take a look at the unique background of the sylvari and how our enigmatic plant race has grown and flowered over the years from the initial designs to where we are today. We hope you enjoy it!"

Warner Bros. today released a new video for F.E.A.R. 3 highlighting the motion capture technology used in the game.

"Lead Animator Andy Konieczny explains how movement data is captured with multiple cameras and a sensor-filled suit and how the data translates to animations of different characters in F.E.A.R. 3.  Mo-cap actors Scott Sumerak and Lawrence Kern also give insight to how they prepare to take on the role of various characters in video games."

Deep Silver today announced that Dead Island has gone gold and is scheduled to be released on September 6th in North America and the 9th in the rest of the world. Along with this announcement, a new co-op trailer was released.

"Only teamwork can get the four different protagonists of Dead Island through the seemingly insurmountable odds and dangers that await them on the zombie infested tropical island of Banoi. Their different skillsets complement each other and give them the ability to oppose the hordes of zombies that await them around every corner of the former holiday paradise.

Dead Island offers a seamless co-op experience for up to four players with easy drop-in/drop-out mechanics throughout the whole game.

When playing with friends its all about fighting together and watching each others' back or… "

More info: www.deadisland.com