PC Game News

Activision today announced "Call of Duty: Black Ops Annihilation", the third content pack for the FPS that will launch first for Xbox LIVE customers on June 28. No release date for the PC or PS3 version has been announced yet.

"Black Ops continues to draw millions of gamers online globally, logging billions of gameplay hours since its launch in November.  Fueled by the breakthrough First Strike and Escalation content packs, the blockbuster title is also already the highest selling add-on content in Xbox LIVE history, according to Microsoft.  In fact, more gamers play Call of Duty on Xbox LIVE than on any other platform. The newest offering, Annihilation, will launch first on Xbox LIVE and features four new multiplayer maps and a Zombie experience that's sure to keep gamers coming back for more.

"With Annihilation, Black Ops fans will get four exciting and unique multiplayer settings with Hangar 18, Drive-In, Silo and Hazard," said Treyarch Studio Head, Mark Lamia. "Players will also enjoy an all-new Zombies experience, Shangri-La, an exotic and mysterious map filled with deadly traps, dark secrets and innovative gameplay that will challenge even the most daring Zombie hunters."

GamersFirst today announced the acquisition of "Fallen Earlth" from Fallen Earth, LLC, the free-to-play post-apocalyptic MMO.

"The current 12-person creative team behind Fallen Earth, headed by Lead Game Designer Marie “Aro Sei” Croall, will join GamersFirst’s development studio Reloaded Productions to lead the transition of Fallen Earth to a hybrid Free2Play game with an ongoing membership system.

Going forward GamersFirst will provide all publishing services, backend development and technical operations while Croall’s team will continue their work on the upcoming Alpha County expansion.

Once transitioned to Free2Play, Fallen Earth will give free players completely unrestricted permanent access to every zone and instance in the game. Several types of services, items and conveniences will continue being sold in the Fallen Earth store. Subscriptions will be replaced by a tiered membership system that caters to players of all levels of engagement, and each membership will include reward points that can be used to obtain store items for free on a monthly basis.

Current subscribers who maintain their subscriptions through the estimated five month transition period will collect significant rewards when the game completes the transition, projected for Q4 of this year. “Veteran Rewards” will include lifetime upgrades to a premium tier membership for the price of an existing subscription, as well as unique veteran-only items, the value of which will be determined by the number of months the player subscribed between June 2011 and the completion of the transition."

Valve and The National today announced a music video contest for "Portal 2" based on the Exile Vilify song that was featured in the game. The winner will receive a signed guitar by the band and a collection of Portal related merchandise.

"Starting today and running until midnight July 15th, the contest asks the community to make a music video for the song "Exile Vilify" using whatever visuals they choose.

Once aspiring video directors have completed their work, they may submit their videos on YouTube using the tag PORTAL2NATIONALEXILE. After the deadline, Valve, The National, and the community will select the winner who will win a prize package including a guitar autographed by The National plus a collection of Portal 2 merchandise.

"Exile Vilify" was penned by The National specifically for Portal 2, which is the year's highest rated multiplatform game release.

For more information regarding the Portal 2 Music Video Contest, please visit thinkwithportals.com."

Valve today announced support for free-to-play games on Steam.

"Available immediately, the launch titles are Spiral Knights, Forsaken Worlds, Champions Online: Free for All, Global Agenda: Free Agent, and Alliance of Valliant Arms (AVA).

Beginning tomorrow (Weds) with Spiral Knights and concluding Sunday with AVA, each of the five launch titles will offer exclusive in-game content to those who try the "F2P game of the day" on Steam.  In game transactions in all of the titles will be supported by Steam's micro-transaction backend system that is available to Steamworks partners and currently used in Valve's Team Fortress 2.

"The introduction of Free to Play games is another example of the constant evolution of Steam," said Jason Holtman, director of business development at Valve. "Free to Play games offer new game genres and game experiences for customers, while offering developers and publishers new revenue opportunities and the ability to reach customers in areas of the world where the traditional packaged goods model is less popular than F2P."

Specific details on the F2P games of the day and their exclusive in-game content will be made available in the coming days.

Steam is a leading platform for PC & Mac games and digital entertainment serving over 1,500 games to over 30 million active accounts worldwide. For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com"

Electronic Arts and Spicy Horse today announced that "Alice: Madness Returns" has been shipped and is now available at North American retailers.

"A sequel to the original PC hit American McGee’s Alice™, the new title finds a grown-up Alice finally free from Rutledge Asylum for the Insane, but still grappling with the horror and survivor's guilt of the tragic fire that killed her family 11 years earlier. Alice returns to Wonderland to uncover the truth about her past. But what was once a place of refuge has now been transformed into a sinister nightmare, and madness threatens to overcome both Alice and Wonderland. Alice: Madness Returns builds upon the distinct art style of the original game, but with new visuals, story and game design.

“Spicy Horse is proud to bring players back to the beautiful yet dark world we have created for Alice,” said American McGee, Spicy Horse Games Co-Founder and Senior Creative Director. “The team has gone to great lengths to make sure that both fans of the franchise and newcomers alike will find themselves eager to tumble down the rabbit hole again thanks to an immersive story and distinctive art style.”

Alice: Madness Returns is available now in North America for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC for MSRP $59.99. Alice: Madness Returns is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB.

For more information visit https://AliceMadnessReturns.com."

2K Games and Gearbox today announced that the long awaited "Duke Nukem Forever" has been shipped and is now available in North America.

"Duke Nukem Forever has become one of the most hotly discussed and eagerly awaited entertainment properties of all time. The game has gone from being highly anticipated when it was originally announced in April 1997, to achieving mythological status when it disappeared for more than a decade. Today, Duke Nukem Forever has finally earned its rightful place atop the video game throne with its June 14, 2011 North American launch.

“The most worthy of challenges bring with them the opportunity for all of us to test our faith and to believe in miracles,” said Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software. “The arrival of Duke Nukem Forever proves that miracles do happen.”

From the game’s inception, the legendary George Broussard and his team of immensely talented and passionate designers, artists and programmers at 3DRealms devoted themselves to bringing Duke Nukem Forever to market. When all appeared lost, a small team of dedicated developers, known as Triptych Studios, saved Duke Nukem Forever from what seemed like vaporware death and resurrected the King. Their heroic efforts alongside Gearbox Software, Piranha Games and many other contributors finalized the legacy by bringing the full-featured triple-A title to retail.

Apologizing to no one, Duke Nukem Forever is the high-octane video game equivalent of a Hollywood summer blockbuster. Starring the legendary lady killer and alien slayer, Duke Nukem Forever introduces gamers to a blastastic time filled with head-popping, bone-rattling action, brazenly crude humor, impossibly statuesque women dying for affection, and catchy one-liners that will have you laughing out loud.

Duke Nukem Forever is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. For more information on Duke Nukem Forever, please visit www.dukenukemforever.com."

Gamepot announced "Wizardry Online" yesterday, an upcoming MMORPG by Headlock. A closed beta is planned for this month and the game is currently scheduled to launch in North America and Europe in 2012.

"A revival of the legendary Wizardry titles, Wizardry Online is the next-generation incarnation of a series that has been called the godfather of the role-playing game (RPG) genre. Wizardry first came to computers in the early 1980s, and the popularity of its "Dungeons & Dragons"-style gameplay led to the creation of countless sequels, spin-offs and collections across multiple platforms.

"Wizardry Online hearkens back to the original allure of the groundbreaking Wizardry RPG series, but brings an updated flare for modern gamers," said Shuhei Ueda, president of Gamepot. "Now, for the first time ever, players around the world can step into the impressive action and captivating lore of this world in a free-to-play, online format. We're confident the return to hardcore role-playing elements will be a shot in the arm for gamers looking for a new challenge in the genre."

Developed in conjunction with Japanese game studio Headlock Inc., Wizardry Online will offer multiplayer features new to the Wizardry series such as party play and player versus player (PvP) combat, while maintaining the classic style that the series is known for. Hardcore gamers will revel in the return of the complex dungeons that punctuated earlier iterations, and soon will find that the game is fraught ­with significant peril: Wizardry Online features permanent death, in which player characters can be removed from the game upon dying, creating a more immersive experience.

For more information about Wizardry Online, please visit:

https://www.gamepot.co.jp/wiz_en/."

A trailer for "The Darkness II" was released at E3, giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming sequel by Digital Extremes.

"The Darkness II breaks out of the sea of conventional first-person shooters with its fervid Quad-Wielding gameplay, which will allow players to slash, grab, and throw objects and enemies with their Demon Arms while simultaneously firing two weapons. The game is layered with the use of dark versus light, steeped in deep and twisted storytelling, and engulfed in stylistic violence that is visualized through a hand-painted graphic noir technique that stays true to its comic book origins."

The official RAGE website now states that the release date is October 4 in the US and October 7 in Europe. The release date was previously the 13 and 16.

"RAGE is the latest game from id Software, the acclaimed designers of the Wolfenstein®, DOOM®, and QUAKE® series. RAGE features intense first-person shooter action, breakneck vehicle combat, an expansive world to explore and jaw-dropping graphics powered by id’s revolutionary id Tech® 5 technology. Set in the not-too-distant future, you emerge to discover humanity working to rebuild itself against forces such as bandit gangs, mutants, and more."

Paradox Interactive released a "Sword of the Stars II" gameplay trailer for E3, giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming RTS sequel by Kerberos Productions.

"Sword of the Stars II: Lords of Winter offers an evolved version of the original six races from Sword of the Stars and its expansions. The game will reveal the deep, dark secret of the Suul’ka.

Boasting an all new graphics engine and incorporating new ship details that allow for new fleet strategies and tactics, Sword of the Stars II is poised to revive the 4X space genre and is scheduled for release in September, 2011."

Bohemia Interactive released an E3 trailer for "Carrier Command: Gaea Mission", a remake of the classic action game.

"Carrier Command: Gaea Mission – The ground-breaking 80's classic is back in this highly-anticipated next generation experience. Players will be treated to an immersive journey with an engaging story in the vast, free-roaming environment that spans 33 unique islands in 6 different climatic areas. Players will battle over air, land and sea in this exciting combination of the 1st and 3rd person action genre with strategic elements where the exploration and mastering of tactics is key and the thrill of a successful fight will spur the player onward to a victorious experience like no other."

gamingo today announced that an open beat for "Black Prophecy" has been launched for North American gamers.

"For the first time, all gamers in the region are now able to experience the breathtaking real-time dogfights, intriguing storylines and open-world freedoms that won the game a 2010 "Best of Gamescom" award in the "Free To Play category." Players can register for the open beta test at the official Black Prophecy homepage, download the game immediately and immerse themselves into the unpredictable adventures that await them in the dark vastness of space."

Bohemia Interactive today announced "ArmA 2: Free", a free-to-play multiplayer version of the war simulation game that will be released this month.

"Arma 2: Free serves up almost everything offered by the original Arma 2 – the '13th best PC game of all time', according to PC Gamer – minus the campaign, HD graphics and support for user-made addons and mods. Arma 2: Free is scheduled for release in June 2011.

Create your own custom-built scenarios or deploy a massive selection of missions and game-modes made by others. No micro-transactions, no hidden costs, just the same epic terrain and huge variety of equipment! This is Arma 2 Free – virtual war without the training wheels.
Arma 2: Free to download, free to play, free to share, free to host, free to create… free to play redefined!

Some of the key features of Arma 2: Free include:

• Free military simulation – An authentic battlefield simulation, including bullet ballistics, material penetration and much more.
• Free armory – A comprehensive range of 300+ weapons, units and fully-usable armed or unarmed vehicles across air, land and water classes.
• Free unique multiplayer – Multiplayer with large-scale maps for 50+ live players and hundreds of AI units. Supports a wide variety of MP modes from co-op and PvP modes, to total mayhem!
• Free dedicated servers – Both Linux and Windows OS dedicated server support for users to host freely wherever and however they like even to play together on the same retail game-servers.
• Free creativity – Quick mission templates, a powerful, built-in, easy to use SP/MP mission editor, and advanced scripting.

To learn more about the Arma 2: Free project please visit the product´s website at www.arma2.com/free"

Paradox Interactive released an E3 trailer for "Defenders of Ardania", giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming RTS by Most Wanted Entertainment.

"Defenders of Ardania is a next-generation tower defense game with a twist, set in the rich fantasy world of Majesty. Besides the addictive core mechanics of placing towers to stop advancing enemy units, Defenders of Ardania also allows players to take on the role of attacker and defender simultaneously, giving fans of the genre a challenge they’ve never seen before."

Paradox Interactive released an E3 trailer for "Crusader Kings II", giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming strategy game. The game is currently scheduled to be released in early 2012.

"In this deep character-driven strategy game, Europe is in turmoil. The lands are fragmented into petty fiefs, the emperor struggles with the Pope, and the Holy Father declares that all those who go to liberate the Holy Land will be freed of their sins. Now is the time for greatness. Expand your domain and fill your coffers, appoint vassals, battle traitors, introduce laws while interacting with hundreds of nobles, and create the most powerful dynasty in medieval Europe. Do you have what it takes to become a Crusader King?"