PC Game News

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and movies opening the week of May 30, 2011.

PC Games:

• BioShock 2: Minerva's Den
• Call of Duty: Black Ops – Escalation Pack
• Curse of Slate Rock Manor
• Cities in Motion: Tokyo
  
• Hamilton's Great Adventure
• Hunted: The Demon's Forge
  
• The Rockin' Dead
  
• The Sims 3 Generations
  

Movies Opening This Week:

• Beautiful Boy (limited LA/NYC)
• Beginners (limited)
• Submarine (limited)
• X-Men: First Class

DVD and Blu-Ray Releases:

• A Clockwork Orange – anniversary ed. [Blu-Ray]
• A Man Called Horse [Blu-Ray]
• American Graffiti [Blu-Ray]
• Barry Lyndon [Blu-Ray]
• Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 7 – Coriolan Overture [Blu-Ray]
• Ben Bailey: Road Rage & Accidental Ornithology
• Big Jake [Blu-Ray]
• Biutiful [Blu-Ray]
• Chicago Cubs: The Heart & Soul of Chicago [Blu-Ray]
• Cyrano De Bergerac [Blu-Ray]
• David Byrne: Ride Rise Roar [Blu-Ray]
• Degas: La Petite Danseuse De Degas [Blu-Ray]
• Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan: Season 5
• Donizetti: Don Pasquale
• Drive Angry [Blu-Ray 3d]
• Eddie Vedder: Water on the Road
• Ellery Queen Mysteries: The Disappearing Dagger
• Fabulous Beekman Boys
• Handel: Theodora [Blu-Ray]
• IMAX: Hubble [Blu-Ray]
• Kaboom
• Legend – ultimate ed. [Blu-Ray]
• Live at the Mount Baker Theatre
• Lolita [Blu-Ray]
• Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn / Adagio From Symphony 10 [Blu-Ray]
• MusiCares Tribute to Neil Young [Blu-Ray]
• National Parks Collection: Expanded Ed.
• Nature: Salmon [Blu-Ray]
• Nobel Prize Concert: Joshua Bell [Blu-Ray]
• Once Upon a Time in the West [Blu-Ray]
• Passion Play [Blu-Ray]
• Passon Play
• Prey
• Psych: The Complete Fifth Season
• Puccini: Tosca [Blu-Ray]
• Red Green Show: The mid-Life Crisis Years
• Rio Lobo [Blu-Ray]
• Rookie Blue: The Complete First Season [Blu-Ray]
• Screamadelica Live [Blu-Ray]
• SGU: Stargate Universe – The Complete Final Season
• Stanley Kubrick: Limited Edition Collection [Blu-Ray]
• Swamp People: Season 1
• The Cat O' Nine Tails [Blu-Ray]
• Toy Story 3 [Blu-Ray]
• True Blood: The Complete Third Season [Blu-Ray]
• Ultimate Factories – Car Collection
• Undertow [Blu-Ray]
• Verdi: La Traviata [Blu-Ray]
• Wagner: Der Fliegende Hollander [Blu-Ray]
• Waiting City
• WWE: Extreme Rules 2011 [Blu-Ray]

Futuremark released a new teaser trailer for three upcoming games. No other details were released with the trailer other than that they can be categorized as a PC game, an XBLA game, and an iOS game. What we can conclude from the trailer is that a new space shooter is most likely in development for the PC.

"In true teaser spirit, we are not revealing any further details today: no titles, genres, or release dates. If you like to categorise your news and trailers, however, you can tag this under PC, XBLA and iOS. We will leave it to your readers to guess which platforms apply to each game (there are only 343 possible combinations)."

Eutechnyx, released the first screenshots from "Auto Club Revolution" last week, giving viewers a look at the upcoming free-to-play racing game.

"The screen shots display the high graphical quality of Auto Club Revolution’s racing experience, which delivers console-quality online racing to the free-to-play games market.  The game’s front end is web-based, creating a powerful and flexible social platform for communities of car enthusiasts and racing fans to interact with each other and their favourite motoring brands. The racing engine is delivered via a downloaded application (client). This combination of web and app. empowers the player to manage their game, garage and network of friends on the web from anywhere, while the downloadable element provides the premium quality race experience that separates Auto Club Revolution from all other games in the sector.

While racing game fans will enjoy the array of officially-licensed cars complete with realistic driving performances and handling, car enthusiasts will immerse themselves in an online world built around their favourite car brands.

Eutechnyx' COO, Darren Jobling said, "Auto Club Revolution will be a game changer for online racing and today’s screenshots barely touch the surface of what is probably the deepest car racing and car ownership experience ever developed.” He continues, “working together with the largest brands in motoring, we've fused online games and social motoring communities to build a truly new and exciting platform, with degrees of motor manufacturer involvement that are unprecedented in the history of real-world racing games, details of which we will be revealing shortly.”

The screenshots have been released ahead of the first closed beta tests, which are scheduled to take place in July 2011.

Doug Wolff, Eutechnyx Producer adds “We’re inviting everyone to participate in the development and balancing of Auto Club Revolution. We’re gearing up for the first phase of beta tests, anyone who wants to be involved should sign up immediately to secure their chance to be one of the first to experience the most exciting development in the racing game genre for years.”

Anyone who would like to be involved in beta testing, or who would simply like to register their interest, can do so at https://www.autoclubrevolution.com. "

Frogster Interactive announced that a new expansion for "Bounty Bay Online", which brings players back to the high sea, will be released in July.

"The last add-on, ‘Atlantis’, focused on land battles, while the coming update takes fearless virtual buccaneers back out to the high sea. With three new ships to choose from, players can test their might on their own or in groups – engaging in thrilling sea battles or facing off against the advancing Spanish Armada. The latter is led by Spanish Admiral Medina Sidiona, whose aim is to capture the English mainland. In the sea battle of Cravelines, players must combat a mighty naval convoy consisting of gunboats, cruisers, and destroyers, as well as gigantic battleships. As a final challenge, they must then confront the practically insurmountable flagship of Admiral Medina Sidiona.

To give them a sporting chance, virtual captains receive three new types of ammunition to temporarily incapacitate opponents, inflict particularly severe damage, and negatively affect the accuracy of enemy cannons. Sure to delight all the virtual seafarers is the new Ship Improvement System, which allows players to vastly improve their ship’s stats through the use of powerful special items. That way, players have the opportunity to customise their ship’s strengths to their own specifications and finally become the terror of the seven seas.

For more information, visit our website: https://www.bountybayonline.com"

Ubisoft announced Thursday new details for "Assassin's Creed Revelations", the upcoming fourth installment in the series.

"Assassin’s Creed Revelations follows master assassin Ezio Auditore as he walks in the footsteps of hislegendary mentor, Altaïr, on a journey to recover five ancient seals that hold the keys to the future of the Assassins brotherhood. It is a perilous path – one that will take Ezio to Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where a growing army of Templars threatens to destabilize the region.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations is set to release on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC this November.

• Hone the deadly art of assassination – As Ezio Auditore, wield the lethal skills of a wiser, more efficient assassin. Armed with a new arsenal of weapons and abilities including the hookblade, bomb crafting and a heightened Eagle Sense, you can kill with death-dealing proficiency.
• Herald the return of a legend – Assassin’s Creed Revelations features the return of Altaïr as a playable character, the hero of the original Assassin’s Creed.
• Journey to the Constantinople –Explore picturesque settings, from Masyaf, the mountain stronghold of the Assassins during the Third Crusade to the vibrant and exotic Constantinople, the jewel of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th Century. Navigate crowded streets and vistas, through a cauldron of cultures as Constantinople comes to life.
• Meet new players to the Assassins Creed lore –Encounter memorable personalities, including fellow master assassin Yusuf Tazim, Prince Suleiman, destined to become one of the greatest monarchs in history, and Sofia Sorto, a simple woman who vies for Ezio’s heart.
• Test your skills as an assassin against your friends –  the acclaimed online multiplayer experience returns, refined and expanded with more modes, more enthralling maps and new characters

Consumers who pre-order Assassin’s Creed Revelations at a U.S. GameStop location will receive an exclusive Penny Arcade poster. (limited quantities while supplies last.)

For more information on Assassin’s Creed, visit:  www.assassinscreed.com"

TimeGate Studios announced that the upcoming Overdrive Map Pack for "Section 8: Prejudice" will be released on Wednesday, June 1.

"With two brand new maps, the Overdrive Map Pack further expands Prejudice’s incredibly rich game experience and demonstrates TimeGate’s commitment to extensive post-launch support of the highly acclaimed $15 shooter. The Overdrive Map Pack will be available on Xbox Live Arcade and Games for Windows Marketplace for 320 Microsoft Points ($3.99).

The Overdrive Map Pack includes two new multiplayer maps, Abaddon and Sky Dock. Amidst the magma craters of Abaddon, protect a power cell facility built on a scalding energy source. Sky Dock is a crucial military base and space port nestled in the frozen tundra. Each map is playable in both multiplayer and offline play for all game modes, which includes Swarm, Conquest, and the recently community-unlocked Assault game mode.

For more information, visit https://warisprejudice.com."

SEGA today announced the release of the "Ikko Ikki Clan" content pack for "Shogun 2: Total War", which is available via Steam.

"The Ikko Ikki Clan pack unlocks the iconic Buddhist rebel faction for single and multiplayer campaign modes as well as multiplayer battles. The content also adds a brand new agent type, the Ikko Ikki monk, to the campaign map in addition to adding eight unit variants for the Ikko Ikki and the unique Warrior Nun unit for other factions.

On top of all this, there are also ten new retainers, new steam achievements, a unique Ikko Ikki General skill-tree, a new historical battle, new Avatar armour sets for use in avatar conquest mode and much more. For full details please visit Totalwar.com."

CD Projekt RED today announced the release of patch v1.1, which brings improvements, fixes, and the removal of DRM for the versions that had it. For the GOG version of the game, there is a download available on GOG.com. Steam users should use the Steam auto-patching system.

"Other notable improvements include frame rate increases of approximately up to 30%, especially noticeable on DRMed versions and low spec systems, better stability, and non-problematic installation of free DLCs (the first free DLC, the "Troll Trouble" quest, is incorporated into the patch), the possibility of inverting the mouse and re-mapping directional control on the keyboard, and more.

Adam Badowski, CD Projekt RED Development Director, commented, “Our goal is to make our fans and customers happy and to reward them for buying our game and DRM schemes does not support our philosophy as they might create obstacles for users of legally bought copies. Our approach to countering piracy is to incorporate superior value in the legal version. This means it has to be superior in every respect: less troublesome to use and install, with full support, and with access to additional content and services. So, we felt keeping the DRM would mainly hurt our legitimate users. This is completely in line with what we said before the release of The Witcher 2. We felt DRM was necessary to prevent the game being pirated and leaked before release. This purpose has been served, so we are pleased to let our users enjoy the full freedom of game usage they deserve.”

Badowski also explained CD Projekt RED’s stance on DRM from another perspective, "It’s important to remember that the PC platform is far more complex than consoles. DRM adds another layer of complication and potential problems. We saw this clearly in our game. Pre-release tests showed only small performance differences compared to the DRM-free (GOG.com) versions.  We were unpleasantly surprised when some of our fans reported much larger differences, up to 30% lower framerates. This was another clear signal that we had to remove DRM as soon as possible – the quality of our users’ gameplay experience is absolutely our number one priority!"

Regarding the other fixes and improvements, Badowski further stated, "Patch 1.1 is also very important because it overcomes the major technical obstacles some of our customers encountered with installation and activation. We believe that after installing the patch, practically all users will be able to enjoy the game without flaws. At the same time, I would like to assure everyone that we will continue working on post- release support. Therefore, if there are things that still bother users with certain system configurations, they can expect them to be resolved soon as well. What is equally important, we are constantly reviewing feedback from our fans and looking through their requests and we will be adding new functionality and enhancements to the game to make sure gamers can enjoy the most out of the Witcher 2. We are also pleased to advise our fans who purchased the Russian-language edition that (contrary to what we communicated earlier) Patch 1.1 will function for them.”

The Witcher 2 users may download Patch 1.1 only via manual download from here (Patch 1.1 will not download through auto-patching system from the game Launcher)"

Frogwares today announced the launch of an open beta for "World of Battles: Morningstar".

"With balanced play at the forefront, this fantasy wargame boasts eight beastly races, each with their own unique weapons, tactics and fighting styles. Players can mount up their horned beast or undead-steed and spill onto the battlefield in this challenging game with smooth 3D graphics and tabletop-inspired play. To enlist in the unholy action, register for the World of Battles beta: www.worldofbattles.com

World of Battles: Morningstar takes players to a fierce mythical land where chaos is the norm and humans struggle against ghastly beasts. In this realm, players will grow their army with over 80 unique units, forming alliances and engaging in fierce single and multiplayer battles, with support for up to 8-player PVP! Choose from power-hungry Knights, hardworking Dwarves, savage Barbarians, man-hating Amazons, mysterious Beast Folk, destructive Orcs, treacherous Dark Elves, or the vicious Undead. Each of the eight races plays differently with unique benefits; experiment with each to find your perfect match. Victories yield both experience and gold; customize your army with new units, equipment and items to tip the scales of war. World of Battles: Morningstar takes aim at boxed retail RTS games, requiring equal parts strategy and quick-thinking to cut down the enemy and climb the leaderboards."

gamingo today announced that the monthly update for "Black Prophecy" has been released, which adds 10 news missions, among other things, to the MMO by Reakktor.

"It contains a number of new missions as well as improvements to clans and looting.

The most important additions:

• 10 new missions for different levels
• Additional clan resource missions have been added
• Pressing the "Loot" key will now automatically plunder the closest wreck

A patchlog of all the new features can be found in the official forum.

More information about Black Prophecy can be found on its official website."

There were rumors floating around but now it's official: GameFly today announced that it has acquired Direct2Drive from IGN Entertainment.

"D2D, the popular digital retailer, will continue providing more than 3,000 PC and Mac titles for gamers to purchase and download digitally. As part of the transaction, IGN will gain a minority equity stake in GameFly, but will play no direct role in GameFly's operations or governance.  News Corporation will take an observer seat on GameFly's board.

"We're very excited to bring the D2D team onboard at GameFly and expand our ability to deliver games to consumers," said David Hodess, CEO of GameFly. "Only GameFly can offer a complete library of physical and digital games for the PC, Mac and consoles in one place."

"GameFly has been an innovator in the video games industry, and it continues to evolve with the expansion of its digital offering. We're excited to continue working and partnering with GameFly moving forward," said Jorge Espinel, EVP of Strategy and Corporate Development for News Corp. Digital Media Group and GameFly's board observer.

Terms of the deal are not disclosed."

Atari and Bedlam Games today announced the release of "Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale", a hack and slash RPG.

"Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale, a hack and slash action role playing game set in the deep mythology of the Forgotten Realms, is the first Dungeons & Dragons video game for connected consoles.  Players are summoned by a mysterious mage and given the duty of defending their homeland as Rezlus, an evil Zhentarim Cleric looks to bring the power of the Black Lord Bane to Daggerdale. Restore order to the Dalelands by unlocking the secrets of the Mines of Tethyamar, defeating the evil within the treacherous Tower of the Void, leading to the final confrontation with Rezlus himself.

Players can take on the role of the melee expert Human Fighter, the quick and nimble Elven Rogue, the master of the arcane arts Halfling Wizard, and the powerful divine Dwarven Cleric.  Gamers use intuitive pick-up-and-play combat combined with a wide assortment of weapons, feats and powers to defeat a wide range of deadly enemies. Players can level their character, unlocking three tiers of powers, and an extensive list of feats to create a truly unique character.  As the player levels, they can add additional attribute points to their ability scores, further enhancing the performance of the character. The action-packed RPG gameplay allows for solo and co-op play for up to four players.

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale carries a suggested Windows PC retail price of $14.99 and is available on XBLA for 1200 Microsoft Points."

For more information, visit: https://www.atari.com/daggerdale

The official "Portal 2" site has been updated with the announcement of the release of part one of the game's soundtrack, which is available to download for free.

"With Aperture-brand turrets, boots, bots and panels flooding the applied science aisle of your local department store, you could forgive the up-and-coming test lab for taking a breather. Judging from their latest press release, though, their laurels remain untouched by backsides. Bolstered by recent breakthroughs in the field of jazz smoothing, Aperture announced today the first of three downloadable aural stimulus packages.

Whether you're a mega-science corporation with decades of test experience, or a young start-up liberating your first test subject from non-testing with a chloroform-soaked rag, Aperture guarantees results. Wake up your test subject, open the chamber door, and press play–let Aperture's patent-pending rhythmic compliance enhancers do the rest."

The first part of the soundtrack can be downloaded from: https://www.thinkwithportals.com/music.php

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and movies opening the week of May 23, 2011.

PC Games:

• Dirt 3
• Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale
• Faxion Online
• King Arthur Collection
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game
  

Movies Opening This Week:

• Kung Fu Panda 2
• The Hangover Part II
• The Tree of Life (limited)

DVD and Blu-Ray Releases:

• Alice [Blu-Ray]
• An Autumn Afternoon / A Hen in the Wind [Blu-Ray]
• Anton Chekhov's The Duel [Blu-Ray]
• Armin Only: Mirage [Blu-Ray]
• Boy Friend
• Brad Meltzer's Decoded: Season 1
• Burning Palms
• Burning Palms [Blu-Ray]
• Caillou: The Best of Caillou: Caillou's Summer Vacation
• Childrens Hospital: Complete First & Second Seasons
• Fanboy & Chum Chum
• Fertile Ground
• Forget Me Not
• Gettysburg: Director's Cut [Blu-Ray]
• Gnomeo and Juliet [Blu-Ray]
• Gods and Generals: Extended Directors Cut [Blu-Ray]
• Grand Prix [Blu-Ray]
• I Am Number Four [Blu-Ray]
• Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads: Season 1 [Blu-Ray]
• Johnny
• Late Autumn / A Mother Should be Loved [Blu-Ray]
• Le Mans [Blu-Ray]
• Lemonade Mouth
• Live Worlds on Fire [Blu-Ray]
• Melissa & Joey: Season One, Part One
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Outdoors
• Nova: Japan's Killer Quake
• Papillion [Blu-Ray]
• Phish: Live in Utica
• Platoon [Blu-Ray]
• Public Speaking
• Salo [Blu-Ray]
• Seconds Apart
• Small Act
• Solaris [Criterion Collection Blu-Ray]
• The Big Bang [Blu-Ray]
• The End of Poverty [Blu-Ray]
• The Great Dictator [Criterion Collection Blu-Ray]
• The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town
• The Ron Howard Action Pack
• Tigerland [Blu-Ray]
• Transcendent Man
• Transformers: The Complete Series

The "Portal 2" blog has been updated with the announcement of a "Summer Mapping Initiative", a mapping contest that will run from May 24 to June 6. Prizes include an Ultimate Portal 2 Gift Pack signed by the developers and coverage on the official Portal website and Thinkingwithportals.com.

"If entertainment has taught us anything—be it films; TV shows; or films for people who hate fights and explosions, books—it's that at some point in every story, the villain will tell the hero, "You know, we're a lot alike, you and I." It always sounds like a really smart thing to say to somebody, even though it's never actually true.

But now, for the first time, thinkingwithportals.com is giving you the opportunity to make it true. Show them that not only are you like GLaDOS, you're better than GLaDOS, by designing your own diabolical test chamber.

From now until June 6th, thinkingwithportals.com is accepting entries for their Summer Mapping Initiative. Test chambers will be judged on their puzzle complexity, visual appeal and tonal fidelity (50s design, contemporary design, etc.), so steeple those scheming-fingers, write some nasty passive-aggressive insults on index cards for easy reference, and show GLaDOS how it's done."

You can read all the details and rules on the official site.