Rockstar Games announced the release of the Painful Memories multiplayer 3 for Max Payne 3, which adds four maps, two new avatar factions and several new arsenal items.
“The pack is now available for 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE and $9.99 on PlayStation Network and PC. Players who purchased the Max Payne 3 Rockstar Pass can download the pack free of charge. The Rockstar Pass is currently available for 2400 Microsoft Points (Xbox LIVE) or $29.99 on PSN/PC.
Make sure to check out the Painful Memories page at the official Max Payne 3 site for all the details on the new Multiplayer Achievements/Trophies and Grinds as well as some new screenshots.”
Ubisoft today announced the release of Far Cry 3, the latest installment in the FPS series.
“In Far Cry 3, players step into the shoes of Jason Brody, a man alone at the edge of the world, stranded on a mysterious tropical island. In this savage paradise where lawlessness and violence are the only sure thing, players dictate how the story unfolds, from the battles they choose to fight to the allies or enemies they make along the way. As Jason Brody, players will slash, sneak, detonate and shoot their way across the island in a world that has lost all sense of right and wrong.
All editions of Far Cry 3 are now available for purchase on the Uplay Shop, at retail outlets throughout North America, and is also available digitally on the Sony PlayStation®Network.
As with every Uplay enabled game, players on all platforms will be able to earn Uplay Units by completing actions in-game and redeem exclusive rewards with those Units.
Far Cry 3 is also the first game to use the new Uplay PC Party System. With the Party System, Windows PC players can create a party by inviting their Uplay friends to team up to take on any multiplayer challenge. With the integrated Uplay Friends interface, they can also find new friends and communicate in-game during the multiplayer session.
Far beyond the limits of civilization lies an island, a lawless place ruled by violence and human suffering, where your only escape is through drugs or the muzzle of a gun. This is where you find yourself, stranded in a place that has forgotten right from wrong, a place where you must live by the principles of violence to survive.”
Dark Vale Games today announced the release of FORGE, a high-action MMORPG.
“In FORGE, a malicious being named The Devourer has swallowed the great pantheon of gods. Seeking escape, the trapped gods turn great warriors into zealous adherents and place them on a faceless world called FORGE, where every champion’s death feeds the immortals power.Â
FORGE was independently developed using the industry-standard Unreal Engine 3 from Epic Games and bridges the gap between the skill-based action of shooters and the strategic player-vs-player competition of massively multiplayer online games.  Players use reflexes and aim to annihilate opponents while also leveraging the strategy of their MMO-style abilities to decide how to attack and defend in different scenarios.Â
Choosing one of five unique warrior classes, the player must battle head-to-head against others in a bid to free their god from the clutches of The Devourer. Each class is designed with traditional RPG tropes in mind, such as stealth and tank, but all have been reimagined and updated to further balance their abilities and create more complementary skills between classes. To be most effective, each class must use their skills and abilities together to create a unified fighting force capable of overlapping offensive and defensive abilities.
Dark Vale Games developed FORGE in conjunction with SuperGenius and Digital Confectioners. SuperGenius is an Oregon-based creative studio specializing in video game concepts, animation, character development, environments, and VFX. SuperGenius’ most recent work included cut scenes, cinematics and in-game animations for Telltale Games’ critically acclaimed video game adaptation of The Walking Dead. Digital Confectioners is an independent game development studio that has assisted with such recent titles as Rekoil, which debuted at this year’s E3, Q.U.B.E. and The Haunted: Hell’s Reach.
FORGE is now available in a two-for-one deal for $19.99 (USD) via Valve’s Steam service, Amazon.com and GamersGate, as well as directly from Dark Vale Games’ web site at www.PlayForgeWar.com. Every purchase of the game comes with a second copy of FORGE free-of-charge which can be given to friends and clan-mates this holiday season.”
The Bethesda blog has been updated with the announcement that the PC version of the Dragonborn DLC for Skyrim will be released for the PC early next year.
“The support from fans over the last year has been amazing, and it’s driven us to support Skyrim more than any game we’ve ever released – including free content updates, modding tools like the Creation Kit and the Skyrim Workshop, and our add-ons, Dawnguard and Hearthfire.
And we’re still not done – we look forward to sharing more Skyrim news next year!”
Valve today announced the launch of the anticipated Steam Big Picture mode, which allows gamers to play PC games in front of a big screen television. To celebrate the launch, over thirty controller friendly games are discounted up to 75% off until December 10th.
 “Access to the complete Steam store is included, as is the Steam Community. Big Picture is available worldwide in over twenty languages, including German, French, Russian, Korean, and Portuguese.  Gamers’ existing games are all available in Big Picture. In addition to having the complete library of Steam games, each user’s cloud files, Steam Workshop content, account information and preferences will be accessible automatically in the new mode.  Steam gamers may easily experience Big Picture on their televisions by connecting their PC or Mac, typically with a single HDMI cable. Big Picture also includes a new web browser designed for televisions and game controllers. It is accessible from anywhere within the Big Picture UI, and even while playing Steam games on a TV. It supports Big Picture’s new method of typing with a gamepad, which is useful for entering URLs, filling out forms, chatting, and other functions.  For more information, please visit https://www.steampowered.com/bigpicture.”
A new Humble Bundle is now available and for this collection the company has moved in a different direction, featuring 7 major titles by THQ. The THQ Humble Bundle includes Darksiders, Metro 2033, Red Faction: Armageddon, Company of Heroes, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor, Saints Row The Third (if you pay more than the average) and 5 game soundtracks. At this point the bundle has already reached almost $1,000,000 with over 170,000 purchases. All of the games are unlocked via Steam.
“Fire it up on Steam and Windows. Buying the Humble THQ Bundle gets you the games for Windows through Steam. For your listening delight, you also get a collection of DRM-free soundtracks!
Pay what you want. Buying all these blockbuster titles and soundtracks on their own would cost upwards of $190, but we’re letting you name your price! Just one dollar is required to get Steam* keys (beat the average price to get a Steam key for Saints Row: The Third), and the soundtracks are yours for any amount!
* Note: This bundle is Windows-only and provides Steam keys only. You must pay $1 or more to receive the games.
Support amazing charities. Choose how your purchase is divided: to the Child’s Play Charity, the American Red Cross, and/or to THQ. And if you like this promotion, a tip to the Humble Bundle would be greatly appreciated!”
Overhaul Games today announced the release of Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition, which is live exclusively on Beamdog.
“The original Baldur’s Gate launched in 1998. With over 50 hours of epic gameplay, it quickly became the most celebrated Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game series at that time.
Today Overhaul Games has brought this classic back to life. In addition to enhancing graphics and gameplay, Overhaul Games has added new allies to join your party, complete with unique quests. And for the ultimate test of tactical skills, players can enter the Black Pits for an arena challenge.
Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition for PC is available exclusively through Beamdog for $19.99. The game can be installed through either the Beamdog client or a stand-alone installer.
The Bethesda blog has been updated with the announcement of the release date for Dunwall City Trials, the first DLC pack for Dishonored, which is set for December 11th.
“Dishonored: Dunwall City Trials will include 10 challenge maps that will test and track your combat, stealth and mobility skills. Ten distinct trials await challengers – including an arena battle against waves of enemy AI, a gravity-defying run of drop assassinations, and a race against the clock. Dunwall City Trials also features a whole new set of achievements and trophies as well as a global online leaderboard that will establish the greatest assassins for each challenge.”
Grand Theft Auto V for the PC hasn’t been confirmed or denied yet but some people are concerned that a PC version may not ever be a reality after an interview with Rockstar’s Dan Houser was posted on IGN. When asked specifically about no confirmation of a PC or Wii U version Houser responded with “Everything else is up for consideration.” At this point it’s probably early to be overly concerned but a petition was started on Change.org last week and has since accumulated over 40,000 digital signatures. If the game doesn’t make it to the PC it may be seen by gamers as another major failure in Microsoft’s support for PC gaming; instead choosing to focus on exclusivity for its console.
The message of the petition reads as follows:
“Please release GTA V on PC. GTA games have been a large part of so many people’s lives and it’s a big shame not seeing the newest iteration of the game being released on the most powerful platform. Things like modifications have always been a HUGE part of PC gaming and modded GTA is some of the most insanely fun times you can have.
I hope you consider the release of GTA V on PC as it’ll make many people very happy!”
Rockstar today announced that the Painful Memories DLC pack for Max Payne 3, which will add four new maps among other things, will be released on December 4th.
“Revisit the subway bloodbath from the original Max Payne in the Roscoe Street Subway map. Flashback to the dingy Hoboken watering hole at Marty’s Bar, open fire on the posh Branco family yacht in Shoot First and wage Gang Wars at Canal De Panamá. The Painful Memories Pack also includes the IMG 5.56 and UAR-21 assault rifles, new avatars, items and the Hangover Burst, which causes enemies to respawn with blurred vision, reduced stamina and health.”
A few new screenshots from the DLC and additional artwork are available on the Rockstar site.
Ready to start searching for some great sales on PC games and hardware? We’ll point you in the right direction. If you have any additional suggestions please feel free to comment and we’ll add to this list.
Steam Autumn Sale: Save up to 75% on select games. Note that Max Payne 3 is currently 75% off for a total price of $14.99
Amazon PC Games Black Friday Sale: There aren’t a lot of really recent games on sale but there are some decent discounts on well rated games from the last couple of years.
Sony Online Entertainment today announced the launch of PlanetSide 2, the MMOFPS, in North America and Europe.
“Players must enlist in one of three Empires – Terran Republic, New Conglomerate or Vanu Sovereignty – to fight in an epic war for control of the planet of Auraxis. An unparalleled gaming experience, players engage in extreme aerial, ground, vehicular and hand-to-hand battles alongside and against thousands of players in massive environments.
PlanetSide 2 takes all the groundbreaking features from the original game – massive multiplayer battles, distinct empires to rally around, and enormous continents where intense ground and air combat unfold – and adds features that modern gamers have come to expect of the FPS and MMO genres. With advanced technology, years of gamer feedback, and a new SOE proprietary MMO game engine called ForgeLightâ„¢, PlanetSide 2 offers a truly competitive and visceral FPS experience with massive warfare, massive customization and massive community.”
