PC Game News

AGD Interactive today announced the release of "King's Quest III Redux: To Heir Is Human", a remastered version of the 1986 Sierra game that has been in undercover production for several years. The game is available for free for PC and Mac at: https://www.agdinteractive.com/games/kq3. In addition, "Mage's Initiation: Reign of the Elements", AGD's next title has been announced.

"King's Quest III Redux stays true to Sierra's 1986 classic while improving on elements that detracted from the original experience. Where the original King's Quest III had blocky 16-color EGA graphics and a frustrating text parser, AGD Interactive's remake features hand-painted SVGA graphics and a point and click interface reminiscent of later games in the series. The game has been polished to perfection, with lush storybook-style visuals, professional voice acting with Hollywood actor Robert Adamson in the role of Gwydion, and an original digital soundtrack composed especially for the remake. While the gameplay is largely unchanged, King's Quest III Redux does include a number of original puzzles and puts a new spin on the story."

On Mage's Initiation: Reign of the Elements:

"Planned for release in late 2012, Mage's Initiation will combine classic adventure puzzles with RPG-style character customization in a format reminiscent of Sierra's famed Quest for Glory series. Additional game details, a mailing list sign-up for production updates, and the unique opportunity to reserve a Limited Edition copy of the game can be found on the Himalaya Studios website. "

Valve released a new Steam client update that features the new screenshot ability with 1GB of Steam Cloud storage, among several other fixes and additions.

"Added support for Steam Screenshots. Press F12 while in any game that runs the Steam Overlay to take screenshots, then publish them to your Steam Community profile, or anywhere else on the web. Each user is allotted 1 GB of Steam Cloud storage for screenshots."

Robot Entertainment today announced "Orcs Must Die!", an upcoming third-person action-adventure game.

"Orcs Must Die! challenges players to defend fortresses under siege. With a wide variety of traps and weapons to choose from, Orcs Must Die! dares players to find the best ways to hack, launch, flatten, gibletize, and incinerate an endless army of filthy orcs and their vile allies. Orcs Must Die! features a vibrant look, addictive gameplay, and a blatant disregard for the welfare of orcs.

Orcs Must Die! will be available exclusively as a digital download on personal computers and consoles this summer. Players who want to get their hands on a playable version of Orcs Must Die! can visit Robot Entertainment at booth 761 during Pax East, which runs from March 11th to 13th in Boston, Massachusetts. Additional information can be found by visiting the game’s official website at www.OrcsMustDie.com."

A new trailer for "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" has been released today, giving viewers a look at the anticipated sequel in the series.

"The Empire of Tamriel is on the edge. The High King of Skyrim has been murdered. Alliances form as claims to the throne are made. In the midst of this conflict, a far more dangerous, ancient evil is awakened. Dragons, long lost to the passages of the Elder Scrolls, have returned to Tamriel. The future of Skyrim, even the Empire itself, hangs in the balance as they wait for the prophesized Dragonborn to come; a hero born with the power of The Voice, and the only one who can stand amongst the dragons."

Visceral Games today announced "Dead Space 2: Severed", the first DLC pack for "Dead Space 2" that will be released on March 1.

"Dead Space 2: Severed extends the Dead Space 2 story with the addition of two stand-alone single-player chapters. This digital pack will take players through the haunting story of Gabe Weller, who fans will remember from the award-winning game Dead Space Extraction. As a security officer, Weller comes equipped with a one-of-a-kind security suit and an upgraded, more powerful Pulse Rifle that will help him unleash his own blood-curdling adventure across the Sprawl. Lurking behind every corner is another bloodthirsty monster but the big surprise for Weller (and fans) is the return of the Twitcher, a grotesque enemy who first appeared in the original Dead Space game."

Electronic Arts released a teaser gameplay trailer for "Battlefield 3", giving viewers a small look at the anticipated sequel.

"Battlefield 3 allows you to feel the full impact of battle like never before. Powered by Frostbite 2, the next generation of DICE's cutting-edge gaming engine, Battlefield 3 delivers spectacular visuals, earth-shattering destruction and real as hell combat gameplay providing a dramatic immersive First Person Shooter experience. "

Electronic Arts, Epic Games, and People Can Fly today announced that "Bulletstorm" has been shipped to North American retailers and is now available. In addition, the first DLC pack was announced, which will be titled "Gun Sonata" and will launch this spring. The game ships in Europe on February 25.

"Set in the 26th century on Stygia, a planet where paradise was lost and has since been overrun with rampaging freaks, flesh-eating plants and creatures the size of skyscrapers, Bulletstorm tells the story of Grayson Hunt and Ishi Sato. As ex-members of an elite military force called Dead Echo, Grayson Hunt and Ishi Sato are mercenaries on the run across the galaxy, until they are stranded on Stygia, where their main objective is to survive long enough in order to exact revenge on the one person responsible for their plight. In Anarchy multiplayer mode, teams of up to four players fight together to survive waves of blood-thirsty mutants while scoring Skillpoints in order to advance. In Echo mode, Bulletstorm tracks and compares players’ scores through locations found in the campaign. Through the Skillshot system, Bulletstorm provides stylish, imaginative ways to perform spectacular kills with some of the most unique weapons ever seen, including the Boneduster, a four-barreled shotgun that packs an incredible punch, to the Headhunter, a sniper rifle that allows player to guide the bullet as it reaches its target.

DLC Details:

Featuring three new maps for Anarchy multiplayer mode, from the wretched Sewers of Stygia to the dilapidated ruins of Hotel Elysium and the open spaces of Villa, the Gun Sonata Anarchy maps provide even more settings for players to work together in order to pull off fantastic team skillshots. In addition to the new Anarchy maps, Gun Sonata will also introduce two new Echo mode maps, including Crash Site, where Final Echo soldiers must deal with the ramifications of their crashed ship, and Guns of Stygia, in which a captive commando escapes from an enemy prison. Completely new to the Bulletstorm experience, Crash Site and Guns of Stygia offer brand new challenges for those competing to top personal high scores and leaderboard rankings. Two new Leash enhancements, the Flamingo and the Pulp, make it even more enjoyable to kill with skill and style.

For more information on Bulletstorm, please visit www.bulletstorm.com"

BioWare today released a demo for "Dragon Age II", giving players a chance to try out the upcoming RPG sequel. There is currently a promotion going on where two in-game items will be unlocked if the number of downloads surpasses one million on the PC and consoles combined.

"In the demo, players will venture through the game's prologue, choosing from three different character classes. They'll also learn more about Hawke and hone their skills and abilities that will make them the ultimate hero. After finishing the prologue, players will enter a key new location in the world of Dragon Age, Kirkwall, befriending Isabela, a romantic interest in the game who is also a deadly smuggler. Upon completion of the demo, players will unlock a special weapon, Hayder's Razor, an ancient dwarven blade which increases health, mana, and combat abilities, in the full release of Dragon Age 2."

The demo can be downloaded from Steam, AtomicGamer, Gamer's Hell, GameUpdates (torrent), or Worthplaying.

Paradox Interactive today announced that "Cities in Motion" has been shipped.

"Developed by Colossal Order Ltd, Cities in Motion sees players develop and operate their own public transport company building a travel network across Vienna, Berlin, Helsinki and Amsterdam using more than 30 different modes of transport including buses, trams, subway trains and water buses. As each city develops and grows the player must continue to meet the ever changing transport needs of its commuters, while at the same time ensuring it remains as profitable as possible.

Featuring an in-depth campaign mode made up of 12 scenarios along with an open ended sandbox mode, an advanced map editor that allows players to create their own cities, plus much more, Cities in Motion will challenge players to create the perfect public transport system that has no cancellations, no delays and where the passengers are always happy!"

The list of new PC game releases, DVD and Blu-ray releases, and movies opening the week of February 22, 2011.

PC Games:

• Bulletstorm
• Cities in Motion
• Fallout New Vegas: Dead Money (DLC)

Movies Opening This Week:

• Drive Angry 3D
• Hall Pass
• Heartbeats (limited NYC)
• Of Gods and Men (limited LA/NYC)
• The Grace Card

DVD and Blu-Ray Releases:

• 48 Hrs. [Blu-Ray]
• All-Star Superman [Blu-Ray]
• Due Date [Blu-Ray]
• Fish Tank [Criterion Collection Blu-Ray]
• Get Low [Blu-Ray]
• Ice Road Truckers: The Complete Season Four
• Killshot [Blu-Ray]
• Last Train Home
• Leaving
• Legacy
• Megamind [Blu-Ray]
• Memento – 10th Anniversary Ed. [Blu-Ray]
• Mesrine: Killer Instinct: Part 1 [Blu-Ray]
• Midsomer Murders: Set 17
• Nurse Jackie: Season Two
• Nature: Elsa's Legacy: The Born Free Story
• New Tricks: Series Three
• Quest For Love
• Room in Rome
• Senso [Criterion Collection Blu-Ray]
• Suspicion
• Sweet Smell of Success [Criterion Collection Blu-Ray]
• The French Art of Seduction – set
• The Guild: Season 4
• The Stieg Larsson Trilogy – 15th Anniversary Ed. [Blu-Ray]
• Two In The Wave
• Water
• Weeds: Season Six

SEGA released a demo for "Shogun 2: Total War" on Steam, giving players a chance to try out the upcoming sequel by Creative Assembly.

"The demo allows all armchair samurai to test their skills in epic land battles and on Total War: Shogun 2’s gorgeous new campaign map."

"It is the middle of the 16th century in Medieval Japan. The country, once ruled by a unified government, is now split into many warring clans. The player takes on the role of one Daimyo – the clan leader – and will use military engagements, economics and diplomacy to achieve the ultimate goal: re-unite Japan under his supreme command and become the new Shogun – the undisputed ruler of Japan."

Eurogamer posted a great write-up on Axel Gembe, the then-German teenager who broke into Valve's network and was able to make a copy of a portion of "Half-Life 2's" source code before the game was released. Gembe, who served two years probation for the crime, regrets all of his previous illegal activities ending the interview with the quote:

"You are my favorite developer, and I will always buy your games."

The in-depth interview describes exactly what methods Gembe used to break into Valve and how he was caught. Gembe claims that he only wanted to obtain files for himself, because he was frustrated with the delay of the highly anticipated "Half-Life 2" and wanted to get any information he could. After bragging to a friend though, the files soon ended up on torrent trackers.

After Gembe was arrested, he began to turn his life around and he eventually landed a job in the computer security sector.

Find the article at Eurogamer.

Deep Silver and Piranha Bytes today released details on "Risen 2: Dark Waters", the upcoming RPG sequel. Three pieces of concept art for the game were released along with this announcement.

"Set several years after the end of Risen, raging titans have devastated the world and pushed humanity to the brink of existence. Subsequently, monstrous creatures have risen from the watery depths of the sea and their attacks have brought all seafaring to a grinding halt. The hero, now a member of the Inquisition, is sent out to find out how to stop the chaos caused by these creatures from the deep.  His quest begins with rumors that the pirates who frequent the southern islands are the only ones who know a way to get rid of the creatures once and for all and end their reign of terror.

With an all-new pirate-based theme, Risen 2: Dark Waters aims to combine the most loved classic RPG gameplay mechanics of the original Risen with a fresh theme and setting on a huge variety of themed island locales. A third-person role-playing game set in a dark and gritty universe, Risen 2: Dark Waters maintains the most immersive features of the original Risen, withmultiple approaches to every challenge allowing players to shape the game world based on their own decisions. These choices will serve to unlock new paths, features and additional skills for the character. Together with a highly interactive environment and a full day/night-cycle affecting countless aspects of the game world, Risen 2 will be set in the most immersive RPG game world so far."

Codemasters announced that "Operation Flashpoint: Red River" will launch in North America on April 26, and the EMEA region on April 21.

"Codemasters has also revealed a new gameplay video, which introduces the game’s conflict in Tajikistan from the perspective of Corporal Ryan Balletto and focuses on his hope that the dangerous and strange world of Tajikistan can be his personal proving ground.

With footage showing the epic landscapes players will experience and battle through in Operation Flashpoint: Red River, Marines are shown protecting convoys, attacking dug-in insurgents and setting up ambushes against the backdrop of Tajikistan’s beautiful countryside and spectacular mountain ranges."

Forbes published an article a couple of weeks ago that focuses on Gabe Newell and Valve’s Steam service that you shouldn’t miss. It reveals Gabe’s recent treatment for Fuchs Dystrophy, which was slowly destroying his corneas:

“Double cornea transplants in 2006 and 2007 cured him and changed him utterly.”

Of course, being Forbes it also dives in to valuations of the company and just how successful Valve is. The company is private and doesn’t release financials but the article quotes Newell stating that they’re more profitable, per employee, than Google or Apple. There are also apparently estimates that place a $2 to $4 billion value on the company.

Valve is one of the more obvious success stories in the industry but it’s nice to read some positive feedback on a company that seems to do everything the right way the first time. The growth of the company is also quite staggering, considering that Gabe and Mike Harrington, the other founder who has since left, have never accepted any venture capital funding.

Find the entire article at Forbes.