IO Interactive today released a "Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days" demo on Steam, giving players the chance to try out the upcoming sequel.
"Experience 48 hours of hell with two of gaming’s most notorious criminals in Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days. Kane and Lynch face the consequences when a simple job gone wrong sets off a desperate and frantic struggle to escape the entire Shanghai underworld. Ground- breaking art direction, relentless action gameplay and innovative multiplayer redefine the action shooter experience and positions Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days as the standout shooter of 2010.
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will release on August 17, 2010 in North America, August 20 throughout Europe and other PAL territories and August 26 in Japan."
THQ today announced "Warhamer 40,000: Space Marine", an upcoming third-person shooter by Relic Entertainment.
"Combining intense melee and ranged combat, Space Marine puts players into the boots of one of humanity’s elite soldiers, genetically engineered and equipped with state of the art weapons and armor. Players are dropped right into the action as they battle to defend an Imperial Forge World, from an invasion by the savage and brutal Orks, using the most devastating weaponry mankind has at its disposal.
Jonathan Dowdeswell, General Manager of Relic Entertainment commented: “The loyal PC audience is incredibly important to us here at Relic so we are delighted to be able to announce the PC version of the game.”
Travis Plane, Vice President of Global Brand Management commented: “Delivering great content the fans want to play is the key goal in the core games division at THQ so we are pulling out all of the stops to make this the best possible game for PC and console audiences alike.”
Set in the rich Warhammer 40,000 universe created by Games Workshop®, Space Marine will be released worldwide for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and PC in early 2011."
The "Firearms: Source" website has been updated with the announcement that version 1.0 has been released.
"Hi Folks, we finally have hit our first release. People who plan to host dedicated servers for Firearms Source can now begin to set up them up in anticipation for release day. Just got to our Downloads page and you can download Server build of Firearms Source 1.0 which will include everything except the client.dll. So upon release of the client, we will have a Server patch that includes any server fixes and the client.dll which is needed to allow players on the server.
Wondering what some of the key features of our mod are? Firearms: Source is a fast-paced, quasi-realistic, action-oriented, warfare-centric modification for Valve's Source engine. FAS doesn't keep you waiting around to respawn or running forever to get into the action; our whole focus is on keeping you in the midst of the most brutal and violent firefights you've ever seen in Half-Life 2, period."
Paradox Interactive today released a new patch for "Mount & Blade: Warband", adding a new multiplayer mode and other content updates.
"In response to community demand, Duel, the newest multi-player mode requires you to test your steel in one-on-one battles of wit, speed and skill. This new mode allows for protected 1 on 1 duels with no interruptions from others. Similar to the other servers, Duel supports up to 64 players and contains all the other options as the normal servers.
An update would not be complete without new gear for battle. In time honored DLC fashion, Mount & Blade: Warband is putting new armor on old horses at a cost of zero denars. Mount up with two newly modeled horse armors, one available for the Sarranids and another for the Vaegir/Khergit factions. In addition, there is now a server setting that bans ranged weapons eliminating those pesky archers.
2K Games today announced that a demo for the anticipated "Mafia II" will be released on August 10.
"Set in the fully realized and immersive 1940’s and 1950’s American urban cityscape of Empire Bay, soon all gamers will be able to experience the decadent and meticulously crafted atmosphere, intense shooting and driving gameplay, and character narrative in Mafia II that is set to be released on August 24 in North America, August 26 in Australia and August 27 internationally.
The Mafia II demo invites gamers to dive into the “Buzzsaw” level, where Vito and his buddies, Joe and Henry, are sent to take out a mobster known as “The Fat Man”. While the epic game spans two decades, the Buzzsaw demo takes place during the summer of the ‘50s – a time considered the “Birth of Cool”, and with it, rock ‘n’ roll, hot rods, and rebellious attitudes. The demo showcases the type of vibrant edge-of-your-seat action, as well as a slice of the expansive city of Empire Bay in the colorful era.
Mafia II looks to be the industry's most compelling action crime game to date. Players take control of Vito Scaletta, who is making a name for himself on the streets of Empire Bay. He’s someone who can be trusted to get a job done. Together with his buddy Joe, he is working to prove himself to the Mafia quickly escalating up the family ladder with crimes of larger reward, status and consequences… the life as a wise guy isn’t quite as untouchable as it seems.
Mafia II is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. For more information on Mafia II, please visit www.mafia2game.com. "
Paradox Interactive today announced that players will have the chance to try out "Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West" on Steam this weekend.
"Now is the perfect time to try and shoot up the Old West in the widely-acclaimed team-based multiplayer.
With the recent addition of dedicated servers and a new map, Paradox Interactive and developer Fatshark continue to build the community. To try out the gun slinging action, visit: https://store.steampowered.com/app/42120/.
The "free weekend" kicks off on today Thursday, July 22nd and continues through Sunday, July 25th and is available for pre-load now. Lead & Gold is also currently enjoying a 50% off sale as a part of Paradox Interactive annual summer sale.
Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West Features:
Four distinct playable characters with a multitude of strengths and weaknesses
A diverse level-up system letting you adapt your character to each game round as it unfolds
A multitude of different game modes and settings, all with a distinct feeling of the Old West
Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West rewards players that play as a team through the incorporation of the Synergy system.
Recently added Dedicated servers per fan request
Game modes and mechanics are designed to be easy-to-understand with a minimum of prerequisites
Valve and 2K Games today announced that "Mafia II" will ship with Steamworks.
"All Mafia II players will enjoy the benefits of the Steamworks features included in all PC versions, such as auto-updating, Steam Achievements, statistics, downloadable content, and more.
Customers who pre-order the standard or Digital Deluxe Edition of Mafia II through select digital retailers, including Steam, will be given a free digital copy of the award-winning original Mafia® game that they can access and play now.
"Using Steamworks to power Mafia II has been a great benefit for 2K Games and our development team," said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. "It's meant that we can spend more time creating content and a great experience for our customers because we know that Steam and Steamworks are enabling these important features within the game."
"Mafia II is joining Sid Meier's Civilization® V as the next title to use Steamworks from 2K Games," said Gabe Newell, President of Valve. "Our focus for Steam is on building services that create value for our customers and for creators, and Mafia II, with its all-new game engine and inclusion of Steamworks, is a great example of that."
Mafia II is rated M for Mature by the ESRB and will be available in North America on August 24, 2010 and internationally beginning August 27, 2010. For more information visit www.steamgames.com."
Maxis today announced "Darkspore", a new installment in the Spore series.
"Darkspore™, an online, science-fiction action role-playing game, is currently in development for a February 2011 launch. Darkspore is rich in action and fiction, and is being written and developed by some of the most talented minds in the video game industry.
“Darkspore is inspired in part by the award-winning creature editor tech of Spore, but also in large part from the team’s own passion for gaming and prior experience,” said Lucy Bradshaw, General Manager of Maxis Studio. “The team has combined these inspirations to produce a unique take on the action RPG genre.”
Darkspore will feature dynamic, fast-paced action as players battle across alien worlds to save the galaxy from the mutated forces of Darkspore in a four-player co-operative and full single-player campaign, as well as intense multiplayer battles. In order to defeat the malicious Darkspore, players will need to collect an arsenal of living weapons – genetic heroes with different combat abilities – and upgrade them with tens of thousands of collectible body parts and armor.
Darkspore will feature three unique classes of five different genetic hero types, with a limitless number of upgrades and customizations available through the parts players collect on each planet level. As players progress, Darkspore builds in intensity, with new planets and enemy forces requiring players to strategically select the right squad and ability combinations to succeed in their missions.
EA is scheduled to launch Darkspore in February 2011. Consumers can keep up-to-date on the latest Darkspore developments at www.darkspore.com."
More new screenshots are available in the game's gallery.
Meridian4 today released an "ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead" demo, giving players a chance to try out the recently released stand-alone expansion by Bohemia Interactive.
"The 3GB demo plunges players straight into the unique game play featured in the full version of Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead. It showcases the realistic sandbox environment, offers multiplayer game play, and gives you a peek at the vast array of vehicles, weapons, and units at your disposal.
The demo offers a massive amount of highly detailed content, giving you a hint of the epic new environment that is modeled on real-world data, a full taste of the mission editor, and a real opportunity to experience the most authentic mil-sim available."
Kalypso and Akella released a second developer diary video for "Disciples III: Renaissance", highlighting gameplay features in the recently released turn-based strategy/role-playing game.
In this new video, Disciples III producer Alexey Ilyin returns to discuss the game world, character development, tactical changes to combat gameplay and more. Download the new video blog to learn more about the world of Disciples III: Renaissance, and see what makes the game unique in the world of tactical RPGs.
Paradox Interactive today announced that "Commander: Conquest of the Americas" has been completed and that digital distribution outlets are now taking pre-orders.
"As an exclusive bonus, pre-orders for the game will receive three extra ships, three new resources, seven new historical Commanders (one for each nation) and three new historical naval battles.
Developed by Nitro Games, Commander: Conquest of the Americas features elements from both trading and strategy games. Choosing from 7 different European factions, take charge of a European power aiming to conquer the New World. Found new colonies and manage their resources, production, military, and much more as they develop into a full blown empire. Choose to command ships in RTS fashion or take direct control as your fleet engages ships of an enemy nation or blood thirsty pirates.
Commander: Conquest of the Americas will be available for purchase through retail stores on July 30, 2010 and is now available as pre-order via digital distribution channels.
NCSoft today announced that "Aion: Assault on Balaurea", the next expansion in the MMORPG series, will be released on September 7 in North America and September 10 in Europe.
"In Aion: Assault on Balaurea, the exciting new chapter of Aion, characters have the ability to align together to launch massive counter assaults against the invading Balaur on their homeland while experiencing new and updated instances and zones, an increased level cap, new weapons and items, new skills and added flight mechanics. Characters will not be alone as they explore the new areas, as Aion introduces functional pets equipped with in-game benefits.
Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online gaming experience where flight offers much more than just a way to gracefully explore the landscape – it is a strategic and integral part of combat, quests, and exploration. Players will use flight to dive into battle and plunge through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save and control a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict.
For more information about Aion and Aion: Assault on Balaurea go to www.aiononline.com."
Paradox Interactive today released a spoof trailer for "Ship Simulator Extremes", offering a funny look at the "realism" of the upcoming game.
"Realism takes on a whole new meaning in the recently released trailer where extreme winds, waves and flying fish are all a part of the new simulation experience.
While extreme weather may not be a real issue outside of the game, it will definitely play a role in this simulation PC game. Ship Simulator Extremes offers exciting missions all over the world as you pilot an impressive array of vessels, and live the life of real ship captains. The most realistic simulator set on the high seas is scheduled for release on August 27th.
To check out the latest news and information on the game, follow Ship Simulator Extremes on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shipsim and @Shipsim on Twitter or visit the website www.shipsim.com."
New screenshots and a trailer for the ranger class in the upcoming "Guild Wars 2" were released today, giving viewers more of a look at the anticipated sequel.
"The ranger is a jack-of-all-trades and a master of them all as well, relying on his keen eye, steady hand, or the power of nature itself. A master of ranged combat, the ranger is capable of striking unwitting foes from a distance with his bow. With a stable of pets at his command, a ranger can adapt to his opponents' strengths and weaknesses.
A ranger is accompanied by his pet, a loyal animal companion. Rangers charm pets and then bond with them. A ranger can have up to three pets at his call, but generally speaking, only one pet can be active at any time. Pets' base health, armor, and damage are based on the level of the player that owns them.
Pets are charmed by interacting with juvenile versions of the species you want to charm. There are a variety of Tyrian species that can be charmed, including bears, moas, devourers, and sharks. As you adventure with a pet, it evolves to become more unique and eventually allows you to give it abilities that compliment your tactics.
Rather than manage a unique resource in combat, a ranger will manage his pet, assigning them a behavior from aggressive to passive."
