GamePlanets

November 28, 2006 - Electronic Arts' The Lord of the Rings™, The Battle for Middle-earth™ II, The Rise of the Witch-king™ shipped to retailers nationwide today, and shipped Internationally on November 24, 2006.

The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, The Rise of the Witch-king requires The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II for the PC in order to play. This game is rated "T" (Teen) by the ESRB, has a US MSRP of $29.99, and will be on North American store shelves November 30, 2006 for the PC.

For more information about the game, please visit www.bfme2.ea.com.

Mad Catz Interactive, a leading third party video game accessory provider, announced today that its Arcade GameStick(TM) for Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox 360(TM) and PC will ship to major US retailers for availability this holiday season. Through collaboration with Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. and PopCap® Games, Mad Catz has introduced a joystick controller bundled with three full Xbox Live Arcade games: Frogger®, Time Pilot® and Astropop®.

The Mad Catz Arcade GameStick will be available at all major retailers in the United States and online. It has an MSRP of $59.99.

Source: Mad Catz

Electronic Arts announced today a partnership with IGN to expand the 2006 Madden Challenge to include an online tournament, beginning Nov. 29. The winner of the online competition, which will be conducted via Xbox Live and is free to enter, will receive a trip to the 2006 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Finals in Hawaii for a shot at $100,000.

For 2006 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Tournament information go to the official website.

A shiny new motor to be proudly displayed in front of the house or a banger fit for the scrap yard? NFS Carbon dissected on Xbox, PC and Xbox 360.

Graphics: 8
Polished car models and realistic, if a little repetitive, backgrounds.
Durability: 5
An extremely short single player game and lacking multiplayer means this will be gathering dust within a week.
Gameplay: 6
A new name can't disguise the fact that it's pretty much the same game you played a couple of years back.
Sound: 8
Good though cheesy voice work, great sound effects and a pretty decent soundtrack.

Overall rating: 6

Read full review...

It's a real pleasure to see Rainbow Six given such royal treatment, particularly if you're a fan of the series. But even if you just like gunplay, this is a great time for shooter fans, whose embarrassment of riches just got even more embarrassing. At last, Rainbow Six is back among the best of the best.


Read full review...

MotorStorm's Japanese release date has been delayed a week until 14th December 2006.

Great Invasions is an extremely elaborate real-time strategy game covering over 700 years of history. It plunges you into the Dark Age of Europe, a time where barbarian tribes and nation states quarreled, warred and conquered each other. Great Invasions allows you to lead armies in the epic conquest of Europe and to use force or diplomacy in the pursuit to establish dominance. This historically accurate recreation allows gamers to live the greatest moments of this time, with the options of over 150 nations/tribes, over 30 religions and heresies, and thousands of historical characters drawn from the pages of world’s richest historical sources.





Source: GamersHell

The game's trailer and the gameplay video was released in the website's Download section.

UFO: Afterlight is the next instalment in the UFO: Aftermath and UFO: Aftershock series, bringing a completely new insight to the story of Aftershock, this time from the perspective of lonely human inhabitants on Mars.

Flying Lab Software published four new Pirates of the Burning Sea screenshots to their gallery. You can see them here:

Electronic Arts has taken FIFA 07 back to the top, knocking number one, Gears of War, down to number three. The number two position is Need for Speed Carbon.

Top List:

1. FIFA 07
2. Need for Speed Carbon
3. Gears of War
4. The Sims 2: Pets
5. Pro Evolution Soccer 6
6. Smackdown vs. Raw
7. Call of Duty 3
8. Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
9. Bratz: Forever Diamonds
10. Cars

Source: Eurogamer Gamasutra

Microsoft Game Studios and FASA Studio announce the beta for their upcoming multiplayer team based FPS title, Shadowrun. The beta will begin in December with a limited number of testers and gradually increase in size over time. While the retail version of Shadowrun will feature cross-platform play between Xbox 360 and Vista, this beta will be for the Xbox 360 only. Instructions for submitting an application for the beta are below.

1. Visit our Web site at http://connect.microsoft.com.

2. Click on "Invitations" on the left-side menu.

3. You will need to sign in using a valid Windows Live ID before you can continue to the "Invitations" page. (If you have already registered for the Connect site, skip to Step 5.)

4. Please read and accept the Terms of Use Agreement then follow the instructions to register for the Connect site.

5. Enter your Invitation ID in the blank field. Your invitation ID is: SHBS-6YMT-YKHC

6. Click "Go."

7. Complete and submit the short questionnaire. Please enter Shadoweb for the beta code when asked at the beginning of the questionnaire.

8. If you are not redirected immediately to the Shadowrun Beta Selection homepage after completing the questionnaire, click the My Participations link on the left hand navigation bar and then click the Shadowrun program link. This will redirect you to the Shadowrun Beta Selection Homepage.

9. Once you are on the Shadowrun Beta Selection Homepage, you will need to complete the rest of the registration process by signing up for the forums by clicking the Join the Forums button then click the Welcome to the Official Shadowrun Community Forum Sign In button.

10. Wait patiently for us to contact you with further instructions. Check back at http://connect.microsoft.com for further beta announcements.

Today, CDV Software Entertainment and 10tacle Studios AG unveiled the new official War Front: Turning Point Web site at www.war-front.com. The new site features an exciting new look and feel, along with updated English and German-language discussion forums. In the coming weeks, the site will being showcasing new videos, screenshots, developer commentary and other assets from the alternate history RTS - War Front: Turning Point. The game is currently in development by Digital Reality and will be published in North America by CDV Software Entertainment, shipping to retail there on February 19, 2007.

Developer: Track7Games
Release Date: January 2007
Genre: Action/Adventure

For more information visit official website

GamersGate announced that Warhammer: Mark of Chaos is now available for download for USD/EUR 49.99. You can buy the game on their website.

For more information click here

1. Dynamic Weather Conditions: Taking place in sandstorms to howling
rain, with subtle details such as after a rain storm the mission area
glistens with moisture and features standing pools of water on the
streets. As well as wind and weather simulation.

2. Object Translucency: Which allows players to see through surfaces
like leaves and fabrics under the right lighting circumstances.

3. God Rays: Also a technique that simulates the way light goes around a
surface that blocks light. God Rays allow the player to see the limits
of light, creating the hard edges rays of light often seen pouring
through cathedral windows.

4. Smoke Effects Techinques called Depth Sprite in which smoke particles
move over and around objects like an actual gas, elminating the
hardlines you see between clouds and surfaces you see in most games. The
smoke also reacts to light and wind.

5. Improved particle effects that send debris flying in explosions and
chips exploding off walls when struck by a bullet.

The Chronicles of Spellborn (TCoS) is an MMO under development by Spellborn NV using the renowned Unreal© Engine™. Players take the role of heroes in a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting where a vast adventure unfolds in an authentic living world.

The game will be released in Q1 2007, with an Open Beta scheduled for early Q1 2007.

Graphics: 10
Even without a HD-TV, you’ll be lost in one of the best looking games on the market.

Durability: 8
Main campaign is fairly short but provides ample replay value. Multiplayer mode will last you for months on end.

Gameplay: 9
Nothing ground breaking, but stylishly addictive thanks to the addition of the cover system.

Sound: 9
Narrative lacks punch, but sound effects and score work alongside the game with superb result.

Overall rating: 9


Read more here...

“Collapse” is a remarkable 3D Action game with gripping adventure elements. Striking realism of character, organic combination of cold and fire-arms, colorful impacts and fighting acrobatics, the interactive destroyed world, unique design and deep story line...

Genre: Action / Adventure
Developer: CREOTEAM
Release date: 2007

The Guild 2 is an enjoyable game if you can get your head around what it offers, and fire up the latest patch. Sadly the AI almost cripples the game and leaves questionable balances between class professions. Still it’s got that desire to conquer in its heart and that will probably be enough for most who pick it up.

Read more here...

Pros
A gallery of fun and downright hilarious mini-games with well-implemented multiplayer.

Cons
A sprinkling of frustrating mini-games feel like the complete and polar opposite of fun.


Find out more here...

Alan Wake is the highly anticipated psychological action thriller by the renowned and successful developer, Remedy Entertainment. The title will be made exclusively for Windows and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system.

As one of the steps in preparing for the game's launch, Syntasoft decided to release 12 new screenshots:

• Revolutionary TV camera system that looks like the real thing
• Unique jockeys, each with different ratings
• Advanced betting includes Exacta and Trifecta in addition to the vanilla Win/Place/Show bets
• Different race distances
• Compete head to head with up to 4 players on the same PC
• 200 horses, each with their own unique attributes and running styles. Some are faster out of the gate, while others are long distance runners. Some show heart and determination to finish races, while some simply do not have what it takes
• Real-time changing odds as post-time nears, just like at a real track
• Intense championship races
• More horse history to use in picking the winner
• And MUCH more!

Release Date: 11/28/2006

Platforms:

Microsoft announced a special "Gears of War" retail offer available from Friday 24th November. Gamers can get a copy of Gears of War and an Xbox 360, all for £299.99.

Xbox 360: The Official Xbox Magazine Issue 15 Contents:

Access:

• Happy Xbox: Your Christmas wishlist
• Why FIFA 07 and PES 6 are getting red cards...
• Win! Massive 43" Pioneer HDTV and Xbox 360 Surround Sound!
• Calll of Duty 3 reader playtest

Input:

• Live chat: We ralk Halo 3 with Bungie and lift Master Cheif's helmet off!
• Friend’s List – full facials!
• Message parlour!

Features:

• Ultimate Xbox 360 setup guide: Beginner & expert tips to gaming nirvana!

Previews:

• Halo 3

Reviews:

• Gears of War
• WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance
• Rainbow Six Vegas
• F.E.A.R.
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Bionicle Heroes
• Tony Hawk's Project 8
• Superman Returns
• Phantasy Star Universe

Score:More:

• Pro Evolution Soccer 6
• Lumines Live, Prey Map Pack & The Godfather
• Prey
• Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

In order to download and apply the latest Beta patch, please follow these instructions:


Run the Update Utility
First, you will need to update your game to the latest official version. Run the game via your Start Menu and press the "Update" button on the launcher menu. If you have any problems during the update process, please check the following places for more information:

• Official Neverwinter Nights 2 Forums (Technical Support (Self-Help) Forum)
• Atari's Worldwide Customer Service

Version number is found in top left-hand corner
of the Neverwinter Nights Launcher

Download the Patch Installer
You will now need to download the patch installer from the following site:

• DOWNLOAD FROM OBSIDIAN

Run the Patch Installer
Next, navigate to the folder where you downloaded the patch installer file and run it. If you have any issues with the beta patch, please check the Official Neverwinter Nights 2 Forums for more information and post any issues you have.

Run the Game!
Run the game! The Launcher and Game should now report that you are running the latest beta version of the game.

Rolling Back to the Official Version of NWN2
As stated before, beta patches are works in progress and as such may have bugs or other issues. If, for any reason, you need to revert to the latest official patch, follow these instructions:

Download the Installer for the Rollback Patch
You will now need to download the patch reverter from the following site:

• DOWNLOAD FROM OBSIDIAN

Run the Rollback Patch Installer
Next, navigate to the folder where you downloaded the rollback patch installer file and run it. If you have any issues with the rollback patch installer, please check the Official Neverwinter Nights 2 Forums for more information and post any issues you have.

Run the Game!
Run the game! The Launcher and Game should now report that you are running the latest official version of the game.

Click here to download patch now


Thorough revised version. It includes voice intercommunication. Press "Tab" to transmit. You have to set it in the Configuration window first. You can return to text mode pressing Ctrl+Tab when on flight.

Adicionally in previous patch:

1. New stall and spin model (movie)
2. New shadow algorithm
3. Joystick buttons definition
4. New wing tube
5. Clouds improved
6. Geographic references can be displayed on the simulation pressing Ctrl+L
7. Included new task settings (FAI, Cylinder, Line,...)
8. fixes fog problem in ATI graphic cards
9. Ridge effect bug fixed.

ISSUE FIXES
- Ground Defence kills now count towards Ground Base Defence Ribbon
- Using the Medic Hub now counts towards Silver Medic Excellence Badge
- Silver Titan Destruction - Badge awarded when core is destroyed
- Debriefing End of Round screen displays player stats
- Enemy Squad Leader Spawn beacon is no longer visible on the 3dMap
- Can now bind same key to crouch for common and land vehicles
- User now unable to repeatedly spam a squad leader to join a locked squad
- Spinning tank turret no longer pushes player inside clipped geometry
- Users can play single-player (offline) mode when EA servers are unavailable
- Fixed issue that caused Battlerecorder Playback And Camera Control Interface function
- Corrected missile silo numbers in Titan Mode
- Squad Leader Spawn Beacon can now be used after a round or map change in online games
- Missing game information in Swedish and Danish when a mutiny occurs against your commander added
- Inconsistent game references removed
- BF2142 showing up as Battlefield 2 in Windows firewall exception list fixed
- Patching update message will shut the game down instead of minimize if EA Link is installed on users machine
- Stats tracking optimizations
- Revised AR's deviation per bullet
- Titan no longer moveable by the Commander once Titan shields are down
- Installer checks for BF2142 running in the background before installing patch
- Improved player collision protocol
- Optimized EA Master Server connection calls


Click here to download patch v1.05 (22 MB)

Sony released five new screenshots of the upcoming title MotorStorm:






Game Description:

MotorStorm™ is the world's most brutal off-road racing event where the goal is to win at all costs. Choose from seven vehicle types, from high-flying dirt bikes to powerful big rigs, and destroy anything that gets in your way in a no-holds barred sprint to the finish. Try and survive.

* Real-Time Deforming Terrain: The terrain literally gets torn up with each passing vehicle, causing each lap to be different. Advanced particle effects cause debris and muck to "stick" to each vehicle.

* Vehicular Combat and Damage: Destroy anything that gets in your way. Smash your opponents and view spectacular Hollywood-style crash sequences.

* Take the Race Online: Intense head-to-head off-road racing. Challenge the competition over voice chat.

* Amazing Gameplay Experience: State-of-the-art visuals, featuring high dynamic range lighting, motion blur and depth of fields are all displayed in glorious High-Definition (720p).

* Player-centric Action: There's never a dull moment, as you're always in the thick of the action. AI opponents simulate human traits, like showing off, attacking, taunting, and doing whatever it takes to win!

A new Far Cry Modification called "The Delta Sector" is in development. The author and creator PlatinumGold says that this mod will meet the highest quality expectations and will use the full capacity of the CryENGINE 1.

Age of Conan – Hyborian Adventures is an Online Action RPG scheduled for Windows in 2007. A mix of a deep, story-driven single-player experience and a massive and brutal multiplayer end-game brings forth the ultimate representation of the Age of Conan. Now you can enter the brutal domain of the world’s greatest fantasy hero.







Click here to view a great fly-by video from Conall's Valley

Crytek sends a three more Crysis high res screenshots:

Gran Turismo HD will be the next big GT game, the first to appear on Sony's Playstation 3 console. Very little information has been released so far.

The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is expected to be released in March 2007.





The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ is the world's first and only MMOG based on the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Players can experience the most famous fantasy world of all time, exploring and adventuring their heroes through the vast reaches of Middle-earth in the fight against the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron.

KEY FEATURES:

Experience Classic Tolkien: Meet famous characters like Gandalf and the Fellowship. Explore legendary locations like the Prancing Pony and Rivendell! Battle deadly enemies, including Nazgûl, Trolls, and Uruk-Hai!

Defeat the Shadows of Angmar: Join with the Fellowship and fight against the forces of Sauron. Confront the forces of the Nazgûl Witch-king in the North. Protect the Shire and root out evil on Weathertop.

Explore Ancient Lands: Journey through Middle-earth to collect valuable Tolkien lore, knowledge, and artifacts that bring your hero greater powers. Complete ambitious quests of courage and exploration that bestow compelling character traits.

Several years have passed since the Burning Legion's defeat at Mount Hyjal and the races of Azeroth have continued to rebuild their once shattered lives. With renewed strength, the heroes of the Horde and Alliance have begun to explore new lands and broken through the Dark Portal to investigate the realms beyond the known world. Will these heroes find friends or foes? What dangers and rewards lie in wait beyond the Dark Portal? And what will they do when they discover that the demons they thought vanquished have returned to renew their terrible Burning Crusade?

- An increase in the level cap to 70
- New spells and talents for each class
- Two new playable races: Blood Elves & Draenei
- The entire new continent of Outland
- Many new zones and high-level dungeons
- Hundreds of new monsters, quests, and items
- A new profession: Jewelcrafting
- Flying mounts in Outland

Namco Bandai Games today released Warhammer: Mark of Chaos details:



Zoom factor 100
One thing that immediately stands out is the graphics in Warhammer: Mark of Chaos with their unprecedented richness in detail. Thousands of soldiers with different faces, clearly recognizable insignia on their armour and flags, authentic-looking and destructible buildings to a scale of 1:1 and fascinating light and particle effects with plumes of powder and smoke and billows of dust, visible from a great distance, create a highly tense atmosphere. The player can zoom into and out of the thick of the battle in any situation and choose to admire the stunning 3D map from the perspective of a warrior or of a bird. The terrain and the landscapes offer advantages and disadvantages for friends and foes alike, depending on the evolvement of the plot.

Customize your forces to your heart's content
Unlike other strategy games, in Warhammer: Mark of Chaos players can lick the troops of the four Warhammer races (Human Empire, Chaos, High Elves and Skaven) into shape with the help of the army designer. With a few mouse clicks, every single soldier is given his own coat of arms, uniform, colours and even body parts. Moreover, if you wish you can recruit mercenaries from other Warhammer races such as the Dwarfs or the Goblins and integrate them into your army or turn them into a separate unit. The key characters of each army are the heroes and champions. They boast a whole range of skills that are arranged in a skill tree. On each level, every hero will obtain various skills in the battle, leadership and duel categories. When two enemy heroes meet, a murderous duel ensues, a game within the game where the commander gets to cleverly pit the character's obtained skills against his opponent.

Energy and morale
In order to enhance the battle atmosphere and to increase battle dynamics, the Black Hole experts have introduced a novelty into Warhammer: Mark of Chaos: morale. Every unit and every hero has their own morale bar. Inexperienced units are more scared than battle-tried mercenaries, and a clever attack from the flanks or a lost duel and high losses have a particularly negative effect on the forces' fighting spirit. If morale drops to zero, everybody takes flight and can only be deployed again after a certain amount of time has passed. A new and realistic challenge for players who cannot be sure any longer that their orders will be followed blindly.

The whole army draws from a so-called energy reservoir, a kind of potion that fills by collective and individual successes and brings back strength and energy.

Single-player and multiplayer
In campaign mode with at least 40 missions single players can choose to fight on the side of either the holy Empire or of infernal Chaos. In multiplayer mode, up to six players can play on about 40 maps with additional fortress scenarios where one party takes on the part of the attackers and the other the part of the defenders.

Conclusion
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos offers long-lasting motivation and excitement for expert gamers and beginners alike. Battles in lavish graphics, huge numbers of freely customizable soldiers and heroes and the distinct focus on the turmoil of battle make this strategy an absolute highlight of the gamers' autumn!

Features:
• True art of warfare
• Massive, breathtaking battles
• Destructible structures in lavish graphics
• Lots of champions and thousands of soldiers
• Infinite customizing and learning opportunities
• Multiple gaming modes

Polyphony Digital have revealed what the Japanese packshot of Gran Turismo HD will look like:

If you prefer larger images, there's a full, high quality image measuring 1712 x 2000 pixels version of this packshot which you can see here.

Gran Turismo HD will be the next big GT game, the first to appear on Sony's Playstation 3 console. Very little information has been released so far.

Click here to view more screnshots

Game Features:

The whole world living its own life:

• Man-made calamity, corrupt nature, psychological and physical threats, anomalies, odd deadly phenomena, mutated creatures, stalkers, military cordons, scientific camps.
• Vast territory of the Zone.
• Absolute freedom of movement with imperceptible level loading.
• Dynamic day-night switching system
• Dynamic weather effects as rain, wind, fog, etc.
• Generation of events, tasks, artifacts
• Anomalous energy blowouts, peaks of anomalous activity, migrating anomalies.
• Anomalous areas

• Unique abilities of creatures as group intellect, telepathy, telekinesis etc.
• Behaviour and life simulation for creatures and characters.
• Characters and creatures move around under control of global intellect.
• Impressive script.
• Non-linear storyline.
• Several endings of the game.
• Events happening regardless of the player's actions.
• Game time system

• over 30 types of weapons
• Unique weapons and their influence on enemy.
• Weapon upgrades.
• Devices and protective suits.
• Trade in weapons, artifacts and equipment.

• 300.000 - 3.000.000 polygons per frame
• Dynamic shadows and lighting
• Characters are correctly shaded by objects
• Powerful physics engine, i.e controlling vehicles, detailing objects, bullet ballistics, skeleton animation, etc.
• Realistic AI, i.e characters' behaviour is adequate to environment and events happening around. Soldiers patrol the Zone perimeter. Stalkers travel the Zone independently of the player collecting anomalous formations, trading, communicating and fighting. Mutants increase their population, migrate in Zone, eliminating stalkers, soldiers and each other.
• Motion capture animation

Features

Mitorah Games has also released a playable demo of Tradewinds Legends, allowing you to try out the latest installment in the Tradewinds series. Players sail, trade and battle with legendary heroes such as Sinbad in the mythical Far East. They can build a flotilla of ships armed with weaponry, both man-made and magic. The game can be purchased from its official website

Click here to download demo

Source: GamersHell.com

GSC Game World's long-awaited PC shooter is nearing completion.

While S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is big on ideas, it currently looks a little dated when compared to its next-generation contemporaries. The protracted development period has clearly been used to polish the A-Life system and branching storyline, and you have to scratch beneath the surface to see these advancements. Thankfully, the game finally looks close to completion, and THQ seems relatively certain that it will see the light of day next year. While S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has more bad endings waiting for its players than it does good, hopefully the game itself will have a happy conclusion after all those years of work.

Read more...

The bottom line is that Extraction Point doesn't depart very much from the original. It's short, not presented as well, and suffers from performance issues. If you loved F.E.A.R. and want more, give it a go. Otherwise, "Expansion Point" isn't likely to draw you into the F.E.A.R. universe.

Bethesda has released the Xbox 360 version of Knights of the Nine for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

The following Oblivion content is available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for all regions:

Name: Knights of the Nine
Price: 800 Points
Available in: All Xbox Live Regions
Details: A fallen King has been unchained from the darkness of Oblivion to seek vengeance upon the Gods who banished him. Only a champion pure of heart can vanquish the evil that has been released upon the land. You must heed the call, reclaim the lost relics of the Divine Crusader, and return the Nine to glory. New dungeons, characters, quests, and mysteries await.

Source: Xbox Live's Major Nelson

Rainbow Six is reinvented and reinvigorated for a new age thanks to beautiful visuals and top-notch tactical shooting action.

SEGA of America has released new details and screenshots of Armored Core 4.

Armored Core 4 is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 in spring 2007.






Key Features:

• Multiplayer functionality allows up to eight players to battle online simultaneously.
• 30 Missions played out in detailed futuristic environments.
• Join one of six factions specializing in different aspects of battle.
• Fly through canyons and rip through cites battling multiple enemies.
• Deploy “Quick Boost” and "Over Boost" features for precise explosive movement and precision control of AC units.
• Engage "Primal Armor", the all new defense shield that adjusts its strength according to specific battle conditions.

Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Hudson
Game Genre: Party
Release Date: Q4 2006

Microsoft has released today new screenshots of Fuzion Frenzy 2:

Ancient Wars – Sparta

This is an epic story about the rise and fall of one of the most powerful ancient states. The player is going to climb the whole way up from the chief of the small village to a legendary Spartan hero.

“Ancient Wars – Sparta” is a mixture of popular genre canons and daring game ideas based on modern technologies. Beside striking graphics the project offers a unique game experience – the unprecedented level of interaction with the environment based on the realistic physical model. Physical laws influence nearly all objects of the game world, including units and buildings.

Furthermore, the player himself will be able to equip his army in real-time, seize new weapons, ships and war animals of the enemy. During the game process a gameplay will be actively influenced by different environmental phenomena and weather conditions, like rain, snow, wind, day & night change, landscape irregularity and much more. You will also perceive the power of fire!

Playlogic and Rebellion today released a demo of Prism: Threat Level Red. The demo contains the first two single-player missions and three multiplayer levels.

Click here to download demo now

Gameplay

PRISM: Threat Level Red is an action game with stealth elements. The player can approach each of the single-player missions using all out, run-and-gun tactics, or employ a more stealthy approach, using a variety of specially designed, high-tech equipment to help them.

Blending a mixture of action and stealth, the single-player campaign will take the player on a rollercoaster ride across America, where they will identify and neutralise terrorist cells, which threaten homeland security.The player is not always fully briefed on what to expect and must use their resources to adapt to an evolving situation. Although usually acting alone during most missions, the player will sometimes be joined by security guards, or even National Guard troops (Special Forces strike teams), who help them deal with the emerging threat.

You can find more comparisons in this thread


Crysis Info

Square-Enix has now officially announced and confirmed the USA release date for the remake of Final Fantasy VI, titled Final Fantasy VI Advance.

The title will feature extra dungeons and improvements as well as more spells and summons. While the Japanese version only features the Japanese language, the US version will be in full English, and region free.

Final Fantasy VI Advance will bi released on February 2nd, 2007.

LucasArts today announced that Star Wars: The Best of PC has shipped to stores in North America and is available now for a limited time at a suggested retail price of $39.99.


Star Wars: The Best of PC includes five of the greatest Star Wars games ever for the personal computer, plus a free 14-day trial of Star Wars: Galaxies. This extensive compilation of award-winning games includes hundreds of hours of gameplay across many different genres, from action to strategy to role-playing, all in one box for one low price. Star Wars: The Best of PC is a limited-edition product that will be available only during the 2006 holiday season.

Star Wars: The Best of PC features titles from some of the most popular videogame franchises ever released. Combined, the games have sold millions of copies worldwide and, for the first time, are available in one box. Included in Star Wars: The Best of PC are: Star Wars®: Empire at War™, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic®, Star Wars Battlefront™, Star Wars Jedi Knight® II: Jedi Outcast™, and Star Wars Republic Commando™. In addition, a 14-day trial of the popular online experience, Star Wars Galaxies®, is included in the package.

Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced that the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ videogame is in development. The game is scheduled for a July 2007 release to coincide with the Warner Bros. Pictures film based on J.K. Rowling’s fifth book of the same title.

Under development by EA's UK Studio, the team behind the worldwide success of the Harry Potter library of games, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is scheduled for release for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 , PlayStation 2, PSP (PlayStation Portable), Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and Windows PC.

Available On: PC CD-ROM
Rating: RP - Rating Pending
Genre: Role Playing Game

Overview:

Set in a world of fantasy dominated by the great, opposing powers of technology and nature, Silverfall gamers must choose between these forces in order to conquer all forthcoming quests and save the principal city from falling. Two companions will accompany them on their journey through the fascinating world of Nelwë. Decision-making is key throughout the game, as players’ choices impact both storyline and accumulation of skills.

Features:

• A vast, open fantasy universe offering complete freedom, from the flying zeppelin city of Cloudworks to the mage volcano of Brazer
• 150+ creatures and bosses
• Ability to create your own character from a choice of four races and release your inner beast by transforming into a fearsome, flesh rending were-beast
• Capability of building your team of two from a choice of eight companions. Each of them has their own story, background, abilities and can endow you with quests. The way you treat them will alter their loyalties – they can become your friend for life or even a lover
• Manage your character’s evolution by choosing from 130+ skills and spells. Create precisely the character you want to play and adapt it to your style of play
• Two multiplayer modes – the first allows the player to connect to any party, compose their team and play in co-op or PVP (up to eight players); the second sees the player compose a team at the beginning and play through the entire story together.
• Dazzling light, shadow and particle effects, real-time streaming of universe minimises loading between regions, ragdoll physics and particle effects lend greater reality to spell effects

Click here to download patch

ISSUE FIXES

- Ground Defence kills now count towards Ground Base Defence Ribbon
- Using the Medic Hub now counts towards Silver Medic Excellence Badge
- Silver Titan Destruction - Badge awarded when core is destroyed
- Debriefing End of Round screen displays player stats
- Enemy Squad Leader Spawn beacon is no longer visible on the 3dMap
- Can now bind same key to crouch for common and land vehicles
- User now unable to repeatedly spam a squad leader to join a locked squad
- Spinning tank turret no longer pushes player inside clipped geometry
- Users can play single-player (offline) mode when EA servers are unavailable
- Fixed issue that caused Battlerecorder Playback And Camera Control Interface function
- Corrected missile silo numbers in Titan Mode
- Squad Leader Spawn Beacon can now be used after a round or map change in online games
- Missing game information in Swedish and Danish when a mutiny occurs against your commander added
- Inconsistent game references removed
- BF2142 showing up as Battlefield 2 in Windows firewall exception list fixed
- Patching update message will shut the game down instead of minimize if EA Link is installed on users machine
- Stats tracking optimizations
- Revised AR's deviation per bullet
- Titan no longer moveable by the Commander once Titan shields are down
- Installer checks for BF2142 running in the background before installing patch
- Improved player collision protocol
- Optimized EA Master Server connection calls

Release Date : 2007
Platform : Xbox 360
Players : TBA
Online Enabled : Yes (Xbox Live)
Type : First Person Shooter
Publisher : Microsoft Game Studios

Ubisoft announced that Rainbow Six Vegas for the Xbox 360 has shipped to stores today. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas will also be released for the PC on December 12, 2006 and for PlayStation 3 on January 30, 2007.

Turtle Rock Studios and Valve announce Left 4 Dead, a co-operative multiplayer action game.

Left 4 Dead will be released in 2007.

This new patch applies to all previous retail versions of Space Empires V. Please review the attached file for a full list of changes since v1.13

Download patch now (~18 MB)

US v1.3 Patch (15 MB)

UK v1.3 Patch (15 MB)

GR v1.3 Patch (15 MB)

FR v1.3 Patch (15 MB)

IT v1.3 Patch (15 MB)

SP v1.3 Patch (15 MB)


Patch Details

************************************************************

EA GAMES(tm) presents
Need for Speed(tm) Carbon PC PATCH README

Our update to Need for Speed(tm) Carbon on the PC includes some additions that we feel complete the gaming experience.

Note: If you intend to play online, you must upgrade using this patch – failure to do so will prevent you from racing online.

Issues Addressed
=================

- Addresses issue with the online authentication screen

- Allows for consistent use of EA Messenger

- Updates to address a leaderboard issue during Online Pursuit Tag

- Allows for full friend searching functionality

- Updates to address launching issues between XP and 2K

(C) 2006 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved.
END OF Need for Speed Carbon PC PATCH README

Matrix Games and Western Civilization Software announce that their a new American Civil War strategy game Forge of Freedom has gone gold.



Click here to read full story...

Features :

1. The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack
2. Flight Simulator X Deluxe
3. Battlefield 2142
4. Neverwinter Nights 2 (DVD Edition)
5. Flight Simulator X
6. The Sims 2
7. World Of Warcraft
8. Neverwinter Nights 2 (CD Edition)
9. Guild Wars Nightfall
10. Age Of Empires III: WarChiefs Expansion Pack
11. Star Wars: Empire At War: Forces of Corruption Expansion Pack
12. Age Of Empires III
13. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
14. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War Dark Crusade Expansion Pack
15. F.E.A.R. Extraction Point Expansion Pack
16. Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures
17. The Sims 2 Happy Holiday Stuff
18. Civilization IV
19. Sid Meier's Railroads
20. The Sims 2 Holiday Edition

Source: VE3D

Electronic Arts has released new The Lord Of The Rings, The Battle For Middle-Earth II: The Rise Of The Witch-King PC screenshots:







After more than a thousand years of peace, a dark tide has risen in Middle-earth. The Witch-king is gathering a massive army of evil minions in the land of Angmar. His aim: to wage war against the Men of Middle-earth and avenge Sauron's defeat at the Battle of the Last Alliance. In this first *expansion pack to The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, take control of the forces of Angmar in the first major war of The Third Age. With everything a player could want from an expansion pack-a new single player campaign, an enhanced Create-A-Hero feature, a new faction, and much more...you now have more control than ever in your battle for Middle-earth.

* Requires The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II to play.

Prepare for a totally new combat experience as you fight massive air, sea and undersea battles in WWII's Pacific theatre in direct command of multiple warships, planes and submarines in this epic solo and online tactical action game.

For the first time experience the true intensity of large scale aerial and naval combat in a unique mix of direct action and tactical play. Directly control dozens of highly detailed warships, aircraft and submarines in a 'free-control' environment as you design and execute the best plans of attack. Command the colossal firepower of a fully armed battleship, engage the enemy in fierce dogfights through flak-infested skies, or utilise the silent attack of your submarine to unleash deadly torpedo attacks on unsuspecting enemies.

Battlestations: Midway follows the story of naval recruit Henry Walker, whose first assignment as a gunner at Pearl Harbor is the starting point of an incredible career at the heart of the US Pacific Fleet in 1942, in what was to become one of the most inspirational military campaigns in history.

Today, Infinity Ward announced the re-launch of its website, www.infinityward.com. The newly revamped website will serve as a "home base" of sorts where fans can find a variety of community-focused features including squad-building resources, social networking, podcasts, developer modding tutorials and more.

Additionally, the website will showcase sections dedicated to the history of the Call of Duty franchise, including weapon specifications, strategy guides, as well as clan website creation toolkits.

Source: IGN

Could this be shooter of the year, or will that title go to the Xbox 360's Gears of War?

After years of conjecture, anticipation and most recently astonishment, the North American and Japanese PS3s are now in the hands of a few faithful gamers as well as EBay profiteers. The latter group not-withstanding, the former is enjoying the first polished first person shooter to grace a Sony branded console in years.

Find out more here

CONCEPT:
A darkly themed and lengthy adventure that takes Zelda’s gameplay to the next level

GRAPHICS:
The detail won’t blow your socks off, but few games are this creative in their designs. The monsters are some of the best I have seen since Princess Mononoke

SOUND:
The music in the twilight realm is chaotic, yet surprisingly beautiful. As always, the game’s sound effects recall the first time that you ever played Zelda

PLAYABILITY:
The Wii’s motion-sensing technology perfectly handles Zelda’s classic gameplay. This entry also houses the most harrowing dungeons, most diverse weaponry, and the widest assortment of side content

ENTERTAINMENT:
It never falters and never gets old

REPLAY:
Moderately High

SCORE:
10

There really is no better introduction to a new console, or a better game for that matter, than Twilight Princess. This is the game of the year.

Read more...

The eagerly anticipated sequel delivers some solid Middle Ages combat, but it's not a major leap forward for the franchise.

Pros

- Great battlefield combat sim
- Huge campaign mode
- Detailed graphics.

Cons

- AI is sometimes weak
- Campaign plays slowly
- New strategic units slow the game down without adding much.

Read more...

Visually, the Dark Avatar expansion doesn't seem to add any graphical enhancements, though Galactic Civilizations has never really been known for its looks. The interface remains clean and simple, and the nice thing is, all this new gameplay depth has been added without adding a lot of interface clutter. There's an extra tab or two in many of the screens that let you access espionage tools, though that's about it. Dark Avatar has an impressive amount of new content, enough really to merit it being a sequel. This is an expansion, though, so you'll need the original game to play it. Still, fans should be in for a reward when it ships next year.

A city building simulation of epic proportions, City Life will challenge players to design, build and manage a modern day metropolis in a fully 3D environment. In the game, players will create a living city, striving to maintain harmony between various social classes through skilled urban planning and meeting their day-to-day needs.

Gameplay: 8.2
The Wii controller/nunchuks make CoD3 a laborious endeavor. Some may really enjoy this step forward in the use of the next-gen control scheme. While intensive, for this reviewer, it proved frustrating as well. Levels that were conquered in a reasonable time frame before on other platforms became a time sink as the controls – and the learning curve to get comfortable with them – resulted in a few deaths.

Graphics: 8.8
Great particle effects, dynamic lighting and animations all add up to a game that looks very good.

Sound: 8.5
The cacophony of war rattles the speakers with an aural intensity that is very appropriate. Turn it up – way up. As visceral as the graphics are, the audio is a real treat.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
There are several options for players to select their challenge, and regardless of what difficulty level you select, the nunchuk controls will compound it.

Concept: 8.0
The control scheme can be frustrating for a long time and each new element within the game proves to be a challenge.

Overall: 8.3
Again, the Wii controller makes this a laborious, intense experience. The game mechanics and general feel of the game are not overly different from what gamers are used to, but that this is brought to such vivid life on a console is a tribute to the diligence of the developers. The game still looks great and sounds terrific, and the game advances the historical time frames of the franchise.

Read more...

With the Next Gen consoles out of the hat, its time to turn back time and revisit the past to investigate the worst classics of all time. Perhaps this article could save Developers of the Next Gen games from making similar gaming tragedies.

The five games come from various consoles and from various times, but one thing the all have in common is that they were bad, terrible, revolting and worse. So with out further ado SAGN presents the five classics that should have never been made...

Read more...

PS3 vs 360… 360 vs PS3… is a very touchy subject as everyone is aware I’m sure. Before this article gets underway its important that everyone keep in mind that neither of these 2 consoles is weak by any stroke of the imagination. Both are very powerful and significant upgrades over their current generation counterparts such as the PS2 or Xbox and as always it’s about the games. What it TRULY boils down to for the vast majority of people out there is that they don’t care about the specs of a console. All most people care about is “How good are the games available for it?” So I want it to be understood immediately that by no means is this article meant to be some sort of indication of which of the two consoles will end up coming out on top. Nor is this article meant to, in any shape or form, change anyone’s mind about which console they decide to purchase. This is simply an article intended to inform people about both machines and in doing so there will of course be comparisons between the 2 machines, but they will be facts. With all of that said lets get down to business shall we?

Read more...

Key Features

Strategy First has released a new patch for Birth of America.

Genre: Historical-Combat
Release date: 2006-10-10
Platform: PC Windows
Available languages: English
Developed by: AGEOD
Catalogue: Strategy First
Available packaged: $ 39.99


Download v1.10b (15 MB) Patch Now!

Product: Mass Effect™
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: BioWare Corp.®
Format: DVD for the Xbox 360™ video game system
ESRB Rating: Pending
Availability: TBD

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles

Gamasutra's latest Question of the Week asked our esteemed audience of game industry professionals, educators and students for feedback on which next-gen hardware is actually being bought by game professionals at the end of next week, and why...

Click here to find out more

Three brothers were robbed after they finally got their hands on a PlayStation 3. The new gaming console went on sale Friday and you had to be either lucky or ruthless to get one.

The three UCF students, who are triplets, waited in line for two days and they were finally able to get a game system from the Wal-Mart on East Colonial Drive. When they got back to their apartment in Oviedo, they were robbed in the parking lot and all thieves took was the PS3.

Nintendo Japan confirmed at its official website that it will release a better version of the Wii in the later half of 2007. The new model will offer DVD playback, but is not expected to see any other change... Nintendo expects the new model to cost more than the standard Wii due to the costs associated with DVD licensing.

New Valve Anti-Cheat technology caught a few people cheating in Counter-Strike: Source and other games this week - over 10,000. VAC detects anyone using cheat software and permanently bans their Steam account. We expect to see a surge of forum posts laying blame squarely at the feet of "my little brother."

Take-Two Interactive today announced twenty games in development for the PlayStation 3, with more than seven titles from Rockstar Games, including Grand Theft Auto IV which is expected to be in North American stores on October 16, 2007 and European stores on October 19, 2007. Additional Rockstar Games products include new original titles such as L.A. Noire, as well as extensions of blockbuster Rockstar Games franchises.

When the PlayStation 3 launches today, Take-Two's 2K Sports will deliver NBA 2K7 and NHL 2K7. Additionally, 2K and 2K Sports plan to publish more than eleven additional titles for the PlayStation 3 system, including College Hoops 2K7 in January, followed by Major League Baseball 2K7 in late winter, The Darkness in the spring, The BIGS in the summer, NBA 2K8 and NHL 2K8 in September.

Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Publisher: Namco-Bandai
Developer: Black Hole Games
Release Date: November 14, 2006

WorthPlaying today announced a review of the Warhammer: Mark of Chaos. For more infomation click here

Advanced Tactical Center is a tool for clans and communities to plan and discuss tactics before playing a game. With the provided palette of tools everyone can make advanced tactics swift and
easy. Take full advantage of Advanced Tactical Center to make sure your whole clan improves in online performance and gain the upper hand on your rival clans!

New features include:

- Added support for Special Forces
- Added support for Armoured Fury
- Added support for Euro Force
- Added support for Wake Island 2007 and Road to Jalalabad
- Ability to lock chat



Download Advanced Tactical Center Now!

PC


• Gothic III - Pro-G - 6/10
• Neverwinter Nights 2 - Uncompressed - 3.5/5

  Xbox 360
  

• Defender - 360.IGN - 5.5/10
• Gears of War - Pro-G - 10/10
• Phantasy Star Universe - Team Xbox - 6/10
• Phantasy Star Universe - GameSpy - 2.5/5
• Rainbow Six Vegas - 360.IGN - 9.3/10
• WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 - Team Xbox - 8.5/10

  Nintendo Wii
  

• Marvel Ultimate Alliance - GameSpy - 4/5
• Rayman Raving Rabbids - Wii.IGN - 8.3/10
• Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - GameSpy - 4/5
• Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - GameSpot - 8.3/10
• Trauma Center: Second Opinion - GameSpot - 8/10

  PlayStation 3
  

• Madden NFL 07 - PS3.IGN - 8.3/10
• Madden NFL 07 - 1Up - 6.5/10
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire - 1Up - 2/10
• NBA 07 - GameSpot - 4.9/10
• NHL 2K7 - GameSpot - 8.3/10
• Resistance Fall of Man - GamePro - 4.5/5
• Ridge Racer 7 - 1Up - 8/10
• Untold Legends : Dark Kingdom - GameBrink - 57%

Demo contains:

- 2 distances: Beaver Creek departure and mix departure
- 2 drivers: Bode Miller and Hermann Maier
- 3 play modes: Kind of snapping with 4 attitudes in different degrees of difficulty, exercise mode with Bestzeiten Challenge, Arcade mode for multi-players with individual Cup edito

Download demo (200 MB)

PlayStation 2 - In Stores Now

Game Cube - In Stores Now

Gameboy Advance - In Stores Now

Xbox 360 - In Stores Now

PC DVD - In Stores Now

Nintendo DS - In Stores Now


About Game:

Developed by the makers of the best-selling children's title, LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game, BIONICLE Heroes brings to life the characters and world of LEGO's BIONICLE universe. This brand-new action/adventure title for kids allows players to control the entire 2006 toy lineup of BIONICLE action figures, which features both the heroic Toa Inika and the villainous Piraka. Battle and explore your way through the jungles, volcanoes, and deserts of the mysterious island of Voya Nui in this epic quest. In order to survive, players will need to master the powerful weapons and elemental powers of each BIONICLE character in order to defeat the Piraka and to solve the challenges and puzzles of this uniquely, interactive LEGO universe. Spanning over 25 different levels and 6 elemental zones, players will experience the ultimate BIONICLE adventure.

Colin McRae: DIRT is coming in 2007 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.





Click here for more information

Electronic Arts sends a new retail patch for Battlefield 2.

Download v1.41 patch from 3D Gamers

Electronic Arts today announced that Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars is in development for the Xbox 360. C&C 3 boasts an intuitive console-specific control scheme, fast-action strategy gameplay, deep single player campaign, and an immersive multiplayer experience featuring massive battles where you take control of large armies on the battlefield of the future.

C&C 3 will ship worldwide in 2007 for the Xbox 360 and Windows PC.

G2 Games are today announced that their new PC flight simulation title First Eagles has gone gold and is ready for release on November 24th.

PC


• Gothic III - ActionTrip - 79%
• Guild Wars Nightfall - Play.tm - 92%
• Medieval II: Total War - GameInformer - 9.25/10
• Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - GameInformer - 6.75/10

  Xbox 360
  

• Call of Duty 3 - Trusted Reviews - 8/10
• Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 - GameSpy - 2.5/5
• Gears of War - Game Revolution - A-
• Gears of War - Game-Over - 96%
• Gears of War - Whodiggs - 93%
• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Game Revolution - B
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance - Game-Over - 85%
• Sneak King - 360.IGN - 6.7/10

  Nintendo Wii
  

• Excite Truck - GameSpy - 3/5
• Excite Truck - GameInformer - 7/10
• Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - Wii.IGN - 7/10

  PlayStation 3
  

• Genji: Days of the Blade - GameInformer - 6/10
• NBA 07 - GameInformer - 7/10
• Need for Speed Carbon - PS3.IGN - 7.9/10
• Resistance: Fall of Man - GameInformer - 9.5/10
• Resistance: Fall of Man - GameHelper - 9.3/10
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 - PS3.IGN - 8.3/10

  PlayStation 2
  

• Sega Genesis Collection - PS2.IGN - 8.6/10

G2 Games are today announcing that their new adventure title for PC CDROM - Carte Blanche has gone gold.

Carte Blanche will be released across Europe on November 24th 2006.

Find out more at : www.g2games.com/carteblanche

Release Date : 2007
Platform : Xbox 360
Players :
TBA Online Enabled : Yes (Xbox Live)
Type : First Person Shooter
Publisher : Microsoft Game Studios

Halo 3 is the third game in the Halo Trilogy and will provide the thrilling conclusion to the events begun in Halo: Combat Evolved. Halo 3 was first revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles on May 9th, 2006. Halo 3 will be available for Xbox 360 in 2007.

Halo 3 will pick up where Halo 2 left off. The Master Chief is returning to Earth to finish the fight. The Covenant occupation of Earth has uncovered a massive and ancient object beneath the African sands - an object who's secrets have yet to be revealed. Earth's forces are battered and beaten.

The Master Chief's AI companion Cortana is still trapped in the clutches of the Gravemind - a horrifying Flood intelligence, and a civil war is raging in the heart of the Covenant. This is how the world ends...

Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announces Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Vegas Challenge, an online video game tournament sponsored by Gamestop and EB Games, Future U.S., Inc. and Dodge. The tournament kicks off December 27 and will pit four-player teams against each other to battle it out in the exciting Vegas locations featured in the highly anticipated first-person shooter Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Vegas for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The tournament will be held on the Xbox Live® online game service and will culminate in an online championship on January 28, 2007. The winning player will take home an all-new 2007 Dodge Nitro.

To register and learn more about Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Challenge, please visit www.gamestop.com/rainbowsixtournament.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Vegas ships November 20, 2006 for the Xbox 360™.

LucasArts announced that, for the first time ever, five of the greatest Star Wars® games for the personal computer, plus a free 14-day trial of Star Wars Galaxies, will be packaged together in Star Wars: The Best of PC. This exciting new compilation will be released this month, and will be available only for the holiday 2006 season for a suggested price of $39.99.

Star Wars: The Best of PC features titles from some of the most popular videogame franchises ever released. Combined, the games have sold millions of copies worldwide and, for the first time, are available in one box. Included in Star Wars: The Best of PC are: Star Wars®: Empire at War™, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic®, Star Wars Battlefront™, Star Wars Jedi Knight® II: Jedi Outcast™, and Star Wars Republic Commando™. In addition, a 14-day trial of the popular online experience, Star Wars Galaxies&reag; is included in the package.

"Hundreds of hours of Star Wars gameplay, spanning many different genres, can be found in Star Wars: The Best of PC, making it the perfect holiday gift for any Star Wars fan, or any PC gamer," said Nancy MacIntyre, vice president of global sales and marketing for LucasArts. "Every kind of gameplay is available in The Best of PC, from fast-paced action, to tactical, real-time strategy, to engaging role-playing. It's all here, it's all PC, and it's all Star Wars."

Top 10 Best Selling PC Games for November 4:

1. The Sims 2 Pets - Electronic Arts
2. Neverwinter Nights 2 - Atari
3. Battlefield 2142 - Electronic Arts
4. World Of Warcraft - Blizzard
5. Flight Simulator X Deluxe - Microsoft
6. Star Wars: Empire At War: Forces of Corruption - LucasArts
7. Neverwinter Nights 2 Limited Edition - Atari
8. The Sims 2 - Electronic Arts
9. Flight Simulator X - Microsoft
10. Guild Wars Nightfall - NCSoft

Download demo from 3D Gamers


NHL 07 Demo INFO

The Rise of the Witch-king requires BFME II in order to play and will be available November 28.

Download from:

• FileFront
• WorthPlaying
  
• FilePlanet

New Features

New multiplayer map: 6P_Seine River Docks

New and improved Game Replay functionality allows players to view the game from a selected player's perspective in slow motion or fast forward. In addition the game UI can now be minimized to reveal a larger viewing space of the action going on in the replay. To compliment this, a new Cinematic Mode allows players to sit back and enjoy the show.

Cinematic Mode camera

Replay your battles as the game automatically switches between cinematic camera angles, capturing the sound and fury of war from the combatants' perspective.

IME support for Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows Vista

Improvements

Improved SLI performance on Nvidia systems using the latest drivers.

General Fixes

BugReport has more space on the success dialog to show Cyrillic text.

Far East characters will not clip when listed in a multi-line text box.

30260 is now listed as the correct port to leave unblocked.

Removal of ghost bug that could leave duplicates upon reload of a saved game.

The playback controls for viewing a recorded game have their graphics fixed.

Campaign Changes

Medal text is now visible (Korean)

Reinforce radius has been fixed on certain buildings.

M02: Fixed several instances of having the wrong named character's picture attached to subtitled text.

M02: Game no longer incorrectly instructs the player to reinforce the squad.

M04: Fixed a Fatal Scar Error that occurred when the church is taken back by the enemy forces, just as the timer ends, and as the cinematic is about to begin.

M05: Convoy will no longer exit the map using an unsecured road after you complete the final objective

M08: Fixed critical error after countdown reaches 0 after holding the city centre point

M10: The ''Select HQ'' Button now properly selects the forward HQ

M10: Fixed the lack of audio for subtitled text.

M10: Game no longer incorrectly instructs the player to convert a building outside controlled territory

M11: Briefing fixed subtitle timing issue

Gameplay Changes

Fixed the problem where mouse-clicking on a unit onscreen under heavy loads often does not result in the unit being selected.

Improved load times by fixing pathfinding regens.

Fixed the bug where capturing an enemy weapon resulted in it having enemy unit occlusion.

Veterancy speech samples are now triggered correctly.

The vehicle repair icon now shows up offscreen.

Fix for Allied Engineers becoming trapped when building barbed wire close to sandbags or other obstacles, which prevents them from completing orders.

All sectors default to neutral on Map Montherme, previously one player would start with ownership of a sector.

Allied and Axis HQs can no longer be deleted by the player.

Players will no longer lose munitions income from creating an Axis Sniper.

Axis Blitzkrieg ability now displays appropriate icon over Axis Anti-Tank Gun.

Axis Halftracks and Allied halftracks will now carry a maximum of 3 squads total opposed to 4.

Weapon capture squads can now reinforce to full squad size.

Tuned projectile launcher location for Axis Pak 38 so it now shoots from the correct gun height.

Sniper "Make Casualty" or "Hit but not killed" criticals no longer kill their target. The result of this is that Snipers will no longer one-shot-kill other Snipers if they have full health.

Allied Engineers had a 1% chance to instantly kill a target, this was fixed and they now operate as intended.

Fix for the computer AI constantly cancelling construction and rebuilding a structure when destroying the building and staying in the area in any game.

Allied Engineer Demolitions ability will now destroy an Axis Security Post in one detonation as intended.

Axis Salvage ability is no longer giving inappropriate returns for the Axis Halftracks and Stug.

Allied Rangers were detecting camouflaged units at a very high radius, this has been reduced to the standard radius for infantry units.

Axis Flammenwerfer Halftrack will now successfully upgrade when pioneers are loaded inside.

Online Changes

Fixed the issue of split or cut-off text when viewing the Play Now screen in the Online Lobby on 1920x1200 (widescreen)

Players should now hear an audio prompt when sending a chat message to an ally or enemy.

The scrollbar for the player list now resets properly to the top position when switching between chat channels in the online lobby

Fixed the bug where Annihilation games would end before players could see the enemy's HQ collapsing.

Users with slower computers will see each other properly in the game lobby.

Most Wins list and top 15 players list display properly in the Leaderboard 1v1 bracket.

Players looking for Ranked Games are no longer displayed as "0" on the News tab.

Fix for cut-off and split text in the Online Lobby when viewing 1920x1200 widescreen in Polish, Spanish, Czech, German and Italian.

Performance Fixes

Performance measurements now include loading time.

Fix for no SFX, Music or Speech play if you ALT-TAB from the MP lobby and ALT-TAB back after the game has loaded.

Fixed a crash relating to players logging out of Relic Online during the countdown to game launch.

UI now properly filtering out old replays from previous versions of the game.

Balance Changes

Axis Ostwind has more frequent reloads, will be less effective vs units in cover or in buildings.

Axis Ostwind's damage to player-buildings has been reduced (35-40% reduction)

Axis Panther tuning moderate speed and rotation rate increases (bringing mobility a bit closer to the Allied Sherman).

Axis Armoured Car cost increased by 10 fuel.

Axis Stug build time increased by 10 seconds.

Allied Sherman main gun effectiveness vs. units garrisoned within ambient buildings reduced.

Allied Sherman main gun Area of Effect damage slightly lowered.

Fixed the Allied Bazooka's unnecessary accuracy penalty vs. the Axis Stug and Panzer IV.

Allied Airborne Satchel charges strengthened against buildings and bunkers.

Fortify the Perimeter Commander Tree item in the Defensive Doctrine has had a 1 Commander Point reduction.

Axis Flak 88 Commander Tree item in the Defensive Doctrine has had a 1 Commander Point increase.

For the Fatherland ability cost has been reduced by 40%.

All vehicle main guns effectiveness vs. infantry in cover reduced.

Sherman Calliope Main Turret reload time is 50% slower than the standard Sherman.

Allies Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) is significantly less effective on the move.

Mod Support

Scenario pack support

A scenario pack (*.sga file) is an archive that contain all the files needed for a scenario allowing for easy map sharing. To play a new map put the scenario pack in the "$CoHInstallDir\WW2\Scenarios\" or the "My Documents\My Games\Company of Heroes\Scenarios\" folder.

Added the Worldbuilder tool.

Added the MovieMaker tool.

Supports export of scenario packs by selecting Export Scenario in the File menu.

Square Enix today announced that Final Fantasy III has shipped to retailers across North America. The game retails for $39.99.

TeamXbox yesterday posted a nice preview of Bionicle Heroes

Bionicle Heroes Features:
• The official Bionicle video game featuring the entire range of the latest Bionicle action figure toys including both the evil Piraka and heroic Toa Inika
• Master the unique weapons and elemental powers of all of the Toa Inika and Piraka
• Battle your way through the rich, interactive Bionicle universe of Voya Nui which is made up of over 25 unique levels through 6 elemental zones
• Uncover and collect unique LEGO pieces that can be used to upgrade weapons and special abilities as well as unlock special playable characters, such as the Piraka
• Discover secret areas and hidden extras that provide an interactive world in which kids will enjoy finding something new every time they play it
• Experience the simple controls and accessible gameplay design created just for kids and families.

Sierra Entertainment announced today that Eragon, the video game based on the upcoming movie, is available at stores and will be followed by the film opening in theatres on December 15th.

PC


• Company of Heroes - Bjorn3D - 9.5/10
• Left Behind: Eternal Forces - PC.IGN - 5.7/10
• Medieval 2: Total War - GameSpot - 8.8/10
• Phantasy Star Universe - PC.IGN - 5.5/10
• Sid Meier's Railroads - Pro-G - 7/10
• Splinter Cell Double Agent - Action Trip - 77%
• Unreal Anthology - Beyond Unreal - 84% (average)

  Xbox 360
  

• Gears of War - Game Revolution - A-
• Need for Speed Carbon - Trusted Reviews - 7/10

  Nintendo Wii
  

• Call of Duty 3 - Wii.IGN - 7.7/10
• Excite Truck - GameSpot - 6.8/10
• Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - Wii.IGN - 8.4/10
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - GameBrink - 99%
• Wii Sports - GameSpy - 4/5

  PlayStation 3
  

• Call of Duty 3 - GameSpot - 8.2/10
• NHL 2K7 - PS3.IGN - 8.6/10
• Ridge Racer 7 - PS3.IGN - 8.2/10
• Tony Hawk's Project 8 - GameSpy - 2.5/5

Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios today announced Halo 3 Xbox Live multiplayer public beta, scheduled for spring 2007.

THQ today announced the first Titan Quest expansion pack, Immortal Throne. Expansion is scheduled to release worldwide in early 2007

"The summer release of Titan Quest marked a strong global success for THQ on both a critical and commercial level," said Bob Aniello, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, THQ. "Titan Quest: Immortal Throne will provide the large existing fan base with exciting new content."

"We're excited to continue working with THQ to provide fans with the fast-paced, story-driven gameplay that made Titan Quest a global success," said Brian Sullivan, president and lead designer, Iron Lore Entertainment. "With eight new character classes, an entirely new epic underworld to explore, and dozens of other new features, the expansion takes the game's character development and player immersion to the next level."

Developed by Iron Lore Entertainment, Titan Quest: Immortal Throne features a rich, original storyline with more than 12 hours of single-player content per difficulty level. New gameplay features include an all-new skill mastery that combines with existing masteries to form eight new playable character classes. Immortal Throne also adds dozens of terrifying new monsters, hundreds of unique weapons and an additional 10 levels of character and skill development.

Map editor allows you to create your own scenarios and maps.

Download editor here

Game Infomration:

Game: Xpand Rally Xtreme
Scheduled For: 2007
Game Type: 3D Simulation
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Unknown
Homepages: Xpand Rally Extreme

Official XRX website is now online.

Blizzard today posted a preview of World of WarCraft: The Burning Crusade.

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is the exciting new expansion to Blizzard's award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game. It expands the game by tremendous bounds, adding new races, lands, Battlegrounds, professions and items, and more...

OVERVIEW:

• An increase in the level cap to 70
• Two new playable races: the Blood Elves and the Draenei
• Arena-based Player vs. Player Ladder System
• New Battleground: Eye of the Storm
• 3 New Cities, The Exodar, Shattrath and Silvermoon
• The entire new continent of Outland, reachable through the Dark Portal
• Many new high-level dungeons to explore in Azeroth, Outland, and elsewhere
• Selectable Dungeon Difficulty Setting
• New flying mounts in Outland
• Many new and dangerous monsters, including epic world bosses
• Hundreds of new quests
• Hundreds of new items
• A new profession: Jewelcrafting
• Socketed items

Namco Bandai has shipped today real-time strategy game Warhammer: Mark of Chaos to stores.

1. The Sims 2 Pets- Electronic Arts
2. World Of Warcraft - Blizzard
3. Battlefield 2142 - Electronic Arts
4. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War Dark Crusade - THQ
5. Flight Simulator X Deluxe - Microsoft
6. The Sims Glamor Life Stuff - Electronic Arts
7. Company of Heroes - THQ
8. Paws & Claws Pet Vet - Valusoft
9. The Sims 2 - Electronic Arts
10. Flight Simulator X - Microsoft
11. Guild Wars Nightfall - NCSoft
12. Seaworld Adventure Parks Tycoon 2 - Activision
13. Desperate Housewives - Buena Vista Games
14. Civilization IV - 2K Games
15. Age Of Empires III: The WarChiefs - Microsoft
16. Guild Wars Nightfall: Collectors Edition - NCSoft
17. Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - LucasArts
18. Age Of Empires III - Microsoft
19. Sim City 4: Deluxe - Electronic Arts
20. The Sims 2 Nightlife - Electronic Arts

Source: FiringSquad

Earth, 2019: A colossal asteroid crashes down to Earth.

The North Korean Government quickly seals off the island chain, claiming the mysteries of the asteroid for themselves. The United States responds by dispatching an elite team of Delta Force Operators to recon the situation and report back to the Pentagon. Amid rising tensions between the US and North Koreans, the asteroid suddenly bursts open, revealing a massive, 2km high alien ship. The ship generates an immense force sphere, freezing a vast portion of the island and drastically altering the global weather system. The invasion of Earth has begun.

The two rival nations unite to stop the aliens and save mankind. The newly formed alliance fights epic battles against the marauding Aliens. With hope rapidly fading, the player must lead a crack squad through lush tropical jungle, harsh frozen landscapes, and finally into the heart of the alien ship itself for the ultimate Zero G encounter with the aliens.

Crysis offers players a highly immersive FPS experience in which they will have to adapt their tactics, weaponry, armour and gameplay style to survive and defeat the alien invasion.

Crysis uses the leading-edge technology of Crytek’s proprietary engine CryENGINE 2.

KEY FEATURES

• Resistance: Fall of Man draws players into a deep, frightening story that rewrites the 20th century and pits the United States and Britain against a horrific species of unknown origin.
• In addition to an epic single player campaign, Resistance: Fall of Man features co-op, split screen multiplayer and highly customizable online gameplay.
• PlayStation 3’s superior power enables Resistance: Fall of Man to feature a wide variety of fluidly moving characters that exhibit more sophisticated behaviors and interact with their environments more realistically.
• Greater processing power on PlayStation 3 and Blu-ray technology enables more immersive visual and sound effects in Resistance: Fall of Man, heightening the chaos of large-scale warfare.
• A powerful rendering engine allows Resistance: Fall of Man to feature a greater variety of highly detailed and interactive environments for a console FPS experience, including large battlefields and sprawling military command centers.
• Insomniac Games has combined its passion for creating exotic weapons and vehicles with a proprietary physics system to create a unique human and alien arsenal.
• 
  

The wait is finally over, and Medieval 2: Total War is now available to purchase in the UK and rest of Europe!

Air Guitar: Y, Y, B, O, Y, B
Crowd has Eyeball Heads: B, O, Y, O, Y, O, B
Crowd has Monkey Heads: O, B, Y, Y, O, B, Y, Y
Flaming Head: B, O, Y, O, O, Y, O, Y, Y
Horse Head: O, O, B, O, O, B, O, O, B
Hyper Speed De/Activate: O, B, O, Y, O, B, O, Y
Performance mode: Y, Y, B, Y, Y, O, Y, Y

Card #220 - Super Bowl XLI: RLA9R7
Card #221 - Super Bowl XLII: WRLUF8
Card #222 - Super Bowl XLIII: NIEV4A
Card #223 - Super Bowl XLIV: M5AB7L
Card #224 - Aloha Stadium: YI8P8U
Card #225 - '58 Colts: B57QLU
Card #226 - '66 Packers: 1PL1FL
Card #227 - '68 Jets: MIE6WO
Card #228 - '70 Browns: CL2TOE
Card #229 - '72 Dolphins: NOEB7U
Card #230 - '74 Steelers: YO0FLA
Card #231 - '76 Raiders: MOA11I
Card #232 - '77 Broncos: C8UM7U
Card #233 - '78 Dolphins: VIU0O7
Card #234 - '80 Raiders: NLAPH3
Card #235 - '81 Chargers: COAGI4
Card #236 - '82 Redskins: WL8BRI
Card #237 - '83 Raiders: H0EW7I
Card #238 - '84 Dolphins: M1AM1E
Card #239 - '85 Bears: QOETO8
Card #240 - '86 Giants: ZI8S2L
Card #241 - '88 49ers: SP2A8H
Card #242 - '90 Eagles: 2L4TRO
Card #243 - '91 Lions: J1ETRI
Card #244 - '92 Cowboys: W9UVI9
Card #245 - '93 Bills: DLA3I7
Card #246 - '94 49ers: DR7EST
Card #247 - '96 Packers: F8LUST
Card #248 - '98 Broncos: FIES95
Card #249 - '99 Rams: S9OUSW

During gameplay press T and input the following codes:

armor - full armor
health - full health
build - shows build version
poltergeist - ghost mode (not target mode)
kfa - all weapons + full ammo, armor & health
gear - increased health and boosted reflexes
tears - all weapons + infinite ammo
gimmegun pistol - pistol
gimmegun dual pistols - dual pistols
gimmegun submachinegun - SMG
gimmegun shotgun - shotgun
gimmegun assault rifle - assault rifle
gimmegun semi-auto rifle - semi-auto rifle
gimmegun nail gun - nailgun
gimmegun cannon - cannon
gimmegun plasma weapon - plasma railgun
gimmegun missile launcher - missile launcher
gimmegun frag grenade - frag grenade
gimmegun proximity - trip bomb!
gimmegun remote charge - pipe bomb!
maphole - next level

SEGA Europe can announced that both console versions of the latest edition of the highly acclaimed sports management title, Football Manager, have gone gold. Football Manager 2007 for the Xbox 360 and Football Manager Handheld 2007 for PSP are both ready for release across Europe on 1st December 2006.

PC


• Battlefield 2142 - CGOnline - 4.5/5
• Dark Messiah of Might & Magic - Bit-Tech - 8/10
• Guild Wars Nightfall - GamesXtreme - 9.2/10
• Guild Wars Nightfall - Atomic Gamer - 88%
• Medieval 2: Total War - Eurogamer - 9/10
• Neverwinter Nights 2 - 1Up - 6/10
• Neverwinter Nights 2 - GamePyre - 92%
• Sid Meier's Railroads! - Gameslave - 7/10
• The Operational Art of War III - Armchair General - 83%

  Xbox 360
  

• Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 - GameBrink - 45%
• F.E.A.R. - Pro-G - 8/10
• Gears of War - [H]Console - Gold Award
• Gears of War - ActionTrip - 95%
• Gears of War - GWN - 97%
• Test Drive Unlimited - Inside Track Magazine - 85%
• Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Atomic Gamer - 8/10
• WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 - GameSpot - 8.1/10

  PlayStation 3
  

• Resistance: Fall of Man - 1Up - 8.5/10

  Nintendo Wii
  

• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - GameSpy - 5/5
• Trauma Center - Wii.IGN - 8/10
• Wii Sports - Wii.IGN - 7.5/10

  Nintendo DS
  

• Children of Mana - GameSpot - 5.8/10
• Yoshi's Island DS - GameSpot - 9.1/10

  PlayStation 2
  

• Guitar Hero 2 - Gaming Age - A
• Guitar Hero 2 - GWN - 96%

Crysis is scheduled for Q1 2007

The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king enhances every existing feature and offering players the chance to command the rise of evil in Middle-earth while experiencing the epic battles that took place before those depicted in the films.



Source: WorthPlaying

Ubisoft has revealed that Rainbow Six Vegas for the Xbox 360 will now be released in Europe on December 1.

Today Ubisoft has confirmed that the game will now be released for the PC and Xbox 360 on December 1, making Xbox 360 owners wait an extra week.

A new Bus Driving Game for the PC

Coming Winter 2006

Features:

• tackle all kinds of weather conditions, day and night
• find your way around in a large city with several quarters
• handle the responsibility of collecting children for school
• transport a basketball team to opponents' stadium
• drive a prison bus under tight security conditions
• make sure the city transportation system is perfectly on time

The game will be available for Xbox 360 and PC early next year. WEBZEN revealed four more screenshots of the PC version of the game:

SEGA of America today announced the North American release of Medieval II: Total War for the PC.

Medieval II: Total War for the PC is rated "T" for "Teen" by the Entertainment Software Review Board and has an MSRP of $49.99. For more information on the game, please visit http://www.totalwar.com

PC

More Screenshots

Beta 1.7, After Things Stop Going Boom Every Day: This is the stage you'll start seeing community testers. People who have tested for Mythic for years, or have been otherwise recommended to us as quality volunteer testers, are starting to be included. There is usually a restriction on how many people get in at this point, and often perfectly wonderful people are left out. STARTS: TENTATIVE DATE: Early 2007

Beta 2: Still closed and covered under NDA, invitees include prize winners, guilds that win the guild contest, and some members of the print and web media - usually the ones we have relationships with. People who work at GW retail shops are getting in here, and we've got some plans for existing Dark Age of Camelot players to be invited to check out their new sibling. There will be up to a thousand people by the end of Beta 2. STARTS: TENTATIVE DATE: Early Spring 2007

Beta 3: Closed, NDA. This is where Lady Luck will wave her wand. We will be choosing randomly from the giant pool of people who are subscribed to our newsletter. This phase will have thousands of people invited, possibly as many as ten thousand. STARTS: TENTATIVE DATE: Summer 2007

Final Beta: No NDA. Because there is no NDA, people often refer to this as "open beta." But I wanted to be really clear with you guys - we are not planning the kind of open beta where everyone with internet access can download the game and hop in. That's nutty. Right now, we are tentatively considering having everyone who pre-orders the game invited to this phase of beta. This phase will also invite winners from our big media promotions. STARTS: TENTATIVE DATE: Summer 2007

Today 2K has released the first patch for Sid Meier's Railroads. For more information about the game visit the official website

Download Patch (17 MB)

Cheat Codes:

Press ENTER while playing the game. Type one of the following codes and then press ENTER again.

Effect - Code:

Win scenario - win
Get Denarii - denarii [number]

Press the T key to bring up the transmission box and attempt to input the following:

tears - All guns and infinite ammo, reloading still required.
guns - All Weapons.
build - Display build version.
gimmegun turret - Drops current weapon.
armor - Full Armor.
gimmegun assault rifle - Get assault rifle.
gimmegun cannon - Get cannon.
gimmegun dual pistols - Get dual pistols.
gimmegun frag grenade - Get frag grenade.
health - Get Full Health.
ammo - Get Loads of Ammo.
gimmegun missile launcher - Get missile launcher.
gimmegun nail gun - Get nailgun.
gimmegun remote charge - Get pipe bomb.
gimmegun pistol - Get pistol.
gimmegun plasma weapon - Get plasma railgun.
gimmegun shotgun - Get shotgun.
gimmegun submachinegun - Get SMG.
gimmegun proximity - Get trip mine.
poltergeist - Ghost mode.
god - God Mode.
gear - Increased health and boosted reflexes.
pos - Position Mode.
maphole - Skip to next level.
kfa - Weapons + full ammo, armor & health.

More Screenshots

Features:

• Unique head-to-head racing experience!
  • Single Player Mode will feel just as competitive as if you are playing against an actual player.
  • Multiplayer Mode pits players against friends via WiFi.
• Custom built for the PSP! Sonic-style 2D gameplay in 3D environments maximizes the technical strengths of the PSP.
• Four characters and four unique storylines allow for a different game experience every time you play.
• Change your character's looks utilizing the card-reward collecting systems.
• Trading cards can be exchanged with friends via WiFi connectivity.

The screen on the left is DX9 while DX10 is on the right.

2.0.01 Patch (171.3 MB)

1.4.03 -> 2.0.01 Patch (31.5)

"At last! We can now start counting down the days to the release of Two Worlds! This role-playing masterpiece will be in the European stores on the 7th of March 2007 - for PC and Xbox 360! VP Business Development Dirk P. Hassinger commented: We decided to give the developers more time for even more enhancements and fine-tuning – perfecting perfection! We’re fully confident that our game will capture the imaginations of every RPG fan the world over."

Source: Official website

Features :

• Huxley delivers the excitement and rich gameplay experience of an MMORPG while combining the knuckle-whitening action of an FPS. Players can communicate with each other in a virtual online city, and participate in side battles with the intuitive PvP (player vs. player) system. Everything a character does in the Huxley world directly affects the success of not only the individual, but also of their race and party; from battles to behaviors, all interactions are linked to the survival of a character’s entire race.
• Huxley goes past traditional death match FPS gameplay by challenging players to adapt to new forms of combat to protect the interests of the camp. Servers will be solely dedicated to accommodate millions of users engaged in fast paced, large-scale combat. Players will require strategy and cooperation to achieve victory. Extensive multiplayer battle modes are available each with a variety of unique fighting techniques and special characteristics.
• Huxley has advanced A.I. that rivals other online games. Enemies in Huxley demonstrate remarkable intelligence, which can be used to a player’s advantage or demise. Quests in Huxley will take players on paths of intrigue to uncover conspiracies resulting in confrontations. Each quest is continually updated so players feel as though they are enjoying a new story mode every time they play.
• The characters in Huxley are continuously growing, which is rare in FPS games. Players are able to enhance their own combat styles by obtaining out-of-this-world weapons and new skills, which in turn continuously challenges players to adopt different gameplay styles as they progress.

Aspyr Media and JoWood Productions has released the North American demo for the highly anticipated PC RPG Gothic 3. The demo includes the beginning area of the game, including the towns of Ardea and Cape Dun and the Rebel outpost Reddock, with all available quests, weapons, spells and NPCs. There will be no time limits imposed on players.

Gothic 3 will ship to stores in North American on November 13.

ABOUT GOTHIC 3

Defend the United States from a full-scale Soviet invasion in this bold reinvention of the strategy genre.

Platforms:

Armored Core 4 is the latest in the series of mech-based shooters developed by FromSoftware - the guys responsible for ChromeHounds on Xbox 360.



Source: CVG

GAME INFO


Strategy, Tactics, Action:

PARABELLUM® is not just an online FPS. PARABELLUM® combines strategy, tactics and action into one package. It might therefore be better described as strategy first person shooter (SFPS). How we bring the strategy element into PARABELLUM® is one of the big features that we have not disclosed yet, but we might talk about this in the near future.

A 20 Megaton Threat:

PARABELLUM® draws the players into a menacing scenario of nuclear terror in New York City. An extremist group known as “Black November” is holding the entire city hostage by threatening to detonate a thermonuclear bomb. Their condition is the withdrawal of all United States military forces from the middle east. If this condition will not be fulfilled within 10 days, Black November will detonate the 20 Megaton nuclear warhead. According to intelligence information, the bomb could be hidden anywhere in New York City.

Fight a large-scale multiplayer warfare campaign:

Your mission as a DELTA operator is to chase the terrorists throughout New York City, find the secret location of the bomb and disable it before the shockwave kills millions of innocents. Yes, your heard it: you are m o v i n g through a city - PARABELLUM® features multiplayer campaigns which allow you to go anywhere. It is possibly the biggest online shooter environment ever created. Flank your enemy, prepare ambushes, decide when and where you attack. But remember that T:I:M:E is running out.

Modular Equipment System:

The armory includes 12 distinct weapons with up to 10 modifications per weapon plus special equipment. PARABELLUM®'s individual loadout system allows players to adapt a wide range of fighting styles. The total weight of weapons, gear, and ammunition factor into the player encumbrance and movement abilities.

STAR TREK: LEGACY is an epic game of Starfleet combat spanning the entire Star Trek

Universe, featuring all the ships from every episode, every film. Players become the Admiral of a task force of warships and must lead their fleet to victory in large-scale battles complete with stunning visuals and special effects.

Gameplay

As the Admiral of the Fleet you choose the ships, equipment, and captains that you will lead into battle. The game is designed to provide dramatic large-scale battles with easy-to use controls.

KEY FEATURES

• The quintessential Trek Experience.
  Legacy covers all 40 years of Trek, the first game ever to do this: The Original Series, Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. Storyline by renowned Star Trek writer D.C. Fontana with her partner Derek Chester. Voiceover provided by all five captains.
• Stunning Next-Gen Graphics.
  Beautiful space environments filled with fully realized nebulas, wormholes, planets, and stars. Highly realistic ship models that look as good (or better) than the ones in the films and shows.
• Real time Starfleet combat.
  Engage in large-scale combat with dozens of warships fighting massive battles.
• Extensive multiplayer with full Xbox Live support.
  From small-scale engagements to all-out war involving multiple star systems. Matchmaking, stat tracking, and player rankings on Xbox Live.
• Single player Federation campaign.
  Spanning three full epochs (Enterprise, The Original Series, and The Next Generation).
• Detailed weapon effects and damage modeling.
  Weapons searing with energy and charged shields that surge with every hit. Ships with full damage modeling that break apart, strewing debris and sparks.
• Over sixty ships and four playable races.
  From small scouts and light cruisers to fearsome battleships. Command the powerful fleets of the Federation, Klingon, Romulan, and Borg races. All beautifully rendered with the latest technology.

TQ - Immortal Throne Early '07

- 1 new Act (size of All Greece & offer 10-15hrs of gameplay)
- 30 new Quests
- 20 new Monster types
- LvL Cap at 75
- 1 New Complete mastery "Dream Mastery" , ='s 8 New Classes
- Scrolls (1 shot Buffs) @ Merchants
- Enchanters (Merchants) remove Relic/Charms for a price, item or charm is destroyed in the process. Not sure if you pick which one heh
- Enchanters allow access to Alter of Creation! Lets you create your own Artifacts (if you have all the items needed) VERY expensive
- Caravans in ALL the Major Cities supply access to your Character's storage Vault!!!! Which CAN be accessed by ALL/ANY of your toons!!!
- more than 250 Uniques (Weapons & Armor) in addition to 100's of new common pieces than will combine with the affix system, new relics & charms

Europa Universalis scheduled to hit stores as holiday craze subside

New York, USA (November 9, 2006) – Paradox Interactive announced today that their biggest production to date, Europa Universalis III, will be shipping to stores on January 23, 2007 in North America with releases in Europe to follow on January 26.

The title has been rated E and 12+. A Collectors Edition will be available in limited numbers on key markets. The Collectors Edition with a suggested retail price of $49.99, 499 SEK/NOK/DKK and 49,99 EUR will include a complete strategy guide among other exclusive assets. The standard version has a suggested retail price of $39.99 399 SEK/NOK/DKK and 39,99 EUR.

Europa Universalis III is an epic strategy game of centuries that delves deeply into the areas of exploration, trade, warfare and diplomacy. The open-ended gameplay allow for an impressive number of choices and outcomes as players take control of a nation and guide it through the ages to become a great global empire.


Features include:

• Over 300 years of game play by starting at ANY date between 1453 and 1789.
• Flexible nation building: decide your own form of government, the structure of your society, trade politics and much more. The possibilities are endless.
• Take history in your hands and call personalities like Sir Isaac Newton, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or René Descartes as advisors to your court.
• A lush topographic map in full 3D allows for a rich and complete worldview, and contains more than 1700 provinces and sea zones.
• More than 250 countries to lead during the game’s extensive time span.
• More than a thousand historical leaders and over 4000 historical Monarchs at your disposal
• Manage more than 100 individual unit troops to secure as much power as possible.
• Co-operative multiplayer mode that allows several players to work together to control a single nation
• Complete customization, Europa Universalis III gives you the chance to customize and mod practically anything your heart may desire. Join the constantly growing and incredibly talented Paradox modding community!

Source: Official website

Blizzard is proud to announce that World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade will be in stores nationwide starting on January 16, 2007. For further details, please view our latest press release here. We will continue closed beta testing the expansion content over the next couple of months prior to launch to ensure that we deliver a high-quality experience for our players.

Source: Official website

v1.01 Patch (English)

v1.01 Patch (German)

v1.01 Patch (French)

Singleplayer Demo

Multiplayer Demo

v1.01 Patch

RoboBlitz™ is a humorous, physics-based action game full of inventive gizmos, weapons, characters, and environments. Players take on the role of Blitz, a multi-talented robot who must activate an aging Space Cannon to save his world from a band of maladjusted space pirates.

- Powered by Unreal® Engine™ 3
- Gameplay entirely driven by physics
- Advanced robot simulation and control
theory
- 19 levels of puzzle-solving and high
intensity action, set in 7 unique
environments
- Customized Unreal Engine 3 Editor
Included (PC)
- Available in 8 languages: English,
Chinese, French, German, Italian,
Japanese, Korean, and Spanish
- Entire game under 50MB via Live®
Arcade
- Coming soon for PC and Xbox 360™
Live Arcade

Download now

Leading video games developer Flagship Studios today released details on the third character faction that expectant gamers can play in Hellgate: London, the first original PC title from Flagship.

Hunters were highly-trained ex-military operatives and members of secret government agencies most comfortable clinging to the shadows and dealing with threats in their own deadly ways. After the Demon invasion, methods and weapons once held secret were shared as Hunters switched their crosshairs from one another to the monsters that had invaded their world.

The archetype of the Hunter is obscure, cloaked in mystery and subterfuge. In one way he is the Assassin, the Ninja, the knife in the dark. In other ways, he is the Ronin, a highly-trained warrior with no master. In yet more, he is the Destroyer, a force of blazing gunfire and deadly accuracy that lays waste to any foe that stands in his way.

Their weaponry was/is a mix of hyper-advanced technology and theoretical science. Their people are boisterous groups of practical hard-asses who have survived the Demon invasion thus far by remaining a few steps ahead and keeping the Cabalists and Templar a few steps behind. They are also men and women that have been subjected to indescribable horrors long before any Demon touched Earth's soil.

"Since the announcement of Hellgate: London, we've had a lot of requests for a class of characters that place an emphasis on player skill through mid-to-long ranged weapon attacks," said Bill Roper, CEO and co-founder of Flagship Studios. "By removing auto-aiming and target-locking, the Hunter has been designed to provide a game play experience which will appeal directly to FPS players."

Hellgate: London combines the depth of role-playing games and the action of first-person shooter titles, while offering infinite playability with dynamically generated levels, items, enemies and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through innumerable hordes of demons to advance through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create their own unique hero.

ABOUT FLAGSHIP STUDIOS
Flagship Studios is a creator of innovative entertainment software, designing games that focus on ease of play, replayability, and fun. The studio was formed in 2003 by former executives and developers from Blizzard North® and represents the creators of the worldwide, best-selling Diablo® franchise. With members that are renowned within the gaming industry, Flagship Studios embodies a team that has worked together for over a decade and have numerous #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards to their credit.

Crysis is a PC sci-fi first-person shooter from the award-winning developer Crytek, the developers of the critically acclaimed Far Cry (MC90).

Earth, 2019: A colossal asteroid crashes down to Earth.

The North Korean Government quickly seals off the island chain, claiming the mysteries of the asteroid for themselves. The United States responds by dispatching an elite team of Delta Force Operators to recon the situation and report back to the Pentagon. Amid rising tensions between the US and North Koreans, the asteroid suddenly bursts open, revealing a massive alien ship, standing over a mile in height. The ship generates an immense force sphere, freezing a vast portion of the island and drastically altering the global weather system. The invasion of Earth has begun.

The two rival nations unite to stop the aliens and save mankind. The newly formed alliance fights epic battles against the marauding aliens. With hope rapidly fading, the player must lead a crack squad through lush tropical jungle, harsh frozen landscapes, and finally into the heart of the alien ship itself for the ultimate Zero G encounter with the aliens.

Crysis offers players a highly immersive FPS experience in which they will have to adapt their tactics, weaponry, armor and gameplay style to survive and defeat the alien invasion.

Crysis uses the leading-edge technology of Crytek's proprietary engine CryENGINE™ 2.

Key Features