Sniper Elite V2 brings World War II Stealth Action Sniping to the Wii U

Feb 05, 2013

505 Games, a global publisher of video games, and independent game developer Rebellion today announced that they will be bringing smash hit Sniper Elite V2 to Nintendo’s new Wii U™ console with all new controls and a level of interactivity only possible with the Wii U™ GamePad™ touch screen.

Players will enjoy the same thrilling, visceral experience as they guide American OSS agent Karl Fairburne around historical locations throughout Berlin and attempt to unravel the mysteries and dangers of the German V-2 rocket program but now with even greater tactical depth and flexibility thanks to brand new functionality through the GamePad – tag enemies and booby-traps, track enemy locations and activity, even monitor the blast radius of planted explosives – all with a glance at the touch screen and without leaving the battlefield for even a second.

Jason Kingsley, CEO of Rebellion said “Sniper Elite is just the kind of mature game that is perfect for the different mechanics of the Wii U system. It’s been a challenge to get it right but thanks to our team and the fantastic support of our partners at 505 Games we believe we’ve brought the unique gameplay to a whole new platform.”

Sniper Elite V2 places an emphasis on learning to handle the anticipation and pressure of the hunt using skill, patience and cunning in order to achieve mission goals. Featuring detailed sniping simulation with advanced ballistics, gamers must use their environments and take into account gravity, wind, aim stability and more.  The celebrated “kill cam” from Sniper Elite makes its return and is more gratifying than ever – skillful shots are rewarded with a slow-motion sequence of the bullet running its full trajectory before the target is rendered in graphic x-ray detail, showing the bullet entering the body and causing lethal damage.

Developed by Rebellion, Sniper Elite V2 will be releasing for Wii U this spring. The game is currently available on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Windows PC version is available for download at http://store.steampowered.com/app/63380/

Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet is Announced for Largely Rectangular Tablets

Feb 05, 2013

Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and an advocate of robe-wearing, today announced the forthcoming release of Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet for iPad and Android tablets. The new title brings the franchise’s innovative and ridiculous gameplay to tablet devices in an all-new adventure, featuring everything that made Magicka a smash hit on the PC, including the unique element-combining spellcasting system, the twisted humor, and the robes of every imaginable hue. Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet will allow for four-player co-op gameplay across platforms, allowing players to discover which ignites faster – an iPad or an Android tablet.

Developed by Ludosity, Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet continues the rich Paradox tradition of publishing games with “Magicka” in the title. Check out the newly released website for more information: http://magickagame.com/squaretablet

Rectangular Features:

• Spellbinding Spellcasting: Combine elements to create thousands of spell combinations
• Original Story: All-new campaign for single or multiplayer
• Sizzling Tablet-on-Tablet Action: Cross-platform co-op between iOS and Android
• A Good Excuse to Trim your Friends List: 4-player mayhem with many “accidental” team-kills
• Fat Loot on Thin Screens: New items and powers unique to both iOS and Android.
• Semi-appropriate Humor: Spend hours touching a representation of yourself

A brand-new announcement trailer shows off the iconic gameplay and cruelty of the Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet universe, available here:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/H_CMv77gc34]

McDROID Demo released, part of Indie Games Stand promotion and needs voting on Steam Greenlight

Feb 05, 2013

“McDROID is the perfect antidote for those gamers who yearn for something fast, furious, simple yet deep and challenging.” said Laurent Lavigne, Chief Droid Mechanic at Elefantopia, “The colourful cel-shaded love child of gaming classics – R-TYPE and Dune 2, take control of McDROID as he uncovers the conspiracy threatening Planet M”.

Green Man Gaming is Giving Away Four Games This Weekend

Feb 05, 2013

No purchase necessary, these games are coming to you 100% free. Now, they aren’t huge blockbusters, but free is free and you should take what you can get. Looking over the games though, none of them seem to redeem on Steam. If you’re okay with that, head on over to the GMG Blog for details: http://blog.greenmangaming.com/2013/02/the-grand-playfire-gmg-giveaway.html

Games up for grabs:

Impire Now Availble for Pre-Order, Playthrough Video Released

Feb 05, 2013

Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and meddler in impish affairs, has announced the release date for Impire, the upcoming dungeon strategy game from suitably deadly developer Cyanide Studio Montreal. Impire, which traps players in the not-so-intimidating form of a scheming imp and then tasks them with overtaking an entire kingdom, will be launching on February 14 for $19.99. Paradox is now taking pre-orders for Impire at www.impiregame.com/buy, and will impart impressive impetuses for those impatient to impale their foes. (That means there are pre-order bonuses, you mortal buffoons.)

Two pieces of bonus DLC will be granted to players who pre-order Impire, including the “Creatures of the Night” pack, adding new fearsome monsters to their underground armies. Vicious Victorian Vampires will stalk the dungeon halls, walking their undead poodles, and nasty Medusas will stop enemies in their tracks. Plus, pre-orderers will be able to raise the demon of their choice with the “Black and White” pack, granting new in-game skins to their Imp – a sinister, pale white, or the darkest shade of black.

The first-ever playthrough for Impire , dubbed “Imps Exposed”, has been unveiled today, showing several minutes of raw, uncut footage from the first scenario of the dungeon management title. Within the playthrough, players will get a glimpse at some of the base-management options and cutscenes, as well as a preview on how to dispatch troublesome humans who venture into theImpire.

Just but be warned – the sight of a demon worker scratching itself cannot be unseen. Click here, if you dare:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/IFYzeGb3Q6I]

Dyad gets announced for Steam…by NeoGAF

Feb 04, 2013

Shawn McGrath’s trippy PSN-exclusive is no longer exclusive to the Sony platform. Dyad is coming to PC. No, there isn’t an official announcement because the popular forum, NeoGAF.com announced the game before Shawn could even release a proper trailer for it. He then swiftly made an impromptu video to discuss it:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/ecq323diwxQ]

Special Forces: Team X is coming out on 2/6, Behind-the-Scenes Video provides Overview

Feb 04, 2013

[youtube=http://youtu.be/TOTvxUp6VeI]

Camouflaj releases New Screenshots and Update on PC, Mac, and iOS for République

Feb 04, 2013

ORIGIN PC builds Custom Support for their Custom PC users

Feb 04, 2013

ORIGIN PC announced today its exclusive in-game technical support client, the ORIGIN Nexus. Powered by Xfire , the world’s premier online destination for millions of gamers, the ORIGIN Nexus client allows customers to contact ORIGIN PC’s award-winning support team, in or out of gameplay, for any technical support related questions.

ORIGIN Nexus also features the ability to chat with friends within the Xfire community, screen record gameplay, conveniently launch PC game favorites and much more. The ORIGIN Nexus client is an optional install, at no cost, to all current and new ORIGIN PC customers.

ORIGIN PC raised the bar for gamers when it first announced their standard Lifetime 24/7 U.S.-based support, and now extends that legacy by offering free in-game technical chat support with the new ORIGIN Nexus client.

ORIGIN Nexus Features

• In-Game Technical Chat Support*
• In-Game Instant Messaging With Friends
• In-Game Internet Browsing
• Take Screenshots and Videos of Your Gameplay
• Live Broadcast Your Gameplay

“ORIGIN PC’s focus has always been to provide the best PC experience to our customers and we are proud to continue our legacy of providing the best support in the PC industry,” said Kevin Wasielewski, CEO and co-founder, ORIGIN PC. “Thanks to the great client from the Xfire team, ORIGIN Nexus makes it even more convenient for our customers to contact us without ever having to leave their game, and we’re really excited to be the first and only company to offer this new level of support in our industry.”

“This partnership is a no-brainer,” said Paul Kim, CEO, Xfire. “Origin is quickly becoming one of the premiere providers of high performance gaming systems, and establishing this relationship exemplifies our commitment to working with partners that provide hard core gamers with the best hardware, tools and content in the industry.”

*During normal office business hours from 9:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. EST

For more detailed information regarding ORIGIN Nexus, visit: http://www.originpc.com/nexus

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods Announced

Feb 04, 2013

Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and a proponent of all religions, and Paradox Development Studio, today announced a new expansion to the world of Crusader Kings II, the critically acclaimed RPG strategy title. The forthcoming expansion, titled Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods, will add a number of widely requested features to the game, including the ability to play as a Pagan or Zoroastrian ruler, expanding empires through war, pillaging, and ruthless brutality. Players will also be able to begin their in-game reign as far back as the year 867 AD, making The Old Gods officially the Paradox title that spans the longest period in history.

In the year 867 the Old Gods were still mighty. In England, the Raven Banner flew as the Great Heathen Army pillaged its way across the land, deposing kings and establishing the Danelaw. In the East, Rurik founded the state of Russia, and in the forests and steppes of central Europe, pagan tribes were on the move…

[youtube=http://youtu.be/V-edUnWQgyM]

Call of Duty Championship presented by Xbox Tournament – Details and Trailer

Feb 01, 2013

It’s time for gamers the world over to mark their calendars, because the ultimate high-stakes Call of Duty competition is coming this April, forever changing the face of competitive eSports. The Call of Duty Championship, presented by Xbox, featuring a $1 million Call of Duty®: Black Ops II tournament, will take place in Hollywood, CA April 5-7. Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI) and their award-winning studio Treyarch, in partnership with Xbox®, Major League Gaming (MLG) and the Electronic Sports League (ESL) will bring together 32 of the world’s most skilled multiplayer teams on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft to compete head-to-head in Call of Duty: Black Ops II in a live-streamed spectacular to be broadcast to the masses.

“More people play Call of Duty multiplayer every day than watch the average regular season game of the NBA. The scale and passion of the Call of Duty fan base is simply humbling, and yet there is no formal way to find out who amongst those millions of players is the best of the best, until now,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “Watching the performances of the very best Call of Dutyplayers is already a mass spectator sport on YouTube and Call of Duty® Elite. We are going to bring the best players in the world to Hollywood to compete on the ultimate stage, for the ultimate prize. And we are going to invite our entire worldwide fan base to join in the fun.”

Beginning today, players interested in participating in the tournament can go to https://elite.callofduty.com/esports and register for a free Call of Duty Elite account – it takes just a few seconds. Once registered, teams of four can vie for entry into theCall of Duty Championship, presented by Xbox tournament by competing in the February season of League Play in Call of Duty: Black Ops II on Xbox LIVE®, which opens today. Following the close of the February season, the top eight eligible teams will earn coveted spots in the Call of Duty Championship, presented by Xbox, including a trip to Hollywood this April to compete for the $1 million tournament purse.

“It’s an absolute honor to have players and fans celebrate the thrill of competition on such a grand stage,” said Mark Lamia, Treyarch studio head. “From the very beginning of development for Call of Duty: Black Ops II, we committed to making eSports an integral part of the game, and it’s going to be awesome to watch the best teams in the world battle it out for everyone to see.”

Additionally, teams competing in the recently announced MLG 2013 Pro Circuit featuring Call of Duty: Black Ops II (www.majorleaguegaming.com) will vie for a chance to enter the Call of Duty Championship, presented by Xbox. At the MLG Winter Championship, March 15-17, in Dallas, Texas, the top eight teams will earn trips to Hollywood to play against the best Call of Duty players in the world. Joining them will be eight winning teams from the ESL’s European Finals (http://cod.esl.eu) taking place March 16-17, in the famous ESL Arena live eSports Studios in Cologne, Germany.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/SvHzlBWYfBM]

Crimes & Punishments, the New Adventure of Sherlock Holmes unveiled

Feb 01, 2013

Since early 2000, the Sherlock Holmes series of six video games for PC captivated millions of players around the world. In 2012, the famous detective’s latest investigation–The Testament of Sherlock Holmes–abandoned the traditional point & click gameplay and, in a revolution for the series, created a genuine third-person gaming experience befitting consoles and PCs. The title earned praise from players and critics despite some minor technical glitches and brought the famous detective to a wider audience.

The new Sherlock Holmes game Crimes and Punishments will build upon that success with important changes on the graphical side as well as the game experience side. For the first time ever, Frogwares Studio will abandon their homemade graphics engine. The latest adventures of Sherlock Holmes will be developed on Epic’s Unreal Engine 3, allowing the series to jump far ahead of previous installments in graphical quality. Environments will be more realistic and finely detailed with dynamic lighting and shadows. Choosing this engine also lets the game benefit from many technologies like a powerful animation engine for smooth movement and animation transitions, real-time shaders and a particle system, and advanced post-processing effects.

Unlike the previous adventures of Sherlock Holmes, in Crimes and Punishments you will not be a mere spectator during the detective’s investigation. It is now your turn to truly become Sherlock Holmes and lead your own investigation–actually, your investigations, as 8 captivating cases await you! Murders, disappearances, spectacular thefts, and other investigations will bring you to the cutting edge of the detective genre and these cases will be the bread and butter of this game, written in the pure tradition of Conan Doyle’s novels. Each case offers real freedom to players, who will have to make important moral choices instead of simply enforcing justice by the book. All decisions have an influence in the game and affect your character’s reputation in addition to having realistic, sometimes unexpected, consequences. You will have to bear the weight of your choices, as Crimes and Punishments offers an exciting system of actions/consequences that forces players to think before acting by giving true depth to every decision they make.

In Crimes and Punishments, players will embody a Sherlock Holmes with a brand new look. Developers at Frogwares have abandoned the classic Sherlock Holmes inspired by the 60s Sherlock movies, replacing him with a more modern character perfectly matching the new artistic ambitions of the title.

Bohemia Interactive renames the main island in ArmA 3 to “Altis”

Feb 01, 2013

Bohemia Interactive has renamed the main island of its upcoming mil-sim game, Arma 3. The new name, ‘Altis’, reflects the distinctive Mediterranean identity of its environment, but distinguishes it from the real-world Greek island of Lemnos, which has served as the main source of inspiration.

The decision follows an incident involving the arrest of two Bohemia Interactive employees, who were spending their holidays on Lemnos. Both were detained for 129 days on suspicion of espionage. They were recently released on bail.

Arma 3’s main island (approx. 350 km²) is inspired by the beautiful environment of the Greek island, Lemnos (approx. 475 km²), artistically re-created based on commercially and publicly available data. It was originally chosen to be the centre-piece of the game after Bohemia Interactive’s CEO, Marek Spanel, visited the island on vacation several years ago and shared his impressions with the Arma 3 development team.

However, in view of recent events, the team no longer feels passionate about using the previous name, ‘Limnos’, and hopes that the new identity, ‘Altis’, will help emphasize the fictional nature of the game. A secondary, significantly smaller island in Arma 3, ‘Stratis’ (approx. 20 km²), will keep its name.

Joris-Jan van ‘t Land, Project Lead on Arma 3, explains:

“As part of the creative process, our virtual environments are often rooted in real-life locations and, during development, they evolve and grow along with our design. The resulting fictional environment is often close to its inspiration, but it’s never exactly the same – nor would we want it to be. For us, ‘Altis’ echoes the Mediterranean heart of our island, but differentiates it from any undesired real-life connotations.”

Starting with the successful Arma: Cold War Assault (originally titled Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis*) in 2001, Arma 3 is the latest installment in the award-winning tactical military shooter series by Bohemia Interactive. This PC-exclusive video game, which is set in 2035, provides an authentic combat experience in a massive military sandbox. Running on a brand new version of the Real Virtuality™ engine, Arma 3 features a wide variety of single- and multiplayer gameplay – supported by limitless opportunities for content creation.

Arma 3 is scheduled for release in 2013. More precise details will be announced later this month.

CD Projekt RED talks REDengine3 and shows us a screenshot

Feb 01, 2013

Click to embiggen the awesome

“If we look at RPGs nowadays we find two approaches, one which emphasizes the story but limits the game world, and one that builds a vast, open world but hampers and simplifies the story. With the REDengine 3 we combine the positive aspects of both approaches for the first time, creating an open environment with a complex, multi-thread story. Together with believable characters, a captivating tale and a world where players can roam freely without loading times, we will be able to move gaming to a new level with a realistic feel and full player immersion. When working on our previous titles, I didn’t dream that we would achieve something like this. Thanks to the support of all our fans, now we have the possibility to use REDengine 3 and create something many RPG fans dream of,” said Adam Badowski, head of CD Projekt RED studio.

The REDengine demonstrated its capability to create great adventures for the first time in The Witcher 2 (PC). It was praised for its graphical excellence and exceptional, branching storytelling. The studio developed the technology, and with optimization REDengine 2 (internal name) brought The Witcher 2 to Xbox 360. Now CD Projekt RED aims to set their games in diversified, open-world ecosystems while maintaining a well-paced and robust story.

The REDengine 3 tech is tailor-made to create non-linear and story-driven RPGs with a system that allows to stream and handle fully explorable open-worlds. Cyberpunk 2077, the second project the studio is working on, will have prime examples demonstrating that REDengine 3 is the perfect tool for creating immense universes filled with exciting, nonlinear adventures. The advanced technology of the REDengine 3 makes RPGs comparable to top-shelf shooters, both in terms of game-world presentation and the epic proportions of events that the player is drawn into. The engine is a next-gen-ready solution that begins to blur the line between pre-rendered CGI movies and real time rendered graphics, bringing us closer to the most life-like world ever created in video games. All the state-of-the-art visuals form a living ecosystem allowing the player to be a part of a vivid environment. The new face and body-animation systems implemented in REDengine 3 offer realistic expression of emotions, movie-quality scenes and character interactions.

The technology uses high-dynamic-range rendering with 64-bit precision that ensures superior picture quality with more realistic and precise lighting without losses derived from reduced contrast ratio. A flexible renderer prepared for deferred or forward+ rendering pipelines has a wide array of cinematic post-processing effects, including bokeh depth-of-field, color grading and flares from many lights. A high-performance terrain system allows multiple material layers to be efficiently blended and uses tessellation for the best possible detail. The technology also includes seamless blending between animations and physics along with many more features. The engine uses CD Projekt RED’s new version of its proprietary REDkit editor with tools made specifically for RPG game creation. The editor can build complex, branching quests and set them in a free roaming environment with a simplicity not achieved by similar toolsets.

War of the Roses “Kingmaker Edition” announced, Brian Blessed will narrate the game

Feb 01, 2013

Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and a seeker of the throne, and Fatshark, valiant knights trapped in the modern era, today announced War of the Roses: Kingmaker, a gold edition of the game which allows aspiring knights a clear path to the throne by including all the top-notch weapons, armor, and perks that have been released since the title’s inception in October 2012. The new edition will be available in late Q1 2013.

In War of the Roses: Kingmaker, loyalists to the house of York or Lancaster will now have access to the content available since release, including the previously exclusive armor sets for both the red and white rose. Kingmaker will also introduce two new game modes—Assault and Assault Castle—where knights will face new attack and defense scenarios that aim to truly test their skill as a team.

A free trial version of War of the Roses is also planned for release February 6, which will allow anyone to download and play the game without cost. The trial version will include access to all online battles, enabling aspiring warriors to fight alongside all existing players – paid or trial. The trial version will limit players by disallowing any unlocks, giving access only to the game’s base classes and weapons, giving trial players a chance to live true knighthood.

In addition, Paradox will soon release a new premium DLC for War of the Roses, starring famously boisterous British actor BRIAN BLESSED as a new narrator for the game. Blessed’s booming voice will inspire knights by announcing in-game events and warnings, giving new meaning to the iconic command to “Kill the enemy!”

On top of all of these new editions, all versions of War of the Roses are scheduled to receive new content in the form of the new “Outside the Law” update, which will add an all new deep forest map to the game’s selection, along with armor pieces Robin of Loxley would be proud of.

Paradox Interactive will be streaming War of the Roses today at 4 p.m. GMT (8 a.m. PST) during its convention being held in Reykjavik, Iceland. Special guests NorthernLion, RageGaming, and Angry Joe, along with Executive Producer Gordon Van Dyke, and others, will narrate the action as attendees will be engrossed in a tournament to the death. To check out the mayhem, please visit the official Paradox Interactive channel on TwitchTV at www.twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive.