FORGE Beta Impressions

Nov 12, 2012

Zealots and Devourers are at war. It’s a battle to the death, it’s a war of  attrition – and you can join their forces in the upcoming PvP-only game from Dark Vale Games titled FORGE.

You’ve seen the news, the screenshots, and the videos. What’s to like about FORGE? Quite a lot actually. The solid gameplay, the gorgeous but grim art style, the fantastic combat. It does cost money to own and play the game, but it’s up to you how much you want to pay towards it. The lowest of entry fees while it’s still in pre-release is $20, which seems a perfect price point. There are higher tiers and packs to get you and your friends in on the game.

FORGE is a dark, grim world that has death lurking around the corner with feverish, frantic combat. Along with it being dim, is that it’s actually pretty difficult getting out of your home base. There’s nothing in-game to guide you, which is perfectly fine if you know the maps. Perhaps environmental lighting could do better to lead the way as they bases are pretty complex multi-level areas. Maps themselves are symmetrical for when it comes to the objective modes like Capture the Flag. Each map is quite large with both indoor and outdoor areas, across the 4 maps making them distinct from one another.

There are 5 playable classes: Assassin, Pyromancer, Shaman, Warrior, and Pathfinder. As you could probably gather what each class does and doesn’t do – I’ll tell you the basics. The Assassin is the fastest class and is good for capturing objectives as well as up close and personal kills. The Pyromancer class is good for area damage and throwing up a firewall to prevent forward moving players. The Shaman is the healer and is what makes the team successful in any push for an objective. Warrior is the basic melee class that tanks in and does all the damage to distract everyone. Lastly, is the ranged class – the Pathfinder, who will use a bow and arrow to take down foes from a large distance. The Pathfinder can also disguise themselves when needed. Each class is so widely different with it’s own advantages and disadvantages, it makes the teamwork aspect vital.

Abilities play a significant role here too, with a row of abilities to choose from. The abilities are all unlocked and have individual cooldowns, some abilities take longer to come off of a cooldown or prevent other abilities from being deployed. It’s not a hotkey-mashing game. It certainly requires skill, and while your first few matches may not be winners, you’ll learn a lot and know when to attack and when to pull back and prevent your deaths. The direct action of the game makes it feel like you’re an active participant in the combat, rather than a spectator. FORGE isn’t without bugs, but they are very minor and expected when playing a Beta. It’s entirely serviceable and absolutely gorgeous.

FORGE is actually incredibly well-polished, balanced, and accessible. There are future updates coming to give a Tutorial area to help new players, social functions such as Friends, Groups, and Guilds. Dark Vale Games is dedicated to improving the game all the way up to and beyond the release. I’m confident in suggesting this is a game to watch if you need pure PvP action without any PvE fluff. The game is coming to Steam via the Greenlight program and will make it easiser to purchase and play the game.

Need to play the game for yourself? If you register, you can see payment options and get 14-days free of Beta access: http://www.playforgewar.com/

007 Legends gets Free SKYFALL DLC Level, New Trailer

Nov 09, 2012

SKYFALL has arrived… and we wanted to remind 007 Legends fans that the game’s final mission – based on the blockbuster film in theaters now – is available to download for free today on PlayStation Network, and November 20^th on Xbox LIVE and Steam (PC).

Capping off the first-of-its-kind James Bond video game experience, the SKYFALL mission sends players into the heart of Istanbul to hunt down a brutal assassin.  It quickly turns into an epic chase, taking fans on a treacherous pursuit that ends atop a speeding train as a mysterious sniper nearly ends Bond’s life.  After overcoming death itself, 007 must track down his target across the world to Shanghai for a final showdown to uncover the truth…

Here is a new trailer with in-game footage of the SKYFALL level:

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Call of Duty Elite – TV Trailer

Nov 09, 2012

A new Call of Duty Elite TV trailer is available:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/M6d-0wMe4K8]

Kerberos Productions Releases Demo for “The Pit”

Nov 09, 2012

Kerberos Productions has released a playable Alpha Demo today for their first self-published title, “Sword of the Stars: The Pit.”

“Sword of the Stars: The Pit” is a fun, fast, light-hearted action RPG, made in the tradition of Rogue and other old school dungeon-diving games. Set in the popular Sword of the Stars universe, the game delivers sharp retro graphics and modern turn-based gameplay. Although the art style is light and the game is readily accessible to all, the role-playing mechanics under the hood are crunchy, and will appeal to players who appreciate depth and challenge, as well as death-by-adorable-monsters.

The Alpha Demo includes the Engineer, one of the game’s three playable Characters, a brief Tutorial, and five playable levels to explore, which include a good cross section of monsters, traps, and items. The full game, which will release with 30 playable levels, is considerably larger in scope.

“This Alpha Demo offers only about 10% of the game’s total content,” says Lead Designer Martin Cirulis. “But it should give players a good feel for the Roguelike gameplay, with the retro art style and the skill-based RPG aspects. While The Pit keeps getting bigger as you go deeper, and you will encounter more and more threats, weapons, and devices from the SotSverse, the first 5 floors – even at this alpha stage – will be an excellent way for gamers to tell if The Pit is for them. And it’s just plain fun!”

Kerberos is currently running a crowd-funding campaign for The Pit on Indiegogo. The campaign has garnered considerable support from players of the company’s Sword of the Stars series of strategy games, and will end on November 14th.

“People will still be able to support the game after November 14th through the game’s dedicated website, especially if they just want Beta access.” says Kerberos COO Chris Stewart. “Obviously a few of the fancier Perks will not be available. Those are limited time offers for the game’s early supporters.”

The Pit is scheduled for a beta release in late November or early December. The final game will be available on Steam in January or February of 2013.

DOWNLOAD THE DEMO: http://sots-thepit.com/demo/

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New Screenshots for Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse of “Legend of Long John Peter” level

Nov 08, 2012

In these screens featuring the “Legend of Long John Peter” Level, Stewie and Brian set sail for the high seas as they battle Long John Peter’s sea dogs (who stink of good cheer). Can they defeat the peg-legged enemies before they are forced to walk the plank?

FORGE Shows Off Closed Beta Gameplay through Community Video

Nov 08, 2012

Take a look inside the closed Beta for FORGE by checking out this awesome gameplay video created by community member “Pilluminati.”  That’s right – Dark Vale Games is currently running a movie-making contest for those participating in the BETA and Pilluminati made this week’s best video.  As part of the prize, we are using the video in our official communications for the game.

Meanwhile, Dark Vale Games is just about ready to go live with the final release date and pricing on this indie gem and it’s very aggressive.  We really hope you’ll take a minute to check out the best looking, best playing and just pain best indie PC game of 2012.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/_RfcUij4djs]

Crysis 3 Trailer shows off New “Hunter” Multiplayer Mode

Nov 08, 2012

Assess. Adapt and Attack in this latest Crysis 3 trailer showcasing the games heart-pounding Hunter multiplayer mode. Featuring five two-minute rounds, Hunter mode is 2 vs. 10 on console (2 vs. 14 on PC) and starts off by pitting 2 Hunters against CELL Troopers. Outfitted with enhanced Nanosuits and armed with the all-new Predator composite bow, Hunters must stalk CELL Troopers, systematically taking them out one by one. The twist is that once a CELL Trooper is killed, they respawn as a Hunter, slowly tipping the balance until the round ends or there are no CELL Troopers left.

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Warface Co-op Campaign Trailer

Nov 08, 2012

To give gamers another look at this truly visually stunning piece of work, Crytek and Trion Worlds have today released a new trailer for Warface, the next generation online free-to-play shooter. War has never looked as good as it does in Warface as the latest trailer highlights the ability for players to join their friends around the globe in co-op campaign to take on advanced enemy forces, while using the most cutting-edge and state of the art weaponry, gadgets and vehicles. Unite as one and prepare to give ‘em your WARFACE!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/xJerFDBW0H0]

Star Wars: The Old Republic gets Free-to-Play option on November 15th

Nov 08, 2012

Today BioWare announced that the global launch date of the Star Wars: The Old Republic Free-to-Play option will be November 15, 2012. This release will be simultaneous across all of the territories and countries where The Old Republic is available. The new Free-to-Play option allows gamers to experience all of the class storylines through to Level 50, the current level cap, at no charge and introduces the new Cartel Market!

Any paying subscribers at the launch of the Free-to-Play option on November 15^th will be granted all of the Complimentary Cartel Coins currently listed on the Cartel Coin Ledger page, plus a one-time grant of 250 Complimentary Cartel Coins!

Additionally, the Rewards Program has been extended! All former subscribers who reactivate their subscription by the new date of December 20, 2012 at 11:59am CDT will be granted Complimentary Cartel Coins for their prior paid months up to November 15, 2012.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops II Teams with YouTube to Deliver In-Game Live Streaming

Nov 08, 2012

Activision announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops II’s new live streaming feature, available when the game launches on November 13th, will let players live stream gameplay on YouTube directly from the Xbox 360® and PlayStation 3 game consoles. The first of its kind innovation coming from Activision and the game’s developer, award-winning studio Treyarch, will allow players to live stream Call of Duty: Black Ops II multiplayer League Play games, as well as the player’s webcam and audio commentary while playing.

Call of Duty Elite takes the live streaming experience even further, letting viewers on Elite see the player card of the user that is streaming. With just a couple clicks, viewers can dig deeper to see such information as class loadouts, recent match data, as well as career stats across supported Call of Duty® games on Elite.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II player live streams will be viewable on YouTube via web browsers, mobile and tablets through Call of Duty Elite as well as individual YouTube user channels.

“From the beginning of development with Call of Duty: Black Ops II, the team has been pushing boundaries on every front to offer Call of Duty fans things that they haven’t been able to do before,” said Mark Lamia, studio head of Treyarch. “With our competitive play and eSports initiatives, we wanted to deliver live streaming capabilities built right into Call of Duty: Black Ops II, because Call of Duty is not only fun and exciting to play, but we believe it will be just as exciting to watch. By making the capability of live streaming as accessible as possible to our fans, straight from a player’s console without the need for any additional hardware or sophisticated setups, we are empowering our fans to share their multiplayer experiences.”

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Dre21lBu2zU]

Sniper Elite V2 gets FREE Multiplayer DLC on Console

Nov 07, 2012

Take your sniping experience to a whole new level. 505 Games and Rebellion are releasing online multiplayer support, free of charge, for the hit World War II action game Sniper Elite V2.

The Sniper Elite V2 Multiplayer Expansion DLC offers four all-new gameplay modes (Deathmatch / Team Deathmatch / Distance King / Team Distance King) across six maps (Mountain Pass, Quarry, Graves, OpernPlatz, Church and Kreuzberg) and supports 2-8 players via the Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation Network.

In addition to the Multiplayer expansion DLC, a brand new weapons pack is available for use online and offline with the multiplayer expansion. Featuring the U.S. M1 Carbine with its improved rate of fire and high ammo count; German MP44 that boasts a high rate of fire and further effective range; and finally the high powered, British made Webley Mk6 Revolver with its very distinctive feel. All three weapons are available as a single download priced at 240 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360 and $2.99 for PlayStation Network.

Note: The Sniper Elite V2 Multiplayer Expansion DLC and weapons pack are available today on Xbox 360 and will be available on PlayStation Network on November 13.

“Rebellion is very excited to release this multiplayer support for console,” said Jason Kingsley, CEO of Rebellion. “We have always believed in supporting and building our games’ communities as best we can.  This is in part to say ‘thank you’ to dedicated gamers for buying our games and also to say ‘keep an eye out for our next big Sniper Elite announcement.’”

[box_light]Sniper Elite V2 is a third-person tactical shooter set in the dying days of WWII.  Published by 505 Games and developed by Rebellion for Xbox 360, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC, the game has been rated “M” by the ESRB.[/box_light]

Sacred Citadel – New Character Reveal with Video Featurette

Nov 07, 2012

Again, more Aubrey Norris awesomeness with words I can’t compete with:

The next awesome bit I’ve got for you today is a character featurette for one of our playable classes in the upcoming XBLA/PSN/PC title Sacred Citadel!  Sacred Citadel is a side-scrolling beat’em up developed by SouthEnd Interactive, the guys who did the unbelievably awesome ilomilo. :)   It’s coming out in 2013, and I CANT WAIT!

Today we’re showing you some gameplay footage of the Safiri character, who is, as we wrote in the trailer a skull-busting front row badass.  My favorite move of his is where he takes this giant fucking banhammer and just lays waste to all the things.  ALL THE THINGS! You can see for yourself in the vid and read more info about the Safiri in the attached press release. ;)

Emergency 2013 – Coming out This Friday and Look at the New Screenshots

Nov 07, 2012

I’m not even gonna try to re-write this, I’m just gonna copy and paste Aubrey Norris’ email word for word:

So first I’m going to start off with the Emergency 2013 screens, because this is basically the greatest stuff ever.

As you know, Emergency 2013 is a PC rescue strategy game where you get to use strategery and heroic bravado to save Europe which basically gets nearly destroyed over and over again.  It’s like if Ben Stein and the Bruce Willis character from the 1998 classic film Armageddon mated and had a spawn of some kind.  Anyway, check out these screenshots because this is really some end of days shit here.

Developed by Quadriga Gams, Emergency 2013 is coming out this Friday on PC download platforms!  It will be available for a $29.99 bundle with the original Emergency 2012 or a $9.99 mission pack (Emergency 2012 required to play).  GET ON IT

 Screenshots:

The Story to Far Cry 3

Nov 07, 2012

In the all-new Story trailer, journey into the heart of insanity. While vacationing on a beautiful tropical island, you and your friends are taken captive and held for ransom. Your only hope of surviving and rescuing your companions is to embrace the dark secrets of the island and its twisted characters. How far will you go to get your friends back?

[youtube=http://youtu.be/WFsIB6K52mY]

Gears of War: Judgment Pre-Orders Kickoff Today

Nov 07, 2012

Amid a firestorm of holiday launches, gamers are already looking ahead to spring 2013 as Microsoft and Epic Games today released the official “Gears of War: Judgment” box art and kicked off pre-orders at participating retailers.

The next marque installment to the Xbox 360 franchise that’s sold more than 19 million units and defined a generation of action games, “Gears of War: Judgment” takes fans back to the immediate aftermath of Emergence Day with the most intense “Gears” game yet.

Starting today, fans who pre-order “Gears of War: Judgment” at participating retailers will receive an exclusive in-game multiplayer weapon at launch, the Classic Hammerburst, along with potential retailer-specific content.

The Classic Hammerburst was the standard-issue assault rifle of the Locust Army during their E-Day onslaught. Highly accurate with a six-round burst, the Classic Hammerburst helped give the Locust a decisive advantage.

Now this highly feared and effective weapon is exclusively yours to wield when you pre-order “Gears: Judgment.” Check out a new video of the Classic Hammerburst in action here:

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