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Archived News:
GOG.com announces plans for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition, following in the footsteps of the acclaimed Enhanced Edition of the first installment in their action/RPG series. They say the Enhanced Edition is due on April 17th. that anyone who buys The Witcher 2 between now and then gets the upgrade for free, and as further incentive, that the game is currently on sale for 15% off. Here's word on the new edition: New major adventures set in new locations. These consist of an underground system of chambers beneath Loc Muine and a temperate coniferous forest in the Loc Muine mountains, and a secret cave passage. These new adventures will add several hours of story-based gameplay to the game.
New major characters to the Witcher story. One of them is Brigida Papebrock Dame. This noble woman comes from the Temerian family Papebrock and is a 30 year old lady-in-waiting of the Temerian court. The other characters are secret--for now!
All new animations and cut scenes, including a new, three and a half minute pre-rendered cinematic depicting the assassination of King Demavend of Aedirn. BAFTA Award winner and Academy Award nominee Tomasz Baginski brings this key historical event to life, setting the stage for the story told in The Witcher 2.
Ubisoft announces a Windows PC edition of Rayman Origins, saying the platformer is coming to PCs on March 29. The game is now available for preorder on the Ubisoft Online Store, and those who buy in advance will also receive a free downloadable copy of Rayman 2. Here's word on the game and some system requirements: Invoked by the Fairy Council, Rayman sets out on an action-packed adventure to save the Glade of Dreams from "nefurrious" Darktoons. To help him, he teams up with his best friend, Globox, and two crafty wizards, the Teensies.
Players can control Rayman in the solo campaign, or have up to three friends join the game at any time as Globox or as one of the two Teensies in the offline multiplayer mode. Rayman Origins has over 60 vast levels of 2D platforming gameplay to explore suited for all ages and playing styles. Players can unlock unique abilities as they progress though the adventure and return to previous levels to discover new paths and secrets.
Continue here to read the full story.
The Entertainment Software Association announces that the state of California has agreed to reimburse them $950,000 for legal fees incurred from their recent U.S. Supreme Court victory in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association (previously Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association). They quantify how much they have collected over the years in reimbursed court costs: "Including reimbursements already paid from the two California lower court rulings, the state will have paid $1,327,000 to ESA. Other states attempts to unconstitutionally regulate video games resulted in ESA receiving $1,773,000, totaling $3.1 million in legal fees paid to ESA." They say they will donate a portion of the proceeds to develop after-school educational programs for underserved communities in Oakland and Sacramento.
A lawsuit filed by NCsoft against Bluehole Studio seeks to prevent the planned launch of TERA, Bluehole's upcoming MMORPG, reports MMO Culture (thanks Rock, Paper, Shotgun). There's a post on the TERA Forums saying "It's our policy not to comment on legal matters," and here's word on the lawsuit explaining that NCsoft is alleging theft of trade secrets: The current lawsuit claims that the U.S. version of Tera makes use of NCsoft's trade secrets, including documents, source code, artwork and know-how related to the development on Lineage 3, and copyrighted works, including concept art created for Lineage 3.
It also asserts claims of breach of confidence, unfair competition and unjust enrichment.
The suit seeks temporary and permanent injunctions blocking the release of Tera in the U.S., as well as enhanced damages for Bluehole's alleged misconduct.
Matrix Games announces that Command Ops: Highway to the Reich is now available, offering an expansion to the World War II strategy game Command Ops: Battles from the Bulge. Word is the add-on: "brings us to the setting of one of the most epic and controversial battles of World War II: Operation Market-Garden. The Highway to the Reich expansion pack is a set of 13 scenarios covering all of the major actions that took place during the Market Garden Campaign in Holland during September 1944."
A new trailer from The Darkness II features some executions from the upcoming first-person shooter sequel from Digital Extremes. On display are three lovely moves: The Neck Tear, the Wishbone, and the Daisy Pop.
- F.E.A.R. 3 on Steam. Save 50%.
- Smash Cars on Steam. Save 50%.
- Space Pirates and Zombies on Steam. Save 60%.
Valve announces closed beta testing of Steam for Mobile Devices: Closed Beta Available Now For iOS and Android Devices
January 26, 2012 -- Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the beta release of the Steam application for iOS and Android devices.
With the Steam app, gamers around the world may chat with Steam friends, browse community groups and user profiles, view screenshots and user-generated content for their favorite games, read the latest gaming news, stay up to date on unbeatable Steam sales, and more.
"The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale - these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone."
Those who wish to join the beta just need to download the Steam app (free of charge) and log in to their Steam account via the mobile app to express interest in the beta. Gamers will be added to the Closed Beta as the service ramps up.
Steam is a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC and Mac games with over 40 million accounts around the world and over 1,800 titles offered.
For more information, please visit http://store.steampowered.com/mobile
Paradox Interactive now offers a playable demo for King Arthur II - The Role-playing Wargame, Neocore's upcoming RPG/RTS sequel. Here's word: "This demo for the anticipated sequel to Neocore Games’ critically acclaimed King Arthur series gives players a taste of what's to come, allowing champions of Britannia to play through the title's tutorial and first mission. With an expected gameplay session of about 60 minutes, King Arthur fans will be able to manage their army and territories, and lead their battalion into battle." The demo is available on this page and mirrored on AtomicGamer, Gamer's Hell, GamesDot.org, and Strategy Informer.
The Dark Horse Comics Blog has word on another unusual way to get bonus DLC for Mass Effect 3, BioWare's upcoming action/RPG (thanks Computer and Video Games). It was recently revealed that DLC will come with some ME3 action figures, and now word is those who preorder the upcoming Art of the Mass Effect Universe from Barnes and Noble will receive in-game content: "This product contains a code that can be redeemed for bonus content for Mass Effect 3 multi-player including character boosters and the deadly Collector Assault Rifle to give you a leg up on the Reaper invasion.
Visit social.bioware.com/redeem for instructions on how to unlock your new upgrades.”
“The Collector Assault Rifle uses the same principles as a human assault rifle, but its organic components clearly set it apart. Its power source appears to be an internal organ with biotic capacitance; its ammunition resembles pellets of metallic enamel that strip shields off enemies with deadly efficiency.”
Square Enix may have undisclosed further plans for the Hitman series of action/stealth games. Siliconera reports a trademark they've unearthed for Hitman Sniper Challenge that was recently filed by Square Enix Europe. No other details are available at this time.
GOG.com announces the addition of Square Enix titles to their DRM-free marketplace. They kick things off by offering Deus: Ex Game of the Year Edition and Hitman: Codename 47. Word is: "There are a few more heroes from SquareEnix, that deserve a special treatment from GOG.com, and we will be announcing them in coming weeks. Today, it’s time to shave your head and buy an AMT Hardballer or wear sunglasses at night and save the world from the Illuminati."
A new patch is now available for Assassin's Creed Revelations, to update the stealth/action sequel to version 1.02. The download is available from Ubisoft and mirrored on Gamer's Hell, PixelRage, and The Patches Scrolls. Here's the change list: Continue here to read the full story.
1000 AD Website now offers the chance to play 1000 AD, a turn-based strategy game played in your browser. Here's the explanation of the game's two different modes: "We have 2 games to play at New 1000 A.D. each is turn based strategy. The Standard is a 28 day round with turns coming every 9 minutes and Blitz is a 21 day round with turns coming every 3 minutes. The civilizations you have to choose from are the Vikings, Byzantines, Chinese, Japanese, Zulu, Barbarians, Incas, Franks, Turks or the Mongols. Each with their own advantages and disadvantages."
TopWare Interactive announces the European retail release of 3SwitcheD, , an arcade/puzzle game for Windows and OS X. This imbues this casual genre with the promise of glasses-free 3D. Word is: "The new '3D-ETTM' technology utilizes the common cameras found in most laptops, desktops and smartphones to give players 3D perspective control by tracking their eye and head movements." Trial versions are available for either Windows OS X.
This new trailer introduces a new location video from The Secret World, Funcom’s upcoming conspiratorial massively multiplayer online game. Apparently this is a frightening place, in spite of its eye-pleasing hue, as they say: "Catch a glimpse of ‘Blue Mountain’, a foreboding place haunted a terrifying past, where players will stand face to face with the rising darkness threatening to destroy our world." Continue here to read the full story.
The Cultures Online Website announces a new version 26.01.2012 is now live in Cultures Online, gamigo's browser-based strategy game. Word is: "The latest update will allow players to band together with friends to found a tribe colony, unlock new set items and wage war against other tribes. A special new Wonder of the World has also been added, which can be built in the tribe's settlement."
A new version of the RIFT Mobile application is now available on the Android Market, adding allowing more players to interface with Trion's MMORPG while on the go. They say: "Keep your finger on the pulse of the living, breathing world of Telara with the new RIFT Mobile App. Coordinate with allies and guildmates, keep up with Zone Events, and even earn in-game loot on your Android phone. The RIFT Mobile App comes packed with the following features, and it's absolutely free!" This closes a rift in mobile support for the game, as an iOS version of this app was released a few weeks ago.
I normally hate the two week gap between the end of the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl, but it's that much worse when I have a rooting interest. I may need to investigate hibernation between now and then.
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