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Archived News:
Kalypso announces the release of Tropico 5 via digital distribution, saying a
boxed retail edition of the city builder will come to the U.S. on June 3rd. We
have the Tropico 5 Release
Trailer, and the following word on the chance to once again strap on the
beard of El Presidente: Return to the island of Tropico where gorgeous
sunny beaches and political corruption co-exist in perfect harmony. Tropico 5 is
out for PC today via boxed retail, Steam and the Kalypso Launcher – so don your
most magnificent beard, as El Presidente is back and he’s ready to let you do
all the hard work for him! Take control of the island paradise of Tropico during
the colonial period and guide your city through the eras as it grows into a
thriving metropolis. Create a social utopia where every citizen is heard and
accounted for – or forge your own tyrannical grip over the nation and turn it
into a gold mine for your Swiss bank account. The island of Tropico belongs to
you, so let your whim take you wherever you like and make El Presidente proud!
To celebrate the glorious return of our beloved ruler, Kalypso Media has also
released a brand new trailer to mark the occasion. View it below for a look at
how to start ruling like a true dictator.
Tropico 5 is out now on PC via Steam and retail (US retail June 3rd ). Xbox 360®
and Mac will be available this summer – with a version for the PlayStation®4
platform following in autumn. For more information on Tropico 5 don’t forget to
visit the official Tropico 5 website at
www.tropico5.com.
Continue here to read the full story.
Publisher bitComposer Games and developer Sproing announce the release of
Panzer Tactics HD via digital
distribution, offering a Windows version of this hardcore turn-based tactical
strategy game originally released on Nintendo DS (a version is also now
available for iPad). Here's a feature list:
- Three exciting single-player campaigns on
the sides of the German Army, the Soviet Red Army and the Western Allied
Forces.
- More than 30 nerve-wracking missions, including
covert operations behind enemy lines.
- Over 150 different units at sea, on land and in
the air.
- Thrilling tactical battles: Turn-based battles
with great depth.
- More than 30 heroic officers that help motivate
your units.
- Use different terrain, weather and the seasons to
your advantage.
- Challenging battles: Each turn must be carefully
considered and can be the deciding factor between victory and defeat.
- High replay value: Fight exciting battles in
scenarios against the AI.
Matrix Games now offers Distant Worlds Universe, saying months of beta
testing of the sci-fi 4X strategy collection has paved the way for the release.
Here's a recent trailer
showing off the package, which is available from
Matrix Games and Steam.
Here's word, including details on discounts for those who own the included
games: Distant Worlds Universe is a new release as well as the
long-awaited stand-alone package that combines all previous Distant Worlds
releases in a single kit and expands on it with plenty of balance changes,
engine improvements and brand new modding tools that will allow the players to
set up their ultimate customized sci-fi experience! This collector’s edition
also introduces a new storyline setting covering the ancient galaxy and the
first war between the Freedom Alliance and the Shaktur Axis in which players
will get access to powerful technologies and new weapons, including the ability
to build planet destroyers.
In order to thank the Distant Worlds community which has been supporting the
series for years now, we are pleased to announce that players will be able to
get a $10 discount for every Distant Worlds game/expansion they own. All
Universe owners are also eligible to receive a Steam Key. For a limited period
of time, there is also a launch discount of $10 off the regular price on both
stores in order to celebrate the release and the beginning of an exciting new
chapter for Distant Worlds.
The Elder Scrolls Online website announces the launch of the new
Craglorn adventure zone for Bethesda's fantasy MMORPG. Here's the deal:
Put on your best gear, pack your provisions, and turn your eyes to the
stars—Craglorn is here! The first Adventure Zone is sure to challenge even the
toughest Veteran Rank players. You’ll also see tons of fixes and improvements,
so
read the full patch notes to get every detail.
In Craglorn, you and your allies will take on new quests as you discover the
Celestial threat to Tamriel, explore delves where your skills will be put to the
test, and even participate in 12-player Trials—a completely new kind of
adventure with the deadliest enemies yet (and fantastic rewards). The patch also
introduces class and skill updates, fixes throughout the game, and more.
GRID Autosport is on display in a new
Discipline Focus
trailer looking at how endurance is handled in Codemasters' upcoming GRID
sequel. Here's what this is all about: In the video, gameplay footage of
GRID Autosport’s Endurance racing discipline reveals spectacular sports cars
racing into the night in extended events where “you can never win a race on the
first corner.” The video also features real-world professional drivers
explaining the enduring appeal of the discipline and how to succeed in the
sport, including Matt Bell of United Autosports, Aleksander Schjerpen from
Century Motorsport and Rory Butcher of the Oman Racing Team / Motorbase
Performance who comments, “You’ve got to be quick of course. You’ve got to treat
the car well to get to the end of the race. You’ve got to be very consistent
over the long distance.”
In GRID Autosport’s Endurance events players must manage tyre wear and race to a
strategy in extended races which provide a true test of racing skill, patience
and car management. As players race, they must manage their tyres which will
lose grip as they break traction or go off track, affecting performance and
handling as the race progresses. Players who look after their tyres will be
faster towards the end of the race.
In career mode, Endurance events are set at night for dramatic racing and an
extra challenge, and gamers can also set up Custom Cup and online races to put
the stunning Endurance cars to the test in day time events. In the drive to
capture the feel of racing in real-world Endurance events, Codemasters has
consulted with professional drivers and the experts at Autosport magazine to
distil the experience into scalable races, whether online or in career mode.
Continue here to read the full story.
Here's a new video
developer diary from
Valiant Hearts: The
Great War, kicking off a series of such looks at the World War I
adventure coming next month to Windows, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, and PS3. Word
is: "Today, Ubisoft released the first video in a series of Developer Diaries
for Valiant Hearts: The Great War. Presented by Art Director Paul Tumelaire, the
following video focuses on “Art & Emotion” in the game and details how the team
developed the unique art style and concept used to tackle the emotional story of
everyday citizens during the First World War." Continue here to read the full story.
- Adventures with Anuman on
GOG.com.
Save 70%.
- Game Dev Tycoon on
Steam. Save 50%.
Jeff Vogel's The Bottom Feeder: The Indie Bubble Is Popping.
So what this grumpy old fart is saying is that there are Issues. They
should be discussed. There are new obstacles that should be planned for and
forces you may blame for your problems that, in fact, you shouldn’t. If you
are a green developer, face these facts, or I believe destruction awaits.
GamesIndustry International - Kickstarter can't just be funding for
newcomers.
In place of these ideas, it would be beneficial to promote a view of
crowdfunding which focuses on its potential to give life to projects that
simply can't find funding without the market making a clear commitment to
their commercial success. That's an important thing regardless of the
finances or industry status of the creators involved or the publishers in
the background. If you love a game, a franchise or a genre that falls within
a niche so narrow that it simply can't attract traditional funding - a trap
into which a great many games over the years have fallen - then crowdfunding
offers you a chance to show your willingness to buy new games in that niche
in the only way that actually matters. That's the true value of the
platform; if it becomes either a misguided shopping mall for non-existent
pipe dreams or a hipster haven for unknowns and newcomers, it will entirely
miss out on that extraordinary potential.
Three recently released demos for new games are now available via Steam.
There's a playable demo for
Max: The Curse of
Brotherhood, though there's no word on what this sample of Press Play's
adventure game offers. There's also a demo for
Don Bradman Cricket 14,
accompanied by
a note clarifying that this is the game formerly known as Don Bradman
Cricket Academy, and that we can expect a "mod-friendly" release at some
point today. Finally, there's a playable demo for
Flockers, Team17's
new strategy franchise.
Word is this includes three levels from the full game, which is currently
available via Early Access. Thanks Frans.
Here's
a PS4 launch trailer for
Watch Dogs that mentions PS4 exclusive content, but shows off Ubisoft's
upcoming open-world action game in general (thanks nin). Also, the first review
of the game is online thanks to
Clueless GamerConan
O'Brien. Finally, this new video promotes
Watch Dogs with episode one of a new three-part series called "Phreaked Out"
that talks to real security experts about the kind of hacking exploits found in
the game. Word is: "The series explores how many of the technologies and modern
advances that make our lives more efficient, enjoyable, and safe are becoming
increasingly susceptible to attack. Episode One heads to Los Angeles to examine
the state of hacking traffic networks, and ultimately concludes that only one
thing is certain: with enough determination, nothing is secure." This contains
no gameplay footage, though when we viewed
it we got to see a Watch Dogs ad preceding this Watch Dogs ad. Continue here to read the full story.
This trailer takes
us to flight school for a lesson in combat in World of Warplanes, Wargaming's
MMO aerial combat game. Today's clip concentrates on the art of air-to-ground
combat, as word is: "This detailed tutorial tells about ground attack aircraft,
the most controversial type of warfare in World of Warplanes, and explains how
many advantage points pilots can get by hitting different types of targets,
while focusing on the most effective ways to score those points in order to
reach air dominance. The guide also delves into the ins-and-outs of concealment
tactics and the mechanics that will affect the supremacy meter, which can make a
difference in the midst of battle." Continue here to read the full story.
A new trailer for
Kaiju-A-GoGo shows off some footage of development of Kerberos Productions'
upcoming monster movie-inspired game in support of its
Kickstarter campaign. This is accompanied by an update on the project:
"Player questions and demands have also prompted new releases of gameplay
information and screenshots, as well as future plans to expand and enhance the
game. The large international audience for Kerberos titles has voted to make the
game accessible to non-English speaking players, with localization packages
offered first in Spanish, French and German. Kerberos has also announced a
planned DLC Expansion of the game called “Monster Island”, which would allow
players to recruit a second monstrous pet to send against hapless cities who
resist the player’s goal to conquer the world. These features will be offered
free to all Backers of the campaign if the game achieves its modest funding
goals." Continue here to read the full story.
- Acer Aspire S7-392-6807 Touchscreen Ultrabook Laptop on
TweakTown.
- Antec Nineteenhundred Gehäuse on
Technic3D. German.
- Dell Venue 11 Pro Windows Tablet on
MEGATechNews.
- Enermax Liqtech 120X CPU Cooler Video on
Hardware Heaven.
- GIGABYTE Z97X-SOC Force on
ocaholic.
- GIGABYTE Z97X-UD5H (Intel Z97) Motherboard on
TweakTown.
- Intel Haswell Core i7-4790, i5-4690, i5-4590 and i5-4460 on
Mad Shrimps.
- Kingston Class 10 UHS-1 Ultimate SDXC Card on
The SSD Review.
- Lian Li PC-Q07B Mini-ITX Case on
Benchmark Reviews.
- Logitech G502 Proteus Core Tunable 12,000 DPI Gaming Mouse on
TechSpot.
- MSI Radeon R9 295X2 Gaphics Card on
pcGameware.
- OCZ Vertex 460 240GB on
Bjorn3D.
- Phanteks Enthoo Pro Full Tower on
Pure Overclock.
- Samsung XP941 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD Mini on
Legit Reviews.
- Silicon Power Diamond D20 500GB USB 3.0 Portable HDD on
Mad Shrimps.
- Thermaltake Poseidon Z MX Blue Keyboard on
Technology X.
- Vantec NexStar Wi-Fi External HDD Enclosure on
TweakTown.
This is the Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S., a somber reflection on the
sacrifices of soldiers, and the more frivolous unofficial beginning of summer. I
think I am going to *attempt* (note the emphasis) to follow up on an idea I have
entertained for years, which is to have "summer hours" here by trying to post
the second news roundup of the day earlier than normal on Fridays. Since
"normal" can be quite late, this isn't saying much, but the idea is to actually
shoot for "early," so we'll see how that goes.
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