Sure, it's entirely possible, given that Halo and Halo 2 both made the Xbox 360 to PC jump about two years after their respective console releases. And, sure, games like Gears of War have been inadvertently "announced" for the Windows platform in marketing materials, but you're really jumping to conclusions here. You think Microsoft is going to let something like this leak?

After all, only about 98.44% of Microsoft-based rumors are true. We're following up with the company to get our sweet taste of carefully worded denial right now.

In tandem with the announcement that MS was "taking off the Gold-only restriction for multiplayer gaming over Games for Windows LIVE," cross platform games (Xbox 360/PC) will be free for all for a limited time, according to a Microsoft spokesperson. Get crackin' online gamers. It won't last long, they say.

There's lots of issues about price points and models and the benefits to publishers — you have different developers that do things on different platforms. It certainly interests us, and it's one of many things we talk about, the fact that we have a service that spans both platforms opens up all kinds of opportunities like that. When we feel like we have all of the right pieces together, and we have partners who tell us they want to do that, you can expect that it's something we'll look at, much more closely.

Interesting, no?

Games for Windows Head Kevin Unangst Explains Move to Free Live [1UP]

Games for Windows - Live multiplayer features are free, effective today, Microsoft announced at today's GameFest 2008 conference in Seattle.

The move to free means that achievements, enhanced "truskill" matchmaking, cross-platform play with the Xbox 360, voice and text chat, friends lists, are all now free to Windows gamers. This change to free is for all Games for Windows LIVE titles, past and future.

Microsoft also announced plans to introduce Games for Windows - Live marketplace this fall, which will include free and paid downloadable game content, demos, trailers and "more." Finally, the company said they are working to streamline the interface for the PC and reduce technical requirements for developers. Too little, too late? Too early to tell, I say.

In other news from GameFest, DirectX 11 was unveiled.

The company calls DirectX 11 a "big step forward for gaming, adding features onto existing DirectX 10".

Key components of DirectX 11, will include:

o Full support (including all DX11 hardware features) on Windows Vista as well as future versions of Windows
o Compatibility with DirectX 10 and 10.1 hardware, as well as support for new DirectX 11 hardware
o New compute shader technology that lays the groundwork for the GPU to be used for more than just 3D graphics, so that developers can take advantage of the graphics card as a parallel processor
o Multi-threaded resource handling that will allow games to better take advantage of multi-core machines
o Support for tessellation, which blurs the line between super high quality pre-rendered scenes and scenes rendered in real-time, allowing game developers to refine models to be smoother and more attractive when seen up close

When Microsoft vp John Schappert began his open letter to PC gamers today, he started with "Growth and Opportunities in PC Gaming."

Weird start. Nevertheless, Schappert has issued what is basically a Microsoft-penned report on the state of PC gaming. Pretty rosy. No mention of World of Warcraft or Steam or The Sims.

But some good stuff nonetheless, like:

Other popular titles such as “Crysis” and “Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures” have sold and shipped more than 1 million copies, respectively. “Hellgate: London” now has more than 1 million active subscribers.

And

Today I’m excited to report that Microsoft and a growing community of the gaming industry’s leading publishers, hardware manufacturers and retailers have made the Windows-based PC the largest gaming platform in the world.

Read the full letter after the jump.

Growth and Opportunities in PC Gaming

These are exciting times for the PC gaming industry. Over the past couple of years, Microsoft Corp. has increased its focus on investment in Windows gaming because we see the incredible growth and opportunities it represents not just for us, but for the industry at large.

Today I’m excited to report that Microsoft and a growing community of the gaming industry’s leading publishers, hardware manufacturers and retailers have made the Windows-based PC the largest gaming platform in the world. Every major region will see PC gaming continue to grow in audience, game revenue and hardware purchases for the foreseeable future. While the challenges we face as an industry are many, PC gaming has never been stronger, and we’re confident this trend will continue in the years to come.

The past year has seen exponential growth in online activity and sales, continued platform and hardware innovation, and continued success with the Games for Windows branding initiative, which adds prominence, a quality and technical bar, and a consistent look and feel to the retail PC gaming experience.

In the last year, we have helped launch a wide range of stellar PC game titles exclusive to Windows including “World in Conflict,” “Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar” and “Sins of a Solar Empire.” Other popular titles such as “Crysis” and “Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures” have sold and shipped more than 1 million copies, respectively. “Hellgate: London” now has more than 1 million active subscribers.

We are also dedicated to supporting the next generation of PC game developers with XNA Game Studio, a set of free, easy-to-use development tools for Windows-based PCs, Xbox 360 and Zune. Our goal is to assist a growing community of more than 1 million students, hobbyists and independent game developers realize their potential and enhance the Windows gaming ecosystem through their ingenuity.

Later today in San Francisco, Microsoft will be joined by our partners and select press at our Big Picture showcase event, where attendees will experience the PC gaming renaissance firsthand. Top game publisher Activision will premiere upcoming title “Call of Duty: World at War.” Attendees will also be among the first to experience AMD’s new Radeon HD 4800 Series DirectX 10 graphics card, NVIDIA’s new GeForce 9M notebook GPU and other stellar hardware from Dell Inc., HP, Gateway Inc. and Acer Inc.

Also today, 16 titles join the Games for Windows portfolio, including “Call of Duty: World at War” (Activision), “Ghostbusters: The Videogame” (Sierra Entertainment), “Crysis: Warhead,” (EA Partners), and “Zoo Tycoon 2: Ultimate Collection” (Microsoft Game Studios).

The Windows-based PC is the most connected gaming platform on the planet. Microsoft’s continued investments will enable game publishers to take advantage of that connectivity while delivering to consumers the kinds of gaming experiences they will love.

These are exciting times. We’re proud of how far we’ve come and excited for what the future holds.
Here’s to Windows gaming,

John Schappert
Corporate Vice President
LIVE, Software and Services
Microsoft

For the full list of changes implemented in patch 3, hit the jump for details.

General Changes:
Implemented Interoperable cross-play between Xbox and PC players in Ranked, Quickmatch and Conquer the World modes.
Team voice chat fixed so that communication between players is on a team basis during tactical combat
Fixed an issue where difficulty for Achievements was not being tracked correctly resulting in cases where Achievements might not always unlock.
Fixed an issue where the Corruptors would not fire on enemies within their attack radius.
Fixed an issue where Defilers would walk in place if the Project Radiation ability was targeted to close to them.
Fixed an issue where Collectors would stop collecting because they were trying to reach resources outside the playable area.
AI players are now added to custom multiplayer sessions with unique color and team settings.
In replays objects should no longer be tinted as if under the fog of war.
Implemented a quality of service check for multiplayer games to improve game matching, especially in Conquer the World mode.
Fixed an issue where Altea's aura would not un-phase enemy units.
Fixed an issue where Avengers would take zero pop-cap.
Fixed an issue where cloaked units that have been in the sight radius of a Sight-linked unit loose their ability to cloak until Sight link is removed.
Fixed an issue that was having a Conquer the World player leave the session if the other player disconnected BEFORE the stats results could be reported, preventing the player who remained connected from getting the win.
Fixed an issue where the light/dark mode was not properly reset during a tactical battle restart.
Fixed an issue where units selected in a group would not respond to orders if some were locked down by a Hacker.
Forged Alliance Achievement Renamed to Peacebringer. Requires the player to defeat 2 ranked game or CTW opponents on the opposite platform.

Xbox 360 Specific Changes:
Performance optimizations.
Fixed a random game freeze issue related to particles.
Fixed a random game freeze related to voice chat.
Fixed several Out of Sync issues, including a high-latency issues which would
cause the game to go OOS instead of correctly waiting for players.
Added Guard mode to the special ability carousel.
Added Patrol mode to the special ability carousel.
Fixed an issue where network selection lag would cause the carousel to never come up.
Fixed an issue where the build queues selected from the Command carousel would randomly disappear in battle.
Fixed an issue with paint select decal selecting units outside its radius.
Mirabel now plays her unit responses.
Fixed an issue with Foo cores not adhering to double-click movement rules.
Fixed an issue where Hackers were able to be built without the Science Center.
Fixed the invisible radar map issue in the Novus Homeworld tutorial.
Fixed an issue where the A button might appear behind something in the Novus patch menu.
If saving a replay to a full memory unit an appropriate error message is now displayed.
Players can no longer incorrectly bring up the pause menu at the battle end screen.
Multiplayer is now properly paused when the Battle End Screen is activated after the game is over, so you don't get continuing sound and rumble effects.
Fixed an issue that was causing the skirmish lobby to force the pop cap *UP* to 60 if you added 3 AI even if your chosen pop cap was less than 60.
Fixed an issue where the Y button prompt appears off the Radar Map and fails to function when maximum build cap is reached.
Fixed an issue with accepting an invite while the attract movie is up.
Fixed issue with white texture showing up for the neutral detection array's scan pulse ability.

PC Specific Changes:
Added Patrol mode via hotkey: Ctrl+A
Added progress bars to display unit/upgrade production in tactical and global modes.
Added multi-threaded support for systems with multi-core processors providing a large performance increase on those systems.
Research now available in Single Player Campaign.
Fixed an issue where using a laptop with a touchpad containing a horizontal and verticals scroll touch option would break the mini-map.
Fixed an issue where the help text would display off screen.
Fixed an issue where dropdown text would get cut off at extremely high resolutions.
Fixed an issue where tooltips for the capture ability would give an incorrect time.
We now hide the Private Game combo box when hosting, so you must make the decision about hosting a private game when you first create the session ... you can't change your mind later.
Fixed an issue which was preventing disconnected game notices from ever being displayed.
Game now pauses when LIVE dialog screen is up.
Fixed an issue which was causing multiplayer games from ending properly if the game was minimized when the battle ended. In Conquer the World this could prevent a player from being awarded a territory in some cases.
We now check save files to make sure they haven't been corrupted on the PC.
Fixed an issue where the game would crash when holding ALT key while loading and saving a game.
Fixed an issue with the research tree and other menus closing intermittently while in a MP game.

Novus Balance Changes:
Hackers now autonomously lock down targets in range.
Constructors now repair 14% faster.
Increased Constructor’s FOW reveal by 20%.
Reduced Constructor’s build time from 18 to 13 seconds.
Reduced Constructor’s price from 650 to 500.
Increased Constructor’s crush defense from 10 to 30.
Increased Founder’s Prowess health from 900 to 1100.
Increased Founder’s FOW reveal range in Prowess mode.
Increased Founder’s health from 500 to 650 in performance mode.
Decreased Vertigo’s FOW by 10%.
Increased Vertigo’s health from 700 to 775.
Increased Vertigo’s guard radius by 15%.
Increased Mirabel’s base weapon damage by 20%.
Decreased Mirabel’s Snipe recharge from 55 to 52 seconds.
Increased Mirabel’s missile damage volley by 10%.
Increased Mirabel’s missile speed by 10%.
Decreased Mirabel’s missile range by 25%.
Increased Amplifier’s movement speed by 10%.
Changed Amplifier’s armor from light to heavy.
Decreased Amplifier’s global cost from 450 to 400.
Decreased Amplifier’s tactical cost from 900 to 800.
Decreased Amplifier’s build time from 28 to 26 seconds.
Increased Amplifier’s guard range by 15%.
Increased Amplifier’s crush from 6 to 21.
Increased Field Inverter’s FOW reveal by 15%.
Decreased Field Inverter’s global cost from 600 to 500.
Decreased Field Inverter’s tactical build time from 30 to 28 seconds.
Increased Field Inverter’s guard range by 25%.
Increased Field Inverter’s shield mode walk speed by 25%.
Increased Field Inverter’s damage by 15%.
Decreased Hacker’s speed by 15%
Increased Hacker’s guard radius by 20%
Increased Hacker’s cost from 500 to 600.
Decreased Hacker’s max targeting range on lockdown ability by 15%
Increased Ohm’s max attack range by 25%.
Increased Ohm’s run speed by 10%.
Increased Ohm’s health by 15%.
Increased Ohm’s guard radius by 20%.
Decreased Corruptor’s cost from 600 to 500.
Increased Corruptor’s guard radius by 20%.

Hierarchy Balance Changes:
Increased Kamal’s health 900.
Decreased Kamal’s FOW reveal by 20%
Increased Nufai’s health from 700 to 750.
Increased Nufai’s guard radius by 15%
Increased Defiler’s cost from 775 to 850.
Increased Defiler’s build time from 26 to 30 seconds.
Increased Defiler popcap from 3-5 (updated)
Increased Saucer’s guard radius by 10%
Increased Saucer’s popcap from 3 to 4.
Decreased Saucer’s build time from 30 to 28 seconds.
Decreased Saucer’s cost from 825 to 750.
Increased Saucer’s speed by 10%.

Masari Balance Changes:
Decreased Light Mine damage by 50% for standard and upgraded figment mines.
Increased Charos, Zessus, Altea and Disciple’s guard radius by 15%
Increased Zessus’ health from 800 to 850.
Decreased Altea’s walk speed for both light and dark modes by 15%
Increased Altea’s health from 600 to 725

Lego Indiana Jones Demo {Games For Windows]

With steep hardware specifications, difficult and inconsistent installs, convoluted patching processes and unstable operating systems, the PC has developed a problematic barrier to entry for most consumers, who've voiced their difficulties in one crucial way — they've moved to consoles. So what will become of PC gaming?

Microsoft understands that the market has looked to it to save the PC gaming industry, says Kevin Unangst, senior global director for Windows Gaming. "There are more gamers on the PC platform than any other platform, and yet retail sales are going down," he adds. "It is a decline which makes us go, 'hmm... is there a problem here?' We saw an opportunity and an obligation. We are the platform leader; we own the platform. We need to make sure we do the right thing."

Unangst calls the last twelve months of Microsoft's Games For Windows effort "the first full year in the market." But the initiatives were announced just about two years ago, at E3 2006. Now, following a clumsy Vista rollout that sure hasn't appeared to be "the right thing" for gamers, and continuing issues confronting a broad adoption of PC as a gaming platform, what exactly is Microsoft doing?

According to Unangst, the PC market is actually growing; he says the struggle at retail basically comes down to the fact that PC gets second-class treatment in the public eye as a gaming platform. So, he says, most of the effort so far has largely come down to a branding campaign to address declining retail sales.

"We stepped up; we did a couple things," he says. "We looked at the packaging... PC games were in the back [at the store] and just looked like bookshelves rather than games. We addressed the retail issue by spending millions of dollars in retail in the U.S. and Europe to work with Target to move the PC gaming aisle out of the back and up next to the console games. And also at GameStop, where we worked in branding for not only the PC gaming section, but in over a thousand of their stores, Microsoft paid for and worked with them to install PC gaming kiosks. Those customers can be more engaged and try things out. No one had done that before for PC games."

Microsoft also created the Games For Windows branding program — pretty much, it's a logo on the box that lets publishers like Activision and EA sell their PC titles under the "Games For Windows" brand name without paying royalties.

Moving the shelves closer to the front of the retailer, offering kiosks and putting a stamp on the box might be marketing 101-type tactics to improve sales figures, but what has Microsoft accomplished since 2006 as far as improving the PC gaming experience? "It takes time," Unangst maintains. "When you look at things like retail and advertising and building up brand programs and impacting games in the process of shipping, it takes years of investment to start seeing that really show up."

And, he says, the Games For Windows branding initiative is more than just a logo on a package. "There's a set of 25 different tech requirements these games must meet," he explains. "The installation [process], support for specific hardware, or if a game is running on Vista it needs to support Games Explorer... those types of things. It's all about raising the baseline experience, offering users an easier option... so you don't have to answer 17 quesstions to get the game to install."

But it sure has looked as if Vista and its Game Explorer are part of the problem, not the solution. Unangst doesn't agree, though. "We're very happy with the sales of Vista so far," he says.

So, when consumers are having widespread problems with gaming on their PC, the solution is a brand campaign aimed at raising sales numbers? And a large-scale public backlash against Vista is not a problem as long as the sales numbers are good?

"There is a curve," admits Unangst on the slow uphill climb towards broad and stable Vista adoption. He pointed to the operating system transitions of previous eras; Unangst has been with Microsoft nearly 18 years, and some of his first work was on the equally tricky Windows 95 launches. "When we moved to XP there were very similar concerns.... [about] expensive new hardware. Game developers and video card makers had to rewrite drivers for the operating system. We've now had Vista out for over a year; we've attacked this on a couple of fronts and it continues to get better."

What should frustrated users do, then? "We hope they will try Service Pack 1," he says.

He mentions the company's investment in DirectX 10 — but the support doesn't really seem to be quite there yet, does it? "The hardware install base is huge now," Unangst disagrees. "There are now some 60 million people that can run it. Would I have liked to have had it closer to the launch of Vista? Absolutely."

So, Unangst admits it would have been better to have the support closer to Vista's launch, but he's still pleased with the way Microsoft's PC gaming initiatives have been going. "We went to publishers, we've got the majority of top publishers signed up who've been delivering games... they've delivered some really high-quality AAA titles. These are big games that came out, like Crysis and BioShock and World in Conflict. These were some of the big award winners.

Crysis is hardly an example of a title that anyone with a PC can pick up and play, though. "Well, they've sold quite a bit of units," Unangst declares. "Crytek wants to push the envelope - and that's what's great about the PC. The common problems that people are seeing, we address. We're trying to solve actively... the requirements of getting it on your system. The other side of it that is just as important, is providing guidance to both developers and cosomers that say... there is a consistency that the game you buy will run on a particular piece of hardware. In Vista, we invested in the Windows Experience Index that is a simple way of communicating... especially when compared to the expectations consumers have for consoles."

The Experience Index, explains Unangst, assigns a certain number to your computer based on certain requirement capacities. But if you know your PC's number, can you then look at a box in the store and find out if the number, and therefore your requirements, match? Not yet. "It's on the way," Unangst explains. "The system is built into Vista... every Games For Windows-branded title is required to compute those numbers and make a recommendation, but we haven't seen broad adoption of this on packaging at retail."

So as of yet, unless you know hardware and software very well, there's no way of telling at a glance in the store whether you have the ability to run a given game. And while PC loyalists are savvy about their tech, what about a new and broader audience which might not even know how to find out which version of a Web browser they use? "Publishers have to put this on the box," Unangst admits. "Developers come to us and want to make a game that will ship in Holiday 2010 — and that's a year and a half out. One of the other efforts that Microsoft has been involved with is the PC Gaming Alliance, to try and address some of these broad industry problems... to forecast that [hardware] guidance so that developers can make an informed decision when they want to make a game that runs on the broadest choice of hardware, or make a scaleable experience."

That scalability, Unangst says, is the real strength of PC as a platform — but why does it seem that only cutting-edge PCs are appropriate for gaming? "We can do a better job of giving guidance to developers," Unangst concedes.

But according to Unangst, everything's going just fine for PC gaming. The widely publicized NPD numbers that raised the flag of alarm on the health of the PC gaming industry are actually a source of confidence to him: "When you look back to some of the [NPD] numbers for this year, just in 2007... more people in the US bought Windows games at retail than they did for the Wii," he says. "It's 36 million units for PC games, versus 31 million units for wii. When you look at the numbers from DFC Intelligence, people spent more money on PC games, including online distribution, than they did on PS3 games in the U.S. in 2007. When I try to do an apples-to-apples comparison, surprising figures come out.

But when pressed, Unangst did identify the areas of concern on which he says Microsoft is currently hard at work. "It's the product issues we're working on... the installation needs to be easier. We need a consistent way... to have user IDs without different clients. People are unable to play with freinds. These are the services we need to build and we're continuing to invest in. We've made great progress, but there's still more to be done - when you walk into a store it'd a carnival for the consoles. There's... all the demos and the lights and the great retail. Microsoft has had to get quite a bit of money to... treat the PC as a first-class citizen there. We have to do a better job of communicating the value of PC and giving it more credit."

Unangst is right when he says that the most widely publicized picture of the PC game space isn't the whole picture — it doesn't capture the growth of web-based casual games, WoW's millions of monthly subscribers, Valve's healthy Steam sales and other digital distribution, or the microtransactions revenue of PC products like Gaia Online or Nexon's MapleStory, both of which also have hefty userbases. And, continues Unangst, these PC-only game opportunities are part of the platform's strength."There is a reason you don't see WoW on the console; the gameplay is fantastic on the PC," he points out.

So, everything's just great in PC-land? Does Unangst see any barriers that prevent or limit some users from gaming on PCs? "The biggest barrier to PC gaming is the perception that there is a barrier," he says. "I mean that very seriously."

So if you're having issues gaming on your PC, it seems you should blame your "perception," not Microsoft.

Despite knowing that my own place of work is part of the cause greater, the death of so many print publications is unfortunate. So in the midst of all the "great opportunity" euphemisms, it's refreshing to see editor-in-chief Jeff Green liken the experience to " the passing of a loved one" with unrestrained melodrama. Those with standing subscriptions will be contacted shortly.

Games For Windows Magazine Moves Online [1UP]

The biggest change to The Sims 3 is that it takes place in a wide-open, constantly changing neighborhood — a much bigger sandbox, if you will, and a much more complex simulation. The town and park you see on the cover image to the right (click to enlarge) exist in the same seamless space as your Sims' household, and what you do outside your home now matters as much as what you do within.

Other changes come in the Sims' reporting of their moods - the maddening individual meters are gone, replaced by "discrete moods", which is supposed to stop the more obsessive-compulsive players from constantly worrying about pissing and eating and instead let them focus on the more enjoyable stuff.
The Sims 3 Revealed [1UP]

Using a peer review system to filter out copyright infringement and objectionable content, Microsoft plans to put game development and initial approval into the hands of its Xbox Live community, not to mention money into the hands of homebrew developers.

Satchell showed off a half-dozen titles that are planned for the service. Starting today, Live members can go to XBLM free trial downloads of games like Little Gamers, Dishwasher and Jellycar,

Apparently, the Ukrainian version of Hot Fuzz was a dreary action movie that took place on a freighter, not a tiny English town, and, instead of co-star Nick Frost, a German shepherd performed buddy duties. Whatever actual game is powering Hot Fuzz: The Game, we're glad not to have played it. I'd sure like to see that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Retextured, though.

Thanks, Radio Guy!

EA, who shipped a number of PC games for the Mac last year, plans to have Spore on hand at MacWorld 08, going on right now.

Coming to the Mac in 2008: 'Spore' [News.com]

Following a lackluster infomercial CES keynote, Microsoft sent out a press release this morning touting the "powerful momentum" of Games for Windows and the addition of nine new Games for Windows-branded titles including Alone in the Dark and LEGO Indiana Jones.

"Games for Windows truly thrived in 2007. We went from two titles in 2006 to a continually growing portfolio of over 60 titles here at CES 2008," said Kevin Unangst, senior global director of Games for Windows in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "We delivered on our promise one year ago to reinvigorate the PC gaming space and bring the best portfolio of games to Windows. And this is just the beginning. With our partners, we will continue to drive the resurgence of Windows-based gaming."

The full list of new GFW games includes:

• "Alone in the Dark" (Atari)
• "Bionic Commando" (Capcom)
• "Conflict: Denied Ops" (Eidos Interactive)
• "Empire: Total War" (SEGA)
• "LEGO Indiana Jones" (LucasArts)
• "Microsoft Train Simulator 2" (Microsoft Game Studios)
• "Sins of a Solar Empire" (Stardock)
• "Space Siege" (SEGA)
• "Tomb Raider: Underworld" (Eidos Interactive)

The release also went on to point out that the casual games industry generated $2.25 billion in revenue last year and has a projected increase of 20 percent. I wonder if that now includes the Wii? Hit the jump for the full release.

Microsoft Unveils New Titles and Powerful Momentum for Games for Windows
New titles added to the Games for Windows portfolio; Games for Windows initiative and MSN Games going strong.

LAS VEGAS — Jan. 7, 2008 — Following one of the hottest years in video game history, Microsoft Corp. today announced at the 2008 International CES the addition of new titles to the Games for Windows portfolio and strong first-year results for the Games for Windows initiative. Games for Windows drove the PC gaming category in 2007 with some of the most popular Windows-based games available, and will continue the momentum for Windows-based gaming in 2008.
"Games for Windows truly thrived in 2007. We went from two titles in 2006 to a continually growing portfolio of over 60 titles here at CES 2008," said Kevin Unangst, senior global director of Games for Windows in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "We delivered on our promise one year ago to reinvigorate the PC gaming space and bring the best portfolio of games to Windows. And this is just the beginning. With our partners, we will continue to drive the resurgence of Windows-based gaming."
CES attendees will get to experience some of the great games of 2008, with six upcoming Games for Windows titles on the show floor: "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures" (Funcom, Eidos Interactive), "Conflict: Denied Ops" (Eidos Interactive), "Frontlines: Fuel of War" (THQ), "Space Siege" (SEGA), "Turning Point: Fall of Liberty" (Codemasters) and "Jigsaw Too Photo Edition" (Carbonated Games), a game for Windows Live Messenger.
Delivering Great Games
Microsoft announced the addition of nine new Games for Windows-branded titles joining the portfolio from renowned publishers Atari Inc., Capcom, Eidos Interactive, LucasArts, Microsoft Game Studios, SEGA and Stardock., bringing the growing Games for Windows portfolio to more than 60 titles. "Alone in the Dark" (Atari) and "Sins of a Solar Empire" (Stardock) join other branded games from top publishers around the world committed to delivering quality-tested Games for Windows titles, including 2K Games, Activision Inc., EA Partners, Midway Home Entertainment Inc. and Ubisoft. New Games for Windows-branded titles announced at CES include the following:
• "Alone in the Dark" (Atari)
• "Bionic Commando" (Capcom)
• "Conflict: Denied Ops" (Eidos Interactive)
• "Empire: Total War" (SEGA)
• "LEGO Indiana Jones" (LucasArts)
• "Microsoft Train Simulator 2" (Microsoft Game Studios)
• "Sins of a Solar Empire" (Stardock)
• "Space Siege" (SEGA)
• "Tomb Raider: Underworld" (Eidos Interactive)
Other highly anticipated Games for Windows-branded titles expected to release in 2008 include "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures" (Funcom, Eidos Interactive), "Borderlands" (2K Games), "The Club" (SEGA), "Fallout® 3" (Bethesda Softworks®) and "Frontlines: Fuel of War" (THQ).
Driving the PC Gaming Industry Forward
In a year when gaming was one of the most popular choices of entertainment, the Games for Windows initiative drove the PC gaming category forward. Games for Windows has brought Windows-based gaming to the forefront of retail stores, raising consumer awareness of Games for Windows titles and positioning the category for successful sales. In November 2007 alone, the Games for Windows portfolio accounted for 20 percent of all PC game sales at retail stores in the United States, according to the NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service.
"Games for Windows-branded titles were among the most popular Windows-based games purchased as gifts this holiday," said Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising for GameStop Corp. "Microsoft's efforts to revive Windows-based gaming have helped grow the category."
Consumers can find Games for Windows titles featured in retail stores including GameStop, Circuit City and Wal-Mart in the United States, and PC World, Game, Media Markt and Saturn in Europe.
Casual Games on Windows: Windows Live Messenger Games and MSN Games
According to the Casual Games Association, the casual games industry generated $2.25 billion in revenue in 2007 worldwide, with a projected increase of 20 percent in 2008. Microsoft is a leader in the casual games space through gaming platforms including MSN Games and Windows Live Messenger Games. Today, MSN Games is enjoyed by 14 million people each month and offers them more than 600 games to play including "The Office," "Luxor 3" and "Diner Dash: Hometown Hero." Windows Live Messenger Games reaches 16 million people per month around the world and has 26 games to choose from, including the new exclusive title "Jigsaw Too Photo Edition." "Jigsaw Too Photo Edition" is available now and lets players personalize the game by inserting their own photos. Players can also cooperate with each other via Windows Live Messenger to solve their personalized jigsaw puzzles.

About Games for Windows
Microsoft Windows is the most popular operating system in the world for games, delivering the widest range of titles, the most gaming hardware choices and advanced gaming technology for players of all types. With Windows as the cornerstone, the Games for Windows platform offers publishers and gamers the most enjoyable and innovative gaming experiences available on a PC. More information can be found online at http://www.gamesforwindows.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Demigod Revealed [1UP]

Microsoft is rolling out two Games for Windows - LIVE updates in a matter of only four months, but we're just getting started! Our goal is to deliver new and exciting experiences for Windows gamers, while maintaining the unique PC gaming environment we love.

Games for Windows LIVE Update LONDON - 9th October, 2007. Games for Windows - LIVE is receiving a v1.2 update in the November time frame.

In August 2007, Games for Windows - LIVE v1.1 added a lot of great features that enhanced the user experience, including support for five new languages (Russian, Polish, Czech, Norwegian and Dutch), the addition of 12 new gamer pics and a new Network Information Viewer to provide a simpler way to troubleshoot connectivity issues.

Games for Windows - LIVE v1.1 also included many backend upgrades to improve gamers' experiences such as DirectX 10 and Windows XP support for future Games for Windows - LIVE titles, log on error reporting, improved error messaging, improved router interaction, improved security and reduced time to recover a gamer profile on new Windows PCs.

The Games for Windows - LIVE v1.2 update will continue to add numerous end-user benefits to the service, such as support for offline Achievements, so gamers can continue to rack up Gamerscore when not connected to the internet, the ability to see whether your friends are "joinable" in games, along with additional UI features.

Microsoft is rolling out two Games for Windows - LIVE updates in a matter of only four months, but we're just getting started! Our goal is to deliver new and exciting experiences for Windows gamers, while maintaining the unique PC gaming environment we love. We've come a long way since announcing the vision of LIVE across multiple Microsoft platforms last year and are committed to continually refining and bringing future functionality to Games for Windows - LIVE.

Be sure to check out the first wave of titles to support the service which should hit shelves by Holiday:

• "The Club" (SEGA) - The Club - no rating as yet
• "Kane & Lynch: Dead Men" (Eidos) - 18 BBFC
• "Universe at War: Earth Assault" (SEGA) - no rating as yet
• "Gears of War" (Microsoft Game Studios) - 18 BBFC
• "Viva Piñata" (Microsoft Game Studios) - 3+

The game's recommend—unfortunately mislabeled as the minimum specs—are available here, in case you don't feel like waiting for the download and installation to complete before finding out your PC can't handle it. For those of you itching to see what a $30 million game looks like, have at it.

Stranglehold Demo [FilePlanet]

The Ubisoft Montreal folks showed off some spectacular Far Cry 2 gameplay today touching on a laundry list of new features there shooter will have including the need to treat your own injuries, weapon jams, "Real Tree" technology and their thoughts on DX10, Games for Windows Live and the PhysX physics card.

The game takes place in a 50 kilometer open world set in Africa with view distances of about 850 meters. You drop into this world as a mercenary sent to track down and kill an arms dealer. Right off the bat the developers dropped into a jungle to show off the graphics.

"Far Cry is sort of known for its jungles... Jungles are not our signature location, but they do kick ass."

And they did. They said that the game, which is built on a proprietary engine, uses something called "Real Tree" technology to give the game's varied vegetation a much more realistic look. And the tech goes beyond just how the trees look. They all move in relation to real world physics and the weather. You can burn them, you can brake off a branch, leaves drop from them.

And this tech isn't just to make the game look good, it also subtly effects how you play the game. If, for instance, you drive through grass, the grass lays down so people can track you, but if enough time passes the grass stands back up again. If people are shooting at you as you run through the trees, the branches will snap off in front of you as the bullets whiz by and hit them.

Far Cry 2 seems to go out of its way to rid itself of or at least change the way a lot of gaming cliches. It doesn't, for instance, have a hud, instead it relies on real world actions to tell you things. Your map is a map, your compass a compass and when you take damage your world turns red. To heal yourself you don't use a health pack, there are none. Instead you have to do a little field dressing.

After a particularly nasty firefight, the developer ducked his character into a shack and then used a knife to cut a bullet from the top of his foot, healing himself. The build we saw of the game only featured a few animations for self-healing, but when the game ships they expect to have about 60 different healing animations in the game.

The game also tweaks the way you can interact with the piles of ammo you always seem to find laying around in games. They're still there, but in Far Cry 2 if you shoot them they will start to spark and fire off random shots.

Far Cry 2 seems to feature a pretty robust AI, from what we saw. The game runs on a 24 hour day, night cycle and when night rolls around those AI controlled bad guys left outside will start up campfires and limit their dangerous activities. None of their movements, in fact, are scripted. That's because the game is open and the developers couldn't set static points for guards and make the game fun. Instead they gave them behaviors and rules to follow.

At one point in the game the developer used a sniper rifle to take out a man standing in a clearing at a depot. He said he didn't kill the guy, just injured him. A few seconds later a second man came out checked on the man and then lifted him to his shoulder to carry him to safety and treat him and the developer killed both men.

Another really stunning piece of technology in the game is the weather. Not only does it change as you play, it actually effects the environment. At one point the developers cranked up the wind. In the sky the clouds slowly coalesced into an ominous thunderhead. The wind picked up until dust began to billow across the tundra, some trees whipped in the wind, others moved only slightly. Branches snapped, some taking flight, others slowly tumbling across the field. The grass swayed rhythmically. The developers said they plan to use the weather effect to, among other things, help convey emotion and create cinematic moments in the game. Like making it rain after a buddy in the game dies.

Buddies actually play a pivotal role in the game. You can use these non-player characters to get information, buy weapons and help you out in a pinch. Specifically, they can rescue you when you're in trouble. This Buddy Rescue only works if you tell them ahead of time that you might need their help.

In one chunk of the play through the developer was pinned down, taking fire from all sides, his character slumped to near death. Then suddenly a character he had run into a bit earlier appeared, crouching by his side to lift him to his shoulder and carry him to nearby cover. This was all done with the in-game engine, without changing the perspective.

The character covered the player while the dev self-healed and then the buddy handed him back his weapon and stayed by his fight for the rest of the confrontation.

The last neat tech the team showed was fire. In the middle of a gun battle sparking a blaze that ended up spreading to a nearby field and burning out a giant patch of grass, trees and buildings. It was amazing. The developers said they did have to set some artificial limits because they didn't want gamers playing on 50 kilometers of blackened earth.

The game, if it delivers on all of its promise, will be an amazing title, certainly something that lives up the Far Cry name in the PC arena. The developers said they hope to get it out the door by the spring of 2008.

I asked if they were going to support DirectX10 and 9, they said they were and pointed out that the game is running on a current gen PC right now. They said they probably won't make use of the PhysX physics card because the pay-off didn't seem to warrant the investment in time.

The developers are currently in talks with Microsoft about possibly incorporating Games for Windows Live elements into the game, but no final decision has been made, they said.

"As the original Mafia was a big success, we are excited to leverage the power of next generation console technology to create an all-new experience, while embracing the elements that resonated with the previous game's fans," said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. "The 'wow' factor of Mafia 2 is definitely the benchmark-setting visual quality and action that you expect to see only in Hollywood movies."

2K Games Announces Mafia 2

Highly anticipated sequel to deliver Hollywood movie style action and gameplay

New York, NY - August 21, 2007 - 2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), today announced that it will publish Mafia 2, a sequel to the original Mafia title that sold more than two million copies worldwide and helped popularize the gangster genre. Featuring a deep mobster-driven narrative packed with both behind-the-wheel and on-foot action, Mafia 2 is the sequel fans have been clamoring for. The game is being developed by Illusion Softworks, developers of the original Mafia title, for next generation consoles and Games for Windows®.

Like the original Mafia title, Mafia 2 immerses players in the mob underworld of a fictitious late 1940's-early 1950's scenario. Players will easily become engaged in the game's cinematic Hollywood movie experience with strong, believable characters in a living, breathing city. By fusing high octane gunplay with white knuckle driving and an engaging narrative, Mafia 2 looks to be the industry's most compelling Mafia title to date.

"As the original Mafia was a big success, we are excited to leverage the power of next generation console technology to create an all-new experience, while embracing the elements that resonated with the previous game's fans," said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. "The 'wow' factor of Mafia 2 is definitely the benchmark-setting visual quality and action that you expect to see only in Hollywood movies."

For more information on Mafia 2, http://www.2kgames.com/mafia2/.

Title Update 3 Contains:

Gameplay

Dwarves can no longer be unawared with the katana or Artifact.
Elves' regeneration ability has been tweaked:

Increased time before Elf begins to heal by a quarter second.
Increased essence cost of healing by ~15%.

Audio

Enemy footstep audio will now be easier to hear in Live games.

Bots

Bot difficulty will scale with players' average Trueskill in Public Match games.

UI

Added "Advanced Settings" screen when setting up a Private Game, which contains the following options:

Max players - Ability to determine the maximum number of players that can join the game
Preferences - Ability to use the preferences of all players to determine the map rotation
Handicapping - Ability to turn Karma on or off

Fixed "stop" functionality for when a game-start countdown has begun in the lobby.
Improved messaging for when your party is split or rejoined due to team balance.
Improved messaging about Artifact clearing bodies in Attrition.

Network

Improved server reliability.
Dedicated Server
Improved voting reliability.
Improved network reliability.
Improved error messaging.

General

Local Match games can now be played without a profile.
Fixed numerous crashes.
Fixed numerous exploits and glitches.
Improved Vista multi-monitor functionality.

The event is NOT invitation only, however, you do need to act fast to get your name on the list as I only have a very limited number of spots open for people to attend. X'07 Canada is happening on August 28th in Toronto. Once you have been added to the RSVP list, you will receive an official invitation that is your pass into the event. Sorry, no plus ones. If you have a friend that wants to attend, they have to send their own email request.

X07 Canada [Xbox Forums]

Microsoft promises plenty of Xbox 360 and Games For Windows titles on hand from itself and third party publishers Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Activision. Going down just a few days after the end of the Leipzig Games Convention, I have to wonder if MS will hold off anything of importance for the Canadian game show but maybe they'll provide delicious maple whiskey to make it feel more exciting.

Microsoft still holding X07 in Canada [Canada.com via Gamespot]

Gamefest 2007: XBL Arcade on PC by Holidays [1UP]

Gears of War online locked to Windows - Live [CVG]

We'll just see about that.

Where console players will be at a disadvantage, however, is when they'll get their hands on the game. The PC version is due to ship this calendar year, with the 360 version arriving in early 2008. You console boys are gonna get your strategic asses handed to you.

PC, 360 at War [IGN]

Hushed Casket has a great piece up about all of the issues with Games for Windows Live. The service, I think many of us thought, was meant to be as robust and easy to use as the 360 version of Live, but instead it's just sort of an awkward appendage.

Once you're in a game you can use it like you would Live on the 360, but if you're not in the only two games that currently support it, then you're out of luck. There is no desktop application for the service. Worse still, as Hushed Casket points out, a lot of the little things that make Live sparkle on the 360 are completely missing from the Vista version.

You can't download movies or games, you can't use it to listen to music, you can't customize the user interface. The service doesn't even alert you to achievements.

It looks like GFW-Live has a long way to go before they catch up with their 360 counterparts. Brian Crecente

Top ten things that are wrong with Games for Windows - Live [Hushed Casket]

Simply, if you don't pay the monthly fee, purported to be $9.95 USD, you're going to be flying coach in Hellgate: London. Folks who pony up for the "Elite" tier will see a number of benefits which include, but are not limited to, additional character slots, a Hardcore difficulty level, VIP shuttles, and visual distinction from lower-class players.

More potentially contentious are restrictions on forming guilds for the non-Elite and server queue prioritization for subscribers. The full details are linked below. I'll wait patiently for my copy of GFW to show up in my mailbox in the meantime. Michael McWhertor

Elite Subscriptions - $9.95 a month and other details! [Hellgate Guru via Shacknews]

After bumping the PC version of Halo 2 from May 8 to... eventually, Microsoft today announced the new ship date for the shooter.

Halo 2 will now ship to retailers on May 22, i.e. in two weeks, letting PC gamers experience the joy of blasting Brutes and cruising on Games for Windows LIVE!!!!!!!

The game was initially derailed from today's launch because the Games for Windows folks wanted to tweak the install experience (you can play and install at the same time, pretty cool) and to address "other" technical issues. Brian Crecente

Unsurprisingly, the PC gaming renaissance is, in part, due to the popularity of MMOs, notably Blizzard's World of Warcraft. But efforts from industry powerhouses like Microsoft, Dell and now Hewlett-Packard are breathing new life and bringing focused attention to the billion dollar business.

This year looks to be one of the biggest, with NPD sales figures putting PC game spending at over $200 million. And that doesn't include online sales or subscription dollars.

Somebody's going to have new pool filled with gold pieces, I'm sure of it. Michael McWhertor

PC Games, Once Down, Show Signs of Rebound [NYT]

I just finished playing through the first two levels of Halo 2 on Vista and man do I feel sick.

I don't know if it's an age thing, an increased graphics thing, or a "I suck" thing, but after playing for about an hour my head is feeling loopy and I feel like I'm going to throw-up.

But besides the whole getting sick thing, I kinda liked playing the game on the PC. While I'm a big fan of console shooters, I do feel more comfortable still when I play with a mouse and keyboard. It's probably because that's how I learned, but it was nice to shoot though a bit of Halo 2 with this set up.

The Live set-up was interesting. While playing I was getting my normal unobtrusive messages and alerts. If I wanted to jump to them I could just press the Home key and it would pause the game and jump me to the Live screen, which looked just like the screen from the console version of Live.

I tried to find someone to play with online, but it appears that none of the people with early versions of the game were online.

The graphics did look a tad more crisp, but nothing amazing. There were some near features for the PC version. You can, for instance, pop the game in and play it straight off the disc without having to screw around with installing. A very nice feature.

The game also has two new multiplayer maps, District and Uplift, and most importantly, Halo 2 for the PC comes with a map editor. I expect some pretty amazing maps to hit the PC version of the game shortly after it arrives next month.

How many of you are planning on buying the game next month. Brian Crecente

In what was surely a fun, backslapping roundtable foretelling great fortune on the PC gaming Windows platform, Butler received a message from the future, one that told him that the gaming console biz was on its last legs, CVG reports.

Quiet! Lars Butler's speaking:

I believe the days of the console are numbered. There is one more generation of gaming consoles and that is it.

Well, I believe I can fly. Furthermore, I believe I can touch the sky.

With consoles becoming more and more PC-like (i.e. network ready, stock rewritable storage, totally patchable), it makes me wonder what distinction we'll have between the two in the next-gen. But, one thing I know for sure, when Trion World Networks speaks, people listen. Michael McWhertor

"The days of consoles are numbered", claim PC bosses [CVG]

You probably saw the news early this morning that Games for Windows Live will be launching on May 8 with Halo 2 for the PC.

I had a chance yesterday to speak with Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, about the announcement and what it means to gamers.

The key thing to keep in mind is that while Microsoft will be charging for PC to Xbox 360 game play, they won't be charging for your standard PC to PC gaming.

Even better, I think, is the fact that your Live membership is platform agnostic. In other words, if you're a Gold member of Live on the 360, the same automatically holds true for the PC version and vice-versa.

So the free stuff, the silver membership, will include giving you a gamertag, game profile, gamerscore, achievements, chat via text and voice, friends list, online presence and the ability to browse a list of active PC games that our joinable.

What gold adds to the mix, besides that cross-platform dealio, will be multiplayer matchmaking with friends, trueskill matchmaking and multiplayer achievements.

This sounds like a win-win to me, if they don't start playing around with the pricing structure down the line. The one thing I really don't like is that Microsoft has decided not to force developers building multiplayer PC games to make use of Live if they want the Games for Windows label.

I'm a little confused by this decision. Microsoft already has established a set of rules for getting that brand slapped on your game and it includes things like the games explorer and ease of installation, so why not attach this requirement as well? I'd love to know, as a gamer, that every game with the Games for Windows label on it will make full use of this new Live feature. Brian Crecente

Right now it seems like it's part of the marketing push to help Vista.

To really back a platform is a sustained effort over years and years, so we'll see if in two years Microsoft is still spending money to put Games for Windows sections in retail, and having PR people preach that message that the PC isn't dying, it's actually bigger than all the consoles put together.

I'd have to agree with Doug here. People who generally don't game on the PC aren't going to be swayed by a label on top of a box. The whole thing feels like an effort to link Vista and gaming together, so PC gamers eventually feel that they need Vista to get the most out of their games. As someone about to format his PC to put XP back on, I'd say the jury is still out on that one. Michael Fahey

Valve questions Microsoft's commitment to PC gaming [GamesIndustry.biz]

Besides the cool combo fighting system and fatalities, the one thing Age brings to the table in my mind are the lush, Conan-esque enviroments. So here's an eyeful. Brian Crecente

I spent a little time this morning with the Funcom people and Age of Conan. Unfortunately, the servers for the massively multiplayer online game were up and down for much of the presentation so I didn't get to see as much as I was hoping to.

The game will be sent in the world of Conan during the time shortly after when he becomes king and the borders are in turmoil. While I'm still a bit disappointed that the game didn't try to mimic one of the classic art styles of the Conan books, magazines or comics, it still has a very distinct look.

The character creation seems quite robust allowing you to tweak just about everything with you character including adding a surprising array of facial hair and even tattoos right off the bat.

While the game's "bread-and-butter quests" will still rely on the text balloons that seem so popular now among MMOs, the developers are trying to have a lot of cut-scenes featuring voice acting and cinematic angles for the larger, more central plots.

My first look at the 185-square-mile world left me feeling optimistic about the direction the game is headed. It certainly seems to capture the feel and look of the Conan world and the environment was suitably lush.

The most unique aspect of the game, though, is it's ability to string together attacks in a real-world setting allowing you to create an array of combo attacks.

Because of server limitations and, I'm sure, limitations with the game's engine, you can't string together more than four attacks at a time.

The way these combo attacks work is that you select a type of attack on a sort of circle of pointers and once you select it the next attack needed to create a combo lights up for you to select. If you string together enough you increase you chance at delivering a fatality which seems to often involve lopping off body parts, like the head at the chin.

The animation seems to have more heft than is common with most MMOs and I liked the way the creatures looked, they certainly had that Conan feel to them.

The game seemed still too early to get a good sense for how the end result is going to deliver the Conan experience, but I'm holding out hopes.

The Funcom team says they havce the IP through 2023, so I'm sure they're not going to ruin it so early into the deal. Brian Crecente

Joost emailed us this morning to point out that a new trailer for Shadowrun mentions a Games for Windows Live Gold account.

A voice over at the very end proclaims 'Shadowrun links Xbox 360 and Windows Vista players together for the first time'. Then visible on the screen for a second is the following credits, including '...requires Xbox LIVE Gold account and hard drive (on Xbox 360) or Games for Windows - LIVE Gold account (on Windows)' (emphasis mine)

What did you think? That Microsoft was going to let you play your games online for free? While this doesn't confirm that the Windows Live Gold account will cost money, its existence certainly implies it. I just hope this isn't the beginning of premium pricing for all online PC gaming. Brian Crecente

Games for Windows Live Gold

Cross your fingers for cross-platform Uno goodness in your future! Michael McWhertor

Games for Windows - Live beta announcement and invitation!

A number of readers have forwarded us emails from Microsoft showing that the Games for Windows team is prepping to test Games for Windows Live.

Unfortunately, the Games for Windows Live Beta announcement is rather sparse on details:

Are you interested in being part of a select group that is invited to help beta test a new service that lets Windows gamers connect with their friends on the Xbox through the LIVE gaming network? If you are, please read on.

The registration period for this upcoming beta testing opportunity will only be available for a limited time. To be considered you will need to complete the Games for Windows - LIVE Beta application survey.

The email goes on to say that the beta testers will be contacted in the "coming weeks" with more details. Also if you get in you have a chance at winning some spiffy prizes.

While not a killer app, I am very excited about the potential. I'm sure it will start with games like Texas Hold 'Em and Uno, but you know full-scale games are going to be hitting the system later this year. Brian Crecente

Ubisoft announced that they're spinning out a sequel to their air combat game Blazing Angels for the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows.

Blazing Angels Secret Missions is scheduled to hit this spring and looks like it will be move of the same of the fast-paced, dog-fighting heavy game. Some key features:

Living, Breathing World - Built on all-new, cutting-edge visual technology, the world of Secret Missions is more believable and involving than ever. Fly above hills and mountains, navigate through treacherous mountain passes and dogfight in the clouds with enemies. Take part in large-scale battles through various conditions: darkness, rain, snow, and air turbulence.

Diverse and Unusual Scenarios - Secret Missions takes players around the world, from Paris, Rome and Moscow to exotic locations like Rangoon and Cairo and the highest mountain ranges of the Himalayas. Each mission will bring its own surprises, twists and unique challenges.

Prototype Technology - Players will have access to some of the most advanced and unusual aircraft and weapons of WWII, as well as access to a huge assortment of weapons, including high-velocity cannons and early guided missiles.

Fast Paced Multiplayer Action - Multiplayer features free-for-all, co-op and squad-based play, including the brand new Capture the Flag and Epic Battle modes, the latter pitting two teams of players against each other in a large-scale battle with conquerable bases and objectives that can be destroyed in order to gain the upper hand on the opponent.

Hit the jump for the full release. Brian Crecente

UBISOFT'S BLAZING ANGELS SECRET MISSIONS TAKES TO THE SKIES ON XBOX 360(TM) AND GAMES 4 WINDOWS

*Screens are available for download at http://files.us.ubisoft.com/BASMannscreens.zip

SAN FRANCISCO — January 30, 2007 — Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that Blazing Angels Secret Missions will launch on the Xbox 360(TM) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games 4 Windows . Scheduled for a spring 2007 release, Blazing Angels Secret Missions is the follow-up to the squadron-based flight combat game Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII.

Blazing Angels Secret Missions shows World War II from a different perspective - that of an elite pilot who is part of a secret team. In the game, the player will undertake some of the most dangerous missions in exotic locations all over the globe. As an elite pilot, the player goes from one great adventure to another, while battling the most lethal experimental weapons of the Third Reich. The squad's mission is to prevent the ultimate weapon from being built. To help players in this quest, they have at their disposal an assortment of highly experimental aircraft and weaponry. Blazing Angels Secret Missions comes straight out of the history books of World War II's most top secret projects.

Key features of Blazing Angels Secret Missions include:

Living, Breathing World - Built on all-new, cutting-edge visual technology, the world of Secret Missions is more believable and involving than ever. Fly above hills and mountains, navigate through treacherous mountain passes and dogfight in the clouds with enemies. Take part in large-scale battles through various conditions: darkness, rain, snow, and air turbulence.

Diverse and Unusual Scenarios - Secret Missions takes players around the world, from Paris, Rome and Moscow to exotic locations like Rangoon and Cairo and the highest mountain ranges of the Himalayas. Each mission will bring its own surprises, twists and unique challenges.

Prototype Technology - Players will have access to some of the most advanced and unusual aircraft and weapons of WWII, as well as access to a huge assortment of weapons, including high-velocity cannons and early guided missiles.

Fast Paced Multiplayer Action - Multiplayer features free-for-all, co-op and squad-based play, including the brand new Capture the Flag and Epic Battle modes, the latter pitting two teams of players against each other in a large-scale battle with conquerable bases and objectives that can be destroyed in order to gain the upper hand on the opponent.