Kotaku: Relic

Steam Offering $99 THQ (And Relic) Mega Bundle

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:00:00 MST

'Tis the season for giving (if you're THQ), yeah, but 'tis also the season for receiving (if you're you).

So why not take care of both impulses and treat yourself to the $99 THQ "Collector Pack" now for sale on Steam.

You'll get 13 titles - including Company of Heroes, Stalker, Titan Quest and Dawn of War - for your trouble, at a saving of $120 on their current retail price. If that makes you whimper "too rich for my blood", there are two lesser packs that break the games up: the $60 "Action Pack", which gives you four army-dude-shooter games from the Collector Pack but only saves you $5, and the $50 "Relic Super Pack", which gets you the best games from the Collector Pack (ie Dawn of War & Company of Heroes, along with their expansions) at a $25 saving.

[THQ Collector Pack]

Homeworld 3? "There's Always That Chance." Say Relic

Stuart Houghton — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:20:00 MST

Less than a month after the official closure of the Homeworld 1 servers, Relic have let slip a few little hints (ok, big hints) about possible future installments.

Speaking to Eurogamer TV, Relic's lead designer Jonny Ebbert confirmed that the company was pleased that THQ had regained the Homeworld IP and that there might be a third installment in the series under development.

"We're really happy the IP has made its way home," said Ebbert, "and yeah, we're definitely looking at it. We'll see what happens in the future."

Relic "definitely looking" at Homeworld 3 [Eurogamer]

Dawn of War II Gameplay Trailer

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:00:00 MST

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II 'Battle' gameplay HD

Fancy pre-rendered sequences? HAH. Droning developer diariy talkovers? NO THANK YOU. No, this one's pure gameplay. Enjoy.

Company Of Heroes: Tales Of Valor Trailer

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:30:00 MST

Not much here in this trailer for the upcoming expansion that'll look any different to Company of Heroes fans, but the emphasis on driving right up to buildings then shooting them must be indicative of something. Maybe the Krauts liked to see the whites in the building's eyes before they blew 'em up, who knows.

Company Of Heroes Expansion: Some Details

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:20:00 MST

Earlier this week, THQ got around to formally announcing the long-known-about Company of Heroes expansion pack, Tales of Valor. Problem is, that's about all they announced. No details. Well, Relic have since spoken with Edge, and now, we have details. Seems the game will come with three "mini campaigns", which instead of being centred around a single, long story like the existing campaigns, will be shorter affairs. One of those three will revolve around the exploits of SS Panzer commander Michael Wittmann, who at the Battle of Villers-Bocage destroyed over 20 British vehicles in only 15 minutes.

The other two "mini-campaigns" are still a mystery, but we'd be surprised if there wasn't one each for the Americans and British. In keeping with the smaller, more intimate feel Relic are going for, Tales of Valor will also introduce a feature called direct-fire. It's described as a feature "in which a tank's turret...will follow the player's mouse cursor, allowing a tank's turret to move and control independently from the vehicle's path.". Anyone worried this will break the game should know that in singleplayer, you can turn it on and off, and it won't be making its way into multiplayer.

Good Company [Edge]

Tyranids Eat Space Marines In Dawn of War 2 Trailer

Adam Barenblat — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:30:00 MDT

Not to be confused with the newly-edited cinematic clip, this trailer is all gameplay, and shows naught but the new Tyranid units doing unspeakable things to those poor, innocent Space Marines.

You Seem To Have Got Tyranids In My Dawn Of War II

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:20:00 MDT

Brilliant. Having teased it yesterday on their community site, Relic have today come out and formally announced that their Dawn of War sequel will feature the Tyranid as a playable race. And it's about damn time. Bringing the Tyranid into the series will be perhaps the sequels' most radical departure from the first game, seeing as they'll play so differently to the two-legged races. If you're new to Warhammer and need a reference point, know before you shoot your mouth off that when Blizzard decided to rip 40K off while designing Starcraft, they based the Zerg on the Tyranid. Above's the first screenshot, while after the jump, the latest trailer has been expanded to give the Tyranid a little pre-rendered love.

What's Company Of Heroes: Tales Of Valour?

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:30:00 MDT

Besides an awfully generically-named videogame? Who knows! But there's a listing for it on Amazon, with a projected release date of March 2009, and they say it's from THQ. Taking all that into account - plus THQ and Relic's love of the expansion pack (see Dawn of War), we're just going to go ahead and start making plans for a second Call of Duty expansion. One that, we hope, includes the Russians. Oh, and if we're lucky, some North African combat as well.

Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor [Amazon]

More Details On New Company Of Heroes Online

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:30:00 MDT

Well. This one well and truly slipped by us during E3. Seems that while everyone was busy devouring the gaming news coming out of LA, in China the wraps were being taken off Company of Heroes Online, THQ's attempt at pushing the RTS game onto the Asian online markets. While THQ have spoken briefly about the project before (which is being launched in conjunction with Shanda), this is the first time we've seen any real details on the game, which will take the core CoH experience (minus the Opposing Fronts content) and tailor it towards online gaming.

It'll be free to play, with microtransactions paying the game's way, while gameplay changes include persistent online characters that you can level up and carry across battles. Those "hero" units will also have charged "super powers", to go along with a newly revamped commander tree that has 48 separate abilities/powers. THQ have just opened a Chinese office to help launch the game, with a Korean version to follow, and a Western version to follow after that (there's already a playable English-language build, apparently).

Company of Heroes Headed to China as F2P Game - Exclusive ChinaJoy Interview [Ten Ton Hammer]
THQ Adds China Office For Company Of Heroes Online, Local Partnerships [Gamasutra]

Dawn Of War II Cinematic Trailer

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:20:00 MDT

I know, I know, 100% cinematic trailers are normally something to be complained about from the tallest branches of the whiney tree. But the first Dawn of War packed an intro movie that's up there with the best of all time, so it's only fair to showcase this clip, from the sequel, which may or may not be the game's intro but is fun to watch regardless.

New Dawn Of War II Trailer Forged In The Furnace Of War

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:00:00 MDT

There's a new Dawn of War II trailer doing the rounds, no doubt minted in honour of the week's E3 festivities. Its purpose seems two-fold: to show that Relic, bless them, aren't afraid to put out a trailer comprised solely of gameplay footage, and also (SHOCK) to announce that the Eldar will be amongst the game's races.

Dawn of War II: New Screenshots

Owen Good — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:00:00 MDT

GameInfoWire.com has about a dozen new screen shots of Dawn of War II up. These follow the gameplay video that went up midweek. I'm gonna keep my trap shut about the game. Warhammer 40,000 scared the bejabbers out of me and my basic set D&D friends when we were in school. Mostly because the only kids who played it had passes to the smoking pit and grew mustaches. So, here's one, and there are four full-size after the jump and the rest on GameInfoWire, and please don't give me a noogie or a titty-twister, sir. Owwww ....

Dawn of War II PC Screenshots [GameInfoWire.com]

Dawn Of War II: Non-Linear Campaign, Customisable Troops

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:40:00 MDT

To go with their preview trailer of the game, IGN recently spent some time with Relic and Dawn of War II, and came away with some new details on the game. Two of which are particularly exciting. The first: the campaigns won't be linear. Instead, you'll be able to jump in a ship and tackle them in the order of your choosing, ala KOTOR/Mass Effect. The second: you'll be abe to customise individual troops, not just the overall paint scheme of your army. With your forces split into squads, each squad leader will have his own distinct personality, and you'll be able to customise the appearance and equipment of his individual troops. Kind of like X-Com, and how you grew so attached to the little guys, only it's Warhammer 40K. Making it even awesomer.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II First Look [IGN]

Dawn Of War II Gameplay Footage

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:20:00 MDT

Could have been longer, yes, and could have been from a zoom level where we could actually see what's going on, but beggars (and hey, those of us dying for this game are begging) just can not be choosers. Obviously the graphics have been the subject of an overhaul since the first game, but I'm expecting them to make good on the promise of an evolution in gameplay (more along the lines of Company of Heroes and, you know, the tabletop game) than in visuals.

Germany Defeated, Company Of Heroes Heads For China

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:30:00 MDT

Even now, Company of Heroes shines as an example of a PC RTS done right. And while it's been successful in the West, THQ and Relic can smell the cash money-making potential from the Chinese market wafting in through their windows, and they're interested. Speaking with 1UP/GFW, Relic have explained that they've got a "five year plan" for China, one that involves a persistent-world RTS with the ability for players to "build their character up from private to general through new multiplayer cooperative missions, gameplay modes, and player-versus-player combat". Hope this isn't just for the Chinese market, because that sounds pretty neat. Can we have it too please?
Company of Heroes' Next Theater of Operations [1UP]

First Dawn Of War 2 Details

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:20:00 MDT

Here I was thinking Dawn of War 2 would be officially unveiled next month. I totally overlooked the possibility that Belgian magazine PCGameplay would get the scoop a few weeks early, and be the first to get me all excited over yet another must-have PC RTS. First things first: Relic are bringing some of Company of Heroes' tricks over to the Warhammer universe, with units now able to occupy buildings and also use the same kind of pathfinding and cover AI as that found in CoH. Other important tidbits: both Marines and Orkz will be getting co-op campaigns (though other races will also feature), you'll need to take better care of your men (important squad leaders must be kept alive) and the environments will be almost completely destructable. Excited? Temper this awesomeness with news the game won't be with us until well into 2009.
Dawn Of War 2 Confirmed! The Immortal Emperor Be Praised! [K.Jack @ NeoGAF] [Pic]

Dawn Of War 2 To Be Unveiled Next Month?

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:30:00 MDT

Kind of a prick-tease, I know, but it's Warhammer, so I'll play along. Next month's issue of PC Gamer looks like it'll be revealing the first real info on Relic's Dawn of War sequel, which was first rumored to be in development a couple of weeks ago. Course, it doesn't out-and-out say it's Dawn of War 2, but...yeah. That's Dawn of War 2.
[via Sinatar @ NeoGAF]

Relic Waging Endless War On Humanity With Dawn Of War 2

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:20:00 MST

VG247 are reporting that Relic are already hard at work on Warhammer: Dawn of War 2. Makes sense. The first - and its legions of expansion packs - are the best Warhammer games since Space Hulk, and really succeeded in bringing the franchise to life. Still, if true, the good news is tinged with a little sadness: I was really hoping Relic would be doing Homeworld 3 instead (though, hey, they might be doing both!)
Relic working on Dawn of War 2 [VG247]

On Mixing Narrative and Violence in Company of Heroes

Maggie Greene — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 15:30:24 MDT

Gamasutra has an interesting (short) interview up with Stephen Dinehart, "narrative designer" for Relic Entertainment, the Vancouver arm of THQ. The topic? Well, Company of Heroes in general - more specifically, narrative design, violence, and historical accuracy (or lack thereof). I've read a fair chunk of thoughts on narrative design in an academic context, so it's nice to read how people think the stuff is being applied in real-world situations. Dinehart hopes that these sorts of games aren't just excuses to shoot stuff, and feels that his narrative crafting helps facilitate a more mature examination of violence:

I'm hoping that the work I'm doing breathes more life into COH and the soldiers represented on the battlefield. I hope the player walks away with a window into the hearts and minds of the soldiers. The stories for both campaigns look deeply at the price of war. I am confident we are pushing the medium to new heights. You'll have to finish both campaigns to see what I mean, and yes that is a big commitment.

A lofty order, to be sure, and time will tell if the majority of players feel it's one Dinehart and his coworkers lived up to.

Narrative Design For Company Of Heroes: Stephen Dinehart On Writing For Games [Gamasutra]

Ex-Relic Team Forms Smoking Gun

Mike Fahey — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 11:25:23 MDT

The Exoriare.com mystery that plagued so many of us last week has been solved, and as the smoke clears we are left with, what else? A smoking gun. Senior staff from Relic Entertainment, creators of the amazing PC strategy game Company of Heroes - the highest rated RTS ever - have banded together to form Smoking Gun Studios, focused on "creating innovative award winning cross platform games." If only other development studios shared those goals!

"The team at Smoking Gun has worked passionately together for over 7 years, building teams that have created the most critically acclaimed games in their genre." said John Johnson CEO and Creative Director, "As the industry evolves so do the ways that people interact with video games. With our collective input Smoking Gun will be at the forefront of producing innovative best-selling titles, that really push the envelop further than we've gone before",

While this is exciting news to be sure, the teaser site thing was annoying enough when announcing big titles like God of War PSP or Starcraft II. This was far too much build-up in order to say, "Look, a company!" This trend needs to stop before we end up having to complete a slide puzzle every time we want to wipe our asses. Michael Fahey

Premier Development Studio Smoking Gun Interactive Formed By The Creators Of The Award Winning Company Of Heroes

Creative forces behind the highest rated strategy game* of all time reveal new development studio

VANCOUVER, CA (June 4, 2007) - The creators of the critically acclaimed game Company of Heroes today announced the formation of their new interactive entertainment software development studio, Smoking Gun Interactive Inc. The development studio will focus on creating innovative award winning cross platform games based on original or company owned intellectual property.

Smoking Gun Interactive Inc, has been founded by John Johnson, Angie Radwan-Pytlewski and Drew Dunlop all former senior staff from Relic Entertainment. The studio is led by CEO and Creative Director John Johnson who was previously the Director of Franchise Development and Producer on Company of Heroes, while Angie Radwan-Pytlewski served as Art Director and Drew Dunlop as Lead Programmer on the critically acclaimed real-time strategy hit.

"The team at Smoking Gun has worked passionately together for over 7 years, building teams that have created the most critically acclaimed games in their genre." said John Johnson CEO and Creative Director, "As the industry evolves so do the ways that people interact with video games. With our collective input Smoking Gun will be at the forefront of producing innovative best-selling titles, that really push the envelop further than we've gone before",

Working with Smoking Gun Interactive are key personnel from the team that created Company of Heroes including the Audio Director Crispin Hands and Story and Script Writer Duane Pye. Collectively the management and executive team have over 30 years of experience and have worked on best-selling franchises including Company of Heroes™, Impossible Creatures™, Homeworld™, Need for Speed™, NHL™, NBA Live™ and FIFA Soccer™. With their collective experience in leading passionate teams and creating award winning products, Smoking Gun is destined to become one of the industry's leading premier development studios.

For updated news and additional company information, please visit the official Smoking Gun Interactive site www.smokingguninc.com

This is Smoking Gun...