Today, though, Electronic Arts officially unveiled the game which will go beyond the second film's story and have gamers take on the world of organized crime in 1960's Florida, Cuba and New York. After taking over New York in the first game, players will work to expand their organization to other cities through extortion, crime rings and wars with other crime families.

As Luke mentioned, the game will include an strategy-heavy Don's View:

To help players manage their empire, The Godfather II introduces “The Don’s View” – an innovative strategy meta-game that allows players to oversee the entire world as they grow the family business. Using the Don’s View, players will be able to build, defend and expand their crime rings, while keeping an eye on the movements and plans of the rival families. Players will also learn to master the business of organized crime by building a family of Made Men, hiring crew, handing out orders, and promoting their best men up the ranks.

The lengthy and detailed release is on the jump.

EA and Paramount Digital Entertainment Invites Players to Run the Family Business in The Godfather II
New Game Extends the Original Story with Rich Experiences in Florida, Cuba and New York and Introduces New Action-Strategy Gameplay

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Paramount Digital Entertainment today revealed the first details of The Godfather® II videogame, the sequel to the 2007 multi-platinum hit. Inspired by the film and Mario Puzo’s Corleone family drama, The Godfather II game goes beyond the film’s story by setting players in the world of organized crime in 1960’s Florida, Cuba and New York.

After being promoted by Michael Corleone to Don of New York, players expand to new cities, as they build up their families through extorting businesses, monopolizing illegal crime rings and defeating new families in an effort to become the most powerful mob family in America. To help players manage their empire, The Godfather II introduces “The Don’s View” – an innovative strategy meta-game that allows players to oversee the entire world as they grow the family business. Using the Don’s View, players will be able to build, defend and expand their crime rings, while keeping an eye on the movements and plans of the rival families. Players will also learn to master the business of organized crime by building a family of Made Men, hiring crew, handing out orders, and promoting their best men up the ranks.

Set in a stunning open-world environment, The Godfather II expands on the popular gameplay mechanics of the first game and doubles down on the series’ signature BlackHand control scheme, which now features even more visceral hand-to-hand brutality at your fingertips, introducing a new combo system, pressure tactics and executions. In The Godfather II, players will fight alongside their hand-picked crew, who have their own skills and expertise. Each family member specializes in a specific field such as demolitions, arson, engineering, first-aid and more. As The Don you control the family, sending some of your men on missions while heading off into action with others. The combination of strategic organized crime gameplay and brutal BlackHand action sets The Godfather II apart from other open-world games.

“In the 1960’s, a mafia Don was only as strong as his family,” said Hunter Smith, Executive Producer of The Godfather II. “We found the hierarchical culture of organized crime intriguing. Running an organized crime family in a world defined by family loyalty is something that we felt could introduce a new strategic element to the genre. That is what the Don’s View is all about — laying out a strategy to pick off the competition one by one. The Don’s View is so unique, it could fundamentally change the rules of open-world games by blending action and strategy to create something entirely new.”

“The Godfather has become an exceptional gaming franchise for the Studio,” states Sandi Isaacs, Senior Vice President of Interactive & Mobile for Paramount Digital Entertainment. “The videogame takes the story and gameplay to the next level with an innovative open-world action strategy that is both compelling and intriguing for gamers.”

The Godfather II will premiere exclusively on GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley on Friday, August 15th on Spike TV. The entire episode will be dedicated to The Godfather II including behind-the-scenes with the development team, the debut of the game trailer and a first look at the game itself. The trailer will also be available on August 18th at: http://godfather2.ea.com.

Developed at the EA Redwood Stores studio, The Godfather II will be coming to the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and PC in February 2009. The Godfather II has not been rated by the ESRB and PEGI. For more information about The Godfather franchise, please visit http://godfather.ea.com and/or the EA press website at http://info.ea.com.

Bungie seems excited about the Ensemble-developed Halo Wars. The game is planted firmly in the RTS genre, so, for example, it's not necessary to have players moved in and out of cover. Gushes Bungie AI maven Damian Isla:

We've done a lot of talking with Ensemble guys, and we're all really excited about Halo Wars, because from everything we've seen so far it's a very cool, faithful adaptation... Everything we've seen has been very, very encouraging — we're very excited about it. And of course, [Halo Wars is] also getting right the basics, the general roles — even fictionally. What role do grunts play in the Covenant fighting forces, what role do the Elites play, what role do Warthogs play, what role do Spartans play... All this kind of thing. I think they really nailed that. It's encouraging.

Great news, this.

Bungie "very excited" about Halo Wars [Eurogamer]

Somers speaks at length about the pitfalls of RTS design, the responsibility the dev team feels in working with Bungie's existing Halo universe, and other things that make up a great RTS game experience. But he doesn't drop much in the way of confirmable news tidbits, just:

• Halo Wars and Ensemble Studios will have a presence at E3 this year. (We'll keep our eyes peeled).
• The game will ship "when it's ready," so, nothing specific on the date.
• No promises, but developers are aware of Machinima enthusiasm and may ship Halo Wars with tools to assist in its creation.

Halo Wars Addict Exclusive Interview: Ensemble Studios

The first thing that caught my eye when it was shown to me was its old-school vibe: traditional-looking 2D sprites and animation plus anime aesthetic, a little bit of a surprise from a publisher who seems to have hitched its star on family-friendly titles with broader appeal.

So what's cool about Lock's Quest? Hit the jump for impressions and screenshots.

Lock's Quest's gameplay is part resource management and building, and part tower defense. The player's tasked with defending an objective on the world map, while little helmeted folk march forward to siege. The dual screen works well here, with your basic stats on the top half alongside a small map that shows where the enemies are approaching from and how many there are.

The game's primary resources are "source" and "scrap," and it costs both to build various types of defensive equipment, like protective walls, traps and turrets that you set up in realtime, to hold off the marching onslaught. More source and better scrap equals better defensive options, and you earn more with each victory you rack up. Your spiky-haired young hero can also leave the ramparts himself and go hand-to-hand against enemies on the field using various attacks, while the structures you built do their job behind him.

The player's individual attacks are played simply enough, while tapping numbers 1, 2 or 3 that appear at the bottom of the touch screen in the order indicated. When you're not attacking, you can continue to expand your ramparts depending on the resources you have saved up.

Your turrets, retaining walls and such take damage from the enemies, and you'll have to repair them continually as the battle wages on - it's cheaper in terms of scrap and source to repair an existing item than it is to forge and place a new one. The battles become more complex as the game goes on, building up to the kind of always-on, continuously hectic action that gives the genre its appeal.

The building mode isn't the only way to defend an objective, though - Lock's Quest also has a battle mode, where you fire your cannon at soldiers as they walk toward your wall from left to right in 2D. Similarly to how you can upgrade your turrets and defensive items in building mode, you can eventually earn upgrades and options for your cannon, and you can also buy little troops to help keep the enemies at bay. This mode is a little bit less interesting to watch, but the idea of having multiple modes in which to defend your towers is appealing.

A big plus for Lock's Quest as an RTS is the idea that you get to actually control the hero, as opposed to distantly managing your battlefield. Personally, I liked the idea of having a more direct sense of control, and to control a person instead of simply faceless objects. Interestingly, the game allows you to directly visit the villages involved in the ongoing narrative thread, talk with people in town and get tips or information on the storyline or the next stage of gameplay. This fashion of "personalizing" the strategy genre is what I liked best about Lock's Quest

Overall, it looks like it could turn out to be an ideal blend of nostalgic throwback and pleasing innovation - and in plain terms, it just looks fun! I don't even like real-time strategy games, and I found it promising. Let's keep an eye on this one.

Still I open up the reviews section in the gaming magazine, check the latest releases and most of the time feel that I just don't understand who's buying all this crap. Make me say "Wow!" or go to hell. Perhaps I'm just tired of gaming. Strange enough, but most of my favorite titles are not katamaris and patapons. It's more like, Civilizations, Street Fighters, one or two odd Game Gear titles like Defenders of Oasis, Tetris (I had to say that for patriotic reasons) and Shenmue. Actually, Shenmue is my weak spot, I speak about "original concepts", but deep inside my heart I want to make a couple of Shenmue clones. And I will. The story will be unique though. You know, I'll run a random word generator and get something like: Lenin, vampires, steam robots. Sounds good enough.

Worth a read through — Shenmue meets Lenin, I can't wait.

RPS Vs. Russians: The Stalin Vs. Martians Interview [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

"BattleForge is the next step in compelling RTS gameplay by taking the battles completely online," stated Executive Producer & Vice President Richard Leinfellner. "With co-op play, challenging tournaments, Guilds, chat rooms and a robust marketplace for trading and buying your cards; BattleForge is the first RTS to add integral social and community components to an exciting fantasy RTS."

EA's BattleForge Catapults PC Gamers into Multiplayer Online Melees Build Unique Armies and Team Up for Epic Battles in a New Fantasy RTS Game

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that the multi award-winning EA Phenomic Studio based in Germany is developing BattleForgeTM, a new fantasy online real-time strategy game where you assemble your own army with collectible trading cards. Win, trade and buy your cards online to create your ultimate deck.1 Mix and match the elements of your cards to play with your friends online and conquer massive online battlegrounds.

For mortals caught in a clash between insane gods and ancient giants, standing together is the only option. Using the forces of Fire, Frost, Nature and Shadow a mysterious Forge which makes legends come to life, is their single hope to create armies powerful enough to overcome these impossible odds. It is now time to set out and reclaim an epic fantasy world which has been overthrown by sinister powers in the twilight of a dying sun.

"BattleForge is the next step in compelling RTS gameplay by taking the battles completely online," stated Executive Producer & Vice President Richard Leinfellner. "With co-op play, challenging tournaments, Guilds, chat rooms and a robust marketplace for trading and buying your cards; BattleForge is the first RTS to add integral social and community components to an exciting fantasy RTS."

Under development at EA Phenomic, BattleForge is expected to ship in Fall 2008 for the PC. This product is not yet rated by PEGI or ESRB.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS BIG™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2007, EA posted revenue of $3.09 billion and had 24 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG, POGO and BattleForge are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

1 Disclaimer: Complete game available with box copy purchase. Microtransactions not required to play game, only for new cards

Thanks to the FalseBlue Magic: the Gathering Card Generator

RTSs are traditionally menu deep affairs much more suited to the many keys of a PC rather than the limited buttons of a game controller. From what I could see, the developers (Massive and Swordfish Manchester) seem to have done an admirable job in making the switch from PC to consoles and have completely reworked the control and menu system to suit console specific controllers. FPS like camera controls allow you to navigate quickly and easily and a tracking reticle makes it easy to pinpoint that specific enemy. A new, simpler menu interface adds to the ease by making it unnecessary to dig through layers of menus to find the one you want. You can also take to your Global War Room to compare your victories and battles with fellow players from around the world.

Whether or not World in Conflict will successfully make the jump from PC to consoles (where many others have failed) remains to be seen and I will let RTS aficionados be the ones to make the final judgment. My personal experience with such games is admittedly rather limited, but I do wonder how the depth of a PC menu system can be truly duplicated in a console version. It seems a herculean task but if they can pull it off it could mean more successful console RTSs in the future. Look for World in Conflict to made available for your PS3 and 360 later this year.

Stalin takes the anti-ET military operation under his personal control. The operation is top secret and practically nobody knows about the fact of extraterrestial intervention. You take control of the Red Army troops and start kicking the alien butts under the wise Stalin's guidance.

Stalin vs. Martians Black Wing Foundation, Dreamlore and N-Game announce a joint project Stalin vs. Martians, probably the most bizzare gaming experience of year 2008.

The title of the game alone is a piece of art, and the playability doesn't even matter here. The very concept is just enough. It makes your brain explode. Surprisingly though, we have more than that to offer.

Stalin vs. Martians is also a good real-time strategy. Fast, simple, intuitive and incredibly fun. Trashy and absolutely over-the-top, arthouse kitsch production in its finest. With a good technical basis and some healthy gameplay innovations. A natural choice for anyone bored of hundreds and hundreds of identical "World War II strategies". And a perfect choice for anyone who just hates the strategy genre.

Check the details at the game's official website http://www.dreamloregames.com/stalin/

The game is story-driven and here's the plot in a nutshell:
Year 1942. Summer. The martians suddenly drop off somewhere in Siberia and attack the glorious people of Holy Mother Russia. The situation is a total mess, so comrade Stalin takes the anti-ET military operation under his personal control. The operation is top secret and practically nobody knows about the fact of extraterrestial intervention. You take control of the Red Army troops and start kicking the alien butts under the wise Stalin's guidance.

The release of Stalin vs. Martians is expected by the end of this year.

THQ and Relic Entertainment Set to Wage War of Epic Scale in Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War® II

Sequel to Multi-Million Unit Selling Real Time Strategy Series Features Vicious Frontline Combat, Extensive Co-Op Campaign and Cinematic Visuals

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced that Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War® II, the highly anticipated sequel from one of the industry's premiere Real-Time Strategy (RTS) developers, Relic Entertainment, is scheduled to bring the 41st Millennium's savage warfare to life like never before in spring 2009. Powered by an enhanced version of Relic's proprietary Essence Engine 2.0™, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II will take players to the brutal frontlines of war where they'll experience intense action and visceral combat through a non-linear single player experience and a fully co-operative multiplayer campaign. Set in Games Workshop's (LSE: GAW) highly popular Warhammer 40,000 science fiction universe, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is being developed exclusively for Windows PC.

In addition, THQ is pleased to announce that gamers purchasing copies of the recently released Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War® - Soulstorm™ will be able to participate in an invitation-only multiplayer beta program for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II set to take place at a future date.

"The original Dawn of War and its subsequent standalone expansions have established the series as one of the industry's leading RTS franchises," said Brad Carraway, vice president, global brand management, THQ. "Dawn of War II will re-define RTS gaming to gamers worldwide, delivering brutal frontline action and tactics, and allowing players to get straight to the action with unprecedented fast-paced RTS gameplay and a full co-op campaign, all in stunning cinematic detail."

"We started with everything fans loved about the original Dawn of War and then added more than they ever could have hoped for in the sequel into Dawn of War II," said Tarrnie Williams, general manager, Relic Entertainment. "Leveraging our critically acclaimed Essence Engine 2.0, gamers will develop and lead an elite strike force through Games Workshop's war-torn universe, engage in devastating combat among the ruins of fully destructible battlefields, and be immersed in an ever-changing single-player and co-op multiplayer campaign."

De Plater said that part of the impetus for the game was the fact that, as real-time strategies have evolved, the genre has left a lot of people behind. People like my dad, even people, in some cases, like me. People, basically, who aren't interested in dealing with a Zerg rush five minutes into the game and instead want to play something a bit closer to, say, a detailed and realistic game of chess.

"One of the things we hear a lot of us is 'I used to love real time strategies, but it's gotten too complex'," he said. "So we decided to make a tactical game, slow the pace down. We call this game strategy at the speed of thought."

While the developers put a lot of effort into both the game design and user interface to make it pick-up and play, that doesn't mean it doesn't have depth.

For instance, the game, due out on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this fall, only has seven unit types, such as anti-tank, tank, light infantry and helicopters. But there are about 300 upgrades for the units. And the units, which gain experience during combat, keep both their experience and upgrades from battle to battle on the game's more than two dozen maps. With that in mind, the game has the ability to evacuate units in the middle of battle. If you get them out before they die you can still use them in the next match.

All of the buildings in the maps are destructible. Nothing new, but EndWar has a fairly sophisticated MMO-ish online component that looks at the game's 40 territories at the end of each day and averages out the outcome of all the matches to decide which of the three factions won which territory.

So the pick-up-and-play isn't really about the game being easy as much as it is about it being accessible. A key component of that, of course, is the voice commands which allow someone to play an RTS on large maps on a console without getting frustrated. The voice commands let you manage the battlefield from any location on the map.

"One of the fundamental differences between a mouse and keyboard and this is the level of precision," de Plater said. "So a big part of the AI is that you give commands like a general.

"War should be a series of intelligence decisions."

In other words, you can't tell your units to take cover behind a building during an attack, only that they should attack, the rest is up to them.

Verbal commands are typically broken down into three steps. First you say the unit's name, then the order and finally the goal. For instance, to move a unit you just say "Unit three move to Yankee"

To create a group you say "Calling all gunships create team, red team."

To order a group to attack you say "Red team attack hostile one."

The game is surprisingly good at recognizing not just when you get it right, but even when you say it wrong. The main problem, De Plater said, is where people put the microphone. Too close and it can cause some major distortion issues.

The game starts off with a simple voice tutorial that teaches you, not the game. This way gamers' are taught what to say instead of teaching the game to learn a bunch of different ways to do the same thing.

After talking with De Plater a bit about the game, he handed over an Xbox 360 controller and headset to let me give it a go. Within minutes I was ordering troops around the battlefield mostly flawlessly. In fact, the few times I misspoke and used the wrong command, the game still knew what I was getting at.

The game felt an awful lot like a one-player version of World in Conflict to me. You don't have to construct units or bases, instead, you spend all of your times issuing commands and keeping an eye on the battlefield. The fact that you don't really use the controller for much more than moving around on the map or holding a button so you can talk to your online opponents, the game felt much more immersive than your typical strategy title. I felt as if I was viewing a battlefield from a far, issuing commands to my troops and watching, like one might a chess match, as my tactics and the tactics of my opponent unfolded.

Having said that, there are some potentially game-killing stumbling blocks. I didn't see any issues with the friendly AI while playing around with the game, but when you have zero direct control over your units if they get that wrong then the game is dead in the water.

I also really didn't play enough to get a sense of how challenging the game would be to play. A big issue, I think, is that Ubisoft can't make your units too smart. As many of you pointed out, you don't really want to play a game that essentially has you saying into a microphone "Get out there and kick some ass for me."

Finding the correct balance between no-neck, brainless AI and a self-reliant army of ass-kicking automatons has got to be tricky—and it's where this game will live or die, I suspect.

What does surprise me is that, at least based on my time with it, the unusual interface, using mostly your voice to control the game, won't be an issue at all. It seems both seamless and a function that actually adds quite a bit to the experience.

...you could look at the transition of RTS from PC to console as "dumbing down" of the genre, but really that's completely inaccurate. The evolution of RTS from PC to console is all about re-discovering the core fun of the genre while stripping away the redundancy, over-complication, and bloat that has been attaching itself to RTS games over the years.

If anything, I'm glad that console is becoming dominant for gaming because it's going to force some evolution on a genre that has been fairly static for quite some time. We need to grow the RTS market and bring in new players, not isolate it further into eventual niche obscurity.

Which is exactly why we all need Halo Wars to be really, really good.

"Universe at War: Earth Assault" Post Mortem Q&A [TheArmchairEmpire]

EA REWRITES HISTORY IN COMMAND & CONQUER: RED ALERT 3 Be Among the First to Return to Red Alert with the Exclusive Beta Invite in Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath

Chertsey, UK - February 14, 2008 - After a seven-year hiatus, Electronic Arts today announces the return of Red Alert, one of the most beloved and best-selling real-time strategy franchises. Command & Conquer™: Red Alert™ 3, for the PC, Xbox 360TM video game and entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, takes players on an epic adventure to a breathtaking alternate future spawned by time travel run amok. Developed by EA Los Angeles, Red Alert 3 breaks new ground in the RTS genre, featuring a fully co-operative campaign while bringing back the series' light-hearted style and classic, action-oriented gameplay.

"The Red Alert games are known for challenging hardcore strategy gamers with depth, variety, and innovative gameplay. But they also belong to that rare breed of games that can draw in more casual players with their over-the-top stories, instantly accessible mechanics, and straight-to-the-fun design," said Mike Verdu, general manager of EALA. "With Red Alert 3, our team is continuing that proud tradition by introducing genre-first features like co-operative campaign play, which rewards veterans and casual players alike. In Red Alert 3, friends and family can always have your back."

"It's been too long." said Chris Corry, executive producer at EALA. "Fans have been waiting for a new Red Alert game for seven years, and we're working hard to ensure its well worth the wait. The team is staying true to the series' roots while adding new elements like a co-operatively played story-driven campaign, an astounding new faction that will shake-up the Red Alert universe as we know it, and units that will help make Red Alert 3 everything our fans have been waiting for. And by bringing naval combat into the heart of the game design, we're transporting that fast, fun and fluid C&C gameplay to the high-seas in ways that you've never seen before."

In Red Alert 3, the desperate leadership of a doomed Soviet Union travels back in time to change history and restore the glory of Mother Russia. The time travel mission goes awry, creating an alternate timeline where technology has followed an entirely different evolution, a new superpower has been thrust on to the world stage, and World War III is raging. The Empire of the Rising Sun has risen in the East, making World War III a three-way struggle between the Soviets, the Allies, and the Empire with armies fielding wacky and wonderful weapons and technologies like Tesla coils, heavily armed War Blimps, teleportation, armored bears, intelligent dolphins, floating island fortresses, and transforming tanks.

Red Alert 3 asks the question "What If?" What if every bizarre research project and technology experiment for the last 70 years had actually borne fruit? What if the Philadelphia Experiment, time travel theory, teleportation, invisibility, Tesla technology, and a hundred other intriguing research projects had all paid off and gone mainstream? What if the Soviet Union survived and thrived; what would it look like 10 years in the future? What if the Japanese Empire had never fallen and instead became the ultimate high-tech military superpower? The end result is an imaginative and playful vision of an alternate future filled with possibility.

Command & Conquer fans eager to experience Red Alert 3 before anyone else can get early access to the beta (available for the PC only - an announcement about the Red Alert 3 beta dates will be made this summer) by picking up a copy of Command & Conquer™ 3: Kane's Wrath later this year.

For fans of Red Alert and Command & Conquer, EA hosts a dedicated online Web cast that goes beyond the game and brings players all the latest series news, tips and strategies. The flagship show, BattleCastTM Primetime, is a unique program that offers a sportscast look and feel for featured fan multiplayer matches, including expert commentary. Command & Conquer, BattleCast Primetime can be seen on the official Command & Conquer website http://www.commandandconquer.com/.

This product is not yet rated by the ESRB, PEGI or USK. For more information about Red Alert 3 or the Command & Conquer series, please visit www.commandandconquer.com.

###

No RTS game will ever be able to represent politics in lifelike detail. These games are, after all, simplifications of reality. Still, RTS game developers could add a tremendous amount of strategic depth by building politics into their games. Players could be released from micro-managing society and the battlefield, they could be exposed to enemies both within and outside their societies, and they could be given more strategic options than attrition.

It's an interesting little essay if you're into the RTS genre - a little innovation is never a bad thing, since even the most beloved of genres will get a little stale after years and years of more of the same - though I have to wonder how many players would be truly interested in big changes.

The Future Of The Real-Time Strategy Game [Gamasutra]

Savage 2: A Tortured Soul [S2 Games]

S2 Games Announces Savage 2: A Tortured Soul Beta

Highly Anticipated Sequel to Acclaimed PC Game Now in Testing Phase

(Rohnert Park, CA) - October 4, 2007 - Independent game developer S2 Games announced today that Savage 2: A Tortured Soul, the sequel to its first PC title, Savage: The Battle for Newerth, has entered its beta testing phase and is nearing launch.

Testing of the online multiplayer game, which is a unique combination of three different game genres (real-time strategy, first-person shooter, and role-playing game), is open to gamers who pre-ordered the game. The final version will be available to the general public once the beta testing has been completed and S2 is satisfied with the quality of the gameplay experience.

"After much hard work, we are proud to say that Savage 2: A Tortured Soul is now ready for beta testing," said Marc DeForest, co-founder and lead designer, S2 Games. "As an independent developer and publisher we have the luxury of creating and changing our own deadlines based on when we reach individual milestones. This project is really a labor of love for us so we want it done the right way."

Loyal fans of the original Savage and new players alike will be impressed with Savage 2's new advancements and enhancements. The game will include a bevy of new features, including the ability to control spells while maintaining the action nature of the game with "snap casting," fully automated clan administration through the Savage 2 Clan League (SCL), and features that records and saves every single game of Savage 2, match stats summary, and persistent player statistics. All the information for every game ever played is stored in a huge, searchable, online archive, thus allowing players to download, watch, rate, and comment on these matches while also reviewing statistics for each game. Additionally, the game is being simultaneously designed for Linux Client users.

S2 Games will be self-publishing and independently distributing the game. The game client can be downloaded anytime, anywhere, on any PC for free. The client can be used to watch replays, play the tutorial, practice modes, and LAN games with absolutely zero obligations (no account necessary). Users may also create an account to have 3 hours of free online competitive gameplay with some feature restrictions. Those wanting unlimited online play with automated statistics and use of persistent items pay $29.99USD via the game client or the S2 Games website.

When playing the beta, S2 Games wishes to impart to its fans to remember that they will be playing an unfinished version of the game. Users should expect to encounter certain bugs and other issues inherent in any beta version of a game. The purpose of beta testing is to help S2 Games find and correct these problems so that they are not encountered after the game's launch.

For more information on Savage 2: A Tortured Soul, please visit http://savage2.s2games.com.

CDC Games Launches First Online Game in the U.S.

CDC Games USA to Start Open Beta Test of Battle of Shadows on September 30

BEIJING & ATLANTA—(BUSINESS WIRE)—CDC Games, a business unit of CDC Corporation and pioneer of the "free-to-play, pay for merchandise" model for online games in China, announced today that its CDC Games USA unit will launch the open beta program on September 30 for Battle of Shadows, its first free-to-play online game to be distributed in the U.S. CDC Games USA is a unit of CDC Games' newly formed subsidiary, CDC Games International (CGI).

Battle of Shadows is the latest in several new games backed internationally by CGI. Already, CGI has sub-licensing agreements for publishing five new games with leading online games providers throughout Southeast Asia and Taiwan. In addition, CGI also has plans to publish games directly in Japan.

"We are very excited to launch our first online game in the U.S.," said Peter Yip, CEO of CDC Games. "With our recent agreements to offer five new games for southeast Asia and Taiwan, along with the launch of Battle of Shadows in the U.S. and future plans to publish games in Japan, CDC Games is positioning itself as one of the leading global online games companies with a broad and diversified international games portfolio."

Developed by Korea-based N-Log Inc., Battle of Shadows, known as "Darkness and Light" in the Asian online game markets, is a real-time strategy (RTS) and role playing game (RPG). In the team-based action game, a player can choose a character and fight enemies with weapons and magic skills. The goal of the game is to conquer the base camps of the opponents. The concept of Battle of Shadows is based on the final war between the power of darkness and light. The game features a Gothic setting with vampires, werewolves and other fantasy creatures. Some key technical features of the game include one-round matches from the RTS genre and character growth elements from the RPG genre; as well as enabling players to use the mouse only when playing so they are not forced to learn complicated keyboard-skills that are typical of RTS or massively multiplayer online (MMO) games.

"We believe Battle of Shadows will be a well-received game in the U.S. market because it combines the appeal of an easy-to-use and quick to play online game with the depth and intensity of RPG and the fun of MMO games," said Ron Williams, general manager of CDC Games USA. "In addition to Battle of Shadows, we have plans for several exciting new games for the U.S. and we expect the free-to-play model to grow rapidly in the coming years and exhibit the same potential for success that we have seen in China."

Along with the recent new games being offered in southeast Asia and Taiwan, CDC Games also offers the following commercially available games in China: Yulgang, Special Force, SHAIYA, Shine Online, Mir II and Eve. Other games planned for launch include: Lord of the Rings, Stone Age 2, ChaosGem, Come on babies, Gemfighters, Redblood, Fury and others.

Players can visit: www.battleofshadows.com to register during the open beta test program. Commercial launch of Battle of Shadows is expected by the end of the year.

[via Yahoo Finance]

"Relic Entertainment has set the standard for technical excellence and innovation in the RTS genre," said Bob Aniello, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, THQ. "Dawn of War - Soulstorm continues that tradition as a standalone title featuring all-new, brutally addictive single and multiplayer game-play that will hook newcomers and skilled Dawn of War veterans alike."

The Carnage Continues In THQ's Warhammer® 40,000TM: Dawn Of War® - SoulstormTM Standalone Expansion in Million-Unit Selling FranchiseScheduled for Spring 2008 Release

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. September 26, 2007 - THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War® - Soulstorm™, the next standalone chapter in internal studio Relic Entertainment's award-winning Real-Time Strategy (RTS) franchise, is scheduled for release on Windows PC in spring 2008. Featuring an extensive interplanetary campaign spanning an entire star system in the Warhammer® 40,000™ universe, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm introduces two all-new factions for an unprecedented total of nine playable races.

"Relic Entertainment has set the standard for technical excellence and innovation in the RTS genre," said Bob Aniello, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, THQ. "Dawn of War - Soulstorm continues that tradition as a standalone title featuring all-new, brutally addictive single and multiplayer game-play that will hook newcomers and skilled Dawn of War veterans alike."

"In Dawn of War - Soulstorm, we've taken Games Workshop's epic war from one planet to an entire star system," said Tarrnie Williams, general manager, Relic Entertainment. "Allowing gamers to play nine unique races, introducing air units and providing multiplayer achievements for the first time creates a tremendous amount of new and challenging strategic gameplay for all players."

"Eco Creatures is distinctive in its ability to weave meaningful issues into a fun video game experience that makes the player a champion for the environment," said Ken Gold, vice president of Marketing, Majesco. "Noble mission aside, endearing creatures, resource management, magic, level creation and multiplayer features make Eco Creatures a deep and engaging real- time strategy game for any DS player."

Majesco Entertainment Announces 'Eco Creatures: Save the Forest,' the First Eco-Conscious Game for the Nintendo DS™

EDISON, N.J.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Deforestation, pollution, global warming and industrialization are just some of the many important themes in Eco Creatures: Save the Forest, a unique real-time strategy (RTS) game for the Nintendo DS™ being published by Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games and digital entertainment products for the mass market. Co-developed by Lightweight Co. Ltd. and Headlock Corporation, Eco Creatures is the only game of its kind that promotes awareness of environmental perils while tasking players with defending the Mana Woods against them.

"Eco Creatures is distinctive in its ability to weave meaningful issues into a fun video game experience that makes the player a champion for the environment," said Ken Gold, vice president of Marketing, Majesco. "Noble mission aside, endearing creatures, resource management, magic, level creation and multiplayer features make Eco Creatures a deep and engaging real- time strategy game for any DS player."

Eco Creatures: Save the Forest is a real-time strategy game in which players use the Touch Screen to control units of woodland creatures—named Ecolis, Ecoby and Ecomon—that will protect the naturally beautiful Mana Woods and recover the polluted land. All creature types have unique skills that must be strategically managed. With proper nurturing, they can evolve to learn new abilities that help a player complete the game's more than 40 environmental missions. As players grow their woodland army, they must also plant new trees to prevent deforestation and revitalize the woodlands.

In addition, Eco Creatures includes a creative Land Make feature that lets players build and play their own maps. This eco-friendly RTS also supports two-player play via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and up to four players via single card download play or ad-hoc multi-card play.

Eco Creatures: Save the Forest is expected to launch in early 2008 for the Nintendo DS. For additional information, please visit www.majescoentertainment.com.

Starting August 30th, the Opposing Fronts Open Beta will begin. Anyone with a Fileplanet account can attempt to download and play the Beta. There will be key releases twice a week which will continue throughout the remainder of the Beta.

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts Open Beta begins August 30, 2007 [Relic]

TOTAL WAR™ SETS SAIL

The return of one of PC Gaming's all time great franchises challenges gamers to become General, Admiral and King in Empire: Total War™.

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (August 22nd, 2007) - SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced Empire: Total War™, the revolutionary new instalment of The Creative Assembly's wildly successful, multi award winning Total War™ RTS franchise. Empire: Total War™ will maintain the series genre leading 3D battles, grand turn based campaign map and rich historical flavour while for the first time introducing 3D naval combat into the series.

Empire: Total War™ is set in the 18th century a turbulent era that is the most requested by Total War's™ loyal fan base and a period alive with global conflict, revolutionary fervour and technological advances. With themes such as the Industrial Revolution, America's struggle for independence, the race to control Eastern trade routes and the globalisation of war on land and sea, Empire: Total War™ promises to be amongst the richest and most dynamic PC RTS games of all time.

Empire: Total War™ will see the debut of 3D naval combat within the Total War™ franchise. PC Gamers will be able to intuitively command vast fleets or single ships upon seascapes rich with extraordinary water and weather effects that play a huge role in your eventual glorious success or ignominious defeat. After pummelling your enemy with cannon fire, close in to grapple their ship and prepare to board taking control your men as they fight hand to hand on the decks.

Along with the revolutionary introduction of Naval Combat, Empire: Total War™ will see further enhancements to the Total War™ series signature 3D battles and turn based campaign map. Real time battles will pose new challenges with the addition of cannon and musket, challenging players to master new formations and tactics as a result of the increasing role of gunpowder within warfare. And the Campaign Map - for many the heart of Total War™ - will see new improved systems for Trade, Diplomacy and Espionage with agents, a refined and streamlined UI, improved Advisors and extended scope taking in the riches of India, the turbulence of Europe and the untapped potential of North America.

"Empire: Total War™ is a huge revolutionary step for the series. We're delighted to introduce true 3D naval combat, something that adds a totally new dimension to Total War™ games." commented Mike Simpson, Studio Director at The Creative Assembly and the father of the Total War™ franchise. "We're genuinely excited about what we're achieving with the naval battles and also by the scale of the improvements being made to the core of the game - the land battles and the campaign. This will undoubtedly be the biggest and best Total War™ game we've ever made."

Halo Wars takes place before the events of the first Halo title, during the 27 year war that followed the UNSC's first contact with the Covenant, which for the uninitiated did not go well. The player takes control of the resources and crew of the UNSC ship Spirit of Fire as she participates in the first battles against the aliens.

Drop It Like It's Hot

The demo began with a troop transport being escorted by two fighter aircraft to an UNSC base. The fighter jets are USC Hawks, just one of the new vehicles created for Halo Wars. Much like the more well-known vehicles they look heavy, angular, and functional. The troop carrier lands in the middle of the base and deploys a group of soldiers, and we are given a look at the control mechanics behind this console-centric RTS.

Graeme explains to us that the most important aspect of any RTS is selection. How and how easily you are able to select units is paramount to the feel of the game. Halo Wars actually has three options for selecting units. Hitting A selects single units, with X issuing move and attack orders. Double tapping A selects all similar units on the battlefield, while holding down A and moving the left stick acts as a unit selecting paintbrush. Throughout the demo Rippy, who was driving things from off to the side, seemed to have no problem selecting units in the heat of battle and issuing orders on the fly.

All Your Base

They took a moment to show us the various buildings around the UNSC base, noting the little details put into giving the structures a very alive, very human feel. Little people waved aircraft into position while behind a supply depot a group of soldiers were running through an exercise routine. All purely aesthetic of course, but nice little touches here and there make an RTS seem less like a board game and more like a real battle.

Speaking of battle, it was time to send our soldiers against some Covenant troops encroaching on the base. A couple squads of grunts with elite leaders quickly take out our puny soldiers. Master Chief they are not. Time to call in the big...wheels.

Enter the Warthog

Highlighting one of the structures, Chris brought up the circle menu, which is the heart of the game. It is a rotary menu controlled by the thumbstick which displays what options you have depending on what you have selected. In this case a vehicle depot is selected, and the option chosen is a Warthog. With seconds a puma-like vehicle shoots up a ramp and comes skidding to a halt in mid-base. Yep, it's a Warthog all right. The guys show off some of the physics behind the warthog, clicking out a path with the select tool and then watching as the nimble vehicle fishtails and swerves to follow, just like the 'real' thing. Sending the Warthog up against the enemy troops pretty much works like you'd expect it to. The first group of enemies was rammed into and decimated, while another Warthog blew grunts all over the screen to the sound of those distinctive cartoonish screams.

The enemies having been dispatched, the Warthogs were faced with a seemingly impassable ravine. Graeme explained that while tanks and troops could never cross such a gap, the jeepish vehicle had no problems whatsoever, gracefully leaping the chasm and rushing headlong into another conflict, already in progress.

Escalating Conflict

What followed was pretty much a demonstration of how units escalate from grunts to gargantuans. First the Warthogs take on troops, but Banshees arrive to destroy the 'hogs, which brings out the UNSC anti-air unit the Wolverine. Those are in turn attacked by Ghost tanks, which are countered by Scorpion tanks, and then finally the Covenant unleash a Scarab, the walking fortresses equipped with anti-everything guns. All hope seems lost, but an orbital strike from the Spirit of Fire cooks the Scarab and ends the demo.

But Is it Halo?

Halo Wars is basically an arcade RTS, a term used by one of my fellow members of the press and quickly taken up by Graeme. It is meant to be a fast and dirty RTS without the player having to worry about harvesting endless resources and micromanaging to have fun. An RTS the average Halo fan could pickup and enjoy. Would they? From what I saw the game had a high level of polish, and the music was downright excellent at tying the whole Halo feel together, but I worry that there might not be enough variety in the game to appease the RTS fan, while at the same time not being sure how long Halo fans will get a kick of clicking to move their Warthog around before going back to just driving it. Creating the game is basically a balancing act, and it is hard to tell from the short time I saw the game playing whether they can pull it off. I liked what I saw, but I think I'm maintaining a cautiously optimistic opinion of Halo Wars until I can see more.

When the game enters full release it will be free to play, with booster packs available for purchase that contain random troops and spells to customize your army. It's a strategy MMO with a CCG income structure. I might need to stay away from that for my wallet's sake.

Saga Open Beta Download Locations [PlaySaga.com]

Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance is a standalone sequel to SupCom that will feature over 100 new units, a new single-player campaign, and an entirely new faction taking up arms in the Infinite War, as was hinted at by events in the first installment.

"Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance is not only the continuation of the epic story that is unfolding inside the game's universe, it is the continuation of our goal to move the bar for RTS gaming even higher than ever," says Chris Taylor, CEO of Gas Powered Games

THQ unveils Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance [Eurogamer]

"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",

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...

I know I just posted about this a couple of hours ago, but it looks like some major new info has broken loose.

Reader Herbert points out that on the official Relic Forums a studio employee has outed John Johnson, who was the producer for Company of Heroes but no longer works at Relic, as the person who started Exoriare. The forum posters also point out that John Johnson is the person who registered the site.

So now we know who's behind the game, we just need to figure out what the game will be. Brian Crecente

Relic Forums

Freeform Communications sent out this little tease a bit ago for a yet to be named game project:

FROM THE PRODUCER OF THE MOST CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED REAL-TIME STRATEGY GAME OF ALL TIME* COMES A NEW FORCE IN GAMES DEVELOPMENT

With it was a link to Exoriare.com, a teaser site that, after you click on the letters QUO, sends you to a big map of the world with a message saying there needs to be "additional sightings" to reach "signal integrity" which essentially means they want 122,112 page views.

The only significance I can figure out for that number is that it is Dec. 21, 2012, which happens to be the latest date for when people think the world will end. I have no idea if that was on purpose or not and it really doesn't help with the figuring out bit at all.

In my little fantasy world I'd like to think its about a new Xcom game because, well, I want a new Xcom game. That and the website sound is very reminiscent of the sounds from one of those games, I seem to recall. However, I think the top ranked RTS according to GameRankings is Company of Heroes, so maybe something from Relic. They are hiring for an MMO.... which just makes me sad. Brian Crecente

For one, putting to rest any rumors that Blizz has plans for a fourth secret race, studio reps confirmed that only the Zerg, Protoss and Terrans will be playable. They spoke briefly on StarCraft II's system requirements, game speed, resource management and how long the game has been in development, shining a very faint light on the the near-decade in waiting sequel.

And as far as a console port of the real-time strategy game, don't count on it. Sorry, Nintendo 64 owners. You're stuck with the original forever. Michael McWhertor

Q&A session details Starcraft II [Gamespot]

Medieval II: Total War Expands Its Kingdom

The Total War experience reaches further in to the New World...

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (March 30th, 2007) - SEGA Europe Ltd. and SEGA of America, Inc. today announced Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms, the expansion pack for one of 2006's biggest PC strategy games, Medieval II: Total War . Due for release on PC in Autumn 2007, Kingdoms will offer an unprecedented amount of new content that gives gamers over 75 hours of epic new gameplay.

Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms will feature 4 brand new campaigns, including an opportunity to more fully explore The New World that was unlocked toward the end of Medieval II. In the Americas campaign, players will be able to retrace the steps of Hern n Cort s in 1519, as he seeks to explore and conquer The New World. Players can earn the support of Spain and explore the mystery and riches of the New World, or take control of the Aztec or Native American factions and call on the Gods and the bravery of vast armies to see off this new threat.

Three other campaigns will offer more detailed "magnifying glass" campaigns within Great Britain, Northern Europe and the Holy Land, with many more regions than were originally shown in Medieval II. Featuring 13 new playable factions and over 150 new units, Kingdoms will allow players to control thousands of men on a single battlefield and lead them into conflict with new hero characters such as Richard The Lionheart and Saladin, each armed with new, powerful battlefield abilities. In addition, players will use moated forts to garrison vast armies or seize control of key strategic points and explore new technology trees, governed by religion and prestige.

Players can experience a bloody clash between pagans and Christians in the Northern European Teutonic Wars, or take control of one of 5 factions in the Britannia campaign when England faces war on 4 fronts as once conquered lands rise up against them. Kingdoms will also include a new expanded Crusades campaign, where players renew their fight for control of the Holy Lands, with new factions, devastating new units (such as the terrifying Greek Flame Thrower), legendary heroes and powerful holy relics.

"With Medieval II: Total War we offered unrivalled scope of warfare, both on and off the field of battle, as you conquered the known world" commented George Fidler, Studio Director, The Creative Assembly Australia, "Now with 'Kingdoms' we're looking to offer unrivalled richness and detail with four completely new campaigns, each offering its own unique features, challenges and flavour of Total War."

Kingdoms will also include six new multiplayer scenarios, and 20 new Custom Battle battle maps. Each of the campaigns is also fully compatible with a brand new Hotseat multiplayer mode, making this an essential addition to any Total War fans' collection.

Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms will be released for PC in autumn 2007.

###

A quick reminder of what B-list actors aren't A-list actors. Wow, this game should come with some crackers for that cheese. Brian Crecente

The concept is simple; build, place, and upgrade auto-firing turrets while "creeps" flood in from two directions. If enough creeps pass your defenses, you lose. It's one of those "just one more" kinds of games. Perfect for Monday shirking! Michael McWhertor

Desktop Tower Defense