Microsoft Flight Released - Free To Play Flight Sim

Found this one out from Rock Paper Shotgun. Microsoft seemed to have stealthily released the free to play version of their hardcore flight simulator. The part where they make money is from other planes that you can purchase. The game allows you to fly around the isles of Hawaii(and I'm taking a guess that they might release map packs) You can download the game here but you're going to have GFWlive... yes... that thing... it still survives!

Something Baldur's Gate Is Happening - I Is Excited!

THE greatest RPG ever, Baldur's Gate(the sequel is superior in my opinion) seems set for a new lease of life. This mysterious website appeared and the internet is a buzz with speculation that we might see a new Baldur's Gate on the horizon. Some detective work reveals that the site is owned by Beamdog, a digital distributor with MDK 2 HD as one f their credentials. GameBanshee approached former Bioware employee Trent Oster(now with Beamdog) who also worked on the first Baldur's Gate and Never Winter Night. He stated that this is not related to the Steam complete edition planned for the series and an announcement can be expected soon. Here's to hoping that it'll be a proper Baldur's Gate RPG. Or will it be a *shock* free to play MMO Baldur's Gate? Looking forward for news regarding this mystery.

Source: Bluesnews

The Witcher 2 Kingslayer XBOX360 Trailer

Now that CD Projekt has confirmed that the The Witcher 2 will make its way to the XBOX360, they've released a trailer for the console version. Looks pretty good. Has the Witcher finally met his match? The XBOX360 version of The Witcher 2 releases on April 17th. Watch the trailer below...

The Brouhaha About Day One DLC's

Bioware has been under some internet rage recently when news about a day one DLC for Mass Effect 3 broke out.  It was like a scene in Waterloo, many lives lost, mayhem, dead horses...ahem okay not really. But internet denizens can be quite vociferous in their 'uprightness'. Do they have a valid point about DLC's thinning the content of the main game? Is it a questionable practise for studios to develop DLC's concurrently with game development.

Alientrap Reveals Apotheon - 2D Action RPG

Alientrap, the makers of Capsized, a game that I enjoyed quite a bit, announced the newest game they're working on. Apotheon is a 2D platform Action RPG. It takes place in Greek mythology of the gods Hera, Zeus and whatnot(you might have heard of them before). Imagine God of War in 2D and less wrathful(okay I don't know this). Alientrap says it will have an open world single player campaign. It's still in early development with not release date. Check out the two screenshots of if below...

Trine 2 Noob's Play Episode 6 - Damn Carnivorous Plants

The saga of the bumbling wizard, warrior and thief continues. Lots of carnivorous plants and insta deaths. We still haven't discovered why all these plants have popped up in the world. Video below...

Planetside 2 Time Lapse Weapon Design Trailer

Here's a rather different sort of trailer. It doesn't show much of Planetside 2, instead it details the design process of Senior Artist Roel Jovellano in designing a weapon prototype. Trailer after the jump...

Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City Shambling Along To The PC On May 18th - New Trailer

The console version releases on May 23rd. Yes... the PC version is actually for once, being released earlier than its console counterpart. Not by much though. Capcom released a new trailer for the co-op shock fest zombie apocalypse shooter. It's quite brutal. I'm okay with killing zombies, shoving grenades in their mouths and other atrocities... but KILLING DOGS! NOW THAT'S SHOCKING! Watch it below...

Total War: Fall of The Samurai Reveal Trailer Part 2 - Rails Across Japan

Part deux of the Fall of The Samurai trailer has been released. Part 2 sheds some light on the new technology added onto the campaign map, such as railways. Those things will change the logistics of warfare... forever. The question is... can the AI use them? Watch the trailer below...

Max Payne 3 PC Version Screenshots Look Razor Sharp

Not surprisingly. Check out the detail on Max's beat up and aged body. Rockstar posted 3 new screenshots that were taken from a PC version of Max Payne 3. It is planned for a May 29th release. Thankfully with the PC version(no reported delay on the PC version). So far it's looking sharp and Rockstar seems to be getting it right on what a Max Payne game should be. Hopefully the system requirements(which haven't been released yet) won't be too demanding. Check out the screenshot below...

Terraria Is Now Done For - Game Officially Finished

Terraria, a game I reviewed last year, has had a tonne of updates. Updates that add new content, new user interface, and even new mechanics. Redigit posted on the official forums that they are done with the game. There's still one more bug fix patch, but Terraria is essentially complete. They are moving on and hopefully will work on a game(after a much deserved break). He points out that fellow Terraria team member Finn Bryce is working on a new game called Starbound(a rather interesting concept I might add) which deserves attention. He thanked everyone who purchased and supported the team throughout development. Job well done guys! Terraria was a top seller on Steam and an indication of how PC games can still be a huge phenomenon. 

Source: Terraria Forums

Dear Amnesia - Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Revealed

In case you didn't get the hint from the title of this post, the developer of Dear Esther; thechineseroom are working in collaboration with Frictional Games for an upcoming game titled Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. Rock Paper Shotgun revealed that Dan Pinchbeck, lead writer for Dear Esther stated that they are working on a game set in the Amnesia world. It is not a direct sequel. We know nothing else about Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs. I'm not exactly sure if this is the game hinted by Frictional Games in their teaser site. It could be considering they pointed to China in Google map(thechineseroom?). Oh and pigs are really nightmarish creatures when combined with slaughterhouses. If you read Orwell, you'll know what I mean. Frictional Games still has one more unannounced project if you take a look at their website. Will keep you guys updated when more info is available.

Source: Rock Paper Shotgun

A New Metal Gear Solid Coming To The PC?

Joystiq found jobs posted on Konami's site that had one job with the description "Project engineers for the latest Metal Gear Solid targeted for high-end consoles and PC". The last Metal Gear Solid that made it's way to the PC was Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. A rather atrocious port that ran like a ten tonne truck trying to drive over a hill. If Konami and Kojima lives up to their usual self, we'll probably hear about this new Metal Gear Solid in 2 years... perhaps we'll get a countdown to another countdown... to another countdown... to reveal... some cryptic image which reveals... yet another countdown. Either way, I'll keep an eye on this.

Source: Joystiq

Tribes Ascend Going Open Beta February 24th

The spiritual successor to Tribes, Tribes Ascend is going open beta this Friday(February 24th). The Free To Plat first Person Shooter mixes fast paced action with a strong emphasis on team play. You can watch Leo's first play video of the game here. It looks awesome and plays well. Worthy of the Tribes name. I'll definitely give this game a shot this Friday. Hi-Rez Studios will be deploying a major update that will introduce a new game mode called Arena Deathmatch.

Source: PC Gamer

Borderlands 2 Doomsday Trailer - Dated September 18th

Borderlands 2 is coming out on 18 September 2012. Those of you that enjoyed the first person loot em' up action will be pleased with Borderlands 2 me thinks. More loot, more weapons, new classes, new enemies.... and did I say... more loot! Watch the latest trailer below...

Ironclad Announces Sins Of A Dark Age - Free To Play Team Based RTS

This has got nothing to do with the 4X RTS Sins of A Solar Empire. Sins of A Dark Age is a fantasy themed free to play RTS unlike any other. Ironclad are calling it Hero & Commander strategy. It's team based... as in there's a commander and the rest of the player pick a single hero(ala DoTA). No video of the game in action but you can register on their official site, and if you're lucky, you might be picked for the closed beta. Press release below...

Mass Effect 3 Extended Take Back Earth Trailer

Missed the super cool cinematic Take Back Earth for Mass Effect 3(I doubt you did). Now you can watch an extended version of it. All 3 minutes of it. Trailer after the jump...

Reign of Thunder Announced - Free To Play Mech Combat

Mechs are cool right? Day 1 Studios announced their upcoming game, Reign of Thunder... it has mechs in it. Day 1 are the creators of Mech Assault the console centred third person(well... mech) shooter set in the Mechwarrior universe. This one looks to follow the same formula except it does the whole free to play, customise your Mech thing. According to the press release, a public release of some sort(maybe an open beta) is "very, very near". Watch the debut trailer below...

Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & Kings Bringing Back Religion

The mainly atheistic Civilization V will be getting an expansion pack in the name of Gods & Kings that will be adding religion and espionage into the game. In their 2K blog, 2K announced the expansion and detailed some of it's additions. The new expansion will add new units, wonders, techs, new civilization such as: the mayans, netherlands, and Celts. Religion in the expansion is described as "Using the new "Faith" resource, you'll be able to found your own religion and grow it from a simple Pantheon of the Gods to a world-spanning fully-customized religion". New religious city states will be introduced. Espionage however, wasn't my favourite mechanic in Civilization IV(added in Beyond The Sword)... but they saw it fit to reintroduce it to CIv 5 in this expansion pack. Gods & Kings is targeted for a late Spring 2012 release.

Source: 2K blog

Mass Effect 3 Take Earth Back Trailer - It's The Final Battle

Release date looms nearer(March 6th). All commanders have had battle training with the release of Mass Effect 3 demo. Soon, we will fight the good fight. Reclaim earth, our homeworld. Defeat the reapers and their Geth slaves. Watch the trailer below(it is unavoidable that any game with a setting of Earth under attack will have a strong War of The Worlds vibe, especially with the scene of Big Ben being obliterated)...

Far Cry 3 Gameplay Footage - XBOX360 Direct Feed

YouTube user penetrator2802 managed to upload gameplay footage of Ubisoft's Far Cry 3 on the interwebs. The footage is from the XBOX360 version of the game. It shows a couple of different sections of the game with rather intense moments of gunfights. Far Cry 3 is due out 4th September 2012. Gameplay video below...

Starbound Revealed - Sandbox/Procedural/RPG/Co-op/Adventure Goodness

Designed by indie game Terraria's graphic artist, Starbound from Chuckelfish, is an indie adventure/RPG title buried in an open sandbox universe. It's a hybrid sort of game that incorporates RPG elements with 'sim'ish aspects. You take on the role of a group of lost explorer and you discover an abandoned space station. Here is where the adventure begins, taking you to procedurally generated planets that are highly randomised/procedural; from the lifeforms, weathers, to even the gravity on it. There are quests to pick up and solve, new species of plant life and animal life to discover and share online(you can share your discoveries of the randomised worlds online)... heck you can eventually own an entire planet. Best of all... there is co-op! Incredibly interesting premise, the game is planned for a summer 2012 release(obviously they want it to be done though, so don't be surprised if they delayed it). Screenshots below...

Ravaged Announced - A New Post Apocalyptic First Person Shooter

It's by an indie outfit called 2 Dawn Games and it's called Ravaged. Might have some resemblance to Rage(art style wise). It's a multiplayer shooter and apparently the team developing it has experience working on Desert Combat, Battlefield 2 and Frontlines: Fuels of War. The post apocalyptic setting might be done quite a lot recently, but I haven't seen one being solely a multiplayer shooter. This is could be an interesting one to watch. The game is being developed using Unreal Engine 3 and looks quite good. Ravaged is planned for release in Spring 2012 on Steam and other digital distribution platforms(this is a PC exclusive). Watch the latest dev diary video below...

Alan Wake American Nightmare Launch Trailer - XBOX Live Arcade Downloadable Title

While the PC version of Alan Wake released on Steam yesterday(USD$34.99), Remedey will be releasing Alan Wake American Nightmare for the XBOX360 as a downloadable title next week(February 22nd). It's a standalone game that does not further the main Alan Wake storyline but acts to expand on it. Definetely not a sequel(which Remedy has been reported to have confirmed they are working on). PC release? No idea... since it is a Microsoft published title, probably might make its way to the PC much later. Check out the launch trailer below...

Legends of Pegasus Teaser Trailer Implores You To Forget Your Sins

A 4X strategy title always has to have an over dramatic title(Sins of A Solar Empire is perhaps the best title for a 4X RTS hybrid). Novacore released a trailer for the upcoming 4X turn based strategy title Legends of Pegasus. The trailer is only showing a group of ships moving towards a planet. I like that the tagline in the end says "Forget your Sins". Legends of Pegasus is due out Q2 2012. Trailer after the jump...

Max Payne 3 Trailer #2 - Max Goes To Sao Paolo

Rockstar released a new trailer for Max Payne 3. This trailer shows Max going to Sao Paolo and gives a little back story on why he's there. It is interesting they are making Max Payne 3 a lot more cinematic(Rockstar are known for using lots of in engine cutscene). The previous Max Payne games have used in game cutscenes sparingly with the focus on the comic book style narration in between missions. Max Payne 3 releases for the PC on May 29th 2012. Watch the trailer below...

Jagged Alliance Online Now In Open Beta - Free To Play Tactical MMO

Not to be confused with Jagged Alliance: Back In Action, JGO is a free to play online version of the classic turn based tactics game. They're calling it a Free Tactical MMO. It's a browser based game and once it's out of beta, you'll get to purchase high powered weapons and load outs for gold bars that you purchase using real money. I'm not sure if I like that. All the items and such are unlocked in the open beta. Check out the walk through video they made...

Far Cry 3 Stranded Cinematic Trailer - Dated September 4

Far Cry 3 has been dated 4th September 2012. The newest trailer(which is a cinematic), features our antagonist who is a crazy lunatic. How did the protagonist get stranded on this island? And why exactly is this crazy fellow chasing after him? Warning... foul langue and... dubstep. Trailer below...

Assassin's Creed III Confirmed - Ubisoft Says Releasing October 30th 2012

In an investors call, Ubisoft boss Yves Guilermot confirmed that Assassin's Creed II. He said "Assassin's Creed III is the true next generation of both the Assassin's Creed brand and interactive entertainment/storytelling in general". Assassin's Creed III will be releasing on October 30th 2012; no reveal on gameplay or where it will be set. We know for a fact the Ezio narrative is finished in Revelations. VE3D speaks of rumours about the game being set in New York during the American Civil War or maybe set in China. We know absolutely nothing about it and Ubisoft are tight lipped about these details. Hopefully we'll learn more about the game in the coming months.

Source: Giantbomb

Alan Wake PC Gameplay Walkthrough Video - Alan Wake Looks Sharper Than Ever

IGN's Anthony Galegos and Charles Onyett gives us a sneak peak at Alan Wake on the PC. It looks awesome... maybe not as impressive looking now since it released last year and we've had a bunch of new amazing looking games. It's releasing on Steam on 17th February for us in Asia. Gameplay walkthrough after the break...

Crusader Kings II Launch Trailer - Political Intrigue In The Middle Ages

Crusader Kings II is out now(USD39.99)! This is potentially one of the best(if not the best) grand strategy game from Paradox. From what I've played, it's bloody stable and loads of fun. Check out the launch trailer below(it's not live action)...

Fray Takes Things One Turn At A Time - Squad Based Tactical Combat

Turn based strategy games ain't dead yet. Well, at least with the announcement of XCOM: Enemy Unknown(which is a real time plus turn based), we know big studios are still trying to make amazing turn based strategy titles. Maybe in not in the same amount as they used to. Fray is one, by a small indie studio called Brain Candy. It's turn based tactical combat in a goth looking futuristic world. It's now available as a pre order over at Desura(sorry, not on Steam yet) for USD19.99(you get a free extra copy for each purchase). Alpha trailer below...

Malaysian Gamer DOTA 2 First Play

Leo takes a look at DOTA 2(it's in beta currently). Just how are Valve making this a proper sequel to the popular mod DoTA(I don't even think it's possible to make a sequel to a mod). Watch the video below...

Total War: Shogun 2 Fall of The Samurai Developer Video Diary - Chapter 1 The Year Of The Dragon

Creative Assembly put out this dev diary of the upcoming standalone expansion for Shogun 2, Fall of The Samurai. This video goes into the setting and talks about the clash of guns and steel. Imperialism! Armour is no protection from bullet! Fall of The Samurai will be as usual, a Steamworks game and will be released on March  23rd. It will cost you USD$29.99(you don't need Shogun 2). Video after the jump...

Sins of A Solar Empire: Rebellion Trailer: This Looks Like Battlestar Galactica!

And that's a good thing. Ironclad Games has managed to tweak the engine of 4 year old game to look... incredible. Rebellion adds subfactions to each of the three original factions. It also adds humongous Titan class ships! No specific release date yet(other than a vague 2012). Sins of A Solar Empire: Rebellion is priced at USD$39.95(digital download) and those that own Sins of A Solar Empire Trinity or Diplomacy will receive a USD$10 discount. Check out the trailer below...

OMGeek Coop Commendation: Renegade Ops

Welcome to the very first installment of Coop Commendation, where Koop is King, and spelling goes right down the drainpipe. Through this series, we intend to share our cooperative play experiences and opinions, as well as give our impressions of games that offer cooperative play as a gameplay mode. Coop Commendation is not a review column; we will still feature specific games, but we will mainly discuss the cooperative experience, and how fun it was for us to play through the game as a group.In this post, we’ll be discussing the high-octane twin-stick blastfest that is Renegade Ops!

Check out the full Coop Commendation of Renegade Ops over at OMGeek

GTA IV Graphics Mod iCEnhancer Version 2.0 Released - PC Gaming Rules!

This is why I love PC gaming... even if I don't have a beast of a machine to run this thing. iCEnhancer mod is now 2.0. This is by the way, a mod for Grand Theft Auto IV for the PC. You can watch a footage of it below the break...

OMGeek Reviews The Book Of Unwritten Tales

Twenty years ago, the market was flooded with adventure games like the market today is flooded with cover shooters with regenerating health. It was a grand time for adventure games up until the whole thing died under the huge demand for more FPS and RTS games in the late 90s. Even RPGs managed to flourish past the DOS age, thanks to titles like Fallout and Baldur’s Gate. Meanwhile, any adventure game released after the year 2000 is considered some kind of retro throwback to the good old days of gaming.

Sometimes, though, a game comes around that attempts to recreate the glory days of the adventure game: high production values, amazing visuals, and superb storytelling. It doesn’t happen often, but every time it does is reason enough to sit up and take notice.

The latest case in point: The Book of Unwritten Tales, from German developer KING Art Games. Could this be the adventure game renaissance people like me have been waiting for?

Read the full review over at OMGeek

Gratuitous Tank Battles Developer Video Preview

Cliffski releases another one of those debug videos for his upcoming tower defence strategy title, Gratuitous Tank Battles. It's a twist to the tower defence genre and incorporates tank customisation mechanic(borrow from Gratuitous Space Battles). Check out the video below...

CD Projekt Talks About The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition On The XBOX 360

CD Projekt released a developer video diary with the focus on the upcoming Enhanced Edition(it will be a free update for all those that own Witcher 2). It will be released for the XBOX360 on April 17th. Yeah I know it's preposterous, but it is happening. They are also saying that you have never played a game like this on a console... ever. Check out the first of the developer video diary below...

Frictional Game Teases Next Amnesia Game - Set In China?

The developers of Amnesia: The Dark Descent has set up a teaser site that redirects users to a google map tag of China. Which has led to speculation that their next game will be taking place in China. Based on RPS  detective work, it seems to be exactly the type of game Amnesia was, survival horror, advanced physics etc. Completely new setting though and there isn't a name for the project yet(the teaser site has the title Amnesia on it, which leads me to assume that the new game will be titled Amnesia with a sub title). It is highly likely Frictional Games will be updating this teaser site with more info in time. Keep an eye out on it.

Source: Rock Paper Shotgun

Mass Effect 3 Fem Sheppard Reinstated Trailer

The fans wanted it, and Bioware giveth. They've released the first Mass Effect 3 trailer featuring the womanly figure of a female Sheppard. Mass Effect 3 releases on March 6th. Check it out below...

Blizzard Appeals Over DOTA Trademark Issue - Blizzard & Valve Titanic Clash

The battle lines have been drawn. Blizzard is now officially doing something about Valve registering the word 'DOTA' as a registered Valve trademark. A NeoGaf thread seems to have shed some light on an appeal Blizzard put forth to the US Trademark & Patents office back in the end of 2011. It will take a while for the whole process of appeal to conclude. Blizzard stated that DoTA was "distributed, marketed, and promoted by Blizzard and its fans". Blizzard says that DoTA "has come to signify the product of years of time and energy expended by Blizzard and by fans of Warcraft III,” and that “Valve has no right to the registration it seeks." Interesting development. I'm not sure what this will mean for DOTA 2's development which is current in closed beta. Do you think Blizzard has a right of keeping the DOTA name under their wings?

Source: PCGamer

Diablo III Delayed - Blizzard Releases Video That Shows It Will Kick Your Ass!

Blizzard's Mike Morhaime announced that Diablo III is due for Q2 2012. Diablo III was earlier rumoured to be releasing on February 1st has now been officially delayed. In a separate note, in response to fans complaining that Diablo III is too bloody easy(based on the beta), Blizzard released this video. Watch it below...

Hard Reset Extended Edition Trailer Shows Off New Environment

Flying Wild Hog has released a trailer for the upcoming Hard Reset: Extended Edition. The trailer shows the new environments added into the game. Hard Reset: Extended Edition will be out on March 2012. Still no confirmation of price point. Check out the trailer after the jump...

Bethesda Releases Skyrim Gamejam Internal Video - GIANT MUDCRAB!

This is what happens when Skyrim devs have one week to do whatever they want in the game. There's some pretty cool stuff here, like mounted combat, amazing underwater visuals, better stealth gameplay(which I think wont work) etc. These didn't make it into the game, but as Todd Howard says, who knows... they might release some of these as an update. And holy F@#$ GIANT MUDCRAB!

The Darkness II Launch Trailer

The sequel to the protagonist with demon arm thingie FPS is nearly released. The Darkness II will be out on Steam on February 10th. There's some bloody brutal stuff in this game, certainly not for the kids. You can watch the launch trailer below...

No More True Crime - It's Now Called Sleeping Dogs

Square has announced that the True Crime series is getting a reboot. The new one will be called Sleeping Dogs(originally True Crime: Hong Kong). It's an open world action game with what's called an 'imaginative combat system'. Featuring a brutal melee combat(martial art moves) with powerful takedown manoeuvres. It's being developed for the XBOX360, PS3 and PC. Release is set for second half of 2012. They've released a live action trailer for it...

Now You Can Spaaaaaaace Out In Skyrim

Remember the little surprise Bethesda hinted when they announced the creation kits release date? Well it turns out it's not an arrow to the knee quest(come on, someone do that please). Instead, Valve has chipped in to include a 'Fall Of Space Core Vol 1' mod. You can get space core to follow you around in your adventures in Skyrim! How cool is that! Since they are naming it volume 1, I presume that they will be adding more of the cores from Portal 2 into Skyrim you can go to this page. Click on subscribe and the mod will be automatically downloaded when you launch Skyrim.

Longbow Games Introduces Hegemony Rome

I quite liked Longbow Games Hegemony: Wars of Ancient Greece. It was a eclectic mix of deeper grand strategy and real time strategy game mechanics. It's supply mechanic made it unique in the real time strategy genre. And the new combat system introduced in Wars of Ancient Greece gave it the depth that was much needed. Longbow Games are now hard at work at a follow up, Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar. Yeap you guessed it, they are visiting Rome this time around. Check out the introduction video they produced, explaining the game and why they chose this setting...