Also released today is Blake Stone, an early 1993 released first person shooter genre title that mixed sci-fi and super-spy genre. Both Apogee titles can be bought for $5.99 each at GoG.com
Team Fortress 2 Scout Achievement Guide Part 3
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix Review
Download: Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Demo
Mac Monday: Brainpipe and Ranch Rush
Interview: Marty Stratton talks about Quake Live beta
Download: The Last Remnant Demo
Dawn of War 2 Review
Feature: Money Matters - Finances and PC Games
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box Review
Unreal Tournament 3: Titan Pack Hands-On
First looks at NASA's upcoming MMO
Download: Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box Trial
Two more Apogee games join GoG.com lineup
Also released today is Blake Stone, an early 1993 released first person shooter genre title that mixed sci-fi and super-spy genre. Both Apogee titles can be bought for $5.99 each at GoG.com
Download: Major League Baseball 2K9 Demo
Download Major League Baseball 2K9 (1.25 GB)
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Independent Minds: Continued Support
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090310191432im_/http://www.blogcdn.com/news.bigdownload.com/media/2009/03/ulduar.jpg)
Sometimes, when developing a game, you come across a really good idea (or a lot of really good ideas) that you just can't incorporate into the game at release. Or maybe after release you find that your game is absolutely ridden with more bugs than a graveyard gone fallow. You have two options: Leave it alone, or bring your considerable developer muscles to bear against the problem. While each game should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, the general consensus is that no matter your position as an indie or accomplished developer, you should take control of your project after release and guide it. After all, if all developers simply abandoned projects immediately after completion, we wouldn't have such great games as World of Warcraft or Team Fortress 2!
Warrior Epic Trailer gets into the Spirit System
This trailer for the free-to-play fantasy MMO Warrior Epic (currently in beta testing) demonstrates the Spirit System, which acts as a secondary game that activates after the player's character dies. Continue reading after the jump or visit the official website for more information about the Warrior Epic Spirit System.
Download HD Warrior Epic Spirit System Trailer (64 MB)
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Continue reading Warrior Epic Trailer gets into the Spirit System
Killzone 2 lead level designer joins Splash Damage
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090310191432im_/http://www.blogcdn.com/news.bigdownload.com/media/2009/03/splashdamagejuly22.jpg)
Today Splash Damage announced that it has hired Neil Alphonso to be their lead level designer. Alphonso comes from Guerrilla Games where he was the lead level designer for their just released PS3 shooter Killzone 2. He also worked with Ubisoft on the original Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell game and even worked at 3D Realms on (believe it or not) Duke Nukem Forever. We bet he has some stories to tell . . .
Continue reading Killzone 2 lead level designer joins Splash Damage
Download: Codename: Panzers - Cold War Multiplayer Demo
Download Codename: Panzers - Cold War Multiplayer Demo (498 MB)
Download Codename: Panzers - Cold War Single Player Demo (909 MB)
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Continue reading Download: Codename: Panzers - Cold War Multiplayer Demo
Theatre of War II to be released on April 24; demo coming soon
As we have reported before, Theatre at War II is set during the North Africa theater of operations in 1943 and is aiming to be more realistic in its gameplay than other WWII RTS titles. You can expect a demo of the game to be released "shortly"
Continue reading Theatre of War II to be released on April 24; demo coming soon
Atomic Games re-launched
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090310191432im_/http://www.blogcdn.com/news.bigdownload.com/media/2009/03/atomicgamesmarch10.jpg)
Atomic's goal is to "usher in a new breed of Historical Action video games" and the Raleigh NC based company is already working on an unnamed shooter title for "one of the world's top 5 video game publishers." In fact Atomic had previously been a division of the game publisher Destineer but the Atomic web site states, "As Destineer's business publishing casual games for consoles and handhelds began growing very rapidly, Destineer spun out Atomic as a well-funded independent development studio."
Our sister site GameDaily has a chat with Atomic's president Peter Tamte who says, "We see Historical Action much more broadly than just war-based titles, and certainly much more broadly than the WWII games that have dominated the category." He also mentions that the developer has been funded in part by In-Q-Tel, a venture capital firm that is funded by the CIA (yes, that CIA). Tamte states, "they invested in our company a few years ago in connection with some serious stuff we do for the U.S. intelligence community. There should be some interesting video games that evolve from this work, though."
Capcom VP talks more about their PC game business
VideoGamer.com has a new chat with Capcom VP Christian Svensson on why exactly this happens. Svensson basically says that it takes more time to develop a PC port of a game, particularly when it has content that is not in the console version. Testing of PC games also takes a lot of time, according to Svensson. He admits that on the subject of the timing of their PC game releases compared to console ports, "The sad news is we're not going to be consistent about it for a while. So while it's a message I'd love to get across we're not quite walking the walk yet." He also goes into some detail on their views of PC piracy, why they don't work with Valve's Steam service more and other subjects.
Continue reading Capcom VP talks more about their PC game business
Stranglehold movie in the works
Buried in a Hollywood Reporter story about a new Missing in Action movie comes word that the two screenwriters of that flick, Jeremy Passmore and Andre Fabrizio, have also written a script adaptation of Stranglehold. The script itself is for the Lion Rock Entertainment movie company which is headed up by the director of the original Hard Boiled John Woo. He also served as an adviser of the Stranglehold game. It's unclear how much involvement Midway will have in the movie adaptation; indeed the company isn't even mentioned in the Hollywood Reporter story.
Star Trek movie game coming in May
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090310191432im_/http://www.blogcdn.com/news.bigdownload.com/media/2009/03/sttos_s1_brd_insert_dacgamemarch10.jpg)
Now comes word via fan site TrekMovie.com that an upcoming game based on the movie is in the works. The site has posted up a flyer (reproduced here) that will be included in the Blu-Ray release of the Star Trek Season One TV series. It shows a game being announced called Star Trek D-A-C with a picture of the movie's version of the Enterprise firing at alien ships. The flyer shows a May 2009 release date and a logo for Naked Sky Entertainment. The developer's previous game was the 2006 released downloadable title Roboblitz (one of the first games to use Unreal Engine 3). It also shows a ParamountPictures.com/games URL that, for the moment, just feeds into the main web site address of the movie studio.
So what exactly is this game and why has Paramount decided to basically publish this game itself instead of working with another publisher? Stay tuned.
New PC graphics uses ray tracing for (possible) game graphics improvements
Today a new company called Caustic Graphics has officially announced its presence with claims that their PC graphics product will be able to out perform current solutions by up to 20 times. It also claims that their second-generation product, due out in early 2010, will have 200 times (and that's not a typo) the performance of current solutions. Caustic Graphics will base their graphics product on raytracing, a graphics technique that allows for highly realistic looking 3D graphics. Raytracing has also proven to have issues with performance in the past but Caustic claims their technology "enables highly parallel CPUs and GPUs to massively-accelerate raytracing, putting it on par with rasterization and resulting in cinema-quality 3D delivered interactively on low-cost PCs."
The San Fransisco-based Caustic plans to reveal more info about their first product in April 2009. At the moment they are targeting high end computing needs but we suspect that PC gaming is also in their plans.
Continue reading New PC graphics uses ray tracing for (possible) game graphics improvements
GamePro enters the indie game publishing business
GamePro (yes of GamePro magazine and GamePro.com) has announced that it has launched GamePro Labs, their move into the game publishing business. The new venture will concentrate on publishing indie games that are developed on Microsoft's XNA platform (that means PC and Xbox 360 titles) along with Apple's iPhone. GamePro is trying to "find the unrecognized talent out there and give them the keys to publish their game", according to the article. The company's official web site has already launched with a form for developers to submit their games for consideration. Indeed some game have already signed with GamePro Labs and they should be announced sometime during GDC later this month.
Continue reading GamePro enters the indie game publishing business
Warhammer Online wants you to phone a friend . . . sort of
That's not all, though. If you get two subscribers to join you can also get an in-game pet lilke the Warlord's Fell Hound above. Four new recruits nets you an in-game magic item (The Rod of Service of The Collar of Servitude). Yes it's pretty mercenary but we don't think most will hold it against you.
Continue reading Warhammer Online wants you to phone a friend . . . sort of
Dawn of War II stays on top of best selling PC game retail sales list
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090310191432im_/http://www.blogcdn.com/news.bigdownload.com/media/2009/03/npdgroupjuly8.jpg)
This is the second week that the game from publisher THQ has been number one on the charts, keeping Blizzard's fantasy MMO expansion pack World of Warcraft: Wrath of the the Lich King at number two. F.E.A.R 2 and Crysis Warhead depart this list this week with World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade and the ultra-cheap The Sims Carnival: Snap City replacing them.
1. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II - THQ
2. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard
3. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe - Electronic Arts
4. The Sims 2 Deluxe - Electronic Arts
5. World of Warcraft - Blizzard
6. World of Warcraft Battle Chest - Blizzard
7.Spore - Electronic Arts
8. The Sims Carnival: Snap City - Electronic Arts
9. The Sims 2 Apartment Life - Electronic Arts
10. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade - Blizzard
Continue reading Dawn of War II stays on top of best selling PC game retail sales list