Tarr Chronicles Demo Is Ready For Download

A playable demo for Tarr Chronicles is now available, allowing the opportunity to sample Kvazar Studio’s imminent space combat game. The demo is a 481 MB download, which is available on 3D Downloads, ComputerGames.ro, FileFront, FileShack, and Gamer’s Hell.

Dusk2Dawn Interactive Announces LOCKDOWN

In the spirit of Pirate day here is some space pirate action with LOCKDOWN

Dusk2Dawn Interactive Limited is pleased to announce LOCKDOWN, a first person shooter (FPS), which promises lots of frenetic shooting action elements and an explosive storyline that features a cast of characters who might be your best friends – or maybe one is a traitor.

Developed by StarFish Game Studios, the wholly owned subsidiary of D2D, players will take the role of Cale Mollens, a new recruit, recently assigned to be the ‘trigger-man’ on the Earth’s most powerful spaceship.

The game features an explosive plot with some great movies throughout that help the story to take its many twists and turns.

“I’m really excited about the ‘trust’ element in this game,” said Neil Cotton, Director at Dusk2Dawn Interactive Limited.

“Along the way the player will get helpful briefs and radio comms from fellow crew members, but one thing that should strike players quickly is: if this is the most powerful spaceship in the galaxy, how did the pirates get on board so quickly? Maybe there is a traitor in the ranks?

“The crew members will try to help in a situation, but they won’t always give the right answer, however does that mean that they were trying to kill you, or were they simply wrong, maybe they’re panicking under the pressure. That’s for the player to work out!

“The script has been cleverly written to keep the player alert when taking advice.”

The game will feature 21 levels and boasts some excellent characters to interact with.

Believe + Halo 3 + Hype = More Midnight Madness Event Details

With seven days and counting, the anticipation for “Halo 3″ has reached a fever pitch. To help further stoke the anticipation for what promises to be one of the biggest entertainment launches in history, Microsoft today confirmed further exciting details around the Midnight Madness events happening across the United States starting Monday, September 24 and culminating with the game’s sale at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, September 25.

More than 10,000 retail stores in the U.S. alone will be opening their doors at midnight on September 25 to usher in one of the biggest days in entertainment history, and fans will be invited to participate in activities at local retailers to countdown to “Halo 3’s” launch.

Major regional events will also be held in select locations including New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle and Miami, and those consumers who participate will not only be a part of history in the making, but can also score free merchandise and get a chance to play “Halo 3″ with local celebrities in on-site Game with Fame sessions.

Specific event details include:

New York

Where: Best Buy, 529 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10017

What: Located in the heart of 5th Ave. and only a few blocks from Times Square, the Best Buy store on the corner of 5th and 44th Ave. will be the first to provide consumers in the U.S. with their copies of “Halo 3.” The event, which will begin early afternoon on Monday and can be seen on televisions nationwide via live broadcasts from both Spike TV and G4, will feature day-long activities. People are encouraged to demonstrate their fanaticism for Halo through costumes, distance traveled, best signs and more. Additionally, fans in line may get to play “Halo 3″ prior to launch against on-site celebrities from early Monday afternoon through midnight. Every hour, a new personality will enter the fray with the fans. At midnight, attendees can expect a spectacle unlike any other. A number of Bungie team members and local professional athletes will be on hand to participate in the launch festivities.

Los Angeles

Where: GameStop, 1000 Universal Studios Blvd, Universal City, CA 91608

What: From the entertainment capital of the world, GameStop’s flagship store at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles will host the Halo 3 West Coast launch. The event begins Monday evening and will lead up to the first sale of the game at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, September 25, and will feature a celebrity autograph session, Halo trivia contest and a special appearance by the man of the hour, Master Chief, as well as a number of Bungie team members. Fans in line will also have a chance to be one of the lucky few who can battle it out against a celebrity on “Halo 3″ prior to the launch. The event can be seen on televisions nationwide via live broadcasts from both Spike TV and G4.

Seattle

Where: Best Buy, 457 120th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98005

What: Seattle fans are invited to join the celebrations at Bellevue’s Best Buy, which will open its doors at 12:01 am on September 25 to sell the highly anticipated and final chapter in the “Halo” trilogy. To commemorate the release of “Halo 3″ in the game’s hometown, fans will be able to celebrate the occasion with product giveaways. People in line may also get a chance to play against Bungie team members and local professional athletes.

Miami

Where: Circuit City, 8575 Northwest 13th Terrace, Miami, FL 33126

What: Hosted by Circuit City, Miami’s Midnight Madness event of choice will feature product giveaways and contests starting at 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. Current Miami Dolphins stars, Chris Chambers and Joey Porter will be on hand signing autographs as well as challenging fans in “Halo 3″ inside Circuit City. Additionally, a number of Bungie team members will be on hand to participate in the launch festivities.

Attendees at the regional events will also have an opportunity to receive the following giveaways as part of the festivities:

• Halo Action Clix from WizKids
• Collectible trading cards from Topps
• Halo Ghosts of Onyx by Eric Nylund from Tor
• Frag Fest t-shirts from Mighty Fine
• Accessories and hats from Changes
• Messenger bags from Enmon Accessories
• Console sling bag and hardware organizers from BD&A
• Halo Graphic Novels published by Marvel
• 2008 Halo calendars from Trends International
• Halo Uprising Comic (issue one) from Marvel
• Halo soundtracks from Sumthing Else Music
• Weapon replicas from Master Replicas
• Zune Halo 3 edition
• Limited-edition figurines from the diorama created for the “Halo 3″ ad campaign and many other great pieces of merchandise.

Sins Of A Solar Empire Beta 3 Begins Thursday

Stardock Entertainment and Ironclad Games announced today that the upcoming Beta 3 of Sins of a Solar Empire, which begins on September 20th, will introduce multiplayer functionality and a host of other new features to the RT4X space-strategy game. Gamers who pre-order before September 26th will gain immediate access to Sins of a Solar Empire Beta 3, allowing them to vie for galactic supremacy with their friends via LAN and Ironclad Online (ICO). Players can pre-order Sins of a Solar Empire now via the digital-distribution service, TotalGaming.net.

Scheduled for release in February 2008, Sins of a Solar Empire is one of the year’s most anticipated PC games. Hailed by GameSpot as “remarkably original” and “an elegant take on space strategy,” Sins of a Solar Empire puts players in charge of one of three distinct factions as they explore star systems, expand their empire, exploit conquered planets and exterminate their rivals, all in an intuitive real-time environment. The game’s unprecedented scale allows players to zoom from a view of multiple solar systems right down to a single fighter in the midst of a massive space battle, while the sophisticated interface ensures they’re not overwhelmed by their vast empire. Stunning visuals and remarkable artificial intelligence are among a massive number of features that help immerse players in this innovative strategy game that had PC Gamer warning its readers to “Expect to play into the wee hours of the night (and enjoy it).

Features of Sins of a Solar Empire Beta 3 include:

• Multiplayer for up to 10 players via LAN or Ironclad Online (ICO), as well as 14 custom maps to accommodate various multiplayer game types
• New artifact/planet exploration system allowing players to spend resources to have analysts and scientists survey a planet’s geography, indigenous wildlife, and core industries to determine how best to exploit the natural wealth of the planet
• Introduction of the ominous Pirate Base, all new pirate ships and new pirate behavior allowing players to influence pirate factions by economic means through new additions to the Bounty System
• New environmental features, including space anomalies, a new planet type and planetoids that factor heavily into players’ tactical choices and overall strategies
• The revolutionary Smart Zoom to Cursor camera, upgrades to the cultural system that allow players to intimidate enemies with capital ships, improved research mechanics, tons of new artwork, and many more improvements, updates and fixes

Jack Thompson Thinks he is in GTA IV and Wants out

Outspoken anti-games lawyer Jack Thompson has decided that a representation of a 2nd amendment lawyer in GTA IV is a mocking version of him. He has declared that if the representation is not removed he will attempt to block the release of the game.

Excerpt from GamePolitics: ‘The showcasing play of the game to Game Informer revealed that the first killing mission of the hero of the game, Niko, is to kill a certain lawyer. When Niko comes into this lawyer’s office, having used subterfuge to do so, Niko pulls a gun on the lawyer who says, that the firm supports the second amendment and that ‘Guns don’t kill people. Video games do.’

Harmotion Wins Intel Multi-threading Game Demo Contest

Bottomless Pit Games and their online multiplayer game Harmotion  have taken 1st Place in the Intel Multi-Threading Game Demo Contest. A 3D top-down shooter designed in the classic shoot-em up style, Harmotion is an action packed game about blending light, color, sound, and music; a game for all your senses. Reminiscent of old favorites like Galaga and Space Invaders, Harmotion updates that old genre with online multiplayer play, eye-burning visual effects, and player directed music and sound effects.

Harmotion won the competition by implementing advanced multithreading support for next-generation processors. The Harmotion Engine is a bleeding edge engine built for the next generation of online multiplayer shoot-em up games. It was architected to network up to 1,000 projectile collisions on the screen at once! All of the engines subsystems (including shader, particle, and collision effects) fully utilize multiple cores to offer faster, more dynamic breathtaking experiences.

Harmotion is free to play and still in the beta-testing check it out.

2 million dollar prize for the Fury Challenge Beta

Here’s a batch of Fury screenshots to celebrate the Fury Challenge with the challenge prize fund reaching 2 million dollars. The competition weekends begin next week so you better get signed up if you want a piece of the $2M pie.

“During Fury Challenge we’re capping player Ranks at an easily obtainable level,” said Adam Carpenter, Fury Creative Director. “Since this is an Open Beta event, it is critical that new players become competitive quickly while avoiding the complexities that a max level, fully unlocked character would bring. This ensures the Challenge is all about player skill and teamwork, not time played, and this is what Fury’s gameplay and design is all about.”

Fury Challenge is a ladder based competition where players compete in 3 different game types either solo or as part of a Clan. There will be 2 practice weekends (Sept 14-16 and Sept 21-23) and the Ladders will be reset in preparation for the two competition weekends (Sept 28-30 and Oct 5-7). Players can either download the client from one of our sponsors or pick up a pre-order disk from participating retailers.

Hellgate London Beta Next Week

The beta for Hellgate London will officially start next week, according to a press release EA sent out. How do you get in? By pre-ordering the game. “We’re excited to get our most passionate players into the early Beta test, and to reward them with a special look once the game goes live on Halloween,” said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. “The Founder’s offer is designed for those die-hard fans that will have had time to really get to know the game during the Beta phase and plan on spending a lot of time with us online.”

Here’s what you get when you pre-order, and/or decide to take the $149 plunge:

• A key to an exclusive Beta starting next week and ending October 7, 2007.
• One of four exclusive dye-kits1 that will give your hero’s gear a cool color theme right off the bat when Hellgate: London officially opens on Halloween.
• Eligibility to take advantage of the Hellgate: London Founders Offer, giving hardcore players a chance to purchase a lifetime subscription2 to Hellgate’s premium service for $149.99.

Tarr Chronicles Goes Gold

CDV Software Entertainment announces Tarr Chronicles is gold, and that Akella’s science fiction combat game is due in North American stores on September 24:

Tarr Chronicles, the science fiction-themed space combat title from cdv Software Entertainment USA and Akella has gone gold today. The game, which will have players creating custom spacecraft to do battle with a dark and imposing alien threat, will ship to North American retail on September 24, 2007. For more information about Tarr Chronicles, please visit http://www.cdvus.com.
Lost in space and deep behind enemy lines, the player must don an elite fighter pilot’s uniform and defend the galaxy’s last hope in Tarr Chronicles, a gripping arcade-style space combat simulation in development by Quasar Studio and Akella. At your disposal are dozens of detailed high-tech fighters bristling with cannons and rocket launchers, yours to fly against an unstoppable alien menace - the De’Khete. Intelligent squad mates with unique personalities will assist you in frenzied white-knuckle space battles between vast fleets of fighters and massive capital ships. From fully-customizable equipment to fast-action combat encounters, Tarr Chronicles will keep you pinned to your seat.

Team Fortress 2 Map Video Previews

Short video overviews for each of Team Fortress’ six maps.

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Team Fortress 2 tc_hydro

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Team Fortress 2 cp_gravelpit

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