Today S2 Games, developers of the Savage franchise, unveiled a new website and trailer for their upcoming RTS/RPG Heroes of Newerth.
Heroes of Newerth is essentially a retail copy of the hugely popular Warcraft III custom map Defense of the Ancients. Slated to arrive fourth quarter 09, the $30 game features various improvements over the original mod such as, VoIP support, Reconnection capabilities as well as better looking graphics and models.
As someone who is currently in the beta for HoN, let me say that I love this game. I’m a hardcore DotA fan, but the improvements S2 Games have included make HoN a much more enjoyable experience. If you’re a DotA fan, you really should consider checking out HoN.
Are these dreadfully slow summer days wearing you thin? Tried of having no good titles to buy? Well, Steam has got you covered. This weekend, in celebration of the new Dawn of War II “There is Only War” update, Steam is having a sale on all of Relic’s recent RTS titles.
Gamers can snag Company of Heroes and its expansions, Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War and all its expansions, and Dawn of War II for 50% off.
Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. I’ve played though all these games and can tell you, they are worth it. You better act soon though, the sale is only for the weekend.
Today Microsoft announced that another batch of Halo Wars DLC will hit July 21. Dubbed the “Historic Battles” pack, this bit of DLC recreates “key turning points in the UNSC/Covenant war” via four new multiplayer maps.
According to Major Nelson’s blog, the “Historic Battles” pack is priced at 800 Microsoft Points and will add two 1v1 maps, one 2v2 map, and one 3v3 map. Nelson offers a brief overview of each map, saying:
“Barrens (1v1 Map): Difficult terrain channels units into killing zones. The side that controls the Forerunner artifacts will have the advantage.”
“Blood River (1v1 Map): Secure base locations on nearby cliffs overlook this naturally red-tinged river. The soldiers that fought over its two narrow crossings gave the river its name, which has since taken on a greater meaning.”
“Glacial Ravine (3v3 Map): A snow-topped mountain range forms a natural barrier that cuts this region in half. Control of the two energy walls at the narrow central pass often determines the outcome of the battle, though clever use of the Sentinel Factories may play a role as well.”
“Memorial Basin (2v2 Map): The high ground in the middle offers good cover for infantry, while the generally open terrain transforms organized battle plans into bloodbaths.”
Today developer Relic revealed the contents of the “There is Only War” update for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II.
The free update will bring eight new multiplayer maps, ranging in size from 1v1 to 3v3, the ability to spectate custom multiplayer matches, and various gameplay fixes and balancing tweaks.
Relic has stated that all Dawn of War II owners will be able to participate in a beta test of the new update in early July. The developer has yet to comment as to when gamers can expect the update. You can be sure that I’ll post updates as they arrive.
Today EA Phenomic released a “Play 4 Free” version of its trading card/real time strategy game BattleForge.
The “Play 4 Free” version allows “full access to the BattleForge game, including all community features, scenarios, the recently launched Renegade campaign.” In addition to the campaign modes, there is 12 player online multiplayer.
Gamers who download the “Play 4 Free” edition receive 32 cards. If you want more, you’re going to have to fork over some cash via microtransactions. If 32 cards doesn’t seem like a lot, it’s important to note that the retail version ($30) gives gamers 64 cards and 3000 BattleForge Points to purchase more.
If the “Play 4 Free” edition sounds like your kinda thing, you can download it at BattleForge.com.
Today the first batch of DLC for Halo Wars arrived.
Dubbed the “Strategic Options” pack, the add-on comes with three new multiplayer modes and 100 gamer points worth of new achievements. According to Microsoft: “Keepaway Mode is the “Halo Wars” adaptation of Capture the Flag. Teams will battle it out to capture a free-roaming Forerunner Sentinel to score points before the other team. Capture three sentinels to claim victory.
Tug of War Mode is all about having a stronger army than the opponent. Defeating enemies is essential, but success is determined by a combination of the army, buildings and resources left standing in the end.
In Reinforcement Mode, all active battle units are provided in successive waves. Players must adapt their tactics and use the ever-changing set of units to outwit and outlast the enemy.”
Halo Wars’s “Strategic Options” DLC is priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10) and can be found on Xbox Live Marketplace.
According to a post on the World of Warcraft site, Blizzard is now accepting StarCraft II beta sign-ups.
The post states, “The StarCraft II beta-test period is coming in the months ahead! If you’d like a chance to participate, now’s the time to let us know.”
In order to sign up, you have to visit your Battle.net profile page. Once there, click the link labeled “Beta Profile Settings.” Follow the steps and you will be signed up.
Today Blizzard released the second edition of their Starcraft II battle reports series. For those of you who don’t know, the Battle Report is a video of two developers playing each other in SCII shoutcasted by SCII’s lead designer and a professional Starcraft player.
This episode features 20 minutes of Zerg on Terran action. To check out a higher quality version of the video above, click here.
One of the biggest titles to hit this week, Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor, has had a rocky launch. It seems that some of the boxed copies were shipped to retail without the cd-key needed to activate the game.
THQ stated, “Certain retailers in Canada received Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor copies affected by incomplete manuals, resulting in the lack of a cd-key,”
If you were unfortunate enough to pick up a copy without a cd-key don’t worry, THQ has got your back. In order to get a replacement key, all you need to do is take a picture of the manual’s back page and the sales receipt. Once you have those pictures, go here and fill out the form with your info. THQ will email you a new key as soon as possible.
As expected, THQ has issued an apology stating, “Our apologies for the inconvenience; we look forward to expeditiously resolving this for you, and getting you up and running.”
More details regarding Titan Studios’s PS3 exclusive downloadable RTS, Fat Princess were revealed during GDC. Specifically, details regarding the singleplayer modes were discussed.
One singleplayer mode is titled “Gladiator” and it pit you against waves of bad guys using a fully leveled character. The other mode revealed is titled “The Legend Of The Fat Princess.” This mode is your traditional singleplayer story mode that details how and why you are fighting over the Fat Princess.
Titan Studios is trying for a Summer release. They are in the tail end of the development process, trying to fix some bugs and tweak the gameplay.
Later today the Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 stand alone expansion, titled Uprising, is slated to hit the EA Store. In order to get your hands on it, all you have to do it go here and drop $19.95.
What does this $20 get you? C&C Red Alert 3: Uprising comes with four new mini-campaigns. Three of these campaigns will be your classic RTS campaign, while the fourth is a “dungeon-crawler style campaign” focusing on Yuriko Omega, the Japanese psychic commando unit.
Aside from the campaigns you will also get the new Commander’s Challenge mode that offers 50 scenarios of “over-the-top” action. The best part about this mode is that there are new live-action cutscenes featuring Ric Flair, Gemma Atkinson and Malcolm McDowell.
Secondly, if StarCraft II hit stores on June 2 as the flyer suggests, that would put it two months prior to BlizzCon 2009–a highly dubious release schedule if Blizzard’s history is considered. The publisher typically teases big releases at BlizzCon, then schedules them for later in the year.
It’s always possible that Blizzard upped its schedule for some inscrutable reason, but the date doesn’t fit its M.O. Just sayin’. And “when it’s done” is the mantra that Blizzard lives by, so it’s hard to believe SC2 is getting rushed out the door.
Are these dreadfully slow summer days wearing you thin? Tried of having no good titles to buy? Well, Steam has got you covered. This weekend, in celebration of the new Dawn of War II “There is Only War” update, Steam is having a sale on all of Relic’s recent RTS titles.
Today Microsoft announced that another batch of Halo Wars DLC will hit July 21. Dubbed the “Historic Battles” pack, this bit of DLC recreates “key turning points in the UNSC/Covenant war” via four new multiplayer maps.
Today developer Relic revealed the contents of the “There is Only War” update for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II.
Today EA Phenomic released a “Play 4 Free” version of its trading card/real time strategy game BattleForge.
One of the biggest titles to hit this week, Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor, has had a rocky launch. It seems that some of the boxed copies were shipped to retail without the cd-key needed to activate the game.
Later today the Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 stand alone expansion, titled Uprising, is slated to hit the EA Store. In order to get your hands on it, all you have to do it go 