King’s Bounty: Armored Princess released

1C Company has released King’s Bounty: Armored Princess. Developed by Katauri Interactive, Armored Princess is the sequel to King’s Bounty: The Legend which is a spiritual successor to King’s Bounty - which spawned the popular Heroes of Might and Magic series. Players take on the role of Princess Amelie as she travels the world of Teana in search of a renowned knight from the first game, Bill Gilbert.

This strategy game with RPG leanings promises new creatures, huge bosses and a new race, the Lizardmen. Players will have many new options to resist these new enemies including new skills and abilities, as well as a flying steed - a dragon companion to the princess that will do its best to protect her. The game also promises a new story-line, a whole new continent to explore, medals, the aformentioned pet Dragon which becomes more powerful as the player does, the new Lizardmen race, fast travel between opened continents, hirelings, the return of the classic system of contracts and headhunting, improved role playing elements including more abilities and the chance to achieve level 50 or higher, new spells, unique bosses (Driller, Gremlin, Archdemon Baal and many others) an improved game engine, and much more.

Armored Princess is available for download on Steam, GamersGate, Direct2Drive, Stardock/Impulse and from 1cpublishing.com for $39.99.

The missing features of Shiren the Wanderer

Atlus U.S.A. has released new details on Shiren the Wanderer, the upcoming “rogue-like” RPG for Wii - including three online features from the Japanese version of the game will not be included in the North American release. According to Atlus U.S.A. public relations manager Aram Jabbari, “the North American version of Shiren will not include the Rescue, Versus, or Item Transfer.” He did note that the downloadable dungeon content from the Japanese version will be included on the disc.

While Jabbari understands that these omissions may upset some North American players, he points out that he still thinks the game is a fantastic RPG experience without them. What he does not explain is why these features are being omitted in the first place.

For those not familiar with the game, Shiren the Wanderer is an action RPG that lets you play as a wandering samurai named Shiren, who explores different time periods in a colorful and historic Japan. The North American version of the game offers variable difficulties including a new easy mode that lets new players ease into the game and a normal mode for more seasoned players. Post-game activities will offer additional quests, super dungeons, a tournament, and the ultimate challenge of the Millennium Dungeon, a 1,000 floor dungeon crawl. Players can take control of their party directly or let the game’s A.I do the heavy lifting by setting “attitude and tendency.” Players can also modify equipment through the new Dragon Orb system, giving them with special abilities via more than 100 Seals and use new spells that allow for targeted effects on enemies and more.

Shiren the Wanderer is currently scheduled for release on February 9, 2010. For more details on the game, check out the very first blog entry about it over at www.atlus.com. Check out some nifty screenshots after the break.

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Torchlight two-hour trial released

Perfect World Entertainment is offering a two-hour trial version of Runic Game’s excellent action-RPG, Torchlight. After trying out the game for a few hours, players will then be prompted to purchase the game for $19.99. I can tell you that you don’t need two hours with this game to know that it is a lot of fun and worth a mere $20, but for those that don’t want to believe me, you can grab the demo at torchlight.perfectworld.com.

If you need more proof, you can check out my ill-prepaired and executed review of the game.

Blood Bowl: Dark Elves Edition dated

Blood Bowl: Dark Elves Edition will be released on Steam November 26, according to Focus Home Interactive. Blood Bowl is an ultra-violent team sport set in the Warhammer fantasy universe that lets players compose a team of Orcs, Elves, Humans, Dwarves and many other fantasy creatures before jumping into the bloodiest arenas in the realms. The sport game is both strategic and violent and requires tactics, and a lot of self-confidence.

Recently released in Europe where it reached first place on the PC charts, Blood Bowl will be launched in the United States on the Steam digital platform starting November 26. Preorders started on November 19th. A brand new version of the game will be available for American players via Steam. The new version features the original eight races and an additional playable race: the dreadful Dark Elves. The Dark Elves will have their own star player, cheerleaders, and play style.

More details, including a video of this new race , can be found at www.bloodbowl-game.com.

Dragon Age DLC in Dec.

Most of us haven’t even scratched the surface of BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins, and yet BioWare seems overly anxious to gives us more content to play. The company is kind of like an overly excited parent rushing their child through presents on Christmas morning. Meanwhile, we’re still trying to enjoy the original game’s various nuances and secrets.

But despite that, BioWare is moving forward with downloadable content in Dec. The first bit of DLC, Return to Ostagar, allows players to go on a quest to collect the mighty arms and armor of the once great King Cailan in Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens’ darkest hour. Besides these mythical arms and weapons, players will learn the secrets of Ferelden’s fallen king. Players will discover King Cailan’s secret political agenda and go behind enemy lines to revisit a place that many believed was forever lost to history. This location is particularly forboding because it was here that the Grey Wardens were almost wiped out.

Return to Ostagar will be available for $4.99 on the PlayStation Store, for 400 BioWare Points on the PC (yeah, BioWare points. Really) and 400 Microsoft Points on the Xbox 360 in North America. Return to Ostagar will be released this Holiday season worldwide.  Figure out what BioWare Points are by visiting dragonage.com.

Gyromancer now on Xbox Live Arcade, Steam

Square Enix and PopCap Games have released their first collaborative game development effort, Gyromancer, on XBLA for 1200 points and on Steam for $14.99. Gyromancer is a strategic puzzle RPG that offers a deep storyline, a multifaceted leveling system and 50 monsters to call upon during battle.

Players assume the role of Rivel, a summoner who ventures through the enchanted Aldemona Wood. Each stage contains its own objectives, from defeating beasts that block the player’s way, to solving puzzles before time runs out. Rivel can learn to summon dozens of the beasts he encounters, bending their power to his will and commanding them in battle. Hidden within each stage are a number of rewards earned for completing feats great and small.

Look for the game on Steam and Xbox Live Arcade today.

Final Fantasy XIII release date: March 9, 2010

Square Enix today officially announced the North American street date for its next Final Fantasy game. And what a fitting day for such an announcement - Friday the 13th. Final Fantasy XIII will be released in North America on March 9, 2010 and will be available for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (see the brand new announcement trailer for some inside info from the developers).

The game is being produced by Kitase Yoshinori (Final Fantasy VII, X and X-2), directed by Motomu Toriyama (Final Fantasy VII, X and X-2), will feature character design by Tetsuya Nomura (Final Fantasy V, VI, VII, VIII, X) with art direction being handled by Isamu Kamikokuryo (Final Fantasy X, XII). Rounding out this reunion of sorts is Misashi Hamazu (Final Fantasy X, Dirge of Cerebus) who will create the orchestral score, and Takeshi Nozue (Advent Children), who will direct the cinematics. The game will also feature “My Hands,” a single from Leona Lewis’ upcoming album Echo (set for release Nov. 17, 2009).

Final Fantasy XIII features a brand new world, an improved Active Battle System (ATB), an all new summon system that features the ability (Gestalt mode) to let players combine with their summons (Eidolons) to deliver devastating amounts of damage, a brand new game mechanic called Paradigm that lets players assign roles to part members that can change the tide of battle and high definition graphics and sound enabled by development on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Look for the game in stores March 9, 2010. Square Enix promises to reveal more about this game in the days, moths and weeks leading up to its release next year so stay tuned. You can learn what there is to know about Final Fantasy XIII by visiting www.finalfantasyxiii.com. The site features new info on characters Fang, Hope and Serah today.�