THQ goes underground with Metro 2033

THQ revealed a new first-person shooter that it has picked up the publishing rights to called Metro 2033. The game is being developed by Ukrainian studio 4A Games for Xbox 360 and PC using the company’s proprietary game engine technology which promises to deliver a “gripping, atmospheric experience.”

Metro 2033’s back story is based on the best-selling Russian novel of the same name by Dmitry Glukhovsky, who is also working closely with the studio to create the game. The Metro 2033 game has been in development at 4A Games for just over two years, and the film rights are currently in negotiation with a number of Hollywood studios.

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Painkiller Resurrection demo released

A playable demo for DreamCatcher Games’ Painkiller Resurrection is now available for download, giving players a slight taste of the game that is set for release on Tuesday, Oct. 27 in North America. Based on the 2004 first-person shooter from People Can Fly, this new game tells the story of William ‘Wild Bill’ Sherman, an ex CIA Agent who managed to get himself and many innocent civilians killed in his final mission on the plane of the living. Now trapped in Purgatory, Sherman finds himself fighting in the eternal war between heaven and hell.

Painkiller Resurrection promises a new coop multiplayer campaign mode, new levels, new monsters and a whole new storyline. Other incidental features include improved shadows and texture resolution, moveable light sources, post processing, motion blur, ambient occlusion and lots of physics-based action that made the original such a hit.

Painkiller Resurrection will retail for $19.99 USD and has an ESRB rating of M for Mature. Find out more about the demo by visiting www.dreamcatchergames.com.

Painkiller: Resurrection gold, in stores Oct. 27

JoWooD Productions and DreamCatcher Games announced that the horror themed action shooter sequel, Painkiller: Resurrection, has gone gold. The Austrian development studio Homegrown Games has just completed production on the latest title in the Painkiller series and the game is set to hit stores across North America on October 27.

In Painkiller Resurrection players take on the role of ‘Wild Bill’ Sherman as he once again tackles the denizens of purgatory who are a notoriously unfriendly lot for obvious reasons. The game promises new levels, new monsters, new bosses, a new story, improved shadows, a higher resolutions, moveable light sources, post processing, motion blur, ambient occlusion, a new cooperative multiplayer campaign mode and more.

JoWooD will publish the game in Europe.

Dreamkiller now available on Steam

Aspyr Media and Mindware Studios announced that the new horror themed first-person shooter Dreamkiller is available now exclusively via Steam. Dreamkiller for Windows PC features 50 Steam achievements, leaderboards and online multiplayer action in addition to a brand new storyline and gameplay crafted by the makers of Cold War for PC, Mac, Linux and Xbox and Painkiller Overdose.

Dreamkiller will ship later this month for the Xbox 360. The title is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. Find out more about the game by visiting www.mindwarestudios.com or www.aspyr.com. You can purchase the game by visiting www.steampowered.com.

The maps of Mercenary Wars

Some of the maps in Uforia’s upcoming online military themed first-person shooter, Mercenary Wars were revealed today. These virtual war zones will include a museum filled with treasures and an overthrown Mosque (that’s a bit of a risqué setting for any game, let along an FPS), to a restaurant with secret meeting rooms.

You can check out some video and screens of the locales at mercenarywars.uforia.com right now, but descriptions provided by the publisher can be found after the break.

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University of Queensland lecture: are shooters to blame?

Video game enthusiasts - particularly in the general vicinity of St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia - may want to take note of an interesting public lecture from the University of Queensland’s School of Political Science and International Studies on first-person shooter games. The lecture will ask, and one would assume, attempt to answer the question: do these kinds of games by their very nature desensitize young adult males and teens to violence, conflict and war and ignore conflict resolution?

On Oct. 5. Academic Peter Mantello will head deliver the lecture (Are violent computer games to blame?), which aims to discern if FPS games teach youngsters that military warfare is the most effective foreign policy tool. By the way this public lecture is being framed at QU, one would think that Mantello (a self professed gamer) thinks it is a foregone conclusion, but it is an interesting topic that deserves more attention and thoughtful discussion.

It’s an interesting question but the answer will probably get lost on gamers who will find the way the question has been framed as slightly offensive. Does a person that plays a first-person shooter like Call of Duty or Counter-Strike truly believe that military action in tense global and political situations is always the first option, or better still, for the youth of the world - do they even care - are they even paying attention to the things going on in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Dufar, etc.?

First-Person Shooters are by their very nature about conflict, obviously - if they were not they’d be called Flower; but it is probably fair to say that they seldom offer any option but to kill, blow up and destroy. But to say they teach a certain behavior is a bit of an insult to the intelligence of most players who can separate game from reality.

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Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood updated

Ubisoft has released the patch 1.1 for the PC version of Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood. The patch 1.1 improves the multiplayer experience on Windows-based systems, with Spy, Gunslinger, Hombre, Veteran and Sniper classes balanced to offer improved gunfights.

The patch 1.1 also brings compatibility with Techland’s User Content Creation Package which offers a complete solution for creating and modifying full functional multiplayer and single-player maps. The User Content Creation Package is now available at www.cojmodding.com.

A complete fix and feature list for Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood PC patch 1.1 can be found at http://www.callofjuarez.com, along with doewnload locations for the update.