NCsoft announced that its latest MMORPG, Aion, has completed its North American development cycle and has been released to manufacturing. Aion will be released in North America on Sept. 22. In advance of the game’s launch, Aion will be showcased at both GamesCom 2009 in Cologne, Germany, as well as the Penny Arcade Expo 2009 in Seattle, Washington. Both events will feature exclusive hands-on access to the 1.5 version of the game, which has yet to be unveiled to Western audiences. This version of the game introduces several new enhancements, including continued improvements to Aion’s character customization system that includes a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements.
Aion has already built decent momentum among gamers across Europe and North America, with more than three million hours of gameplay logged in the game’s closed best testing. Additionally, the Limited Collector’s Edition version of the game is nearly sold out at retailers, and Aion is currently on the best-seller lists for PC games weeks ahead of the game’s launch.
Aion is available for pre-order from several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers, including Aiononline.com, Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games Canada, Fry’s Electronics, GameStop, Steam and Target. For more information about Aion go to www.aiononline.com.
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PC Gaming Alliance adds five new members
The PC Gaming Alliance (PCGA) is not dead folks, it’s just very, very quiet. The non-profit consortium created to promote the PC Gaming Industry and be the authoritative voice of PC Gaming worldwide broke its silence today to announce that it has added new member companies to its fold - eight of them to be precise. The new members joining today are BFG Technologies, Bigfoot Networks, Flextronics, GameStop, GameTap, Gas Powered Games, Howie’s Game Shack and InstantAction.
“We welcome these new members to the PCGA, a rapidly growing organization where companies of all types can come together to expand and improve the PC gaming ecosystem,” said Randy Stude, PCGA president and Intel director, Gaming Program Office.
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Darkest of Days demo coming tomorrow
Phantom EFX and independent game development studio 8monkey Labs will release a PC demo of Darkest of Days, an upcoming historically-based first person shooter, on August 11. The demo promises serious action as players are thrown into the middle of a battle throughout time, learning some hands-on time with a variety of weapons, who the game will work when it is released later this year.
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Indie Flavored: Tasty Static
Described by its creator as a game where players go “really fast and jump a lot,” Tasty Static is actually a clone – an homage, if you will - to the classic Skyroads game created by BlueMoon Interactive. Oh and the author also wants players to know that “you’ll probably get really annoyed along the way too” in addition to the speeding and the jumping. Grab the game directly from www.tastystatic.com.
The game comes in three flavors: Windows, Mac and Linux. There is also a level editor, though it is only available for Windows. Sorry Mac and Linux users.
Tasty Static is freeware, but if you enjoy with the author probably wouldn’t mind getting a check in the mail or even a thank-you card. Consider making a donation to help pay for web hosting and bandwidth costs. Check out the video below to get an idea of what you are in for.
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Hearts of Iron III demo released
Paradox Interactive has released a playable demo for Hearts of Iron III, the third installment in its popular World War II strategy game series. The playable demo gives players a taste of what they can expect from the complete game upon its release. It contains a tutorial and the single player Campaign of 1939. The Hearts of Iron III demo allows you to play as either Germany, France, Poland or the United Kingdom for the first four months of World War II.
Hearts of Iron III will be in stores in North America and via all major digital download portals on August 7th. Releases in Europe will follow on August 14 (UK, Scandinavia) and August 28 (France and Germany).
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Texas Cheat ‘Em coming to Steam
D3Publisher will bring Texas Cheat ‘Em to Steam on August 10. Texas Cheat ‘Em will support online multiplayer, matchmaking, high score tables, voice chat and more. The game will cost $9.99 (9.99 EUR, 8.99 GBP).
Texas Cheat ‘Em fis a new take on the classic Texas Hold ‘Em rules by layering party games and other gambling minigames on top of the basic rules, and allowing players to cheat to win. Cheating attacks are earned by players through more than a dozen minigames, so time usually spent waiting for others to deal or bet in online poker is replaced with small activities that earn players some bonuses and power-ups. The game offers single-player as well as multiplayer options for up to eight players.
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F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn DLC announced
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin fans will be happy to hear that they will soon be able to download four all-new single-player levels in the exclusive F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn DLC campaign from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Monolith Studios, on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Marketplace and Windows. F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn lets players play in four new single-player missions that coincide with the events in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, and a simultaneous automatic title-update that will provide a free Slow-Mo Deathmatch multiplayer mode for use with F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin multiplayer content. A game demo of F.E.A.R. 2 Reborn will be released on August 27.
Players will face the chaos of Alma’s aftermath from an entirely new point of view: that of Replica Soldier Foxtrot813. As gamers begin the mission as part of an orbital Powered Armor drop to reinforce their squad, the ruined city of Auburn emanates supernatural events and familiar voices, beckoning Foxtrot813 to go against orders from Replica command. Be careful, not everything is as it seems…
Through a free title update, gamers will get access to a slow-mo power-up to slow down enemies in multiplayer deathmatch, gaining a short-term advantage. The longer players hold onto the slow-mo power-up, the more objective points are accumulated, contributing to the overall score. Watch out though, whoever has slow-mo ability becomes a bigger target to everyone else!
Additionally, launching on August 13 is a brand new F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin premium theme for 240 Microsoft Points and picture pack for 80 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360, as well as a new theme for PS3 for $1.99. F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn is the third DLC pack available for F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, and will become available for Windows at a later date. The Toy Soldiers map pack launched April 16, with the Armored Front map pack following soon after on May 21.
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