Stained game demo has just got updated. We are giving away more maps in this demo and it cover most important aspect of the stained gameplay. The major feature added to this demo is combat level. Now there are 3 combat levels in stained.

Normal, Medium and difficult. One major feedback we got from our early user was the combat is way too difficult for beginner so we decided to add easier combat level.

In normal mode if you hit the enemy anywhere It  will receive the damage and die easily and health regeneration is faster. In Medium/Difficult mode you have to hit the enemies  at the weak point. Weak points are indicated by a glowing spot which disappear after first hit. If and only if you hit the weak spot the enemies will get hurt. In these higher combat level health regeneration speed is less compared to the normal mode. So start with normal mode get comfortable with controls and then explore the higher combat level.

Demo Download Link : http://www.stained-thegame.com/public-demo.

Stained is now available at Desura and Impulse for $9.99

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Arlington, U.S.A — January 1, 1996 Microsoft releases the first Close Combat, which launches the most successful computer wargame series in history. Almost seventeen years and fifteen releases later, the most popular real-time tactical wargame is back. With the release of Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog by Matrix Games and Slitherine, the franchise goes full circle.

Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog depicts an historical battle that closely follows the events of Operation Overlord, which was the setting of the very first release.  The Battle of Mortain, when the 47th German Panzer Corps launched a desperate week-long assault on the strategic position of Hill 315 where the U.S. 30th Infantry Division proudly defended the allied gains made during Operation Cobra and ensured the success of the breakout from Normandy and the liberation of France.

Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog has all the classic ingredients of its predecessors. Using an updated version of the engine, the game features factors such as ammo, morale, experience, suppressive fire, cover and concealment, along with weapon types, armor facing and penetration.

For the last time, the classic sprite and 2D artwork engine is used, but with improvements. With Panthers in the Fog, the game has been given a boost, bumping from the old 16-bit graphics to the much more detailed and impressive 32-bit graphics. Terrain and units look a lot better and players are now able to enjoy a never-seen-before level of detail.

With 35 linked battlefields and historically accurate formations and units, strategic choices are as important as tactical prowess. New features such as long-range interdiction, strategic high ground and adverse weather conditions give the player insight into the challenges faced by those who commanded both sides in this pivotal World War II battle.

The game includes more than 50 historically accurate key units and 47 weapon types rendered in exact detail. With 35 unique regions to fight over, the possibility of commanding up to 21 squads per battle and truly enhanced multiplayer experience using Slitherine’s integrated lobby system, Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog has all the elements to become a classic like all its predecessors.

Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog is aiming to release this November. For more information on Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog, view the official product page on the Matrix Games or Slitherine website.

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Twain Harte, U.S.A – On October 5, Ratloop Asia and Reverb Publishing announced that their upcoming bird ‘n brawn shooter involving conspiracy, fowl play and an insane amount of bullets –Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken – will be coming home to roost on PC Wednesday, October 15.

“October has always been a great month for gaming, and what better way to start it off than with a hilariously unique side-scrolling action shooter featuring fantastic and addictive gameplay,” said Ted Lange, executive producer with Reverb Publishing. “There’s something deeply satisfying about unloading clip after clip into a hapless horde of evil birds, and it’s only made better with a friend on co-op.”

Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken (which is also available on the PlayStation Network) expands the Rocketbirds universe with new characters, missions, puzzles, exclusive music videos, retro cut scenes, an enhanced Hard difficulty mode and more. Set in Albatropolis, a land full of birds taken over by a totalitarian penguin regime, Hardboiled Chicken, the original Coq of War, must assassinate the evil penguin leader Putzki.

His mission will unlock the secrets to his mysterious, hard boiled past and uncover the real enemies of Albatropolis. In single-player mode, take on the role of Hardboiled Chicken and destroy your enemies with a slew of weapons you collect and unlock in each chapter.

Master fowl play in the co-op campaign as a pair of Budgie commandos on a mission to save the general’s daughter. Many lives will be destroyed, countless penguins will die, and an astonishing past will be unveiled through a series of unlockable cut scenes and videos.

Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken is a part of Reverb Publishing’s growing roster of titles, which includes the massively-successful Dungeon Defenders, as well as the upcoming fall 2012 line-up of Ravaged, Primal Carnage, Edge of Space, Cognition and much more. For more information on Reverb Publishing and its line-up of titles, please visit us at www.reverbpublishing.com.

Rocketbirds will be available on Steam, GamersGate, Rain Digital Games and GameStop – gamers can preorder now from Rain Digital Games to receive four songs from the original soundtrack as well as an extra co-op character (Agent H.) and weapon (Photon Blaster).

For more information about Ratloop Asia and Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken, please visit http://www.ratloop.com/?games/hardboiled.

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New Star Soccer, the indie-game soccer super hit RPG is now available for PC/Mac on Steam having enjoyed incredible success on the AppStore. The game, downloaded and enjoyed by millions across a wide range of platforms is already a phenomenon as the game quickly gathers a reputation for being one of the most addictive titles in years.

The game sees you take on the persona of a fledgling youth player as you play through the ranks, increasing your skills and experience along the way, through the divisions and onto glory on the world stage. The game has a significantly different feel to other soccer games and is one where the care, attention and sheer passion for the players experience stands out.

Simon Read is the lone developer and producer of the game, one of the brightest UK indie successes in years and having recently teamed up with Martyn Brown, big plans are afoot to develop the title further, bring it to more players around the world and build upon it’s already growing reputation.

Martyn had this to say upon linking up with Simon “This is an incredibly exciting time for indie developers and this is already one of the great success stories. It’s a pleasure to work with Simon, such a level-headed and astute guy and help bring his game to a mass audience, new partners and help him reach the lofty goals he’s set himself.”

Jon Hare, industry icon, industry veteran and former Sensible Software boss gushed the following about the game on mobile (which is available for iPad, iPhone and Android);

“I genuinely cannot put down New Star Soccer ever since I first downloaded it just over a week ago”

“….What can I say about this game, in my “not so humble” opinion it is by far the best player manager
game on the market since Sensible World of Soccer and has been made by a much needed new British gaming hero.”

“Wait a minute… what is that I hear from the terraces? “Who are you? Who are you?” … “Si Read we f**king love Si Read, we f**king love Si Read, we f**king love Si Read” etc.”

For further information on the game, visit newstargames.com.

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City Interactive’s Dogfight 1942 will be available for Steam members on September 24, 2012. Dogfight 1942, the exhilarating console-like experience available as a digital download, aims to bring the aerial combat genre to a whole new level. It combines the pick-up-and-play simplicity of an arcade game, the convenience of a digital download, with the depth and production value typically found solely in traditional retail games.

Dogfight 1942 is a fast-paced WWII air combat arcade-style game that features three unique game modes — Dogfight, Survival and Campaign — each offering an abundance of action that is engaging and exciting. City Interactive seamlessly implemented intuitive controls in order to reduce the need for lengthy tutorials and for gamers of all levels to quickly and easily grab a remote and jump right into the game.

However, while the controls are not overly complicated, gameplay is extremely competitive so that even the most ardent flight game fan will find Dogfight 1942 challenging.

In addition to the Steam release, City Interactive today launched their second DLC installment, Dogfight 1942: Fire Over Africa on Xbox Live Arcade. Fans of the game are presented with the challenge of facing the infamous General Rommel in a clash with his forces above Tobruk. The all-out battle in the sky marks one of the most pivotal aerial skirmishes on the African front – the Battle of El Alamein.

In Fire Over Africa, players will need to become Britain’s top pilot in order to help the Allies repel the Nazi threat before the ominous shadow of the Axis Alliance takes over the sands of Africa. The scorching hot African sky will soon light up with the flames of heavy cannons and fill with the smoke of bullet-ridden fighter planes.

Think you have what it takes to conquer the enemy? If so, hop in the cockpit and show us what you got.

Dogfight 1942 is out now on XBLA for 1200 Microsoft Points and is on Steam for £11.99

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Berlin, Germany — “Frozen Hearth,” an enticing mix of strategy and RPG, is set in the world of Amorra, which the Danaan have called home for many generations. With the advancing forces of the ice demons, known as the Shangur, this is about to change.

The ancient world of Amorra draws its influences from many areas including, but not restricted to, dark fairy tales and conventional fantasy as well as Celtic, Scandinavian and other European mythologies. The aim was to create a fantastical but believable world that’s grounded in reality. It is this world, the home of the Danaan, which is under threat from the invading Shangur.

Unfortunately for the Danaan, it soon becomes apparent that the ice demons are just too powerful to be defeated and the Danaan’s only hope for survival is to flee. This is where the player’s as-yet inexperienced hero comes into the picture: he is cast into the demanding position of leadership, responsible for a group of refugees that need to be lead to safety, all the while marshaling his forces and holding off marauding enemies.

Throughout the main story the gripping fight for survival unfolds and sees the player’s hero coming into his true power until he is in charge of the most elite warriors, armed with the most powerful weapons and magic and backed by other heroic figures of the Danaan: he is no longer just responsible for a single village but a source of hope for the entire Danaan people.

On his path to becoming the ultimate hero of the Danaan the player must slowly progress from saving a small caravan of refugees to being given more and more important tasks and missions from powerful and influential Danaan. During this time the hero will not only grow in personal power but also experience or witness tragedy first-hand and acquire the allies and tools to ultimately thwart the Shangur’s unrelenting drive to destroying everyone and everything in their path.

Frozen Hearth will be released in late 2012 and will be available for purchase in retail stores and via digital download platforms.

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Oxfordshire, U.K. — Silverball Studios announced on September 11, 2012, that a completely free PC download of one of the original Pro Pinball games; Big Race USA, will be available only on its Kickstarter page. The award winning title, originally released in 1998 has remained a firm favourite in the series and has been cited as one of the best pinball games ever made.

In addition to this, the studio has announced that all backers, that have pledged over $2 at the end of the campaign and on success of reaching or exceeding the target, will receive free PC download versions of two more of the tables in the Pro Pinball series – widely regarded as the best pinball series ever made – including the critically acclaimed Fantastic Journey and the fan favourite Timeshock.

The campaign for the revival and remastering of the Pro Pinball series has gathered an enormous amount of support from pinball and games fans alikein its first week on the Kickstarter platform, and the studio has decided to offer further rewards to backers of the project. The campaign has a target of $400,000 in order to meet the promises of revival of the series with a brand new ultimate Pro Pinball table and the remastering of the four original classic Pro Pinball tables for PC, Mac, iOS and XBLA.

“We have been delighted by all of the pledges, comments and words of encouragement we have received since the project launched, and because of this we want to offer something amazing to those people for free. The original tables have an almost a cult following and we want to make sure, for all those who may have missed the series, that everyone can experience one of the original tables.” said Adrian Barritt, CEO of Silverball Studios.

If the project reaches its $400,000 target, everyone who has backed the project with a pledge of $2 or more will instantly receive the further two exclusive downloads for free; as the team are confident that the remastered tables will blow everyone out of the water.

“We wanted to make sure that our backers received an instant thanks for getting behind us. Unlike other games projects where your money may be taken and it is months, or even years before you get anything to play, we wanted to make sure our backers had these amazing originals to enjoy while we get to work remastering them for the new platforms.” concluded Barritt

Silverball Studios have also partnered with pinball legend Pat Lawlor to design the first new Pro Pinball table in this series. The likes of which, it is promised, have never been seen before. The table’s design, which is yet to be finalised as fans will be asked for their vote on the theme, will be designed in such a way that leave the team open to making it into a real-life table.

To visit the Kickstarter page to get the free table downloadpledge your support, please visit: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1790321238/pro-pinball-revived-and-remastered

To visit the Pro Pinball website please go to: www.pro-pinball.com

To follow Pro Pinball on Facebook or Twitter

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Seattle, U.S.A. — Red Panda Games is pleased to announce their beta release for “The Host Holic,” a visual novel for Windows. The current release date is October 31, 2012.

“The Host Holic” is a dating-sim that follows the tale of an English teacher who explores daily life from a foreigner’s perspective in Tokyo. The game features a complex dating system and allows the player to experience cultural aspects of Japanese life through activities such as shopping, obento, host clubs, and even a Japanese-style arcade.

The game also integrates a classroom management system that requires the player, as a teacher, to make the best possible choices to ensure success for the school and its students. An optional subplot allows the player to investigate an unexplained psychological illness that is affecting the students at school.

Multiple paths and various endings allow for significant replay value. The game is currently available on preorder at a 25 percent discount. More information can be found at the developer’s website: http://visualnovelgames.com/VN-Host-Holic.html

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Markham, Canada. — Rock Hippo Production announced on September 7, 2012, the launch of its latest update – Varsity Volts – for the popular, cartoon-style third-person shooter “MicroVolts.” Just in time for back-to-school, this new update will have MicroVolters geared up for school, and the battlefield, with all new weapons, parts and more. Sign up now at www.MicroVolts.com.

The Micro Points Capsule Machine is here. “MicroVolts” veterans are already familiar with the Rock Token Capsule Machine, but now all players can take a spin for a chance to win ultra rare weapons and parts using Micro Points that they’ve earned just by playing the game. 

Stay on track this semester with brand new back-to-school gear and an A-grade worthy arsenal. With the latest “Varsity Volts” update, players will have their pick of Varsity clubs to join and sitting on the sidelines is not allowed.

Join the ranks as the top tennis players in Naomi’s “Polnud” tennis parts or dig, spike and set your way around the battlefield in Pandora’s “HomeTeam” Volleyball apparel. Players can also climb the ranks of battlefield popularity as a top-notch soccer player in Knox’s soccer uniform.

Players shouldn’t fret if organized sports aren’t their thing … they can create anarchy in Knox’s new Biker gear as part of the alternative clique.

A whole new arsenal of weapons has been added in game as well.  Enemies will surely be schooled by the “Red” and “Green Drawing Pencil” melees as well as the new “Wells Fargo” shotgun. Players should be on the lookout for smash-worthy rackets, volleyball grenade launchers and so much more.

Furthermore, players should note that each week three different Capsule Machines are 50 percent off.  Win exclusive weapons and parts with just half the Rock Tokens.

For all the latest event details or to view the latest screen shots, trailer and download the game for free, visit www.MicroVolts.com

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Sofia, Bulgaria — On September 4, 2012, Masthead Studios, an independent game developer, released new concept art depicting weapons featured in their upcoming shooter Guns and Robots.

In Guns and Robots, thousands of potential weapon combinations will allow players to fine-tune their arsenal and pinpoint enemies with multiple weapons simultaneously. Weapon customization will be provided with sets divided according to durability, damage, energy consumption and ammo supply. The weapons will be classified according to their visual specifications as well.

The customization process is facilitated as each player will have options to choose from number of cases and weapon enchantments in order to craft their arsenal. All modules variations will be class-based and balanced in game. There will be weapon combinations that do not need ammo but they will have higher energy consumption.

Fun cartoon style weapon suffixes and modifiers will be fine addition to the customization process. Players who want some high action will be able to pick from variety of long range high DPS light machine guns and cases. The best part that the creators of Guns and Robots have prepared is the option to test the weapon assembly before entering the arenas uninterrupted.

The team behind Guns and Robots have prepared a set of lasers and fitting cases which have excellent long-range damage without sacrificing durability. With such arsenal at their disposal players will be able to incapacitate enemies and prevent enemy attacks. Wide variety of ranged weapons will give players options to evolve their own game play strategy as the different maps provide objects to duck behind. All over the maps there will be variety of fun objects to shoot at in case the opponent’s tinhead is not enough.

Players will have the option to choose from heavy weapon upgrades as well. The heavy guns in Guns and Robots will not be as accurate as the light machine guns, but they will cause considerably more damage. One player will be able to carry up to four weapons at his disposal during one game round. From small laser to rocket drill, each player will be able to bring on artillery to his liking. Range, speed and accuracy differ between classes but the available options will suit even the most “exotic” taste.

Take arms and warm up your engines for robot smashing experience in December 2012.

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Nobodinos announces their Kickstarter campaign to raise development funds to make their game ‘Bottom Feeders’ for the mobile market. Bottom Feeders is a simple, casual action game where players plunge a net from a boat to catch all kinds of different sea critters, which are ultimately added to their collection.

Fishing with dynamite? No problem! How about some super bait power ups? Need a faster winch to pull up more critters on your boat? Or how about a boat captain? Players will find themselves playing levels again and again trying to catch them all, raising their scores, winning prizes and adding to their collections.

Because nobodinos was founded by two long time Zipper Interactive employees, nobodinos has linked up with the Videogame History Museum. We’re encouraging Kickstarter donors by offering a complete set of Zipper games, donated to the museum, with donors names engraved on a plaque.

The donation will include the complete SOCOM US Navy SEALs series along with other classics like MechWarrior3 and Crimson Skies. Other donation levels will include the iPad or iPhone version of the Bottom Feeders game and various Bottom Feeders merchandise.

Nobodinos’ Kickstarter campaign for Bottom Feeders is different than most projects, the idea is actually a proven, fun game! Many other campaigns are asking for funding to develop an idea or create a prototype. However, nobodinos is already close to launching the full game on the Facebook web platform.

With Kickstarter support nobodinos will develop Bottom Feeders for iPhone and iPad and other mobile devices. It’s very exciting to already have our game nearly finished and with Kickstarter support we can take it even further so people can play it on phones and tablets.

To learn more or contribute to the campaign go to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/russp7117/bottom-feederstm.

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Prague, Czech Republic — Keen Software House is pleased to announce the release of super-secret project: Miner Wars Arena, “little brother” to Miner Wars 2081.

Dear Miner Wars Fans,

I am delighted to announce the release of Miner Wars Arena, our new fast-paced arcade game inspired by the PC gaming classic, Tunneler.  It features a state-of-the-art top-down view, 2.5D gameplay in a fully destructible environment, and on the edge split-screen out of the box. It’s a total blast! You really need to try it: http://arena.minerwars.com

Miner Wars Arena was a bit of a surprise to everyone. It wasn’t planned at first. But I was tempted by an idea of making a little brother to the six-degrees-of-freedom Miner Wars 2081. I figured that 2.5D top-down gameplay would be easier for players to understand and orient themselves within.

In the end we decided it would be best to create two completely separate games: 2081 and Arena. I believe this was the right decision, because now we have the best of both worlds.

When I sent the prototype of Miner Wars Arena to our investors, however, they were a little upset with me. Why? Because they didn’t get any work done that day!  They spent the whole day playing our game! That’s how addictive it is…

You must see for yourself!  This game will bring you to your roots!  Even if you’re under the age of 18, and don’t really have video game roots that go far enough to feel it will bring you to your roots, that’s how rooted you’ll feel!  Miner Wars Arena is available for both Windows and Mac, but perhaps if people nagged us about it we might figure a way to put it on your phone.

Warning: You might get bad grades at school over it… you might abandon your old friend solitaire… and please remember to feed your pets!

It’s Pirateable generously DRM-free and it’s only $9.99!

Soon to be available on major distribution sites: Steam, Desura, Gamestop, OnLive, Mac App Store, etc.
Platforms: Windows and Mac

Best Regards,
Marek Rosa & the Miner Wars Team

For more on the game and its features, visit  http://arena.minerwars.com

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On August 27, 2012, Project Whitecard Studios announced that the NASA-themed online game formerly named Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond will now be known as Starlite.

Starlite is an adventure game focused on mankind’s future missions into the outer reaches of the solar system, this time to stay. The game will feature mission-based space exploration, career advancement and awareness of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The game is being privately funded and developed in accordance with a “Space Act Agreement” with NASA Learning Technologies.

Project Whitecard Studios Inc. will enable delivery of Starlite on browsers and mobile-based platforms enabling users to play from virtually anywhere and recently announced a collaboration with MindArk, developers of Entropia Universe.

Khal Shariff, CEO of Project Whitecard Studios Inc.says: “‘Starlite’ was chosen as a name because it serves two purposes. Firstly and creatively, it conveys the idea that the solar system is still the ‘undiscovered country,’ and that space-farers of the future will experience the loneliness, the excitement, and the necessities of survival where sometimes all you have to guide you are the solace and guidance of the stars above, and indeed, around you.

Secondly, Starlite is a much more manageable length of name. Although the sentiment and the phrase “Moon, Mars and Beyond,” is echoed throughout the adventure, ‘Starlite’ as a name and brand extends itself to this and our other related projects, such as the ‘Starlite Digital Badges’ made in conjunction with NASA. It also gives focus to the 4-pointed star as a motif borrowed from NASA and extends it to adventurers in the imagined future of our game.”

A beta level is expected before the end of 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.starlitegame.com

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The Indie-PC-Only Title is a Single Player First Person Shooter, in which the player takes on the role of a knight.

Dark Shadows – Army of Evil is about a horde of monsters in September 1362. They’ve been ravaging the country like a plague of locusts for over a year and are frightening the people with their scary get-up.

Most people still think they are monsters. But they are only in disguise. While you were away catching a runaway horse, these monsters stormed the castle. The King is injured and a woman named Katerina has been kidnapped.

She is the sister from one of the King’s guards. The bad thing is that you are in love with her after all. So the player needs to go on a long and bloody march through the country to rescue Katarina. The Medieval fantasy game has 19 levels of different areas and is showing gothic architectures.

A lot of effort was put into different atmospheres, depending on the location of the current level. The player can use up to 18 weapons that can be found during exploration of the world. For example, he can throw stones, use a sword or flail, or use arrow and bow. The most time the player has to fight against the enemies.

Dark Shadows – Army of Evil also includes “Cinematic Effects”. These 3D Blood Splatter Scenes are calculated in real-time. In these scenes the computer generates a random camera direction and angle, as well as for the blood effects.

The release for the Indie-Title is announced for September, October 2012. It supports English and German. Visit www.dark-shadows-army-of-evil.com for more information.

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Los Angeles, U.S.A. — Grab a parka and some buddies because all-new developer Lantern is officially announcing Frost Wars: The Rise of Fatty Sparkles, a collectively-designed turn-based strategy game that’s gone from dice and Legos to the PC. The game will be playable to the public for the first time at PAX from August 31 to September 2.

Frost Wars is built for core gamers, focusing on cross-platform player vs. player combat. Lantern is currently building the game with the Unity engine, and has been soliciting ideas from players in order to guide and influence the game’s development. Players testing the pre-alpha version have already seen hundreds of their suggestions deployed into the game’s weekly releases.

As Lantern cherishes the idea of community-designed gaming free from censorship or corporate influence, the players serve as the game’s designers and constructors, sharing ideas and voting on what to add next. The best ideas go into the game to be play-tested and refined by everyone within the game’s community.

“We understand why the big studios choose to keep the audience out of the process. It’s a real risk to invite people in this early. What if there’s bad press for your unfinished game?” says Austin Hice, co-founder of Lantern. “But over the last six months we’ve seen that nothing can top the ideas that players bring to the game.”

The chaos of Frost Wars begins as Toxi Co., an international mega-corporation, travels to the Arctic in search of the purest ice on earth. When a freak drilling accident unleashes mysterious goo that mutates the native animals, a war for survival breaks out between the native Eskimos and Toxi Co.’s work-a-day employees – a war that’s masterminded by an arms-dealing polar bear named Fatty Sparkles.

Players can jump into the turn-based Arctic madness with two primary modes of play. “Speed Play” is a synchronous game mode that allows up to four friends, or random opponents, to join together and battle it out in one sitting. “Extended Play” is an asynchronous game mode that offers gamers a more relaxed style of play spread over multiple days, allowing multiple battles to be fought at the same time.

Featuring a heap of unique game modes, an already vast array of specialized squads/weaponry, and the chance to be part of a community that is literally shaping the future of the game, there’s plenty of reason to be excited about Frost Wars.

A closed alpha for Frost Wars will begin in September. To get early access to the madness, visit www.frostwars.com or www.facebook.com/FrostWars. The game is set to be demoed at this year’s PAX Prime in Seattle, WA.

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Key Biscayne, U.S.A. — Moon Spider Studio’s debut title, Harold, a unique platformer racing puzzle game, will hit consoles and PC next year. In Harold, players guide and protect the titular Harold as he races through a number of beautifully animated, treacherous obstacle courses.

Harold is the first title from Moon Spider Studio. The game puts players in the role of a guardian angel tasked with guiding the title character, Harold, through a series of increasingly complicated courses. Harold’s gangly frame and thick glasses make him a long shot to win any of the races and he will need all the help he can get running, jumping and sliding across multi-tiered levels and against challenging opponents.

Luckily, being an angel comes with some perks; players will be able to manipulate the environment around Harold in a variety of ways, giving him access to a number of different paths and race advantages, while simultaneously sabotaging the course for Harold’s opponents.

“We have a fantastic team here at Moon Spider Studio and all I want to do is make good games,” said Loris Malek, President of the Moon Spider Studio.

“We’ve assembled some of the most talented artists, designers and programmers from inside and outside of the video game industry, each with incredible pedigrees. We’ve been working on Harold for a while now and we can’t wait to finally show our creation to the world.”

The team at Moon Spider features creative talent with incredibly rich backgrounds in film, animation and video games. Many artists have portfolios from their time working at iconic studios like Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, Studio Ghibli and more, and helped create memorable animated films including The Iron Giant, Aladdin, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Princess Mononoke.

These talented individuals are utilizing all of their experiences to help make Harold one of the most visually stunning video games ever created.

Harold will be released on consoles and PC in 2013. It will make its public debut at PAX Prime (booth #129) in Seattle, WA August 31-September 2, 2012.

For more information on Harold, check out www.moonspiderstudio.com, follow the game on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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Plano, U.S.A. — Robot Entertainment announced on August 27, “Fire & Water,” the first booster pack for “Orcs Must Die! 2.” The booster pack features three brand new levels and three new Endless Mode conversions that can be played in single-player or with a friend in co-op. Players who download the pack will also find a new array of traps to help them combat terrifying new elemental enemies.

Hellish new Fire Lords and Fire Elementals crumble when killed, leaving behind dangerous Firelings that will hunt the player down and explode when they get too close. Slippery Water Lords and Water Elementals dwindle into pools of water when killed, but don’t count them out of the fight. When Waterlings find dormant puddles, they’ll absorb the stagnant water and grow into new Water Elementals.

War Mages will have access to three exciting new traps to add to their arsenal, as well. The Web Spinner is a new wall trap that ensnares passing monsters in a sticky tangle of webs, slowing them down to buy precious time.

Ceiling Darts turn your fortress into a temple of doom for orcs, dropping from the ceiling to fire deadly darts in every direction. Leave orcs in a world of pain with the new Floor Portal, where unsuspecting enemies who step on it will be magically teleported back to the beginning of the level.

The “Fire & Water” booster pack for “Orcs Must Die! 2″ will be available on Steam for $4.99 beginning August 29.

“Fire & Water” Booster Pack Features:

• New Levels to Defend: The fight for survival isn’t over yet. Battle your way through three exciting new levels in single-player or co-op – Traffic Jammed, Double Decker, and The West Wing.
• New Endless Mode Conversions: Think you’ve mastered Endless Mode? Think again! The Fire & Water booster pack features three new Endless Mode level conversions to hold your ground on – The Library, Double Decker, and The West Wing.
• Terrifying New Enemies: Prepare for a whole new challenge when you face off against the harrowing new Fire and Water Elementals.
• Exciting New Traps: Add some deadly new defenses to your Spellbook with the Web Spinner, Ceiling Darts, and the Floor Portal.
• New Bonus Skull Definition: Can you hold the invading monsters at bay without traps? Prove your mettle by playing exclusively with weapons and you’ll add another bonus skull to the pile at the end of each level.

“Orcs Must Die! 2″ is an action-strategy game that challenges players and their friends to team up and defend a world constantly under siege. “Orcs Must Die! 2″ is available exclusively as a digital download on personal computers this. For more information about “Orcs Must Die! 2,” please visit http://www.OrcsMustDie.com.

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Santa Clara, U.S.A. — Transform your web browsing experience with Starlight Story from Aeria Games, a leading global publisher of free-to-play online games. The massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) will play host to a wondrous world in which magic and technology vie for supremacy, and players will be caught in the middle as they embark on a quest to prevent calamity.

Starlight Story revolves around a journey to save a dying planet, which requires a finite natural resource to survive. With that resource dwindling, the planet is on a collision course with total annihilation, and players must find a way to prevent impending doom.

To aid them in that task, players have access to Superstar transformations, allowing them to assume the form of previously slain bosses. These transformations are far more than cosmetic, temporarily giving players significant stat boosts.

Pet companions are integral to combat as well, fighting by the player’s side from the very beginning of the game. Pets also share in the Superstar transformations, taking on all-new shapes alongside their masters.

Mounts inStarlight Story are also for more than vanity; once equipped to a character these mounts provide stat boosts as well as the expected movement speed increases, and they also stay active during combat.

Starlight Story is browser-based and will not require a download, and like all Aeria Games titles, it will be free-to-play. Players can sign up for closed beta now at http://starlightstory.aeriagames.com.

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Cergy Pontoise, France — Namco Bandai Games Europe announced on August 24, 2012, that “Dark Souls: Prepare to Die” Edition on PC is now available at retailers and through Steam and Games For Windows Marketplace across Europe and Australasia. This special, content-enhanced edition of the critically acclaimed Action-RPG developed by FromSoftware will be finely-tuned to cater to the PC gaming audience while retaining all of the deep challenge, rich atmosphere, and compelling gameplay that made the game a worldwide phenomenon.

“Dark Souls: Prepare to Die” Edition on the PC platform will also include an enhanced PVP mode allowing players to more closely assemble battles against one another online in an all-out fight to the death that fans have demanded. The day one edition will include a stunning art book featuring art from the new Artorias of the Abyss game content, the original soundtrack CD, a DVD containing the complete behind the scenes video series, poster and postcards.

“Dark Souls: Prepare to Die” Edition will include sprawling new maps and environments; new boss characters, enemies and non-playable characters; an arsenal of new weapons and armour; and additional challenging content for stalwart heroes to face as they return to the deadly world of Lordran. Players will also experience an as yet untold chapter in Dark Souls lore set in the dying kingdom of magic known as Oolacile.

Unwillingly taken by the abyss and sent back in time, the player becomes the only one who can save Oolacile from the spreading darkness that threatens to engulf the kingdom and all of its people. Aseparate retail edition of the “Dark Souls: Prepare to Die” Edition including Dark Souls original game and the new in game content will be coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 26.

With tense dungeon crawling and fearsome enemy encounters, the seamlessly intertwined world of  Dark Souls is full of extreme battles, rewarding challenges, nuanced weaponry and magic, and the flexibility to customize each character to suit any desired play style. The innovative online component allows gamers to draw from the collective experience of the Dark Souls community as they either help or sabotage each other on the journey through the world of Lordran to save the land from darkness. With a massive, seamless open world design, Dark souls encourages deep exploration and an adaptable gameplay experience.

“Dark Souls: Prepare to Die” Edition on PC is available throughout Europe and Australasia. “Dark Souls: Prepare to Die” Edition will be available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in Europe and Australasia on October 26. For more information on the game please visit www.facebook.com/DarkSouls or www.PrepareToDie.com.

“Dark Souls: Prepare to Die” Edition on PC is the first game published by Namco Bandai Games Europe that will include game registration. This brand new feature will enable users to collect loyalty points when they register their game on www.namcobandaigames.eu/register, these collected points will be redeemable against downloadable contents or rare and exclusive items in the VIP Corner for free.

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Twenty-five years ago, a Mario clone named “The Great Giana Sisters” hit the stores. Nintendo wasn’t happy with this cheeky approach, so the game vanished from the shelves as quickly as it appeared.

Despite the rocky start, or perhaps because of it, Giana has maintained a cult following up to this day. Mario’s parents decided to let bygones be bygones and a successful Giana title was released on the Nintendo DS in 2009.

Black Forest Games (http://www.black-forest-games.com), a games studio from Offenburg in Germany, has breathed new life into Giana’s legacy and needs your support to complete the brand spanking new indie continuation of the cult classic.

Project Giana is a twist on the original Great Giana Sisters featuring a dual soundtrack by Giana veteran Chris Hülsbeck and the chiptune metal band Machinae Supremacy. Classic Giana and metal tunes respectively underline the core feature of warping at will between two dream worlds.

You can see the game in action below

Also you can download two playable demo levels on Friday, August 24. The download links will be provided on http://project-giana.com/ and on the Kickstarter page below.

Keep your eyes open for updates on http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/project-giana/project-giana and support the game if you like it. At this point in time Black Forest Games has over 2,700 fans backing them for a total of over $75,000. Join in and grab a free copy of the game and exclusive goodies in return.

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San Francisco, U.S.A. — On August 21, 2012, Applifier announced the beta of its new Everyplay mobile gaming network designed to help mobile developers attract and engage players with social sharing of game replays. Starting on August 21, 2012, game developers are invited to join the Everyplay beta in order to access its powerful game discovery, player engagement and personalized messaging capabilities.

Applifier CEO Jussi Laakkonen is presenting Everyplay at the Unite 2012 conference, hosted by Unity Technologies in Amsterdam (August 21-24), and is available by phone and in-person to discuss the Everyplay beta launch at depth.

“Word-of-mouth is the most powerful tool for mobile app discovery. Everyplay makes those ‘hey, you got to try this app’ moments shareable by letting users share their own awesome, funny and outrageous gameplay experiences through videos with friends. Mobile phones are the most personal gaming devices ever, and we want to make mobile games just as personal with action replays and video messaging between players,” said Jussi Laakkonen, CEO and Founder of Applifier.

Everyplay provides a vital suite of capabilities designed for developers to attract, engage and retain players in their mobile game. The network aligns with the way users want to play, enabling interactions that are connected, social, meaningful, expressive, personal and authentic.

The most powerful way for players to discover new games is through friends, and Everyplay enables players to record, replay and share videos instantly with just one tap. With Everyplay’s social video sharing network and integration with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, developers can enable their biggest fans to bring in friends and build a community directly within their mobile game.

Everyplay enables developers to create more personal multiplayer experiences with video messaging between users to brag, celebrate, challenge and taunt their friends.

Everyplay is a free service for developers and users, and available for all iOS devices now. Learn more and sign up for the Everyplay beta at www.everyplay.com.

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Tel-Aviv, Israel — SpikySnail Games, announced on August 21, 2012, that The Splatters is currently in development for PC and Mac, and will be available on Steam as soon as the game is ready for release.

The Splatters debuted on Xbox Live Arcade earlier this year and received a number of editor’s choice awards. Despite the critical acclaim for the XBLA version, SpikySnail is focused on re-imagining the game for the PC audience and will deliver a new version that builds on the success of the console game.

“As much as we love the the XBLA version of the game, we also learned a lot from it,” said Niv Fisher, co-founder of SpikySnail Games. “Being small and independent brings plenty of disadvantages, but one of the upsides is getting to do what you really believe in.

And in this point in time we would like to try a little different approach which we believe is a meaningful improvement. It also gives us tons of new and interesting stuff to deal with besides the port itself (which can get quite boring).”

The studio expects the PC, Mac and Linux versions of the game to take a little longer than usual, so no release dates are being announced yet. The team believes the extra time and effort required to make the game right for PC, Mac and Linux gamers will be worth the wait.

Those familiar with the XBLA version will find lots of new stuff to discover when the game is released on Steam. Those who haven’t had the chance to try The Splatters, will get a bigger and better experience all-around.

About The Splatters

The Splatters is an original arcade-style puzzler that challenges your brains and reflexes in a world of physics-based addiction.  In the game you control The Splatters, a band of acrobatic, liquid filled creatures. Set in a world where altering physics, performing crazy stunts and setting off a series of bomb explosions, seems like the right thing to do.

It’s a frisky show of skill, challenge and splattery destruction.

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The aerial dogfighting of WWII fast-forwards to 2012 as City Interactive gears up for the release of Dogfight 1942, a fast-paced, air combat game being released digitally for Xbox Live Arcade on September 5, 2012, then for PC and PlayStation Network later this fall. Fans that want a taste of the action on XBLA before committing to war will be able to download the first mission for free at launch.

Dogfight 1942 features three unique game modes — Dogfight, Survival and Campaign — each offering plenty of action that is easy to jump into.  In designing the game, City Interactive implemented incredibly intuitive controls to reduce the need for lengthy tutorials and allow any level of gamer to get up and running. At the same time, the gameplay remains extremely competitive so that even the most ardent flight game fan will find a fun challenge.

Keep in mind, this is not your typical digital game. Dogfight 1942 is a complete console gaming experience that delivers full-price retail production within the affordable digital price range.

So now that you’ve heard all about the game, how about seeing it in action?  To download and watch the newest gameplay trailer as well as a slew of new screen shots, visit the online media center: http://games.premiercomms.com/product.asp?p=365

Dogfight 1942 will release exclusively as a digital download for XBLA on September 5, 2012, followed closely behind by version for both the PC and PlayStation 3 later this fall

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Independent game localization company Fruitbat Factory is excited to announce their tactical simulation game War of the Human Tanks will be available to the public September 14, as well as a free demo of the game September 4. War of the Human Tanks was originally a well-known Japanese title and been localized for English speaking audiences everywhere for the first time.

War of the Human Tanks series pits the group of Human Tanks commanded by the player against the opposing Commanding Officers and their forces in a campaign fought on a series of grid-based maps. Players will have to use their wits to upgrade their units and utilize them to the best of their abilities in order to progress throughout the game.

Features of the full game will include:

• Fast-paced strategic battles in over 30 maps
• Use resources earned from battles to develop new tanks
• Customize your tanks with various modules to deadly effect
• Multiple endings based on your performance
• Replay the story keeping your previously earned units and resources
• Free battle mode to practice and gather extra supplies
• English localization features two all-new bonus maps, hand-drawn battle backgrounds and an improved user interface

War of the Human Tanks will offer a free demo version of their game September 4th on Desura, Gamersgate and Indievania. The demo will feature 5 full levels of the game, and players can keep their save file to play the full version of the game without losing their progress.

“With its length the demo should give everyone a good taste of the game,” says Ozhan Sen, Localization Manager for Fruitbat Factory. “I hope everyone enjoys the gameplay in the demo because it only gets better in the full version.”

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Berlin, Germany — The 2012 Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC Europe) concluded on Wednesday, August 15 with a successful showing and a final attendee count of more than 2100 game professionals. Professionals from all areas of the game industry gathered throughout the three day conference to learn and network.

The keynote roster included industry leaders from Ubisoft Montreal’s Creative Director Alex Hutchinson, to CEO of Wargaming.net Victor Kislyi, to Epic Games senior engine programmer Niklas Smedberg.

These speakers were part of the 100+ European and international speakers, 65+ exhibitors and sponsors, and more than 290 media representatives converging at the leading European conference focusing on game development on PC, social networking websites, consoles and mobile platforms. GDC Europe returns to Cologne, Germany on August 19-21, 2013.

Making its debut at GDC Europe this year was the popular Classic Game Postmortem series, first introduced at the 2011 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. GDC Europe attendees were treated to a rare postmortem for the Nintendo 64 classic GoldenEye 007 from the game’s director Martin Hollis.

Among the many key learning Hollis offered to attendees, he revealed that, although the game was in development for nearly three years, the popular multiplayer mode that made the game an instant classic was developed at the very last minute, and took only one month to build. The legendary first-person shooter proved to be a trailblazer for console shooters like Halo and numerous others.

Other popular sessions during the three day conference included a lecture given by Bigpoint’s Jan Richter, who heads design for free-to-play browser titles at the online game developer and publisher.

Richter advised those developing free-to-play games on making a strong first impression with gamers, how to retain them for months and months, and provided attendees with an equation that calculates the “magic line” designers have to cross for their free-to-play games to become huge.

Dan Pinchbeck of thechineseroom, creators of indie hit Dear Esther, talked about the power of imagination and noted that the key to the game’s success was how the abstract and ambiguous first-person exploration game barely gave players any real details about characters and plot, allowing the players’ imaginations to run wild.

The “Ask the Publishers” panel, featuring Matias Myllyrinne of Remedy Games, Careen Yapp of Konami, Zack Karlsson of Capcom, Noah Musler of Microsoft Studios and Dan Sherman of CFC Capital, provided the developer attendees with insights into how top publishers make their decisions.

During the discussion, Karlsson announced Capcom’s publishing deal with Paris-based developer DONTNOD for the upcoming new IP, Remember Me, set to release next May.

In his keynote for the conference’s Game Design track, Alexander Hutchinson, Creative Director of Ubisoft Montreal, took attendees through the process of how his team is maintaining the momentum of the Assassin’s Creed franchise by treating it like a new IP while ensuring it continues to exist within the same rich and consistent universe.

Hutchinson described the three main pillars of Assassin’s Creed III— the new historical setting of the American Revolution, the new, Native American assassin Connor, and the new player fantasies upon which the gameplay is based, such as being a man of the revolution and a naval master and commander.

“We’re very proud that GDC Europe once again exceeded expectations in delivering best-in-class learnings and insight for the European development community thanks to our excellent lineup of international speakers and our diligent advisory board members,” said Meggan Scavio, general manager of Game Developer Conference events.

“This industry is constantly evolving and growing, especially in the mobile and social games realm, and we look forward to returning next year to provide progressive opportunities for learning and networking for developers.”

VIP and All Access pass holders to GDC Europe will also gain access to the video, audio, and presentation recordings at GDC Europe shortly after the conference through the GDC Vault which will host more than 80 lectures, keynotes and panels across five Main Conference tracks (Business, Marketing & Management, Game Design, Production, Programming and Visual Arts) and three Summits (the Independent Games Summit, the Smartphone & Tablet Games Summit and the Social & Online Games Summit).

In addition to the conference content, GDC Europe offered several opportunities for creative exchange and business development, with venues including the GDC Europe Expo Floor, VIP Lounge, and the GDC Europe Business Lounge at gamescom, plus a host of industry parties.

For more details on GDC Europe, please visit www.gdceurope.com.

Image Courtesy of   Official GDC

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