Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Microsoft Studios
System requirements: Windows XP SP3/Vista/Win 7, Dual Core 2.0 GHz CPU, 256 MB graphics card with Shader 3.0 support, 2.0 GB RAM, 10 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Simulator
ESRB rating: E
Release date: Available now

Once upon a time, flight simulators were popular. Their intricate details were great at showing off what your new home computer could do, and besides, who doesn’t want to fly? At some point, those with only a passing interest got tired of feeling like they needed actual flying lessons to buzz around, and flight simulators fell into the purview of those weird people who run virtual airlines. After canning the team that developed Flight Simulator, Microsoft is back with the new Flight, a free-to-play sim that’s aimed at those with an interest in planes but who don’t own a $200 joystick-and-pedal setup. Does Flight succeed at broadening its audience without alienating core sim fans?

( read more… )

The popular action RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning will be expanding soon with The Legend of Dead Kel. Taking place on the inviting tropical island of Gallows End, Dead Kel is more than just a few side quests. Besides having more things to stab and weapons to stab them with, this latest DLC will contain a new main quest line and 15 percent more land to explore. To make this new land a bit more like home, players will also be able to run their own estate. The Legend of Dead Kel launches on March 18th and will cost 800 Microsoft Points (Xbox 360) or $9.99 (PS3/PC).

Good Old Games, everyone’s favorite distributor of DRM-free classics, has recently added the games of iEntertainment Network to its growing catalog. iEntertainment is responsible for many classic simulators, including the classic Warbird series. The first to emerge is Apache Longbow, available now for $5.99, complete with the original manual and reference card. During the coming weeks, Good Old Games will lead us further back in the past, when the joystick ruled gaming. Better dust off that HOTAS and free up a USB port!

The next time you load up Minecraft you’ll be treated to new features, courtesy of the 1.2 patch. Highlights include a new jungle biome, craftable Iron Golems, ocelots, and twice the map height. Showcasing the new goodies is the 1.2 patch trailer (left) from the fine chaps at Hat Films, which is well worth your time. How many games can say they have trailer patches? No word yet if the ocelots use six-shooters and speak Russian. Complete patch notes can be found here.

Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. It’s all the space in space that allows for those large, kilometer-long capital ships to buzz about, turning each other into smaller-sized ship-chunks. That’s what the new F2P MMO Nexus Conflict is all about. Featuring real-time tactical gameplay and pretty spiffy looks, the game lets you murder human beings using pretty spaceships. Between all the PvP, PvE and co-op missions, you can join factions and craft loot into better loot, all from the comfort of your browser via Unity. Beta signups are open on their site.

The Playstation 3-exclusive shooter Killzone 3 will soon be partially available free-to-play. The multiplayer portion of the game will be available as a free, stand-alone downloadable title on PSN on February 28th. The F2P version will feature all the weapons and maps of the original. New players will be limited by a level cap, which can be removed for $15, while current owners of Killzone 3 will have the entire game unlocked.

Source: Techie-Buzz.com

2011 was a good year in gaming. Skyrim, Uncharted 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Assassins Creed: Revelations all trickled into our entertainment systems of choice and delighted our eyeballs. It didn’t top the bumper crop of 1998 in my mind, but that could be my nostalgia tumor again (those meds don’t help). Regardless, we as a people stand on the brink of the unknown, the mystery of the void whipping our hair about in wild, sexy ways. Yet we shall not go unprepared, for below is a scouting report on some of the big games of 2012, which many Bothan spies gave their lives to deliver. It tells all: the good, the bad, and the utterly improbable. It’s time to start budgeting for Gaming Season 2012. Remember to blow all your cash on Steam sales before the world ends, or forever wish you had.

( read more… )

It’s understandable that Bungie would want to leave the Halo business. Once upon a time, they developed a host of different games. Around the new millennium, a bright-eyed stranger with deep pockets arrived and offered a deal they couldn’t refuse. By June of 2000, Bungie moved into the Microsoft harem, leaving behind all their children except their latest and most promising one, little baby Halo. Among those left behind were the Myth twins, two real-time tactics games known as The Fallen Lords and Soulblighter. Oppressively dark and punishingly difficult, Myth was an ancient burial ground of narrative. The bleached bones of fallen empires and the rusted armor of deadly warriors lay half-buried, whispering warnings to the players that they’ve never played something like this before. Nor have they ever since.

( read more… )

ArenaNet has opened the doors for gamers to apply for the beta of Guild Wars 2, one of the most anticipated online games in years. ArenaNet’s latest MMO features a dynamic campaign and team-oriented PVP on a massive scale. Players have until 18:00 GMT on Friday, Feb. 24 to put their names in the hat for a chance to test Guild Wars 2 before it goes live sometime later this year.

I missed the Ultima boat when it first came around. My gaming diet was all action: Doom and Tie Fighter. Even years later, after understanding that an RPG’s love is different than that of a square, I couldn’t stick more then a toe or two into Ultima‘s ancient waters. I’d print out maps, manuals and spell tomes, only to stay long enough to buy the t-shirt. When I did visit Britannia, I made sure to see the well-regarded realms of Ultima VI and Ultima VII. It seemed that nothing could have convinced me to delve into the black-and-white dungeons of the Ultimas from the early 1980s. But one day, I did travel in the past, all the way to 1981, to Ultima I. Not only did I survive to tell the tale, but I also played it all in one obsessive binge.

( read more… )

Xbox gamers can experience classic gameplay with high-tech eye candy later this month when multiplayer FPS Nexuiz launches on Xbox Live. All mods dream of someday being turned into glossy commercial games, and developer Illfonic, together with publisher THQ, have granted Nexuiz’s wish. Initially an open-source total conversion of Quake, Nexuiz will now be powered by the powerful CryEngine 3. The game features classic hardcore FPS action, fine-tuned by a dedicated community. Expect lots of rocket jumping, railguns, powerups and grappling hooks. Nexuiz is set to launch on Xbox Live Arcade on Feb. 28 for 800 Microsoft Points as part of the “House Party” season of downloadable games. PS3 and PC versions will launch later this spring.

Publisher: Xsyntax
Developer: Xsyntax
System requirements: DirectX 9.0c-compatible hardware, Microsoft XNA Framework 4.0
Genre: Action/Strategy
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

Zombies have invaded pop culture, much the way a cannibalistic biological contamination might. Similarly, the tower-defense genre has grown like an invasive species, breeding with everything from RPGs to Assassin’s Creed. Uberzombie USA uses this popular genre mutation to let you turn the family farm into your dream zombie fortress and bring three other friends along for company. Does the hybrid gameplay become a beautiful specimen or degenerate into a feral beast, rejected by all?

( read more… )

Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Developer: Pendulo Studios
System requirements: TBA
Genre: Adventure
ESRB rating: Not rated at press time
Release date: Q2 2012

Developed by Runaway veterans Pendulo Studios, Yesterday is an adventure game that removes the studio’s previous humor and implants a dark murder mystery in its place. Homeless people are found burned alive with mysterious Y-shaped scars on their palms. While investigating, our heroes get caught up in a world-wide conspiracy and a tangle of mind-bending puzzles. As you can see by the large, bloody pentagram in the trailer, Yesterday doesn’t hold back on the disturbing.

( read more… )

Operated by the fine folks at IndieGames.com, Indie Royale has released their latest bundle, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Offering five excellent games, ranging from point-and-click adventure to first-person melee, this latest package covers broad tastes. The bundle has a unique pricing scheme, in which paying certain prices lowers the minimum price for everyone, spreading the joy all around. Regardless of your Valentine’s Day status, the flirtatious eyes of Indie Royale deserve your attention. Don’t wait; this deal will only be in town until February 15.

There was a time when I could call CounterStrike my game. I logged hundreds of hours with friends before Steam even tracked such things. I replaced my gun models, installed blood mods, and even dabbled with mapping. But somewhere along the way CS and I parted ways. Sure, CounterStrike: Source was amazing, and the Gun Game mods were a hit at every LAN party, but I just couldn’t hack the competition anymore. But now the beta test of the upcoming CounterStrike: Global Offensive has stirred me out of my single-player fever dream and brought me back into the fray. So, gather around and listen, all who have eyes to read, while I document the pain and glory to be found in CS:GO.

( read more… )