Atlus has announced a Game of Thrones action-RPG for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, which is due to be released early in 2012. The game will be made in collaboration with HBO and Cyanide Studios, who worked on the Game of Thrones RTS. The press release states:

“In this 30-plus hour action RPG, players will enter the gritty and medieval fantasy world of Westeros. As one of two original characters with disparate motivations, both former soldiers of Robert’s Rebellion, players will forge alliances and wage battles as they play a pivotal role in the ongoing war for power of the Seven Kingdoms. Their journey will span numerous quests, during which they will interact with many characters and make key decisions that impact the realm.”

Fans will also be pleased that George R R Martin, author of the A Song of Ice & Fire series, will supervise the story to make sure it stays faithful to the series. You can find out more at the official website for the Game of Thrones RPG.

BioShock Infinite takes place on Columbia, an enormous airship city in the sky. It was created by the American government in 1900 as a symbol of exceptionalism, and launched as a floating “World’s Fair” that could travel across the globe. After an incident where the airship fired upon a group of Chinese civilians, the United States disowned it and Columbia took to the clouds.

Like BioShock, Infinite is predominantly a first-person shooter with a few RPG elements added in. In Infinite you play as Booker DeWitt, a former agent of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, who has been sent to Columbia to rescue a lady named Elizabeth. She’s been kept aboard the floating city for the last 12 years, and although DeWitt finds her quickly, he discovers that both sides are trying to use her mysterious ability to create tears in space and time to break the stalemate that has paralyzed the city.

Take-Two announced today that XCOM, which was projected for a March release, has been delayed until sometime between April 2012 and March 2013. Take-Two hasn’t provided an explanation for this new delay, though it could be that it doesn’t want XCOM to not get lost in the release of a few other shooters, including The Darkness II and Max Payne 3. The delay, while upsetting to gamers, was received with some relief from the world’s cattle population.

Earlier today, Bethesda’s Community Manager Nick Breckton revealed that there will be a day one PC patch for Skyrim when it is released this Friday. The patch for Skyrim on consoles went live today for those who already own the game. Bethesda revealed the details of the 1.1 patch and confirmed the patch fixes “some minor stability” and “quest progression issues.” For those who are picking up Skyrim Friday, you can expect to download the patch immediately to your console. The patch will be available for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

According to this Canadian GameStop page, Diablo III has a release date of February 1, 2012. The collector’s edition is being sold for $99.99. The collector’s edition will include the game itself, exclusive in-game content, a behind-the-scenes DVD & Blu-Ray, the soundtrack, an art book, and a 4GB USB drive shaped like a Soulstone.

Despite predictions that Lego Universe would have a bright future after its launch, things are looking far more grim. The Lego Group has announced that the game will end in the new year, on January 31. Lego Universe vice president Jesper Vilstrup addressed the decision to close the game, saying that although it has a healthy user base of 2 million players, the company simply has not been able to set up a satisfactory revenue model for its target user group. Specifically, it has proved difficult getting gamers to make the leap from the title’s free-play zone and into content reserved for paying subscribers. More serious perhaps will be the casualties of this closure, Colorado-based Play Well Studios, along with Lego Universe‘s marketing division located in Denmark. A total of 115 positions will be affected. The Lego Group said it looks forward to future projects in the digital space.

Two DLC packs have been announced for Panzer Corps. “Grand Campaign ’39″ and “Grand Campaign ’40″ add many new scenarios to the Panzer Corps campaign, plus a variety of unique new missions that involve new types of objectives. According to the official press release, “Grand Campaign ’39 and Grand Campaign ‘40 also include the new ability to carry your core army through different campaigns. So you can now bring an army from the humble beginning of light tanks and raw recruits to a formidable behemoth of Tigers and veteran shock troops!” Check out the new content at the official website.

Worrying news for Trekkie gamers. Browser-MMO publisher Gameforge has laid-off 100 of its 450 employees in a restructuring of the company. “Through a more efficient organizational structure, we can optimize our use of resources and great potential for further growth increase,” CEO Alexander Roesner said in a press statement. “This will strengthen our long term position in the dynamic market for online games.” Such developments certainly raise questions over whether Gameforge will be capable of launching upcoming MMO Star Trek: Infinite Space without support. Gameforge took over Frogster last year, but since then several of Frogsters top brass have left the company and MMOs Hellbreed and Mythos have been axed. Will Star Trek go the same way? Sounds logical, Captain.

Larry ‘Major Nelson’ Hryb, Microsoft’s director of programming, has confirmed that the new Alan Wake follow-up game, being developed by Remedy, will be a “fully standalone experience released on Xbox Live”. Nelson’s latest revelation coincides with Oskari Hakkinen, head of franchise development at Remedy, saying there was more Alan Wake coming soon. The game will be making its debut on December 10.

Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Certain Affinity
Genre: Hack and slash
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Certain Affinity has made their name through map creation for a variety of other games. Crimson Alliance sees their bid to take to the gaming stage proper. It is a hack and slash dungeon crawler in the same vein as Bastion and Torchlight, in that it offers player input in terms of item and weapon choices. However, if you prefer a game where you have to decide whether to wear your “Tights of Valhalla” or your “Ankle Socks of Death,” then you should move along quickly using your “Stockings of Swiftness.” Micro management isn’t part of the game’s ethos – simplicity is. For example, you only get three characters to choose from. The game offers both single player campaign action and a four player co-op mode (available both locally and online). So is Crimson Alliance worth a trip through the dungeon?

( read more… )

After a week long delay, Silverlode Interactive announced the official launch of the beta for the real-time strategy game Warspire. The beta will allow players to explore two of the game’s six factions: Light and Undead. Silverlode stated that the open beta focuses on PvP with 1v1 and 2v2 matches, plus a tutorial.

“Warspire is the most advanced RTS running on the Unity 3D engine to date. Unlike other browser-based games, Warspire features a full 3D environment and real-time control. Buildings and units are built and deployed in real time and controlled with a fully-featured graphical user interface comparable to those seen in the most popular contemporary RTS games,” boasts the Silverlode Interactive press release. “Those who contribute to the Beta phase will receive two free heroes in their starting army, as well as five dollars in free credits.” Visit the official Warspire website for more information.

Activision’s next planned Spider-Man game, entitled The Amazing Spider-Man, is going to incorporate an open world. The game was announced this weekend at New York Comic Con by Activision’s Doug Hede. He acknowledged the less than stellar reaction to Edge of Time, and is confident that because the film on which the game is based has been in development for so long, it should get a less sticky response.

Fed up with having to spend hours of grinding to build up your RPG character before you dare go online? It seems your prayers have been answered. EA and developer BioWare have formed a partnership to bring you Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes. Mythic Studio’s general manager Eugene Evans described the game as being somewhat similar to the MMO, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, except this release is a pick-up-and-play title.

“You can go and have a similar experience in Warhammer Online [Age of Reckoning]. But it means that you have to go and start with a base character, level that character up, and then get into the scenario. With Wrath of Heroes, you get to choose a hero type, and they come pre-loaded with a set of abilities, and you don’t have to level it up. It’s immediate. You’re in, and you’re playing.”

Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes features ‘arena’ combat between three teams of six players. Evans says the team plans to keep the game in closed beta for “a while longer”, before moving to an open beta. In terms of playing costs, Evans said the game will probably charge for downloadable characters based on “particularly iconic Warhammer character class or type of hero.”

Sega Saturn classic Guardian Heroes is now available on Xbox Live in North America and Europe. Fans of the beloved RPG hack ‘n’ slash can look forward to a visual facelift with some lovely remastered graphics and several new game modes. Online and local co-op will also be available, and the game can be yours for 800 Microsoft Points.

EA has just launched a gameplay walkthrough of a level from its upcoming Syndicate reboot. The 11 minute clip, narrated by Syndicate executive producer Jeff Gamon, features gameplay footage from an early level called Executive Search. Playing as Miles Kilo, an agent from the Eurocorp Syndicate, you and your mentor raid a rival Syndicate called Aspari to retrieve stolen chip technology from a scientist’s head.