Ubisoft has announced that Might & Magic: Heroes VI has been delayed again and is now penciled in for October 13. The news comes from Ubisoft’s community developer Irina Kassina, who recently stated in the game’s official forums that the title would not make its previously planned September 8 ship date. The developer is concentrating on addressing issues raised during the game’s first beta, specifically mechanics relating to game balance and bugs. A second beta wave has already gone live, and all those who pre-ordered the game will be able to take part in the trial period. Additionally, the second beta hosts more solo and multiplayer maps than were featured in the first wave.

Despite it being an unusually busy time of year for me, coupled with some very muggy weather here in old London town, I still managed to rustle up the energy to play on my iPad and recommend a couple of gems for you.

Sid Meier’s Pirates

In an effort to escape the sticky temperatures this week, I took to the high seas. I should warn you from the very start that this game has the potential to distort time. A few hours playing Sid Meier’s Pirates can actually seem like just a few minutes. I was rather taken back at just how immersed I was pillaging and cursing my way through the Caribbean. The game itself has a long tradition having been originally released in 1987, before being remade in 2004. So I guess it was only natural for an iPad version to make its way into the App Store a few weeks ago.

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Starbreeze’s long rumored Syndicate reboot may be set for a Gamescom reveal. Recently, Rickard Johansson tweeted, “Grand moment approaching. The reveal for Starbreeze and EA’s Project Redlime. Time to meet the press.”

The Tweet has since been removed.

Project Redlime is the codename for the new EA published Syndicate game. At E3 2011 in June then EA Games Label boss Frank Gibeau told Eurogamer that it was in development, but refused to give any further details. It is rumored that the game will uphold Bullfrog’s original top down perspective and have a a strong multiplayer focus. EA is to hold a press conference at Gamescom on Tuesday, August 16.

Carbine (formed by Blizzard veterans), is excited about its soon to be announced MMO. The developer released a single image and described the game as “future fantasy” with a “hand-crafted” style. Describing the look and feel of the game, Carbine said, “players will see both fantasy and sci-fi elements in our world and our gameplay.”

“We knew that our game was for adults,” art director Matt Mocarski wrote. “So we studied shows like Naruto and Full Metal Alchemist to see how they balanced a unique visual style with stories that had both humor and drama. We believe our art style has an element that is missing from a lot of games on the market, and that’s a sense of fun.”

The game is presumably poised for a Gamescom reveal next week.

Civilization V is preparing two downloadable content packs that are set to release via Steam and other digital outlets August 11. The Korea civilization and scenario pack and Wonders of the Ancient World scenario pack will be available for $4.99 each, or as a bundle for $7.49.

The Korea pack gives you both the civilization and the Samurai Invasion of Korea scenario. It pits Japan against Korea, and you can take on the role of Sejong, king of the Choson Dynasty, with Turtle Ships and Hwach’a artillery. The samurai scenario lets you play as Korea, China, Manchuria, or Japan, as the Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi looks to send his warriors to Korea.

The Wonders pack adds the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Statue of Zeus, and the Temple of Artemis to your civilizations, and each possesses a unique set of benefits for your empire. In the included scenario, you can play as one of five civilizations in a race to build amazing structures. I always thought a giant statue of a Kangaroo in Cairo would have eclipsed the wonder of the Pyramids. Pure artistry outclasses some hodgepodge brickwork in my opinion.

Wargame: European Escalation has finally received its own home on the web. The site will host pictures, videos of the game, key information about gameplay, history, playable military forces and more. According to the publisher, the site will also soon host a complete database presenting all of the 320 playable units in the game and their characteristics.

Reef Entertainment, is developing a Rambo game. The game has no official title as of yet, but it is due for release in 2012 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC and will supposedly “capture the gritty atmosphere and full-on action which made the Rambo movies so successful.” Reef Entertainment has penned a deal with film company StudioCanal which allows them to create numerous titles based on the movies.

“I am a big fan of Sylvester Stallone movies, and when we had the opportunity to secure the video game rights from StudioCanal for the Rambo franchise, we had to grab it with both hands,” said Reef Entertainment CEO Peter Rezon. “With the success of the most recent Rambo film, and an international appetite for action movies with Expendables 2 scheduled for release next summer, we felt now was a good time to do something special with this license.”

Let’s hope they make a better effort of it than the Wii ports of Sniper Elite and Rogue Trooper.

Over 30 minutes of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim footage, taken from a gameplay presentation at QuakeCon, has found itself onto the web. The actual presentation is by director Todd Howard running on the Xbox 360. Lots to see, including melee, magic exploration, and even a dragon attack! Better have a peek quickly as I imagine it will be pulled soon!

Techland has just released new screenshots from their upcoming open-world shooter, Dead Island. These latest shots show off some of the different weapons you’ll be able to wield whilst sending the smelly undead back from whence they came! Dead Island will be available September 6 of this year.

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The cyberpunk FPS, Eye Divine Cybermancy, has just been released. Streum On Studio was clearly inspired by the deep imagination behind WH40K, and provide an indie development’s answer to Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Steam is currently offering the game for a paltry $18 during its launch week.

As a member of the strange secret society E.Y.E, you wake up after a fight in which your fellow teammates were killed. E.Y.E, an armed branch of the Secreta Secretorum is attempting a coup against the all-powerful Federation, a coalition of several worlds and planets that rule with an iron fist. To complicate matters, E.Y.E itself is plagued with its own internal conflicts between the Jian faction and the Culter faction, to which you belong. Your loyalties are torn between Commander Rimanah, your superior and the chief of the Secreta who is a separatist with an unstoppable ambition, and the Mentor your friend and instructor.

It has been announced that Borderlands 2 promises “all-new characters, skills, environments, enemies, weapons and equipment.” The title returns to the planet of Pandora, and centers on unexplored new areas. The game will also be on display at PAX Prime August 26-28. It is scheduled to launch sometime during Take-Two’s 2013 fiscal year, which runs from April 1, 2012 through to March 31, 2013 for all the usual platforms (PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3).

More than seven minutes of pure Diablo III gameplay footage taken from the beta has been leaked. It features several locations, spells and character abilities, as well as some thumping audio. Enjoy!

id Software creative director Tim Willits has stated that his development team is excited about being in the last stages of Rage‘s development. Four years in the making, the studio’s latest shooter is expected to hit the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC on October 7.

“The game is basically done. It’s going to be available this fall so we are in the polish and refinement stage which is a great place to be. Now we have all the content done and played through the game and got a real sense for it. I’ll be honest with you, it’s exciting. It’s different from DOOM, Quake and Wolfenstein. It has so much to offer: the vehicle combat, the weapons, the ammo types, the items, the story. It really is the best game.”

From what I’ve seen, I think this is a game to watch out for.

THQ has released a new DLC called Path to War on Xbox Live and PSN for Red Faction: Armageddon. The series was effectively canceled by the publisher earlier this week, so this could be the last ever content players will get their hands on.

The official description describes this latest add-on as: “The Earth Defense Force has been defeated and Mars is finally free. However, Adam Hale is back and seeking revenge against the Red Faction. His target is the Terraformer. Relive the battle for the Terraformer through four new missions featuring flyers, orbital strikes, and the Red Faction tank. Unlock two new weapons, the Sharpshooter and the Shard Cannon while earning ten new trophies in this new mission pack for Red Faction: Armageddon!“

Path to War costs 560 MS Points and is a 1.17 GB download for the Xbox 360, while the PS3 file weighs in at 794 MB and will set you back $6.99.

There is a rumor on various gaming forums that a big reveal for Timesplitters 4 is just around the corner. Since the last installment of the series, the game development studio Free Radical was acquired by Crytek. The company has certainly expressed interest in continuing the franchise, so we could see the return of the gun toting monkeys.