(click to play the video)Paradox Interactive´s latest World War II strategy game, Arsenal of Democracy, has been released and is available for purchase via major digital distributors for $19.99. Developed by BL-Logic, the game focuses on historical accuracy, realism and strategic depth, and incorporates many tweaks, improvements and new features that aim to breathe new life into the core Hearts of Iron II experience upon which the game was built.

Arsenal of Democracy permits players to rewrite history at the helm of any nation during World War II in a variety of scenarios in single-player or multiplayer modes. Topple your enemies using advanced combat mechanics on land, in the air and at sea, engage in espionage, intelligence, diplomacy and global trade to give your nation a decisive edge, and determine your country´s National Identity, Social Policy and Ethnic Culture. The game’s mod capabilities also afford the ability to create your own campaigns, units, countries, minister traits, and national ideas.

Heatwave Interactive has announced their acquisition of the intellectual property rights and all assets for Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, the Roman mythology themed Massively Multiplayer Online game. As part of the transaction with PlayGrid, Heatwave also obtained a source code license to the PlayGrid Platform, their online game publishing technology as well as two development engines.

Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is a full scale action adventure MMO that strives to immerse the audience in Roman mythology. Players step into a hero’s sandals to battle monsters and command minions while seeking favor from the gods.

(click to play the video)One of the new characters that you can add to your party in Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening is the deadly rogue Sigrun. She brings along all the skills needed to survive from growing up casteless on the streets of Orzammar as well as a healthy hatred of darkspawn.

There is only one way to leave the Legion of the Dead: by fulfilling a vow to die in battle against the enemies of Orzammar, a sacrifice that absolves any guilt. Sigrun craves a chance to prove she is more than a worthless gutter-rat, but it’s hard to rush headlong into a battle you won’t survive. After all, when you grow up casteless, you learn to fight for everything. You learn that you have to watch out for yourself, because no one else will, and the Stone knows no one’s going to miss you when you’re dead. Sigrun’s a survivor, and old habits die hard.

Max Payne 3 is slated to release later this year, but apparently no one at Remedy is actually working on it. Remedy reports that they’re currently too busy putting the finishing touches on Alan Wake, and when they’re finished have no plans to continue the Payne as he’s no longer their baby.

According to Remedy’s Oskari Hakkinen, “Max was a long process for us obviously as well. We sold the IP to Rockstar who are now doing their interpretation of Max Payne. I haven’t seen it. I mean, I’ve seen the screenshots, and you know what? Rockstar doesn’t make bad games. Rockstar make awesome games, and, rightly so, they’re going to make their own interpretation of Max Payne and it’s not going to be a Remedy game. But it’ll be awesome, because it’s going to be Rockstar. It’ll be interesting to play it and see their interpretation. Sam Lake is the brainchild behind the Remedy version, so Rockstar should make their own interpretation of that.”

Source: VG247

According to documents just made public by the US Patents and Trademark Office, Sony has had a project in the works that will make switching controllers between gaming sessions, on different consoles, a thing of the past (no need to get off the couch if the correct disks are already loaded).

The controller includes a “hand-holdable” housing and a touch sensitive liquid crystal display on the housing. The LCD presents, depending on which console a user has selected, a controller key layout for a first type of game console or a controller key layout for a second type of game console. The key layout also includes plural keys selectable by a user to input commands to a game console.

The turn-based strategy game Greed Corp, will be released on February 24 at the Xbox LIVE Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points, and February 25 on the PlayStation Network for $9.99. The title is the first in a series of games based in the Mistbound universe, in a world of feudal warfare and environmental destruction through industrial consumption. As one of four warring factions, your aim is territorial domination; but at what cost? Can you find the delicate balance between harvesting the land for resources and preserving it to stay alive? Will you defend your territory or sacrifice it to keep it out of enemy hands?

Featuring a land collapsing mechanic which constantly alters the strategic landscape, you must destroy your enemies or the very land they stand on before they do it to you. Build Harvesters to reap your land for credits and spend them on armories and cannons. Manufacture walkers to conquer enemy territory and order carriers to transport your troops across the map. Ultimately, defeat your enemies by eliminating their troops and destroying or capturing their structures.

Some people just have way too much time on their hands. Kotaku reports that some internet detectives have uncovered an alternative camera mode for the recently released Lost in Nightmares DLC for Resident Evil 5. The new mode frames action in a manner similar to the earlier mansion-based titles. In order to unlock it, players must speak to the front door a few times until it says “?” instead of the usual investigation prompt.

Lost in Nightmares is now available on both PSN and Xbox Live and puts you in control of Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine in an extended version of one of Resident Evil 5’s flashback scenes.

(click to play the video)“Who doesn’t love the thrill of a prison break? It’s a great basis for any video game, but even better when utilizing the intricate storyline and colorful characters created for the Fox series,” says Gary Rosenfeld, Senior Vice President of New Media for Fox Licensing.

The protagonist of Prison Break: The Conspiracy is Company agent Tom Paxton. He is sent to the Fox River State Penitentiary to find out why Michael Scofield (the hero of the TV series), a man without a previous criminal record, became a bank robber. The storyline runs parallel to the first season of “Prison Break”, and Paxton encounters several characters from the series and experiences key events from his own perspective.

While I’m normally very cautious about games based on television (Ubisoft’s Lost will forever haunt me), the “look” of the trailer does make me want to check out the whole package. Any other Prison Break fans willing to give it a shot?

Capcom recently announced that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 would be on sale for half price at the PlayStation Store. That’s not all, however, as our Capcom buddies have also revealed that each week for the next five weeks, will see a major price slash on one of their PlayStation Network games by 50%. So for this next week, you’ll be able to pick up MvC2 for $7.49 instead of $14.99. Starting on February 25, the discounted game will be Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix ($7.49); March 4, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix ($4.99); on March 11, Age of Booty ($4.99); and last (but by no means least) on March 18, 1942: Joint Strike is available for $4.99. Sales like these give a nice warm feeling to the start of the weekend. Thanks Capcom!

Firaxis Studios promises “an entirely new combat system, deeper diplomatic interactions and a cavalcade of expanded features,” for Civilization V which is currently under development for the PC. One of the new developments will be the introduction of hexagon tiles in an effort to enable greater use of strategy and movement tactics. Fully animated leaders, screen-filling diplomatic scenes, characters speaking in their native languages and ranged bombardment also fill out the list of improvements and additions. The game will have an in-game community hub that will allow you to share user-created scenarios, scores, and achievements. Multiplayer will feature not only online competition, but Hotseat email modes as well.

“Each new version of Civilization presents exciting challenges for our team,” said the one and only Sid Meier. “Thankfully, ideas on how to bring new and fun experiences to Civ players never seem to stop flowing.” Phew, that’s a relief then! Expect the new version to be on shelves in the fall of 2010.

Sean Riley, the lead designer for Twisted Pixel, joins us for Episode 66 of the Avault Podcast. Sean brought all of his energy with him to join in on a conversation about what it’s like to have not one but two hits on XBLA, the process behind Splosion Man, and unsung developers. Sean also shared with the guys some of what we can expect from Twisted Pixel in the future (Natal?).

This week’s show also covers BioShock 2 (some may want to listen before laying down the cash), Dante’s Inferno (the setting alone might be worth a look), Billy’s attempts at PC gaming, and retro gaming. There’s also a recap of Microsoft’s X10 event, so listen up and don’t get left behind!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Recent ESA research indicates that 9.78 million illegal copies of video games were downloaded worldwide during the month of December. The ESA estimates, however, that the number is actually much higher as the study focused only on the 200 most popular games. They also cite that Mexico, Canada and Brazil should be placed on a “priority watch list,” due to their inadequate response to regional piracy problems. The report also “demonstrates a strong correlation between countries that lack sufficient protections for technological protection measures and countries where online piracy levels for entertainment software are high.”

Source: Kotaku

Namco Bandai Games has just announced Dragon Ball: Origins 2 as a DS exclusive. A follow-up to the original Dragon Ball: Origins for DS, the sequel continues the story of Goku’s early years as he and his friends search the world for the seven enchanted Dragon Balls. Features of the action-adventure title include the ability to play as different characters throughout the journey and the option to team up with a friend for co-op multiplayer challenges. Dragon Ball: Origins 2 will be available this summer.

Stardock has pulled back the curtain on ImpulseTV. Hosted by Jason Ocampo, formerly of IGN and Gamespot, and Brian Clair, formerly of Avault, ImpulseTV is designed to let people see games and software as they really are in order to get a better idea of whether they want to buy it or even try out the software. ImpulseTV features hands-on walk-throughs, game tutorials and tips, spotlights and demos on AAA and indie games alike, unbiased and outspoken expert commentary and more.

“There’s a lot of real gems out there that people would normally never hear about,” said Ocampo. “With ImpulseTV, we hope to shed some light on great games – both famous and unknown.”

Source: Impulse Driven

Microsoft has just confirmed today that Alan Wake has cleared the ESRB with a T rating. While many had previously assumed that the folks who created Max Payne were working on shipping out another M-rated blood bath, this is apparently not going to be the case when the title ships for both teens and adults alike on May 18.

According to previous press released from Remedy, however, the rating shouldn’t be all that much of a surprise. Bringing a new style of storytelling to the Xbox 360, Alan Wake is a psychological action thriller from the renowned developers of the successful Max Payne series. In this dynamic new title exclusively for Xbox 360, players assume the role of Alan Wake, a best-selling suspense author suffering from writer’s block, who escapes to a small town only to experience the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée.

While in theory this should open up the game for a larger market and thus garner more sales, could they have made a mistake? Will the rating affect your decision to purchase?