TopWare Interactive has released some new screenshots from its upcoming expansion to RPG Two Worlds II, called “Pirates of the Flying Fortress”. In this expansion, players will be able to become one of the famed flying pirates as they go about their pillaging ways. The expansion is due out this October.
Bohemia Interactive has long been known for their ArmA wargame series. In the fourth quarter of 2011, however, the developer is planning to release a dedicated flight simulation called Take On Helicopters. Take On Helicopters focuses on, if you could not already tell, helicopter aviation.
The game features several difficulty options for virtual pilots of all skill levels and a beautiful graphics engine that is based on the ArmA 2 game engine. Instead of having to focus on handling an entire battlefield of armies, the game engine is free to focus on the terrain, flight dynamics, and story elements with stunning results.
Additionally, Bohemia Interactive is taking some real innovations with Take On Helicopters that most simulations don’t. Biggest of these is the inclusion of a detailed singleplayer campaign which tells the story of a man trying to make his family’s aviation business profitable. Players will also be able to get out and walk around their helicopters at the heliport in order to do visual inspections and pre-flight checks before boarding for takeoff. While on the ground, players will also be able to speak with other characters in order to advanced the story and accept missions.
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When asked about performing military operations in a helicopter, we were told that while not a combat simulation, Take On Helicopters will allow players to fly some military-style operations by way of a flashbacks. The main character’s brother is a veteran chopper pilot for the US Army and when you speak to him, sometimes you get the option to relive one of his missions. The extent of these military operations is still unknown, but it all adds up to a flight simulation that will be a lot more dynamic than your average, run-of-the-mill civil aviation game.
I got a chance to take the controls at the demo kiosk and took command of a light helicopter similar to an MD-500. I am unsure as to the exact model and make. I was also told that the flight model was actually that of a medium helicopter as the light helicopter flight model was not ready to be shown yet. So, I put myself on a course for the Seattle skyline and began circling about the city. Even with auto-rudder on (there were no rudder pedals at the kiosk), the chopper flew beautifully and the occasional turbulence effects added a lot to the realism of virtual flight.
The game will be fully compatible with head-tracking solutions as well as triple monitor displays and is scheduled for release on the Windows PC platform come the end of this year.
Here are 30 seconds of gameplay from Signal Studios upcoming Toy Soldiers Cold War from the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Here are 30 seconds of gameplay from THQ’s upcoming action-shooter, Warhammer 40K: Kill Team taken at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.
Here are 30 seconds of gameplay from SEGA’s upcoming isometric actioner, Renegade Ops, which is due out on the Xbox LIVE Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Windows PC platforms.
From the 30 Seconds of Gameplay department comes some footage taken at this year’s E3 expo showing off a convention goer playing the upcoming Star Wars Kinect title for the Xbox 360 with Kinect.
We got a chance to sit down with Double Fine at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo and take an up-close look at their upcoming tower defense/mech shooter, Trenched, which is due out in just a couple weeks on the Xbox LIVE Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points.
Our next “30 Seconds of Gameplay” segment from this year’s E3 2011 expo features Ubisoft’s upcoming Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.
Here is our new “30 Seconds of Gameplay” segment from this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. In this installment, we take a look at the upcoming erotic puzzle game, Catherine, from Atlus.
Bohemia Interactive’s Armed Assault, or, “ArmA” series has been a fan favorite since they split from Codemasters’ umbrella after developing the original Operation Flashpoint. The game series has been known for extremely realistic limitations of motion as well as realistic equipment, tactics, and weapons platforms. With the announcement of ArmA III, I made sure to make an appointment with them at this week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles and was not disappointed…
Stepping into the small room where BI was demoing the game to media, I was treated to several pages of pictures showing off various equipment and character images. As it turns out, THIS entry into the ArmA series is actually set in the near-future, albeit in a slightly alternate universe which allows them to experiment with new weapons and equipment platforms.
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ArmA III features a new incarnation of the graphics engine seen in ArmA II as well as an overhauled campaign system. As the developer began playing through a bit of infantry movement, it was very clear that the restrictive movement of past games has been remedied. While not looking as free-flowing as, say, Battlefield 3 or Modern Warfare 3, the game’s player movement looks much smoother and should allow for new players to take quickly to the basic controls.
Even though I touched on the upgraded visuals a bit earlier, I must reiterate this point. This is the most beautiful ArmA title yet and as the player moved through the scrub for cover and ran across fields, I was very much blown away by just how great the game looked. After showing a bit of the game world from an infantryman’s point-of-view, the developer took to the skies in a Comanche attack helicopter.
Of course, this is not the actual Comanche as, well, that program was canceled. However, this is that alternate timeline I mentioned and, in that timeline, it is in service. This alternate timeline allows BI to create amalgam vehicles and weapons to those found in our own reality, but also it allows them to customize the type and number of these items to make the game more accessible. As opposed to having hundreds of real-world weapons, each with slightly different specifications that many new users would not understand, BI has created fewer, clearly different platforms with much easier to understand roles.
The next sequence of gameplay took to the seas with a patrol boat driving around coastal waters. The waves rippled realistically behind the boat as it cruised and the developer explained that ArmA III was going to feature a brand-new physics modeling system which includes rag-doll physics for the human characters (checkout the grenade video below).
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The final sequence the developer showed off was some underwater navigation utilizing a portable underwater propulsion pod. The occlusion of the water and refraction of light was great to look at and should make for yet another navigation vector possibility for both the single-player campaign as well as user-made missions.
Speaking of user-made missions, the developer spoke about the game’s mission editor which, unlike previous installments, will be fully-3D allowing for easier placement of units and other objects. Also included is the game’s legendary scripting system which allows users to get the maximum level of control in creating their own experiences.
ArmA III looks like it will be an incredibly fun tactical wargame with an easier barrier of entry for new players and enough complexity for veteran ones. It is set for release next Summer on the Windows PC platform.
