Looks like the latest developer to jump off the ESA ship is Doom-creator ID Software. They might release an official statemen ton this matter later today. We are also attempting to reach ID Software for the status of their E3 attendance this year as I type this. This is the latest in a series of developer departures from the ESA recently and there are rumors that more ESA exits are inbound.
Via Gamepolitics
Stronghold Crusader Extreme has gone gold and is all set for May 28th release for your PC gaming pleasure. This latest version of the venerable series features enhanced graphics, AI, maps, and more. There is nothing quite as satisfying as searing your enemies with pitch from on high…
Official Release:
Indie-publisher Gamecock Media Group announced today that Firefly Studios’ ‘Stronghold Crusader Extreme’ has gone gold. That means fans of the series have less than a week wait before they can get their hands on all new Stronghold gameplay, now, more extreme than ever.
Stronghold Crusader Extreme takes all the medieval mayhem of its predecessors and kicks things up a notch. With new features like opponent AI and maps, an all new extreme trail, and full-scale epic warfare with over 10,000 units, gamers won’t want to miss out on any of the action.
Stronghold Crusader Extreme releases May 28 at a PC retailer near you.
GamersGate will host the debut of the expansion to Imperium Romanum, Roman-times city builder which we reviewed here. The Conquest of Britania will feature for new missions and a ‘plethora of game updates’. It is scheduled for release on May 30th.
Official Release:
Today GamersGate announced that it will host the worldwide download premiere of the first add-on to the critically acclaimed historical city builder Imperium Romanum. The Conquest of Britannia adds four new missions and a plethora of game updates as the player faces the challenge of conquering the British Isles.
Published by Kalypso Media, the add-on is scheduled for release on May 30 and has a Suggested Retail Price of €4.99/$5.99
GamersGate has also updated the Suggested Retail Price of Imperium Romanum to $29.99 / €29.99 effective immediately.
The Ubidays’ opening conference will be streamed live via UPLAY.com at 7pm on Wednesday, May 28th (Paris time). Ubidays is a large conference put on by Ubisoft to promote the company’s upcoming game line-up.
Sign up to watch the Ubidays’ videos here.
Official Release:
Today Ubisoft announced that the UBIDAYS® 2008 opening conference will be broadcast live on www.uplay.com on Wednesday 28th May at 7 p.m. Paris time. Taking place on the 28th and 29th May in the heart of Paris’ world-famous Louvre museum, UBIDAYS is Ubisoft’s unique yearly event which presents the company’s upcoming line-up to press and business partners.
The opening conference of UBIDAYS, an innovative, customer-oriented event, will be dubbed simultaneously in four languages: French; German; Spanish and Italian, allowing gamers around the world to take part in this exceptional experience.
Gamers will also have the opportunity to watch all UBIDAYS 2008 videos on Uplay.com, Ubisoft’s new video portal which launches on the 29th May. This new video portal will feature all of Ubisoft’s videos, as well as additional interviews which will be released exclusively on Uplay.com.
Opening live conference schedule:
London: 6 p.m. 28th May
Los Angeles: 10 a.m. 28th May
New York: 1 p.m. 28th May
Paris: 7 p.m. 28th May
Shanghai: 1 a.m. 29th May
Sydney: 3 a.m. 29th May
Bethsoft has penned a ‘long-term partnership’ with Splash Damage, a United Kindom-based studio most well known for their Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. Their next project will be announced in ‘coming months’.
Official Release:
Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today a long-term development partnership with the award-winning U.K. studio, Splash Damage™.
Splash Damage has been recognized by the industry for the quality of its titles and particularly for its skill in creating cutting-edge multiplayer games. The studio has received numerous accolades and awards for Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory™, including Game of the Year nods from GameSpy, IGN, and PC Format. Their latest game, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars™, won over 80 Editors’ Choice, E3, Most Wanted, and Game of the Year awards and nominations.
Bethesda Softworks continues to expand its development and publishing reach, with investments in a library of AAA titles and the opening of new offices in Europe and Japan in the past year. Best known for its 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion®, Bethesda has in development a number of compelling titles, including the highly-anticipated Fallout® 3 due in Fall 2008.
More details about Splash Damage’s brand-new project will be provided in the coming months. For more information on Bethesda Softworks, visit www.bethsoft.com. For more information on Splash Damage, visit www.splashdamage.com.
KOEI has announced that their Warriors Orochi has shipped more than 1.5 million units since its release and that they will be bringing the game’s sequel, Warriors Orochi 2, to North America this September for the Xbox 360 and PS2 platforms.
Official Release:
KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games, announced today that the company has shipped a combined one and a half million units worldwide of WARRIORS OROCHI™ across all video game platforms. The hit game is a crossover of two of the company’s biggest franchises, DYNASTY WARRIORS® and SAMURAI WARRIORS®.
“This milestone is a significant testament to the global impact not only of this game, but also to the tremendous admiration that fans worldwide share for the DYNASTY WARRIORS and SAMURAI WARRIORS characters,” said Amos Ip, Senior Vice President at KOEI Corporation. “As we celebrate, I would like to recognize and express our thanks to the video game world’s greatest fans for making this achievement possible.”
WARRIORS OROCHI is available for the PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) system, Windows-based PC, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.
KOEI also announced that it is bringing WARRIORS OROCHI 2 to North America. The game will be available for the Xbox 360® and PlayStation®2 in September 2008. WARRIORS OROCHI 2 is not yet concept approved by Microsoft.
According to Codemasters, their demo for the the upcoming racer, Race Driver: GRID, has been downloaded over one million times for on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC platforms. The racer will be released on June 3rd in North America and May 30th in PAL territories. Aside from the original Xbox 360, PS3, and PC releases, Codemasters is also planning a Nintendo DS version sometime later.
Official Release:
Race gaming has never been so fierce or closely fought as Codemasters® today announced that the Race Driver: GRID™ playable demo has roared past the one million downloads mark across the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows® formats since its launch on May 8th.
The Race Driver: GRID demo is now available to download from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace and PLAYSTATION®Network with the Games For Windows® demo available from http://community.racedrivergrid.com/. The Fastest Final Lap Challenge is exclusive to the console editions of the demo.
Taking players to dramatic and beautifully realised race locations over three continents to compete in an exhilarating variety of racing events, Race Driver: GRID is set to launch May 30th across Europe/PAL regions and June 3rd in North America for the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 system and Games for Windows with a Nintendo DS™ edition to follow.
Monte Cristo has announced their ‘Point, Shoot, Win!’ contest for their upcoming city-builder, Cities XL, today. We got the chance to conduct an interview with the Project Director of the game which you can find here. To enter the contest, simply take a photo of a current residential building and submit it to the official forums here.
Official Release:
Monte Cristo is launching an exciting new contest today for their upcoming next-generation city-building title, CITIES XL?. In the new ‘Point, Shoot ? Win!’ contest, you need only submit a photo of a current residential building to the forums at www.citiesxl.com to enter. Starting on May 28, members of the CITIES XL? community will begin voting on the submitted images, with three winners being announced on June 10. The winning entries will be included in the final version of CITIES XL? when the game goes on sale in 2009.
Only images of residential structures (homes, apartment buildings, etc.) may be submitted, and no trademarked buildings, monuments or other current intellectual properties may be entered into the contest. Before submitting a photo, please read the complete rules and submission guidelines at www.citiesxl.com. Grab your camera, as a building you choose (or maybe even your own home) could be included in CITIES XL?.
Here we have a very cool vid featuring the first nine minutes of the game Haze. Set for a release date of May 20th, the PS3 exclusive is a first-person shooter in which soldiers use super-drugs to modify their abilities. Just watch out for those overdoses, they’re a doozy!
Thanks to elHabib.at for the footage!
We usually review dedicated gaming keyboards here at the site, which makes our look at Kensington’s Ci70 Keyboard with USB Ports seem a bit out of character. Well, when we first saw the Ci70, we were immediately attracted to its sleek profile and wondered how it would fare while playing our favorite video games. We warn you, we did not review this keyboard as a ‘gaming keyboard’, we reviewed it from the perspective of a non-enthusiast class gamer that dabbles in gaming at the home or office.
the Looks:
The Ci70 definitely excels in the looks and style department. As you can see from its low profile, sleek lines, and narrow width – a full 2.5′ more narrow that the Razer Lycosa. There is a black sliding panel which covers either the USB ports or the internet
keys moves back and forth with ease and seems of durable construction. In fact, while the keyboard is light and small, with the thinner area of the keyboard coming in at .25′ thick, it feels remarkably solid.
the Install:
Installing the Ci70 on your PC requires no software. Just plug it in and you are all set. On the Mac platform, however, you will need to install some basic drivers before it functions as advertised.
the Usage, Mundane:
Kensington’s Ci70 performs very well under normal office conditions. The biggest complaint we had about it, and this comes into play alot more when gaming (see below), was the need for a wrist rest. The Ci70 was a bit uncomfortable to use after a long period of time. We loved, however, the mini-USB port. We were able to connect our digital camera to it with ease and it was a ton more convenient than climbing around the back of the case to accomplish the same task.
the Usage, Gaming:
We have been all set to play Age of Conan for the last four years so, with its recent ‘Early Access’ launch, it was the first thing we tested the keyboard with. The crisp-clicking keyboard performed admirably, although after some hours of play, we noticed our wrists were a bit uncomfortable. We placed a padded wrist rest in front of the Ci70 and it was no longer an issue. In addition to the mini-USB plug, there is a standard USB 2.0 port next to it. In this, you could easily plug in a command unit (such as the Nostromo n52te), joystick, or any other gaming peripheral that does not require a powered USB port.
the Conclusion:
While the gaming capabilities of the Kensington Ci70 USB are minimal and not what you would expect from a full-fledged gaming keyboard, if you are a home or office user who would like to have easy access to his or her USB ports and still be able to play some games here and there, this is a great purchase you should seriously look into. And the mini-USB plug just adds a ton of convenience. I always end up losing those cables with my electronic devices. Now, that just can’t happen. There is a wireless version of the Ci70 as well, however that model does not have USB ports (obviously). The Kensington Ci70 with USB ports retails for $49.99 here.
