Author - Jerry Paxton

First Sins of a Dark Age Screenshots

Ironclad Games bring you the very first in-game screenshots of the upcoming RTS/MOBA hybrid, Sins of a Dark Age, which will see beta hitting summer 2012.

Screenshots

XSEED to Begin Steam Publishing

Torrance, Calif., (March 13, 2012) – XSEED Games, an independent-minded publisher, is proud to announce that they will be bringing Ys: The Oath in Felghana and Ys Origin, both from acclaimed Japanese developer Nihon Falcom, to PC on Steam.  Ys: The Oath in Felghana will launch on 3/19 at a price of $14.99. More details on the launch of Ys Origin will be provided at a later time.

“People have been asking for Falcom’s great catalog of PC games to be officially made available in English for a long time,” said Jun Iwasaki, President of XSEED Games. “To start our new publishing arrangement on Steam with two standout entries from Falcom’s action-based Ys series, one of which has never been made available in English before, is an ideal situation for us, and we are excited about the future possibilities.”

Ys: The Oath in Felghana & Ys Origin

XSEED Games delighted RPG fans in 2010 and 2011 when the company published several Ys titles from legendary RPG developer Nihon Falcom to the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, and now Ys fans can celebrate once more as two of the series’ most revered titles, Ys: The Oath in Felghana and Ys Origin, are heading to PC as digital downloads via Steam.

Ys: The Oath in Felghana is an action RPG driven by fast-paced combat and paired with an intricate puzzle-filled world, and an enhanced port for the PSP system garnered many accolades when published by XSEED in 2010. This Steam release is true to the original Japanese PC release from 2005, but with added Steamworks features such as Steam Achievements and Steam Cloud support. The game follows the ongoing adventures of series hero Adol Christin and his trusty companion Dogi.

Conversely, Ys Origin serves as a prequel to the original Ys, and is the first Ys title not to feature Adol Christin or Dogi. This will mark the first time that the game, originally released in Japan for PC in 2006, will be officially released in English. Set 700 years before the first title in the Ys series, the game’s story focuses on the twin Goddesses and the mysterious Black Pearl made famous in Ys I & II, and follows the adventures of several playable characters as they ascend the menacing Darm Tower.

For more information on XSEED Games products, visit www.xseedgames.com. Fans can also follow XSEED Games on Facebook at www.facebook.com/XSEEDGames and Twitter at www.twitter.com/XSEEDGames.

Wasteland 2 Begins Kickstarter Fund

You may not be old enough to remember the venerable RPG, Wasteland, but it was the inspiration to the Fallout game series – developed by Interplay founder Brian Fargo. inXile Entertainment has decided to develop a sequel and is asking for your orders in pitching in for the game. It will be $15 smackers a person, but you will get a copy of the game for it. There are more expensive donations, but I will leave it to you to read up on those.

About Wasteland 2

Wasteland 2 is the direct sequel to the first ever post-apocalyptic computer RPG. The original Wasteland was the inspiration for the FALLOUT series of games, and the first RPG to allow players to split parties for tactical considerations, to face players with moral choices, and to make them deal with the consequences of their actions. It was the first to provide far more than the one-key-for-one-lock style of puzzle solving. It was groundbreaking, which is why IGN named it one of the top 25 PC games of all time, Computer Gaming World named it the Adventure Game of the year in 1988, and it was short-listed for inclusion in the Smithsonian Institution’s current “Art of the Computer Game” exhibition.

The Kickstarter Fund for Wasteland 2 Link

Formula One Staying with Codemasters

Los Angeles, Calif. – March 13, 2012 – Codemasters® will remain the home of official FORMULA ONE games with the confirmation that it has extended its partnership with Formula One World Championship Limited in a further multi-year agreement to develop and publish multiple titles for video game consoles, personal computers, mobile devices and online platforms.

Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One group CEO, said, “Codemasters has created some of the best and most successful FORMULA ONE games to date.  We and the teams work closely with them and look forward to creating more award winning games together in the future.”

Rod Cousens, CEO of Codemasters said, “We got off to a strong start with FORMULA ONE but we harbour ambitions to do much more.  FORMULA ONE is in the front of our minds at Codemasters and we give it the focus and attention it deserves.  We have established close links across the sport and they know that, in Codemasters, they have a great partner.”

“We remain ambitious with our plans and want to take the series forward.  We want to take it to new geographies, make it available on new platforms, to new audiences.  We are taking FORMULA ONE to a new online platform this spring and our portfolio will be extended with a FORMULA ONE experience that will address a younger video game audience later in 2012.  Our teams are hard at it, creating world class FORMULA ONE games across multiple genres for players irrespective of location or gaming platform and now, for many years to come.”

Codemasters will continue to produce the official FORMULA ONE game for worldwide release; development will remain with the BAFTA award-winning studio team at Codemasters Birmingham.  The FORMULA ONE portfolio will be expanded with F1 ONLINE THE GAME™, a free-to-play online management and racing game, which will go live this spring.  An additional and all-new FORMULA ONE experience for a family audience is due this holiday season with details to be announced.

Battlefield 3: Close Quarters Screenshots

Here are some new screens from the upcoming Battlefield 3: Close Quarters!

About BATTLEFIELD 3: CLOSE QUARTERS

Battlefield 3: Close Quarters is a themed expansion pack bringing the team play of Battlefield 3 to tight indoor environments. The frantic close quarters infantry combat showcases the wide spectrum of battles that only Battlefield 3 can deliver, from huge open environments to intimate indoor gunplay. Battlefield 3: Close Quarters is amplified by unprecedented high definition destruction, new ways to play, added persistence, and new weapons including the ACW-R carbine, the M417 sniper rifle, the L86LSW machine gun and the M5K tactical machine pistol.

Screenshots

The Old Republic is Free this Weekend

Now, even more gamers can experience the massively multiplayer online game that is taking the world by storm! Starting this Thursday, players around the world will be able to jump in and experience Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ in the first Weekend Pass Free* Trial. This limited time opportunity will give individuals who don’t already have a previously-active Star Wars: The Old Republic account a chance to experience the groundbreaking, story-driven MMO from EA, BioWare and LucasArts for up to four days for free, with no payment method required.

Individuals who take part in the Weekend Pass will be able to experience the opening adventures of each of the eight character classes in the game, exploring both their Origin World and may even have the opportunity to visit their faction’s Capital World. Additionally, Weekend Pass players will have the chance to face off against other players in PvP Warzones, or join up with friends and play through a couple of early faction-specific Flashpoints in the game, The Esseles and The Black Talon.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is one of the most critically acclaimed MMOs of all time, having won MSNBC’s “Game of the Year” award, “Editor’s Choice” awards from IGN, PC Gamer and “Best MMO of 2011” awards from Game Informer, Gamespy.com, Massively, Ten Ton Hammer and more.  The game is set thousands of years before the classic Star Wars™ movies, with the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire locked in the middle of an epic, galactic war.  Players choose one of eight iconic Star Wars character classes, including the Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, Trooper, Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent, becoming the hero or villain of their own personal Star Wars saga.

The Weekend Pass Free Trial opens Thursday, March 15, 12:01AM CDT and ends on Monday, March 19th at 2:00AM CDT. To learn more, visit www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com/weekendpass. Players can begin registering and creating their accounts on March 15.

Be sure to check back to www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com, as well as our Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates.

Elder Scrolls Lawsuit Settled

ZeniMax® Media Inc. today announced that a settlement has been reached in the lawsuit it filed over Mojang’s applications for ownership of the ‘Scrolls’ trademark. The lawsuit was filed by ZeniMax when Mojang submitted applications covering a range of ‘Scrolls’ trademarks for use in video games and other media. In its complaint, ZeniMax cited a conflict with its longstanding trademark for ‘The Elder Scrolls’, the name of its highly-successful video game franchise published by ZeniMax Media’s publishing arm, Bethesda® Softworks.

Under the terms of the settlement, all ownership rights to the ‘Scrolls’ trademark will transfer to ZeniMax, and Mojang will assign to ZeniMax ownership of any pending “Scrolls’ trademark applications. ZeniMax has licensed the ‘Scrolls’ mark to Mojang to be used solely in conjunction with its existing Scrolls digital card game and any  add-on material it makes to that game.  The terms of the settlement bar Mojang from using the Scrolls mark for any sequel to the current card game, or any other video game.

“We are pleased to have settled this matter with Mojang amicably,” said Robert Altman, Chairman and CEO of ZeniMax. “The Elder Scrolls is an important brand to us, and with this settlement we were able to protect our valuable property rights while allowing Mojang to release their digital card game under the name they preferred.”