Great games blog

It’s a confusing week for releases, though we have to wonder if such a thing is ever straightforward. There is some solid game material hitting shelves this week, and we’ve got a full breakdown for you.

First up is a turn-based strategy game set in the time of the American Civil War, and aptly titled American Civil War. Players become the head of either the Union or Confederate forces and lead them through battle on land or on sea through several key conflicts of the war, or through an all-encompassing campaign. With a group of historical experts having played a role in the development of the game, it threatens to almost be educational.

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If you’ve been following the MMO scene for a while, you might have already heard of SOE’s next venture into the genre with its Pirates of the Burning Sea. Developed by Flying Lab Software, Pirates puts players into the britches of a New World sailor around the year 1720. Players choose one of four nations to play as, either the English, French, Spanish, or Pirate nation, then start sailing the seas of the New World trading, privateering, or just plain pirating.

The game features a good variety of things to do, from ship to ship combat, to swashbuckling duels, to object crafting and resource gathering. As a matter of fact, crafting plays a very important role in this game since the entire economy is player driven; all ships, weapons, and clothing is player made. Craftable items such as ships aren’t restricted to their blueprints either. There are options in game for customization, meaning a player’s ship truly feels like his own.

I’m not sure what to make of it, though that may be because I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the last SOE game I played, Star Wars Galaxies. At any rate, Pirates of the Burning Sea ships January 28, 2008, though players who pre-order it online can start playing 15 days early.

As far as quantity goes for releases this week, PC gamers don’t have much to brag about. As always though, quality is what puts a smile on my face.

Up for sale on the 1st of October is an intriguing looking RPG from developer Rebelmind, called The Chosen - Well of Souls. Don’t expect this Diablo 2 inspired demon-killing RPG to win any awards for outstanding gameplay, but at a MSRP of $19.99, it’s not a huge investment either.

The release that most people are going to be following, however, is Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, which rumbles into stores on October 2nd. Promoted as a Battlefield killer, Quake Wars combines the well established class-based multiplayer system with the Doom 3 engine, and adds in a sprinkling of RPG elements, to brew one solid multiplayer experience. If you’re not fortunate enough to own an X-Box 360 and therefore can’t participate in any Halo 3 action this week, consider Quake Wars a most enjoyable alternative. At the very least, be sure to download the demo that is available on their website.

Reports have been coming in from all over, confirming Valve’s next release, The Orange Box, has gone gold. According to various sources, physical copies of The Orange Box are now under production, and the game is on track to meet its October 8th release date. Considering the sheer magnitude of this collection, we’re willing to overlook the fact that the compilation was originally scheduled for release last year.

If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months and don’t know what all the fuss is about, then brace yourself; purchasing The Orange Box nets you a copy of Half-Life 2 as well as Episode One, in addition to three new releases: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and the space-time bending FPP (First Person Puzzler), Portal. The compilation will hit shelves with a MSRP of $49.95, only one third of what it would cost to buy all the titles individually. As an added bonus, gamers who pre-order The Orange Box now through Steam or at a local Game Stop will receive a 10% discount off of the MSRP, and be invited to participate in the ongoing Team Fortress 2 beta test.

Of course there is the question of what to do with the extra copies of Half-Life 2 and Episode 1, if you’ve already purchased them. Unfortunately Valve isn’t too sympathetic on this front, and they suggest giving those extra copies to a friend. If purchased through Steam, the extra games can be credited to another existing Steam account. Well at least that’s something.

Ok, this little piece of news is bound to make a lot of people very happy. Mafia 2, the sequel to the original Mafia title that sold more than two million copies worldwide and helped popularize the gangster genre, has been finally announced. The game will feature a deep mobster-driven narrative packed with both behind-the-wheel and on-foot action and is being developed by the developers of the original Mafia title - Illusion Softworks.

Like the original Mafia title, Mafia 2 immerses players in the mob underworld of a fictitious late 1940’s-early 1950’s scenario. Players will easily become engaged in the game’s cinematic Hollywood movie experience with strong, believable characters in a living, breathing city. (more…)

Namco Bandai and EA announced today that Hellgate: London will start hitting retail stores in North America on October 31, 2007 and in Europe on November 2, 2007.

Bill Roper from Flagship Studios explaining the reasoning behind the date: “We wanted to hit the sweet-spot for release in terms of the development schedule and delivering the highest-quality game to our players. Halloween was the perfect fit as it ensures that Hellgate: London will have an appropriate amount of beta testing, while also being an incredibly fun time to unleash the game.”

One of the most anticipated PC games and RPGs of the year, Hellgate: London offers infinite re-playability with dynamically generated levels, items, enemies and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through an innumerable amount of demons to advance through a deep, rich story-driven campaign. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow each player to create his or her own unique hero.

id Software surprised gamers at their annual QuakeCon event today by announcing the release date for Enemy Territory Quake Wars! The game will be on European store shelves on September 28th and North American store shelves beginning October 2nd.

In case you haven’t been keeping up with the game or just need a little reminder, here’s something for you: Enemy Territory Quake Wars is set within the expansive QUAKE universe in the year 2065. Gamers choose to play as the human GDF or alien Strogg in one of five unique character classes. Employing an arsenal of weapons, vehicles and deployable armaments, players engage in an action-packed test of skill and coordinated teamwork through a series of combat objectives. Persistent character growth and achievements reward players for teamwork, while clearly defined mission and class objectives guide new players to meaningful contributions on the battlefield. (more…)