Bill has been writing about games for the past 16 years for such outlets as Computer Games Magazine, GameSpy, The Escapist, GameShark, and Crispy Gamer. He will continue to do so until his wife tells him to get a real job.
Paradox keeps the news flowing with the release of some new trailers for the latest Mount & Blade game.
Todd’s played M&B more than I have but I have played it enough to know that it’s a damn fine series, and if you are into open world PC rpgs then you really need to grab this. It’s pretty fascinating; it just takes a while to get your feet under you because this is a game that does very little hand holding but once it opens up — pretty damn cool.
In fact, I’m going to publish a Q&A that Todd did with Paradox on this one in the coming days.
There are three trailers and since I don’t want to litter the front page with videos you can view the others after the jump.
Below is the other new gameplay trailer:
And a little 4+minute interview, which, well, hopefully won’t make Todd’s interview obsolete.
Earlier today Stardock announced a brand spanking new addition (technically an expansion) to the Sins of a Solar Empire series called Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion.
Seriously, if you somehow didn’t play this back when it was released do yourself a favor and grab it from Impulse. It’s a fantastically paced and well-executed space opera RTS.
Hit the jump for the full PR, sans hyperbole.
Plymouth, MI – March 1, 2011 –
The exciting next chapter in the awesome Sins of a Solar Empire universe has arrived. A full-fledged expansion to the original, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion draws you even deeper into the galactic struggle for supremacy with appealing new factions, terrifyingly cool new ships of all sizes, enhanced (new) lighting and particle effects for increased visual pleasure and all-new victory conditions.
“Rebellion is the first stand-alone expansion to the Sins of a Solar Empire universe,” said Brian Clair, director of publishing for Stardock. “Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion will add many new ships, refresh the visuals and integrate Impulse::Reactor features to support achievements, multiplayer leagues and much more.”
In the original award-winning Sins of a Solar Empire, developed by Ironclad Games, you are the leader of one of three civilizations embroiled in a galactic war, fighting for survival of your entire race against relentless foes. Your success will depend on your ability to manage your empire and command your vast fleets of starships to victory. Players will colonize new worlds, develop extensive trade networks, conduct research, fortify their empires with powerful starbases and fleets of ships, plus control the galaxy using the unique diplomacy system that reacts dynamically to the players’ actions. (not much hyperbole here….pretty much all true.)
* New features of Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion include:
* New Factions: Players decide whether to become Loyalists or Rebels, which unlocks a unique new tech tree granting them new technologies and ship variants.
* New Titan-class ships: Massive warships for each race that dwarf capital ships, these deadly new monsters (really big ships) are capable of wiping out entire enemy fleets single-handedly.
* New Capital Ships: A new capital ship class arrives, giving players new strategic options.
* New Corvette-class ships: Small, highly maneuverable light ships that are adept at a variety of tasks.
* Loyalist and Rebel versions of some of the existing Sins’ frigates and cruisers, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses.
* New Victory Conditions to allow for more variety, differing strategies and shorter game sessions.
* Additional capital ship ability levels, for greater strategic choice.
* Impulse::Reactor support for chat, friends, achievements and more.
Want more? Check out the Sins webpage here: https://www.sinsofasolarempire.com/
As I type this my copy of Retribution is downloading from Steam. I’m likely not going to be able to stay awake tonight so I can play it, so, tomorrow is Retribution Day for Bill! Woo.
This trailer breaks my rule that trailers must show gameplay, but Relic does such a great job with these going back to the first DoW that I think it’s permissible. I still think it’s really hard to beat the first Dawn of War trailer which got so many 40K fans amped to play that game and you can view that old trailer after the jump.
When I first saw this I knew immediately that these guys “got it”.
I thoroughly enjoyed Croteam’s original Serious Sam back in the halcyon gaming days of 2001. It was a blistering shooter with insane enemies, a great engine for its day and was a throwback of sorts, even ten years ago. Serious Sam was basically one, big horde mode. Todd would hate this game.
Anyway Croteam today let it be known that Serious Sam 3: BFE will drop this summer. Well, in fact they had said that earlier but today made it official with a press release and some screens, which you can view after the jump.
You really should skim the PR. I couldn’t even edit out the hyperbole. The whole damn thing is.
BOOM! That was the sound of Serious Sam 3: BFE news dropping. Croteam’s Serious Sam 3: BFE is a glorious throwback to the golden age of first-person shooters where men were men, cover was for amateurs and pulling the trigger made things go boom. Serving as a prequel to the original indie sensation, Serious Sam: The First Encounter, Serious Sam 3: BFE takes place during the Earth’s final struggle against Mental’s invading legions of beasts and mercenaries. Set against the collapsing temples of an ancient civilization and the crumbling cities of 22nd century Egypt, Serious Sam 3: BFE is an exhilarating fusion of classic twitch shooters and modern gameplay features.
“Serious Sam 3 is about pure fun and unfiltered action,” said Davor Hunski, chief creative officer of developer Croteam. “We wanted to expand on everything gamers love about the series while adding some genuinely unique new features to really enhance the mayhem Serious Sam is known for.”
Trademark features such as relentless hordes of spectacular enemies and expansive outdoor battlefields return in Serious Sam 3: BFE at full force. Other features include:
Frantic Arcade-Style Action – The calling card of the Serious Sam series, hold down the trigger and lay waste to a never-ending onslaught of attackers or face being overrun by Mental’s savage beasts. No cover systems, no camping – it’s just you and them. All of them.
Mental’s Fearsome Legions – A new battalion of unforgettable minions including the rumbling Scrapjack and towering Khnum join the legendary Headless Kamikaze, Gnaar and Sirian Werebull. Your days of mowing down zombie Nazi space pirates are over.
Serious Melee Attacks – When an enemy slips by your wall of lead and pain, use one of the all-new innovative melee moves to drop an enemy right where they stand in the most violent way possible.
Pure Multiplayer Mayhem – Play through the full campaign mode with up to 16 players or drop the gauntlet and let the heavy ordinance fly in versus modes like Deathmatch and Beast Hunt. This is the next level of Serious Sam multiplayer and all hell is about to break loose.
“Holy crap, I am going to make a boatload of cash of this game,” said Fork Parker, chief financial officer at Devolver Digital, the Serious Sam 3: BFE publisher. “I mean that’s what this is all about, right? If this thing comes out in the summer my wife is totally getting the tit job she’s been asking for.”
Serious Sam 3 will bring the boom to PC and game consoles this summer.
When asked for further comment, Fork replied, “Bam. Tit job.”
Paradox surprised some today with its announcement of Sengoku, a game based on…15th century Feudal Japan. Now, I know, Sega and CA are releasing Shogun 2 on March 15th, and it’s based on, well, the exact same time period. But that’s ok, right? I mean this period in history is fascinating stuff and if the industry can support 1,000 zombie games, 2,000 games about World War II then why can’t we have a few about rival Daimyos trying to be Shogun?
I ASSUME this is will more grand strategy like Europa Universalis without the 3D combat model of Shogun 2. Paradox is at its best when its games are more big picture rather than minute detail in terms of fighting, and taking on the budget of Shogun 2 in terms of graphics and combat models is risky, but we’ll see.
We’ll have more on this one as soon as possible. Todd is working on a new Mount & Blade Q&A so I’ll try to get some additional info on this one as well.
