Given the turn-based nature inherent in collectible card games, one might logically presume that a strategy game intent on incorporating CCG mechanics would fall into the turn-based subcategory of the genre. Surprisingly, EA Phenomic's Battleforge sprinkles CCG flavoring into real-time strategy batter, the result of which proved to be a tasty treat I sampled at the recent Electronic Arts Summer Showcase press event.

NCSoft has been credited with creating some of the most addictive MMOs available, but on Wednesday, August 12, 2008, they earned quite a different accolade: they became the first developer to ever explain their game, Aion: Tower of Eternity, with an analogy that made me ravenously hungry for fruit.

Besides choosing a sub-class, the Ascension also gifts players with a sturdy pair of wings. Rather than a simple means of on-rails transportation or faster movement equivalent to mounts in other MMOs, NCSoft has designed flight to be a crucial component of Aion's gameplay composition. Pressing Page Up will unfold a player's wings and begin to detract time from a graphic timer in the lower-right portion of the screen. So long as time remains, players are free to move freely about any area of the game.

My recent hands-on time with Aion began at a character selection screen with eight Elyos characters, one of each possible sub-class, pre-made, set to level 12, and ready for play. Before delving into the game with one of the demonstration characters, a nearby NCSoft representative encouraged me to load the character customization screen in order to view the nearly infinite possibilities Aion allows players to create.

For once, "nearly infinite" proved to be more than hyperbolic text ripped directly from a game's bullet-pointed information sheet. Twenty-five sliders allow players to alter almost every aspect of their character's head and face -- and an entirely different group of sliders exists for the body. Standard MMO traits such as eye and hair color, hair length, and skin color exists, but the sliders also allow for exact shape and positioning for any element. Unless you're feeling lazy and apply default settings to your character, NCSoft is confident that you'll never encounter another Elyos or Asmodian quite like your own.

Though impressed with the bevy of options, I wanted to spend time with one of the level 12 characters, those who were well into the Ascension quest and had already sprouted a pair of wings. After pontificating for a few moments, I chose the Guardian. What better way to wade into a game than with a character whose axe is bigger than he is?

My adventure began in the middle of a town made up of stone buildings. Clouds obscured the sunlight, and if it was this murky down in the Elyos half of the world, one could only imagine the shadows cloaking the Asmodians' realm -- and their spirits. High above me was a large spherical stone platform. Stone legs descended from it, curving down and to the ground, causing the platform to resemble a splayed-legged spider.

Even farther above the platform, in the center of Atreia, is the titular Tower of Eternity, a monument that long stood as a symbol of unity between the different races. Now shattered, each half of Atreia retains half of the tower, with a glowing portal leading each race into the Abyss, a place where the Elyos and Asmodians meet not for fellowship, but for war.

The Abyss is home to what NCSoft calls PvPvE. Players from both races will battle within the Abyss, and will be joined and opposed by the deceptive Balaur. Missions such as destroying large beasts will require Elyos and Asmodian factions to work together even as the opposite race descends upon them, adding to their struggle. At times, the Balaur may be available to lend aid -- but may seek to destroy you immediately after your tentative alliance, forcing your guild to fend off not only the NPC Balaur, but the player-controller faction as well.

Deciding that a level 12 character couldn't handle too much of that action, I opted to test my literal wings. Pressing Page Up caused my wings to spread and my character to hover above the ground, awaiting my command as my flight timer tick, tick, ticked away.

Holding R causes an in-flight character to rise in place, while holding F causes him to descend. Nice, but a bit cumbersome if an in-flight battle were to occur (and NCSoft promises that they frequently will). Movement is accomplished with the traditional WASD configuration, and holding the right mouse button while moving the mouse controls the camera. While flying, the player will fly in the direction the camera is aimed: aim up, down and all around while holding W, and your avatar will head in the current direction.

Aion's flight is smooth and relaxing, even more so thanks to animations that serve to further immerse the player in the graceful gameplay mechanic. Taking a nosedive toward the ground causes your character to tuck in his wings and straighten. Turning is a precursor to each wing bending and folding appropriately in order to lean into the sharpness of the turn.

I flew to the top of the round platform and pressed Page Down to fold my wings, which caused my timer to slowly recharge. Hitherto unnoticed due to the joy zipping and darting through the sky was an NPC who stood passively, his desire for discourse manifested by a blue arrow hanging over his head. The blue arrow designated an NPC with a side quest, while gold arrows mark those who further the game's main storyline. Though I'm sure the fellow had something of interest to say, I was on a mission of my own making.

I stepped to the edge of the platform and looked down at the ground far, far below. After waiting to make sure my flight meter was fully replenished, I took a few steps back before running forward and leaping into open air. Airborne NPCs rushed passed me, as did curious floating balls of jagged stone. Keeping my aim oriented directly at the ground, I waited an instant more before punching Page Up.

Nothing happened.

I pressed it again, frantically this time, a moment before my avatar crashed into the ground and took a loss of approximately 250 hit points. My NCSoft guide chuckled from behind me and explained that the process of unfolding wings takes at least three seconds in midair just as it does on the ground. Grinning sheepishly, I again made my way back to the top of the tower and dove off, pressing Page Up quite a bit earlier this time.

My wings unfurled as I pushed the mouse up, causing my character to almost skim the ground before arcing back into the air.

That was fun. Lots of fun.

Still in-flight, I decided to have a chat with the NPC who, had he not been programmed to stand around and stare, would probably still be laughing his wings off over my first flight experience. Double-clicking an NPC with the left mouse button brings up their dialogue box. I chose Purifying the Sky from a list of in-progress quests and listened to his concern concerning strange rocks emerging from the Abyss -- the same strange rocks I'd noticed haphazardly hanging around the tower during my attempt at playing the part of a stone. After accepting his request to rid the sky of three of the monstrosities, I allowed by timer to recharge before again taking off and heading toward one of the jagged balls of stone.

Double-left-clicking the rock cause me to engage it in one-sided combat -- my favorite kind. Mapped to the skill bar were a variety of combat skills that allowed my axe to hit several times in succession. These moves, known as chain skills, offer a chance for one move to flow seamlessly into another, akin to combos in fighting games.

My target may have been unable to fight back, but its considerable life bar made up for its passive nature. Until the player earns skills that allow him to increase his flight meter, time is something in high demand. I quickly targeted another rock and bludgeoned it before dipping down toward the stone platform -- just as my meter ran out.

Guess I should have inserted another quarter.

Able to control my quickening descent, I landed on the platform and escaped unscathed, having fallen a shorter distance than before. I whipped around to take in the NPC, daring him to say something, but he dutifully stared forward, no doubt wondering if I'd finished my assignment.

Demolishing the final rock was quick and easy work once my timer refilled. I returned to the NPC and collected my reward: a passive skill that increased damage I inflict while in-flight.

My time with Aion barely allowed me to scratch the surface -- or the clouds, more appropriately. The world is stunning, the character customization deep, the available sub-classes thankfully unique, and flight looks to be the key to setting Aion apart from its peers. Aion: Tower of Eternity will soar onto hard drives later this year.

Next in Steam's line of weekend sales is developer Nadeo's Trackmania United Forever, which the site describes as "the most entertaining car racing game ever." Hyperbole aside, Trackmania United Forever does feature a bevy of modes and options for racing fans, such as four unique single-player modes, seven vehicle types, a graphical update for certain environments, and solo- and team-based multiplayer modes. The price reduction drops the game from $39.99 to $19.99.

In order to provide a taste of what Trackmania United Forever has to offer, Big Download hosts the free Trackmania Nations Forever. With 65 tracks and a Stadium environment, Trackmania Nations Forever should provide enough to warrant a purchase of United Forever for those players still on the fence about opening their wallets.

KOEI has announced that the sixth entry in their button-mashing Dynasty Warriors series will be available on November 18 for PC and PS2, according to GamesPress. The PS2 edition of Dynasty Warriors 6 will comprise two discs containing the full cast of characters, lots of scenarios, new weapons and a mode dubbed "Mosou."

Though no specific carrier for the PC version was announced, Dynasty Warriors 6 will be available through digital distribution, while the PS2 version will be released via traditional retail routes.

As anticipated, the next in a continuous chain of reveals for the upcoming Team Fortress 2 update has occurred. Today's unveiled item is a new weapon, "Natascha," a minigun for the Heavy character, who is the focus of the upcoming update.

The minigun, which is made available to players after unlocking a specific number of the Heavy's achievements, features a 25 percent decrease in damage, but offers a 10 percent chance to slow the opponent upon impact. The site points out that the slowdown effect is great for "fleeing cowards," most notably the Scout and Medic.

Update: The Killing Gloves of Boxing page has also been updated with the full descriptions of all the achievements in the Heavy class that will be added on Tuesday.

During a recent interview with Eurogamer, Spore executive producer Lucy Bradshaw discussed the game's Digital Rights Management (DRM) and how it will affect players eager to legally obtain Spore when it releases early next month.

Bradshaw said that, sadly, copy protection "is a necessary part of our biz," but the development team has gone to great lengths to ensure that legal buyers will not be encumbered. Upon initial installation, Spore must be authenticated. The game can be installed on up to three computers total, and registration is required for access to online features.

In terms of expansion packs, Bradshaw considers those to be inevitable. Spore was designed with expansions and DLC in mind, "so yes, we'll add to the experience," she said.

The full transcript with Lucy Bradshaw is available on Eurogamer's site.

Just like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, yesterday's calendar marked a Thursday, which brought about a new episode of American McGee's Grimm, hosted exclusively by GameTap. This week's episode follows Grimm's exploits through episode three: The Fisherman and His Wife, a fairy tale about greed, power -- and Grimm's tentative approval of both.

A number of pleasingly dark and gritty screenshots from developer Rocksteady Studios' Batman: Arkham Asylum were leaked, found on the Rocksteady's official website via a gallery that has since been removed.

The screenshots were supposed to be a part of the recent Game Informer exclusive story on the game, but have since made their way onto a number of websites... including, of course, here at Big Download, home to a number of Bat-fans. We've assembled the screens in a gallery for your perusal. Enjoy them, bask in their dark and gothic aesthetics -- and pray that the gameplay can match up to their visual appeal.

Despite earlier reports that Flagship Studios would remain optional after the massive layoff comprising most of its staff, ex-COO Max Schaefer has told Gamecyte that the studio has only remained open to "take care of the final affairs."

A Blizzard Entertainment veteran, Schaefer admits that closing down a company was a new experience for him, as it was for most of Flagship's executives. The doors have remained opened so that Flagship CEO Bill Roper can "take care of the debts and the employees in an orderly fashion."

Sitting in on the interview was free-to-play-MMO Mythos lead designer Travis Baldree, who lent a bit more insight into the build up to the studio's premature demise. Baldree says that he, along with the other executives, knew that closing was a possibility, "but we were in very advanced negotiations with a couple of people for deals that would have kept Flagship open and would have kept everything running." For a time, the future seemed brighter.

Unfortunately, none of those deals came to fruition, and the closure became inevitable. "We all were up all night, every night, not getting any sleep, working every day trying to get it to work out for everyone, and in the end it just didn't," says Baldree.

Just as before, Baldree, Schaefer and others are looking ahead to the future, and the second chance it offers. The Mythos team has reformed as Runic Games and continues to do what they love most regardless of setbacks and layoffs: create games.

Gamecock Media Group and Replay Studios have announced the launch of VelvetAssassin.com, the official website for this winter's anticipated stealth game. Due for release on Xbox 360 and PC, Velvet Assassin casts players in the role of Violette, who reflects on her life of heroic daring behind-enemy-lines missions during World War II.

Players interested in learning more about the title will find a number of assets on the newly launched site, including several screenshots and trailers depicting different gameplay mechanics and characters, weapon descriptions, and details on the real-life 'Follow the Dream treasure hunt. Browsers can also use a fully-operational Morse code translator to send messages to friends.

Bohemia Interactive Studio and Black Element Software have announced Carrier Command: Gaea, an RTS-simulation hybrid based on developer Realtime Games' 1988 release Carrier Command.

Responsible for ArmA: Armed Assault and Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, Bohemia Interactive considers Carrier Command: Gaea to be a natural addition to their growing library of realistic shooters. Bohemia CEO Marek Spanel testifies to the entire team's love of the original Carrier Command, a game that "was not only one of the most innovative games we had ever played but it is also one of the very few games that truly influenced our gaming tastes and motivated us in our own home grown game development."

Carrier Command: Gaea is expected in 2010 for PC and consoles. More details will be unveiled at this year's Leipzig Game Convention.

High Moon Studios, developer of the recent The Bourne Identity title as well as 2005's Darkwatch, has released a significant chunk of its staff, reports Gamasutra. Acquired by Vivendi Games in January 2005, the High Moon layoffs are another part of the fallout from the Activision Blizzard merger which took place last month. According to Gamasutra, the layoffs involve as many as 60 employees, leaving the majority of the studio's 150 employed staff members intact.

Forecast of the layoffs appeared in a statement issued by Activision in late July. Activision stated that "...the company intends to adapt the Vivendi Games' studio operations to better align the studio structure against the new product slate," with Radical Entertainment and High Moon Studios specifically targeted for staff realignment.