RPG

Blizzard is currently targeting the release of StarCraft II for the first half of 2010 and their next World of Warcraft expansion pack, Cataclysm, is due out sometime in 2010 as well. But what about Diablo III? Blizzard first announced the action-RPG sequel nearly 18 months ago but has yet to give any hint on a ship date for that highly anticipated game.

The newly launched Techland web site (run by Time magazine) has posted up some quotes from Blizzard exec Rob Pardo on that subject. He admits that Diablo III " . . . is not going to be out next year." So why announce a game that is going to take so long to develop? He also admits. "We always announce all of our games too early. We realize that and go, 'You know what? Next time we're not going to do that.' And then we always fail at that." However he says Blizzard would rather be late in releasing a game like Diablo III than releasing a game on time that just doesn't work. In fact going forward Pardo says their attitude when revealing a new title is, "Here's the game we're working on, we're going to start talking about it and who knows when it ships."

This relatively straightforward trailer for Star Trek Online includes plenty of in-game footage and ship battles to keep fans in anticipation of the upcoming MMO. To learn more about the game and how it plays, check out our hands-on feature.

Download HD Star Trek Online Gameplay Trailer #2 (277 MB)
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Read Star Trek Online Hands-On Feature

Fans of BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins have already been able to download some extra content for the fantasy RPG. Today BioWare and publisher Electronic Arts announced plans to offer up another extra downloadable quest for the game. The DLC, titled Return to Ostagar, is due for release "this holiday season". That most likely means it will be available for download before the end of 2009.

The new quest will return players "to the fateful battleground in Ostagar" where they will "discover King Cailan's top-secret political agenda." Wow. Sounds a little bit like our world has entered into BioWare's fantasy kingdom. The DLC will cost 400 "BioWare points" (about $5) to download. We don't like the idea of purchasing "BioWare points" to download extra content but . . .oh well.

It's happened again. Only a few months after a leaked YouTube video revealed that CD Projekt was indeed working on its fantasy RPG sequel The Witcher 2 comes yet another video that shows more footage from the upcoming game. This time the footage is much less clear; it comes from someone filming a screen that shows Witcher 2 gameplay.

Big Download received a press release from CD Projekt stating the footage came from "a demonstration of the game during the so-called business days of the IGROMIR game expo in Russia." CD Projekt says it declared a ban of all filming and photos from the event but apparently someone just didn't care. It added, "Just like last time, we will not comment on that. Simultaneously, we can assure you that all confirmed information will be revealed soon after the game is officially announced." You can check out the YouTube video after the jump:

Most people think of Stardock mainly as a game developer of titles like Galactic Civilizations II and the upcoming Elemental but the truth is that the company has its hands full in several areas including third party publishing of games, developing non-gaming Windows applications like Object Desktop and the Impulse PC game download service. Today Stardock issued its 2009 customer report which gives an overview of what the company has done in the past 12 months.

The report is brutally honest with the fact that the launch of Stardock's big 2009 game, Demigod (developed by Gas Powered Games) did not go as well as anticipated due to multiplayer networking issues. The report does say that despite the launch issues, Demigod "continues to sell thousands of copies weekly."

The report goes over a number of the company's other issues such as future updates to their Impulse service (which include adding pre-loading of games), how weekend sales reductions have reduced the overall cost of PC games to consumers and lots more.

The universe is a hostile place, and sometimes diplomacy can only go so far, as any experienced star ship captain can attest to. However, new captains don't need to be caught unaware. In this developer video, members of the Cryptic Studios team working on Star Trek Online explain the fundamentals of gameplay in regarding ship-to-ship combat tactics. For starters, players can use phasers to wear down a specific section of the enemy's shields before using photon torpedoes to finish off the job. Yet, there's plenty more covered in this video. Star Trek Online is expected to release in 2010.

Download HD Star Trek Online 'Ship Tactics' Developer Video Part 1 (187 MB)
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This Star Trek Online trailer uses in-game footage to show off the many different aspects of gameplay fans can look forward to in this upcoming MMO. As part of the series, players will be able to command star ships from the bridge, go on away missions, and engage in combat when diplomacy fails. We're wondering exactly how often diplomatic endeavors will be solved using phasers. Star Trek Online is expected to go live in 2010.

Download HD Star Trek Online 'Bridge' Gameplay Trailer (256 MB)
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It's unusual for a publisher to go back and redesign the box art for a game. Yet that's what Bioware and Electronic Arts have decided to do with the artwork for the Mass Effect 2 retail release. You can check out the original artwork in our earlier August 2 story.

We are not quite sure why the companies decided to go back and do a revamp of the box art. Quite frankly the original looks more dynamic and action packed to us. This new version seems to have the characters in less dynamic poses. Oh well, marketing was never our strong point.

This minor patch for Dragon Age: Origins addresses a number of issues and makes some tweaks to gameplay stats. Continue reading after the jump for a list of changes.

Download Dragon Age: Origins v1.01b Patch (15 MB)
Download Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator (318 MB)
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The DRM-free web site GoG.com has, as previously promised, added Beyond Divinity to its list of game titles. This is the 2004 follow-up to developer Larian Studios' fantasy RPG Divine Divinity but it's not actually a sequel but rather a spin-off that is only loosely connected to the first game.

You can now purchase and download the game from GoG.com for $9.99 which includes free extras like the game's soundtrack, wallpapers, avatars and even a 53 page prose novella set in the Divinity universe. As we have mentioned before, Larian's next game in the series, Divinity 2, will be released in the US via CDV on January 5.

Some may have doubted Mr. T's overwhelming hacker skills, but it looks like he's finally put all naysayers to rest and changed the face of World of Warcraft. Introducing, the Mohawk Grenade. It's an in-game item that can be hurled at other players to give them a "T-riffic haircut." Mohawk Grenades can be claimed from any Night Elf Mohawk NPC camped outside every starting zone. How long will these grenades be available? Until the Night Elf Mohawks decide that their work is done and move on...

Download HD World of Warcraft Mr. T 'Mohawk Grenade' Commercial (29 MB)

Sometimes you just need to sit down, slide a floppy into your A: drive, and enjoy gaming retro style. We know this all too well! That's why we have a list of the best and brightest from days long gone. These are some of our favorite games of all time, and we're sure that you'll love them as much as we do, if not more. Welcome to Boot Disk, and enjoy the retro ride!

The Fallout series is a highly esteemed one in the annals of role-playing game history, and for good reason. They presented one of the first cohesive non-fantasy worlds to explore and manipulate, and were extremely open-ended. Fallout is still considered one of the best CRPGs of all time, alongside other classics such as Baldur's Gate 2. It's sequel may not be as fondly remembered, but it's still a great game, and exemplifies all of the things that Black Isle did right with the Fallout series. Fallout 2 is now available through a number of channels, and is a must play for any fan of role-playing games.

So much for all the talk about boycotts against Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's PC port. The Infinity Ward-developed shooter is firmly on top of this week's latest top 10 best selling games (according to revenue) on the Steam download service. Steam is the only place (legally anyway) where one can download and purchase Modern Warfare 2. Other download services like Direct2Drive, Impulse and Gamersgate have decided not to make the game available because they have objected to the game's use of Steamworks's features that are required for the PC version.

Valve's zombie co-op shooter Left 4 Dead 2, due to be unlocked at midnight Eastern time tonight on Steam, took the number two sales spot this week. Dragon Age: Origins' regular edition and deluxe edition took the third and fourth spot while Borderlands continues to sell well in fifth position.

1. Modern Warfare 2 - Infinity Ward/Activision
2. Left 4 Dead 2 - Valve
3. Dragon Age Origins - BioWare/EA
4. Dragon Age Origins Digital Deluxe Edition - BioWare/EA
5. Borderlands - Gearbox Software/2K Games
6. Overlord Complete Pack - Triumph Studios/Codemasters
7. Torchlight - Runic Games
8. Crysis Maximum Edition - Crytek/EA
9. Football Manager 2010 - Sega
10. Mass Effect - BioWare/EA

Dragon Age: Origins has already made a mark in terms of its official downloadable content with publisher Electronic Arts stating that the new fantasy RPG has already generated over $1 million in revenue from its current DLC offerings. Now comes word that the new issue of PC Gamer magazine, now on newsstands, has an exclusive Dragon Age: Origins level made by the BioWare team on its magazine DVD.

The mini-campaign is titled A Tale Of Orzammer and according to a post on the game's message boards by BioWare's David Sims, " . . . .this is a short stand-alone adventure, not an expansion of the main game." He added, "It's just something put together in collaboration with the magazine as an example of the kind of content that can be made using the toolset." So don't expect this mini-campaign to have a lot of polish but it's still something fairly unique if you are a Dragon Age: Origins completist.

Welcome to Freeware Friday, a weekly column showcasing excellent games that you can play free of charge!

Dragon Age: Origins is out there amidst consumers, garnering both critical and commercial recognition for its dark atmosphere, excellent story, and entertaining combat. However, there's more to the Dragon Age series besides Origins. EA2D, makers of the excellent Mirror's Edge 2D, decided to take the 2D browser approach to the Dragon Age franchise. The end result is Dragon Age: Journeys, a spin-off game that manages to be good on its own while still providing you with bonuses in the main game itself. Those that love strategy and role-playing games should definitely try it out.