A trio of Dawn of War II trailers graces your Big Download news page today, demonstrating cinematics and gameplay from Relic's upcoming RTS sequel. Though we embedded the cinematic trailer for you last week (courtesy of GameTrailers), Big download now hosts high definition versions of each, so feast your eyes on some Dawn of War II goodness.Download the HD Dawn of War II cinematic trailer from Big DownloadDownload the HD Dawn of War II gameplay trailer from Big DownloadDownload the HD Dawn of War II "Watch for Ambush" trailer from Big Download...

Your daily wrap-up of the hottest stories in PC gaming over the weekend including the lastest of our E3 hands-on impressions. BigCast 004 -- English Is Hard!Listen as Xav stumbles about trying to pronounce simple words! This week we cover some of the biggest PC news from the world of E3, talk classic gaming habits and throw around the idea that maybe games are meant to be played instead of examined. Crazy thoughts and more in the epic episode with guest hosts Kyle Horner, Samuel Axon and first-timer James Murff. It's time to go big, right here at the BigCast! E3 08: Hands-on with Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3If the original Command and Conquer timeline is a fairly standard sci-fi affair and C&C Generals is a more realistic near future storyline, then Electronic Arts' Red Alert franchise is all about comic book goofiness and fun. The alternate history where the Communist Soviet Union is still large and in charge and wild weapons are plentiful will get a revamp this fall with the release of C&C: Red Alert 3 E3 08: Dragon Age Origins impressionsOur very last E3 2008 appointment was, ironically, not at the Los Angeles Convention Center but at a nearby hotel. Deep underneath the hotel's meeting room was host to BioWare's long awaited next fantasy RPG Dragon Age Origins. The game was first announced and shown in a very early form over four years ago at E3 2004 (when it was called simply Dragon Age) so we were expecting to be wowed by this new version. E3 08: Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II impressionsSo you think you know what Relic Entertainment is going to do with the full sequel to their acclaimed sci-fi RTS title Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War (based as always on the Games Workshop war game). Better graphics; more units, more visble units in massive battles, right? Isn't that the way sequels usually do things? ...

So you think you know what Relic Entertainment is going to do with the full sequel to their acclaimed sci-fi RTS title Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War (based as always on the Games Workshop war game). Better graphics; more units, more visble units in massive battles, right? Isn't that the way sequels usually do things?Well, yes. That is the standard for sequels to any game: "More of what you liked before, but better." In the case of Dawn of War II, however, Relic and publisher THQ are actually doing things to the game that on the surface look like they are toning things down. We got a chance to observe an live demo of the highly anticipated title at E3 2008 this week....

"This planet is ours, witch.""No, this planet is theirs."Whose planet is it? View the included Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II cinematic teaser, courtesy of developer Relic and publisher THQ, to find out. The trailer, shown during this year's E3, shows a gory ambush portrays a gory ambush that shows two factions battling for dominion. Chainsaws, headshots, multiple stab wounds, and prime visual entertainment abound. ...

One of the biggest PC game exclusives at E3 this week will be Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II, the upcoming full sequel to the best selling sci-fi RTS game from developer Relic and publisher THQ. This weekend a new official community web site has launched for the game with some more info on the development of the title.The community site comes with some new screenshots from Dawn of War II (including the above shot of a huge War Boss unit) which show off some more bloodly graphical goodness from the advanced engine that was used to power Relic's last major game Company of Heroes. Look for lots more info on the game this week; Dawn of War II is due for release in 2009....

It was a dark and stormy night as the wait continued for E3 2008. The annual gathering of publishers to show of their upcoming games to the press has lost some of its importance but it's still one of the most important week in the gaming industry. Here at Big Download we have been counting down our picks for our most anticipated games that we are most looking forward to seeing (maybe) at the event. After revealing our picked for 25-21 on Monday, 20-16 on Tuesday and 15-11 on Wednesday, we are now finally entering the top 10. Today we are revealing our picks for the 10-6 positions on our list. As we mentioned in our previous articles, these are just our predictions on what games will be shown at the event; many of these titles have not been officially confirmed to be at E3 as of this writing. Also, there's no Activision Blizzard titles on this list due to the new massive publisher bypassing E3 but a press conference by Activision Blizzard on Tuesday during E3 is highly expected to show some upcoming titles from that newly merged publisher. With that out of the way let's look at our picks for the next five games on our list....

Your daily wrap-up of the hottest stories in PC gaming over the weekend. Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II trailerThe first trailer for developer Relic's Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II has arrived, available for viewing on publisher THQ's site. Depicting crumbling bridges, exploding pylons, massive mechs, and wanton orc abuse, the anticipated RTS sequel's release date has yet to be announced. New Frontlines Conquest multiplayer mode comingHot on the heels of the just released 1.1.0 patch, developer Kaos Studios has announced plans to introduce a new multiplayer mode for its near-future shooter Frontlines: Fuel of War. According to a statement on the developer's web site, the new mode may sound familiar to some; Conquest. where players will be able to take over objects in any order on any map. New Steam client update released, TF2 Pyro details revealedValve spilled its guts regarding the next major Team Fortress 2 upgrade via notes in a Steam client update released yesterday. Valve claimed that they are almost completely wrapped up the next big release for TF2, which will focus on the Pyro class, along with the Meet the Sniper movie." ...

David J. Williams was the person who came up with the original story concept for Homeworld, the innovative and critically acclaimed first game from Relic Entertainment back in 1999. The space-based RTS game about a fleet of ships trying to get back to its origins had a majesty to its storyline and plot and few games before or since have had the kind of gravitas it contained.While Williams has since left the games industry, he apparently has stuck with some of Homeworld's themes in his new role as science fiction novelist. His first world, The Mirrored Heavens, has just been released by Bantam Spectra and is set in the 22nd century where a terrorist group called Autumn Rain has attacked the world's attempt to build a "space elevator". The book is described as mix of a Tom Clancy techno-thriller with the cyberpunk themes of Bruce Sterling.There's another Homeworld connection as Williams recruited Studio X Labs to create a trailer for the book. Studio X Labs helped to create some of the audio and music for the Homeworld games and as you can see below the trailer has a lot of similar looks to the Homeworld cut-scenes.[Via Relic News]...

The newest wave of news about Dawn of War II is coming out of Relic and 1up.com has not only a three page interview with the game designers up, but a podcast discussing the game and even a short gameplay video. One of the biggest pieces of new information is that the strategy game will not feature base building. Instead players will control up to about five squads that stick with them throughout the singleplayer campaign. Of course Relic is keeping their lips sealed about whether or not a similar structure exists in the online mode.Another subject that they're not speaking on is additional races beyond Space Marines and the Orks. Relic has said in the past that they would consider doing Tyranids Zerg Tyranids for DoW2. We're sure that by this point fans of the "Great Devourer" have become an extremely vocal crowd considering their race was the only one never to be officially featured in the original Dawn of War, even after numerous expansions. Maybe we'll see a new playable race revealed at this year's E3 and if fans are lucky they'll finally get ....

The first trailer for developer Relic's Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II has arrived, available for viewing on publisher THQ's site. Depicting crumbling bridges, exploding pylons, massive mechs, and wanton orc abuse, the anticipated RTS sequel's release date has yet to be announced.Big Download will offer an HD version of the trailer as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, make sure to watch the trailer at THQ's site....

On Monday we heard from Midway on their latest financial numbers. Today it's THQ's turn to the plate as it revealed its latest financial results for both its latest quarter and its full 2008 fiscal year that ended on March 31 For their last quarter the publisher recorded $187 million in revenue, up slightly from $172.1 million for the same period a year ago. However, THQ recorded a loss of $34.5 million for the quarter, which is a much higher loss than the $6.5 million that it got for the same period a year ago. THQ stated that while some games like Frontlines: Fuel of War either met or exceeded their sales expectations, other previously released games did not meet their expectations.For the full year THQ had revenues of $1.035 billion, up slightly from revenues of $1.026 billion for the fiscal 2007 time frame. THQ had a loss of $35.3 million for the full fiscal year, down from a profit of $68 million for the fiscal 2007 year. THQ has already taken steps to cut costs, shuttering a development studio and canceling games late last year. it is also rumored to have laid off workers at two more internal development studios. THQ's upcoming game line-up for the PC includes the third person shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla this fall and in 2008 the highly anticipated RTS sequel Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II from developer Relic....

Relic's excellent Company of Heroes has been going strong for 2 years now, including an expansion pack last year. Once again, Relic has patched their well-received WW2 RTS. This time there's nothing as drastic as new units or comprehensive rebalancing. However, the patch is not without it's bonus. On top of two bugfixes (one resulting in desyncing, the other in exploits), the patch fixed World Builder exporting, allowing players to save their custom maps correctly! This is great news for anyone sick of the default maps and itching for a new challenege....

No matter whether you fight for the glory of the Imperium, participate in a good Waaaaaaagh, or consume all in your path, Dawn of War 2 is bound to get you excited. The sequel to one of Relic's best games, it looks to up the ante with much better graphics, a bigger focus on squad-based tactical combat (similar to Company of Heroes) and an epic story. "Our mantra is that things can only go in if they're f*****g amazing," as Relic's Jonny Ebbert said.PCG got an exclusive preview of the game, including an interview, and it looks amazing. The parts that were most intriguing were the references to making it more like Company of Heroes, which was one of 2006's best releases. Catch the interview and preview at PCG's site....

When Alex Garden co-founded Relic Entertainment in 1997, he and his team hit a grand slam home run with their first title Homeworld. Released in 1999, the space based RTS title won a ton of Game of the Year awards and made Garden himself a name to watch in the game industry (PC Gamer magazine even named him as an upcoming "Gamer God" in one of their more interesting feature articles). Garden''s next two games at Relic, Impossible Creatures and Homeworld 2, got good reviews but did not receive the acclaim that the original Homeworld did THQ then bought Relic in 2004 and Garden stayed with the publisher for a while before finally departing Relic. At one point he helped to launch iVALET Systems which was a new way for people to park their cars in urban areas. That apparently didn't pan out and in late 2006 Korean based MMO developer Nexon (MapleStory) announced that they had hired Garden to help run its new North American development office. In a new Q&A with Nexon's Min Kim, the director of the company's US efforts, he stated that we should learn more about what Garden's team is doing "pretty soon." The big question: Can Garden come back and generate the kind of buzz at Nexon than he he when he started Relic?...

It seemed to be a foregone conclusion that THQ and its internal developer Relic would create a sequel to their highly popular PC RTS game Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War. The original was highly successful both in sales and in critical acclaim and spawned no less than three stand alone expansion packs. While some details leaked out on the Internet a few days beforehand, THQ has now let the cat out of the bag with a press release, a web site launch and the first in-game screenshots from Dawn of War 2.Based once again on Games Workshop war game series, Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 2 will use an advanced version of the graphics engine Relic created for their 2006 released WWII RTS title Company of Heroes and the first screenshots really show off some detailed units and some cool looking visual effects. Expect lots of blood, Space Marines and Ork-on-Ork action (OK, maybe that last bit is an exaggeration) when Dawn of War 2 is released in spring 2009....