sacred posts

It looks like one of the more successful game developers in Germany is in a bit of trouble. This weekend Ascaron Entertainment, best known in the US for the Sacred series of action-RPG games, has filed for bankruptcy protection, according to a note on the company's German language web site (the English version has yet to be updated).

Ascaron released Sacred 2 in the fall of 2008 and so far it has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide by the end of 2008 according to the statement. Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game are complete and will ship out sometime in the end of May. However the delays in making of Sacred 2 have caused the company to go into bankruptcy protection. The statement said they already started discussions with a number of companies that could result in one of them buying out Ascaron. In the meantime development has continued on a Sacred 2 expansion pack and also on Sacred 3.

[Via Voodoo Extreme]

When it comes to a genre like action-RPGs, you've played them all if you've spent an hour or so with one. No matter the title, no matter the setting, the goals are approximately the same: kill hordes of monsters, scavenge the world for loot, and hopefully sport better gear than your friends. In that capacity, Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is the consummate archetype of the genre. It doesn't do anything special, but for those who can't get enough mouse-clicking mayhem, Sacred 2 makes for a good time.

Congratulations, soldier: you survived another week. It's Friday afternoon, and instead of going out partying with your friends, you're anxious to get home, sit down at your computer, and play some new games. Sounds fun! Too bad you're broke. Lucky for you, PC gaming has an impressive library of classic games that are available online for cheap. Hang out with us every Friday so we can take you on a guided tour of some of the greatest bargains available throughout the many tubes of the Internet.

Welcome Big Download's Virtual Bargain Bin, the cure for your weekend gaming woes. This week's classic: Sacred GOLD.

Valve has sent word that two more titles have joined its growing legions of digitally distributed titles. The first, Strategy First's action-RPG Sacred Gold, contains Sacred, Sacred Plus, and Sacred Underworld. The fast-paced hack-n-slasher is an excellent way to pass time until Diablo III's release, which is certainly quite a ways off.

Elf Bowling: Hawaiian Vacation explores one extracurricular option for Santa's elves during their considerably lengthy off-season. "The zany crew has escaped from the workshop to hit the sand and surf in Elf Bowling Hawaiian Vacation," reads the Steam Elf Bowling web page. "Grab your sunscreen and flip flops, these elves mean business-funny business that is!"

Both titles are available now and run $9.99 each.

If you're the type of gamer who dreams of someday becoming a game creator, then we suggest taking a look at Janosch Toth's blog entry over at IGN. It's an interesting look at his creation process when making levels for Sacred 2. Heck, it's actually a worthy read even if you don't plan to put your brow to the burner in the videogame industry. Yet if the promise of intellectual stimuli doesn't sound appealing to you, then we should also mention there are some pretty sweet pictures involved as well.

The amazing thing is that Janosch creates these levels without a pre-drawn blueprint of any kind. That's right, this guy just imagines the levels in his head and puts the mouse to work. If the images of the end-product are any indication then the method seems to be quite effective for him. Everything from the lighting to the layout of his levels seems very well executed. We were especially impressed with texturing work in his cemetery design.