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For a little while it looked like PC multiplayer gamers might not be very happy with the upcoming revival of Aliens Vs Predator. Comments made by a Sega producer for the first person shooter last month cast doubt that the game would have dedicated servers for playing the online aspects of the PC version

Well, multiplayer gamers can breath a little easier now. An email press release sent to Big Download from the game's developer Rebellion quotes the company's CEO Jason Kingsley as saying, "Despite rumours, Rebellion has always been planning to support dedicated servers for AvP PC and we can now officially confirm that this is the case." The game, which will also be one of the first DirectX11-supported PC games, is due out in February 2010.

[Via email press release]

Early in 2010, developer Rebellion returns to the Aliens Vs Predator game franchise that they helped to launch a decade ago. However if you want something a little extra in your game you need only put down some money early at GameStop to get some exclusive multiplayer skins for all three playable sides.

For the human-Colonial Marines side there's Sgt. Kaneko while on the Aliens side there's the Number Six skin (Hmmmm . . . a fan of The Prisoner maybe?). Finally the Predator side gets the Alien Head Helmet version that's made to look like the Alien's main choppers. Publisher Sega still has yet to reveal a specific release date on the title.

Sometimes you have to know when to hold them and also know when to fold them (we read that somewhere). In this case the folding goes over to Sega who confirmed to our sister site Joystiq that they don't plan to sell their upcoming first person shooter Aliens Vs Predator in Germany.

According to Sega, the Rebellion-developed game would have to have its expected violent content edited to be sold in the always strict country but in the end they decided not to bother, saying such changes "would harm the gameplay experience." And what about Australia, which also has a tendency to ban games with very violent themes? Sega says that so far there's no word from that country's ratings board. Aliens Vs Predator will likely get an "M" rating from the US-based ESRB when it's released sometime in the first quarter of 2010.

"Bringing the legendary war between two of science-fiction's most popular characters to FPS fans, AvP delivers three outstanding single player campaigns and provides untold hours of unique 3-way multiplayer gaming. Experience distinctly new and thrilling first person gameplay as you survive, hunt and prey in the deadly jungles and swamps surrounding the damned colony of Freya's Prospect. "

Aliens vs Predator is expected to release in 2010.

Download Aliens vs Predator Trailer (83 MB)
Check out all Aliens vs Predator downloads

It's been several weeks since the first indications hit that the super-spy RPG Alpha Protocol would not make its planned October 2009 release. It's been over a week since the game's publisher Sega changed the date of the game's launch to Spring 2010 on Sega's web site. Now Sega has finally issued an official press release about the game's tardiness, with Sega of America's CEO s Masanao Maeda saying simply, "We've worked in conjunction with Obsidian Entertainment in making the decision to move Alpha Protocol's ship date to spring 2010 to ensure that we have the best game possible at launch."

Of course this statement doesn't explain why it took Sega so long to finally admit to the delay despite the media, including us, asking Sega repeatedly about the date changes. Obsidian Entertainment's Matthew Rorie does make mention of this issue in a statement on the game's official message boards, saying, "Sorry again for the long delay in putting out something official. It was frustrating for everyone involved, including you guys, I'm sure." He adds, " . . . just keep in mind that, in the end, this is going to help Alpha Protocol achieve the greatest success possible for it. The game is going to get a good coat of polish to it, and it's also hopefully going to become more visible to the gaming community at large. So that's a win-win for everyone. It sucks that it won't be coming out for a while, but it'll be awesome when it does."

This is the English language 'Vanilla' demo for Football Manager 2010, which features a half season of gameplay and is available for both PC and Mac. It includes the English and Scottish leagues, but with no player photos or logos, to make it easier for download. The larger 'Strawberry' demo includes all player pictures and logos, with quickstarts for the world's biggest leagues, giving players a chance to try out their skills in leagues from multiple countries. It is also multilingual.

Save game files from either versions of the demo will be compatible with the full game when it releases on October 30th.

Download Football Manager 2010 Vanilla Demo (274 MB)
Download Football Manager 2010 Vanilla Demo [Mac] (231 MB)

Download Football Manager 2010 'Strawberry' Demo (1 GB)

Games that are coming out soon have a lot of unknowns that the average person might not know. Who is this character inspired by? Is all the talk of volumetric fog or cel-shaded graphics really worthwhile? Do the game mechanics really seem solid, or are they lackluster? In All You Need To Know we provide information to help you fully appreciate what these upcoming games have to offer.

Feed your head after the jump.

Check out our collection of Alpha Protocol related downloads here on Big Download!

A few weeks ago we reported that online game retailers were showing the upcoming super-spy RPG Alpha Protocol as being pushed back from its planned October release day to sometime in June. At the time we emailed the game's publisher Sega for comment but never received a response.

Today Sega, again without comment, finally shifted the release dates of the Obsidian Entertainment-developed game to "Spring 2010" on its official web site. As our sister site Joystiq points out, it showed that the game was "out now" earlier this morning. There's still no word on why the game was delayed from either Sega or Obsidian although their silence seems to suggest a massive issue prevented the game from shipping this month.

If you haven't yet bought The Creative Assembly's latest historical RTS game Empire: Total War, this week is the percent time to do so. Today the game has released its first mini-expansion, The Warpath Campaign, via Steam for $9.99. It adds five new Native American factions and a new playable campaign to the game.

But that's not all. The main game is now on sale via Steam for just $24.99, a 50 percent discount, through Monday, October 12. A new patch to the main game has also been released with a number of changes and additions. Finally a previously released Special Forces pack, which adds six extra units to the game, has just been updated with three additional units that were previously unavailable for sale (Death's Head Hussars, the The Dahomey Amazons, and the The USS Constitution ship). It's now on sale for just $2.49.

While The Creative Assembly team is busy working on their Empire: Total War mini-expansion The Warpath Campaign they are also planning to release some new free content as well via their next patch. An update on the game's official message boards reveals that the upcoming 1.5 patch for the historical RTS game will include five multiplayer maps.

While the patch will be released the same day the $9.99 Warpath Campaign will be made available via Steam, the new multiplayer maps will be totally free and will not require players to purchase the mini-expansion. There's no word on when the patch or the expansion will be released. The maps are:

• Grassy Flatlands - This is a flat, balanced map designed for competitive/tournament play.
• Austrian Pinnacles - A maze like European landscape with plenty of opportunities to outflank and maneuver around your opponent(s).
• Syrian Ridge - A desert map with several oasis scattered around and a large sandy hill near the centre to dominate the opposition.
• Siberian Plateau - A balanced flat snowy tundra map, heavily forested to allow for ambush and concealed fighting.
• Homestead - An American plains map with several cabin dwellings and low rolling hills with opportunities to seize elevated positions.