topware-interactive posts

Are you ready for some EXTREME CHESS? Well, that may have been one of the alternate titles for Battle Vs Chess. The more action-oriented fantasy themed version of the classic strategy game now has a release date of September 28 via publisher Southpeak Games.

Developed by Topware Interactive and Gaijin Entertainment, the game uses the classic chess board and pieces in new and different ways such as "Madness Placement" (chess pieces are placed randomly on the board) and a full campaign mode with over 50 scenarios and puzzles. We especially want to see the new "Tactical Placement". The player moves his or her pieces before the game starts and those moves become visible to the player only after the game has begun. Sneaky. The PC port will cost a mere $19.99.

If you like your chess matches to have some extra oomph then perhaps Battle vs Chess might be something to look forward to. The game, which was previously announced last March, now has a publisher in Southpeak Games. It will bring the Gaijin Entertainment developed game to the PC and other platforms sometime this fall.

Much like the holographic chess game in Star Wars, the chess pieces are animated and fight each other in scripted animations when they try to occupy the same space. However players can directly control the chess pieces in its Action Mode, turning the game into a fighting title with special weapons, moves and combo attacks.

GoG.com's latest PC game to be added to their DRM-free library comes from the year 2002. It's Enclave, the third person fantasy "hack-and-slash" action game (with some RPG elements) from developer Starbreeze Studios. The game was graphically impressive for its time and became a cult favorite with many gamers.

Starbreeze got high critical marks for its later games including the Chronicles of Riddick titles and is now rumored to be working on a new Syndicate game. Enclave itself is being re-released for the Wii in 2010 but without Starbreeze's involvement. You can download the original from GoG.com now for $5.99.

While it perhaps didn't get a lot of solid critical notices, the fantasy RPG Two Worlds sold well enough for developer Reality Pump to commission a sequel. Today publisher Southpeak Interactive announced plans to release Two Worlds II on September 14 in the US. UK resident will get the game on September 17.

The press release announcing the release date touts the sequel's improved graphical features, using terms like "Real Eye Adaptation, HD Dynamic Motion Capture, and Multi-Source Dynamic Lighting." Of course we are curious as to how the actual gameplay has been changed for the better. We certainly hope that's the case.

It's certainly one of the more interesting game titles we have heard in a while. Battle Vs Chess? Seriously, we didn't know that "Battle" was some kind of noun. Yet that's the name that developer Zuxxez and publisher Topware are giving this mix of turn-based strategy and action.

Due out this May for the PC, Mac and other platforms, the game is supposed to use some kind of authentic chess algorithm as its basis. But as you can see from the screenshot above the game is also looking much different than your normal chess program. The press release announcing the game touts its many different playing environments along with some unnamed special gameplay modes and bonuses. We hope it's as least as fun as that cool Star Wars holographic chess board on board the Millennium Falcon.

Today is the first day of the classic Advent calendar as people count down the days until December 25. We heard on that day folks give and receive some kind of gifts but that's just a rumor (hehe). Anyway, the upcoming fantasy RPG sequel Two Worlds 2 II has posted up their own version of an Advent calendar on the game's official web site where apparently Christmas is celebrated with a creepy goth-like lady with long legs.

Naturally this is no ordinary calendar. The game's developers at Reality Pump Studios have put in questions to answer about the game every day. Answer the question correctly and you will be entered into a daily drawing for prizes. Answer every question every day and you will be entered into the grand prize drawing where a gaming PC can be yours if you win. Seems fun and educational.

Topware Interactive sent over a note announcing that they will be the US publisher for Scivelation, an upcoming Unreal Engine III-based third person shooter. Due out for the PC and other platforms in mid-2010, the game is being developed by Ukraine-based Black Wing Foundation.

So what's the game about, besides having a rather odd title? The game is set in a distant future where a oppressive government known as the Regime is in charge. Your character is leading the resistance against this group and . . . hey, haven't we played this kind of game before? Geeze. Well if Scivelation has a "unrelenting interactive experience" as the press release states, we may forgive it for its generic storyline.

[Via email press release]

This patch updates the RPG Two Worlds to v1.7 and includes the free Curse of Souls content add-on, which brings in four new multiplayer maps and 40 quests. Continue reading after the jump for a complete list of features. The Two Worlds demo can downloaded here.

Download Two Worlds v1.6 to 1.7b Incremental Patch (94 MB)
Download Two Worlds v1.0 to 1.7b Patch (1.18 GB)
Download the Two Worlds Demo (865 MB)

GoG.com has good timing for its latest sale promotion. With all the Fallout announcements this week, the DRM-free game download site has announced it will offer Fallout 1 and Fallout 2, along with Fallout Tactics, for 20 percent off their already low prices in a special bundle for $14.367. The deal ends on Monday.

The bundle also has a lot of free extras, including the original developer's bible for the game, three MP3 sountracks, wallpapers, manuals and lots more. There's also a look back at the original game's development with new quotes from its developers.

GoG has also revealed the latest game to join their club. It's Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire, the turn-based tactical strategy game from publisher TopWare Interactive. If you have never given the Jagged Alliance series a go this is actually a good place to start. The 2004 released title has you controlling your group of mercenaries as they go after a fictional drug cartel. In other words, it's lock and load time. The game is available from GoG.com for $5.99 and also comes with some free bonus wallpapers and avatars.

It's yet another publisher announcement for DRM-free PC game download site GoG.com. Today the site, run by CD Projekt, announced that they will be adding titles from publisher Topware Interactive. The first such game to be made available under the new deal is the sci-fi RTS game collection Earth 2140 Trilogy.

This new collection has the original 1997 game and its two mission packs and it's available right now from GoG.com for just $5.99. It includes a free soundtrack and a walk-through. Also added from TopWare is the adventure game Jack Orlando: A Cinematic Adventure. You can download the Director's Cut version of the game from GoG.com for $5.99.