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Monday March 27, 2006 Shipping Announcements

by Rainier on March 27, 2006 @ 11:24 a.m. PST

Another Monday, another batch of games shipped to stores. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are announcements for:

Untold Legends The Warrior's Code (PSP)

The Warrior's Code is a completely new action role-playing game (RPG) featuring an enhanced combat engine, all-new 3D graphics, with special effects, new spells and lighting, and new multiplayer game modes. The cooperative option features story driven co-op play for up to two players which seamlessly integrates with the single player game. The player vs. player option offers combat focused battles for up to four players. Both options feature a macro-chat communication, online lobby and matchmaking system.

In The Warrior's Code, the realm is one of chaos and oppression as a powerful warlord's horrific minions continue to slaughter and enslave the people. When members of a secret shape-shifting race begin to disappear, suspicions of an insidious plot to exterminate them lead many of its members to flee into the wilderness for survival. While struggling to escape capture and death, some of the shape-shifting refugees stumble upon a carefully guarded secret that rekindles hope for freedom and peace in the realm.

"The Warrior's Code builds upon the success of the original game while reaching out to new PSP system owners and fans of the action-RPG genre," said Chris Sturr, senior brand manager, Sony Online Entertainment. "The Warrior's Code brings an entirely new level of gaming to the PSP system with an all-new story mode told through in-game cut scenes and two new multiplayer modes featuring cooperative play for up to two players or player-to-player battles for up to four players via either WiFi, or now for the first time, online."

As one of five shape-changing characters, players will challenge their skills through an epic storyline consisting of five exciting chapters with dramatic in-game cinematics, voiceovers and an upgraded Quest Journal. In addition, there are more than 45 areas featuring interactive objects, devious traps, destructible walls and ambient creatures.

Key features in The Warrior's Code include:

  • Evolutionary Combat Engine -- Experience all-new action-RPG combat through an upgraded combat engine featuring a wider variety of combat moves and special abilities, dynamic attacks of opportunity, and all the intensity of fast hack-n-slash action.
  • Epic Storyline -- Play through five exciting chapters with dramatic in-game cinematics and voiceovers.
  • Enhanced 3D Game Engine -- Featuring enhanced Graphics, Special Effects, and Lighting with streaming music.
  • All-New Online Multiplayer Mode -- Featuring story-driven two player co-op play seamlessly integrated with the single player game or combat focused player vs. player battles for up to four players.
  • All New Macro-Chat Communication System
  • All New Online Lobby and Matchmaking System
  • New Playable Characters -- Five shape-changing player character types featuring enhanced customization and a wider variety of enhanced animations.
  • Enhanced Quest System -- Challenge yourself with a wider variety of quest types and upgraded Quest Journal.
  • New Hand-Crafted Environments -- Explore more than 45 all-new areas featuring dynamic events and a wider array of interactive objects, devious traps, destructible walls, and ambient creatures.
  • Unique Monsters -- Battle and employ different combat strategies against more than 40 unique monsters with improved Artificial Intelligence.
  • Massive Boss Battles -- Experience 12 massive boss battles featuring interactive lairs and unique new gameplay challenges.
  • All-New User Interface -- A completely new User Interface includes multiple control schemes, enhanced mini-map and world map with fog of war and streamlined inventory, skill system, and quick menu options.
  • Enhanced Item System -- Collect and utilize a wider variety of items and enhancements and store in an all new item stash.

Untold Legends The Warrior's Code carries a suggested retail price of $39.99.

Space Rangers 2 (PC)

Developed by Russian studio Elemental Games and produced by 1C Company, Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators is the unexpected critical success of the year. Computer Games Magazine has described the game as “a classic”, scoring it at 4 1/2 out of 5 stars and giving it a coveted "Editor's Choice" award. Previews in the gaming press, based on extensive hands on time with the game, have been universally positive.

“I can’t wait for gamers to get their hands on Space Rangers 2,” said Lars Batista, Vice President of Product Development for eGames. “Elemental Games has delivered a masterpiece, and I’m proud that this game is going to be Cinemaware Marquee’s flagship title. This one is going to blow people away.”

Space Rangers 2 is not easily classifiable. It can be best described as a turn-based RPG giving gamers an unprecedented level of freedom in a vast universe. Combining various genres and styles of gameplay, including third and first person mech battles, RTS elements, classic text adventures, and an arcade style shooter, the game allows the player to determine their own destiny. There are an unlimited number of outcomes to Space Rangers 2 – each player will get a different experience in the face of evil intentions from a sinister race of robots.

“We have always had a bold vision for Space Rangers 2,” said Dmitriy Gusarov, Head of Development at Elemental Games. “Cinemaware Marquee was able to give us the opportunity to launch the North American version of the game, which has a level of polish and groundbreaking gameplay we have always dreamed about.”

Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators is available now at retail for $29.99. As an added value, the package will include a bonus poster and the original version of the Space Rangers game.

American Conquest: Divided Nation (PC)

American Conquest: Divided Nation is a real-time strategy game based upon events in early American history. In the game, players take on the role of Civil War general, pirate Captain and a Texas militia leader as they re-enact major battles in American history.

The game aims to take the American Conquest concept into the 19th century, reflecting the nature of the American wars of that period, with their advanced technologies, huge battles and complex strategy, and devastating nature.

The game will feature authentic uniforms and troop types, a wide range of weapons, and battles based on real topographical data and historical sources. With a smaller number of nations in the game, a much wider variety of troop types and uniforms will be possible, resulting in impressive and historically engaging missions. The universally known images of the blue and grey uniforms of the Civil War, and such sights as the church of the Alamo and the grand, almost Napoleonic, armies of Santa Anna will bring these evocative conflicts to life.

The campaigns supplied with the game will follow the great generals through their most famous victories and defeats, and range from modest encounters to the vast battles of Gettysburg and Shiloh, and across terrain varying from the lush forests of the north to the deserts of the far south. The campaigns of the Texas Mexican war, including the famous Alamo siege, will provide a welcome change of pace and some exciting color.

More than 45 scenarios will be included.

Features:

  • Pioneer troops
  • Fences and walls of various kinds
  • Heavy static artillery
  • Advanced Formations
  • Hospitals and medical units
  • Wagons
  • Horse artillery
  • Gatling Guns
  • Railway stations supplying troops
  • Telegraph offices
  • Ironclad warships
  • Submarines
  • Munitions Depots
  • timed explosive charges
  • Field headquarters
  • Barricades and defensive structures

ÜberSoldier (PC)

Second World War. As a result of an absurd accident that occurred in the occupied Norway, the Allies failed to sabotage the German nuclear program, which was successfully completed in spring 1943. This weapon of mass destruction was used in the Eastern Front, in particular, in Kurskaya Duga battle, and that completely changed the course of the war in flavor of the Third Reich. Consequently, in several months the Red Army was thrown back behind the Urals and the Allies had to sign the peace treaty with Germany…

6 years later. Karl Stolz, a young but most professional saboteur of a German resistance detachment “Night Front”, by a strange accident is taken prisoner by Nazis and is put into Berlin psychiatric hospital. When Karl regains his consciousness he remembers that he’s been subjected to a strange test in the hospital, he doesn’t remember the any details of this test but its effect on his body is strange and terrible. In a while a head doctor of the hospital Dr. Lenz unexpectedly helps him to get free and Karl has the opportunity to escape. When he returns to the headquarters and informs about the experiments a leader of the resistance forces Kurt Norman notifies the Allies about the accident. In response they send their experts and insist on investigation of the purposes of the experiments. The more Karl gets absorbed in the events the more he understands that they have some mysterious implication…

The concept of the game is described by three words – availability, spectacular and variety. This means - availability of the interface and simplicity of the game, spectacular visual images and variety of the game process.

  • The unique and found only in this game property is the opportunity to choose the type of the script before the game – realistic or fantastic. In first case nothing unreal appears in the game, and it is the threat of the nuclear war the characters will fight with. In second case the script contains some fantastic features, e.g.: the main characters turns into a monster and travels in time.
  • One of the most important manifestations of variety concept in the game is nonlinear running of nearly every level of the game. This nonlinearity is realized with the help of the original concept of decision-making. On every level, at the most unexpected moment something happens that demands immediate and sensible decision. To take this decision the character is given 10-15 seconds, otherwise, the game will make this decision. This decision will determine the whole course of the game on the level.
  • The original development of Burut company, fundamentally new play system and main distinction of out game. What we called “The emotion engine Liv Kristine” is in fact a system of positive and negative bonuses and related effects that reacts to the player’s actions and stimulates the emotions of the main character. In certain conditions the main characters during several seconds feels different emotions – panic, hatred, fury, despair, inspiration, and helplessness. And at that time the character gains some special abilities – positive or negative, depending on the emotion he has. The conditions in which the character the emotions occur usually are the crucial points of the game, when the character shows his skill or want of skill. So, Liv Kristine is the system of rewards for a good game and penalties for a bad one, which, in its turn, gives some additional stimulation to the game. Besides, the emotions are accompanied by special graphical effects, which adds still more variety to the visual picture.
  • Various gameplay – from pursuit in cars and skirmish to shadowing and diversion.
  • Completely interactive game world, based on the new, created especially for this game physical engine. It supplies a number of physical effects, such as strength and power to break up, interaction with them, influence on objects of exterior powers, falling according to natural trajectory, resilience of substances. The physical engine enables the player to interact with nearly every object of the surrounding world. Most objects can be moved or destroyed. Things can be moved by bullets and air blast, they fall down as they do in real life and on the whole they have their natural physical properties. All characters` bodies are made according the “rag doll” principle.
  • More than 30 unique characters – from violent lunatics and prisoners of the concentration camp to guards of the secret SS order - are the integral part of 9 big levels. Besides, there are characters that are neither friendly nor hostile for the player.
  • The simple role system that doesn’t use any digital values but including twenty skills. Every time one can start the game as a different character.
  • Nearly about twenty samples of weapon, that never existed in the world or which existence is proved by the history along with several kinds of ammunition and different pierces of equipment will give an opportunity to destroy the enemy.
  • About 70% of levels involve joint actions together with other member of the diversionary group of rebels, and as a rule not as a commander-in-chief but as a soldier. The player cannot give orders to his partners, treat them, swap weapons; on the contrary, he constantly gets his orders from the leader of the group. To succeed the player has to take into account actions of his partners, shield them and make common cause with them. The player cannot shoot at his partner, and if he kills him accidentally (for example, with a grenade), the game is over.
  • The original multi-user mode.
  • Properly advanced graphical engine X-TEND.
  • System of scene visualization based on modern facilities of DirectX 9.0:
    • Pixel and vertext shader
    • Parts system
    • Pixel-be-pixel light
    • Texturing using maps
    • Projection texture, superimposed on all game objects including dynamic ones.
    • Skeleton animation (up to 120 “bones” per character, fingers, lips, eyes animation)
    • Tree-dimensional laminated fog
    • Shadow making with help of stencil buffer
    • Up to 5000 polygons in a model
  • Realistic algorithm of enemies` artificial intelligence
  • Realistic physical processes, clashes and explosions
  • Complex level design
  • Advanced sound engine, compatible with most sound maps.
  • Ambient sounds
  • Surround sound effects

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