AGEod has announced the release of "Birth of America II: Wars in America 1750-1815," the strategy sequel by AGE Studio.

"Birth of America II: Wars in America 1750-1815 follows the successful historical strategy videogame Birth of America, AGEOD's American Civil War and Napoleon's Campaigns. It is the long-awaited well-expanded sequel of the acclaimed first game that made AGEOD. You can now fight all the big wars that made America between 1750 and 1815.

Wars in America 1750-1815 is a stand-alone game not compatible with the previous one. It includes:

New Rules

• New cohesion system (based on the American Civil War/Napoleon’s Campaigns model) and its impacton combat
• Brand new concept of Engagement Points, allowing options for armaments purchases, political,economic and diplomatic options.
• In addition, a challenging Foreign Entry competitive engine will allow player to struggle in the race forthe French Intervention.
• New orders (e.g. spiking the guns, surrender with the Honour of War, remove leader, distant unloadfrom ships).
• New abilities (adapted from those of American Civil War/Napoleon’s Campaigns and new rules here)
• Different updates and other rules (e.g. combat, Indians, minutemen, blockade, privateers, navaltransport, optional limited activation rules, German mercenaries, etc...)

New functionalities

• New in game Replay module allows to see the turn you played (or any other – exchange them with friends!)
• Updater module to check if you play with the latest game version.
• Play-by-email and TCP/IP ARES module
• Improved AI
• Multiple resolutions Interface

New data

• New map: extension of the map up to the Mississippi in the west, blockade and commerce raiding boxes, new European off-map boxes (France, GB, Spain, Holland) or in the Americas (Hudson Bay, Newfoundland, Cuba)
• Over a hundred new leaders and units.
• New Scenarios (including at least the following)
  • Scenarios 1750-1780: Lord Dunmore War, new FIW 1755-1763 war campaign, Galvez 79
  • Scenarios 1780-1800: Fallen Timbers 1791-1794
  • Scenarios 1812-1815: Great Lakes 1813, Full War of 1812-1815 campaign, New Orleans 1815
• New Events (according to scenarios) and wide set of options for you to customize your strategy.
• Widely extended manual and player’s aides.
• New extra in game music from the time, thanks to the performance and support of 3rd US Infantry Regiment and the US Army Fife and Drums Corps."

A new environment trailer from "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky" has been released, showing off the upcoming prequel by GSC Game World.

"S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is a prequel to Shadow of Chernobyl.

A group of stalkers has for the first time reached the very heart of the Zone – Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and brings about a cataclysm on the brink of a catastrophe. An immense blowout of anomalous energy changes the Zone. There are no more reliable and relatively safe roads. The entire levels vanish in the outbursts of anomalies. Stalkers and even expeditions die or end up sealed on the lost territories. New areas, which remained unknown since the time of the Zone emergence, appear on the Zone map. The Zone continues to shake with blowouts. The Zone is unstable. The anomalous activity is at its maximum."

Digital Mindsoft has updated its website with a new developer diary, giving viewers more information and media from the upcoming real-time strategy game.

"A later devupdate at this friday will be dedicated to our Singleplayer fans, which we don't want to neglect either.
We are a little bit late because we are working hard on the Men of War website with many info and news around the game.

What definately changed a lot since the prequels is the scale of battle. Some missions have huge size and epic battles. This allowed ust to add lots of interesting tasks without limiting the player in his level of choice.

The missions have basically 3 elements: defending, attacking or stealth combat. Some missions include all 3 elements to give you a lovely variety of gameplay. Some missions will maybe remind you of Soldiers: Heroes of World War II, not because they look the same, but they have a very similiar gameplay. However you are no longer limited to only control squad size troops, but also up to 100 Soldiers in immersive fights against your smart opponent.

Stealth missions became a lot more authentic during the development, since the AI will now react on dead bodies lying around. You can take them and carry them into bushes and therefore out of the field of view of enemy soldiers crossing. If you don't do that, which is your free choice, you will have to deal with the consequences of alerted enemies."

CDV Software Entertainment has released a new trailer for "Sacred 2: Fallen Angel," giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming role-playing sequel by Ascaron Entertainment.

"The first installment of an exciting new Combat Arts video series showcasing the special abilities of the six playable characters in Sacred 2: Fallen Angel has been released today for download. Two new videos, available at the links below, feature the High Elf character and a small sampling of her Combat Arts in action. Grab the new videos to watch the High Elf as she blasts her foes with amazing powers like Incendiary Shower, Ancestral Fireball and Blazing Tempest.

Each of the six playable characters in Sacred 2: Fallen Angel has access to 15 unique Combat Arts – spells, special attacks, ability enhancing buffs, or familiars that can be summoned for aid. These are grouped into three Aspects, with each Aspect having a particular theme of power. Further, each Combat Art can be modified by the player through the allocation of skill points gained with game play experience to truly customize each character to fit diverse styles of play.

Set for a November release on consoles, and a September release on PC, Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is an Action RPG featuring a huge, seamless and living world spanning over 22 square miles of hand-crafted terrain, top-notch 3D graphics and online "drop-in" cooperative play with monsters that dynamically adjust to party strength for a consistent challenge. For more information about Sacred 2, please visit http://www.sacred2.com."

Southpeak Games has announced "Raven Squad: Operation Hidden Dagger," an upcoming game by Atomic Motion that blends the real-time strategy and first-person shooter genres.

"Developed by Atomic Motion, Raven Squad puts players in control of two groups of mercenary squads who crash land behind enemy lines in the Amazonian jungles. It will require tactical planning and a liberal amount of brute force to escape to safety. Each of the eight squad members possesses distinctive skills and weaponry that the player will have to use wisely to progress through the game's story driven objectives. Raven Squad sets itself apart by allowing players to switch freely between real-time strategy and first-person shooter gameplay. Only by mastering both of these modes of play, and becoming adept at switching between the two, will players make it out of the jungle alive.

"Raven Squad combines two extremely popular genres into a single robust experience where either gameplay mode could stand on its own merits," said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. "Atomic Motion is creating something that's visually compelling and building new boundaries in what a military title can accomplish. Fans of both RTS and FPS games are going to love it, as will anyone who enjoys intense, action titles."

To find out more about Raven Squad please visit www.southpeakgames.com"

Paradox Interactive has released a new trailer for "City Life 2008 Edition," giving viewers more of a look at the updated city building game that is set to be released on July 15th.

"This movie highlights gameplay elements that may impact on your plans to construct the perfect city. Issues include: bridging unconnected landmasses, containing rising traffic congestion, controlling pollution, purchasing additional plots to expand the city and the redevelopment of obsolete buildings. These and other issues must be considered and overcome, as your city grows and grows."

Focus Home Interactive has announced that "TrackMania Nations Forever" has set a Guinness Record for having the most players racing on an online track - 250.

"Launched two months ago, TrackMania Nations Forever has become a true video game phenomenon. The free downloadable racing game has attracted an unbelievable number of players around the world who are obsessed with the game's fast cars, spectacular single- and multiplayer tracks as well as powerful tools for creating tracks and race videos. More than 1.5 million players have already created a game account and each day, nearly 15,000 new players join the huge TrackMania community.

Now we are pleased to announce that TrackMania Nations Forever has secured a place in the famous Guinness Book of World Records for having the most players racing on one track. Released in 2005, the previous free game TrackMania Nations held the record of the largest online car race with 132 players running on the same track. With the release of TrackMania Nations Forever and its tremendous popularity, the record was quickly broken, as the Guinness book has recorded a race with 250 players taking part in an online race simultaneously! We give you the chance to relive this record by watching this incredible video where 250 players ride full throttle on a spectacular track. This has never been seen before!

TrackMania Nations Forever is available as a free download by clicking on the followed links. TrackMania Nations Forever offers a new "Forever" version of the Stadium environment, a solid solo mode and 65 brand new, progressively difficult tracks. TrackMania Nations Forever unites a large number of players, thanks to its engaging multiplayer modes, innovative online functions and revolutionary interactivity between players."

A video trailer announcing the record can be found on the TrackMania Nations Forever website.

Valve has announced the release of the Palermo update for "Day of Defeat: Source," adding 51 achievements, enhanced scoreboards with player avatars, detailed player statistics that are integrated with the Steam Community features, and the new Palermo map.

"In addition, this update adds support for popular features introduced in Valve's Team Fortress 2 (TF2), the PC title named multiplayer game of the year by Gamespy.com and PC Gamer. These include "nemesis/revenge" freeze cam and new effects driven by the particle system introduced to the Source engine for TF2.
 
Finally, this update also introduces a new map, Palermo, which is a remix of the most popular community map, dod_salerno, originally created by Magnar "insta" Jennsen."

Square Enix and GamesCampus have announced a closed beta for "Concerto Gate," giving participants a chance to try out the upcoming MMORPG by Ponsbic.

"Concerto GateTM, an item-based MMORPG produced by Square Enix Co., Ltd., is finally ready to launch in North America. Square Enix fans and MMORPG players alike have long waited to play this exciting title in America and will soon have a chance to participate in Concerto Gate's closed beta test to be held from July 1 to 14. Users can go to Filefront.com to download the client software.

Concerto Gate, published at Gamescampus.com (run by OnNet USA), is the sequel to Cross Gate, an MMORPG launched in Japan back in 2001. In the game, players are summoned to the Kingdom of Fahren, a fantasy world of magic and sorcery, in hopes of becoming the legendary hero that has been foretold to save the world.

Concerto Gate boasts new and interesting features that every MMORPG player can look forward to, including the innovative "terra generating" system which allows players to change the environment's topography. For example, players can shape mountains and destroy or grow forests over a several week period of time."

Electronic Arts has released two new screenshots from "Crysis Warhead," giving viewers a look at the next installment in the Crysis series, which will reportedly be Crytek's last PC exclusive title.

"In Crysis Warhead, players will don the Nanosuit of Sergeant Sykes, also known as 'Psycho', one of the most memorable characters from Crysis. More brash and aggressive than his Delta Force squadmate Nomad, players will experience Psycho's parallel story during the events of the original game, finding that life on the other side of the island is even more intense and explosive than they ever could have imagined. Luckily, Psycho's Nanosuit is just as capable and he's equipped with an even bigger arsenal of fully customizable weapons and new vehicles, giving players access to the tools they need to dominate any situation. Aside from this new, exciting single player campaign, Crysis Warhead will also feature new multiplayer content. Stay tuned for more details this summer."

Paradox Interactive has released another new trailer for the upcoming retail version of "Mount & Blade," the medieval combat role-playing game by TaleWorlds.

"For those of you who enjoy slaying their enemies from the comfort of an elevated position, the trailer brings to life the art of horse-mounted combat and focuses on typical cavalry skirmishes.

So don't waste a second more. Grab hold of the reins, slide down your visor and hold your shield close. Steady your nerves and draw you bow, sword, axe, hammer or lance. Spur your horse forwards and charge into the fray, straight into glorious battle!"

Gamecock Media Group and Valve Corporation have announced an agreement that will bring Gamecock's titles to Valve's digital distribution platform Steam.

"The first Gamecock titles available on Steam will be Firefly Studios' Stronghold Crusader Extreme and Insecticide Part 1.  Available today for just $29.99, Stronghold Crusader Extreme picks up right where the critically acclaimed RTS Stronghold Crusader left off. Set during the first, second and third crusades, Stronghold Crusader Extreme delivers the ultimate in medieval warfare.
 
The all new Extreme Trail is a twenty-mission set that tests the skill of even the most expert Crusader players, with over 10,000 units on the battlefield. Players will find challenging new A.I. opponents and 30 stand-alone maps for multiplayer or single-player skirmishes, plus, the complete original Stronghold game. No RTS fan can ignore Stronghold Crusader Extreme as the pinnacle of hardcore warfare. 
 
Insecticide Part 1follows the exploits of Detective Chrys Liszt as she untangles a web of corruption on the streets of Troi. This film noir storyline plays out through hard-boiled, fast-shooting action scenes and clever adventuring in a world where bugs have evolved as the planet's dominant race.
 
Additional Gamecock titles - including Insecticide Parts 2, Velvet Assassin, and Legendary - will be made available via Steam later this year.
 
For more information about Gamecock titles on Steam, please visit http://steamgames.com"

Codemasters has released a new trailer for "Rise of the Argonauts," giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming role-playing game by Liquid Entertainment. In addition, the Rise of the Argonauts community website is now live.

"In the Gods Profile video, Lead Designer Charley Price reveals the four patron deities that watch over Jason throughout the course of the game, along with an overview of the weapons, personality traits and skills that players will acquire by dedicating deeds to particular gods.

The theme of deeds is picked up and continued further by Liquid Entertainment’s President Ed Del Castillo in the second video, which details the game’s unique experience points system. Using a brand-new system for RPGs, experience points will be tracked as a series of deeds that can be dedicated to a particular god as a way to earn favour and level up with the skills and abilities of that god.

Each of the gods – Ares, Apollo, Hermes and Athena – has his or her own skill tree that gives the player a flexible and dynamic system for acquiring skills and improving their character. Players will also be able to align themselves with a god by choosing the dialogue that best fits the god’s unique disposition."

The list of new PC game releases, DVD releases, and movies opening the week of June 30th, 2008.

PC Games:

• Baseball Mogul 2009
• The Immortals of Terra

Movies Opening This Week:

• Diminished Capacity
• Hancock
• Kabluey
• The Wackness (limited)

DVD Releases:

• 30 Days: The Complete Second Season
• Batman: The Movie [Blu-ray]
• City of Men
• House of Payne, Vol. 2 - Episodes 21-40
• In the Line of Fire 
• Mad Men - Season One
• My Blueberry Nights
• Point Break [Blu-ray]
• Rebus - Set 3
• Serial
• Thank You Australia Concert: Live 1976
• The Closer - The Complete Third Season
• Tyler Perry's Meet The Browns 
• Vantage Point
•  Walk with Me in Hell
• When in Rome 2007
• Where The Light Is: John Mayer Live In Los Angeles [Blu Ray]

• Valve: Why the PC is the future
• Scientists say Martian soil could support life
• Diablo 3: What We Know So Far
• Landlines? One quarter of Europeans go without
• Google, Family Guy creator to shake up video distribution
• Adobe, Google and Yahoo Join Forces To Make Flash More Searchable

Submitted Links:

GPU

• XFX GeForce GTX 260 XXX Edition at TweakTown
• Sapphire PURE Hybrid Crossfire 780G Review at Hi-Techreviews.com
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 in Crossfire at TweakTown
• Six Months with ATI CrossFireX Technology at Benchmark Reviews
• Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 Ultimate at ASE Labs

CPU

• Intel 45nm Overclocking: How to reach a high OC at Madshrimps

MOBO

• ZOTAC NVIDIA 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard at TweakTown
• MSI P7N2 Diamond 790i Motherboard at TweakTown

Storage

• Brando 2.5 & 3.5inch SATA HDD Dock with USB Hub Review at Madshrimps
• Areca ARC-1231ML SATA RAID 6 Controller at TweakTown
• Samsung MCBQE32G5MPP 2.5" 32GB SSD at TweakTown
• QNAP TS-209 Pro Gigabit SATA NAS at Benchmark Reviews
• Corsair Voyager GT 16Gb and Voyager 4Gb USB Stick Review at Madshrimps

Enclosures

• In-Win B2 Stealth Bomber ATX Case Review at Madshrimps
• Antec Fusion Black 430 Review at High Tech Reviews

Cooling

• SilenX iXtrema IXC-120HA2 CPU Cooler at Tweaktown

Displays

• SOYO 26-Inch Widescreen LCD Monitor DYLM26E6 at Benchmark Reviews

PSU

• X-Spice Kira 530w Power Supply Review at High Tech Reviews

Other

• Hands On With BD Live at TweakTown
• Benchmark Reviews 200K Contest at Benchmark Reviews
• FPS Impact: NVIDIA Forceware 175.16 vs 175.19 at Benchmark Reviews
• The Perfect Razer Desktop at TweakTown
• Mvix MX-780HD Wireless HD Media Center at TweakTown

Funcom and Eidos have announced that "Age of Conan" is continuing to sell well. In the US it was the top selling game for two weeks of available data and has been the top selling game in Europe for the last few weeks.

"Due to the amazing interest surrounding the game, more than 700.000 gamers have now signed up for an Age of Conan account. In the second month after release it is also clear that Age of Conan has taken the position as the undisputed #2 subscription MMO in the western world.

When Age of Conan stormed into retail stores as what we believe to be the most pre-ordered original PC game in history, it instantly became the best selling PC game of May. The pace at which Age of Conan sold made it one of the fastest selling PC games of all times, and Funcom and Eidos are therefore very satisfied to see the positive sales trend continue. As all countries report sales differently, it is not possible to get a complete overview of the exact box sales at the time of writing, but Age of Conan remains the top selling PC game in most all released markets. This includes being the #1 overall PC game in June in the Nordic countries, Oceania, Germany, France and Spain, as well a top three contender in all other markets where the game is out. No substantial sales data for June is yet available from the US market, but Age of Conan was the #1 PC game in the latest official NPD update.

“That Age of Conan remains #1 in retail stores several weeks after release is of incredible importance to us, and proves that the game has a large potential beyond the early adopters,” said Morten Larssen, VP of Sales & Marketing in Funcom. “With more than 700.000 accounts created so far we have a fantastic platform to build from, and we will continue our marketing spend to further drive numbers in the months to come. It also means that Funcom can dedicate significant development resources on evolving the game even further, naturally giving us a great hope for the future of Age of Conan.”

“We are incredibly pleased to see Age of Conan turning into an MMO phenomenon,” said Gaute Godager, Game Director on Age of Conan. “As an MMO company we know that a good start is just the beginning for a virtual world. All we care about now is to make Age of Conan into an even better game, and we have extensive plans to ensure that Age of Conan remains a top MMO alternative for many years to come.”

For more information about the game or to sign up for the community, please visit www.ageofconan.com"

After years of speculation and the recent hub-bub over the splash page on Blizzard's official site, news of Diablo's return has been running its course all over the net. Today, however, Blizzard made it official as they finally revealed Diablo III during the Worldwide Invitation in Paris. Showing of plenty of gameplay and a CG teaser, Blizzard made it clear that Diablo III is most definitely real. The gameplay trailer reveals new gameplay tweaks, the barbarian class and the new witch doctor class, while the cinematic teaser sets up what looks to be an epic battle between the surface world and Hell. No firm release date has been set, but bet on the wait being long and arduous.

Gearbox Software has released a new developer diary trailer for "Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway," giving an explanation of Operation Market Garden and why it was chosen as the focus for this upcoming sequel.

"Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway brings the critically acclaimed squad-based WWII shooter into the next generation of gaming with amazing graphics and sound, new cutting-edge gameplay features and a completely redesigned online component. Delivering on the franchise's compelling story, unrivaled authenticity and intense squad-based action, Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway drops you into Operation Market-Garden, the largest airborne operation of World War II. Lead Matt Baker, Joe Hartsock and the rest of the 101st Airborne Division as they fight to open "Hell's Highway" in a daring bid for a quick end to the war."

THQ has released a new trailer and screenshots showing of "Saints Row 2," the upcoming action sequel by Volition.

"Five years have passed since your former Saints crew betrayed you. As you awake from a coma for the first time since that fateful day, you find the Stilwater you once ruled is in disarray. Unfamiliar gangs have laid claim to your territory, rival factions have taken over your rackets, and cash-hungry corporations have laid waste to your once proud 3rd Street home. Abandoned and left scarred with an unrecognizable face, you seek out a plastic surgeon to begin your new life on the streets of Stilwater."

Digitalmindsoft has released a new developer update for "Men of War," this time talking about new features simulating the accuracy of tanks in game.

"You already know that the accuracy of your tanks depends on their mounted guns and that a fast movement of the chassis or turret will decrease their accuracy drastically.

Today we talk about all the factors being influenced by shooting with a gun:

Shooting while moving
It's a lot harder to hit an enemy tank while you are moving, compared to slow motion or none. The faster you move, the less accuracy will be provided by your tank gunner.
The same goes for the turret, the faster it turns the less accurate it will be.

Type of shell
Depending of the type of shell the accuracy decreases, for example high explosive shells are a lot more inaccurate than armor piercing ones.
Offering you another tactical choice.

Multiple shots
After each subsequent shot on one area of a tank (in the zone R=10 m around of the chosen target) the accuracy increases, and the cursor changes. The highest accuracy is reached on the third shot. This is simulating the fact that a gunner will be more accurate with each shot he fires on the same target.
Also the circle indicating the accuracy will change it colors according to a possible success your shell will have.

This feature will provide a small help to newcomers in the game, but all features in total will make tank combat a lot more interesting and give the tanks a higher value on the virtual battlefields of Men of War."