New Screenshots

New screenshots and a trailer for the ranger class in the upcoming "Guild Wars 2" were released today, giving viewers more of a look at the anticipated sequel.

"The ranger is a jack-of-all-trades and a master of them all as well, relying on his keen eye, steady hand, or the power of nature itself. A master of ranged combat, the ranger is capable of striking unwitting foes from a distance with his bow. With a stable of pets at his command, a ranger can adapt to his opponents' strengths and weaknesses.

A ranger is accompanied by his pet, a loyal animal companion. Rangers charm pets and then bond with them. A ranger can have up to three pets at his call, but generally speaking, only one pet can be active at any time. Pets' base health, armor, and damage are based on the level of the player that owns them.

Pets are charmed by interacting with juvenile versions of the species you want to charm. There are a variety of Tyrian species that can be charmed, including bears, moas, devourers, and sharks. As you adventure with a pet, it evolves to become more unique and eventually allows you to give it abilities that compliment your tactics.

Rather than manage a unique resource in combat, a ranger will manage his pet, assigning them a behavior from aggressive to passive."

Focus Home Interactive today announced an agreement with Larian to publish "Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga", which is currently scheduled to be released in October.

"Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga includes the original adventure “Ego Draconis”, and “Flames of Vengeance”, the Dragon Knight's new adventure that continues the epic story and adds dozens of hours of additional gameplay. Divinity II – Ego Draconis appears here as an entirely new and re-mastered edition with improved graphics and content that make the game even more beautiful and more impressive than ever before!

As for Flames of Vengeance, this new adventure brings players new quests, new creatures and many new items. Flames of Vengeance also benefits from all the graphical improvements made to Ego Draconis, and delivers a spectacular finale to the Dragon Knight Saga!

Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga offers an epic total of over 60 hours of gameplay and more than 180 original quests that combine into a fantastic role playing experience. We invite you to discover more about Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga throughout a series of new images, that offer a glimpse into the new adventure Flames of Vengeance.

Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga includes the complete and re-mastered adventure Ego Draconis, and the brand new adventure Flames of Vengeance. The game will be released in Europe in October 2010 on PC and Xbox 360."

Focus Home Interactive today announced "Cities XL 2011", an upcoming new sequel in the city building series.

"With Cities XL 2011, build and develop gigantic cities on realistic 3D maps, thanks to an incredible collection counting more than 700 buildings and unique structures. You are the virtual mayor and as such, you will need to find the right balance between economic development for your city, public transportation, housing, social services, leisure activities and even special events in town. Realism has been pushed a little bit deeper with larger cities, more realistic and more sophisticated than ever before!

Broaden your horizons!

Cities XL 2011 pushes its limits further: hundreds of new buildings and structures appear for a total of more than 700 constructions, leading the way for new building and combinations options never seen before in a City Builder. Many new maps are also available, for a total of 45 buildable maps. City management will offer the full experience thanks to the addition of public transportation (subway, bus) which will decongest downtown traffic while lowering pollution levels and increasing the population's satisfaction. A more elaborated tax system will let all apprentice mayors adjust personal and local business taxes. A new commercial user interface will permit trade between cities in single player mode if a player decides to develop several cities.

Thanks to these big novelties and to a lot of inspired improvements, Cities XL 2011 truly reaches a whole new dimension to please all City Builders’ fans"

Square Enix today released new screenshots for "Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days", giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming sequel by IO Interactive.

"Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is a raw and brutal crime shooter designed to take players on an even more intense story experience, following two of gaming's most disturbed criminals, through the gritty Shanghai underworld."

Focus Home Interactive released new screenshots and details on the orges and elves, two races that will be included in the upcoming "Blood Bowl: Legendary Edition".

"The "Pro" Elves typify the Elven tradition with speedy, agile, albeit fragile players! And though these Elves are not as fast as the Wood Elves, they are a little more resilient and can sustain a few more blocks than their cousins… only a few more though! Their specialized players make the “Pro” Elves team perfect for an efficient passing game.

On reflection, the Ogres' teams offer the complete opposite when it comes to play style, The Ogres unmatched brutality – and stupidity – is balanced by the smallest and the weirdest Blood Bowl players: the Snotlings. At first sight, these little creatures may seem useless and only worth being stomped on by the opposite team (and that would be a fair evaluation!). Yet, they are essential to help the Ogres to actually win games; especially since the big ones tend to forget they are in the middle of a game when the blood begins to fly!"

We missed this announcement last week with all the E3 mess going on. Frozynbyte announced "Trine 2" last week at E3, an upcoming sequel to the side-scrolling action adventure game.

"Trine 2 takes the first game's beloved triad-the powerful knight, the swift rogue, and the crafty wizard-and puts them into an all-new adventure filled with more action, more puzzles, and the introduction of online support for the series's popular cooperative 3-person gameplay.

"The Trine series is a bastion of pure gaming fun," stated Aram Jabbari, Manager of Public Relations and Sales for Atlus, "Expanding upon what was considered one of the best cooperative multiplayer experiences in recent memory, Trine 2 introduces online cooperative support for up to three players, dramatically expanding the fun and appeal of the game's spectacularly rich action platforming. In addition, the unique traits and abilities of the three character types in Trine 2 mean more now than ever before, with enhanced skill trees and progression ensuring perfect balance. As a result, the game's new arsenal of thrilling physics-based puzzles delivers just as much challenge and satisfaction for a sole player as for three friends playing together."

Boasting sumptuous visuals, a masterful musical score, and clever physics-based gameplay, Trine 2 is the perfect mix of old-school platforming action, original physics-based level design, and cooperative multiplayer fun!

Trine 2 is currently scheduled for release Spring 2011 via digital distribution. Details regarding platforms and availability will be released soon. For more information, please visit https://www.trine2.com."

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment released new screenshots and a trailer at E3 for "F.E.A.R. 3", giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming FPS horror sequel.

"F.3.A.R. continues the F.E.A.R. brand legacy, unleashing a paranormal horror first person shooter that delivers frenetic combat grounded in reality. F.3.A.R. evolves the brand, introducing Divergent Co-op for two players: deep, social gameplay that gives players distinctly different abilities that affect their own play as well as the experience of gamers they are playing with…or against. Players can take on the roles of Point Man, a genetically enhanced soldier with superhuman reflexes and the ability to manipulate time, or the undead spirit of his brother Paxton Fettel, a paranormal entity who possesses incredible psychic powers."

 2K Games released new screenshots and a trailer for "XCOM" at E3, giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming FPS by 2K Marin.

"XCOM is the re-imagining of the classic tale of humanity’s struggle against an unknown enemy that puts players directly into the shoes of an FBI agent tasked with identifying and eliminating the growing threat. True to the roots of the franchise, players will be placed in charge of overcoming high-stake odds through risky strategic gambits coupled with heart-stopping combat experiences that pit human ingenuity – and frailty – against a foe beyond comprehension. By setting the game in a first-person perspective, players will be able to feel the tension and fear that comes with combating a faceless enemy that is violently probing and plotting its way into our world.

XCOM is not yet age-rated. For more information on XCOM please visit www.XCOM.com"

2K Games released new screenshots and a trailer for "Spec Ops: The Line", giving viewers a look at the new revival of the old shooter series in development at YAGER.

"Currently in development at YAGER, Spec Ops: The Line is a provocative, cinematic third-person military shooter that challenges players’ own morality by putting them in the middle of unspeakable depravity where brutal life-or-death choices take them on a journey into the heart of darkness.

Spec Ops: The Line’s emotional narrative unfolds within the destroyed opulence of Dubai. Once a playground for the world’s wealthiest elite, now Dubai has been reclaimed by Mother Nature, buried underneath the most devastating sandstorm ever recorded. Spec Ops: The Line allows gamers to play as Captain Martin Walker, leader of an elite Delta Force team ordered to infiltrate the treacherous region and bring home U.S. Army Colonel John Konrad."

2K Games released new screens and a trailer for "Civilization V" at E3, giving viewers more of a look at the highly anticipated sequel by Firaxis.

"Sid Meier's Civilization V is the fifth offering in the multi-award winning Civilization strategy game series featuring the famous “just one more turn” addictive gameplay that has made it one of the greatest game series of all time."

2K Games released new screenshots and a trailer at E3, giving viewers more of a look at the upcoming sequel that's scheduled to be released at the end of August.

"From the developers of the award-winning Mafia comes Mafia II, a beautifully crafted look into the dark and unforgiving world of the Mafia where clothing, cars, music and advertising are meticulously created to replicate an American city in the ‘40s and ‘50s. Players will easily become engaged in the game’s cinematic, Hollywood-style experience with strong, believable characters in a living, breathing city that transports them to a time when rock-n-roll first strummed its guitar and chrome-plated hot rods roared down boulevards.

Powered by 2K Czech’s next-generation Illusion Engine built specifically for Mafia II, players will experience the true evolution of the game. Gunfights, hand-to-hand combat and vehicular exploration feature new depth and dimension that allow players to experience the world of Mafia II in a way that will keep them coming back for more."

dtp Entertainment released new screenshots from "Drakensang: The River Of Time" at E3, giving viewers a look at the upcoming RPG prequel by Radon Games.

"The prequel to Radon Labs's award winning RPG, Drakensang: The River of Time introduces a brand new story within the Drakensang universe. The new story brings many innovations and new game elements for experienced as well for first time players, who will jump right into the fascinating medieval fantasy RPG scenario of Drakensang: The River Of Time."

CD Projekt RED released a new trailer and screenshots for "The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings", giving viewers more of a look at the anticipated sequel. The trailer is somewhat similar to the announcement trailer but is expanded a bit.

"The second entry in the Witcher saga is characterized by an incredibly gripping, mature and non-linear plot. In addition, the new combat system is even smoother and guarantees a greater variety of tactical possibilities.

The game is built upon completely new technology, designed from scratch by CD Projekt RED to develop role-playing games with non-linear plot. The new technology also delivers beautiful visuals, transporting players to one of the most vivid RPG universes ever."

Several additional new screenshots can be found in the game's gallery.

dtp Entertainment revealed "Black Mirror 3" at E3, a new sequel in the adventure series in development at Cranberry Productions. The game is currently scheduled to be released in November.

"Black Mirror 3, like its predecessor, delivers a classic point & click adventure in 2.5D technology. The game uses a combination of stunning two-dimensional backgrounds, and detailed three-dimensional characters, and utilizes the power of the Black Mirror 2 graphics engine to deliver breathtaking visuals.

Back to our roots

The story centers on the Black Mirror castle in Willow Creek, and surrounding areas, thus tracing its roots to the original Black Mirror. Players can explore a total of 62 different locations, some of which may be familiar to players of the original game, and all locations have a completely new graphical look.

The story connects with the end of Black Mirror 2, and promises a deep, mysterious story, including two playable characters.

Driven by nightmares, plagued by the specter of murder

After his flight into the woods, Darren stands with a burning torch in his hand, and turns to look back at the blaze engulfing Black Mirror Castle. Confusion reigns…

A short time later, he barely reacts as the handcuffs are closed on his wrists. The police have arrested Darren as their main suspect, and subject him to extensive questioning. But Darren is numb to the events occurring around him, and he withdraws into a deep emptiness.

After three weeks of detention – and tormented by sleepless nights, nightmare-like visions, and the chilling specter of murder and death – Darren is set free. Darren is now alone. He must try to find out what has happened, and lift the veil on his clouded past. What did he really see with those jet black eyes, what does the nightmare mean? Who is the mysterious person who posted bail and set him free? What dark force lies behind the tangled web of riddles, mysterious secrets and entwined relationships?

The answers to all these questions await puzzle fans in the six chapters of this exciting adventure game."

New screenshots and a trailer for "DC Universe Online" were released at E3 by Sony Online Entertainment, giving viewers a look at the upcoming MMORPG.

"DC Universe Online is the only next-generation massively multiplayer online action game that delivers unparalleled physics-powered combat set in the DC Universe. This genre-defining game puts the power of the DC Super Heroes and villains into the palm of your hands…The next legend is YOU!"

More new screenshots in the game's gallery.