Today marks the official launch of the PS3 only title, Warhawk. In Warhawk, up to 32 players can battle it out in the air and on land, amidst beautifully detailed landscapes and up in the clouds. Your mission: Defend against the invading Chernovan fleet, using tanks, jeeps, transports, fighters and small arms. The SIXAXIS controller is used to pilot the aerial vehicles, sensing your movements to control roll, pitch and yaw. The retail edition costs $60 and comes with a Bluetooth headset. For more screenshots, see Source link below.

Here's some good news for everyone who's been waiting for one of the most anticipated first person shooters of the year: Crysis. The demo of Crysis is expected to be released by September 25th, 2007. The demo throws gamers into the first level of the single player campaign, named "contact", and allows said gamers to marvel at the technological advances and eye candy Crysis has to offer.

In the meantime, check out the latest Crysis Gameplay trailer.

Manhunt 2 by Take-Two and Rockstar has finally been granted an "M" for Mature rating by the ESRB. The game was toned down after it originally earned an "AO" for Adults Only rating, which many stores refuse to carry. The game is now back on schedule to be released October 31st in the US on the PlayStation 2 and Wii.

Toys R Us must have got a memo wrong, because they started selling copies of BioShock a week before the game was supposed to be released (August 21st). While gamers were conspiring to determine which stores had goofed, 2k Games worked to stop the leak in it's entirety. Internal E-mails were fired off, and now Toys R Us does not sell BioShock (though, they do still have it in stock). It is unclear whether or not 2K Games will fine Toys R Us, and an official statement from both companies is expected shortly.

Xbox 360 got a pleasant surprise on Sunday: a working BioShock demo. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for PC users. 2K Games stated that making a working PC demo was a lot harder than a working Xbox 360 demo, because they have to make it work on a large variety of machines. While Xbox 360 customers are happily fragging each other on (a demo of) one of the most anticipated shooters of the year, PC owners need to wait until the BioShock demo goes through the final stages of QA at 2K Games.

We tried as hard as humanly possible to get it out to you guys simultaneously with the 360 demo, but we needed to make sure that it was perfect -- that all drivers were ready, and that the game looked great on a huge variety of computers

In other news, BioShock: Breaking the Mold, a large artbook containing all sorts of information on the BioShock world (including spoilers), is now available for download.

It's been eleven years since Duke Nukem was first unleashed, and with Duke Nukem Forever still in development, even the most hardcore fans are getting impatient. And so, 3DRealms' George Broussard announced plans to port the classic Duke Nukem into Xbox Live Arcade. Broussard has already discussed plans with Microsoft. He's just waiting for some paperwork to go through, and then we'll see Duke Nukem in Xbox Live soon afterwords.

The wonderful people with a strange abundance of spare time over at 1Up have found a very interesting title in the German game rating system: a request to rate a certain "World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (GC-Demo)". The (GC-Demo) part could possibly stand for "Game Convention Demo", which would make perfect sense considering the upcoming Leipzig Games Convention and Blizzcon.

If this is a formal expansion, it will almost surely be announced at Blizzcon this weekend. Wrath of the Lich King is currently rumored to open up the Northrend section of the World of Warcraft, where Arthas and the Lich King were last seen in Warcraft 3.

World in Conflict is an RTS game that is set in 1988, where economic troubles, similar to the ones that occurred in real-life, cripple the Soviet Union to the extent where it must risk nuclear Armageddon to stay in power.
Massive Entertainment, Sierra and Intel invite you to join the open beta and find out what you are made of. Registration begins on 1 July and will be open until the end of the open beta phase. The open beta will begin on 11 July and will last until 31 July.

Signup here.

Since America's Army was first released, people have claimed it was nothing more than a propaganda tool, designed to get kids hooked onto the idea of joining the American military. Regardless of the ulterior purpose of this game, it is massively successful. America's Army has been released 23 different times (different versions on different platforms), and the original has been in circulation for five years. The internet based game currently boasts 8.5 million registered users. Assuming that the registered users are the active users, this game is more popular than World of Warcraft. Ironically, said users are generally not from the United States. Most AA players are from over 60 different countries.

If you haven't played America's Army and would like to try it out, please get a demo off of FileFront. America's Army missions are sometimes used to train American soldiers.

Intel, at its Research@Intel Day in Santa Clara, CA, announced that it is working on an anti-cheat system for games. The idea is that Intel and the PC gaming industry would build technology into gaming rigs that could detect when common cheats - such as "aimbots" that handle targeting while the player just holds down the trigger - are used in an online gaming session, said Travis Schluessler, a researcher at Intel.

PCs equipped with this technology would notify a server that someone in the game is using a cheat, and then the game administrator could set a policy of kicking the cheat offline. Intel is still working out the details; don't expect to find this in a high-end gaming PC anytime soon.

Rockstar Games' upcoming title Manhunt 2 has become the first game in over ten years to be banned in the UK. According to the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC), who decide the ratings for games, "unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying" in the game could cause harm to those playing it. David Cooke, director of the BBFC, said:

Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.

The last game to be banned by the BBFC was Carmageddon, released in 1997 - this ban was later overturned in an appeal, so there may yet be hope for Manhunt fans, although the original game was also the subject of much criticism which is unlikely to help its cause.

Everyone who's ever waited for a Blizzard game to be released knows just how long "when it's ready" is. StarCraft2 is no exception to this rule. Unfortunately for anyone waiting for StarCraft2, this game is not going to be "ready" for quite some time. MSNBC scored an interview with Rob Pardo, the VP of game design at Blizzard, which explains when we can see this game.

I can give you the old Blizzard mantra of: 'It'll ship when it's ready,'" said Pardo, "but it's something that historically, we've learned to keep release dates really close to the vest. I think all game developers are extremely optimistic, and we used to give optimistic dates and we'd disappoint our fans when we didn't hit them. So now, I think we've just gotten more gun shy. The only thing I can give you [that's] concrete is it's not going to be this year. Some people were hoping, because of how advanced the game looks, that we'd have it out by Christmas, but that's definitely not happening.

StarCraft2 started development in 2003, and full production started a year later. The team working on this game comprises of 40 people.

StarCraft2 will be available for PC and Mac "when it's done".

In the past, we've seen video games dedicated to cancer victims, charities started by gamers, and other hospitable acts towards the less fortunate by gamers. Now, non-profit HopeLab and Cigna have created a PC game that's designed to make cancer patients feel better. Re-Mission is game designed around educating children about cancer. It allows players to see what cancer is, and how to properly combat it. This game is free to any cancer patient, doctor, or medical facility that wants it.

What is truly surprising though is the results of this game. Studies have shown that cancer patients actually have a much better time battling cancer after they've played this game. The game increases cancer patients "quality of life, knowledge about cancer... and their self-efficacy to communicate about cancer." Cancer patients who have played this game also have a much better prognosis.

Even more interestingly, young patients who played the game apparently maintained higher blood levels in chemotherapy and had higher rates of success in staving off the cancer in their bodies, suggesting that the game succeeded in convincing players to stick to their therapy.

If you'd like more information on this wonderful game, please visit Cigna for a copy.

The demo of Lara Croft's upcoming adventure "Tomb Raider: Anniversary" is out now. The game is a complete re-make of the first Tomb Raider game which was originally released in 1996 for the PlayStation. It's powered by an advanced version of the previous hit game's (Tomb Raider: Legend) engine and takes you on a quest to Peru where you have to find the mysterious artifact known as the Scion.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary (Demo) (257MB)

techPowerUp! Mirror

SUNNYVALE, CA - May 23, 2007 - After warming their amps in the basement garage to rocking sold out shows at Stonehenge, fans of Activision, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: ATVI) wildly popular Guitar Hero franchise will now be able to shred like never before with the next iteration of the game that will be available this fall. The new game will be released on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Wii video game system from Nintendo.

Sierra's new 'Chronicles of Riddick' game, titled 'Dark Athena', will be released later this year for both the PS3 and the XBOX360. The game is both a remake of the original award winning 'Escape from Butcher Bay' that was released in 2004, and an expansion which introduces the Merc-ship Dark Athena. The ability to play online has also been added.

The Black Box has been cancelled...We're going to have one package, The Orange Box

said Doug Lombardi, Valve's director of marketing. The package, which was to offer only Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2, has been officially cancelled by Valve. The Orange Box will be the only collection offered when Episode 2 releases this fall. In addition to the three new products - Portal, Team Fortress 2, and Half-Life: Episode Two - The Orange Box will also contain the full version of Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One and cost additional $10. The Orange Box, will be available on the PC (US$49.99) as well as the 360 and PS3 (US$ 59.99) game consoles.

Age of Empires is heading east with the introduction of Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, the second expansion pack for the top-selling strategy that arrives on Microsoft Windows XP- and Windows Vista-based PCs this fall. The expansion pack will introduce gamers to Asian civilizations, a host of new gameplay features, and a new developer that will provide a unique spin to a classic favorite. Developed for the first time by Big Huge Games, the development studio responsible for the incredibly popular real-time strategy Rise of Nations, the Asian Dynasties will provide new content and several new gameplay elements that include new ways of winning and trading, random map styles that feature remixes of classic Age of Empires game styles, and 15 new Asian Wonders. Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties will also ship as a Games for Windows title with easier installation, improved reliability and support for key Windows Vista features, including the Games Explorer and Parental Controls.

Almost ten years after the original, Blizzard officially confirmed today at the third Worldwide Invitational in Seoul, that a StarCraft sequel is in the works. Click here to watch the Starcraft 2 CGI announcement trailer, or here for the first ever posted in-game screenshots!

Visit the official Starcraft 2 website for more information.

Sony previewed an extensive software line up for its PlayStation platforms for the second half of 2007 and early 2008 at a media event in San Diego yesterday. More than 30 games for PS3 game console, including a strong first-party lineup of over ten announced titles, were shown during the event, along with a full library of games and services for PlayStation Portable handheld entertainment system, PS2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION Network. Some of the key new titles for PS3 include: Warhawk, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, Spider-Man 3, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Pirates of the Caribbean At World's End, NBA'08 and MLB 07 The Show. Additionally sixteen exclusive titles for PSP from first and third parties were also unveiled at the event, ranging from Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow to God of War: Chains of Olympus and SOCOM:U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike. The full list of games and services can be found at PlayStation.com.

Ubisoft has released a new trailer and five new screenshots from Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, this time showcasing the PC version of this action sequel developed by Ubisoft's Paris studio and Red Storm Studios. The game again puts you in control of the Ghosts who have to change their holiday plans to go to El Paso and put a stop to a growing rebel threat. The game is scheduled to be released this summer. Download the 2:01 min of gameplay footage from here.

Epic Games has finally launched a new official website for the highly anticipated Unreal Tournament 3. The website has a few in-game screen shots, as well as a trailer in HD and you can subscribe to get your hands on the latest news about the game.

Unreal Tournament 3 for XBOX360 is due to be released in September and the Playstation 3 version is scheduled for the end of year. There is no any fixed timeline for a PC version but it probably won't see the light of the day in 2007.

Visit the site here.

Crysis, one upcoming DirectX 10 title developed by Crytek as the first game to use their CryENGINE 2 is highly anticipated. But many gamers bemoan the fact that DirectX 10 requires spending at least $100US for a new graphics card and another $100+US for Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows Vista. And possibly more RAM since 2 gigabytes is recommended for gaming within Vista - the desirable upgrades practically form a new computer.

A streaming low-quality video of Crysis utilizing DirectX 9. High quality version is available too.

It's evident frugal gamers don't have to worry about relinquishing a couple hundred dollars to have a satisfying experience running around with a gun in a visually stunning environment for upcoming CryENGINE 2 powered games.

Crysis is vaguely slated for a "Quarter 3, 2007" release.

Sony's Technical Director Scott Hartsman took the opportunity and revealed some very interesting information about EverQuest 2's expansion called Rise of Kunark. As the name indicates, the continent Kunark, which was razed to the ground between the setting of EverQuest Live and EverQuest 2, will be the playground again. Together with the new, old continent the expansion will raise the level cap to 80, include a new race, the neutral Sarnak, a new mount (the Kunarkian Rhinoceros), epic weapons and much more.
There will be two options on how to obtain the expansion. You can either buy the retail box for 39.99$US, which includes the base game as well, or you can download the sole expansion for the same price.

You might know of Richard Garriott from his superb Ultima game series in the 1980s and 1990s and from the good old days of Origin Systems, his own publishing company. In 1992 he sold Origin Systems to Electronic Arts and coproduced some more Ultima's with them, but towards the end of the century it didn't went well with Lord British, he turned his back towards the game industry and left the company he once created. In the year 2000 he came back when founding Destination Games and later teamed up with the game publisher NCsoft to develop MMORPGs.
NCsoft today announced the start of the closed beta testing of Tabula Rasa, Garriot's actual PC game project. In Tabula Rasa you will take part in an epic, intergalactic science-fiction story on alien worlds with fast-paced action and role-playing aspects combined. The player enters the game as a rebel soldier faced with a huge war between his comrades and a xenophobic alien race.