Fallout 3: Point Lookout (PC, Action RPG) is the fourth downloadable expansion for the Fallout 3 series. The adventure begins with notice of a ferry boat that will take you to Point Lookout and a woman looking for her lost daughter, Nadine. This main quest line quickly devolves into a series of trippy quests and conversations with things that are barely human. The stories and characters here are filled with that trademark Fallout dark humor, elevating these quests to a level that rivals the main game.

  IGN gave it an 8.5 (‘Great’) rating: “Point Lookout is one of the better Fallout 3 expansions and feels well worth the $10 price tag. There’s a brand new area with over a half dozen trippy and exciting missions to find and work through. Plus, there are inbred hillbillies. If you’re still looking for more Fallout 3, definitely give Point Lookout a try.” [IGN | Fallout 3: Point Lookout Review]

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Left 4 Dead (PC, Shooter) is expected to get new updates soon, according to the official Left 4 Dead Blog site. Update Key Features:

Add-Ons – Third party campaigns are designed to be installed using a new Add-On framework. Content authors will be able to package up their new maps, along with new posters, models, and textures, into a single .VPK file. Matchmaking – Because Left 4 Dead is all about sharing, we’ve re-tooled Left 4 Dead’s matchmaking system to provide extensive support for custom add-on campaigns. Authoring Tools – We’re also officially releasing the Authoring tools/SDK.

About Left 4 Dead: A new kind of action game for the PC that features single player, co-op and multiplayer game modes. Set in the immediate aftermath of the zombie apocalypse, L4D offers four expansive "movie campaigns" that challenge you and your fellow survivors to battle thousands of swarming zombies as you travel across the rooftops of an abandoned metropolis, through rural ghost towns and pitch-black forests. In addition to the movie campaigns, Left 4 Dead features a Versus mode that allows you to play as the Boss Zombies.

Read more at the Left 4 Dead Blog site >>

Technorati Tags: left 4 dead, update

Tom’s Hardware released their June 2009 choices for best gaming video cards for the money. [Source: Tom's Hardware] Recommended PCI Express Cards:

Radeon HD 4650 DDR3 (around US$50) GeForce 9500 GT DDR3 (around US$50) [review] Radeon HD 4670 (around US$70) [review] GeForce 9600 GSO (around US$70) Radeon HD 4850 512 MB (around US$105) [review] Radeon HD 4850 1GB (around US$130) [review] GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) (around US$170) Radeon HD 4870 (around US$170) [review] Radeon HD 4850 X2 1 GB (around US$220) 2 x Radeon HD 4850 512 MB in CrossFire (around US$220) 2 x GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) cards in SLI Configuration (around US$340) 2 x Radeon HD 4870 in CrossFire Configuration (around US$340) 2 x Radeon HD 4890 in CrossFire Configuration (around US$455) 2 x GeForce GTX 275 in SLI Configuration (around US$455) GeForce GTX 295 (around US$520)

For value cards that start around $50, your best bet is either the Radeon HD 4650 DDR3 or the GeForce 9500 GT DDR3. Take note that these are the variants that sport DDR3 memory. (Cards with DDR2 will be generally be much slower.) If you’ve got money to burn, the king of the hill in the list is the GeForce GTX 295, which can be purchased for around $520. Two GTX 295 cards in SLI, you say? Why not. Just be ready to explain to your spouse why on earth you are spending a thousand dollars or so for your PC “gaming experience”. (And yes, you should also pick up a really beefy Power Supply Unit while you’re at the store.) The midrange choices would be the GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) and/or Radeon HD 4870 cards. Both of these would be SLI or Crossfire ready, paving the way for your next upgrade.

Technorati Tags: best bang per buck, gaming, graphics, card

Patch version 1.0.9 for Crown of Glory: Emperor’s Edition (PC, Strategy) is now available. Changes:

documentation: The Advanced Economy: Help and Advice for the New Player documentation: Modder’s Guide bug fix: mouse lag experienced by some in certain parts of the interface improvements to the AI for both the strategic and tactical portions of the game several significant improvements to the overall interface and two dozen “fine tune” rule changes to enhance historical accuracy.

About Crown of Glory: Emperor’s Edition: “The new Emperor’s Edition is a sequel to the acclaimed Crown of Glory and improves on the original in every area, immersing the player in the epic events of the Napoleonic era. A beautiful strategic map with more than 200 provinces covers all of Europe and North Africa, with scenarios and campaigns from 1792 up to 1820. Players take the role of one of the crowned potentates of any of the eight Major powers as well as having the option to play as a minor power such as Poland or Portugal.”

Download Patch 1.0.9 at the Matrix Games website >> [external link] Technorati Tags: crown of glory, emperors edition, patch 1.0.9

Demigod (PC, Strategy) has been updated by Stardock to version 1.01. Demigod is set in a magical world where gods walk among mortals, Demigod blends action, strategy and role-playing elements into a thrilling new experience. Select the demigod that will lead your minions into battle and unleash the dogs of war against your rivals. Your demigod will do whatever it takes in order to ascend to true godhood.

Changes:

Improved on-line connectivity Significantly improved computer AI Better in-game detection between those who quit a game versus those who get disconnected Reduced bandwidth requirements More robust storing of online statistics (favor points, achievements, rankings, etc.) Better queuing of player actions in game Many misc. improvements

Technorati Tags: demigod, pc game

Grand Ages: Rome (PC, Strategy) is a game where you raise massive armies and embark on epic campaigns to expand the Empire and take control of the known world. Engage in grand-scale city building and create magnificent cities with creativity and control like never before. Intuitive controls make it easy to launch bone-crushing combat missions and manage every aspect of your thriving civilization. GameZone gave it a 6.7 rating: “Grand Ages: Rome is a decent game that doesn’t try very hard to break out of the city-building mold. Instead it fits comfortably in the age old staples of the genre. The only good thing about this is the developers laid a good foundation for them to work with on the inevitable sequel, which will hopefully come up with something new and really make this game break out.” [GameZone | Grand Ages: Rome]

The best features of Grand Ages: Rome are its Graphics, Multiplayer gameplay, and Sound. IceRocket: grand ages rome

Gateway gives us four models on their FX Series desktops. Prices start at US$1,200.

The desktops feature an Intel Core 2 Quad or Core i7 processor, 64-bit Microsoft Vista operating system (Home Premium, Ultimate), and 3 to 6 GB RAM, 750GB to 1TB HDD. These are great for the gaming enthusiast that doesn’t want to be bothered with building his/her own gaming rig. (For guys and gals interested in building their own Intel-based desktop, see Best Bang Per Buck Core i7 Build at Ced’s PC.) Personally, I’d prefer the FX6800-01e model which features the Core i7 processor and X58 motherboard. (Thanks to Joel Suplido for the tip.) IceRocket: gateway fx series desktop, intel core i7, intel core 2 quad

Tom’s Hardware released their February 2009 choices for best gaming video cards for the money. [Source: Tom's Hardware]

The list for AGP cards have been dropped, most probably because of the low demand and supply of these previous generation cards. If you are interested in these cards, you can view the January 2009 List. Recommended PCI Express Cards:

Radeon HD 4650 (US$60) Radeon HD 4830 ($90) [review] Radeon HD 4850 512 MB ($150) [review] GeForce 9800 GTX+ ($150) Radeon HD 4870 512 MB ($190) [review] Radeon HD 4850 X2 1 GB ($260) 2 x GeForce 9800 GTX+ in SLI Configuration ($310) Radeon HD 4850 X2 2 GB ($310) Two Radeon HD 4870s in CrossFire Configuration ($380) GeForce GTX 295 ($500)

The Hd 4650 is still going strong, being the ‘budget gaming card’ of choice for a good price of around $60. At the opposite end of the scale is the GTX 295, a card that is probably reserved for people who need the fastest card, or someone with lots of money to spare (usually both). This time, my choice midrange card is from Nvidia - the GeForce 9800 GTX+ - which retails for about $150. It could later be upgraded to an SLI configuration by just adding another 9800 GTX+ card. ATI fans, however, could opt for the HD 4870 512 MB, and later upgrade to a Crossfire configuration. IceRocket: best bang per buck gaming graphics card

A new update is available for Gears of War (PC, Third-Person Shooter), a third-person tactical shooter from Epic, running on the Unreal Engine 3. Gears of War thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. Update Description:

Fixes an expired digital signatures issue that prevents all earlier versions of the game from launching. This is a required update. Please download and install the update before launching the game.

Download Gears of War Update at the official website >> IceRocket: gears of war

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (PC, Role-Playing Game) gets Patch 3.0.9. Patch Notes:

Druids

Ferocious Bite: This ability now only uses up to 30 energy in addition to its base cost.

Hunters

Kindred Spirits (Beast Mastery): This talent now grants 20% pet damage at max rank. Serpent’s Swiftness (Beast Mastery): This talent now grants 20% pet attack speed at max rank. Pets

Lava Breath now reduces the target’s casting speed by 25%, down from 50%. Poison Spit now reduces the target’s casting speed by 25%, down from 50%

Mages

Arcane Power now increases damage and mana cost by 20%, cooldown reduced to 2 minutes. Arcane Power and Presence of Mind now share a category cooldown. Arcane Power causes a 15 second cooldown. Presence of Mind, once consumed, causes a 1.5 second cooldown. Arcane Flows now reduces the cooldown of Presence of Mind, Arcane Power and Invisibility by 15/30%. Presence of Mind: The cooldown has been reduced to 2 minutes, (down from 3.) Slow (Arcane): now increases cast time by 30%, down from 60%.

Paladins

The duration on all Seals has been increased to 30 minutes and can no longer be dispelled. Divine Plea: The amount healed by your spells is reduced by 50% (up from 20%), but the effect can no longer be dispelled. Sanctified Seals: This talent no longer affects dispel resistance, but continues to affect crit chance.

Priests

Inner Fire duration has been increased to 30 minutes and can no longer dispelled.

Rogues

Hunger for Blood (Assassination): Now increases damage 5% per stack, (up from 3%.) Mind Numbing Poison now reduces cast time by 30%, down from 60%. Mutilate damage will now do 20% increased damage against poisoned targets, down from 50%. Slice and Dice (Rank 2): This ability now increases melee attack speed by 40%, up from 30%.

Warlocks

Curse of Tongues: Now increases the casting time of all spells by 25% (Rank 1) and 30% (Rank 2), down from 50% and 60%

Dungeons and Raids

The Obsidian Sanctum - Changed the color of the fissure in the Obsidian Sanctum to be more visually distinct.

User Interface

The " GM wishes to speak with you " alert/button, at the top of the screen, has been changed so that addons do not obscure it. A clickable chat message has been added that duplicates the GM alert/button. When a GM wishes to speak with you the Help Request minibar button will glow. For additional notes on Lua and XML changes please visit the UI & Macros forum .

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where players using nVidia 3D glasses were unable to see spell cooldowns. Fixed a software mouse cursor bug that was causing the mouse curser to disappear from view when over certain UI elements. Fixed a player movement error in which other players were appearing to move erratically when traveling beside them.

IceRocket: world of warcraft, wrath of the lich king, wow

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (PC, First-Person Shooter) opens with Paxton Fettel taking command of a battalion of Replica Soldiers and storming the Armacham Technology Corporation (ATC) headquarters. Surveillance footage shows Fettel in the act of cannibalizing one of his victims. You, the player, are introduced as the new "Point Man" for the First Encounter Assault Recon team, a secret government organization that specializes in dealing with paranormal threats. The team coordinator, Rowdy Betters, introduces you to teammates Spen Jankowski and Jin Sun-Kwon. The team is ordered to eliminate Fettel. As a failsafe measure, ATC implanted all bioengineered soldiers with a honing device, so the team is able to track Fettel’s movements with the Hannibal-3 spy satellite.

GamePro gave it 4 out of 5 stars: “While it wasn’t the best shooter ever created — that honor belongs to the original Half-Life — the original F.E.A.R. was a terrific FPS, full of intense action, a sweet slo-mo gimmick and the scariest little girl I’ve ever encountered whose last name wasn’t Olsen. Now, the spine tingling sequel, Project Origin is here to continue the story of the psychic and psychotic Alma with damn good results.” [GamePro | F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin]

GameSpot gave it a 7.0 (‘Good’) rating: “You’ll get the occasional heebie-jeebies from F.E.A.R. 2, but the magic of the first game hasn’t been re-created here. It’s true that some of the changes in the new game seem like they were intended to address criticism of the first F.E.A.R.: tedious and claustrophobic environments, lack of enemy variety, and so on. Sadly, though these changes were made, the resulting sequel, while fun and well-crafted, seems to have lost sight of the strengths that made its predecessor so unique. Nevertheless, playing F.E.A.R. 2 is a worthwhile way to pass the time while we wait for the inevitable next installment.” [GameSpot | F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin]

IGN.com gave it an 8.3 (‘Impressive’) rating: “With F.E.A.R. 2, Monolith has crafted a solid follow-up to F.E.A.R. It’s a good shooter, bordering on great at times, but it’s not as groundbreaking as its predecessor. Still, it’s definitely faithful to the idea of F.E.A.R., which is mainly trying to get under your skin using a combination of tried-and-true horror elements, not the least of which is a creepy little girl.” [IGN, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin]

Those already familiar with the first game will probably also enjoy F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. If you didn’t play the first one, though, maybe you should start from there. IceRocket: F.E.A.R. 2 project origin

Patch version 1.2 for Call of Duty: World at War (PC, First-Person Shooter) was recently released.

Powered by Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare technology, Call of Duty: World at War brings an uncensored edge to combat, as soldiers face the most harrowing and climatic European and Pacific battles in which an enemy, who knows no surrender and no retreat, will fight to the last breath, unleashing an arsenal of lethal surprising tactics. Peril and danger lurk throughout the battlefield as players combat the unknown risk of the new chaos of battle. Patch Details:

Free Multiplayer Map Fixed exploits that allowed for power ranking servers. Fixed router related server authentication errors. Fixed HTTP Redirect functionality for downloading mods Fixed sound device crashes stemming from Emulated Sound Devices Fixed exploit which allowed players to color their name tag. Hits now register properly while targeted player is leaning. Enabled /cg_drawfps in multiplayer games. Fixed command-line +connect functionality /cg_fov no longer resets to the default value in between matches. Dedicated servers automatically reconnect to the Master Server in case the Master Server resets. "Accept Game Invite" is bound to its default key, F10. Implemented fix for attempting to join password protected servers from the server browser. Fine tuned Bolt-Action Rifles for balance. Screenshots no longer overwrite each other. Fixed various multiplayer map related issues and exploits.

Get Patch 1.2 at the Fileplanet website >> IceRocket: call of duty world at war

Update v1.05.03 has been released for Empires in Arms (PC, Turn-Based Strategy), a seven player game of grand strategy during the Napoleonic period of 1805-1815. Playable either solitaire against the AI or by e-mail. Corps level with full diplomatic options to allow players complete freedom to fight it out for control of Europe any way they want to.

The comprehensive update brings a substantial number of fixes and AI tweaks and enhancements. Download Update v1.05.03 at the Matrix Games website >> IceRocket: empires in arms update

Buccaneer: The Pursuit of Infamy (PC, Action) is a single and multiplayer game where players strive to become the most infamous pirate captain of all time and etch their name in The Hall of Infamy.

GameZone gave it a 7.0 rating: “Nothing deep here but even though the game has very arcade-like roots, taken as a package it works. The scored missions give a reason to try to achieve a quick and efficient solution. This may not be a game that you will sit down and spend hours with, but in increments you should walk away with a smile on your face. ” [GameZone | Buccaneer: The Pursuit of Infamy]

The strong points of the game is its nice graphics, easy to use interface, and good background sounds. IceRocket: buccaneer pursuit of infamy

Patch 1.05f is now available for World War One - La Grande Guerre (PC, Strategy), a turn-based strategy game that lets you take charge as a military and political leader during the most trying and critical times of World War One.

Patch 1.05f Features:

tweak to the trench rules numerous GUI enhancements France and Russia surrender requirements for all major scenarios to end and improvements to the AI in a wide variety of circumstances (battle, deployment, surrender evaluation, etc.)

Download Patch 1.05f at the Official site >> IceRocket: world war one, la grande guerre, patch 1.05f

Mirror’s Edge (PC, Action / Adventure) delivers you straight into the shoes of this unique heroine as she traverses the vertigo-inducing landscape. Engaging in intense combat and fast paced chases, with a never before seen sense of movement and perspective, you will be drawn into Faith’s world, a world that is visceral, immediate, and very dangerous.

IGN.com rated Mirror’s Edge with an 8.5 (‘Great’): “There’s a distinctive flow and rhythm to DICE’s Mirror’s Edge, letting you bound across obstacle courses with seemingly inhuman strength and agility. Though the disarm system isn’t as immediately accessible as the platform-hopping mechanics, with some practice you’ll eventually find you can slide, dash and smash for long, continuous stretches, a thrill reminiscent of Sonic the Hedgehog’s early days. While its elegant controls, visuals and audio weave a dreamlike tapestry that its animated cut-scenes do their best to eat away at, the whole is an experience you’d be remiss to let fly by if you missed it on consoles.” [IGN | Mirror’s Edge Review]

The best qualities of Mirror’s Edge are its Sound and Gameplay. This is a good game Action/Adventure game with a First-Person perspective. IceRocket: mirror’s edge, first person action adventure

EverQuest II The Shadow Odyssey (PC, MMO Role-Playing) is the next generation of massively multiplayer gaming, a huge online world where friends have come together for adventure and community. Featuring breathtaking graphics and a vast, beautiful and dangerous game world to explore, EverQuest II sets the standard for graphical realism as players are immersed in the game’s exciting locales and mysterious lands. “New achievement trees, new armor, new group zones – sure, they are mostly applicable for the veteran players, but TSO brings in a free mount for all players and that is very nice. With the TSO expansion, EverQuest II continues to be one of the top MMOs on the market and The Shadow Odyssey only deepens the experience.” [GameZone | EverQuest II The Shadow Odyssey]

Top scores were given to Graphics and Concept. MMORPG fans will most likely have a blast with EverQuest II The Shadow Odyssey. IceRocket: everquest ii the shadow odyssey

Ubisoft recently released Patch 1.02 for Far Cry 2 (PC, Shooter), a game where you are sent to take out "The Jackal", a mysterious character who has rekindled the conflict between the warlords, jeopardizing thousands of lives. In order to fulfill your mission you will have to play the factions against each other, identify and exploit their weaknesses, and neutralize their superior numbers and firepower with surprise, subversion, cunning and, of course, brute force.

Patch Details:

Singleplayer:

Fixed health not changing with the difficulty level. Keyboard controls remapping in single mode now carry into multiplayer mode. A buddy will no longer get stuck when healing him while player is receiving damage. Stats of favourite weapon are now properly reset between loaded save games. The mortar will no longer move the player through wall. Mission objectives markers are now show properly after loading a save game.

Multiplayer:

Server’s IP address now displays in lobby, beside the match’s name (for direct IP join to work) Dedicated Server can now be launched in command line. Improved match start conditions. Ranked games can now also start if the player max is attained and everybody but the host is ready. Fixed a bug causing random crashes when joining a game. Ranked matches in progress will no longer display in the match list. Fixed players with same name by using identifiers instead of names. Fixed crash when creating a LAN game without a network cable. The diamond pool is now always validated after class upgrades, reset or rank up to avoid getting more diamonds than you are supposed to for your rank. When creating a dedicated server with PunkBuster enabled, then close it to create another but this time with PunkBuster disabled, PunkBuster will still be considered ON, on this new server. Fixed a problem where a player could get stuck (and couldn’t get killed) after pressing the interaction key while wounded and getting rescued by a teammate at the same time. Fixed players getting disconnected if they have too many user maps and try to enter the map rotation menu in a Player or Ranked match. Vehicles will now always respawn even if they are never used. Fixed users not being able to see a match if the host switched match mode after a rank. Fixed a glitch that could make a player invisible to another. Fixed incorrect check for negative values when adjusting diamond count. Fixed a problem where a player would render through objects if healing a wounded playing while being wounded at the same time. Fixed reload not being interrupted on the host when a client picks a weapon while reloading. Fixed Field Manuals not unlocking after game mode change.

General:

Fixed glider key remapping. Game will now minimize in order to show the website when clicking on ubi.com. Dolby 5.1 is now supported for most sound cards. Fixed a random crash that could happen when pressing ESC to cancel a Benchmark run. Added CPU Intensive benchmark test run. Fixed Jackal Tapes and Partner Tapes pages.

Map Editor:

Fixed crash in editor when deleting many objects in very rapid succession. Fixed crash in editor during parsing of the map headers.

Download Patch 1.02 at FilePlanet >> IceRocket: far cry 2 patch 1.02

Joymax recently released new content for Darkeden (PC, Role Playing Game), a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, inviting players into a bleak near-future environment and a brutal conflict between two distinct races-vampires and slayers.It contains hundreds of potential skills and two distinct systems of character advancement, and is available to download and play free of charge.

The update includes access to the treacherous Hell Garden and a number of new market items, from forges and hourglasses to new yellow drops, all available in-game to the brave Slayers, Vampires, and Ousters of Darkeden. IceRocket: darkeden hell garden

Dead Space (PC, Action) is set in the cold blackness of deep space, the atmosphere is soaked with a feeling of tension, dread and sheer terror. Players step into the role of engineer Isaac Clarke – an ordinary man on a seemingly routine mission to fix the communications systems aboard a deep space mining ship. It is not long before Isaac awakes to a living nightmare when he learns that the ship’s crew has been ravaged by a vicious alien infestation. He must fight through the dead silence and darkness of deep space to stay alive.

GameZone gave it an 8.9 rating: “An excellent new addition to the splinter group of action games centered around horror. I suspect they will make a sequel and I suspect it too will spawn a franchise. Dead Space gets it right when it comes to the scares.” [GameZone | Dead Space]

If you are looking for a nice Action game with great sound, medium to hard difficulty, and nice concept, Dead Space is good one to get. IceRocket: dead space