Open beta begins Thursday for World of Battles: Morningstar. To kick it off, developer Frogwares has released the above video. Much can be gleaned from a trailer such as this — World of Battles: Morningstar is a Real Time Strategy (RTS) game. It offers many customizations that allow the player to really tailor the experience to his or her style. There are a variety of fantastic and less fantastic creatures that you get to control in heated battle  (8 to be exact).

Arguably, the surprising thing about this trailer is that the game looks good, F2P or no. I’ll leave it up to you decide whether it has the power to steer you away from Starcraft II or League of Legends for a prolonged period of of time; but at the price point of zero, where’s the risk of trying out new IP?

World of  Battles: Morningstar is also a surprising game to come from Frogwares. The studio’s resume up until this point has focused on licensed Adventures the likes of Sherlock Holmes and Jules Verne. Expect Gamer Limit’s impressions on this game to come soon. Until then, hop onto the game’s site and register if you feel so inclined (did I mention it was free). Let us know what you think in the comments below.

The Warhammer 40K universe is a pretty rough place. You’ve got Nazi like Space Marines trying to ensure humanity’s survival by purging all Xenos, the extremely expendable Imperial guard allied with the Space Marines (for the most part), the Ork hordes plundering and pillaging worlds as they please, Chaos Space Marines who have fallen off the deep end and now fight ancient dark gods slaughtering anything, the Tyrranid hive consuming worlds like a plague of locusts, and the space-elfish Eldar who are always plotting ways to mess up everyone’s plans.  Like I said, it’s a tough place, and it only gets tougher in the latest standalone expansion Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II: Retribution.

For those of you who already are fans of DoWII or its other expansion Chaos Rising, you probably have a good idea what Retribution is all about. If you haven’t played any of the previous games, hit the jump and allow me to break it all down for you.

The DoWII series is a PC real-time strategy game with a RPG elements that focuses on cover-based tactical play rather than over all strategy. Unlike other popular RTS games (I’m looking at you StarCraft II), DoWII really doesn’t feature any base building, tech switches, etc. Instead, you are given a few squads of super powerful ‘hero’ units which you need to micromanage effectively in order to win. More depth of gameplay is added by allowing the player to customize each units equipment loadout. For example, if I want my Space Marine Force Commander to play more of a passive role,  I can equip various accessories that will provide buffs to the rest of my units. If I want to be using him in a more proactive role, I can swap out the passive buffs for something like a jetpack, which will allow him to jump over terrain and land in the midst of battle breaking enemy moral.

I should mention that Retribution does make some changes to this formula, or rather adds some more variables that allows you more tactical options. You see, now before you start a mission you are able to bench any ‘hero’ unit and replace it with a much larger, specialized squad. For example, if you don’t want to use your Tech Priest, you can swap in standard Space Marines, a Terminator Squad, or even a Dreadnaught.

The big selling point for Retribution is that you are now able to play as the Imperial Guard. On top of that, Retribution features a single player campaign for every faction in the game (before the Chaos Space Marines, Eldar, Tyranid and Orks were only playable in multiplayer). While it’s fun to see how the other faction play, I do have a major complain about the single player campaign; they’re all basically the same thing. Regardless of which faction you choose, you’re going to end up playing the same levels with similar objectives. Sure the different factions has their own unique units, play styles and endings, but it’s just a little disappointing to be playing the same levels over and over again. One thing that can add some life to the singleplayer campaign is that you can play through the game co-op with a friend.

Don’t take this to mean that there is no replay value in the game, though. The multiplayer will keep you entertained for a long while. There’s the standard versus mode called skirmish, where players choose their faction and hero unit, amass an army and then duke it out. There’s plenty of options and strategic avenues to explore ensuring an entertaining and dynamic experience.

My personal favorite multiplayer mode is called “Last Stand.” Basically a co-op horde mode game, each player chooses a persistent hero (meaning it levels up across games) and tries to hold out for as long as they can against wave after wave of AI enemies. Nothing beats kicking back with a few beers and some buddies as your badass heroes send wave after wave of goons to a bloody grave.

In terms of presentation, Retribution delivers on all fronts. The visuals are simply fantastic even when you zoom the camera in as far as possible, which you’ll want to do to check out all the battle animations in their full gory glory. Nothing beats seeing a Space Marine Dreadnaught pick up an Ork unit and literally tear it in half.

I should also take a moment to mention the voice acting. Now, I’m usually a harsh critic of the half-assed voice acting that plagues most games, but I have to admit Relic went all out for Retribution. You can hear bravado in the voices of the Imperial Guard as they charge into battle, the insanity that has crept into the minds of the Chaos Space Marines, and the dopeyness of the Ork hordes. I could not be more pleased with the sound and voice acting in Retribution.

All in all Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II: Retribution is a great addition to the series. Despite the lackluster variety in the singleplayer campaigns, the option of playing through cooperatively with a friend and the various other multiplayer modes easily make up for it. If you’re a fan of the RTS genre who has gotten tired of the all to popular macromanagement focus in modern games, do yourself a favor and checkout Retribution. It’s a standalone expansion, so you don’t need to buy the previous games, plus it’s reasonably priced at $30. What more could you ask for?

Today Blizzard Entertainment released the first new official custom map for its insanely popular RTS StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Dubbed ‘Burning Tide,’ the new map pits two teams of three against each other in a race to reach a set number of resources.

Think that sounds easy enough? Well, of course there’s a twist. Much like the campaign level ‘The Devil’s Playground,’ Burning Tide features periodic lava flood which interrupt your resource gathering.

In order to get your hands on this new map all you have to do it log into StarCraft II and join a Custom Game that’s running Burning Tide. You’ll automatically download it and be ready to rock.

Personally I’ve always liked these little custom maps. They provide a nice break from the seriousness of league play. When I’m pulling my hair out because my partner and I are trapped in the Limbo of Rank 1 Platinum, I’ll often take a break to unwind with some custom games.

What about you guys? Do you ever venture into the realm of Custom Games, or do you stick to league play? Does Burning Tide sound like something you’d be interested in?  Would you like to see more maps like this from Blizzard? Let us know what you think with a comment below.

Source: Shacknews.com

Today Blizzard Entertainment revealed that within the first month of it’s release, StartCraft II has sold three million copies. The crazy thing is, one million of those copies were sold on launch day. What’s even crazier is that half of the three million were sold within the first 48 hours of release, setting “the record for fastest-selling strategy game of all time.”

Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime said, “We appreciate all the enthusiasm that players around the world have shown for StarCraft II. It was important to us to deliver an overall gameplay experience that was accessible, balanced, and fun, and it’s been gratifying to see how strongly the global community has already embraced the game.”

To be honest, I’m not too surprised by these numbers. The original StarCraft was by far one of the most (if not the most) celebrated and respected strategy games of all time. With it’s fantastic balance, variety of strategies, and built-in league integration, it comes as no surprise that SCII sold extremely well. Since it’s release, I’ve been playing on Battle.net almost every night. If you guys ever want to play, drop me a line. My Battle.net id is Yuenanimous.

What do you guys think about this story? Are you surprised SCII sold this many copies? If so, why? On a related note, how many of you guys are playing on Battle.net? Let us know with a comment below.

Source: Shacknews.com

Apparently StarCraft is getting some love at the university level. According to Kotaku, the University of Florida is using the real time strategy game to teach its students resource management skills. Before any of you slackers get excited (me included), the class featuring SC is only open to students in the honors college who have some familiarity with the game.

Taught by Nate Poling, a Ph.D candidate at UF, the class description reads, “With society becoming increasingly technology-based and fast-paced, it is important for professionals to be highly proficient in skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, resource management, and adaptive decision making. These skills are fundamental in Starcraft and therefore make the game a highly effective environment for students to analyze and take action in complex situations.”

In a recent interview with MIT’s Technology Review, Poling stated, “A student who gets a normal education, gets an MBA, and is in the business world, he could realize that something he learned in his StarCraft course helps him think outside of the box. You synthesize this with an MBA program and voila – you have an innovative business practice.”

I should state that UF isn’t the first college to include StarCraft into its curriculum. A few years ago California-Berkeley’s renowned Haas School of Business offered a course on competitive Starcraft.

Personally, I think this is a pretty cool idea. Unfortunately for me, Ohio State doesn’t really offer that many avant garde classes. The closest things I’ve heard to something like this comes from my brother. When he was going to Hamilton College he told me that his roommate, who was majoring in history, had to lead a class discussion on Medieval Total War. While that’s pretty cool, it’s no StarCraft 101.

What do you guys think about this? Does your school offer anything remotely close to a class on StarCraft? How about other videogames? On a related note, what games do you think would be great for higher education purposes?

Today publisher THQ announced that strategy game giant Relic will release a second expansion to its popular Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II franchise. Dubbed WH40K: Dawn of War 2 – Retribution, the new expansion promises to add new playable races as well as new game modes and units.

According to producer Jeff Lydell, “We all love the [Space Marine] Blood Ravens here at Relic Entertainment but there are also a lot of fans of the other races and armies out there. [S]o we decided that Retribution should allow the player the freedom to experience the campaign from the perspective they select.”

He added, “As well as the single player campaign, Retribution will feature new multiplayer units, maps and an entire new playable faction.” For those of you who are keeping score, that means that we could see the Dark Eldar, Imperial Guard, Tau, or the Necrons in Retribution.

Apparently Retribution will take place several years after the events of DoWII: Chaos Rising. Players will be able to experience the single-player campaign from various points of views thanks to Relic including “the first multiple-race single player campaign in the Dawn of War II series.” So far, the only new race to be revealed is the Orks.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution is currently slated to arrive on the PC sometime in the first quarter of 2011.

What do you guys think about this? I know that I’m excited. As most of you probably know, I’m a huge Warhammer 40K fan; going so far as playing the table top game while in high school. I have played though both Dawn of War II and its expansion Chaos Rising and loved them both. If Relic can crank out another game that’s half as fun as DoW II and CR, I’m sold.

Are you guys excited for this? Are there any other Warhammer 40K fans out there? If so, what’s your favorite army? Did any of you play the table top game? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Source: Shacknews.com

Today EA announced that the next iteration of it’s popular series The Sims will take place in medieval times. Dubbed The Sims Medieval, the new title hopes to integrate RPG and strategy elements into their dollhouse simulator.

According to Scott Evans, general manager of developer The Sims Studio, “The Sims Medieval offers a new way for players to experience The Sims which we hope fans will enjoy, and it features gameplay that fans of strategy and role-playing games will find appealing such as controlling an entire kingdom and quest-based gameplay mechanics.”

So far, we know that quests will run the gamut “from crafting a legendary sword to arranging a royal wedding, to protecting the kingdom from an evil sorcerer, to finding the fountain of youth.”

Sounds pretty interesting, if you ask me. I’ve always enjoyed The Sims series, albeit in short amounts. I never really stick with it because I get bored without clearly defined objectives. Hopefully these quests and the RPG/strategy elements will offer me something that keeps me coming back for more.

What do you guys think? Will this merger between dollhouse and RPG/strategy prove fruitful? Does The Sims Medieval pique your interest? If so, mark spring 2011 on your calendar. That’s when the game hits stores.

Source: Shacknews.com

Yesterday Blizzard Entertainment announced that it will be making some major changes to it’s forums in preparation for StarCraft II and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. The biggest thing being changed is that “anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID — that is, their real-life first and last name.”

That’s right folks, anonymity on the Blizzard forums is going to die. According to the official posting, “These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. Certain classic forums, including the classic Battle.net forums, will remain unchanged.”

It is important to note that these changes will only be applied to the new StarCraft II forums and the new WoW forums. “All posts here on the current World of Warcraft forums, or any of our classic Battle.net forums, will remain as-is. They won’t (and can’t) automatically switch to showing a real first and last name.”

As you would expect, much of the gaming community is up in arms about these changes. In order to quell some of the resistance, a Blizzard employee posted his full name on the forums. In a matter of minutes, all of his personal information was posted on the Blizzard forums.

While this new policy may stop flame wars, personally I think this is an awful idea. Just looking at all the info the nefarious people on the Internet were able to scrounge up on the Blizzard employee makes me sick. I honestly can’t believe that Blizzard didn’t expect this kind of reaction. I can tell you that I will not be posting on the Blizzard forum any time soon for fear of the nutcases out there.

What do you guys think? Will this new policy change your interactions on the Blizzard forums? Do you think Blizzard is out of line sharing this kind of information? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Today independent developer Muzzy Lane announced that its World War II turn based grand strategy PC title Making History II has been released in both retail stores as well as digital distribution outlets (Impulse, Gamers Gate, and Making-history.com).

Allowing gamers to “experience grand strategy on an epic scale,” Making History II boasts that it’s “More than simply winning battles, MHII is about exercising diplomacy and waging war. Players might choose to invade a neighboring country, use espionage against allies and enemies, or destabilize a government by crippling their economy.”

If the gameplay wasn’t enough of a draw for you, Making History II also features social networking functionality (“personal user pages, a web-enabled messaging system, friend lists, and more”) though it’s making-history.com website. Muzzy Lane also promises that after its game hosting service launches this summer “MHII players will have access to “leaderboards, multiplayer matchmaking, persistent hosted games, and group management support to the site.”

According to Dave McCool, president and CEO of Muzzy Lane: “We believe Making History II is offering a unique and satisfying experience for strategy fans, with deeper and more interesting gameplay, a devious AI and superior graphics that deliver more information visually. While this release is a major milestone, we want players and fans to know that this is just the beginning of what we have planned for them.  More features and updates delivered automatically, editing tools, and especially the multiplayer service.  Our Gaming Headquarters gives our community a place to gather and communicate with each other and with us.   We’ll respond to their input and continue to improve MHII in the months ahead!”

If you are interested in Making History II note that I am currently playing though it for review. Don’t quote me, but I’ll try and have the review up in a week or so.

Anyone who is familiar with the indie developer ACE Team should know not to be too surprised when its newly announced game, Rock of Ages, is described as “a game of fast-paced strategy, high art… and gigantic boulders of doom.”

Rock of Ages is strategy game where players must construct defenses and raise armies to help protect their castle from a giant marauding boulder, whom their opponent controls. While this may sound absolutely crazy, you should check out the trailer above before passing judgment.

If you think the premise is odd, wait till you hear about the “high art” aspect. According to publisher Atlus, “In addition to offering different terrains and challenges, your boulder will crash through different periods of classical art, introducing the player to a variety of authentic art styles and music from throughout much of human history.”

Right now, Rock of Ages is currently slated to arrive spring 2011 via digital distribution. No platforms have been announced yet, however an Xbox 360 and PC release seem  likely considering Zeno Clash ended up on both.

Personally I’m excited to try this game out. Maybe I’m mistaken, but this game seems to resemble that mini-game in Final Fantasy 7 where you had to fend off the enemy soldiers while protecting some bird on a mountain. I always enjoyed that mini-game and wished for a more fleshed out version. Hopefully Rock of Ages can satiate my weird cravings for obscure tower defense games.

What do you guys think? Does this sound interesting to you? Is this the sort of game you’d expect from the developers of Zeno Clash?

Source: Shacknews.com

Today publisher 2K Games announced that the next iteration of the critically acclaimed Civilization series will land on North American PCs September 21. The rest of the world will have to wait until the 24 to get in on the turn-based action.

Developed by Firaxis Games, Sid Meier’s Civilization V features numerous changes that significantly alter gameplay. These changes include, a newly created hex-based grid system, “a heightened tactical combat system; vast, realistic landscapes to explore; deeper diplomatic interactions; and an array of expanded features.”

Civilization V will utilize Valve’s Steamworks DRM system, meaning gamers are going to have to install Steam in order to play Civ V. On the bright side, that also means you get access to “auto-updating, Steam Achievements, downloadable content, multiplayer matchmaking and more.”

Am I the only one surprised by this news? Maybe I’m just going crazy, but I could have sworn that Civ V was just announced a few months ago. This seems like an awfully fast turn around, especially considering that the Civilization series is one of the most widely respected games series ever made.

What do you guys think? Does this seem quick to you? Are you excited about Civ V? Does the inclusion of Steamworks make you more likely or less likely to pick this game up?

Source: Shacknews.com

Today Real-time Strategy giant Relic announced that it will be bringing a free-to-play version of its WW2 title Company of Heroes to PCs this fall. Originally made for Asian markets, the free-to-play version, dubbed Company of Heroes Online,  features eight player multiplayer, “Specialization, commander customization, and persistent progression.”

In this version, each online win you achieve will earn you points. These points then can be used to purchase upgrades and “special units.” For those of you who don’t have the time to rack up enough points, there will also be the option of buying these upgrades and “special units” though microtransactions.

THQ’s Global Brand Management VP Travis Plane stated, “We are delighted to bring this award-winning franchise to gamers in a whole new way with the online version of the Company of Heroes experience. Players will benefit from the persistent upgrades and the ability to tailor their armies to really suit their play style making this a unique experience for everyone.”

According to the press release, the free-to-play version allows gamer to choose “from the brutal German Blitzkrieg to the deadly efficient Allied Airborne, each with its own combat style and unique Commander Abilities.” In total there are six playable factions.

Also included in this version is the full single-player campaign from the retail version.

As someone who has played through all of the Company of Heroes titles, I have to say that I’m very excited for this. I’m curious to see what changes have been made from the full on retail version. If you guys haven’t had a chance to check out CoH, come this fall you have some gaming to do.

Source: Gamasutra.com