Yesterday, in an attempt to build anticipation for upcoming RTS blockbuster StarCraft II (as if gamers weren’t already peeing their pants with excitement), Blizzard announced that the newly revamped Battle.net will feature Facebook integration.

According to the press release, “the integration will enable StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty players to quickly add Blizzard gamers who are friends on Facebook to their Battle.net friend lists, facilitating their social gaming experience on the service.” Read more… »

I can’t really say I’ve been counting the days until Ubisoft’s new strategy title hits store shelves, so I’m not exactly devastated to hear it has been pushed back until September 2010 from the original June date.

What does surprise me is the honest reason that Ubisoft has given.  Over the past month or so Ubisoft have held open beta tests of the product, which has apparently culminated in them being overwhelmed with feedback.  Announced on the game’s Facebook page earlier today was the reasoning behind the change of date.

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Having finally invested in a laptop that has a better graphics card than the Etch-A-Sketch-esque specs of my previous rig, I figured it was time to look into revisiting some PC-specific franchises. So, while the masses lined up to gawk at boobs from the 50′s in Mafia II at the 2K Games area, I instead joined a small group in the back for a guided hands-off demo of the latest iteration of the Sid Meier juggernaut, Civilization 5.

While the Civ franchise has continually refined its gameplay mechanics, many of the staples of combat and exploration have remained static. After seeing the changes to combat, gameworld, and user interface, it looks like the Firaxis team has moved the venerated turn-based strategy game another rung up the tech tree. I came out of the demo excited to be a PC gamer again.

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Today strategy game developer Gas Powered Games announced a new “epic real-time strategy game” for the PC and unspecified ‘next-gen’ consoles, that is said to offer a “one-of-a-kind experience.”

Dubbed Kings and Castles, the new game puts gamers in the shoes of “one of three powerful kings who are vying for control of an all-new, original fantasy world.” Similar to Supreme Commander, Kings and Castles also boasts “the ability to zoom to any level, incredible maps, and eye-popping visuals that will run on a wide range of systems.” Read more… »

Today publisher Ubisoft announced that Related Designs’s historical city builder Anno 1404: Dawn of Discovery will be getting a downloadable expansion February 25. Dubbed the “Venice” expansion, players can expect a whole slew of new content that will add hours upon hours of fun.

Included among the additions is: co-op and competitive multiplayer, the new Venice setting, a new “Volcano” island type, new units, new items, more quests, and new scenarios. All in all, it sounds like a major update. Read more… »

Today Blizzard revealed that there will be a Protoss “mini-campaign” integrated into the Terran-centric singleplayer campaign in StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty.

According to a forum post by Stefanie Gwinner, Blizzard’s European RTS community manager, “I can confirm that there will be a Protoss mini-campaign that lets you control Protoss units.” She went on to say “This part of the campaign mode is of course way shorter than the Terran part, but it is very fun to have a very different playstyle to add even more variety to the game. [Y]ou won’t be using all units or getting to know buildings and upgrades.” Read more… »

Yesterday publisher Square Enix revealed the release date for the mech-tastic RTS Supreme Commander 2. Developed by Gas Powered Games, the sequel is slated to arrive on the PC on March 2. The Xbox 360 version will arrive a few days later on March 16.

According to Gas Powered Games founder Chris Taylor, “The partnership with Square Enix has been a highlight of my career. I couldn’t be more proud of what the team has accomplished, as the game has continually exceeded all of my expectations throughout its development.

In addition to this news, Square Enix released some new in-game footage. To check it out, hit the jump. Read more… »

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about Command & Conquer 4. Last we reported, EA was looking for fan input on unit names. Today EA sent out nine new screenshots showcasing the new post-apocalyptic setting, as well as some units and effects.

I have to say, before checking out these images I was skeptical of a post-apocalyptic C&C game. Now that I’ve seen them, I am nothing but excited. All the units look incredibly detailed. The landscape is barren, but not lacking in character. The weapon effects all look unique enough to make identifying them on the fly easy.  All in all, I think that C&C 4 is shaping up nicely. But enough of my impressions.

Hit the jump to check out the screenshots. While you’re at it, let us know what you think be leaving a comment below.
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Today developer Relic released the patch notes for Dawn of War 2‘s upcoming free add-on, dubbed ‘Last Stand.’

Featuring a new multiplayer survival mode, as well as balancing tweaks and new maps, Last Stand promises to please fans when it arrives tomorrow, October 14.

For the official patch notes, hit the jump. Read more… »

This week’s beta patch for Heroes of Newerth introduced the latest character to the ever growing hero roster. Sand Wraith is pretty much a straight up port of DOTAs Spectre… except  the gender, and obviously the model have been changed.

Check out the skill set after the break!

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Today the developer behind the popular Warcraft 3 mod Defense of the Ancients: Allstars, known only as ‘IceFrog,’ announced that he is going to be leading a team of developers at Valve.

According to IceFrog, this is “great news for DotA fans.” He stated, “I finally have all the resources needed to do some very exciting stuff that you guys will love,” notes IceFrog. “As I’ve said many times in the past and especially after today’s developments, I am very excited about DotA’s future!” Read more… »

Today publisher Paradox announced that three expansion packs are currently in development for Ino-Co’s fantasy strategy title Elven Legacy. According to Paradox, all three should arrive before the year is over.

The first expansion, dubbed Elven Legacy - Ranger, is slated to arrive Oct. 20 and will add 16 new campaign levels and two new heroes.

To find out about the other two, hit the jump. Read more… »