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Aspyr Media recently announced it will be bringing Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization to Mac gamers in North America this holiday season. Released in partnership with 2K Games, Colonization is the fifth addition from Aspyr to the popular Civlization IV franchise and challenges players to lead one of four European nations on a quest to colonize the New World.

Developed by Firaxis Games, creators of the award-winning Civilization franchise, Colonization adds an entirely new scenario to the ever-evolving world of Civilization. In Colonization, players lead one of four European nations on a quest to colonize and thrive in the New World. Players are challenged to guide their people from the oppressive motherland; discover the New World; and negotiate, trade and fight as they acquire power and battle for their freedom and independence. Usher forth a new generation of Sid Meier’s Colonization with gameplay built on the award-winning Civilization IV engine, providing the beautiful visuals, famously addictive gameplay and endless fun that are synonymous with Sid Meier strategy games.

Features:
• Improved Diplomacy: Sustain peace and support your followers as you engage in advanced negotiations with natives, other colonists and the hostile homeland—Trade resources, gold and land as you build the foundation for a self sufficient and powerful colony.
• Brand New Interface: Both Civilization IV fans and players new to the series will feel right at home with an interface that Firaxis has built to be accessible and easy to navigate.
• Multiplayer Offers Endless Replay Value: Compete with friends from all over the world via the Internet and LAN modes, offering endless ways to conquer the New World.
• Detailed Tutorial Guides Players In Their Conquest: Civilization IV: Colonization will provide an enhanced tutorial that will help both fans of the game and brand new players on their way to ruling the New World.

Aspyr Media

Firaxis Games

Civilization IV: Colonization

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Runic Games has unveiled a new game trailer for its upcoming action-RPG, Torchlight. The video features footage of the game's Alchemist class. Torchlight will feature an easy to use interface for players of all skill levels, and a level randomizer to make each individual adventure unique.

Torchlight sets itself apart from other action-RPGs with its intuitive, approachable interface, which enables gamers of all skill levels to quickly immerse themselves into the rich game play and varied world of Torchlight. The level randomizer will ensure that each adventure is unique with different monsters, treasures, puzzles and items for players to find, defeat, and unlock. Through a powerful suite of development tools, Runic Games will empower players and game enthusiasts alike to create and share their own content and levels.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun: Torchlight Alchemist Vid

Runic Games

Torchlight

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Jeff Vogel, in a recent post on the official forums for Spiderweb Software, has offered a few more details about Avernum 6. The final installment in the long running Avernum/Exile fantasy RPG series will bring the games to an apocalyptic ending, wrapping up storylines for the land and its popular characters.

Things are still looking on track for a late November release for Macintosh. It's a huge world, but I'm almost done with it. I'm getting pretty exhausted, but I'm still kicking out a lot of cool, elaborate dungeons.

(For example, I just spent 2 days on an encounter where you escort a band of soldiers through caves infested with gremlins. Rest assured you will face a wide variety of peculiar and lethal practical jokes.)

The structure of the game is an overarching storyline, alternating with going out and putting out fires in most of the major locations in the series. Each of these semi-optional quests (you only have to do so many) is very elaborate, with lots of cool scripting, characters, and enemies.

Of course, there are also multitudes of optional dungeons, quests, and so on. The tradition of big Avernum games continues. And the demo is unusually large too. Probably not good for business, but it just works out that way sometimes. :-)

A beta tester decided that his day wouldn't be complete without going out and unnecessarily panicking everybody, so he wrote that there is a harsh requirement to have food in the game. This is not true. I actually was in the process of strongly dropping the food requirement. You need food every once in a while to remind you what is happening in the world, but this will not be something people will find a hassle.

Finding food is tough for most Avernites, but it won't be hard for you. Unsurprisingly, the brigands and bad guys you are hunting tend to be the ones who are hoarding the food.

And the ending for Avernum itself is now written. It's, well, it's a very "me" sort of ending, bittersweet, neither triumphant nor utterly disastrous. (Assuming, of course, you don't try to wreak havoc.) I'm really happy with it.

Spiderweb Forums: Avernum 6 September Update

Spiderweb Software

Avernum 6

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GamerSyndrome has published a new preview of Two Worlds II. The upcoming game from TopWare Interactive and Reality Pump will send players to the unexplored land of Eastern Antaloor and will feature detailed graphics, an active combat system, and a complex storyline.

The size of the world in Two Worlds II would be nearly 60km. Reality Pump promise us that the world will be filled with NPC’s and adventures. The game will have 5 factions – 3 official and 2 hidden. Each one will have it’s own quest line and a reputation system. You can become the leader of each faction. The developers say, that each character will have his own secrets. I sure hope for at least a few twists and turns like the farmer with the pig actually being an evil necromancer (with the pig actually being an undead dragon). We’ll wait and see. Reality Pump also promise us moral dilemmas in almost every quest – one such example is the following: The residents of a village want you to kill a necromancer in a nearby forest. While strawing you are attacked by evil beasts and the necromancer himself, saves you. His side of the story is different – he’s there to protect the forest from the creatures drawn by the evil in the village. Every choice has a consequence.

You get the picture – Two Worlds II will give you even more freedom while playing. The main problem in the original game was the lack of balance. Reality Pump promise us they learned they’re lesson and the entire game has been re-balanced. The battle system will have 4 types of basic attacks, block and 6 special abilities. Reality Pump also say, that we’ll be able to use items lying around against your enemies There is also a whole new crafting system – you’ll even be able to start your own blacksmithing service for people and repair their items. There’s also a dye system.

Reality Pump promise us that Two Worlds II will be the first RPG to give you complete control over your character with the unique physics. Second, the multiplayer. We’ll have a way to connect to other players and team up with up to 7 of them(the maximum amount of players in a party is 8). Then we’ll be able to go beating other players or go instancing, just like in any MMORPG.

GamerSyndrome: Two Worlds II

Two Worlds II

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