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Inside Mac Games has posted a new review of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty from Blizzard Entertainment. The real-time strategy game continues the story of the Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss with an expanded single player campaign, and features all new units and strategies for multiplayer fans to explore.

Here's an excerpt from the review:

There are numerous new features that make StarCraft II easily worth the purchase. The new matchmaking system on Battle.Net, for example, allows you to quickly find a match around your skill level, places you in a league, and gives you the ability to have separate rankings for team play depending on the teammate you're using at the time. This greatly enhances the multiplayer experience for those under pro level, as they generally get matched up against players that are closer to their level of skill. It also prevents the "ganking" done by experienced players who pretend to be new, as their record would place them in leagues outside of the beginner rankings.

In addition, the single-player campaign is easily one of the best ever found in a strategy game. There are 3D cutscenes before and after every mission, upgrades that can be researched or purchased depending on your success in the missions you choose to take, achievements for various challenges along the way, meaningful difficulty levels, an optional mini-campaign, and even a few splits where you have to pick one mission over the other. Everything about the campaign feels polished, and it would be good enough to stand by itself as a full-fledged game. The fact that it's only one-third of the SC2 trilogy is the only drawback, as the campaign leaves you on a note where you just want to see what comes next. You'll still have to wait, though, as the next game/expansion looks like it won't be out for at least a year.

IMG Reviews StarCraft II: Wings Of Liberty

Blizzard Entertainment

StarCraft II: Wings Of Liberty

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Winter Wolves has announced the release of a beta demo for its upcoming game Vera Blanc: Ghost in the Castle, the second title in the mystery adventure series. Episodes follow Vera and Brandon, her paranormal detective partner, as they investigate cases involving supernatural creatures like werewolves, vampires, zombies, and ghosts.

This time, Vera and Brandon are investigating a mysterious ghost that is haunting a castle in a town in the middle of the Italian countryside. A local famous businessman, Roberto Anastasi, wants Vera to solve the ghost problem, because he doesn’t want the town filled by tourists. The first day seems to be rather quiet and relaxing, but as soon as the night comes, Vera will have a short encounter with the ghost! A short chase in the woods that ends up in an opening and a man hanged on a tree!

Winter Wolves

Vera Blanc

GameTrailers TV has posted a new preview of Valve Software's upcoming puzzler, Portal 2. The video includes gameplay footage and commentary from Valve's Erik Wolpaw. Portal 2 will expand upon the storyline of the original and include more puzzles and a unique multiplayer mode.

Check out the new footage at the link below.

GameTrailers TV: Portal 2 Preview

Valve Software

Portal 2

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GameZone has published a new review of Hearts of Iron 3: Semper Fi. The first expansion for the World War II strategy game includes improved enemy AI and perks based on play style. GameZone gave Hearts of Iron III: Semper Fi a score of 7 out of 10.

From the review:

The selling points for the game include improved AI that acts more realistically and adaptive than before, hidden victory conditions, an in-game year’s worth of new missions and events, and a host of other smaller changes. The game’s AI is noticeably better than it was in the base game, and no longer does frustrating moves like unit stacking while still acting logically to the moves that you make. This makes playing the game a lot less frustrating while giving you an opportunity to actually exercise some strategy instead of reacting to the once cheap AI.
Another welcome addition grants you special perks depending on how you play. These effects basically give you specific boosts for your military based off of how you build it up. These upgrades will give you new units and special stat improvements according to your focus, which is a great element to add to the formula. There are even negative strategic effects, improving development in one area while making certain elements more difficult.
Semper Fi also brings on board changes to the interface, including the aesthetics that make commanding your operation much easier. A new system shows which of your headquarters are running certain parts of your operation, making the game much more intuitive and easy to play. This is another way that Semper Fi improves on one of the more frustrating elements of the base game.

GameZone: HoI3 Semper Fi Review

Virtual Programming

Hearts Of Iron 3: Semper Fi

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