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Inside Mac Games has posted a new review of Battlefront.com's Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy. The game is set during the turbulent battles of World War II, dropping players into the midst of tactical land warfare in western France.

Here's an excerpt from the review:

In addition to an improved enemy AI, your units, as mentioned above, have brains as well. If you try to send them into a frontal assault on a machine gun, they are likely to ignore your orders, and maybe even retreat from the battlefield. For that reason, you need to keep a close eye on your men. You have detailed information for every soldier in CM:BN. When you click on a unit at the bottom of the screen you have information for the whole unit and information for each soldier. Furthermore, on the battle screen, usually on the left, in green you are given information on what each soldier in the unit is doing, including cowering, spotting, aiming, firing, etc. They will even be medics for injured fellow soldiers. To be successful, you need to keep track of how your individual soldiers and your units are doing, and not expect too much of them.

IMG Review: Combat Mission Battle For Normandy

Battlefront.com

Combat Mission: Battle For Normandy

Buy Combat Mission: Battle For Normandy

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Reality Pump has released a new patch for its fantasy RPG, Two Worlds II. Version 1.3 offers a variety of bug fixes and updates, including improved AI for summoned monsters. Two Worlds II sends players to the unexplored land of Eastern Antaloor and features detailed graphics, an active combat system, and a complex storyline.

Here's a partial list of updates in version 1.3:

Summoned monsters AI has been improved,

Hero will no longer accelerate unnaturally when sprinting downhill,

Enemies will now properly navigate around campfires,

Village shops will now properly generate Necromancer items,

Pathfinding of Steria (New Ashos) improved, so she wil not get stuck,

Trampling mobs in towns will be properly recognized as a crime by the guards,

Casting incantations are now randomly played with reduced frequency,

Falling damage reduction spell has been improved,

Jump Strike will now perform even when activated during a series of regular attacks

Two Worlds II 1.3 Download

Two Worlds II

Buy Two Worlds II

Space Game Junkie has posted a new interview with Soldak Entertainment's Steven Peeler about the company's upcoming sci-fi project. The interview covered specifcs about the spacecraft players will use, the player's role in galactic conflict between races, and combat complexity.

Brian: In regards to ship combat, how will that be handled? Will it be somewhat detailed like Starfleet Command or Starpoint Gemini — with different shield and weapon arcs, for example — or will it be a more simplistic affair? Where will combat take place? Will it be in real time out in the open expanses of space, or will it zoom into a more detailed arena-type view as in Starflight or Star Control II?

Steven: Combat will be real-time and in the open expanses of space. I don’t think we will have the complexities of things like weapon arcs. I think things like weapons arcs are really cool in turn based games, but get to be a bit much in real-time. Targeting in general will be pretty easy and simple. The tactics comes into play when you decide where to use your limited energy (beam weapons, tractor beam, torpedoes, etc), when and if you use an expensive consumable, whether or not to focus on offensive weapons or defensive measures, and when to run away.

Space Game Junky: Soldak Interview

Soldak Entertainment

Electronic Arts has announced the release of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters for Mac and Windows PCs. The game gives golf enthusiasts and gamers the chance to experience the iconic Masters Tournament and Augusta National Golf Club. An additional 14 championship courses are included, such as Pebble Beach, St. Andrews Links, and TPC at Sawgrass.

Start your journey down the “Road to the Masters” with Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters. For the first time in franchise history, players will be able to experience the rich history and tradition of the Masters Tournament. Play the famed Augusta National Golf Club, relive and recreate several historical Masters Moments and fully immerse yourself in the experience of playing in the Masters. Embark on the “Road to the Masters” as your career begins on the amateur tour and work your way through the Nationwide Tour, Q-School, and finally, the PGA TOUR. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters has something for every golf fan and also includes access to extensive online features via a three-month Membership to Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online!

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters for PC/Mac includeshost of gameplay features including:

• Road to the Masters:Start your journey down the “Road to the Masters” as your career begins on the amateur tour and you work your way through Q-School, Nationwide Tour and the PGA TOUR. Experience the rich history and tradition of the Masters Tournament and begin your chase to capture the most sought-after prize in professional golf – the Green Jacket.
  
• Masters Moments: Play through memorable, historic moments as you try to measure up against some of the sport’s greatest legends.
  
• Tiger at the Masters: Relive each of Tiger’s four wins at the Masters by attempting to equal or beat his scores in each round of the Tournament.
  
• Inside Augusta: Hole-by-hole descriptions of one of the most famous courses in the world – Augusta National Golf Club.
  
• 14 Championship Courses: In addition to Augusta National Golf Club and its Par 3 Course, take on the best of the best on some of the world’s most celebrated courses including Pebble Beach®, St. Andrews Links®, TPC™ at Sawgrass and many more!
  
• Photo Game Face: Upload your own image and create your golfer using the Photo Game Face technology.

Requirements:

• OS: Mac OS X 10.6 or higher
  
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo (1.8 GHz) (Game will not run on a PowerPC Macintosh)
  
• RAM: At least 1 GB
  
• HARD DRIVE: At least 6 GB of free space
  
• VIDEO: ATI Radeon x1600 128 MB; NVIDIA Geforce FX 5200 64 MB or better
  
• INPUT: Keyboard and mouse
  
• ONLINE CONNECTION REQUIREMENTS: 768 Kbps or faster Internet connection

Recommended:

• OS: Mac OS 10.6.8 or higher
  
• CPU: Intel Xeon Dual-Core (2.0 GHz) (Game will not run on a PowerPC Macintosh)
  
• RAM: At least 2 GB
  
• HARD DRIVE: At least 6 GB of free space
  
• VIDEO: AMD Radeon HD 6490M 256MB; Nvidia GeForce 7300GT, 256 MB or better
  
• INPUT: Keyboard and mouse
  
• ONLINE CONNECTION REQUIREMENTS: 7 Mbps or faster Internet connection

Electronic Arts

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters

Buy Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters

In a new interview with Inside Mac Games, Virtual Programming CEO Mark Hinton discussed some of the upcoming game titles gamers can expect from the company this year, including Hearts of Iron 3: For The Motherland and World Golf Challenge 2011. Hinton also discussed Lion compatibility patches for VP games.

What does Virtual Programming have on the schedule for the remainder of the year?

Mark Hinton: Inside VP, we're really excited about Hearts of Iron 3: For the Motherland, which takes players back to World War II and the situation in the Soviet Union between 1936 and 1948. Among the new features is the partisan system, which lets you organize an underground resistance.

We're also looking forward to World Challenge Golf 2011, which stars golf pro Hank Haney, who used to be Tiger Woods' coach. That one is a serious competitor to Tiger's own game.

And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention Europa Universalis III Chronicles, which bundles the original game and its expansions in one handy package, as well as Elven Legacy, where fantasy themes reign.

IMG: Virtual Programming Interview

Virtual Programming

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