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Atari announced they’re working on the first expansion pack for the award-winning RPG, Neverwinter Nights 2, called Mask of the Betrayer.

In Mask of the Betrayer players return to the Forgotten Realms right after the events that took place in the original Neverwinter Nights. After the last battle against the King of Shadows, the hero wakes up alone and lost deep beneath the earth and is forced to embark on a journey to reveal his true destiny.

The game is set in Rasemen near the powerful nation of Thay and promises to present players with exciting campaign, new races, dozens of spells and features, new weapons, armor and crafting options, base classes and prestige classes, new companions and enhanced modding tools.

Neverwinter Nights 2 : Mask of the Betrayer is scheduled to be released in Fall 2007.

I consider this The Return of the RTS King because the C&C series, from my point of view, is the best strategy game ever made…and plus KANE IS BACK!!!

Ever since I heard EA started working on Tiberium Wars I knew they were going to come up with a good, solid game but I have to say that they exceeded even my high expectations. Command&Conquer 3 is definitely one of the best RTS games in recent history.

<-120x240 Vertical Banner - right->Frankly I don’t even know where to start, there are just so many things to say about this digital masterpiece. In the single player mode you’ll be able to choose between the GDI campaign and the NOD campaign, both of which are very well structured and offer the same storyline from opposing viewpoints. The action takes place in a time when tiberium deposits have spread to the point where there are just few safe areas left. This doesn’t only mean the environment has gone straight to hell but also a war-torn world, for he who controls tiberium controls the future. The twist in the plot is represented by the Scrin, an alien race who invades Earth in search of tiberium.

Unfortunately you won’t be able to play as the Scrin in the campaigns, but you can enjoy this original and unusual faction in skirmishes and multiplayer battles. The campaign missions are very varied, you’ll need not only obliterate your enemy or defend, but also some bonus objectives like capturing buildings, taking out enemy defenses, prevent them from launching nukes, teaming up with arch enemies to defend against the alien invasion…one thing is foe certain, you won’t be bored.

The AI in C&C 3 is very resourceful and it will exploit your every weakness. Now you won’t realize this in the beginning but after the first two acts you’ll really have to come up with some kind of strategy to triumph over your foe. You won’t be able to keep attackers at bay just by building one powerful unit type or two because every unit(and I mean EVERY UNIT) has a weakness. Also players with a more defensive approach will have to rethink their strategy because the action in this game is lightning fast and it won’t allow you to build up an impenetrable fortress, you’ll have to take the action to the enemy as fast as you can.

The battle theaters are very impressive as well, you will travel from Washington DC to North Africa, Eastern Europe and even The Amazon Basin. They are all wonderfully designed with recognizable settings and landmarks that make them seem genuine.

The units look good, especially the Scrin, they are not so varied as in other games of the genre and the upgrades are also few, but meaningful. You’ll be able to increase units’ armor, equip them with jetpacks, equip tanks with better cannons…you know, all the good stuff.

The factions have a different fighting style and this is what makes them unique. The GDI have a very direct approach with their mammoth tanks and juggernauts while the NOD rely on sneaky and stealthy attacks using stealth tanks and viper bombers to infiltrate the enemy base and take him by surprise. Still the two are very balanced and if you master their fighting style you’ll win no mater what side you choose. The Scrin however are a bit unusual. While the ability to gather infinite tiberium without having to build silos might seem appealing they are a very complex race and you have to get used to their units, buildings and upgrades before challenging someone.

But the part where Tiberium Wars really signs is the multiplayer mode. Let’s be honest, this is what any RTS should concentrate most on. And the guys at EA have really outdone themselves with this one. There are almost 25 maps to choose from for up to 8 players…and all have strategically placed tiberium deposits and tiberium nodes that will make for intense battles that you won’t soon forget. The game features leader bords and clan support as well as a feature called Battle Cast which allows you to broadcast your game in real time to anyone who downloads the free Battle Cast client. You can even have a commentator coment the battle byusing the built-in telestrator…brilliant.

The audio is authentic, all the units make specific sounds when they’re given orders and the Scrin make a constant alien-ish noise. The voice acting is also very credible and adds to game intense action. Also the in-game movies are fine touch. Featuring an impressive cast of real life actors, including Hollywood legend Michael Ironside, they make believe you’re a aprt of a multi million dollars blockbuster…and that is no small feat.

C&C 3 is a must play for all RTS fans and should not be missed for any reason. It will keep you busy and satisfied for a long time to come. Weather you’re playing the single player or the multiplayer modes you’ll love it.

Seth, the evil god of chaos and destruction of the Egyptian mythology has escaped his sealed prison where he had been cast after being defeated by Osiris and the other Egyptian gods and he is ready to take revenge and destroy the world. Who’s going to stop him??? Well...you are.

Loki is an action role playing game developed by Cyanide Studios, the people who created Chaos League. You’ll take control of one of 4 available heroes and embark on an epic journey throughout four different mythologies(North, Greek, Aztec and Egyptian) to stop Seth from achieving his goal.

You’ll be able to fight against mythological creatures such as Fenrir the wolf, Fafnir the dragon, Medusa and others and encounter characters like Achiles, Thor, Akhenaton, Cortes and many more.

The game will also feature a PvP mode inside an on-line arena and an on-line challenge mode.

Ships out June 2007

<-250x250 Square - left->If you are an RPG enthusiast and the name Gothic doesn't tell you anything then… you’re not an RPG enthusiast.

This game is a classic of the genre and the first game in the series can truly be considered a pioneer in many ways. So considering the success of the first two games it's only natural that the producers decided to release a third one. But…does Gothic 3 have what it takes? Let's find out.

The 3rd installment in the RPG series lets you play as the same nameless hero from the first two games. After vanquishing all kinds of foes (from orcs and goblins to trolls and even ghosts) on the prison island he had been exiled to, in Gothic 3 our hero arrives on the mainland where the human kingdom is enslaved and oppressed by the bloodthirsty orcs.

Those of you who took the time and played any of the Gothic games surely appreciated at least the length of the game, its complexity and the beautiful open-ended world ready for you to explore. So after this long wait you were probably expecting a really good game. And I think that if you’re able to overlook some technical problems most of you won’t be disappointed.

The graphics are absolutely wonderful provided you have a powerful enough graphics card, the sounds are also very impressive and the voice acting isn’t bad (the hero’s voice finally got a little tougher, yey!) and even the gameplay improved a bit (Gothic 3 has all the previous’ games strongpoints, like all those special side missions and the useful activities, but also a much better combat system, for example now one click means one swing of the sword, which really makes combat a lot simpler.

The story in Gothic 3 picks up where Gothic 2 left off and it contains a lot of the characters and artifacts from the first two installments so you might think it will probably be better understood and appreciated by Gothic fans…buuut it’s so well built and so interesting that in the end it will surely appeal to everyone.

Unfortunately Gothic 3 also has some defects mostly due to its technical issues .For example in some missions you have to escort some characters and most of the time they either get stuck on solid objects or have problems finding their way. Also unless you have a powerful system (at least a 256 ram graphics card and 1,5Gb of ram) you’ll encounter difficulties every time a new area opens up. It’s a damn shame too, that such a great interactive game be set back by avoidable technical problems but that’s just how it is.

In conclusion Gothic 3 can be considered one of the greatest games of the RPG genre and I really recommend you give it a try, I guarantee you’ll grow to love it, But only if you have a strong enough machine to spare you all the technical issues frustration.