Futuremark Games Studio, responsible for the hit title Shattered Horizon, are today inviting PC gamers and fans of tower defense style games to sign up now for the Unstoppable Gorg closed beta test due to begin in the next couple of weeks. Unstoppable Gorg is a thrilling space defense game inspired by vintage sci-fi films from the 1940s and 50s. The game builds on the core tower defense mechanics that fans love while breaking the genre’s conventions with a unique orbital layout and the unmatched ability to move towers by rotating orbits.

Interested in getting in on the action?

The beta is open to all PC gamers with a minimum requirement of Windows XP and DirectX 9 hardware. To apply for the beta either sign up on Futuremark’s forums: http://bit.ly/GorgBeta Or ‘like’ Unstoppable Gorg on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/unstoppablegorg.

Let us know if you get in on the Beta as we would love to hear your thoughts! Below are some newly released screenshots and a trailer for you to enjoy!

Bingo Derby for Facebook is a true multiplayer game of chance that bingo buffs will enjoy as much as horse race enthusiasts. The goal is to bet your virtual money – at the right moment – on bingo cards whose rates change over the course of the round. Inspired as well by pachinko, a very popular game in Japan, Bingo Derby definitely has multiple facets to discover.

Bingo Derby becomes even more fun when you play with your Facebook friends. Encourage them to make risky bets… or have the last laugh by cashing in on a big bet!

The game is developed by C.A. Mobile, a Japanese company that specializes in the mobile industry and media integration. In order to break into the North American video game market, this Japanese company formed a partnership with ODD1 to help them launch a beta version of Bingo Derby, as well as to offer customer service and technical support.

This C.A.Mobile/ODD1 partnership will allow for the establishment of a long-term exploitation plan for Bingo Derby. Numerous updates are already planned, always aiming to adapt the game as best as possible to the North American market.

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To try the BETA version of Bingo Derby:

http://apps.facebook.com/bingoderby/

To access the Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=783370455#!/apps/application.php?id=238752363844&ref=mf

Futuremark® Games Studio today released a major update for Shattered Horizon™, their PC exclusive multiplayer first-person shooter. The update adds some of the most requested features from the game’s active community, including voice chat, a new rank system, tutorial content, 5:4 monitor support and point limited servers as well as fixing several bugs and issues. The game’s menus and audio have been given an overhaul and as an added bonus the studio has also released the soundtrack from Shattered Horizon to the community as a free download.

“This update which includes voice chat and other popular suggestions gathered directly from our community makes Shattered Horizon a better experience for all our players,” said Jaakko Haapasalo, producer at Futuremark Games Studio. “And with four new levels coming soon in the free Moonrise content pack Shattered Horizon will soon be even better value too.”

Significant New Features:

• Added in game voice chat support.
• Improved ranking system better tailored to both new and existing players.
• Cosmetic changes to player’s suit as rank is gained help distinguish between new and experienced players.
• Tutorial screens added to main menu.
• MPR grenades have been made more effective against flying targets.
• HUD targeting brackets no longer appear on spawning astronauts.
• Level loading, team selection and match results screens have been redesigned.
• All game audio has been re-mastered to improve dynamic range.
• Added support for 5:4 monitor resolutions such as 1280×1024.
• Servers can now be set to limit access to players above, below or between configurable point thresholds.
• Server browser list now refreshes player count, level and ping every few seconds. Dead servers are removed from list.
• Added Melee Only (MO) option to server configuration options.
• Fixes for several game and server bugs.

For the complete list of new features, changes, bug fixes and optimizations please visit the Futuremark Games Studio forums: http://futuremark.yougamers.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1318583

Soundtrack available as a free download:
By popular request, Futuremark Games Studio has released the soundtrack for Shattered Horizon composed by Markus “Captain” Kaarlonen of the band Poets of the Fall as a free download from the game’s official website: http://www.shatteredhorizon.com/media/soundtrack

About Shattered Horizon
Shattered Horizon is the innovative first game from Futuremark Games Studio that immerses you in the cold reality of zero gravity combat in space.

• Multiplayer first-person shooter set in near-Earth space 40 years from now.
• Experience intense zero gravity combat and complete freedom of movement. Use your rocket pack to fly freely through space then land on any surface.
• Join your friends in action-packed 32 player battles fighting to control hollowed-out asteroids, huge fragments of Moon rock and the ruined remains of the International Space Station.
• Four new levels coming soon in the free Moonrise content pack.

Shattered Horizon requires DirectX 10, a DirectX 10 compatible video card, and Windows Vista or Windows 7. There is no support for Windows XP or DirectX 9. Suggested retail price: €19.95 / $19.95 / £14.95

Shattered Horizon is available now from Steam and the official website: http://www.shatteredhorizon.com/buynow/

A fledgling empire in an untamed paradise awaits your decree in Settlement: Colossus, the latest offering for PC from Alawar Entertainment, one of the world’s leading publishers of casual games. This captivating adventure is available now for download exclusively at www.alawar.com/game/settlement-colossus for only $9.95.

Cursed by his god, robbed of his true love and with his once proud and shining city laid to ruin by his enemies, a 300-year-old emperor is forced to search for a new homeland in Settlement: Colossus. After years of wandering and hardship, he and his small band of loyal followers discover a ripe, uninhabited plain. In this innovative combination of hidden object and strategy game play, players gather resources, solve puzzles and research new materials, guiding the efforts of these pilgrims to construct a new and thriving city and complete the emperor’s mission to win back his god’s favor.

Key Features:

• Challenge both your mind and your powers of perception as you gather 7,000+ hidden items and play over 50 mini-games.
• Discover 30 different types of life-saving resources, along with special tools, charms and magical items that will help your settlers thrive.
• Explore 62 lush and gorgeous locations, accompanied by the game’s beguiling soundtrack and ambient effects.
• Research, invent and advance your civilization with more than 100 upgrades, optimizing the allocation of resources.
• Collect 14 trophies by completing various challenges and become a true champion of the people.

“The developers at Alawar Five-BN impressed us yet again with their creative blending of two of our most popular game genres,” said Kirill Plotnikov, Alawar’s vice president of publishing. “We’re proud to offer Settlement: Colossus as the latest in a long line of compelling casual game experiences from one of our top internal development studios.”

Settlement: Colossus intertwines the fun of hidden object games and the satisfaction of city-building strategy with the thread of an engaging storyline to weave an enchanting tapestry enjoyable by all ages. Settlement: Colossus is available for download now at www.alawar.com and will launch on other major download portals later this month.

Purchase and download the full version
Download the trial version
Follow Alawar Entertainment on Twitter

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GamerSyndrome.com is proud to announce that they will be giving away 100 closed beta keys for the Battle of the Immortals Closed Beta. Battle of the Immortals is developed by Perfect World Beijing and is being published by Perfect World Entertainment.

Information about how to obtain one of the closed beta keys can be found here: http://gamersyndrome.com/2010/video-games/battle-of-the-immortals-closed-beta-key-giveaway/

Additionally, if the GamerSyndrome Twitter or Facebook pages receive over 1500 followers, they will increase the number of beta keys we are giving away to 300.

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About Battle of the Immortals

Battle of the Immortals is a 2.5D multiplayer game that incorporates eastern and western cultures ranging from Norse Mythology to the Qin Dynasty.

Taking up the mantle of relic hunters, players can expect to travel throughout the world from the ancient tombs of past emperors in the East to the mythical Mount Olympus in the West. They will also be able to explore the Great Pyramids, uncover the mystery behind the Lost City of Atlantis and delve into lost temples deep within the Mayan jungle. Players will engage in epic battles against other players for the right to battle monsters, control cities & rule supreme.

About Perfect World Entertainment

A subsidiary of Perfect World Beijing, Perfect World Entertainment is a leader in publishing and operating massively multiplayer online games. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., Perfect World Entertainment is bringing the pinnacle of online gaming to North American and international audiences.
Perfect World Entertainment offers all their games free-to-play, operating the microtransaction business model. All players can download, access and play the games for free and can later purchase non-essential game enhancements like character customization or convenience items.

Futuremark® Games Studio today released the first screenshots from the upcoming Moonrise content pack for Shattered Horizon™, their PC exclusive multiplayer first-person shooter. The Moonrise pack, which will be free to all players, includes four new environments effectively doubling the number of levels in the game. http://www.shatteredhorizon.com/

In Shattered Horizon, a catastrophic explosion on the Moon has filled near-Earth space with billions of tons of rocky debris. Teams of players fight in zero gravity to control the limited supplies that mean the difference between survival and death in the cold of space.

The four Moonrise levels are set around the shattered Moon, taking the fight deeper into space and showing a new side to the conflict. The screenshots released today show hints of exotic new locations: an MMC cargo ship lured into a trap by the ISA, a huge mass driver installation, the broken remains of a luxury lunar hotel and fragments of what was a massive communications dish on the Moon.

Although a release date for the Moonrise pack has not yet been announced, Futuremark Games Studio confirmed that a small group of selected players is helping them test near-final content.

Moonrise Screenshots:

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About Shattered Horizon

• Shattered Horizon is the innovative first game from Futuremark Games Studio that immerses you in the cold reality of zero gravity combat in space.
• Multiplayer first-person shooter set in near-Earth space 40 years from now.
• Experience intense zero gravity combat and complete freedom of movement. Use your rocket pack to fly freely through space then land on any surface.
• Join your friends in action-packed 32 player battles fighting to control hollowed-out asteroids, huge fragments of Moon rock and the ruined remains of the International Space Station.
• Dedicated server available for players and game hosting companies.

Shattered Horizon requires DirectX 10, a DirectX 10 compatible video card, and Windows Vista or Windows 7. There is no support for Windows XP or DirectX 9. Suggested retail price: €19.95 / $19.95 / £14.95

Shattered Horizon is available now from Steam and the official website: http://www.shatteredhorizon.com/buynow/

Last Online, a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), developed by Eden Entertainment is a PC-based online game with a console quality.
Last Online is an action MMORPG and is set in a modern Europe during Mana Revolution, which is similar to Industrial Revolution. Last Online unfolds a story of heroes who fight against Another World and provides a variety of tribes and occupations as well as unique game system.

Last Online features unprecedented techniques in online games: a variety of camera movements depending on zones and battles as well as non-targeting MMORPG set Last Online apart from other games.

Last Online provides diverse battle modes from PVP, PVE, 100 vs 100, guild battle, and castle siege. In Last Online, like a console game, a character is able to change weapons from short-range to long range simultaneously.

To do so, Eden Entertainment has developed a proprietary game engine optimized for the game. The company said “we do not scarify anything from action, graphics, to system to satisfy not just us but also users.”

Last Online is expected to enter a Closed Beta Test in the first half of 2010. More screenshots are available on the official website.

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Matrix Games (www.matrixgames.com) and Code Force (www.codeforce.co.nz) are thrilled to release two new videos for their hotly awaited 4X strategy game, Distant Worlds. The latest two videos detail the game’s controls and the mechanics behind space exploration, both facets which are essential tools in crafting your humble starting enclave into a sprawling and powerful empire! Check out the Controls and Exploration videos on YouTube and be sure to also see the Introductory Video as well.

David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said, “These two videos are only the beginning of a series of exciting videos detailing Distant Worlds. Stay tuned for more videos and information and I’m sure you’ll be as excited as I am about this game!”

Distant Worlds is a vast, real-time, 4X space strategy game. Experience the full depth and detail of large turn-based strategy games, but with the simplicity and ease of real-time, and on the scale of a massively-multiplayer online game.

Vast galaxies are made to order: up to 1400 star systems, with up to 50,000 planets, moons and asteroids. Galaxies are so deep, fun and immersive that you won’t want to finish the game… Build, expand and improve your empire endlessly. The galaxy is packed with life and activity. Encounter other empires, independent alien colonies, traders, pirates and space monsters. Explore star systems, asteroid fields, gas clouds, supernovae, galactic storms and black holes. Discover evidence of civilizations long since past, uncovering secrets about the galaxy’s troubled history…

Best of all, you can play the game your way: enjoy a quick, intense game in a crowded galaxy or take your time in an epic game spread across a vast galaxy!

Features include:

• Truly Epic-Scale Galaxies: Play in galaxies with up to 1400 star systems and 50,000 planets, moons and asteroids.
• Private Enterprise: The private citizens of your empire automatically take care of mundane tasks like mining, transporting, migration, etc.
• Intelligent Automation: Automate the various tasks in your empire, so that you can focus on the areas that you enjoy most.
• Explore: Explore the vast galaxy, discovering valuable resources, potential colonies for your empire and making contact with other empires.
• Colonize: Send out colony ships to found new worlds for your empire.
• Defend: Patrol the outlying areas of your empire, construct defensive bases, and build up your fleets to protect from raiding pirates or space monsters.
• Diplomacy: Interact with other empires, discussing treaties, making trade offers or just giving them a piece of your mind.
• Espionage: Covertly seek out information about other empires, or even disrupt their progress with acts of sabotage.
• Research: Develop new technologies for use in building your own unique ships and star bases.
• Build: Design and build the ships and star bases in your empire. Construct military behemoths at your space ports. Build mining stations, research installations and more.
• Built-in Game Editor: Fine-tune your own galaxy, adding or removing star systems, planets, asteroid fields, ships or anything else.

Distant Worlds – Exploration Video

Distant Worlds – Game Controls

World’s Most Popular Virtual Neighbourhood Celebrates A Decade of Simulation, Innovation and Reinvention

The EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announces the celebration of the ten year anniversary of The Sims™, the groundbreaking game that allowed players to create and live a virtual, simulated life on a computer. Since the original The Sims debut on February 4, 2000, the unstoppable, award-winning franchise has produced three core games – The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3 – supported by dozens of expansion and stuff packs with lifetime unit sales eclipsing 125 million worldwide. As the best-selling PC game* in nearly every major video game market worldwide, The Sims has continuously reset the bar over the past decade delivering new content, gameplay elements, platform support, and partnerships that resonate with its global fan base in meaningful ways and take the play experience to new levels of fun and entertainment.

“The success of The Sims is something gamers and the gaming business as a whole can be proud of. With its charming and quirky style, lovely emergent game mechanics and user created creativity that delights every day, The Sims is a game that can be enjoyed by everybody and reflects what you put into it,” explained Rod Humble, Head of the EA Play label. “The future of The Sims is going to be a lot of fun; it is rare for an entertainment franchise to be gaining momentum a decade after release, so this is a particularly pleasant moment for everyone who has worked on the games.”

“No other game in the history of electronic entertainment has ever had the broad, nearly universal appeal of The Sims franchise,” says Logan Decker, Editor-in-Chief of PC Gamer magazine. “Everybody plays it: hardcore gamers, young women, celebrities, conservatives, professors, soldiers, grandmothers, even people who say they don’t like computer games. And the game—or, rather, the experience—has thrived throughout 10 years of sequels and countless expansion packs because EA has kept the environment fresh and infinitely customizable while never getting in the way of the game’s primary focus—the player’s imagination, and the natural inclination of all human beings to create meaningful stories.”

Just how popular is The Sims?
The franchise has generated more than $2.5B of revenue putting it in the same class as blockbuster films Avatar, Titanic, and The Matrix Trilogy.

The Sims, available in 60 countries and 22 languages, remains a worldwide cultural touchstone for its enormous and growing fan base by continuing to evolve its content and remain current. Since its June 2009 launch, The Sims 3 has sold more than 4.5 million units worldwide to date and holds the #1 best-selling PC title for 2009 in North America and Europe*. The Sims 3, like its predecessors, allows players to create, download and share player content on its online exchange fueling nearly 110 million downloads for The Sims 3 alone in a matter of months. The Sims 3 community site alone, www.thesims3.com, welcomes up to six million unique visitors monthly, handles 300 content downloads every minute and more than 1.8 million uploads have been made to date, including 20 movies each hour. The Sims 3 App for iPhone and iPod touch became the top selling game on the App Store for 2009 and reached the #1 position in the top paid Apps in nearly 40 countries worldwide in the same year.**

What does it feel like to host 6 million visitors each month?
Social networking sites play a significant role in the ongoing popularity of The Sims with pages on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube, amassing a following of a million friends to date worldwide. That’s enough people to fill the world’s largest stadium, North Korea’s Rungrado May Day Stadium, more than four times. The Sims 3 YouTube Channel is the second most subscribed to sponsored channel of all time with nearly 55,000 subscribers and over 26 million video views. Through social networks, The Sims development team shares the latest news and content, hosts contests and showcases player creations, and provides answers to game-related questions.

Sims are the trendiest virtual people on the block.
The Sims has continued to hold magnetic appeal because it is relevant, quirky, edgy, and fun; it’s a microcosm of society. The games give players the ability to create and control another life for themselves complete with relationships, children, homes, travel, business and pure entertainment.

If the games were buried in a time capsule, when unearthed in 100 years, The Sims would give future generations an instant understanding of how people lived between 2000-2010. For example, music would come alive from blockbuster recording artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Nelly Furtado, Katy Perry, Natasha Bedingfield and Depeche Mode, all of whom have recorded songs for various The Sims games in Simlish, the official language of the Sims.

The popular franchise has also kept pace with societal trends such as “going green” with The Sims 3 allowing players to live off the land, grow their own food and or use pedal power or a Toyota Prius to travel, all in an effort to reduce their personal carbon Sim footprints.

Guild recruitment has started on January 25th, 2010, EST (GMT-5) and will continue through till February 11th. Throughout this period, the Altis Gates team will be encouraging guild leaders to submit applications for CB activation keys. During the CB itself, all the guilds will be ranked according to the sum of the character levels of all their members. This ranking table will be refreshed every 4 days, and at the end of the CB, the top ranked guilds will be rewarded with some fancy prizes for the Open Beta test.

The rewards for the top 10 guilds will be large Guild Bundles that can be redeemed when the OB starts. Each member of the winning guilds will receive 5 Treasure Maps, 2 Power Crystals and 2 Crystals of Attack. The higher the final ranking of the guild, the better the items! Guild leaders will also get some exclusive prizes for their work in leading the guild to the top of the rankings!

For more details on the Guild Recruitment, please head over to the Altis Gates event page: http://ag.igg.com/event/guild/.

Paladins are a female class of Humans with natural toughness and resilience, which makes them strong defenders in close combat. They are formidable warriors, able to wear their opponents down with melee damage while providing healing and protection to allies. As with other classes in Karos Online, a Paladin can specialise into different careers at level 15: she can rally her group with protective buffs as a Defender, or become a Holy Knight radiating powerful defensive auras.

The Paladin joins the previously announced classes of Blader (two-handed melee attacks), Rogue (dual-wielded attacks), Bowmistress (ranged missile attacks), Mystic (ranged magical attacks) and Sorceress (magical attacks and debuffs). More details and features will be unveiled as Karos Online draws closer to commercial launch.

Karos Online – Stunning 3D Action Fantasy MMORPG

Karos Online (http://www.karosgame.com) is a brand new free-to-play fantasy MMORPG developed by Galaxy Gate (lead developers of Laghaim and Last Chaos), to be published in Europe and North America by NHN Corporation. The English version is currently in open beta, with a German version to follow in 2010.

In Karos Online, players take the role of a hero determined to defeat the curse of darkness falling over the world of Asmara and ascend to ultimate glory by becoming the mythical Karos warrior. Through questing, guild clashes and mass PvP, they enter the fight for domination over the world’s vital energy source, Fletta. Fletta provides the basis for the game’s unique and complex alternate progression system; alongside traditional leveling within the game, Fletta energy can be used to increase stats, give buffs, buy resources and enchant items.

With a strong RPG component, wide range of class skills and fantastic visual combat effects, Karos Online offers a rich player experience and an exciting end-game for guilds, including castle sieges and resource control points. There are a variety of dynamic dungeons to explore, with shifting paths and surprises to challenge players as they progress in level. The economy is well-developed, with mining, fishing and crafting elements, and a consignment system for storage.

Karos Online offers rare graphical quality for its small client size, has low minimum requirements, and will be accessible to a vast range of computers. Videos demonstrating graphics and gameplay are now available on the official website at www.karosgame.com, and more features will be revealed as the beta test continues.

Karos Online features

• Breathtaking 3D graphics and combat action effects
• 5 different races and 9 original classes, evolving into 36 different specialized classes
• Dynamic, evolving dungeons with shifting paths and surprises
• Guild wars, territory control and large-scale castle siege battles
• Alternate Fletta level progression system
• Elaborate mining, fishing and crafting system
• Small client size and low minimum PC requirements
• Keyboard and mouse control both available

Have a look of screen shots for 2 of 4 emerging game locations to get introduced to the title.

About KillSkill:
Genre: MMOTPS with elements of RPG
Biz model: Free-to-play
OBT date: February, 2010
Developer: HBM (Saint-Petersburg)

Game Features:
Advanced RPG system which can select opponents for personal player’s characteristics
Role structure without classes makes character universal and get possible to retrain quickly
Great choice of PVE (taking of cargo, preparing base to landing, patrolling, pursuit, search spies, destroying, surviving)
PVP-modes (FFA, Team FFA, CTF, battle for resources)
User friendly interface and controls, which easy to handle even for middle-trained player.

About Playnatic:
Playnatic was founded in 2008 and consists of industry professionals with proved experience at Game Industry, including MMOGs.
The business activity includes development, publishing, operating and localization for online games and web-projects.

Below are is a selection of Screenshots released by Playnatic today. Remember to let us know what you think by leaving a comment.

Ever used Steam or Xfire? Well here’s a big new competitor.

Released in 2009 by DesuraNET Pty Ltd, a private Australian games company (which also runs the ModDB), the aim of Desura is to provide gamers with a dependable interface which delivers the content they want to play in the quickest cross-pc way possible. At its heart is a digital distribution application which can serve (and patch) games, mods and addons to its members. Put simply if you’ve got a game which can be modded such as half life, counterstrike and freelancer, then this is going to be the place to get the latest mods for them.

Desura Application Home

What’s Desura?

How is it different from the likes of steam?

Desura Mod Content

Developer driven

We don’t make games ourselves, so we are entirely focused on helping game developers and publishers show off their wares. All tools and functionality provided by Desura to game developers, are provided to empower them to create a better game, and share its features in all their glory with the Desura community. Developers control the flow of news, images, videos and content through their profiles – we don’t put up walls and barriers.

Community run

Every member of the Desura community can post comments, submit reviews and upload screenshots. We are not some mysterious editor in an ivory tower controlling content – it’s anybody who can put pen to paper. Our screenshots aren’t limited to some airbrushed press releases – they’re taken by the gamers. Perhaps most importantly, opinions on gaming aren’t just our own – they are the combined feelings and views of anybody who has taken a moment to make themselves heard.

Desura Community

User made content

There are plenty of great free mods and user made addons out there for games, which few know about and even fewer can install. Being able to customize your games is at the heart of everything Desura does, and we aim to make user made content as accessible as possible. From simple maps through to entire conversions and even whole new games, we hope to put what you want to play at your fingertips.

Thousands of Gamers

Release your game to a network of customers from around the world.

Content Control

Start a dialog with the community via regular updates and insights.Sales Control. Manage your games price and availability pre and post release.

So what is Desura compromised of?

The Desura client is pretty much a web browser like steam which connects directly to the Desura network and allows you to manage your account. It also provides a game/mod/server management feature which allows you to search for installed supported games on your machine. It then lets you download and apply mods for that game through the Desura interface.

Is Desura just for gamers?

No, Desura is mostly for developers. Their development interface allows mod developers wishing to publish their content to thousands of gamers across their network. More of their developer features can be read Here.

Summary

After recently being invited to the Desura Beta i was pleasantly surprised. I have personally used ModDB alot recently and finding out that its backwards compatible with Desura meaning i can easily click a button and publish a ModDB mod to Desura for distribution.

Theres a high chance that Desura will become a big player in the online gaming distribution market, surpassing steam due to its wider content base. I would still like to test their developer tools but until they support more game that wouldn’t be possible.

An FAQ for Desura can be found Here aswell as some other interesting reading.

Desura is currently in private beta and a public release date is still to be decided.
www.desura.com

Ambitious testers who secured a copy of the client at www.avalonheroes.alaplaya.net or one of the partnering websites receive a multitude of new contents and features. Six new heroes, the battle mode map “Swamp of the Immortal”, and the third gripping chapter on the side of Oriens and Aeonia in the fantastic scenario mode are now available in the fantasy world.

Moreover, games publisher burda:ic and the Electronic Sports League are going one step further: As soon as January 19, Avalon Heroes will be supported by the ESL, and players get to battle for great prizes in the “ESL Avalon Heroes 2on2 Open Beta Cup”.

For more information, please visit the official teaser website www.avalonheroes.alaplaya.net.

About alaplaya
The free multiplayer games portal offers high-quality games such as Audition Season 2, Fantasy Tennis-Season 2, S4 League, or Florensia. More titles, such as Land of Chaos Online (LOCO) and Avalon Heroes, are being prepared for release. More than 3,5 million users are already playing alaplaya games.

The portal is provided in eight languages; the games are available all over Europe, including Turkey. Some can also be played in Russia, as well as North and South America, at www.alaplaya.net.

alaplaya offers numerous community features such as user search, blogs, chat & forums, and a special avatar system. All games can be obtained and played for free. Only valuable virtual goods for customizing avatars in the game, and some special items, are purchased and paid for in the shop. Users sign on at alaplaya only once for a central login to all games.

About burda:ic
burda:ic GmbH specializes in online PC games, and markets and maintains so-called Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) – e.g. Ragnarok Online, Florensia, and Hello Kitty Online – throughout Europe including Turkey, Russia, as well as North and South America. burda:ic also establishes interactive gamer communities such as alaplaya.net or sanriotown.com. For Hubert Burda Media, the gaming industry constitutes a key medium for appealing to young target groups. www.burda-ic.com

Uforia, a new online game publisher specializing in massively multiplayer online games, today announced the all-new character lineup for its upcoming online modern warfare first-person-shooter Mercenary Wars. See below for full details of the four intriguing characters including Iron Strom, Saladin, Sensou and Blood Loss.

Iron Storm
Iron Storm is the highest ranking female in the International Hessian Order. She founded the group in order to protect the North American region from newly established groups in other parts of the world.
Clare began her military career with the United States Army and then moved on to other branches within the Armed Forces in order to gain expertise in various areas of modern warfare. She excelled within every area of military specialization, but specialized in covert operations with a focus on warfare in the Middle East.

Saladin
Saladin is the founder of the Medjay Mercenary Unit which he created to defend the Middle Eastern region from other mercenary units.
Originally born in Yemen, Saladin traveled throughout the region training with some of the most renowned military units and even spending time with paramilitary groups mastering guerrilla tactics.
His driving force is the notion that only natives of that region should have control over the natural resources and land, and he will do anything to push invading forces out of this territory.

Sensou
Sensou is the female leader of the United Asian Front after gaining control of the position from the founder of the group, Hyun Sugiyama, during a violent but swift rebellion. Her success stems from being able to unite the various Asian cultures under the umbrella organization – the United Asian Front. Prior to joining the United Asian Front, Sensou (then known by her birth name, Miyuki) was a researcher at various weapons development institutes throughout Asia and Europe. Her knowledge of advanced weapons systems led Sugiyama to recruit her into the organization to develop weapons with which they could eventually overpower the military forces in the region.

Blood Loss
“Blood Loss”, so named for his reputation for his aggressive tactics on the battlefield, is the second-in-command of the International Hessian Order. Along with “Iron Storm” he leads the International Hessian Order. His expertise are weapons that not only overpower the enemy, but completely aniline them. His main focus is not strategy, but logistics of how to win any particular battle. He is also the official tester of new weapons systems that the researchers create.

“We are excited to reveal the unique and interesting characters in Mercenary Wars, and we think our community of players will have a blast when they experience each of their unique, multi-faceted characteristics,” said Chris Keswani, Marketing Manager of Uforia.

About Mercenary Wars

Unlike other first person shooter games available today, Mercenary Wars features a unique stat system that players can use to upgrade and customize their lifelike characters. The combat in the game is designed to feel very realistic, while also allowing players to adjust their speed, accuracy, and health stats. Mercenary Wars is set in the not so distant future in a world where order and society as we know them are a thing of the past. The economies of the world have crashed and have been replaced with total chaos. New alliances have been forged and the world is now controlled by well-trained groups of mercenaries. Players must determine who to swear their allegiance to and fight side-by-side to the death, if necessary, in the quest to ensure becoming the new global powerhouse.

Mercenary Wars will also feature an innovative Artificial Intelligence system where computer controlled “bots” can be used in several ways ranging from practice to enhancing game play. Via four difficulty modes, players can select their desired skill level no matter what their previous FPS experience might be. Other features include multiple gameplay modes, a variety of character types and races, extensive ranking system including more than 50 different character ranks and title, an expansive number of weapons and equipment available for character customization and a built-in player-to-player audio communication tool for enhanced real-world combat simulation.

For more information, visit http://uforia.mercenarywars.com