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Steam weekend deal: 25% off THQ pack (includes Dawn of War II)
This weekend's Steam deal focuses on titles from THQ, as the ginormous bundle that is the THQ Collector Pack has been discounted 25%. The bundle (which now features Dawn of War II) is packed to the gills with content -- so much so that a simple paragraph alone can't describe the plethora of titles available, forcing us to utilize the bullet-point method. Here's what you'll get: Dawn of War II Company of Heroes Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts Frontlines: Fuel of War Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights (yes, that Juiced 2) S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl Titan Quest Titan Quest - Immortal Throne Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Gold Edition Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War - Soulstorm Full Spectrum Warrior* Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers* The bundle will set you back $75.*Not available in Germany
Smoking Gun, Cyberia author Rushkoff partner for games, books
Smoking Gun, an independent studio formed in 2007 by Relic Entertainment vets, has landed a new deal with tech evangelist Douglas Rushkoff, with the award-winning author set to pen the story for an as-yet-unannounced property. Details remain light, though Rushkoff notes his narrative will be used in multiple games as well as related books.If that's not enough to interest you, consider that Rushkoff, whose works include cyber culture novel Cyberia and the DC comic series Testament, is set to lend words to an entire range of titles "across a range of media formats that can feed off one another and exist concurrently." Honestly, we're just as confused as you are, but once the headache stops and the Advil kicks in we'll reach out to Smoking Gun for more.
THQ reveals 'Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor' expansion
In the midst of THQ's pink-slip-a-palooza, the publisher has announced Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor, a standalone expansion to its excellent RTS series (don't let the normally tired WWII setting turn you off). Tales of Valor will stay in-house at Relic Entertainment and the game will feature three campaigns, new multiplayer modes and a feature called "direct-fire."Considering the intensity and length of campaigns Relic squeezed into Company of Heroes and its first expansion, Opposing Fronts, another expansion by that team is more than welcome. The game is expected to invade retail stores in spring of 2009. No price has been announced at this time, but Amazon lists it on pre-order for $30. We've clicked our engineers to make listening posts and hope to gather more intelligence soon.
Tim Sweeney's beef with Intel and PC gaming
Are PCs good for gaming? The short answer is yes, Tim Sweeney (of Unreal fame) is wrong because computers play many of the best games the platform has to offer without much struggle. Games like The Orange Box, Guild Wars, World of Warcraft, The Sims 2, Company of Heroes or The Lord of the Rings Online all run fairly well without too much muscle behind them. His primary complaint (and ours too, actually) is that integrated graphics chips which are installed on the computers that stores like Best Buy sell, are in no way capable of playing the newer games sold at the very same stores. Intel is largely to blame for this, but of course if you've ever looked into buying a brand new video card, then you know they're not the only culprits of PC gaming's issues.
THQ chooses GamersGate for PC digital distribution
In the world of video game digital distribution, it's easy to think that all roads lead to Steam, but that's not necessarily the case as THQ has reminded us of an alternative in GamersGate, noting that it has inked a deal with the service to offer a selection of its PC titles for online purchase and download. The games will be available worldwide, save for those poor souls in Australia and New Zealand, who have been turned away like orphans to a soup kitchen. According to GamersGate, the company will initially offer Company of Heroes and Supreme Commander, as well as their recent expansions. While neither title has popped up on the GamersGate website yet, a quick check did reveal S.T.A.L.K.E.R. available for the bargain basement price of $19.99. Other THQ offerings planned to be added eventually include Full Spectrum Warrior and Juiced 2, as well as next month's Frontlines: Fuels of War. It's encouraging to see competition in the digital space, and assuming this and similar deals feature exclusivity clauses, it will be curious to see if we are on the verge of a hard fought digital distribution battle royal. 40 Quatloos on the newcomer!
Company of Heroes producer creates new studio, working on mystery game
A rather cryptic press release was sent out today hinting at a new development studio led by the producer of the "most critically acclaimed real-time strategy game of all time". According to Gamerankings, that title goes to Company of Heroes, and the producer is John Johnson. The website Exoriare.com was listed in the release (a quick whois search reveals Johnson owns the domain), inviting everyone to "confirm the first clue and break the puzzle". Pick apart the password to gain access to the map shown above. We're assuming the "activation threshhold" shown at the bottom of the screen, 12211, is a hit counter and not the date January 22, 2011. Once the number is met, one of two things will happen: candy will rain from the sky, or a few more clues about the studio will be revealed. Sounds like a win-win situation. [Via Firing Squad]
THQ profits up, gamers have cause to celebrate
THQ has recently released their second quarter results, and shareholders should be happy. THQ's quarterly sales have increased by more than 50% from $142.7 million to $240.2 million. The improvement in net income is something to celebrate as well; THQ pulled a $12.6 million profit this quarter compared to a $1.4 million loss last year. While this is nice for anyone holding THQ shares, what does this mean for gamers? THQ has specifically named Company of Heroes, Metacritic average of 94% and Saint's Row, Metacritic average of 81%, as the key reasons for the boost in income. Gamers should rejoice when a gaming company posts gains in profits on the backs of original software, as opposed to licensed title shovelware. Posting profits on original titles could push further development of new titles. Do you think THQ's profit boost on fresh ideas will convince other game companies to try the same? Or will THQ's success go ignored, continuing the long standing practice of selling formulaic games for quick profits? THQ did show strong sales with Cars, so until licensed games stop selling, publishers will still place their money in the safe investment. [Update 1: Big math mistake fixed]
