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Civilization 5 mod adds playable Papers, Please nation
Glory to Arstotzka! The bleak Papers, Please nation is now a playable world power in Sid Meier's Civilization 5 thanks to a Steam Workshop mod from Snakeeater337. Arstotzka comes to Sid Meier's Civilization 5 replete with its own unique units, buildings, custom dialogue and music. Arstotzka has its own custom Border Guard unit, a cheaper version of the Rifleman that gets combat bonuses fighting on native soil. There's also the Border Checkpoint building, which adds protection from spies and produces extra gold each turn. Arstotzka begins the game with its custom "Glory to Arstotzka" trait, which increases worker production at the cost of population happiness and city growth speed. All cities also start with a free worker. The only downside to this mod is that it requires Brave New World, the latest expansion for Sid Meier's Civilization 5, in order to play. Sid Meier's Civilization 5: The Complete Edition, along with several other games bearing the eponymous developer's name, are currently available in the Humble Sid Meier's Bundle. [Image: Snakeeater337 on Steam]
XCOM: Enemy Unknown among 2K games discounted on iOS this week
2K is discounting a number of its mobile games this week, the publisher announced. The Mobile Fall Sale runs from November 27 through December 2 and applies to six iOS games. Among the 2K-published games on sale this week are NHL 2K11, Civilization Revolution and Sid Meier's Pirates, each discounted to 99 cents. Lucid Games' racer 2K Drive, which launched in September for $7, will be $1.99 on iOS as of Wednesday. Lastly, NBA 2K14 will drop down to $2.99 while XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be $9.99.
Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies lands on Steam, iOS next week
Steam and iOS have laid out the landing strip for Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies. On November 5, the game will be available for download on Steam and later on November 7 for iOS, 2K Games announced in an email today. It will be priced at $4.99 on both platforms. Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies, the sequel to the original Ace Patrol, is a turn-based tactical dogfighting game that takes place during World War II. The iOS version supports iPad 2 and up, iPad mini, iPod touch 4 and up, and iPhone 4S and up on iOS devices.
WWII's Pacific Theater sets the stage for Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies
Firaxis Games is preparing to launch a follow-up to Sid Meier's turn-based mobile darling, Sid Meier's Ace Patrol. Set within the Pacific Theater during World War II, Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies recreates historical battles at Pearl Harbor, Midway and Guadalcanal as players create a pilot and nurture their rise in ranks. Pacific Skies will support iPad 2 and up, iPad mini, iPod touch 4 and up, and iPhone 4S and up on iOS devices. The PC version will be available for download through Steam. Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies launches this fall. 2K Games has not announced price, but the press release pass the break calls it a "premium" game so adjust your expectations accordingly.
Multiplayer added to XCOM: Enemy Unknown iOS
A new update adding multiplayer is available for XCOM: Enemy Unknown on iOS. Multiplayer in XCOM on iOS is asynchronous, allowing players to conduct turns at their convenience. The update also adds multiplayer leaderboards, optimizes the game for iOS 7 and fixes a few lingering bugs. And to celebrate this new update, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is on sale for $10 until October 13. XCOM: Enemy Unknown made its debut on iOS back in June, in a full mobile port we found to be on par with the console and PC offering. XCOM: Enemy Within, a new expansion for the PC and console version of the game, is due on November 12.
XCOM: Enemy Within's clandestine 'Exalt' wants to rule the world
Exalt, the third faction introduced in the XCOM: Enemy Unknown expansion, XCOM: Enemy Within, is a renegade human organization whose ultimate goal is the genetic perfection of the human race. They view themselves as the rightful rulers of Earth, ushering the species into a new era of evolution. They're an organization that strikes from the shadows, enacting nefarious and secretive plots to disrupt XCOM operations and weaken the organization's presence worldwide. For Exalt, it's all about achieving that goal – regardless of how many human lives are lost in the process.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown on PC with DLC for $10 through Amazon
Commander, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is currently $10 through Amazon's digital distribution network. We don't believe this is a Sectoid conspiracy, but that's a pretty good deal, especially since it includes both the Elite Soldier and Slingshot downloadable content packs. XCOM's Enemy Within expansion, which will add new tech, enemies and maps, is currently scheduled for November 12. The expansion is priced at $30 on PC, so if you've yet to pick up XCOM, this deal would be the same as getting the Xbox 360 or PS3 "Commander Edition." That version includes a copy of Enemy Unknown, along with the Slingshot and Elite Soldier content packs for $40.
XCOM: Enemy Within narrated trailer shows contents within
Commander, you shouldn't be required to wait in line, so here's the XCOM: Enemy Within gameplay demonstration from Gamescom and PAX Prime 2013 direct to your personal device. In it, Lead Designer Ananda Gupta briefs you on new weapons, abilities and enemies.
XCOM: Enemy Within 'too big' to be DLC on Xbox 360, PS3
XCOM: Enemy Unknown's expansion, Enemy Within, will be issued as DLC on PC and Mac for $30, but the only way to get it on consoles is through a new Commander's Edition – a retail re-release that includes the XCOM: Enemy Unknown game, the Slingshot and Elite Soldier add-ons, plus the Enemy Within expansion. The reason for issuing the Commander's Edition is because Enemy Within is simply too large a file to patch into the console game as DLC. "For the expansion on the PC, it was fairly straightforward," Garth DeAngelis, senior producer at Firaxis Games, said during a PAX Prime interview. "But when it came to the consoles, it was too big. If we wanted to deliver the same content to the console players, we had to do it this way as a standalone expansion on a disc. We couldn't simply just patch it in." DeAngelis added that Enemy Within includes so many changes to the base XCOM: Enemy Unknown experience – new unit types, upgrades and even skill changes – it necessitated an entire re-issue of the game. "These things are tied deeply into Enemy Unknown so we wanted to release [the Commander's Edition] as sort of the ultimate edition, with all the previous DLC on this one disc. It was either deliver it this way or not deliver it at all." XCOM: Enemy Within, announced at Gamescom nearly a week ago, launches on November 12.
XCOM: Enemy Within 'War Machines' trailer
The XCOM initiative is up against new, vicious extraterrestrials, but enemies aren't the only ones with aces up their cybernetically enhanced sleeves. Choose between alien psychic powers or heavily armored mecha exoskeletons and get to augmenting your soldiers in this XCOM: Enemy Within trailer.
XCOM: Enemy Within listed by Korean ratings board
A listing on Korea's Game Rating Board site indicates that a game by the name of XCOM: Enemy Within exists. The classifications board listed the game for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Whether the as-yet-unannounced game is a stand-alone product or extension of last year's XCOM: Enemy Unknown is, well, unknown. We also wonder what said enemy is within.
Civilization 5's brave new launch trailer
Sid Meier's Civilization 5 enters a "Brave New World" of trade and culture when the expansion pack launches July 9. Similar to Civilization 4's Beyond the Sword, this new expansion is meant for the culture snobs, who believe in taking over the world with a LOLCAT wave.
PSA: XCOM: Enemy Unknown lands on iOS today
Firaxis Games' reboot XCOM: Enemy Unknown is now available on iOS. We certainly enjoyed our time with the $20 touch-enabled port, which you can read all about right here. And while the iOS game doesn't include multiplayer right now, it's been promised as a free update later down the road. Good luck, Commander! %Gallery-191738%
XCOM: Enemy Unknown on iOS is spec-tap-ular
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. XCOM: Enemy Unknown seems like it was built for iPad. The touch-screen controls on the iOS port are so good that the game feels like it was lovingly crafted specifically for touch devices from the get-go. These controls are easily the highlight of the iOS version of XCOM (which also runs on the iPhone, by the way). With a redesigned HUD full of chunky buttons, completing actions in the game is a cinch. I actually prefer the touch scheme to wielding a controller. It's a simpler, more intuitive process, and the meat of the game is every bit as good as its console and PC counterparts.%Gallery-191738%
Commander, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is on iOS June 20
XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be available on iOS devices this Thursday, June 20, for $19.99. Commanders of the XCOM Project will now have mobile access across iPad 2+, iPhone 4S+ and fifth generation iPod touch devices. The iOS XCOM is a the PC experience with the exception of the head-to-head multiplayer, which will be added at a later time as a free update. %Gallery-189626%
Steam free-play weekend: Civilization 5, Saints Row: The Third
Civilization 5 and Saints Row: The Third are free to play on Steam, starting now and concluding on Sunday, June 9 at 1 p.m. PT. Both games are on sale for 75 percent off, bringing Saints Row: The Third to $10 and Civilization 5 to $7.50. All accompanying DLC is also on sale. Civilization 5, which launched in 2010, is set to receive the Brave New World expansion in July, introducing new civilizations and mechanics to Firaxis' flagship series. Saints Row 4, meanwhile, is due on August 20 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. An elaborate special edition, which includes a dubstep gun, was announced yesterday.
XCOM iOS multiplayer to be added after launch
The iOS version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown will launch with the full single-player experience seen on consoles and PC, with multiplayer modes following later. "We're sort of focusing our design resources on the single-player experience. We're certainly going to provide [multiplayer] after launch," XCOM: Enemy Unknown designer Jake Solomon tells Joystiq. "The single-player is what we really – we know that for it to feel like XCOM, the single-player needs a lot of our focus. So we're playing, giving feedback, making sure it feels nice and polished. It's just we're focusing our resources on single-player first." 2K Games is tentatively slating XCOM: Enemy Unknown for launch on iOS sometime this summer. Pricing is still being determined, though Solomon says the game will exact an up-front fee and won't hinge on in-app purchases. %Gallery-189626%
Jake Solomon on XCOM iOS and the 'happy accident' of mobile strategy games
"This isn't just like a port to a new platform," XCOM: Enemy Unknown designer Jake Solomon tells me over the phone. "From a development angle, this is one of the – and I honestly can't think of another experience except for The Walking Dead – where it's a game, a AAA game that we just put out on consoles, and we're putting the whole thing out to tablet. This is something that I can't take any design credit for, but turn-based strategy games work really well on mobile devices. It's sort of a happy accident, in that sense." The project can be traced back to the time when Firaxis was finishing up its work on XCOM: Enemy Unknown for PC and consoles. 2K China presented a version of the game running on iOS, and from there Firaxis would work with them on the portable incarnation due this summer. It features the full functionality seen on other platforms, thanks to the Unreal foundation that has played nice with iOS since late 2010. "Without Unreal, it certainly wouldn't have been possible," Solomon says. %Gallery-189626%
Cheap Firaxis bundle headlines Amazon Digital Mayhem sale
Amazon is bundling together three of Firaxis Games' most recent at a really low price. For $20, you can snag PC download codes of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Civilization 5: Gold Edition – a definitive version with Gods and Kings and a bunch of other DLC – and Civilization 4: The Complete Edition, also including a host of DLC and extra goodies. The Firaxis bundle headlines Amazon's Digital Mayhem promotion, with other discounts spanning Telltale's The Walking Dead, Battlefield 3, BioShock, Mark of the Ninja and many more. The sale ends on May 31, so feel free to take your time perusing the hundreds of eligible discounts.
Civilization 5's 'Brave New World' expansion adds Indonesia, Morocco
Two more factions, Indonesia and Morocco, have been revealed for upcoming Civilization 5 expansion, Brave New World. Leading Indonesia is Gaja Mada, famous for his military insight as prime minister of the Majapahit Empire; Ahmad al-Mansur leads the Moroccans, sultan of the Saadi dynasty in the 1500s. Brave New World, the second expansion to Civilization 5, is due in July and will add nine new civilizations, several new wonders and modified mechanics from the base game. The first expansion, Gods and Kings, arrived last summer, adding new espionage and religious mechanics.%Gallery-188839%
