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Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar early access begins Feb. 12
Historical strategy game Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar will enter Steam Early Access at a "discounted price" on February 12. The game is being published by Kasedo Games, which is the digital-only division of Kalypso Media. If Early Access is good enough for Ubisoft, don't be surprised to see more publishers with plenty of capital using the pay-for-alpha/beta program to reduce risk on their end in 2014. "The game is already in an advanced state of completion - which includes about 12 hours of gameplay, most of the main game features and the first two chapters of the campaign," noted Kasedo Games in the announcement. The ready-for-primetime version of the game will be on PC this spring. [Image: Kasedo]
El Presidente's trade embargo with PlayStation ends, Tropico 5 coming to PS4
Nobody puts El Presidente in a corner. If El Presidente wants to be on more platforms, El Presidente is on more consoles. Publisher Kalypso announced this morning that Tropico 5 will be the first installment of the dictator sim to arrive on a Sony console, making its way to the PlayStation 4. Curiously, there's no mention about when the banana republic adventure will make its way to PlayStation. Following up with Kalypso, the publisher told Joystiq, "The PS4 version will follow after the launch of the PC, X360, Mac and Linux version. We haven't announced a release date for any format just yet." The game's developer Haemimont had previously scheduled it for April 2014. We've asked Kalypso for an updated release window, but these tin cans with string we're trying to communicate on aren't very efficient. Kalypso has no confirmed release date.
PSA: Tropico 4 'Apocalypse' DLC heats up the Cold War, out now
A new bundle of mutually-assured destruction Tropico 4 content has landed on Steam and the Xbox Marketplace, adding the thrill threat of nuclear annihilation to your quaint little island meritocracy for the one-time cost of $4.99. The Apocalypse DLC pack adds a Nuclear Shelter building type, a "Survivalist" trait that reduces the amount of food Tropicans require, a hazmat suit for El Presidente and a new mission entitled "How I learned to love the bomb," which requires that the player (and their country, hopefully) survive a doomsday scenario.
Rise of Venice begins trading September 27
Get out the sump pumps, because Rise of Venice will row its way to digital distribution platforms on September 27. The game is the latest from the developers of Port Royale 3, so expect some unapologetically hardcore trade simulations going down. The economic strategy game puts players in the role of an up-and-coming family in Renaissance Italy, building a trade empire across the Mediterranean. That's all good, but we'll be happy if every time a ship enters port the captain simply exclaims, "Ciao!"
El Presidente releases Tropico 5 screens, citizens rejoice
El Presidente is set to create a dynasty when he returns for the multi-generational saga of Tropico 5 next April. Here is a gallery of screens from the game's "all new art," meaning that assets shouldn't be recycled for the latest game, like they were from Tropico 3 to Tropico 4.
Tropico 5's revolución begins April 2014
Banana republic (not the retail store, but the political science term) simulator Tropico 5 will be available in April 2014. Speaking with developer Today at Gamescom, Haemimont Games' CEO Gabriel Dobrev talked us through some of the changes in the game's latest installment. Much like Tropico 4 was an evolution of Tropico 3, the latest installment is taking a similar visual route and streamlining the management of the island nation. Building support is now handled by one slider to designate investment and factories can have managers help out and dole out bonuses (like extra production or siphoning more to El Presidente's Swiss bank account). Tropico 5 will also span the colonial era to the modern times, with El Presidente's heirs taking up the cigar once he's buried in the ground and feeding the tobacco crops. Players will be able to create a constitution for the island, choosing various bonuses depending on their style of rule. For example, players can keep foreigners out through a visa program or open the island to those yearning to be ruled for free. Tropico 5 will also feature greater transparency in its trading mechanic, which has also received an overhaul. Although there will be standard cargo ships as always, picking up import and export goods from the island, players can also purchase vessels and create trade routes for bonus cash with specific nations for political capital.
Tropico 5 annexing Xbox 360, PC, Mac, Linux in 2014
People of Tropico, rejoice! Or rather, since we're the ones in charge of your little island nation, despair! Kalypso Media has announced that Tropico 5 will debut on Xbox 360, PC, Mac and Linux sometime in 2014, which means that you'll soon be as overworked and underpaid as we've always (mostly inadvertently) made you in the past. Tropico 5 will span centuries of the nation's development, from colonial times all the way through the present, so you'll be stuck with our shoddy leadership forever, essentially. The game's new "Dynasty" features also allow us to appoint our in-game extended family to positions of power, for better or worse. Furthermore, our use of Tropico 5's new maritime fleet-based global trading system will almost certainly result in the loss of all of your livestock, as well as the vast majority of this proud nation's natural resources. But hey, we'll have plenty of imported limes! Delicious, expensive limes! Meanwhile, the game's new cooperative/competitive multiplayer mode allows up to four people to build cities on the same island map, after which they can either share resources, or declare war on each other. In related news, we're pleased to inform you that all of your ramshackle apartments have been demolished in order to make room for several more completely unnecessary airports.
Dollar Dash hits PSN on March 19
While Dollar Dash was expected to initially launch in October 2012, it will now make its way to PSN on March 19 for $9.99. Developed by Candygun Games, Dollar Dash landed on XBLA and Steam on March 6.Dollar Dash allows up to four players to compete Bomberman-style in 18 different maps in a race to grab as much cash as possible. The game also features three different "drop-in & jump-out" local and online multiplayer versus modes.
Tropico takes advantage of SimCity situation, on sale for 75% off
El Presidente knows how to capitalize on the mistakes of his enemies. The offline-capable Tropico franchise is taking advantage of the always-online SimCity debacle with a 75 percent discount on the entire series on Steam.The best deal in all the discounts is that the excellent Tropico 4 in its "Collector's Bundle," which includes every piece of DLC, along with the Modern Times expansion (which includes another full campaign), is only $10.The Tropico sale will last one week until March 15. That should be enough time for EA to figure out the SimCity servers. We really, really, really hope.%Gallery-128782%
Omerta: City of Gangsters demo smuggled onto Xbox 360
Omerta: City of Gangsters now has a demo available on the US Xbox Live Marketplace. The 1920s Atlantic City bootlegging simulation (developed by the makers of Tropico) arrived on PC and Xbox 360 earlier this month.Unfortunately, especially if you go by Metacritic scores, reviewers of the game haven't been very kind. See if you disagree – and don't forget there's already a PC demo.
Omerta: City of Gangsters brings bootlegging to UK, EU territories
Omerta: City of Gangsters dropped on Friday for PC and Xbox 360 in the UK and European territories, likely causing havoc as any good 1920s Atlantic City crime boss would. Omerta hits North America on February 12, and a Mac version is "coming soon," as the above UK trailer says.
Omerta has bootlegger demos available now
The demo for Omerta – City of Gangsters, the Prohibition era organized crime simulator from the team behind the Tropico series, is available now. The demo includes two levels from the game, mixing tactical turn-based combat and city resource management.Omerta takes over January 31 and February 12 in Europe and North America, respectively, on PC and Xbox 360.%Gallery-166481%
New screens emerge from vampiric stealth game Dark
If you've ever wondered what a stealth game with a hoodie-garbed vampire protagonist looks like, then these screens for Dark are here to serve. The sneaky, bitey offering from Realmforge Studios comes to PC and Xbox 360 in Q2 2013. %Gallery-171941%
Tropico 4 'Megalopolis' DLC available for import
Tropico 4 Gold Edition launched this week, and what better way for El Presidente to celebrate the compilation than with an upsell? The "Megalopolis" downloadable content pack is available now for PC, adding a "new campaign, new avatar clothing and more" for $5. The DLC will be available for Xbox 360 later this year.The Megalopolis DLC adds the conventillo, which offers cheap housing with plenty of room before the ziggurat comes along. There's the new trait of bureaucrat to create residential buildings cheaper and with greater profit for El Presidente's personal account through the "building permit" edict. Finally, the game adds the Megalopolis mission, so the island is never lacking dutiful citizens bringing El Presidente a fresh pina colada (made from Tropico rum, of course).
PSA: Sine Mora brings bullets, steampunk, and Hungarian to PC today
If you like challenging shoot-em-ups, giant steampunk bosses, and Hungarian voice-overs, then you'll be pleased to hear Sine Mora is out today on PC. The game is currently raining bullet hell on Steam and Green Man Gaming at 10 percent off ($8.99).The unusual collaboration between Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality shot onto Xbox Live earlier this year. It impressed enough to get four and a half stars out of five in Richard's review, which acclaims the game for offering "both a serious challenge to serious shooter fans and a palatable experience to lapsed addicts."
Sine Mora rains bullets and pianos on PC Nov. 9
Digital Reality's steampunk shoot-em-up, Sine Mora, is coming to PCs next week, starting through Steam and other portals on November 9. Kalypso Media informs us it'll be priced at $14.99/£9.99, and that those other digital portals include Green Man Gaming, GamersGate, Amazon Digital, Metaboli, and Kalypso's own online store.Co-developed by Suda 51's Grasshopper Manufacture, Sine Mora arrived on XBLA earlier this year. Since then Digital Reality announced Vita and PS3 ports, but neither has yet come good on releasing "soon." In the meantime, we'll stay on the lookout for killer pianos*. %Gallery-169968% * Yes, the game really has a killer piano, and no, it doesn't look like that one.
Anna finds new victims on Mac this November
Polarizing horror adventure Anna makes its way to Mac on November 9. Previously released on PC, our snapshot of the game found it "refreshing," but opinions about the game are scattered like arterial spray.Anna is billed as a point-and-click adventure about a "sort of haunted" sawmill. If you're looking to learn more about the fright fest, check out our Indie Pitch on the game.%Gallery-167122%
Snapshot: Anna (PC)
There are so many games out there we couldn't possibly review them all. Welcome to Snapshot, where we highlight games that might fall outside our usual coverage but are still something we think you should know about. Don't fool yourself about what type of game Anna is. Though screenshots may deceive you into believing the game is a realistic point-and-click set in the gorgeous Italian countryside, Anna is a horror game through and through. Even the developers at Dreampainters pitch Anna as a classic point-and-click adventure, based on the heritage of Val D'Ayas, a small village steeped in ancient folklore. The sawmill? "Oh, that, it's sort of haunted," the developers seem to say, "but don't worry your pretty little head about it."After playing Anna, I suggest you worry about it. Worry about it a lot.%Gallery-167122%
Omerta delayed until early 2013
Omerta - City of Gangsters, from Tropico developer Haemimont games, will smuggle copies in crates of booze to retail in early 2013 for Xbox 360 and PC. Omerta was originally going to invite us to build some speakeasies this November. A representative for publisher Kalypso tells us that the company is currently "aiming for early February" as its new release window.Omerta departs from the simulation aspects of Tropico by also providing a turn-based battle system. A team of thugs is selected to carry out missions and help raise capital for your Prohibition era empire. Think of it as 1920s XCOM without the aliens.%Gallery-166481%
Atlus and Kalypso join forces to publish Dark, Omerta, more in NA
Kalypso Media USA is teaming up with Atlus to publish the following Kalypso games in North America: Port Royale 3: Pirates and Merchants, Tropico 4 Gold Edition, Omerta: City of Gangsters and Dark.Under this partnership, Port Royale 3 is heading to Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on October 9; Tropico 4 Gold Edition drops November 13 for Xbox 360 and PC; Omerta is out in early 2013 for Xbox 360 and PC; and Dark launches in March for Xbox 360 and PC.The most mysterious game in that list is Dark, a stealth game featuring a freshly turned vampire as he takes down elder vampires, modern corporations and young adult paranormal romance writers worldwide. OK, we made that last part up. We can dream, can't we?
