Driven to the brink of extinction on ice-covered wastelands, humankind fights to survive. From extreme conditions and insurgent Snow Pirates to hostile gargantuan alien Akrid, all that you can trust are your instincts.

Combining a gripping single player campaign and intense multiplayer modes with support for up to 16 players online, Lost Planet is an epic gaming masterpiece. Enormous world maps unfold as players battle across vast snow fields and deserted cities either on foot or in armed, robotic Vital Suits.

• Intense action - Lost Planet is a fast-paced third-person shooter with all the depth, intrigue, and intensity of a science fiction classic.
• Enhanced DirectX 10 graphics
• Battle hordes of colossal Akrid
• Foot and vehicle based gameplay - Command highly powered armed vehicles and weapons, including transformable snow vessels, not only to help players traverse the treacherous terrain, but to eliminate enemies that lie ahead. Or, strategically switch from vehicles to on-foot gameplay as dictated by the situation.
• Vast environments - Snowstorms, arctic winds, towering buildings and mountains of ice are all stunningly realized as battles occur above and below ground, creating a truly immersive and cinematic event of epic proportions.
• Intense 16 multiplayer action
• Command heavily armored Vital Suits

System Requirements

Download Lost Planet™: Extreme Condition

Title: Lost Planet™: Extreme Condition
Developer: CAPCOM®
Publisher: CAPCOM®

FASA Studio, the creative minds behind MechWarrior and Crimson Skies®: High Road to Revenge™, are back with Shadowrun™, the new multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) based on the much beloved RPG franchise. Shadowrun propels team-based combat into a new dimension with a revolutionary blend of modern weaponry and ancient magic.

Up to 16 players battle for control of this new world through Windows Vista’s Xbox 360-to-Windows Vista Live online compatibility. In Shadowrun, vie for supremacy in a constantly evolving battlefield where advanced technology and ancient magic provide an unprecedented and high-velocity tactical action experience.

• Rich legacy: After a 5,000 year absence magic has returned to the world of 2031, and global corporate might battles a relentless ancient order to harness this reawakened power. Be a part of the RNA global megacorp and bring order (and profit) into a world of chaos, or join the Lineage to keep magic wild and free at all costs. Choose a side and wage war for the future of magic in the new world of Shadowrun.
• Magic and weapons: Dive into a universe where ancient magic co-exists with deadly weaponry, and experience a revolution in multiplayer FPS gaming. Purchase advanced technology and magic each round in an extraordinary arms race to improve your abilities and open up new tactics for your team. Use your cybernetic eye to spot your enemy through walls, teleport behind your opponents in the blink of an eye, trigger a hologram as a distraction then cut them down with a burst from your rifle to clear the room before they even know you’re there.
• Cross-platform multiplayer: For the first time ever, Xbox 360 and Windows gamers can compete as a team or as foes. Experience a quantum leap in interactivity as console and Vista PC gamers battle for supremacy online via Windows Vista and Xbox Live®. As you battle endlessly for the right to be crowned the last man standing, you’ll also struggle to answer the age-old of question of which is the more efficient killer: Windows PC or Xbox 360? Through the unprecedented cross-platform functionality, up to 16 gamers using both Windows PC and the Xbox 360 console will participate together in the ultimate multiplayer frag-fest.
• Classic races reinterpreted: Experience the thrill of combat as magic reawakens creatures of legend. Humans are joined by elves, dwarves, and trolls in a battle for supremacy among soaring corporate towers and an ancient ziggurat of power. Strike a balance on your team with races possessing unique abilities complementing your weapons and tactics.
• Ultimate battlefield: Fight against or alongside A.I. teammates or join up with friends against all comers via Splitscreen, LAN, or Live. Fill out your team with incredible A.I. characters that respond to each tactical situation and provide an unparalleled team experience. Train offline with the robust A.I., or play through a host of mini-games cooperatively online with your friends as you master the magic and technology of Shadowrun.

System Requirements

Download Shadowrun™

Title: Shadowrun™
Developer: FASA Studio
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

London, 2038.
According to legend, when the ravens depart the Tower of London, it will crumble to rubble and disaster will befall England. As man became more dependent on science, believing only in what he could define or create, ancient knowledge and rituals were lost to the antiquity of time. Prophecies that had stood as warning for untold generations were seen as archaic folly or ignorant superstition; so when the harbingers of evil began to manifest, few saw and fewer believed.  When the demons finally came, there was little that stood in their way.

Features:

• M29 from the creators of the critically acclaimed Diablo franchise
• A New Perspective on RPGs – a unique blend of action RPG with first-person shooter and massively multiplayer online elements.
• Unique and Appealing World - Experience the ominous setting of post-apocalypse London.
• Three Distinct Character Factions - Fight against the demons of the underworld as one of several unique character classes. (Templar, Cabalist, Hunter)
• Infinite Re-playability - With dynamically generated levels, massive quantities of randomly created items, chance events and story driven quests, no two gaming experiences are ever the same.
• Single-Player and Online Multiplayer Support - While Hellgate: London stands on its own as a single-player game, it also provides a compelling cooperative multiplayer experience through a dedicated online gaming destination. 

System Requirements

Coming Soon…

Download Hellgate: London™

Title: Hellgate: London™
Developer: Flagship Studios
Publisher: EA

Earth, 2019: On a remote island, an US science team makes a frightening discovery. The North Korean Government quickly seals off the island chain. Contact with the science team is lost. The United States responds by dispatching an elite team of Delta Force Operators to recon the situation and report back to the Pentagon. Amid rising tensions between the US and North Koreans, a massive, 2km high alien ship is revealed in the middle of the island. The ship generates an immense force sphere, freezing a vast portion of the island and drastically altering the global weather system.

The newly formed alliance fights epic battles against the marauding Aliens. With hope rapidly fading, the player must fight through lush tropical jungle, harsh frozen landscapes, and finally into the heart of the alien ship itself for the ultimate Zero G encounter with the aliens.

Features

• An immersive story that puts you the player in the pivotal role to repel an alien invasion and save mankind.
• A unique three-act structure that forces the player to use real-time armor and weapons customization to adapt to an ever changing dynamic world.
• Encounter a compelling, frightening and totally original alien species that uses its senses intelligently and work in combination with each other to present players with the most challenging opponents yet in an FPS.
• Enemy and ally AI utilize real-world military tactics.
• Take control of a wide variety of land, sea and air vehicles including trucks, tanks, boats and helicopters.
• Explore a living, dynamic world where earthquakes, breaking ice, landslides, and tornados pose a real and an ever-present danger.
• 32-player multiplayer with real-time armor and weapons customization and an all new mode that combines player modification and tactical objectives.
• Emergent gameplay; actions taken in the game affect future outcomes giving each player a unique experience.
• Highly robust and easy to use mod toolset allow players to create their own expansive levels with game modes for both multiplayer and single player.
• The most realistic environments, spectacular special effects, physics game engine, lighting system and enemy Al through CryENGINE 2.

System Requirements

OS: Windows Vista or Windows XP

Download Crysis™

Title: Crysis™
Developer: Crytek
Publisher: EA

Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is the second expansion pack for the definitive strategy title Civilization IV – the 2005 PC Game of the Year and world-wide hit. Focusing on the late-game time periods after the invention of gunpowder, the expansion will deliver more epic game and scenario content than any Civ expansion pack in the history of the series.

Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword will contain 11 amazingly unique and challenging scenarios created by the development team at Firaxis, as well as some esteemed members of the Civ Community. In addition, ten new civilizations, sixteen new leaders, five new wonders, a variety of new units and several new gameplay innovations will offer players even more strategic options for expanding their civilization’s power as they strive for world domination.      

• “MORE CIV THAN EVER: Some call Civilization the deepest computer game of all time. With a massive increase of 10 civilizations, 64 buildings, 11 scenarios, 5 wonders, 6 technologies, corporations, brand new espionage system and expanded trade routes, Civilization is beyond deep. It is beyond anything you’ve ever seen.
• FOCUS ON THE ‘LATE-GAME’: With Firaxis focused on delivering many new units, buildings and technologies in the modern time period, you will be able to launch guided missiles and suitcase nukes and build armies of mech assault soldiers, Cyborgs and Navy Seals – among many other choices.
• SCENARIOS: EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED: Beyond the Sword will deliver 11 new scenarios, many containing themes never seen in Civilization, custom designed by the team at Firaxis and some members of the Civ Fan Community. 11 scenarios represent the most scenarios in any expansion pack in the history of the Civilization series.
• ADVANCED STARTS: For the first-time ever, launch a game by purchasing units, cities, improvements, and technologies that allow you to get into later era games more quickly.
• UNSTOPPABLE CORPORATIONS: If you didn’t feel like behemoth corporations were taking over the world, you will now. Found your own corporation and spread its influence as another tool to gain control over the world.
• SPIES ARE EVERYWHERE: Now available much earlier in the game, the expanded ‘Espionage’ feature offers players many new ways to spy on opponents, stir citizen unrest and defend your own government’s secrets.
• RANDOM EVENTS: New random events – such as natural disasters, pleas for help, or demands from their citizens - challenge players with obstacles that must be overcome for their civilizations to prosper.
• ENHANCED AI: The AI has received many enhancements making it tougher to beat on the higher difficulty levels. The ways in which the AI will attempt to achieve victory have also been expanded.”

System Requirements

Download Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword (Expansion Pack)

Title: Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword (Expansion Pack)
Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K Games

Age of Conan Game Windows Vista PC Even though he killed himself in 1936, Robert E. Howard created one of the most enduring characters in fantasy fiction–Conan the Cimmerian, aka Conan the Barbarian. The gruff, rough, and virtually indestructible warrior slew and stole his way through a brutal ancient realm in 20 short stories, published from 1932 to 1936 in the sci-fi magazine Weird Tales.

Since then, Howard’s complete works and unpublished Conan stories have been republished in numerous books and adapted into a popular comic series. They have also inspired two films–the classic Conan the Barbarian (1982) and the less-than-classic Conan the Destroyer (1984), both starring Arnold Schwarzenegger–and two much-less-than-classic syndicated television shows, both named Conan: The Adventurer (1992 and 1997-1998, respectively).

Because Conan is one of the most popular figures in fantasy fiction, the stories have also inspired several games. The first, called Conan, came out in 1984 for the Commodore 64. The most recent, also called Conan, was released for the PC, Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2 in 2004–in Europe. However, the game’s publisher, TDK Mediactive, could not find a US distributor.

Now, Conan fans yearning for adventure on their computers have something to look forward to. North Carolina-based publisher Funcom announced today that it is developing Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, a new role-playing game featuring the brawny barbarian. However, unlike the company’s most famous game, Anarchy Online, the game will not be a traditional massively multiplayer role-playing game.

Instead, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will be a PC “online action RPG” that will be a mix of “story-driven single-player experience and a massive and brutal multiplayer endgame.” According to Funcom game director Gaute Godager, it will begin as a single-player RPG adventure, and when that portion’s story is complete, it will let players bring their characters into an MMORPG universe. Said Godager, “Have you not felt the urge when a great single-player RPG ends to have your character live on and interact with other fellow travelers? To enter an even greater world? This is that opportunity, to have a detailed RPG all about you, your choices, and your character, and if you win, to share that victory at an even greater stage.”

Age of Conan is set after the titular barbarian–following many years of bloody struggle and plunder–has become king of the city of Aquilonia. “But,” according to Funcom, “Conan’s rule is on the brink of chaos, spiraling towards the doom of ancient evils.” The game will incorporate the various elements of Howard’s “dark, lush, violent, and sinful universe,” including “cruel gods, mythical creatures, lost civilizations, and a struggling human race.”

Besides an apparently extensive story, Age of Conan will feature 7.1 surround audio and advanced graphics, as evidenced by the screenshots accompanying the release. The gameplay promises to go “against the formulaic nature of online RPG combat.” Using a “Real Combat” engine and a “multipoint melee system,” players will be able to target specific parts of their opponents’ bodies.

The multiplayer part of the game will also feature real-time strategy elements, which will let players create formations of characters and non-player characters. The game will also feature large-scale battles, which will let players attack hostile strongholds, as well as more-standard MMORPG elements, like guilds.

Funcom also said the game’s launch would accompany a whole new wave of Conan products, including a Dark Horse Comics series, an anime film, new novels, and a toy line from McFarlane Toys.

Game Title: Age of Conan
Author: f13dotnet
Source: Windows-Vista-Update

Microsoft Corp., the world’s biggest software maker, may report slower fourth-quarter profit growth today after paying as much as $1.15 billion to fix faulty Xbox video-game consoles.

Net income probably rose to 32 cents a share in the quarter ended June 30 from 28 cents a year earlier, according to the average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Sales may have increased 12 percent to $13.3 billion, the survey showed.

The repair expenses, which eroded gains from new Windows and Office programs, revived debate over whether Microsoft should be in video-game consoles at all. The unit that includes Xbox has lost more than $5 billion in the past five years amid competition with Nintendo Co. and Sony Corp.

“Given the amount of capital and time they’ve put in, at some point you evaluate the feasibility of going against Sony and Nintendo,” said Pat Becker Jr., who helps oversee $2.5 billion including Microsoft shares at Becker Capital Management in Portland, Oregon. “Is that really a place Microsoft should have resources deployed?”

Microsoft said this month that an “unacceptable” number of its Xbox 360 machines were experiencing a complete shutdown customers call the “red ring of death,” after the circle that appears on defective consoles. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer, 51, extended the warranty and the software maker is reimbursing users who have already paid for fixes.

The Redmond, Washington-based company reports results today after the close of regular Nasdaq Stock Market trading. Spokesman Bill Cox declined to comment for this story.

`What Else?’

The repairs cut profit by about 8 cents a share, according to Goldman, Sachs & Co.’s Sarah Friar in San Francisco. At least eight analysts reduced their earnings per share projections after the announcement July 5, lowering the average estimate by 7 cents.

The Xbox breakdowns add to a stream of bad news holding back the stock, Friar said. “People reacted like `God, what else can happen?” said Friar, who rates the shares “buy.” “Microsoft needs to prove they can create large profitable businesses outside of the operating system.”

Shares of Microsoft have risen 3.5 percent in 2007, giving up some of the gains that came before the Jan. 30 release of the new Windows Vista program. Rivals Apple Inc., Oracle Corp. and Google Inc. have all posted bigger increases this year.

Microsoft rose 14 cents to $30.92 yesterday on the Nasdaq. Twenty-five analysts suggest buying the shares, eight recommend holding them and one has a “sell” rating, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Bored of It

In the Xbox unit, revenue probably declined 10 percent to $1.16 billion, Friar said. Console sales missed forecasts amid competition with Kyoto, Japan-based Nintendo’s Wii, she said.

Sales in the other four main divisions probably rose at least 10 percent each, with revenue from Windows for personal computers jumping 17 percent on Vista purchases, Friar said. The Web business may have gained 10 percent as advertising growth continues to lag behind leader Google, she said.

Microsoft may yet prove to be a better value than companies such as General Electric Co. and Coca-Cola Co., which have similar price-to-earnings ratios and are growing at a slower pace, Becker said.

Joel Hirsh, an analyst at Kovitz Investment Group in Chicago, expects the stock to rise as much as 20 percent within 18 months.

“Yes, they are trying to find growth, but it’s not like they aren’t growing already,” said Hirsh, whose firm manages $1.1 billion, including Microsoft shares. “The beauty of this company for us is that other people are bored of it.”

Title: Microsoft Xbox Repair Costs May Cut Fourth-Quarter Profit Gain
Author: Dina Bass
Date: 19 Jul 2007
Source: Bloomberg

Wanna play Gears PC online? Then you’ll have to sign up for Games for Windows - Live

Anyone who wants to enjoy the carnage of Gears of War online on PC - and let’s face it, who won’t want some of that? - will HAVE to sign up to Games for Windows - Live.

Microsoft has told CVG that the game will only be playable online through the PC’s version of the Xbox online service.

Although it’s free to sign up to Games for Windows - Live, it’s news that’s sure to rankle PC gamers used to freedom and choice when it comes to online gaming.

Microsoft slipped out during E3 that Games for Windows - Live is to be made available for Windows XP, although there’s not concrete date on when this is to happen - but it’ll be before Gears of War releases in November.

Epic’s PC version of its show-stopper shooter will feature 19 multiplayer maps on release and two-player co-op and eight-player competitive game modes.

Title: Gears of War demands Games for Windows - Live account
Author: Stuart Bishop
Date: 17 Jul 2007
Source: CVG

If you had been waiting for the launch of Halo 2 for the PC in India, then wait no more! Microsoft has finally released the highly anticipated first-person shooter Halo 2 for Windows Vista . The PC version has the classic story, improved visual presentation, multiplayer thrill and all-new Map Editor.

Mohit Anand is the Country Manager of Entertainment & Devices Division for Microsoft India. He comments , “Halo 2 is one of the most exhilarating first person shooter titles ever, with its unmatchable graphics and sound effects. In our effort to provide a unique real time experience to gaming fans across platforms, Microsoft EDD once again brings alive the Master Chief on your PC with Windows Vista”

Halo 2 has been developed by Microsoft Game Studios. The game will be available in India at a price of Rs 1649. Indian gamers had to wait for a very long time for the PC version of Halo 2. It was released in June 2007 in other territories.

The only thing about PC gaming in India is that most of the gamers have not yet migrated to Windows Vista, they still use XP. Who knows, maybe a game like Halo 2 will persuade users to use Microsoft’s new operating system . Anyway, click here to see a video of the PC version of Halo 2 that we uploaded some time ago.

Title: Halo 2 for PC Launched in India by Microsoft
Author: Game Guru
Date: 18 Jul 2007
Source: Game Guru