Relic Hunt v1.5.1.0

Embark on a thrilling hidden object hunt for a secret family treasure in Relic Hunt! Famed explorer Melvin Jones is spending his golden years with his rather shiftless grandson Marcus. But when Marcus proves that he has inherited his grandfather’s adventurous ways, Melvin takes a chance and reveals the secret locations of his hidden wealth! Join Melvin on an exciting journey to seven exotic islands filled with masterfully hidden objects, original puzzles, unique riddles, and addictive fun. Featuring more than 200 levels, gorgeous graphics, and a captivating storyline, Relic Hunt is more than an adventure; it’s a touching tale of a grandfather’s love

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Aveyond 3 Lord of Twilight

In fulfillment of prophecy, the evil sorcerer, Mordred Darkthrop, initiated a series of actions that would eventually see him rule the world. Darkthrop’s reign of tyranny and his lineage ended abruptly, when he and his only son died moments before his goal was realized. The prophecy, however, lingered on.Two hundred years later, young Mel, a common street thief, is about to have her life turned upside down, as another stands determined to succeed where Darkthrop failed, and to see the prophecy to its fulfillment. Solve dozens of adventure puzzles and explore an enchanting world. Aveyond 3 is packed with monsters, magic, and humor. Stop an evil vampire lord from plunging the world into darkness and enslaving humanity. Explore lush tropical forests, arid deserts, mystical woodlands and more. Soar to dizzying heights and descend to the depths of the Underworld on your adventure.

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An example of why a license matters

Simutrans

OpenTTD OpenGFX

Why is OpenTTD now in Fedora 10/11 but Simutrans is not? The former has been only playable with Free media since some time this year - and the media is still incomplete - whereas the latter has been Free for years now? Is it because somebody requested it?




Digging (and by digging I mean Googling) to some it seems that Simutrans media is unclearly licensed. Download the official (currently r102) version of Simutrans and it comes with two licenses - one copy of the 'artistic license' and a 'copyright notice' that states:

"Simutrans may not be sold or modified in any way without
written permission by the author.

Which license applies to which part of the game? I guess you can make assumptions but it really should be clearer. The artistic license applies to the source, the custom NC / no modification license to the media. OpenTTD is about to get many 1000s more players by being in big distributions. Simutrans is going to continue in its role of shadowing OpenTTD by being the transport tycoon game that hardly anybody knows about and it is somewhat self inflicted.

Do you want your Free game to be played by as many people as possible? License it clearly and explicitly, and push for inclusion in mainstream distributions. And don't use a custom, restrictive license. Go with something that is compatible with mainstream distributions like a creative commons license.

• I covered Simutrans and OpenTTD in more detail in an article on Free tycoon & city building games.
• There's a more in-depth comparison of the two games by Danny Stable who digs deeper than me and sides favourably with Simutrans.

The Lost Inca Prophecy v1.1.104

Acua has been having vivid dreams of the New World, and wakes up to find she has drawn a map of a place she has never been to! Travel to the New World and help Acua prevent a devastating prophecy from occurring, restore demolished temples, and save the Inca civilization! The Lost Inca Prophecy can only be deciphered and understood using your Match 3 skills, and by following Acua`s mysterious dreams!

Features:

• Help Acua and her friends save the Incan Empire
• Choose from three great puzzle modes: Swap, Group, and Chain
• Select your favorite board shape: Hexagon, Square, or Mixed.
• Solve nearly 200 original levels
• Search for hidden objects in 16 bonus levels

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Wizards Hat

Clear out and clean up the cluttered Magic Glades using a magical Wizards Hat and your fantastic Match 3 abilities! Piece together crazy combos to create special potions with incredible abilities, and helpful powers. Carefully plan your moves to start huge chain reactions and earn as much money as you can to unlock upgrades like magnificent magic wands, shiny cauldrons, and the ultimate Wizards Hat!

Features:

• Gripping gameplay
• Powerful upgrades
• Save the Magic Glades

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Snippets and whippets

Complete Annihilation

Apparently the Spring mod Complete Annihilation is rather good, although it's about to be renamed and not quite fully free of its ties to the original Total Annihilation content. The goal is to be totally Free. And it's pretty complete(ish) as a game already. There's lots of lovely screenshots.

Glest Advanced Engine 0.2.12 got released. They also got a Sourceforge project for GAE.

Q3Rally

Fun racing games are always, er, fun. Well, in demand as well. So maybe Q3Rally can strike a chord with the Free gaming public? Apparently the original Quake Rally was the best Quake mod ever, although it was never completed and all that is left of it is Quake Rally: Leftovers. There's plenty of maps and cars and it is billed as a mod for OpenArena so should be totally Free. \o/


Here's a promotional video for Q3Rally that makes it look rather ooo aaah:

Dark Phear, a classic Phantasy Star-like RPG, as reported in the Ubuntu forums. Go there for links, screenshots, and more information.


Oolite, the Elite cloney-but-better game, is getting purty with shaders it seems.

The Privateer Gemini Gold team have been fairly quiet but work is ongoing and the next version will contain much better videos / graphics to make it even more immersive. Some of it can be seen on their youtube channel although the videos are currently just very short showcases.

The Adventures of Mary Ann Lucky Pirates

Take control of the entire Caribbean by becoming the King of the Pirates! Sail the dangerous seas and battle your way to the top in this gripping Match 3 game. Complete different quests, expand your arsenal, and collect powerful artifacts as you explore the Caribbean islands in multiple gameplay modes. Battle perilous pirates, outrageous octopuses, and sinister squids in Lucky Pirates!

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Brain Train Age v3.91

Brain Train Age TM features activities designed to help stimulate your brain, like solving a series of simple, rapid-fire math equations as fast as possible, counting interesting icons and many other easy, but interesting and helpful games, Brain Train Age is the very PC game for you to exercise your brain in a simple, efficient and fun way.

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Mystery Age The Imperial Staff

After a powerful storm threatens your village, your father has decided to venture out in search of it`s cause. This exciting Hidden Object Adventure game will have you track down the pieces of the ancient Imperial Staff to stop the mysterious black rain, and save your father from an evil spirit! Explore the wilderness and solve perplexing puzzles as you search for this mythical weapon in, Mystery Age – The Imperial Staff.

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WORLD of WARCRAFT: Cataclysm

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (following Wrath of the Lich King) - the 3rd expansion set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft. It was announced at BlizzCon 2009 on August 21, 2009, even though details leaked earlier. It adds a substantial amount of content to the game world, including two new races (Goblins for the Horde, Worgen for the Alliance), new race/class combinations, entirely redesigned zones, flying mounts in Azeroth and guild leveling and achievements. It also raises the level cap to 85.

From World of Warcraft: Cataclysm FAQ on the official website
"While the attention of the Horde and Alliance remained fixed upon Northrend, an ancient evil has been lying dormant within Deepholm, the domain of earth in the Elemental Plane. Hidden away in a secluded sanctuary, the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing has waited, recovering from the wounds of his last battle against Azeroth, nursing his hatred for the inferior creatures that infest the surface realm...and biding his time until he can reforge the world in molten fire. Soon, Deathwing the Destroyer will return to Azeroth, and his eruption from Deepholm will sunder the world, leaving a festering wound across the continents. As the Horde and Alliance race to the epicenter of the cataclysm, the kingdoms of Azeroth will witness seismic shifts in power, the kindling of a war of the elements, and the emergence of unlikely heroes who will rise up to protect their scarred and broken world from utter devastation. The face of Azeroth is altered forever as the destruction left in Deathwing's wake reshapes the land and reveals secrets long sealed away. Players will be able to re-experience familiar zones across Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, rewrought by the cataclysm and filled with new opportunities for adventure."

WORLD of WARCRAFT: Cataclysm Trailer:

Just a small puzzle game update: Zaz 0.2.6

Zaz is a puzzle game, a 'clonespiration' of Zuma, one of PopCap's notorious proprietary (casual) games. You are confronted with a stream of differently colored balls and have to put three of the same type next to each other to destroy them. There are power-ups, you're under time pressure, you have to aim, that's fun actually.

The game has nice music and good sounds, though I couldn't find author information on any of the game data. EDIT: Ha, I looked in the source directory, but not on the menu screen! So gfx & sound is by Remigiusz Dybka (who also programmed the game) and I guess it's GPL3-ed. The music tracks are (remixed?) CC-BY-NC-SA Nine Inch Nails music.

What I'm *very* much impressed with is that the game has a in-game menu to create a recording of a game you played! It even captures audio! Usually I use glc for recording video/audio in OpenGL games.

When you record a game using Zaz' internal recorder, it creates a Vorbis/Theora .ogv file. Only problem is that you can't do anything while the recording process (you have to watch the replay, while it records and can't even switch to another window) See an example video that I recorded below.

PS: Since I'm a big wuss when it comes to playing puzzle games in which you have to aim games, I have a wish for Zaz (besides nice background images :) ) and that is to have an indicator, what ball will be affected by me pressing or releasing the mouse button. I don't like aligning the Grappling hook with the balls.

Torys Shop n Rush v1.0.0.104-TE

When Tory’s uncle retires and leaves her his store, she wonders if she has what it takes to succeed in the retail game. Give Tory a hand by stocking shelves, cashing out customers, cleaning up after messy teenagers and helping old ladies remember what they want to buy. You’ll also need to keep an eye on the thief or he’ll steal your goods! Between shifts, you can spend the money you earned on additional staff and upgrades for your store. Keep your customers happy in Tory’s Shop ‘n’ Rush and you’ll live to play another day!

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Evidyon, HackWars, and SlothRPG: FreeGamer MMO Time!

So, here we go! First post from scary old uncle TheAncientGoat ;)

Evidyon, MMO from Reddit-way

Evidyon

Evidyon is an interesting 3D MORPG recently gone Open Source under the advice of the reddit community, releasing a whole slew of content, tutorials and documentation of how they went about making it in the process. This is a very admirable move, we'll all agree, so show them some love. Unfortunately, it's windows only, relying on DirectX (not VB though, thanks for the fix Nerrad), and I haven't gotten it running under Wine as of yet, but hopefully a few smart alecs can help port it.

Like most other mmo's it has a fantasy setting, as you can see in the screenshot and video, it also sports a Diabloesque style of combat

HackWars: MMO where you craft by programming

HackWars

Here's one for you scriptmonkies, Hackwars, a Java MMO where you play as a hacker (or cracker, more accurately), breaking into pcs by attacking their ports for massive damage. An interesting aspect of this game is its crafting system, you program your own programmes, either in Javascript or the game's built in HackScript, to make scripts that either help you fight or just entertain you. It has both a 2d and 3d interface.

This was also found via reddit and the author wrote some pretty interesting commentary on developing such a game (which you'll see if you follow that link). Also, why not post upcoming FOSS games on our little corner of redditOpenSourceGames and we'll try and cover them if we have the time.

SlothRPG

SlothRPG

SlothRPG is a fantasy 2D MUD -like RPG, also written in Java. It has recently been re-invigorated, so it's worth checking for updates. Unfortunately it doesn't have any servers online at the moment, so you'll have to host your own if you want to check it out

Pink Pony 1.2.1

I wanted to write about Pink Pony for a long time, but never came around to it. It's a Tron-like racing game and features hearts, ponies (also ai-controlled ones), graphic shaders and split-screen multiplayer support. Your aim is to collect hearts and to not run into your foes' trails. Last pony standing wins!

Download it for Win32 or as an easy-to-compile source tarball.

Unfortunately, the game does not support older graphics cards. If you are capable and willing to add legacy support, you can find the source repository . If you have ideas for more features, please post them (or just comment this blog article).

Pink Pony development was not a one-man ride: While the game concept and code is by ginkgo, tornado created the pony model and textured it, then Skorpio added animation to the pony. A sky render by brisingre is used in the game and I contributed two textures to it. Edit: I forgot to add that MCMic programmed the AI and that Renich's music is used.

I believe that Pink Pony now is the best child-friendly open source game, regarding visuals and gameplay. Most free software games friendly for kids I know try to be education software. Then again, maybe I should give Tux Racer another try.

Pet Playground

Help two young fairies, Eugene and Ellen Moonlight, care for a variety of adorable pets! These critters have been neglected for far too long, and need Eugene and Ellen to lift their spirits using their Pet Playground. Unlock unique upgrades and powerful magic as you master each level in this cute Time Management game. Cure these lonely hearts as you travel across Wonderia, and bring happiness to the animals!

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Hide and Secret 3 Pharaohs Quest v1.0.0.2-TE

Help reunite two ancient royal lovers by returning their stolen treasures to their tombs! Travel all over the world to track down and find these priceless artifacts in this expansive Hidden Object game. Use your wits to collect different pieces of the puzzle and place them in the correct locations to appease the Pharaoh. Solve timeless riddles and perplexing puzzles in Hide and Secret 3 – Pharaoh`s Quest!

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Final Fantasy XIII E3 2009 Extended Trailer

Final Fantasy XIII - a console role-playing game developed by Square Enix. Exclusively released for PlayStation 3 in Japan, and on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Europe and North America. First appearing at the 2006 E3, the game features futuristic elements and is set in a high-tech world.

Final Fantasy XIII is the flagship title of the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII collection.

Due to the frequency of rumored release dates appearing on the Internet, Square Enix's official website issued a statement reminding consumers that any "confirmed release dates" reported by sources other than Square Enix are "erroneous and should be disregarded".During Microsoft's media briefing at the 2008 E3, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIII would be released first in Japan on PlayStation 3 in 2009, then released in North America and Europe on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The latter would start development only after the Japanese PlayStation 3 version is completed, and the 360 version will come on multiple discs. A Japanese release of the Xbox 360 version of the game is not planned.

Final Fantasy XIII E3 2009 Extended Trailer

Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny

Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny - a fighting game in the Soul Calibur series for PSP. It was announced by Namco Bandai on April 28, 2009. It plans to use a lot of the features of Soulcalibur IV, including its character customization mode. One of the goals of the game is "to target beginners and novice players with SC IV's content". The game is known to introduce at least two new characters to the series, including Kratos from the God of War series, and Dampierre, a new original character.

Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny E3 2009 Trailer:

Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny will include over 30 characters including a new character named Dampierre. All regular characters from Soulcalibur IV return, but the bonus characters and Star Wars guest characters from Soulcalibur IV are absent. At the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Namco Bandai revealed that they will be replaced with a different guest character, Kratos from Sony's God of War series. more on wiki

PopCap Bejeweled 2 Deluxe

Get set to play the PopCap game that set the standard in casual gaming! Match sparkling gems three at a time to make them burst in showers of color and points. Match four or more to create flashy power gems that boost your score and your mood with brilliant cascades and combos. Soar to gem-matching heights in Classic mode, or speed through matches against the clock in Action. For even more dazzling fun, bump up your brainwaves with multi-faceted Puzzles, or enter the Zen state of Endless play. Every match is high-carat fun!

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Iron Roses v1.0.3.12 Cracked-F4CG

Go behind the scenes and get the real story of how Iron Roses™ became the world-famous band they are today in this music-themed, problem-solving adventure from Sandlot Games!

Alex’s true love in life has always been music, particularly the music of her former band, Iron Roses. After an acrimonious split, her former bandmates went their separate ways and Alex drifted from job to job, still dreaming of one day making it big in the music industry.

Help Alex navigate a bustling urban landscape as she frantically searches for her former bandmates and tries to convince them to enter the upcoming “Battle of the Bands”. Track down their lost equipment, interact with intriguing characters, and use all of your problem solving skills as you make the long, hard climb to the top!

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Bumble Tales v1.5

Adorable adventures of match-3 family fun!with a town of memorable Bumbles! Follow the unique stories of Springleton’s 35 fully-animated characters! Bursting with colorful creatures, vibrant graphics, full voice-over, and upgradeable powers, BumbleTales relaxing and engaging for all ages!

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James Patterson Womens Murder Club Twice in a Blue Moon

Women’s Murder Club Twice in a Blue Moon poses a perplexing question: “Who am I?” Enter a criminal’s mind as you decipher cryptic messages and reveal his identity before it’s too late. Uncover evidence to stop a killer in his tracks.

We enter Women’s Murder Club Twice in a Blue Moon on a violent night in the murky streets of San Francisco, a cryptic message becomes key to unraveling a gruesome investigation:

“If you want to catch a killer, I can tell you where…Who am I?”

Leading police on an intense chase, there is little time to stop a killer before he strikes again. Join the Women’s Murder Club as you unravel a murderer’s tribute to the past by uncovering clues, gathering facts and revealing his identity before it’s too late. Immerse yourself in this thrilling seek and find adventure.

A truly shocking James Patterson adventure. Third in the online game series, Women’s Murder Club Twice in a Blue Moon will leave you trembling

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OpenMW interview with Nicolay Korslund

Early OpenMW GUI implementation

OpenMW is a re-implementation of the (non-free) TES3 Morrowind game engine, written in the D programming language. The engine makes use of OGRE and other open source libraries, features an own scripting language called "Monster" and the latest release has the version number 0.6.

Out of curiosity, I asked Nicolay Korslund (the lead developer) one year ago what his motivation for writing OpenMW was. Later I decided to ask some more and now you can finally read the interview, in which Nicolay tells us about Git, OpenMW's development and whether or not to expect original games as a result of the OpenMW project.

The interview

Q1: What is your motivation for writing OpenMW?

Initially the project was started a few years ago (somewhere around 2004-2005, don't remember exactly), out from desire to improve a game I loved and from frustration with bugs and issues that made it less fun than it could be. Having been a programmer for about a decade, I felt that most of the bugs were unnecessary and could easily have been fixed if Bethesda has devoted the resources to it. I started getting that curious 'I could do this better myself' feeling, that you sometimes get when you've been doing a craft for years and aren't satisfied with someone elses work. (Not that I think Bethesdas coding is shoddy in any way, they're a company with limited resources like any company, and sometimes you just don't have the money to improve thing ad infinitum even though you would like to.)

To keep up (or even start) a big project such as OpenMW, though, you'll usually need more than just one big motivation to drive you and keep you going. For example, I knew from the outset that this project was something that others would get excited about, and that's a big motivating factor. The amount of positive feedback I've gotten on OpenMW since release has been pretty stunning, and it really helps to know that what you're making will affect others in a positive way. I had always wanted to contribute to open source software, but so far hadn't found any project I burned for, and none of my own projects ever made it to the point of release.

Another motivation you'll need of course is the joy of working on it - it's a hobby after all. I love programming, I love improving things, and I love reverse engineering file formats. Thee big pluses when you're doing a reimplementation. It also forces you to learn new skills - I've always wanted to learn more game development, such as using a 'modern' 3D engine, but I never had any real motivation to do it before I started OpenMW. On top of all that I had just fell in love with the D programming language, which blew me away to the point of abandoning C++ literally over night. D had (and still has, to some degree) a desperate need for more attention getting projects, and I wanted to help with that. I knew there would be challenges with using such a new language, but I was determined to show that none of them were show stoppers.

Q2: Are other people involved in OpenMW or Monster?

Yes, quite a few really. I started a mailing list for OpenMW about a year ago, after initially getting very positive feedback on the project. The list now counts over 130 members, and even more pay attention to the project through various forums. Only a very small fraction of those have contributed code of course, but many contribute other things like testing, knowledge about the file formats/mods, or simply through feedback and ideas. For Monster I've intentionally run a somewhat lower profile, but there are a few of early-adopter-type developers who are using it in their own engines. If things go as planned though, the two projects will become much more intertwined in the future, and I hope that Monster can contribute a lot to OpenMW (and make my job as lead developer a lot easier.)

Q3: How did you find those people? Or was it them who found you?

I've done very little 'advertising' for my projects - I think I posted about OpenMW on exactly one forum (the OGRE forum), the rest took care of itself. I had to create the mailing list simply because I couldn't keep track of all the individual conversations any longer.

Q4: Are you going to make OpenMW usable with non-Morrowind content, so that new games can base on it? If yes, will you make such a game?

It's very possible that the project will spawn an engine that's usable for other games, but we don't have any specific plans for that right now. Although we are on friendly terms with another project that uses much of the same technology, called DungeonHack. It's very likely that our two engines will share some code in the future. Even though we're not working on making a generic game engine, it will likely be possible to make much more extensive Total Conversion mods for OpenMW than for the original Morrowind engine. And the scripting features we're planning will let you bend the rules to the point where you would probably not consider it to be the same game anymore. Personally however I have very little talent for game creation (except for the coding part), so I don't think I'll be behind any of those mods myself.

Q5: You've picked OGRE as OpenMW's 3D engine. What about the alternatives (Irrlicht, jMonkeyEngine, Crystal Space, writing an own 3D engine...)?

I think probably all those (and many others) would have been good choices, except the last one. Writing a new engine and getting it to a point where it could compete with OGRE et al. would have taken years, and IMO it's usually a complete waste of time unless you're doing something really unique with it. There are so many good and free off-the-shelf alternatives out there (too many already...), and if you need some feature that they don't provide you can usually add it in yourself in 1/100th of the time it takes you to write a new engine from scratch.

Q6: You recently switched to Git from SVN. What motivated the switch?

Popular demand :) But after trying out Git (and taking the time to understand how it works), I fell completely in love with it myself. SVN is now ancient technology as far as I'm concerned. And with git-svn, Git is even a better Subversion client that Subversion is. However since it's so easy to integrate the two, we are keeping the SVN repositories on-line for the foreseeable future, and existing SVN users don't really need to change anything. I know it takes a real geek to obsess this much over a version control system, but that's how it is :)

More development information

You can find some technical details about OpenMW's codebase on its ohloh page.

Latest OpenMW video

OpenMW terrain test2: skydiving

2D Sonic the Hedgehog Game in 2010

Check this out Sonic the Hedgehog fanatics - Sega announces plans to release a 2-D Sonic game with high definition graphics. According to Gamedaily.com - Sega will finally return Sonic the Hedgehog to his roots. The company dropped a bombshell on the gaming world by announcing an all new 2-D video game in high definition. Codenamed "Project Needlemouse", this new project will play similar to the classic Genesis games. Here's a teaser trailer below.

GEARGRINDER-POSTMORTEM

POSTMORTEM bring us this small-sized game (compared to usual games these days) titled “GearGrinder”.

Buckle up and enjoy fully motorized mayhem with GearGrinder, the new incarnation of an underrepresented genre of arcade racing action. Take full control of your power-ful truck, mounted with the most devastating weapons available, malicious mines and more nifty gadgets, and complete over 45 versatile and thrilling missions, leaving a trail of devastation wherever you go. Need something extra? Just transform your ve-hicle from combat to racing mode, deploy your jet engine and smile at your oppo-nents while they watch your rear light disappear in the distance.

With destructible race environments ranging from shabby industrial circuits and cramped city tracks to the most gorgeous countryside, multiplayer modes for up to 8 players (LAN) and a thrilling story about a lot of money, hunger for power, corruption and friendship, GearGrinder will trigger the surge of adrenalin every man needs at regular inter-vals…

Features:

• Adapt to any situation: Transform your truck from racing to combat mode in an instant
• Countless primary and secondary weapons, mines, engines, structures and other tuning options to unlock
• Including mini games for great stress relief: Slalom, Bowling, Arena and more
• Multiplayer-modes (LAN) for up to 8 players

Download
http://rapidshare.com/files/285917389/GEARGRINDER-POSTMORTEM-part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/285917765/GEARGRINDER-POSTMORTEM-part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/285917478/GEARGRINDER-POSTMORTEM-part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/285917388/GEARGRINDER-POSTMORTEM-part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/285917778/GEARGRINDER-POSTMORTEM-part5.rar

No pass!!!

Fashion Fortune v1.0-TE

After finishing school and getting your degree, you decide to open up your very own hip and trendy boutique! Sell fantastic clothes, find perfect outfits for your clients, and earn your very own Fashion Fortune! Purchase helpful upgrades to increase profits and expand your store in this fun and exciting Time Management game. Can you work your way to the top and make your boutique the number one place to shop?

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Keys to Manhattan v1.0.0.269-TE

Help Emily, a talented but poor artist, save her childhood home from being demolished and restore the house to its former glory! Explore gritty and glamorous locales all over Manhattan for cleverly hidden treasure and use the riches to complete the restoration process of her uncle`s once majestic townhouse. Find the Keys to Manhattan in this Hidden Object game, and discover where Emily`s uncle has disappeared to!

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Empire Builder Ancient Egypt v1.0-TE

Become ancient Egypt`s greatest architect and construct world famous monuments as you raise an empire from the sands of time! Help powerful pharaohs build along the lush Nile River and solidify their life legacy in Empire Builder - Ancient Egypt. This detailed Strategy game challenges you to protect your people from locust plagues and terrifying mummies, while creating some of the Wonders of the World!

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PS3 goes 3D

This will be cool because you can now enjoy playing video games on 3D as according to newlaunches - Sony’s PlayStation 3 is going 3D next year. That brings us a 3D mode to Sony’s console that will work with all existing games by next year. But first, you will need to buy a TV that will support 3D. And then you will have to wait until you get a hang of this console and then you can play and enjoy 3D games, until the next generation gaming effect is released. It looks like soon enough this world is going to turn into a virtual reality. Well as for me, that would be great because as of now innovations is really speeding up.

Take a look the video below PS3 3D gaming:

Micro Flight 5

Micro Flight also simulates types of vehicles not simulated by other general aviation programs, such as: Hanggliders, Paragliders, Gyroplanes, Helicopters, Trikes, Balloons and more. Flight instrumentation and navigational aids were made to resemble real ones, this includes the hand held GPS, standard flight instruments, head up display and more.The whole enviroment which the user interacts with is three dimentional, even operating the instruments in the cockpit is made by manipulating them with the mouse and not just by pressing keys. The terrain model used is detailed and optimized, giving the terrain a photorealistic look while still maintaing a high frame rate during run. The program supports a wide variety of scenery formats, and can import aerial photography and USGS digital elevation data directly. The program includes flight recording and anaylis, giving the user the ability to study the flight in detail and export its path in digital form for any purpose. The program has netplay mode which enables users to fly and communicate with each other. All this and more make the program a unique and valueable tool for flight simulation.

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Flock-RELOADED

RELOADED have just released a strange and smallish (176MB) puzzle game called “Flock” which was actually released in April but looks like no scene groups have released it until RELOADED just now, basically you have to control a UFO and try to “Flock” animals to the mothership.

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a … lovable animal-herding UFO! In Flock, players take control of an alien UFO that is tasked with herding animals to its mothership through a variety of interactive levels. Players will have to overcome the stubbornness of the temperamental beasts (this may require the use of fear, or amorous yearnings, etc.), as well as a series of environmental puzzles that must be solved using Flock’s physics-based gameplay. By finding or making a passable route, players can herd the animals safely toward the ship. Solving the puzzles within the suggested time limit yields exciting rewards. But players can also take their time to find more hidden bonuses.

Flock uses a sophisticated physics engine that drives the challenging puzzle elements of the game. Whether it’s using the Tractor beam to move obstacles out of the way, or the Depressor beam to stamp out crop circles to guide your herds, being an extraterrestrial has never been this addictive. Friends can also join in through co-op play. And when all the levels have been completed, users can make their own with the level editor that comes with the game.

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Zumas Revenge v1.0

The ribbeting sequel to the ball-blasting classic! Enter an all-new world of Zuma where evil tiki bosses rule the land! Conquer over 60 levels by firing stone spheres to make matches and destroy the deadly stream of balls, then take on six tiki boss battles and guide your agile amphibian to victory! Leap into action in four game modes with explosive new features and amazing new gameplay: Slide and hop for smarter shots, hit targets for exotic bonuses, and detonate new power-up balls! Will you succumb to the perilous pitfalls, or can you tame the jungle in this PopCap ball-blasting challenge?

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Bato Treasures of Tibet v1.0

Match similarly colored stones to unearth Far Eastern treasures! Help your Tibetan master force stones to collide and clear the board in each exotic level. From deserted ruins to secret caves, embark on an adventure of logic and puzzles!

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NAEV 0.4.0 review

NAEV Items

NAEV 0.4.0 is out, a game of the space trading and combat simulator genre, inspired by the non-free Escape Velocity. Win32/lin32/lin64/mac binaries are available here.

The new version has parts of the user interface changed and is better accessible, for example through in-game gui keybind editing. Three aspects of NAEV show that usability is a priority: 1) the tutorial is informative without overwhelming too much 2) most combats can be evaded through the run away-tactic (this might be unintended, but definitely liked by me). 3) The automatic jump system, that allows consecutive jumps to systems without having to manually repeat standard maneuvers gives much relief to the player.

The changelog also lists better-looking visuals as well as new sounds and music tracks. As a bonus, all the art in the game is licensed under Debian-friendly licenses. [license.txt: audio, visuals]

Gameplay

Wingmen fighters in action

In NAEV the player starts with a small trading ship and needs to earn money to buy new vessels and equipment. Trading or patrolling missions are the key to income. Though I'm no fan of playing lots of similar missions in a row, I did feel satisfaction, when discovering the most effective way to earn money with them: play patrolling missions and a lot of them at the same time.

Along with the repetitive, generated tasks, there are some original missions of different difficulties that allow the plot to progress and/or provide alternative methods of earning credits. They alone are reason enough to give NAEV a spin. The developers want to include more and more story missions, so contact them via IRC or mailing list if you're up to some sci-fi 'quest' writing! :)

A third (or is it fourth?) method of increasing wealth is observing prices and buying where prices are low and selling where products are expensive. However, there is not much of an economical simulation implemented in NAEV yet, so I wouldn't recommend this path for now.

Yet another battle

Scout ships, fighters and battle-cruisers are available in the shipyards of NAEV, different kinds of energy and missile weapons can be bought, various upgrades can be installed. The brainless method of costlier=better didn't work for me, I had to balance the effects and firepower against speed an maneuverability. Running away is more enjoyable to me than fighting and waiting ten seconds for my ship to turn.

The coolest item in the game is the fighter bay. It allows to host small allied ships in your cruiser. After 'shooting' them into space, they will attack enemies and can be controlled with a few simple commands. Place two is occupied by the afterburners, which will give a temporary speed boost at the price of having the view shaken.

Interviews

Next, two questions for the current top 5 NAEV contributors (and two extra ones for the lead dev):

Q1: What is your role in NAEV development?

bobbens: I am the lead developer of naev.

Deiz: I do a bit of everything, as required. Done graphics, sound, missions, etc., but most of my time has been spent on making the sprites look nice and getting the game to a fairly balanced state. For sound I mostly hunted things down and vocoded a few sounds to get the results I wanted. For graphics, most of the ship models are sourced from Vega Strike, many of the outfit graphics are based on models by Joss that I've heavily hacked up.

brtzsnr: I coded a couple of features that NEAV lacked (one of them is the faction disks), now I'm working on 3d-models and sometimes I fix bugs. I wish I had the time to implement more complex features.

stephank: I wrote some code to save configuration. It was unable to at the time.

BTAxis: I've provided some game content (two missions and half a dozen systems so far). That is the extent of my active role in NAEV's development. However, I also occasionally put forward proposals for new or improved game mechanics on the project mailing list, and if I can make them convincing enough and/or talk bobbens into seeing things my way, they may one day find their way into the actual game. I enjoy doing that. Thinking up game mechanics, making them work in my head and fitting them into a bigger picture is fun for me.

Q2: What do you want the game to become in the future?

bobbens: I want the game to be as good as the memories of my childhood playing original EV made it to be.

Deiz: Ultimately I'd like to see NAEV be appealing to a broader audience. At present if you're not somewhat familiar with the Escape Velocity/Elite/Freelancer/etc genre there's not too much to grab your attention.

brtzsnr: I hope NAEV to become more RPG-like (have a crew with different skills tree, say one engineer, one pilot, one commander, etc). Also I want more non-linear/intricate stories.

stephank: I played a lot of Escape Velocity, so that's why I got interested in NAEV. It looks and feels a lot like EV right now, but it looks like the (active) developers are mixing in interesting features from other games in the same genre, and even innovating. I would like them to surprise me, more so than me influencing them. :)

BTAxis: I already mentioned the proposals I wrote up. They're essentially the answer to this question, or at least they're the story so far. But if I'd have to explain it in two words, I'd say that I want naev to be a space exploration game that offers a high degree of interactivity while at the same time providing and engrossing and believable world for the player. That is not an easy goal to meet. Most space games that I know of sacrifice one aspect to pursue another, and in the end NAEV may have to as well. But at this point in time, I believe it's doable, and I hope to be part of making it happen. [For more information check out the proposals on NAEV's mailing list]

Q3: What made you start the project?

bobbens: I started the project about 6 years ago by myself when I realized that there was no game like EV (which I had played extremely intensively as a kid) on linux. EV also had major gameplay flaws that should have been worked around. Since I had no projects at the time I started out with the ambitious NAEV, which over the years has slowly been taking shape and was released recently (one year ago) to the general public. As of 0.4.0 I'm starting to be pretty impressed by the results.

Q4: What do you think of Star Control II (The Ur-Quan Masters) as an example of a EV-like GNU/Linux game?

bobbens: I only played Star Control II after someone mentioned it to me about 6 months ago. It does seem to have a lot of EV features, but it seems to lose a bit the fast paced-ness of EV and customizeability of the ships. However it does have other great features that EV lacks like the zooming in systems and the dialog use.

It's good to find good features in other games and use them for inspiration in NAEV, it's evolved enough that it no longer is an EV clone. It also takes from all over while trying to keep itself unique.

Latest NAEV gameplay video

NAEV 0.4.0 beta gameplay

Gran Turismo PSP

The highly acclaimed Gran Turismo makes its highly anticipated debut exclusively on the PSP system, introducing the most ultra-realistic racing experience ever on a handheld. Buckle up as you prove your driving skills on 35 tracks and trade and share up to 800 stunning cars. With its unrivaled graphics, Gran Turismo continues to lead the pack on the PSP system.

Gran Turismo® (PSP) Interview:

source: gamedaily

Xbox 360 - 250 GB for Modern Warfare

Infinity Ward announced at a press event in Los Angeles today that, to commemorate the release of the game, Microsoft will be releasing a brand new model of the Xbox 360 based on Modern Warfare 2.

This new console will be black, with Modern Warfare 2 branding, and will also come packing a 250GB HDD (yup, you read right - it is real), with a copy of the game and two wireless controllers. It'll be $399 and the availability of it is on November 10, and is already available for preorder.

Legends Of The Wild West Golden Hill v1.0

Enjoy hidden object fun in the Wild West as you play this first installment of an all new series of casual games set against the backdrop of one of the most extraordinary times and places in history. Follow Luka, a handsome knife thrower for the Italian circus, and Natalie, a beautiful French girl who cares for the horses used in the shows, as they give in to the lure of the Wild West and learn that love can blossom even on the dusty frontier. Solve a variety of hidden object puzzles and experience a non-violent story of friendship and loyalty in this thrilling adventure.

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The Hardy Boys The Perfect Crime-HI2U

A series of malicious crimes grips the Hardy Boys’ hometown of Bayport and it’s up to Frank and Joe Hardy to assist the police in their attempt to capture the culprits. From the first crime scene, however, it becomes apparent that there’s an even deeper plot to these sinister activities. Search and explore more than 30 unique locations across 50 different levels as you attempt to unravel the mysterious case and uncover the mastermind behind the recent crimes.

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Rain Talisman v1.0

Spin wheels to make color matches and recover the ancient Rain Talisman on this great adventure! Be rewarded by a plethora of power ups by turning the right wheel. With over 100 levels spread across 3 Game Modes and 6 different locations, you will never get tired of Rain Talisman and the perplexing puzzles it delivers.

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Open source 3D RPG updates

There has been some activity in the most prominent free (as in freedom) software 3D role-playing games DungeonHack, jClassicRPG and Radakan.

DungeonHack

Green, water and village in DungeonHack []

DungeonHack (DH) 0.10 has been released in form of win&lin 32bit biaries and a few commits later I was able to compile the game on my 64bit Arch Linux machine. It is the first release of DH that does not rely on non-free libraries.

I played the game for the first time and I was positively surprised. Not only can I move around in the nice-looking (endless) landscape but also fight, cast magic, pick up items, enter houses and dungeons as well as talk to npcs. Physics also work (see barrels video below). On the downside: the current code is crash-happy and there is little content: In toto three houses, two dungeons, two enemy types, two items, one non-player character, one spell).

Zombie roasting á la DH

The next DH aim is to create a typical RPG village, add some inventory and status GUI and to write a dialog system (the current one runs on boxes). Maybe you feel like giving them a programmer's or artist's hand at achieving one of these or other goals? Then enter the DH chatroom and/or forum (which I find one of the most entertaining floss game forums to read).

Q's first gameplay - DungeonHack svn rev 520

Fun with barrels!

When test-playing DH, it appears weird to me that enemies' bodies disappear when eliminated and wish they would drop and also drop loot, which I could then collect into the (also not yet accessible) inventory. When playing the latest release or watching the videos, is there something you feel is missing?

jClassicRPG

Shrine and road in jClassicRPG

There has been much activity lately in jClassicRPG's Subversion repository. There are texture-roads now, the map not only shows terrain type any more but also infrastructure (roads and settlements). Shrines and Igloo buildings appear in the game world and a yeti creature has been added to the game's repertoire.

Usability has increased a lot through mouse menu integration and addition of buttons for map, character status etc. Though the drop-down menus don't act as the ones most of us are probably used to, the GUI-usage learning curve has dropped a lot. I especially like the tool-tip system, which shows usage instructions for the different controls or details about fields in the map. If only the font was better readable...

If you would like to help jClassicRPG grow, I can think of at least one Blender-modelling task: give attack animations to this gorilla. Apart from that you can find ways to help on this page and in this thread. And if you're hardcore, also read the TODO! (Search for "[ ]") :D

New game & character creation jClassicRPG r1849

Travel and battle

What I would like to see in jClassicRPG are cloth/armor items and a menu for equipping my party members with them. (EDIT: already there - left click character portraits.) Also the shiny flowers scream to me "pick me" and I hope that will be a gameplay option some day. Can you think of content or features that would enrich the game?

Radakan

Panda3D integration in Radakan

Radakan's developer announced a while ago, that the 3D view of the game will be postponed and a text/GUI interface would be developed first. Now Panda3D, a fun, BSD-licensed, python-powered game engine is being integrated.

What Radakan's developers could use help with now is exporting their already available media [.7z archive] and some media from OpenGameArt to the Panda3d .egg format. Instructions here (press "next" multiple times to see instructions for various 3D applications).

Radakan's 'behavior' editor

I do not care too much for the 3D part of the game (at least not yet). I would prefer the engine to be more stable, so I could try out the quest and add some detail to it using the behavior editor. What do you think? Is implementing 3D worth the time or would you rather prefer the gui/text-based framework to get developed further?

Off-topic

A little hint if you ever feel like making a gameplay video yourself: I prepared the videos for this post (and other posts) using glc to record and mencoder to encode. Sometimes (for non-OpenGL games) I use recordmydesktop to record. Feel free to ask in the comments or forum if I can help you with making videos.

Another little hint: If you are unable to use YouTube but curious about the videos and can play back mp4 files (vlc and mplayer can handle them), use youtube-dl to download videos for off-line playback.