Ancient Games

Slitherine releases Field of Glory Legions Triumphant Expansion Pack

2011-03-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Field of Glory Legions Triumphant (Field of Glory Expansion Pack) is now available to download from Slitherine

Relive the glory years of Rome in this latest Field of Glory expansion. Developed by Hexwar, Legions Triumphant is the fifth installment in the Field of Glory series of add-ons, following on from Rise of Rome, Storm of Arrows, Swords and Scimitars, and Immortal Fire.

The expansion releases on both PC and Mac formats and comes with a huge number of changes incorporated in the latest product update 1.5.0 which is launching alongside Legions Triumphant. Some new features coming in the 1.5.0 update include the release of the Digital Army Generator to all owners Field of Glory (including those who don’t own any expansions!), new D.A.G. army lists especially for owners of Rise of Rome, and a few more new things.

Field of Glory Legions Triumphant covers the armies of the Roman Empire and its opponents from 25 BC to 493 AD: From the first Emperor, Augustus, until the final demise of the Western Roman Empire. Legions Triumphant lets you relive the glory years of Rome, when the Roman army became a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut, spreading the Empire across the known world. This is an essential companion to the Field of Glory experience. Choose to play as the Roman Legions and conquer the world, or try to change history by taking up the reins of one of Rome's enemies and defeating the greatest empire the world had ever seen.

New features include:

• A new map selections tool. The player winning the initiative can now select their preferred battlefield.
• 14 new random maps to the D.A.G. battles system. There are now 41 small maps, 111 medium sized maps and 73 large maps in the D.A.G. system.
• 22 Legions Triumphant D.A.G. lists in 47 variations from Principate Roman to Hephthalite Hunnic.
• 15 new battles stretching from Bibracte (58BC) to Mons Badonicus (517AD)

For a short time Slitherine is also offering a 20% discount on orders.

Serpent of Isis: Your Journey Continues / Infopackets.com

2011-03-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

Serpent of Isis: Your Journey Continues / Infopackets.com: "Find the Tomb of Isis and finish the search that Robert's Grandpa started! Travel the globe and find clues that will help on your search! After Professor Thomas Penroy is kidnapped, it's up to you to take over the hunt for the legendry Tomb of Isis in this perplexing Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game. Unravel ancient mysteries and solve incredible riddles in Serpent of Isis � Your Journey Continues!"

The graphics look promising and I enjoy hidden object challenges! I wish they had it available for the iPhone but its a PC-based game. I see that its system requirements say Windows XP/Vista but I double checked the help forum on Big Fish Games and it says all downloadable games have been tested and are compatible with Windows 7 as well.

Romance of Rome Hidden Object Game for IPhone/IPad due Feb 17

2011-02-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

Travel to every corner of the ancient city of Rome like Coliseum, Thermae, Forum and more, collect skillfully hidden items, earn money, get original trophies and complete challenging quests to earn love and worship of Roman citizens. - Awem Studios

Gamers get to embark on an exciting journey along with Marcus as he makes his way to Rome in order to find the emperor’s valuable imperial relics and win his daughter’s hand in marriage. Merchants encountered along the way provide special items which are purchasable by gamers.

Romance of Rome boasts of including 30 dazzling levels as well as 7 adventurous episodes. All these events are strewn across 17 stunning locations all over Rome. - G5 Entertainment

I've actually found hidden object games a fun way to spend time waiting in lines or at doctor's offices. They're especially fun when the game developers use a historical setting as a backdrop. I purchased one that features a search of the Vatican and downloaded another that takes place in ancient Mesopotamia. I'll be setting a reminder to download this one on February 17!

Ministry of War online strategy game latest offering from Aeria Games

2010-12-22T08:02:00.000-08:00

Aeria Games has launched its latest browser based game Ministry of War, an empire-building strategy and tactical warfare game in which players have the option of choosing from four ancient civilizations such as Rome, China, Persia, and Egypt, with the ability to play through five different ages: Savage, Dark, Feudal, Castle and Empire.

Features include:

Eight different types of real-time combat, including PvE, PvP, city sieges, and NPC boss battles.
As each player's civilization expands, they can join guilds and partake in massive civilization vs. civilization (CvC) warfare.
Increase your cultural influence by building religious sites and dispatching missionaries to help your civilization grow.
No download or client required, Ministry of War can be played through a web browser

Although the game is advertised as "free to play", like all of the Aeria games, the game environment includes in-game "malls" or advertising offering items for sale (for real money) to help you advance in the game, the game publisher's actual source of revenue (much like Second Life).

2008's Call of Atlantis rebooted for Nintendo DS

2010-12-01T15:39:00.000-08:00

This combo game that includes Match3, Hidden Object and Reverse Hidden Object challenges originally developed for the PC in 2008 is getting a chance for a new life in its incarnation for the Nintendo DS released this month.

A fascinating journey through the ancient lands of Rome, Greece, Troy, Phoenicia, Babylon, Egypt and Carthage awaits you. Collect seven mysterious power crystals, cool the wrath of Poseidon, the god of Atlantis, and save the hidden continent of legend.

Features:

- The game where old mythical stories meet modern time game play.
- The match 3 game that was enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people on the PC.
- A unique mix of Match 3, Hidden Object and Adverture.
- 66 enchanting levels, unlimited game play

I see that it is still available for PC download from Amazon too for only $6.99 and has garnered an average review rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. Not bad!!

Caesary online MMORPG released by Aeria Games

2010-07-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Aeria Games, an online gaming company based in Japan, has released a browser-based game entitled "Caesary" that resembles one of my old favorites, Caesar III. Apparently you can play the game online for free and does not require a download. I wondered how the company produces revenue so I did some research and found that, although they allow players to play the game for free, they have advertising "in world" and offer game-related items for sale in virtual malls that accept micropayments. This sounds like the type of malls you find throughout many environments created in Second Life.

Here's the official game trailer from YouTube:

Slitherine teams with History Channel to release History Egypt:: Engineering an Empire

2010-02-26T12:08:00.000-08:00

I see Slitherine, the company that released "Legion", "Gates of Troy" and "Field of Glory", has teamed up with the History Channel to produce "History Egypt: Engineering an Empire".

"HISTORY™ Egypt Engineering an Empire allows players to build their own empire from its foundations to the height of its power. Acting as the leader of a territory from the Egyptian Empire, players manage all aspects of its rise, from economic growth to political power, the development of armies, and expansion into other regions by war and diplomacy.
Empires are controlled from three main views: the Campaign Map shows the entire game world, including mountains, forests, coastlines, oceans, rivers, cites, and armies. The City Map gives players an overview of the structure and role of a city within the empire, and provides a basis for economic decisions. The Battle Map is to be used when diplomacy has run its course or when a city is being attacked, resulting in turn-based combat.
All nations, cities and armies were carefully researched to ensure historical accuracy. The game is accessible for new users, while offering deeper gameplay for expert players." - Slitherine

I noted with particular interest that they are releasing an iPhone version of the game. I checked out the graphics and they are rather modest so an iPhone version could be a worthwhile download. More and more I find I am turning to my iPhone to pass the time when I am waiting for doctors, airplanes or automotive services. The only thing that looks a little odd is when I am playing iFishing and I am either casting my line or setting the hook since both actions require the appropriate physical action with the iPhone to activate its accelerometer functions. The other day I was waiting to see a specialist and was happily fishing away on my iPhone when he finally walked in. He greeted me and asked me what was the problem and I replied " But..I've got a fish on!!"

If you preorder the game, Slitherine will enter you in a drawing for a copy of the History Channel DVD "Egypt: Engineering an Empire". The drawing will be March 25, 2010.

Mac Gamers can explore ancient Egypt in Mystery of Cleopatra

2010-01-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

For you Mac gamers out there, Mac Games and More suggests a couple of games set in ancient Egypt The screenshot of the Mystery of Cleopatra game looks really beautiful!

Mystery of Cleopatra – Mystery of Cleopatra is Nat Geo Games’ second Mac game just following the success of the popular hidden objects game, Lost City of Z. In Mystery of Cleopatra, you’re the queen’s trusted adviser who sets out to investigate the murder of a Roman soldier by piecing together hidden objects and mind twisting puzzles. During your meticulous review of the case, you will be immersed in the intricate culture of ancient Egypt, and as you investigate, the game shares enlightening and detailed information about the history of each place you visit, which will enhance the experience for gaming history buffs. Download it

Empire Builder Ancient Egypt – It has been a while since the release of the popular Build a Lot series for Mac, and some of those gamers have been looking for something new like it. Have no fear. Empire Builder Ancient Egypt is here. Head back in time to Ancient Egypt to construct an Empire deserving of the highest regal repute. Help powerful pharaohs build along the verdant Nile River and establish their life legacy. This detailed Strategy Sim game for Mac challenges you to protect your people from locust plagues and hideous mummies, while creating the most impressive Empire the world has ever seen. Download it

Unfortunately, I no longer have access to a Mac now that I am retired. I checked the iTunes app store to see if they had a version for an iPhone since I do have one of those but no luck. I did find an interesting sounding hidden objects adventure game, though, called Secrets of the Vatican where you not only find different types of hidden objects but you search for the Spear of Longinus so you can prevent the Nazis from using it against the Allies in WWII. I see today it is now been released for free. Just my luck! I just bought it yesterday for 99 cents!!

Secrets of the Vatican: The Holy Lance - "In this first title of a 3-game collection, investigate the Vatican’s secrets and reassemble the pieces of the Holy Lance of Longinus in this game of hidden objects designed exclusively for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Considered as one of the most desired relics, the Holy Lance brings victory and conquest to the men who possess it... Father Bellarmo Bagatti, art historian of the Church of Rome, is in charge of a mission of the highest importance: to retrieve the Holy Lance before the Germans seize it. The outcome of World War II depends on your success!"

Strenth and Honor 2 plumbs the chaos of 292 BCE

2009-11-28T08:03:00.000-08:00

This game spans most of the civilizations of the known world of the eastern hemisphere at a very interesting point in history. I recently wrote an article about the Han dynasty and the rise of Liu Bang, the dynasty's first emperor, for Heritage Key. I found the political and military maneuvers of Liu Bang to be fascinating and in many ways similar to the intrigues in the late Roman Republic. This game gives you the opportunity to explore both!

[Image: Character Qing Bu, a former prisoner of the Qin who escaped and eventually became a key general of the Han. Image courtesy of game developer "Magitek".]

"In 232BC, many great empires have risen to power on the world stage. In the West, the nations that once made up Alexander the Great's mighty empire are crumbling and conflicts and political differences are plaguing the region. Carthage and Rome are bitter rivals fighting to dominant and eliminate each other from the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, the typically peaceful Egyptian Empire is at war with the Selecuid Empire as an act of revenge against a murder plot by the Selecuid king that secured his claim to the throne. In the Northeast, the Huns threaten the northern Chinese states as the Qin dynasty fights to unify China and in Southeast Asia, the death of the great ruler Ashoka has left the nation in a state of flux. The world is chaotic and full of heroes, dreamers and deceivers. What path will you choose to raise a mighty empire?"

Characters:

Each character in SNH2 has an archetype which will affect their personality attributes score ranges. These scores include such traits as a character's openness, intelligence, morals, charm and ambition. Depending on their attributes they may be loyal and effective warriors and negotiators for your cause or they may seek to rebel and bring an end to your reign. There are fourteen archetypes in the game which are:

Caregivers: A Caregiver is always concerned for the well-being of others. Caregivers like to be in roles that give them a chance to nuture and help—often to the point of neglecting their own needs. On the flipside, less scrupulous Caregivers can be manipulative & demanding—using love as a weapon.

Berserker:The Berserker craves thrills and excitement, is always the first to charge into battle, the last to leave, and the first to get drunk afterward. A Berserker may meet a quick end, but will at least have the priviledge of a glorious death.

Rogue: The Rogue is the classic risk taker and scoundrel. In the constant quest for big wins and good times, the Rogue tends to get by on charm, preferring to improvise and not think too much about rules or morality.

Curmudgeon: The Curmudgeon is the eternal crotchety old fart. Deep down, this character is loyal, sensitive, and true, but also recognizes the dangers of trusting too easily. As a result, the character is skeptical, jaded, quick to find fault with things, and not afraid to speak up about it.

Lone Wolf: The Lone Wolf is ruthless, detached, and cunning. A Lone Wolf always does what it takes to get the job done, but is guided by a sense of internal logic that often translates into a rigid code of personal honor. The Lone Wolf is the perfect scientist, assassin, or effective (if harsh) leader.

Schemer: A Schemer is sly and resourceful, but generally anxious. As a result, the Schemer prefers to stay in the background and manipulate a situation to gain power and position, rather than take what he wants by force.

Dreamer: The Dreamer is the classic visionary, explorer, artist, mystic, or philospher. A dreamer is intensely curious and imaginative, with a passion for exploration and making the world a better place.

Pragmatist: Pragmatists are the neighborly, down to earth sort. They like to get right to the point, do what they have to do, and go home. Pragmatists avoid complication—they can be thoughtful, but aren’t grandiose about it like Dreamers can often be.

Tyrant: The Tyrant craves nothing but power and control—the ability to shape the world in his or her own image. A Tyrant will stop at nothing—other people, nations, and philosophies are merely obstacles to be overcome.

Champion: The Champion is obsessed with justice, honour, and fighting evil (real or imagined). The Champion can be bossy, but always protects the innocent and those he or she is responsible for.

Fanatic: The Fanatic lives for the cause, and is loyal to beliefs and duty above all else. This person will stop at nothing—even if it means bending the rules. Fanatics make good career soldiers or religious zealots.

Engineer: The world is disordered, chaotic, and imperfect. The Engineer is determined to correct this—to establish a perfect and true order, even if it means taking the world apart in order to build it better than it was before.

Peacock: The Peacock is obsessed with being the center of attention. Highly concerned with status, a Peacock constantly demands rank, rewards, and accolades (whether these are deserved or not).

Achiever: Friendly, gregarious, and outgoing, the Achiever is always looking for a way to sweeten the deal in order to make the big score.

Personality Attributes

As stated above, a character's archetype impacts their personality attributes score. Here is a list of the attributes each character has which will change how they react to your commands and your rule and makes each character unique.

Ambition: Ambition determines how easily a person will be satisfied or dis-satisfied about an issue. It also determines a person's level of interest in political parties.

Charm: Charm determines how easily the person gets approved for marriage and how easily the person corrupts a target. It also determines the likelihood they will promote the Pacifist party.

Confidence: Confidence determines the preference for self-governing and the likelihood of promoting the Warmonger party.

Honour: Honour determines how difficult it is for a person's loyalty to change. It also determines their likelihood of promoting the Warmonger Party.

Intelligence: Intelligence determines the succes rate of treaty signing and emissary jobs.

Morality: Morals determines how difficult it is lose loyalty to the Empire when governed citizens are not happy. This might lead the person to rebel when the city is rioting. It also determines the likelihood of not promoting the Warmonger party.

Openness: Openness determines the likelihood of not losing loyalty when a party agenda is not reached and how well the person gets along with people of different civilizations. It also determines the likelihood of promoting the Pacifist party

Battle System:

3D terrains allow you to watch the battle from many angles.

4 unit types with historical uniforms, weapons, flags, and accessories for each civilization to enrich the cultural backdrop. The unit types are Heavy Infantry, Light Infantry, Archers and Cavalry.

Several unique city layouts and landcape backdrops including forests and deserts for variety and realism in battles that take place across the globe.

Weather effects like fog, rain, and snow influence the outcome of the battle. Heavy fog can have a "fog of war" effect in battle mode, so that an army would have little or no intelligence about the enemy army’s numbers, strength, and position.

Choose the attack time: Attacking at dawn increases the chance of fog, which can be used to cover your charging cavalry. Natural lighting changes corresponding to the time of day.

Soldiers act human. Fear, fatigue, and morale affect their performance in battle.

Chain of Command effect means the leader influences the performance of his subordinates.

Battle replay allows the player to review their success or failure.

Multiplayer option lets the player to compete against a friend.

A free download of a demo of the game is available.

Explore Egyptian Tombs in Sims 3: World Expansion Pack

2009-09-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

I've played the original Sims Deluxe a little but found it a bit frustrating when my characters kept leaving messes in the kitchen and had to be directed to go to work. Maybe the whole scenario was just too much like real life!

Now, though, Electronic Arts is going to let you engage in a little adventure. You can explore ancient tombs in Egypt, engage in a little Kung Fu in China or visit palaces (I guess that's what they mean by famous landmarks) in France. This sounds a lot more right up my alley. I guess I'm going to have to upgrade to Sims 3 though first.

The Adventure is Near…
Take your Sims on the adventure of their lives with The Sims 3 World Adventures. Guide your Sims to acclaimed fortune—or potential doom. Take your Sims to exotic destinations to hunt for hidden treasures. Uncover new skills, experience new personality traits and garner rewards, if your Sims succeed. Explore ancient tombs in the pyramids of Egypt, master martial arts in the Far East, and discover rich culture and famous landmarks of France. Adventure is on the horizon — what will your Sims discover?

FEATURES

Accept challenges, find treasures, discover what’s lurking in hidden caves and more.

Explore famous landmarks in China, Egypt, and France.

Learn new skills like photography and pursue new opportunities.

Meet new Sims from exotic locations and share their cultures.

Customize your Sims homes with new styles & artifacts from their adventures.

Get $10 worth of free SimPoints for The Sims 3 Store, and additional online features to be announced.

"Rome" movie to offer decent series wrapup

2009-07-07T16:35:00.000-07:00

I was browsing Steven Saylor's website today and saw a blurb about Bruno Heller working on a movie script for "Rome" to serve as a decent wrapup of the original HBO miniseries.

[Image: Ray Stevenson as Titus Pullo. Courtesy of HBO]

I am ecstatic! Like many "Rome" fans, I couldn't believe HBO made such a monumental mistake when they canceled the series. I guess HBO has come to that realization as well:

"The lavish period drama ran for two seasons on HBO, which co-produced the series with the BBC. With the final season of "The Sopranos" as its lead-in, the first season was solidly rated. But the show's hefty $100 million production cost presented the network with a tough call on the pickup. HBO opted for a second season to help get more value from its initial investment but not a third, effectively canceling the show in summer 2006 before the second season debuted the following January. The "Rome" sets were destroyed, and the actors were released from their contracts, making the network's decision all but irreversible.

But season 2 of "Rome" was a surprise. Although slightly lower rated than the first, the show did much better than HBO expected without its "Sopranos" lead-in (averaging roughly 6.5 million viewers, nearly the same as "True Blood"). Plus it won awards, which is important to a pay network that attracts subscribers by offering premium programming: Post-cancellation, the first season received four Emmy Awards, and then another seven Emmys were heaped upon the final season.

Suddenly "Rome" was a Greek tragedy: a successful show with no future. The broadcast nets quickly snatched up the show's leads for top fall pilots.

HBO executives have since admitted that axing the show probably was a mistake. - More: The Live Feed

Apparently, Heller is considering picking up the story some years later in Palestine.

"Heller would not discuss plot ideas, but the original series outline for "Rome" next called for the hedonistic Roman leaders to deal with the rise of a certain problematic rabbi -- a story line that would have put a new Roman-perspective spin on the Greatest Story Ever Told and potentially bring "Rome" a larger audience." - - More: The Live Feed

I'm not sure this tactic would attract any religious viewers (if that's what Heller means) unless Heller tones down the visceral reality factor in the series. I hope he doesn't do that, though, for the sake of broadening audience appeal. It's the gritty nature of the series that made it stand out from the syrupy visions of the ancient world of many previous sword and sandal flicks. Of course its outstanding production qualities certainly helped as well. It garnered emmys for art direction, cinematography, costumes, hair design (must have been all of those wonderfully outrageous styles and wigs worn by Atia!) and visual effects.

I also found a brief interview on MovieWeb with actor Ray Stevenson who played Pullo in the HBO miniseries indicating the script is nearing completion:

Is the Rome movie still moving ahead?

Ray Stevenson: Apparently so. It is no longer a smoke and mirrors rumor. The script is in full development. As you are probably aware, this is a pretty strange process. We could go into production in a year, or it could be as quick as six months. Who knows? It will happen. At least it is no longer a rumor. From what I have heard, they are nearing the end of script development. We shall see. We shall see.

How excited are you to go back and play Titus all over again.

Ray Stevenson: I can't wait to dust off the cobwebs of old Pullo. The guy is going to come in with a high body count. I love Pullo. I love him to pieces. I had such a great time playing him. And I got to do it in Italy and Rome. He is very special to me. He is a very special part of my history. I was very blessed to get that part. - More: MovieWeb

I'll keep my fingers crossed and my eyes peeled! 2010 looks like its going to be my kind of year with a "Rome" movie sequel, "Agora", a movie about Hypatia starring Rachel Weisz and a Spartacus series on Starz!

Gladiator AD brings "300" style graphics and Beal soundtrack to the Wii

2009-05-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

Last Christmas when I bought Wii game systems for both of my children's families, I was sorely tempted to buy one for myself. I really like the idea of using your own body's motion as an intuitive game interface. I was surprised, though, when I visited a Gamespot shop with my grandson that when I asked about which Wii titles actually used the motion control feature of the game console, I was told relatively few titles actually did, with the exception of Wii Sports and Wii Fit. But now, game developer High-Voltage looks like its going to step up to the plate and introduce an action title, Gladiator A.D. , that will take full advantage of the new Wii MotionPlus firmware. The game title will also feature an original soundtrack by composer Jeff Beal, the musical talent behind the unique soundtrack for HBO's miniseries, "Rome".

"Our goal is to make the controls intuitive while providing depth to the game mechanics. Customizable weapons, armor and moves give the player a lot of choices of the arsenal to bring into battle. There are quicker, lighter moves that are difficult to block or dodge and slower, heavier moves that will do more damage. A well-timed parry will briefly stun your opponent. There are brutality moves that the player can earn by increasing crowd favor, which plays a big role in a player's victory or defeat, " explained High-Voltage CEO Kerry Ganofsky.

"Gladiator takes an over-the-should approach to bring the player right into the action. With the Wii-remotes representing the right and left hand, the player can accurately control his attacks, blocks, and dodges. The player has three directional attack; left slice, right slash, and overhead chop. As well as a slower, but devastating power attack for each direction. On the defense, the player can choose to dodge, parry, or block attacks. Holding block will soak a percentage of the incoming damage, but moving your shield or secondary weapon using the analog stick (while blocking) will allow the player to make perfect blocks, which soaks all damage, and causes his opponent to react, allowing for a retaliatory strike. We incorporate slow down of the larger power attacks, similar to the movie 300, to allow players a cinematic attempt to perfect block these attacks, " adds High-Voltage Chief Creative Officer Eric Nofsinger.

"The controls use Wii motions with the Wii remote and nunchuck to initiate an attack. There are six basic attacks: Left, right or overhead, both light and heavy. The player can also block or dodge in any direction, " says Ganofsky.

"The Wii MotionPlus will be used to add variance to the attacks to break up what could possibly be seen as mechanical attacks. For example, depending on the orientation of the player's wrist when a left slice is initiated, the gladiator will attack his opponents right side from one of three angles, making it slightly more difficult to perfect block player's using the Wii MotionPlus. We are also looking into other applications for optional game-play with this peripheral. " - More: Wii.IGN.com

You can listen to a couple of music clips from the game soundtrack here. They certainly bear the stamp of Jeff Beal. I could imagine listening to "The Pit" as an alternative soundtrack to the scene where Pullo fights for his life in that squalid Republican-era arena, shouting "Thirteenth! The Thirteenth!".

High-Voltage executives estimate the title will be released in the 1st quarter of 2010.

Agora sounds like antithesis of Ben Hur

2009-05-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

The new film "Agora" starring Rachel Weisz as 4th century CE female scholar, Hypatia, sounds almost like the antithesis of Ben Hur.

"The heart of the film is Hypatia (Rachel Weisz in an unfaltering performance), the fourth century AD philosopher and teacher who lived in Alexandria during the Roman Empire. Married only to her unquenchable intellect and passion for mathematics and astronomy, she is loved by two men: her slave, Davus (Max Minghella), and her student, Orestes (Oscar Isaac).

Politics in the film are weakest during the overtly political speeches and monologues, and best captured in the details. Like many, Davus seeks not spiritual salvation in the Christian uprising but freedom from slavery, despite the bloodshed. His first attempt at prayer is brilliant: Unable to remember the Lord's Prayer, he quickly falls into a mantra to God to keep Hypatia away from Orestes. For his part, Orestes will renounce paganism and convert to Christianity during his rise in Roman politics." - More: Reuter

Hypatia was the daughter of Theon, who was her teacher and the last known mathematician associated with the museum of Alexandria. She traveled to both Athens and Italy to study, before becoming head of the Platonist school at Alexandria in approximately 400 AD . According to the 10th century Byzantine encyclopedia the Suda, she worked as teacher of philosophy, teaching the works of Plato and Aristotle. - More: Wikipedia

"Hypatia corresponded with and hosted scholars from others cities. Synesius, Bishop of Ptolemais, was one of her correspondents and he visited her frequently. Hypatia was a popular lecturer, drawing students from many parts of the empire.

From the little historical information about Hypatia that survives, it appears that she invented the plane astrolabe, the graduated brass hydrometer and the hydroscope, with Synesius of Greece, who was her student and later colleague.

Hypatia dressed in the clothing of a scholar or teacher, rather than in women's clothing. She moved about freely, driving her own chariot, contrary to the norm for women's public behavior. She exerted considerable political influence in the city."

"...[The local Christian bishop Cyril incited] a mob led by fanatical Christian monks in 415 to attack Hypatia as she drove her chariot through Alexandria. They dragged her from her chariot and, according to accounts from that time, stripped her, killed her, stripped her flesh from her bones, scattered her body parts through the streets, and burned some remaining parts of her body in the library of Caesareum." - More: About.com

So much for compassion and tolerance!

Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans Game premieres

2009-05-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

I see Slitherine, the company that brought us "Legions", is releasing a new game based on the popular children's history series "Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans". It's described as a party/puzzle game (whatever that means). I sometimes find playing less intense children's games more relaxing if I'm tired and stressed out. This particular title is promoted as fun for the whole family so it must be set at a level even adults would at least find interesting. It's available for the Wii, PC and NDS in five languages. It will be available June 12.

Horrible Histories™ Ruthless Romans is a fun packed party game where the plot that follows the struggle of young Rassimus to achieve glory as a gladiator and obtain his freedom. Rassimus, a slave and an ambitious gladiator-in-training, has been raised as a foundling by the great gladiator trainer Lucius Gladius, and spent nearly 12 years in his service. Lucius has now given him a chance to begin his training, and Rassimus hopes that he will be successful and one day become a citizen of Rome.

• Over 30 mad mini-games
• Fight deadly duels against your friends in the arena
• Discover how ruthless Romans lived
• 4 player multiplayer

Horrible Histories™ Ruthless Romans is a great game for all the family.

XIII Century: Death or Glory debut game for new developer

2009-05-07T06:11:00.000-07:00

Game companies must be like Hollywood studios. They seem to latch onto the same topics at the same time. When I was researching JoWood's "The Golden Horde", I came across a title by new developer Unicorn Games named "XIII Century: Death or Glory". It, too, deals with warfare across Asia and Europe in the 13th century although, in addition to the Russians and the Mongols you get the English and the French as well.

"XIII Century swaps the stereotypical grand campaign where you rule an empire for "campaign light" mission packs where you fight alongside the medieval armies of England, France, Germany, Russia, and the Mongolian hordes of Genghis Khan. Each of these collections features five separate historical battles that you unlock one by one. So the English start with Evesham then move on to Falkirk, Conwy, Lincoln, and Lewes. The Russians fight at Yaroslav, Torchev, Lake Peipus, Rakovor, and Lipitsa. The French take to the bloody fields of Taillebourg, Muret, Tagliarozzo, Benevento, and Bouvines. And so on. You get a pretty comprehensive tour of all the 13th-century hot spots by the time you work your way through all five nations and a set of bonus battles that open up as your rank grows through winning battles.

All this might seem a bit on the skimpy side to anyone coming off of an overwhelming epic like Medieval II: Total War. But since the battles here are so thoroughly depicted, it's hard to quibble with the warfare-centric focus. For starters, XIII Century is tough. Battles are founded on a rigorous rock-paper-scissors formula, so you can't just lumber about and rush foes with no consideration as to their relative strengths and weaknesses. This isn't a simple formula, either. Although many basics are in play here (keep cavalry away from pikemen, keep archers on high ground, that sort of thing), unit statistics are heavily detailed. This gives you a lot to keep track of during battles, which tend to fly by even at regular speed, but at least the interface provides ready access to everything you need to know. Moving the mouse cursor over unit formations provides banks of numbers detailing morale, number of wounded, whether or not the flanks and rear are covered, and so forth. So you can get instant snapshots of how your troops are faring when things are going hot and heavy, which lets you keep pace and give the right commands at the right times." - More: Gamespot

The Golden Horde offers strategy and beautiful imagery

2009-05-07T05:50:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed reading Conn Iggulden's "Genghis" novels so much that I couldn't pass this one up when GoGamer offered it for only $9.90 in one of their 48-hour Madness sales!

Lead armored crusaders, flexible Mongolians or impregnable Russians into historic battles!

The Scenario is based on a on the events which took place in Europe, central Asia and Russia at the beginning of the XIII century.

The game will offer recreated versions of famous battles and political crises as well as an epic campaign which outcome is yours to determine.

Thanks to sophisticated RPG elements, individual Heroes, fancy graphics and easy controls The Golden Horde offers a perfect access to the real-time strategy genre in the exotic setting of the early middle ages in Europe and Asia.

Historic Basis
The game is based on true historic facts, conflicts and battles.

Three different Factions
Crusaders, Mongolians und Russians. They differ in types of military forces, buildings and combat as well as unique heroes with individual abilities.

Takeover of Enemy Units and Weapons
Take control over neutral horses or their slain riders’ weapon.

Equipment "on the fly"
Provide your warriors with new weapons or switch them directly on the battlefield.

Weather is a Central Element
Wind affects the flight qualities of arrows. Rain greatly affects the visibility Snow slows down units, which may even break through the Ice of frozen lakes. - GoGamer

Rise of the Argonauts gets 6.6 - 9.5 in critic reviews

2009-04-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

I noticed this morning that GoGamer.com has "Rise of the Argonauts" on sale ($19.99) so I checked out what other reviewers thought of this role-playing title. One critic from Gamespot rated the game quite highly saying the atmosphere was quite authentic and voice acting was excellent - not always the case with some titles. I guess the biggest criticism was the game involves a lot of character interaction rather than combat. I personally would find that to be a positive feature. Perhaps as a female I prefer to develop relationships rather than fight at the drop of a hat. The critic did note that the combat sequences become more frequent as you get closure to your goal though.

I have a stack of games still in the shrink wrap that I haven't had time to try out but I'm tempted to go ahead and order this one.

An Epic Scale Greek Mythology RPG
As the King of Iolcus, Jason had everything – a prosperous kingdom, the respect of his peers and a beautiful fiance. But when she was assassinated on their wedding day, Jason vowed to take revenge on her killers – to do anything to restore her life and earn back the respect of his subjects.
To accomplish this heroic feat, Jason must seek out the Golden Fleece and with the help of Greek mythology’s greatest heroes, set sail on the most epic voyage of all.

Engage in Brutal Combat Against Beasts and Enemies!
An epic scale action RPG, Rise of the Argonauts immerses players in a gladiatorial adventure set in the vibrant and powerful world of Ancient Greece brought to life. Taking the role of Jason, players will battle alongside Hercules, Achilles and other Argonauts as they engage in brutal combat against formidable beasts and enemies, in a vast world alive with wondrous inhabitants and stunning panoramas.

The search for the Golden Fleece is not only one of exploration but of transformation: from warrior king to exalted hero touched by the gods.

Streamlined RPG Experience
Gamers will spend more time playing and less time micro-managing inventory and resources through a streamlined HUD and inventory system. Players can earn unique powers and abilities, but avoid tedious record keeping by dedicating deeds to a god of choice.

Characters become stronger with armor and weapons upgrades significant in scope, leaving enemies nearly helpless. Players must learn to appease the Gods and interact wisely with those they encounter , as decisions impact the story flow and available missions.

Unleash Devastating Attacks
Players will assemble the most effective team of Argonauts for each mission to put the best battle plan forward. Lethal combinations of weapons and powers granted by the Gods, combined with the battle-tested loyalty of the Argonauts, make Jason a devastating force in combat.

Players will change weapons on the fly to outmaneuver and inflict lethally devastating attacks on opponents, decapitating them with swords or cutting them in half with shields.

Mythological Ancient Greece Brought to Life
Players will battle deadly foes, fearsome opponents and legendary monsters while experiencing a living, breathing and vivid ancient world taking players far beyond the generic broken statues and ruins that so often define the myth.

The thrill of battle and intensity of action is strengthened through Tyler Bates’ (300 composer) epic musical score. - Gamespot

Chariots of War on sale now at Gamespot

2009-04-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

Although this title is listed as on sale for the next 88 hours, it will probably be available in Gamespot's "Blow Out Deals" section after that so I am giving everyone a heads up notice about it.

4000 years ago in the Cradle of Civilization, mighty Empires fought for water, resources and the arable land in the Fertile Crescent.
Play the Egyptians in chariots of war, Babylonians in bronze armour, screaming Nubian warriors, and the Assyrians behind their walls of stone.

Develop your country by producing commodities and sell them to your neighbours.

Raise glorious armies and wage wars of conquest. Roll over the plains in the childhood of Mankind with your Chariots of War!

Features
Play one of 58 different nations covering the entire Middle East. Build hundreds of buildings and city improvements.

Recruit units from nearly 30 different troop types for your invincible armies. A Random Event System depicts the era in colourful detail.

The happiness and welfare of your cities’ inhabitants will depend on overpopulation. Keep revolutionaries at bay by developing temples, entertainment and other buildings.

Constant technological advances will increase the development of your tribe. Trade in your resources with other territories and send diplomats out to gather information.
- Gamespot

Grand Ages Rome

2009-04-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

Raise massive armies and embark on epic campaigns to expand the Empire and take control of the known world! Engage in grand-scale city building and create magnificent cities with creativity and control like never before. Intuitive controls make it easy to launch bone-crushing combat missions and manage every aspect of your thriving civilization.

After decades in exile, your family name has been all but forgotten in Rome.
But the departure of the tyrant Sulla has changed everything, and Rome stands on the brink of a new era. Sides must be chosen as Caesar and Pompey battle for control of the Republic.

The stage is set for you to gain power and influence over one of the greatest civilizations in history.

Build an Empire worth fighting for!

Featuring 4X Real-Time Strategy:

Explore - Journey to ancient Gaul, Britannia, Egypt, and more to colonize barbarians and establish new trade routes.

Expand - Stake your claim throughout the known world in the name of Rome! Help build the empire through military conquest and economic prowess.

Exploit - Natural resources are yours for the taking as you establish farming, mining, and logging operations. Raze barbarian villages for riches, labor, and property.

Exterminate - Destroy all who stand in the way of Rome's glory! Defend your territories by land and sea to secure peace and prosperity for the empire

Set Your Sights on Domination!

Advanced Battle System
Take command of 18 different military units, including naval command, elephant cavalry, and mercenary forces. Recruit citizens of Rome, draft captured enemy forces, and pay foreign squads for their special skills. Defend and expand the Empire by land and sea with exciting RTS gameplay.

Intense Multiplayer
Online multiplayer functionality with 6 different strategy modes - play competitively or cooperatively. Create buddy lists and challenge your friends to a battle, or use the matching system and take on an unknown foe with the same skill level. Advance your career and increase your rank from praetor to consul and beyond.

Epic Campaigns
Rub shoulders with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra and more in a non-linear historical campaign featuring over 40 missions. Choose your own fate as you create and destroy alliances with more than 20 different historical figures. Celebrate your victories by erecting legendary monuments such as the Coliseum, Circus Maximus, the Pantheon, and more.

Complex Economy
Flow resources eliminate tedious micromanagement, giving you the freedom to create thriving cities with multileveled economic systems. Information overlays visualize the city economy and satisfaction of the people on every location on the map.

Empire: Total War

2009-04-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

Prepare to claim a piece of history in Empire: Total War. Players will find themselves thrust into the turbulent 18th century, an era of unrivaled military advancement and political turmoil. Empire: Total War advances the Total War series through multiple enhancements, including groundbreaking 3D naval combat.

Through streamlined and intuitive controls, players will command single vessels or massive fleets into battle across simulated oceans complete with dynamic weather effects.

Open fire with powerful cannons and then board enemy ships for close-quarters combat. Empire: Total War also includes numerous advancements such as enhanced Trade, Diplomacy and Espionage.

Players will also deploy new forces and troop types as cannons, muskets and new gunpowder advances change the way wars are fought. Empire: Total War uses an revolutionary graphics engine to render every conflict and victory in stunning detail.

Players will embark on a quest to bring down nations and forge powerful empires in a way never before seen.

New Era of Warfare: Set between 1700 and 1800, players will battle against a backdrop of technological advancement, social upheaval and political turmoil. Make your mark in history!
Revolutionary Naval Combat: New real-time battle system lets you control single vessels or massive armadas on the open sea. Use powerful cannons to splinter and sink enemy ships or use loyal troops to board and lay siege to vessels.
Legendary Battlefields - Massive landscapes and huge armies under your control change the course of history. Storm the fields of war with all new weapons such as the musket and artillery and unleash the thunderous cavalry.
Historical Campaign: Take charge of history in a campaign spanning three continents and featuring newly designed systems for Trade, Diplomacy, Missions and Espionage. Command the forces of ten playable factions including Britain, France, Spain, America and the Ottoman Empire.
Dynamic Weather: On land or sea, real-time weather effects will play integral roles in your strategy as you command your forces.
Cutting Edge Graphics: A completely new graphics engine renders real-time seascapes and ground-based landscapes like never before, as well as populating the battlefield with flora systems and destructable buildings.
Enhanced Multiplayer: The vastly improved multiplayer component features all-new player rankings, leagues and completely new gameplay modes.
Intuitive Battles: A compliment of interface enhancements and improvements let players dive in and focus on combat. Enjoy new tutorials and systems designed to let you command your forces with confidence!
Design the Conflict: A suit of all-new tools and editors make Empire: Total War the most customizable Total War game yet

Rise of the Argonauts looks exciting

2009-02-18T04:58:00.000-08:00

This game looks interesting and is even on sale now at Gogamer.com! The story synopsis does not appear to follow the classic myth, though. Apparently, this is one of those "inspired by" titles.

Ed Del Castillo, president of Liquid Entertainment says, "we use these great myths and legends as our inspiration--our starting point--but we're making our own take on it where it serves gameplay, the story, and the player experience. The Jason myth is one of the only places in Greek myth that you get such a confluence of great heroes, so we're kind of assembling the X-Men of mythology. There's a rich backstory, there's incredible characters, but we're also using artistic license to take it to the next level--we couldn't pass up that opportunity."

An Epic Scale Greek Mythology RPG
As the King of Iolcus, Jason had everything – a prosperous kingdom, the respect of his peers and a beautiful fiance. But when she was assassinated on their wedding day, Jason vowed to take revenge on her killers – to do anything to restore her life and earn back the respect of his subjects.

To accomplish this heroic feat, Jason must seek out the Golden Fleece and with the help of Greek mythology’s greatest heroes, set sail on the most epic voyage of all.

Engage in Brutal Combat Against Beasts and Enemies!
An epic scale action RPG, Rise of the Argonauts immerses players in a gladiatorial adventure set in the vibrant and powerful world of Ancient Greece brought to life. Taking the role of Jason, players will battle alongside Hercules, Achilles and other Argonauts as they engage in brutal combat against formidable beasts and enemies, in a vast world alive with wondrous inhabitants and stunning panoramas.

The search for the Golden Fleece is not only one of exploration but of transformation: from warrior king to exalted hero touched by the gods.

Streamlined RPG Experience
Gamers will spend more time playing and less time micro-managing inventory and resources through a streamlined HUD and inventory system. Players can earn unique powers and abilities, but avoid tedious record keeping by dedicating deeds to a god of choice.

Characters become stronger with armor and weapons upgrades significant in scope, leaving enemies nearly helpless. Players must learn to appease the Gods and interact wisely with those they encounter , as decisions impact the story flow and available missions.

Unleash Devastating Attacks
Players will assemble the most effective team of Argonauts for each mission to put the best battle plan forward. Lethal combinations of weapons and powers granted by the Gods, combined with the battle-tested loyalty of the Argonauts, make Jason a devastating force in combat.

Players will change weapons on the fly to outmaneuver and inflict lethally devastating attacks on opponents, decapitating them with swords or cutting them in half with shields.

Mythological Ancient Greece Brought to Life
Players will battle deadly foes, fearsome opponents and legendary monsters while experiencing a living, breathing and vivid ancient world taking players far beyond the generic broken statues and ruins that so often define the myth.
The thrill of battle and intensity of action is strengthened through Tyler Bates’ (300 composer) epic musical score.

Here's a game trailer that introduces the characters:

Amazon offers inexpensive (with free trials) game downloads

2009-02-08T05:10:00.000-08:00

Amazon just announced a new game download service. Games can be tried out for free for 30 days or purchased outright for $9.99 or less. Naturally this game caught my attention. It sounds a lot like Caesar III but may be more level/episodic based. I love Caesar III but often I would like to play a game that does not take up so much time. I have found that games I can play in short snippets can be stress-relieving without adding guilt for spending so much time playing them!

"The fabulous lands of Caesar open their gates in front of you in this new puzzle game: Cradle of Rome! You are given the chance to build Ancient Rome, the most legendary city of all time! Play and conquer more than 100 addictive and intuitively designed levels, collecting and unlocking 8 original bonuses and many surprise features along the way. As you play more and earn enough money and supplies to buy larger buildings, you'll see your city grow into a vast and magnificent center of life, the heart of the antiquity!"

Prince of Persia 2008 wows game reviewer

2008-12-18T16:40:00.001-08:00

I'm sure glad this game reviewer clarified that the latest Prince of Persia is a new release and not just a rehash of the 1989 original. The graphics are obviously outstanding and he praises the dialogue and character interactions as well.

A snippet of a very extensive review:

Prince of Persia is a delight to behold. The game’s scenes cover the full spectrum of classic “desert epic” settings, carrying the player through deep caverns, sprawling wastelands, grand and towering palaces, and ancient cities of stone. Given the series’ reliance on platforming and acrobatic movement, of course, all of these areas have extremely vertical layouts: Players can expect to scale impossibly tall towers, climb and run on massive walls, and even reach the sky atop a series of dirigible-carried platforms. They may not be as crisp and shiny as the tall rooftops of Mirror’s Edge, but they’re extremely colorful and pretty to look at — and thanks to the unlikely and perilous ways in which one must navigate these areas, there are still plenty of vertigo-inducing moments.
The characters, too, are rendered quite nicely, using an effect akin to cel-shading to let them stand out against the scenery while still providing a high level of detail to their costumes and faces. Their animation is suitably fluid and spirited, and during cut-scenes, their faces exude an appreciable range of emotion, infusing each character with charm, confidence, vulnerability, or menace, as appropriate. More than anything, though, the characters are brought to life through the game’s spectacular writing and voice acting. - More

Immortal Fire: Field of Glory Greek, Persian and Macedonian Army List for the Wargamer

2008-12-07T07:28:00.001-08:00

I see Osprey Publishing has released a line of manuals to inform wargaming enthusiasts.

"Providing accessible and informative coverage of the Greek, Persian and Macedonian armies, Immortal Fire
details conflicts such as the Spartan stand at Thermopylae, Alexander's
victory at Gaugamela, and his fight for the Granicus river.
Well-designed, visually stunning and with detailed historical overviews
of each army, these comprehensive army listings, with supporting maps
and artwork allow gamers to recreate some of the most legendary battles
in history. Take on the role of the world's greatest tacticians and
soldiers and change history."

Legions Triumphant: Field of Glory Imperial Rome

2008-12-07T07:24:00.001-08:00

"Field of Glory provides the historical tabletop wargamer with a new,
accessible rules set. With no new high-quality games system aimed
specifically at the Ancient and Medieval wargamer for over 10 years,
this product will fill the gap in this market. Legions Triumphant
includes a well-designed, visually stunning and comprehensive army
listings, with detailed historical overviews of each army, supporting
maps and Osprey artwork."

Municipium

2008-12-07T07:06:00.001-08:00

"A prime mechanism of Roman expansion and control in the provinces (and
in Italy during the conquest of the peninsula c. 500 -- 265 BC) was the
municipium (later the colonia), the premiere Roman provincial town. The
game takes place in one of these municipalities.
Players are each in control of a powerful family and try to
strategically place their family members in the various institutions
throughout the municipium and gain the support of the citizens;
Scholars, Merchants, Soldiers, Priests and possibly even the Praefect.
At various times in the game, if a player has the most influence in an
institution, the player can exert the power of that institution and
gain the support of certain citizens. Meanwhile, the preafect moves
around the municipium and players strive to have the most influence in
the institution that he visits, thereby earning his favour. There are
seven institutions; Temple, Baths, Emporium, Praetorium, Tavern,
Basilica and Forum, each of which have their unique powers with which
players must decide how and when to use in an attempt to become the
most influential family in the municipium.
Complete artwork by Mike Doyle. This is a 3 -- 5 player game with a
playing time of approximately 40 - 70 minutes."

Hannibal: Rome Vs. Carthage (RPG)

2008-12-07T06:59:00.001-08:00

"One of the greatest military commanders and tacticians in history descends on the Roman Empire once again! Do you face him as Rome and try to ward the invasion that comes from the North, or do you climb atop your war elephant and show Rome you will take that which they hold most dear: their territory! Designed with all new artwork from Kurt Miller this is a reprint of the very popular Avalon-Hill version from 1996. The game uses the popular card system, which first appeared in Avalon Hill's We the People, to recount the Second Punic War from 218 to 203 B.C. Players use strategic-level cards for multiple purposes: moving generals, levying new troops, reinforcing existing armies, gaining political control of the provinces involved in the war, and generating historical events. When two armies meet on the battlefield, a second set of cards, called Battle Cards, are used to determine the winner. Ultimately both players seek victory by dominating both fronts: military and political."

Technorati Tags: Hannibal, Carthage, Rome, Roman Empire, game, RPG

East Anglia Theater Troup Presents "The Mummy's Tomb" as a Musical?!!

2008-11-08T07:38:00.001-08:00

You can’t keep a good ghoul in its sarcophagus. Especially when it’s an ancient Egyptian. It can be truly frightening, or that terror can be exorcised through laughter. Ken Hill’s musical The Mummy’s Tomb has just enough of the former to whet the appetite and crisp dollops of the latter to assuage it.

Howard Carter’s discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922 may have boosted interest in this extraordinary culture but heroic stories and chilling legends captured the European imagination long before then. This stylish production by Matt Devitt does the audience the courtesy of giving us a touch of authenticity as well as crisp comedy and a quite brilliant staging.

Designer Rodney Ford must take a large share of the credit for this. He has created a monumental sandstone-coloured pillared set which wraps around the stage, looks as solid as granite and reveals all manner of trickeries – multiple levels, trap-doors, sliding panels and so on. Richard Godin’s lighting wraps an illusion of pure gold around the pillars when required while the monumental statuary boasts glowing eyes.

The Queen’s resident company cut to the chase… act, sing, dance and play a variety of instruments with great facility as Professor Niven (Paul Leonard), his daughter Nancy (Michelle Log) and her two fiancés Paul (Oliver Beamish) and Rodney (Simon Jessop) go in search of the vanished tomb of the Amun Ra high priest Inmutef (Marcus Webb).

He, of course, has been buried alive by order of the pharaoh Amenhotep IV (Shaun Hennessy) – that’s the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten, by the way – for inappropriate behaviour with the queen (Claire Storey)– while Nefertiti was presumably having her head sculpted. But Ashayet as well as her former lover has acquired physical immortality, to be renewed in thoroughly unpleasant ways.

Technorati Tags: The Mummy's tomb, musical, comedy, mummy, tomb, theater,

Rise of the Argonauts

2008-11-06T10:11:00.001-08:00

An Epic Scale Greek Mythology RPG
As the King of Iolcus, Jason had everything – a prosperous kingdom, the respect of his peers and a beautiful fiance. But when she was assassinated on their wedding day, Jason vowed to take revenge on her killers – to do anything to restore her life and earn back the respect of his subjects.

To accomplish this heroic feat, Jason must seek out the Golden Fleece and with the help of Greek mythology’s greatest heroes, set sail on the most epic voyage of all.

Engage in Brutal Combat Against Beasts and Enemies!
An epic scale action RPG, Rise of the Argonauts immerses players in a gladiatorial adventure set in the vibrant and powerful world of Ancient Greece brought to life. Taking the role of Jason, players will battle alongside Hercules, Achilles and other Argonauts as they engage in brutal combat against formidable beasts and enemies, in a vast world alive with wondrous inhabitants and stunning panoramas.

The search for the Golden Fleece is not only one of exploration but of transformation: from warrior king to exalted hero touched by the gods.

Streamlined RPG Experience
Gamers will spend more time playing and less time micro-managing inventory and resources through a streamlined HUD and inventory system. Players can earn unique powers and abilities, but avoid tedious record keeping by dedicating deeds to a god of choice.

Characters become stronger with armor and weapons upgrades significant in scope, leaving enemies nearly helpless. Players must learn to appease the Gods and interact wisely with those they encounter , as decisions impact the story flow and available missions.

Unleash Devastating Attacks
Players will assemble the most effective team of Argonauts for each mission to put the best battle plan forward. Lethal combinations of weapons and powers granted by the Gods, combined with the battle-tested loyalty of the Argonauts, make Jason a devastating force in combat.

Players will change weapons on the fly to outmaneuver and inflict lethally devastating attacks on opponents, decapitating them with swords or cutting them in half with shields.

Mythological Ancient Greece Brought to Life
Players will battle deadly foes, fearsome opponents and legendary monsters while experiencing a living, breathing and vivid ancient world taking players far beyond the generic broken statues and ruins that so often define the myth.

The thrill of battle and intensity of action is strengthened through Tyler Bates’ (300 composer) epic musical score.

Scheduled for release January 1, 2009.

Comic Book Artist Brendan McGinley Tackles Roman History

2008-10-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may have found reading about the Punic Wars a bit dry, you may wish to take a look at Brendan McGinley's online web comic, "Hannibal Goes to Rome". I found the graphics quite energizing and appreciate his efforts at bringing Roman history to readers who prefer a visual approach to learning!

"I've always loved comics," Brendan explains, "and comics helped me fall in love with history. I can only recommend Larry Gonick's CARTOON HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE series, which taught me gobs about Roman history! But it was my inexplicable love of Carthage that led me to write Hannibal Goes to Rome. I guess I'm just fascinated by the idea that such a prevalent culture could be swept completely off the map, and even worse -- the history books. It made me wonder what other zeniths of human society are just whispers to the wind now. "

"You really have to respect Hannibal -- love, hate or fear him, he made for some audacious history! "

Check it out:

Shadowline Web Comics

Imperium Romanum: Emperor Expansion Pack

2008-10-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

"The Imperium Romanum: Emperor Expansion enables the player to travel through the ancient world, starting in Great Britain, passing through the wilds of Germania all the way to the fertile banks of the Nile in ancient Egypt.

16 challenging missions are divided into four campaigns which take place at well known historical sites such as Aque Sulis (Bath), Hadrian's Wall, Massilis (Marseilles) or Treverorum (Trier).

The Imperium Romanum: Emperor Expansion demands strategic and economic skills from the player if they are to become a successful governor.

The Emperor Expansion also requires the player to factor in the effects of religion and the all important Roman gods.

Additionally, the Add-On provides new and bigger maps, newly designed buildings, new tasks, and extended voice recordings.

Original Imperium Romanum required to play."

Romans surge onto mobile phones

2008-08-14T06:55:00.001-07:00

"Mobile games publisher HandyGames has revealed a bunch of new titles due for release in the second half of this year.

They include Romans and Barbarians, which will let you take part in battles between, yes, Romans and Barbarians. We're thinking a strategy game. Meanwhile, AD 1066 will focus on the Norman invasion of England."

I checked out HandyGames and found several other history-related titles including "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull" based on the popular movies. The "Kingdom of Heaven" game description says "As a terrible siege begins, Balian and Sibylla must rally the people of
Jerusalem. If the city despairs, all will be lost. As one of these
heroes, you must lead as many of the citizens to safety as you can, as
quickly as you can." For a cell phone game the graphics aren't that crude either.

I checked their strategy titles and found they even have a mobile version of my old favorite Roman city-building game "Caesar".

These and dozens of other games are available from Jamster through their game, ringtones, and wallpaper subscription service for $9.99 per month. Parent warning - this website also offers adult content. I recommend supervision if your child wants to subscribe to this service for games for their cell phone.

Murder in the Abbey

2008-08-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

Thou Shalt Not Kill!
Monks, murder, and above all, suspense. An old abbey is the scene of a series of mysterious murders, and only one man
can put a stop to the slaughter.

Former Grand Inquisitor Leonardo and his assistant Bruno are sent by the Vatican to the isolated abbey to investigate the strange goings-on surrounding a carefully guarded secret.

Yet hardly have they arrived when their quest is overshadowed by an attempt on their lives...

Murder in the Abbey is a mystery of cinematic proportions whose suspense goes far beyond that of a conventional adventure game!

• Innovative cinematic presentation through a new method of combining 2D and 3D graphics
• A faithful reproduction of a medieval abbey, its architecture, works of art, secret passageways and treasures
• Music, effects, top-quality voiceovers and over 70 minutes of orchestral soundtrack recorded by the Prague
Symphony Orchestra, all in Dolby Surround Sound
• 1000 scenes in 60 locations promise 40 hours of gameplay
• Unique setting and presentation offers a fresh approach for adventure gamers

Scheduled for release August 19, 2008.

Egypt II: The Heliopolis Prophecy

2008-08-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

Helipolis, the City of the Sun and one of the most important capitals of Egypt is in crisis, as a terrifying epidemic threatens to destroy this prestigious city.

Begin your quest for the truth and search for the remedy to save the inhabitants of Heliopolis. Travel through the land of the pyramids and marvel at the wondrous architecture. Witness the beautiful graphical backdrops as you attempt to solve interwoven puzzles and challenges.

Full screen panoramic graphics in first person perspective
Interact with numerous characters and explore many exciting places
Fluid animation and realistic voice-sync technology
Original soundtrack beautifully mixing ancient sounds and modern composition

Excitement Builds for Mummy III

2008-07-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

Lot's of material appearing on the web about the new Mummy sequel, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" that premieres August 1. The trailer looks very exciting and I look forward to another outstanding performance by Jet Li. I became a fan of Jet Li after watching his superb performance in "Hero". Of course, a film focused on the discovery of a terracotta army would appeal to me as well since I was mesmerized by the fascinating figures of the real terracotta army at a traveling exhibit in San Francisco a number of years ago. I hope to travel to China before too many more years pass and see the famous archaeological excavation in person.

Lots of "behind the scenes images and video on Rob Cohen's page.

Interesting "webisodes" on the special Pappa John's Pizza site.

Mammoth Hunter Meets Early Egyptians

2008-06-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Review by Mary Harrsch

Well, I finally had a chance to watch 10,000 B.C. on DVD. I must admit, I was a little thrown by the combination of a story about very early man and Mammoths and Saber-toothed cats mixed with people of an Egyptian-like culture complete with paper, advanced metallurgy and pyramid building. It kept me watching if for no other reason than to try to figure out the plot amidst total confusion. Roland Emmerich has an apparent obsession with ancient Egypt and keeps injecting references to it in his work. The "tribes" attacking the pyramid-shaped temple in the climax seemed like just a bunch of actors in different costumes recreating the climatic scene in "Stargate". The young boy with the dread locks even seemed to imitate the role of Skaara in Star Gate, insisting on trying to be grown up but stumbling into trouble.

The makeup and character of the 'wise mother" figure reminded me of the little sorceress Galen (Pauline Lynch) in the TV miniseries Attila who, through mysterious means, took the deadly effects of the poison arrows shot at Attila (Gerard Butler) by his rival Bleda (Tommy Flanagan) upon herself thereby sacrificing her life to save Attila. However, I would hate to draw too many comparisons as both "Stargate" and "Attila" far outshine Emmerich's latest film and both are personal favorites (although Attila scores higher - probably because I am a passionate fan of stories about the Roman Empire and I must also be honest - Gerard Butler is very pleasant to watch - leather speedos not withstanding!)

Perhaps if Emmerich had included a time portal the film would have at least made a bit more sense rather than juxtaposing wildly disparate historical and geographical elements without any apparent rationale. This would have at least placed the film in the realm of science fiction or fantasy rather than leave it dangling precariously above the category of historical fiction.

Cleopatra Riddle Of The Tomb

2008-06-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

By: John Breeden

Game Industry News Editor

There has recently been quite a few puzzle adventure type games that start out in Europe and eventually get ported over to the U.S. market. Cleopatra Riddle Of The Tomb is one of them. However, unlike most of these efforts, this title actually does not do anything wrong. It offers about ten hours of mostly enjoyable gameplay.

The game is set in Ancient Egypt and surprisingly, is historically accurate. Most games figure everything set in Egypt should have hieroglyphics when in fact at the time of Cleopatra, Egypt had long-since been conquered by Alexander The Great. As such, puzzles here use the Greek alphabet. This little twist, positioned right near the start of the game, lets players who know figure out that Cleopatra is going for realism as well as enjoyment.

You play an astrologer working under a master named Akkad, who in turn works directly for Cleopatra. You also happen to be in love with Akkad’s daughter Iris. The game begins when you show up for work and both Akkad and Iris are missing. Given that Cleopatra has launched a civil war against her brother/husband Ptolemy which is tearing up Alexandria at the moment, this is not too surprising. (Although I did not know that Ptolemy was both brother and husband to that crazy Cleo, so that was a bit of a shock.)

At its heart, Riddle Of The Tomb is a puzzle game, more so than an adventure game. You basically can walk around with impunity (in other words not worrying about getting killed) until you hit a puzzle that needs to be solved. Unlike a really difficult puzzle game where you have to figure out what a puzzle is, here it’s pretty easy. When you hit a wall, sometimes literally, you have found a puzzle.

The game does a good job of easing you into the whole puzzle solving adventure. The first puzzles involve trying to find out where you master and girlfriend have gone (or were taken).

The puzzles themselves are fairly diverse and range from combining objects in your inventory to conducting basic research on Egyptian culture to discover, for example, what order to place statues for the ceremony to weigh the soul of a dead person. Almost all the puzzles are connected to Egyptian lore in some way, which adds a nice touch to the atmosphere.

James Nares' Rome 78 screened at Anthology Film Archives in New York

2008-05-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

Not far into Rome 78, James Nares's unlikely rendering of a sword-and-sandal costume drama on the minuscule format of Super-8 sound film, two soldiers clad in armor and togas lean against what one might generously imagine to be the walls of the Roman Senate, but is more likely a cheaply renovated East Village apartment. The pair discusses the increasingly erratic actions of Emperor Caligula without the genre's usual pseudo-Shakespearean gravitas; they sound like two deadbeat downtowners bullshitting at a bar. "

Rarely screened, Rome 78—part of this week's James Nares retro at Anthology Film Archives—has nevertheless built up its own aura over the years, no doubt due to its subcultural provenance. The cast includes a crowd that the British-born Nares remembers today as "all sort of downtown personalities": James Chance and Pat Place of the Contortions (for which Nares himself played guitar), fellow musicians John Lurie and Lydia Lunch, club heroine Patti Astor, television survivor Lance Loud, and filmmaker Eric Mitchell. Today, Nares is best known as a painter: His large-brush abstractions partake of a coolly controlled happenstance that one might faintly relate to Rome 78's more ragged insouciance.

Punctuated by in-camera flash-frames, off-kilter shots, and inappropriate laughter, Rome 78 (1978) embraces shabby-chic as a formal objective. Nares mocks up Ancient Rome by shooting in faux-classical sites like Grant's Tomb and Tribeca's American Thread Building, where a decrepit penthouse loft with a peeling-paint dome serves as an echoey stand-in for the imperial palace. The latter location required ingenuity: Posing as potential renters, Nares and associates asked the manager to show them the apartment, then unlocked the windows on the way out; a few hours later, they broke back into the space, full cast and crew in tow, to shoot the necessary scenes.

At every moment in the film, New York circa 1978 bleeds uncontrollably into a flimsy pretense of first-century Rome. Scheming courtiers allude to intrigues in Gaul, Brittany, and the Lower East Side; Mitchell chain-smokes while seducing a black-lingerie-clad Lunch on a zebra-skin rug; the Emperor himself—astonishingly portrayed by twitchy, gap-toothed ectomorph David McDermott—declares his own divinity at Grant's Tomb by screaming above the honks and engine rumbles of the West Side Highway.

Seen now, Rome 78 collapses three layers of dead civilization: The script conveys the waning days of the Roman imperium; the sets evoke the Empire State's 19th-century robber-baron capitalism; and the cast memorializes the last days of urban bohemia's counter-kingdom. "I don't think I was the first to draw a connection between the Roman Empire and the American empire," Nares states. "At that time, it really felt like things were falling apart. A real 'decline and fall' seemed very obvious, with the blocks of abandoned buildings and so forth. It was an easy call, really . . . .

"It's my only attempt at a narrative film with actors. It has its moments—quite funny at times, quite beautiful at times, too.

If you speak Greek

2008-05-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

If you or your children speak Greek, the Foundation of the Hellenic World produces several multimedia educational games about various topics in Greek history:

Searching for Alexander the Great

Travel with Jason and Danae and follow the course of Alexander the Great! Travel around the world, see museums and monuments and learn about the civilizations that were influenced by the Macedonian king all over the world!

Have fun with amazing games, collect objects that testify to the glorious history of Alexander the Great, solve the riddles and face the obstacles of the cunning Leo Foxy. At your disposal there will be a large encyclopaedia with all the necessary information! Do not waste any time! Create your own presentations and take part in the great competition of the game. Discover the ancient civilization and unfold the magic world of Hellenic history, in an educational game that combines learning and action!

In our new adventure, with Jason and Danae as the leading characters, you will discover the unique history of Alexander the Great. In the beginning of the game, listen carefully to the information provided by the teacher at school regarding the paper you must prepare, which is a presentation of the Macedonian king. Solve the initial riddle, take the book with the rules of participation, which is also the manual of the game, and prepare yourselves for a magic journey to history!

Lead Jason and Danae to the areas of their yard and speak with the heroes that are in the rooms: their advises and inventions will be very useful! If you search well and use your power of reasoning, you will manage to collect the necessary gear which will help you to travel in nearby and far away destinations and discover unknown aspects of the fearless Alexander the Great. You should ask the people you meet in your way, you will see impressive museums, mysterious tombs and traditional Greek hamlets, in order to collect as many objects as possible so you can create your own unique presentation.

When you return to school you will have the opportunity to prepare your presentation and, when you are ready, to show it to your classmates! But the most important fact is that you can save it and send it to us, participating thus in the competition that will regularly take place, with great gifts.

Language: Greek!

Mystery in ancient Miletus

"Mystery in ancient Miletus" is a game in which knowledge and entertainment coexist harmoniously. It is addressed to children above the age of 10, but also to everyone who wishes to learn about ancient Miletus in a pleasant way. Starting the application, the player has the possibility to meet the family of the heroes of the series "Jason & Danae".

He can also colour various images with the heroes and print them out in colour or black and white.

The game is essentially divided into two parts. The first part consists exclusively of cartoons. The player "experiences" the game through the eyes of its leading characters, Jason (High School student) and Danae (Primary School student). The heroes, always under the guidance of the player, must in the beginning roam through the areas of their residence, in order to collect more information about the story of the game.

In these areas there are hidden many riddles, which every time include a new element that furthers the development of the story. Their solution leads to key objects that contribute to the solution of the game.

After they collect all necessary information, the heroes are ready to "travel" to ancient Miletus.

The second part of the game includes a tour to ancient Miletus, which takes place through the use of interactive virtual reality video (QuickTime VR). Through it, the player experiences the area as it was in the Roman Period, as does the visitor of "Kivotos", FHW's virtual reality system. The successive images (QuickTime VR) that have been used allow for the 360o visual coverage of the areas, solely using the mouse. At the same time, brief historical information is provided for every area.

Historical information appears both in text form and images as well as in video format, which comes from the documentary "Miletus... A City in Four Dimensions". In addition, the CD-ROM includes a glossary and an encyclopaedia with historical data about Miletus, information about the areas and the buildings, the important people that lived in this city, general information about various sports and buildings of Antiquity, but also many ancient sayings.

And some advice!!! Try to call from the devise in the room of uncle Pericles. All telephone numbers can be found on the bulletin board. You will discover many secrets, which will help you solve the game.

Language: Greek!

Age of Conan due to be released May 20

2008-05-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

"Cruel Gods, Mythical Creatures, Lost Civilizations and a Struggling Human Race!

In a world filled with cruel gods, mythical creatures, lost civilizations and a struggling human race, the mighty barbarian has finally seized the throne as king of Aquilonia. But Conan’s rule is on the brink of chaos, spiraling towards the doom of ancient evils.

The First Official Conan Online RPG Sends You on a Brutal Journey...

A brutal journey in the footsteps of the worlds’ greatest fantasy hero. Meet Conan’s friend and foes, battle demons and monsters known from 70 year of Conan history, and step up to the ultimate challenge and befriend the mighty king Conan himself."

The Fall of the Roman Empire gets collector's edition treatment

2008-05-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

"The Fall of the Roman Empire is the second entry in The Miriam Weinstein Collection. (The first was El Cid.) It's one of those, big sprawling epics with an incredible cast: Alec Guinness, Sophia Loren, Omar Sharif, James Mason, Christopher Plummer and Stephen Boyd. Whew.

DVD extras include a copy of the original 1961 souvenir pogram, production stills, and a bunch of featurettes about the Madrid location shoot, the Hollywood version vs. actual history, the theatrical trailer and more.

You remember the story. Boy meets girl. Boy is slated to rule the empire. Boy loses both empire and girl. Boy kills her insane brother, rescues her from certain death, renounces the throne and escapes to live happily ever after while the empire collapses. Well, it’s not your typical love story.

The Fall of the Roman Empire is an action-packed epic tale, beautifully filmed, with lavish costumes, sets, and thousands of extras - the sort of grandiose undertaking which is now done using CGI. The funeral of Marcus Aurelius was one of the more impressive scenes, and the basis of the plot is the struggle to see who will succeed him. His son Commodus (Christopher Plummer) is an increasingly crazy but clever man who outmaneuvers Livius (Stephen Boyd), his competition for the throne, at every turn - in large part because Livius is the plodding, honorable, nice guy who can be relied upon to act a certain way. Lucilla (Sophia Loren) isn’t a pawn on the chessboard, she’s a real player in all the intrigue.

The action is continuous, and while enjoyable, some of it seems pointless - the chariot race was a pleasure to watch but didn’t move the plot forward. Still, the movie progresses steadily toward the inevitable, and the journey is captivating. The battle scenes were very well done, and considering that this movie lacked all of the technological tricks of today’s epic films, the film is truly phenomenal. For fans of the movie Gladiator, The Fall of the Roman Empire is a must-see."

Lego and Lucas Arts to release Lego Indiana Jones in June

2008-05-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

"Lego and LucasArts is obviously a winning combination. The previous pairings of the two brands in the various Lego Star Wars games have been nothing but money makers for the brands and publishers involved. So it came as no surprise when LucasArts earlier this year revealed that another of its flagship characters--swashbuckling action man Indiana Jones--was getting his block on in Lego Indiana Jones. The new game--which is set for release on practically every game platform in the second quarter of this year--will cover all of the action of the first three Indiana Jones movies (no Crystal Skull here), and we got to see how the game is shaping up today at a special LucasArts GDC event.

Just like the first Lego Star Wars games, Lego Indiana Jones will break down each of the original three films into six episodes focusing on each particular movie's key action scenes. The very first location showed by LucasArts in today's demo was the game's hub world, which functions similarly to the cantina in the first Lego Star Wars. The hub world in this game is Jones' place of work (his day job, not his archaeology gig), Barnett College, and it's where players will access the game's various levels. After a brief tour of the college, the LucasArts rep jumped straight into the first level of the game, which takes place in the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark. From the following cutscene, it's clear to see developer Travellers' Tales has injected this game with the same mix of reverence for the source material mixed in with a healthy dose of humor seen in previous Lego games. This level copies the opening of Raiders almost exactly, right down to Satipo (played by Alfred Molina in the film) taking out that arrow stuck in the tree and tasting the poison on it. The comic relief comes in the form of three porter characters who are following Indy and one by one get accidentally taken out by hiding natives actually aiming for Jones.

Indy's main weapon will be his trusty whip, which can be used in a variety of ways. Not only can it be used for attacking enemies, it can also be used to swing across chasms, grab objects, and pull levers. The gameplay itself is extremely reminiscent of Lego Star Wars, with the same basic platforming and team-based puzzle solving found in those earlier Lego titles. The main character of Indiana Jones will always be accompanied by a partner character which--just like in Lego Star Wars again--can be controlled by a second player at any time (that second player can also drop out at any time). This second character will always have a different set of skills from Indy, which will be needed to get past puzzles. For example, the second character of Satipo in this first level had the dig ability, which he used to unearth some buried Lego pieces that the Indy character then used to build a bridge across a large gap. Later on, Indy had to step on some pressure switches to lower spikes barring Satipo's way.

This being the iconic opening scene of Raiders, the gameplay demo included the famous scene of Indy grabbing the gold idol off the pedestal, as well as the rolling boulder chase sequence. The level ends with Indy making it out of the temple, only to be confronted by the Lego version of evil French archaeologist Belloq, who asks Indy to hand him the idol. In another comical scene, Indy pulls several things out of his bag before the idol, including C-3PO's head."

I'll have to be sure my son sees this. When he was little we teamed up to solve the puzzles in one of the first Indiana Jones games that came out on the original Atari game console - oh my, it must have been over 20 years ago now!

Disney searches for resident Indiana Jones

2008-04-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

Indiana Jones stunt show coming to Disneyland

"Indiana Jones swings into Disneyland this summer in a live-action stunt show timed to coincide with the fourth installment of the movie series, “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

The Anaheim theme park is casting actors with combat experience for the Indy role, a duplicitous female archaeologist and a physically imposing bad guy for “The Summer of Hidden Mysteries,” a staged show to be performed on the balconies, rooftops and streets of Adventureland, according to the Disneyland auditions website. Park visitors would be enlisted to help solve mysteries and uncover ancient artifacts during the performance.

The stunt show ties together the highly anticipated movie opening, May 22, with the theme park’s Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye attraction.

According to the casting call:
* The Indiana Jones character, a rugged adventurer in his 40s, tosses off comic lines, throws a punch and interacts well with children — all with equal ability.

* The female archaeologist, in her late 20s to early 40s with an English accent, starts out kind and helpful but eventually reveals a villainous side.

* The bad guy, a brute with physical agility and stamina, pursues Jones through the crowded streets of Adventureland before a culminating series of balcony and rooftop confrontations."

The Last Templar Miniseries Slated for NBC

2008-04-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

RHI Entertainment has inked a string of deals on its Crusades miniseries “The Last Templar.”

Germany’s ProSiebenSat1, France’s M6, Spain’s Antena 3, Australia’s Channel 7 and Mediaset in Italy have all acquired the four-hour adaptation of Raymond Khoury’s bestselling novel about a Manhattan archaeologist attempting to uncover the lost secrets of the medieval Knights Templar.

Mira Sorvino plays the archaeologist. Scott Foley, Victor Garber and Omar Sharif round out the cast.

RHI Entertainment, which specializes in made-for-TV films and miniseries, is producing “The Last Templar” for NBC. Paolo Barzman is helming the production, which started lensing April 5.

Europa Universalis: Rome demo now available

2008-04-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

Europa Universalis: Rome demo is now available for download. The demo offers Rome and Carthage as the opposing civilizations engaged in the Second Punic War.

Riddle of the Tomb

2008-03-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

The graphics in this Adventure Company game look fantastic and the story sounds intriguing as well!

"The country is divided by civil war pitting Cleopatra’s supporters against those of her brother and husband, Ptolemy, who is ravaging the country. In this climate of terror, Thomas, a young apprentice to Akkad, Cleopatra’s astrologist and astronomist, falls in love with his master’s daughter. One day, in horror, he discovers that both Master and daughter have been kidnapped.

Thomas sets out on their trail and learns in the course of his investigations that Cleopatra herself has asked Akkad to make a specific divination, and that the partisans of Ptolemy are behind the kidnapping. Cleopatra promises Thomas that in exchange for the tablets required for the divination, her guards will find the master and his daughter.

Thomas’s investigations lead him to the discovery of Egypt’s legendary sites such as the Library of Alexandria and the Lighthouse. Thomas also meets the Queen and a whole host of other mysterious characters. Will he manage to save his master and his loved one, so that together they can decipher the stars? Without the prophecy, the country will be lost: the destiny of Egypt and its Queen are in his hands."

Features:

To avoid endless travel, an interactive map will gradually reveal new areas as the player advances in the game and visits more sites. The player can return to any visited location in a single click.
The developers based their work on historical research in order to faithfully recreate monuments and transcribe Egyptian culture.
Rediscover monuments such as the Lighthouse, the Library and the city of Alexandria as though you were really there.
A multitude of challenging puzzles each referencing Egyptian culture and science.

Release date not yet announced.

Imperium Romanum Makes Its Debut

2008-03-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

As an educator and a history buff I was particularly excited to read about the "History mode" version of this new Roman Empire city-building title. The graphics look terrific too!

Review by Emmanuel Brown

Imperium takes up arms against the preconception of Roman city-building titles, being at once incredibly deep and historically accurate yet also streamlined and extremely user-friendly. If you're at all interested in Roman history, or indeed just want to give the strategy genre a tryout, you can do far worse than to give this some time.

So, covering all the bases then, Imperium is at heart a city-building game, pure and simple. Whilst there are three different single-player modes to get stuck into (more on those later), each one essentially boils down to laying out buildings and resources in your chosen pattern, and attempting to resolve the need for wealth and expansion whilst keeping your citizens happy and safe. It's a balancing act right away though, with even the tiniest decisions bringing about consequences further down the line.


Settlements occasionally need to be conquered		Graphical quality is excellent for a strategy title

As this is Rome that we're dealing with, the building types are all of a fairly primitive nature compared to modern cities. Basic amenities such as food and water need to be taken care of with wells, pig farms and the like, whilst clothing requires buildings such as flax farms and tailor shops. Housing is built at a primitive level initially and eventually upgrades according to the wealth of the inhabitants, which is in turn affected by a number of factors such as the surrounding area and the ability to work. Buildings in disarray due to a lack of maintenance (a constant supply of stone is important here) are at risk of catching fire, and people unable to find work will eventually turn to crime, sometimes starting the fires themselves.

As mentioned in the preview however, as this is Rome we're dealing with, it isn't just a basic way of life that needs to be provided. As your city expands and the population becomes more prosperous, other types of decorative elements take precedence in the build queue. This isn't a game simply about making everything work to a satisfactory level, it's about building an attractive and wealthy city, and basking in the results as your influence expands.

Over time your empire will grow to a considerable size, and fortunately Imperium features a decent enough interface for keeping track of everything. Numerous statistical graphs are available to sift through for problematic areas, and neglected sections of the map soon begin to take on a darker hue as citizens leave or businesses are unable to find a proper workforce. In that manner, it's always fairly obvious which neighbourhoods need attention, and issues can normally be cured with the addition of whatever resource is lacking in that particular area.


Fires can be dealt with in a couple of different ways		Seems familiar...

Of course none of this comes for free, and you'll need a constant supply of Denarii (the game's overall currency) in order to keep building new structures, and to fund expansion. Taxation is a key element here, with wealthy citizens providing more resources for the public coffers, whilst trade routes can also be examined, and goods bought and sold outside of the city. Completing goals such as attracting a particular number of people to your city, or keeping the satisfaction rating above a certain level, also brings about financial rewards from the senate.

There are three play modes available by default, with each one offering up a different approach to the core subject matter. History mode is perhaps the most interesting, starting off at the beginning of the Roman timeline with the foundations of the great city by Romulus and Remus in 509BC, and continues to develop all the way through to 120AD. Branching paths are offered as your city builds, taking in most of the major events throughout Roman history. Playing through this mode is as educating as it is challenging, with points of interest narrated and explained as you build up the might of Rome in an accurate fashion.

'Rome' mode recreates the basic layout of the titular city and terrain, minus some of the important historical buildings. It'll be your job to recreate each of these, building up resources and keeping the population happy along the way. Each task is delegated with the unique 'tablet' system (in use throughout all storyline modes), with players able to take as many as three simultaneous goals at any time, or keep it to a single focus if so desired. Finally, the Scenario mode allows you the option of a starting plot in a number of cities spread throughout Italy and the empire, and allows you to build your own city entirely from scratch. Each map offers up a varying difficulty level in the form of resource availability and frequency of attack from barbarian tribes.


You'll end up proud of your city		The gladiator arena is a central piece in any larger city

And on that note, unfortunately the conflict with barbarians is where the majority of the problems lie with Imperium. Combat simply isn't well-developed, with a paltry selection of formations, and none of the standard control options of even a basic RTS game. You simply build squadrons of soldiers, archers or mounted soldiers, and send them to a specific place on the map. From that point it's literally a case of choosing attack or retreat, and success largely depends on numerical advantages. Whilst combat can be scaled back to a point that it's completely non-essential, it would have been nice to have seen an increased focus in this area. After all, Rome was build on a legacy of war and military might, not just the incredible development of civic services and societal improvements.

Also, it's worth noting here that Imperium is definitely not a game for those that like to get into micro-management detail. Many of the more laborious tasks are simply glossed over, with workers going about their business automatically, citizens assigning themselves to jobs, and in general the only intervention needed in your city will be to build new units and study the balance sheets. This is both a positive and negative aspect depending on how you look at strategy games. On a personal note, I couldn't be more happy that the microscopic detail takes care of itself, as I'd rather be free to concentrate on the overall picture, however, some hardcore players will definitely be in danger of feeling like the game plays on auto-pilot at times.

Overall though it's difficult to fault the blending of elements on offer here. Graphical detail is excellent on high-level systems, whilst the engine is flexible enough to scale down to more modest rigs with ease. The level of historical detail on offer will be enviable to even the more established franchises, and whilst Imperium doesn't do anything to reinvent the genre as a whole, it's certainly a well-refined product that's worth a look to veteran players.

Print this review

by Emmanuel Brown

Europa Universalis: Rome to be released April 2008

2008-02-18T08:21:00.000-08:00

This game will encompass the years 280 BC through 27 BC. Producer Johan Andersson describes the games and its features:

"The Roman era depicts some of the greatest cultural and military civilizations that have ever existed. We felt there was so much more of this era to explore, and that the time period lends itself perfectly to the type of deep and challenging strategy we have specialized in. In addition, we are all fans of the era, which helps immensely, since we will be well familiar with every inch of it after finalizing this project....There will be more than 50 playable nations ranging from Rome itself to smaller Gallic tribes. Of course, we have nations like Carthage, Egypt, and Macedonia as well. We chose 280 BC as our starting point because there was a type of balance between several major nations at that time, and essentially any of those major nations could have created an empire similar to that of Rome. Players will have different resources, geographical locations, characters, and governments at their disposal, which will define their strengths and the capabilities of the nations.

Players can set up trade routes to get access to other resources, appoint characters to various positions in their nation, elect different national ideas depending on their government type...and [they'll have] many more options. The outcome of Europa Universalis: Rome will completely depend on players' strategic and tactical choices.

There are six different units available in the game: militia (standard peasant levy); heavy infantry (such as the legionary); archers (missile troops, such as slingers); cavalry; horse archers (Parthians); and elephant cavalry.

The 3D map and improved terrain adds substantially to the look and feel of the game, and in some instances it will play into [certain] strategies. It's more difficult to open trade routes if your nations are separated by mountains, or to wage war over sea, unless you have a strong fleet. What will be visible to players will depend greatly on the strategies applied.

We've found what we believe is the perfect balance between a game with great strategic depth and scope, as well as a certain degree of complexity type, and a game that is easier for players to get into. We've also seen the importance of an intuitive interface, as that means gameplay can be kept intelligent and challenging at the same time as it can be welcoming to new players."

Fight with Alexander the Great in "Fate of Hellas"

2008-02-13T08:04:00.000-08:00

JoWooD Productions announces a new title for 2008 and expands their strategy portfolio.

The RTS game "Fate of Hellas" combines economic development with tactical real time battles, all fully shown in 3D. In two campaigns with seven missions, each the player is able to take over control of the legendary people of Macedonia.

You will fight alongside Alexander The Great and bring peace to the city states of ancient Greece. Put together an army and fight with your soldiers for wealth and peace, becoming more successful than Alexander The Great has ever been. But beware: It will not be just your enemies that will envy you!

Features:

Thrilling realtime battles in ancient Greece - "Fate of Hellas" is an RTS game, which takes the player to ancient Greece: 2500 Years ago, before the rise of Rome, fierce battles between the Greeks and their enemies took place.
Build formations with your troops - 3 different formations for strategic fights!
Equip your troops with weapons from your defeated enemies - Pick up the weapons left behind by your enemies after you have killed them in combat
Besiege the citys of historic Greece! - The more cities you conquer, the greater your power on the battlefield
More than 60 different characters! - Different fighters, buildings, vehicles and many more

Fate of Hellas will be available in March 2008.

"Free" Online Gaming embraced by Electronic Arts

2008-01-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

This article about Electronic Arts introducing "free" online gaming caught my attention. Apparently, they will offer free games with the ability for online players to buy "extras" to customize their game experience.

When Slitherine Software's producer emailed me (see next post) he asked me for suggestions to enhance the gaming experience. I told him that several years ago I wrote to Sierra, makers of one of my favorite games Caesar III, and asked them if they ever considered selling modules that would let a player view classical plays or a senate debate if they built a theater or senate house or bet on chariot races or gladiator combats if they built a hippodrome or amphitheater. Maybe now, somebody will!

"In a major departure from its traditional business model, E.A. plans to announce Monday that it is developing a new installment in its hit Battlefield series that will be distributed on the Internet as a free download. Rather than being sold at retail, the game is meant to generate revenue through advertising and small in-game transactions that allow players to spend a few dollars on new outfits, weapons and other virtual gear.

At a conference in Munich, the company intends to announce that the new game, Battlefield Heroes, will be released for PC this summer. More broadly, E.A. hopes the game can help point the way for Western game publishers looking to diversify beyond appealing to hard-core players with games that can cost $60 or more.

E.A.’s most recent experiment with free online games began two years ago in South Korea, the world’s most fervent gaming culture. In 2006, the company introduced a free version of its FIFA soccer game there, and Gerhard Florin, E.A.’s executive vice president for publishing in the Americas and Europe, said it has signed up more than five million Korean users and generates more than $1 million in monthly in-game sales.

Players can pay not only for decorative items like shoes and jerseys but also for boosts in their players’ speed, agility and accuracy. Mr. Florin said that while most users do not buy anything, a sizable minority ends up spending $15 to $20 a month."

Play History Website another great resource for historical gamers

2008-01-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

I received an email from the director of Slitherine Software, the company that released such titles as "Legion", "Chariots of War", and "Spartan", and he told me his company premiered a new website, Play History, for historical game enthusiasts on November 9.

"As we remember history and look back to these momentous events, our fascination with the past will hopefully be encapsulated in our new portal, our own window in time leading to all things ‘history’ and assisting us to understand events that have shaped our lives. PLAYHISTORY will inform, amuse and focus on the many ways that we have found to enjoy our common passion through movies, books, videogames, wargames, boardgames and all of the other forms of entertainment that we use to recount History and make it relevant to the present.

PLAYHISTORY opens its doors with a feature about the 3rd Servile War, using a few images from the videogame THE HISTORY CHANNEL Great Battles of Rome (2007) to illustrate the events depicted. The Slave Revolts are just another example of Napoleon's famous words 'Imagination rules the world'. Like many other momentous events from the past this dream of freedom is a story of courage and fortitude that would challenge the writers of fiction. It is events like this that we will seek to celebrate over the coming weeks and months."

I am always excited to see any effort to promote the study of history and "Play History" with its timeline of events, featured products, and game-illustrated articles is a fascinating resource for us all. I will add a link to the site to this blog's permanent list of reference links.

Slitherine Software and Osprey Publishing prepare to release Field of Glory manual

2008-01-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

"Historical miniature wargaming as a popular hobby can be traced back to 1913 when the famous author H.G. Wells conceived and wrote the first commercial set of wargames rules “Little Wars.” In fact it goes back further still with Kriegsspiel in the early 19th century, and the ancient pharaohs were rumoured to have used model figures to plan their military campaigns.

We've come a long way since then. Today wargaming is an absorbing and fascinating pastime involving elements of tactical skill and chance, where armies of accurately researched and painted figurines march across realistically modelled battlefields to re-fight bygone wars. Have you got it in you to become an Alexander the Great?

Games can range from re-fights of actual historical battles to speculative “what ifs” matching armies against foes that never met. They can be stand-alone games in which a points system is used to ensure that both armies have a fair chance, scenario games with unequal forces such as an attack on a marching army or the defence of a river line, or even complex campaigns in which logistics and strategy are as important as tactical skill.

Ancient/Medieval wargaming covers the widest period of all, from the first organised armies circa 3,000 BC until the rising dominance of gunpowder weapons at the end of the 15th Century AD. The armies are colourful and varied and come equipped with all sorts of weaponry ranging from simple slings to the dreaded war elephants and scythed chariots."

Each member of the Field of Glory design team has a keen interest in ancient and medieval history, and between us we have amassed over 100 years of wargaming experience.

In this Field of Glory rulebook, you take the role of the army commander and his senior generals, giving the rules a top down style and feel. Historical accounts describe battles as a series of events and phases, rather than solely an account of constant action. With Field of Glory, we have also tried to reflect this ebb and flow of events on the battlefield.

Armies of this era had a common theme, whatever their organisation at the micro level. Each had a commander-in-chief and a few senior commanders who would take control of a wing, or the centre, or a sweeping charge. Subordinate to these was another layer of commanders who controlled the various tactical formations which generally consisted of a number of units grouped together. In Field of Glory we call these formations battle groups.

In Field of Glory you will take command of an army which consists of approximately 10-15 battle groups led by the C-in-C and his senior commanders. The game has been designed to ensure that, just as in reality, the commanders (you) are fully occupied with decision making from the outset. Your key objective is to outmanoeuvre the enemy army and concentrate your forces at critical points in the battle. This will then destroy the enemy's will to fight, deal a devastating blow to the morale of their commanders (your opponent) and allow you to win.

Iain McNeil, Director of Slitherine Software, also tells me they have been working with education entities to find ways to use their extensive knowledge of history and game engines to promote the teaching of history from ancient to modern times.

I find this particularly exciting since I have been trying to promote history through technology for years. Now if we could just blend in a little machinima and talking, customizable avatars...

Empire Earth III Not Worth the Time or the Money

2008-01-05T08:08:00.001-08:00

"The old real-time strategy game passed through 15 epochs (including the future) and 14 civilizations, spanning 13,000 years of human history and requiring the player's constant input. It even inspired a National Empire Earth II Championship on-line and at game centers in the US. But the new version, produced by the same Mad Doc studio and costing the same as the old one, is a great disappointment and goes many steps backward.

Instead of 14 civilizations - Aztec, Incan, Babylonian, Mayan, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, German, British, American, Korean, Turkish and Japanese - based on history and excellent graphics, the new version offers only generic Eastern, Western and Middle East locations. Sadly, history fans can no longer play the game to live in the past or recall epic battles. Thus, contrary to the claims of publicity material for the game, it doesn't cover "the entire span of human history."

The game play for all three is essentially the same, except for the different architectural style of the buildings. The other distinguishing characteristics are that the Western group has more advanced technology, making the price of its units more prohibitive; the Middle East group focuses on surprise attacks; and the Far Eastern troops offer large armies at lower cost.

Apparently, despite all the praise version No. 2 received, the developers thought it was too demanding and complicated and sought to "popularize" it. Thus the new one is dumbed down, with a great deal of oversimplification and superficiality. Did I say "simplified"? I meant stripped to the bone, with no meat left. In their efforts to streamline the game, the developers threw the baby out with the bathwater.

Except for the opening clip in which an ancient woman morphs into a citizen of other epochs and then into a robot, the animations are a disappointment, as is the graphics quality of the game itself. Game play crashes very frequently. There are only five epochs, from ancient to medieval, colonial, modern and future. Although the background music is OK, the dialogue among faceless combatants is idiotic and repetitive: "'Fess up that you like the way I move," says a male robot from the future era to its female counterpart in a typical forgettable statement." - Jerusalem Post

Another "Mummy" sequel

2008-01-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

"2008 looks to be a busy year across the board for all movie studios and while Universal Pictures hopes to strike cinematic gold with such films as The Incredible Hulk, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and Wanted, the studio is also serving up the next installment in The Mummy franchise, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. As the year winds to a close, we've got the latest Mummy images below to come down the pike.

Hitting theaters on August 1, 2008, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor will see director Rob Cohen take a seat behind the camera to direct Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle Yeoh, Anthony Wong, Luke Ford, and Isabella Leong.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor synopsis:

"The blockbuster global Mummy franchise takes a spellbinding turn as the action shifts to Asia for the next chapter in the adventure series, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Brendan Fraser returns as explorer Rick O’Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li) in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China high into the frigid Himalayas. Rick is joined in this all-new adventure by son Alex (newcomer Luke Ford), wife Evelyn (Maria Bello) and her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah). And this time, the O’Connells must stop a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service.

"Doomed by a double-crossing sorceress (Michelle Yeoh) to spend eternity in suspended animation, China’s ruthless Dragon Emperor and his 10,000 warriors have laid forgotten for eons, entombed in clay as a vast, silent terra cotta army. But when dashing adventurer Alex O’Connell is tricked into awakening the ruler from eternal slumber, the reckless young archaeologist must seek the help of the only people who know more than he does about taking down the undead: his parents.

"As the monarch roars back to life, our heroes find his quest for world domination has only intensified over the millennia. Striding the Far East with unimaginable supernatural powers, the Emperor Mummy will rouse his legion as an unstoppable, otherworldly force...unless the O’Connells can stop him first. Now, in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, the trademark thrills and visually spectacular action of the Mummy series will be redefined for a new generation. - The Deadbolt News

Roundup of Year's Entertainment Shows War Only Acceptable As Fantasy Fare

2008-01-03T06:50:00.000-08:00

San Francisco Bay Guardian: "While Grindhouse's bio-experiment rogue troops were banished to fiscal limbo, Hollywood blockbusters like 300, Transformers, and even Beowulf — stemming from comics, toys, and cartoons and steeped in the stuff of a distended childhood — turned out to be the only way Americans would swallow warfare. Fusing digital animation and live actors to produce spectacles that would have made Cecil B. DeMille reach for his next merchandising tie-in, those hit movies tacitly acknowledged the war we're in and offered candy-colored, action-packed escapism for the inner fanboy and fangirl. Six years into the war on terror, we can't feel good about imminent outright victory; hell, even the most fervent right-winger realizes, in his or her reptilian back brain and in the dark of the multiplex, that the real-life shoot-'em-ups are depressingly, futilely, infuriatingly misguided. But we still want our war to be a great ride — despite the fact that ambiguous reality finds a way of inserting itself into the metal-crushing, knuckle-skating mise-en-scène.

Picking up the air of suicide-mission doom suffusing 2006 Oscar contender Letters from Iwo Jima, 300 started the year with blood-spattered, heroic fatalism. Like Beowulf and even the tongue-in-cheek Transformers, the Zack Snyder–directed epic, based on a graphic novel by draconian edge maven Frank Miller (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns), self-consciously frames its narrative — and its uses as propaganda — from the start by revealing the bard or narrator telling the tale. Here the story is recounted for the distinct purpose of leading the Spartans into battle against the Persians.

Miller may have penned the original comic in the late '90s, yet it's hard to read 300 as anything more than emotionally skilled, cinematically compelling, and blatantly racist support for a US invasion of the country most associated with ancient Persia, Iran ..."

Cradle of Rome new Arcade Game at USA Today Arcade Zone

2007-12-16T07:29:00.000-08:00

This game from USA Today's Arcade zone does involve the Rome and the ancient world but I would recommend getting "Caesar IV" for more complex game play and much better graphics for the same price.

"Build the heart of Ancient Rome and become its Emperor! Coliseum can become a good training school for your brave gladiators! And the Temple of all the Roman Gods will bring you luck! The fabulous Caesar’s land opens its gates in front of you.

Imagine being given the chance to build Ancient Rome, the most legendary city of all time! One of the powerful capitals that have ever existed wants you to become its Emperor! You start at the beginning… First a village appears… Then you buy a fountain and a tavern… Will you choose the water mill or the blacksmith next? As you play more and earn enough money and supplies to buy larger buildings, watch your city grow into a vast and magnificent center of life, the heart of the antiquity! You'll be able to reconstruct masterpieces of Roman architecture, build the Coliseum to train gladiators, and even rebuild the Pantheon, the Temple of all the Rman Gods to bring you even greater luck! As you play and conquer addictive and intuitively designed puzzles and your city grows, the citizens who populate your city will proclaim you Emperor as a Head Priest considers a worthy tribute! The fabulous lands of Caesar open their gates in front of you in our new puzzle game: Cradle of Rome!

Caligula Imperial Edition an Imperial Disappointment

2007-12-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

For a number of years I have heard about the squabble over the lack of an X-rating for "Caligula" a movie based on a script by Gore Vidal. With such luminary actors as Malcolm McDowell, Peter O'Toole, Helen Mirren, and John Gielgud, I couldn't imagine it could be anywhere close to a modern rating of "X". When the Imperial Edition was released I couldn't help but see for myself so I pre-ordered it on Amazon.

Unfortunately, I watched the unrated edition first and was revolted by the inclusion of gratuitous sex scenes that had no purpose at all to advance the plot. The wardrobe department must have scrounged costumes from some old follies show and Vidal must not have spent much time reviewing historical accounts of the period either since there actually was a time when Caligula first ascended the thrown that he was reasonable to an extent and was generally liked by the Roman mob. I also think a contextual background would have helped viewers to understand why Caligula spun out of control when given the chance to be the most powerful man on earth. Of course I was particularly irritated by the opening statement about "Pagan Rome" inferring that the events would not have happened if Rome had been Christian at the time. Oh, please!!! The brutality of Christian Rome could match that of Pagan Rome blow for blow!

I did enjoy reading about the background of the making of this "epic":

"Caligula is the stuff, or rather the spunk, of legend. The 1979 epic T&A-fest is based on real-life legend: the rapid ascendancy and downfall of Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (“Little Boots” for short). Caligula is also a Hollywood legend, revered and ridiculed from the moment of its cinematic conception. The film’s production history is difficult to piece together, but goes something like this:

Gore Vidal wrote a screenplay. Unable to secure adequate funding, he appealed to Penthouse founder Bob Guccione. Fiduciary aid was provided on one condition—that Caligula take the orgy to the next level. Vidal accepted Emperor Guccione’s demands. Italian director Tinto Brass, of Salon Kitty (1976) fame, signed on. Danilo Donati, a favorite of Fellini’s, was hired to construct ostentatious sets and render trompe l’oeil backgrounds. An all-star cast was assembled. Debaucheries were orchestrated and shot. Chaos soon descended. Guccione championed the inclusion of several minutes of hard-core pornography. Vidal and Brass both renounced the film, at different times and for different reasons. Malcolm McDowell has described his experience of Caligula as rape-like. Helen Mirren has more positively invoked an acid trip."- by Sarah Kessler, The Brooklyn Rail

Ancient Rome Centerpiece of New Europa Universalis edition

2007-10-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

"Grand strategy games that model centuries of history across multiple continents can often be complex and intimidating, but the Europa Universalis series has always attempted to bridge the gap between hardcore, high-level strategy, and accessible, dynamic real-time gameplay. The series is now turning its sights to the ancient Roman Empire, with a brand-new setting, new armies, and many more new features. Producer Johan Andersson explains.

The Roman era depicts some of the greatest cultural and military civilizations that have ever existed. We felt there was so much more of this era to explore, and that the time period lends itself perfectly to the type of deep and challenging strategy we have specialized in. In addition, we are all fans of the era, which helps immensely, since we will be well familiar with every inch of it after finalizing this project.

There will be more than 50 playable nations ranging from Rome itself to smaller Gallic tribes. Of course, we have nations like Carthage, Egypt, and Macedonia as well. We chose 280 BC as our starting point because there was a type of balance between several major nations at that time, and essentially any of those major nations could have created an empire similar to that of Rome. Players will have different resources, geographical locations, characters, and governments at their disposal, which will define their strengths and the capabilities of the nations."

Europa Universalis: Rome is set for release in the second quarter of 2008.

Settlers VI: Rise of an Empire Released

2007-10-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

In this game, the player builds lively, bustling towns in a medieval world. Everything is visible, lovingly animated and realistic.

Each settler has his or her own daily routine, with a range of different actions and behaviours that can be observed by the player at all times.

This enables him to get the best out of his Settlers, build up a flourishing economy, tend to his settlers' needs, and protect his empire against danger from the outside.

By expanding his empire, the player can aspire to becoming a legendary king or queen.

The most popular features of the predecessors in the series have been retained, and many of the fans desires and wishes were incorporated into the new game to create a very special Settlers atmosphere.

The result is a realistic medieval world, captured in intricate detail. The game features an immersive, yet transparent economic system based on the resources, wares and goods produced by the settlers in their various trades and occupations.

Features
A very special Settlers atmosphere in a lively medieval game world!

The primary objective of the game is to create large, lively medieval towns.

The settlers interact with each other in a completely natural way and have wants and needs of their own.

Female settlers appear for the first time in the series: Men and women fall in love with each other and marry.

The lively, detailed game world is rich in animal and plant life.

The settlers' busy life is presented in lovingly rendered animations that show what is going on in a transparent way.

The world is divided into four climatic zones with changes of season and weather which influence expansion and resource gathering.

The best Settlers game of all time, featuring the best from previous games and lots of gameplay innovations!

The game's instant accessibility and gentle learning curve ensure long-lasting fun; even in advanced game missions, new features are introduced.

All interventions by the player are reflected in the behaviour of his subjects and made transparent through the animations in the game world.

Starting with a small settlement, the player builds up flourishing towns, maintains trade relations, and claims land and villages. This requires diplomatic skills.

Mining, gathering resources, and food production result from wise planning and the various occupations of the settlers.

Goods transport is optimized through skilful road planning. Upgrading buildings step-by-step improves the effectiveness of the economy and towns.

By hiring travelling entertainers and organizing fairs, the player acts as a matchmaker by enabling male and female settlers to get to know each other.

The player can build walls to protect his towns from enemy attacks. In military actions, the player must prove that he has built up his empire in such a way that it can defend itself effectively.

Missions featuring noble knights with various skills accompany the player through the epic storyline penned by Jeff Grubb.

Included in the game: dynamic single player campaign, freeplay mode with a multitude of maps, numerous multiplayer options via LAN and Internet, and a map editor.

The Mummy Returns Live Stage Show

2007-09-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this website today when I was looking for promotional images from The Mummy 3. I didn't realize there was a traveling Mummy Returns Live show. I would love to see it but couldn't find any schedule for it.

"The The Mummy Returns LIVE!

Don't wake it!
Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun have unleashed the Mummies curse. Our heroes, Ardeth Bay and Rick O'Connell, need your help! But be warned, 'Think twice before entering as you may never escape alive!'

Be thrilled and more than a little wary as you venture inside the dark tomb. Look out for menacing demons and ancient ghouls as the world as you know it is turned upside down. It's a race against time to make sure the evil Mummy never rises!

The experience
The stage show can host over 750 patrons an hour through an exhilarating and nail-biting set of 8 darkly ominous theatrical scenes. As you move through the scenes, up to 12 cast members will take you on a journey through a grisly underworld. Be careful and keep an eye on our heroes, there are nasty surprises waiting around every corner!"

Role of Evie Recast in Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

2007-09-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

September 11, 2007 - Actress Maria Bello is best known for appearing in serious arthouse films such as A History of Violence and The Jane Austen Book Club rather than effects-heavy Hollywood popcorn flicks, but all that will change next summer when The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opens.

Bello, who takes over as Evelyn Carnahan from Oscar winner Rachel Weisz, even dyed her trademark blond locks auburn for the Rob Cohen-directed actioner. The actress says her version of Evey, wife of adventurer Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser), will be tougher than Weisz's bookish heroine.

"She has the same name, but she's a very different character than Rachel played," Bello informed Sci Fi Wire at the Toronto International Film Festival. "She's a bad-ass action chick. I had to train a lot. I had to do wushu, a martial-art form, some kickboxing, swordfighting, rifle training for a couple of months before we even started shooting."

Pompeii film delayed, Roman Polanski withdraws

2007-09-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

"Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski has pulled out of a screen adaptation of Robert Harris's best-selling novel Pompeii, reports say.

"I put a lot of work and energy into the development of Pompeii, so it is not without regret I have to decline my further involvement," he said.

Filming of the $130m (£64m) movie was to have begun in Italy this summer.

According to Screen Daily, however, the 74-year-old film-maker was unable to commit to a postponed shooting date."

A Salute to Ray Harryhausen developed with iClone 2.1 Software

2007-09-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

I am learning how to create avatars and digital videos using software called iClone 2.1 and have found other history enthusiasts using the software to recreate ancient history and mythology and sharing their efforts on YouTube. User abukhatar has created several videos about ancient legends including the Minotaur and the following video based on the skeleton fight scene from the classic Ray Harryhausen film "Jason and the Argonauts".

"Jason and the Argonauts" is one of my son's favorite films from his childhood as well. Recently, I was teasing him about the ponderous soundtrack and he said "Hey, you don't criticize a classic!!" I'm going to send him a link to this video so he can enjoy it as much as I did.

So far, my efforts have been limited to creating characters with the software. I have created a Roman Legionary wearing lorica segmentata body armor and given him the face of actor Ciaran Hinds who played Julius CAesar in the HBO miniseries "Rome". Caesar, of course, would not have worn infantry armor like this but a commander's cuirass. I'll change the head to Pullo and create commander's attire for Caesar when I get the chance!

Last Legion suffers from Weak Lead and Weak Director

2007-08-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I saw The Last Legion on Saturday afternoon and must admit, even though I wasn't expecting a lot, it was still a bit of a disappointment. It was supposedly based on Manfredi's book but the screenwriter used only the beginning and the end and skipped all of the hair raising journey across Gaul and narrow escapes from Wulfila. Kevin McKidd's screen intensity as Wulfila outshone almost everyone else and instead of capitalizing on it, the director chose to limit his screen time and spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on the PG-13 adolescent fencing between Aurelius and the woman warrior, Mira.

I'm afraid I also found Colin Firth less than charismatic and his performance rather lackluster. There was no sense of comradeship with little band of men and not enough screen development of each member of the group to generate pathos when one of them died.

The young man that played Romulus Augustulus, Thomas Sangster, was good and those piercing eyes should serve him well if he should make acting a long term career choice. I see he already has quite a start on an impressive filmography even at his young age.

Although a little low key at times, Ben Kingsley did a good job as Ambrosinus/Merlin and could join the ranks of Liam Neeson and Ian McKellen as a believable "wise mentor" figure. Indian actress Aishwarya Rai was beautiful and quite physically energetic despite the confines of a PG-13 script. It's just too bad she didn't have someone to play opposite that could engender more screen chemistry.

I'm disappointed that Alexander Siddig, another fine actor as evidenced by his turn in Syriana, was given practically a cameo role as the Byzantine ambassador who was quickly dispatched after revealing that the emperor of the East had chosen to recognize Odoacer rather than give refuge to the boy Romulus. And, John Hannah was totally miscast as complicit Senator Nestor. In fact, a friend of mine said she wondered if his death scene was supposed to be humorous!

As for director, Doug Lefler, he'd better not give up his day job as a storyboard artist.

The Last Legion promoters gearing up for August release

2007-07-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

The marketing blitz for "The Last Legion" has started with the release of it's official movie poster.

"Rome, 476AD. The Roman Empire is under threat. A mighty force for almost 500 years, at its height Rome’s power spread from Mesopotamia in the east to the Iberian peninsula in the west, from the Rhine and Danube in the north to Egypt in the south. This story follows the events surrounding the historical capture of Romulus Augustus and his imprisonment on the island of Capri.

On the eve of the ceremony to crown twelve-year-old Romulus Augustus as the new emperor, the Barbarian general Odoacer arrives in Rome to make a deal with Orestes, patrician and father of the young Caesar. Odoacer makes demands on the power of the Roman Empire, in fair exchange for his decade-long support of the Roman legions in the east. Orestes refuses.

On the day of the coronation, as the whole of Rome gathers to watch the proceedings, Ambrosinus, the shaman who is a mentor and tutor to Romulus, predicts danger. Orestes is worried for his son’s safety and appoints Aurelius, the tribune of the fourth legion, as his personal guard. That night Aurelius and his legionnaires are confronted by a real danger—Odoacer and his army of Goths have returned to the outskirts of Rome to conquer the city.

With a deafening roar, the Barbarian army storm the city. A terrible battle ensues, the brutal invaders show no mercy and blood flows through the streets.

With Orestes and his wife Julia slaughtered, Romulus is captured along with Ambrosinus and both are taken to the island fortress of Capri built by the emperor Tiberius. It is there that Romulus finds the mythical sword of Caesar that holds the prophecy ‘One edge to defend, one to defeat; In Britannia was I forged…to fit the hand of he...who is destined to rule’."

I read the book by Valerio Manfredi and found it well paced and the characters better developed than those in Manfredi's previous books. Of course I'm also anxious to see Kevin McKidd, our dear Vorenus from HBO's Rome, playing the relentless villain, Wulfila. This film is scheduled for an August 17 release in the US.

Putting the Sin back in Cinema?

2007-07-25T10:03:00.001-07:00

Somehow I don't think the religious right is going to take to this new approach to evangelism.

"Directed by Wain and written by Wain and Marino, THE TEN presents a series of interconnected comic sketches designed to reinterpret – and reinvent – the Ten Commandments, making them “meaningful” (and funny) to a young, hip, audience of contemporary sinners. With each story told in a different style, but containing overlapping characters and themes, the film is a grand burlesque boasting an all-star cast that puts the sin back in cinema."

Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms Coming Soon!

2007-07-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms will feature 4 brand new campaigns, including an opportunity to more fully explore The New World that was unlocked toward the end of Medieval II.

In the Americas campaign, players will be able to retrace the steps of Hernán Cortés in 1519, as he seeks to explore and conquer The New World.

Players can earn the support of Spain and explore the mystery and riches of the New World, or take control of the Aztec or Native American factions and call on the Gods and the bravery of vast armies to see off this new threat.

Three other campaigns will offer more detailed “magnifying glass” campaigns within Great Britain, Northern Europe and the Holy Land, with many more regions than were originally shown in Medieval II.

13 new playable factions and over 150 new units, Kingdoms will allow players to control thousands of men on a single battlefield and lead them into conflict with new hero characters such as Richard The Lionheart and Saladin, each armed with new, powerful battlefield abilities.

In addition, players will use moated forts to garrison vast armies or seize control of key strategic points and explore new technology trees, governed by religion and prestige.

Players can experience a bloody clash between pagans and Christians in the Northern European Teutonic Wars, or take control of one of 5 factions in the Britannia campaign when England faces war on 4 fronts as once conquered lands rise up against them.

Kingdoms will also include a new expanded Crusades campaign, where players renew their fight for control of the Holy Lands, with new factions, devastating new units such as the terrifying Greek Flame Thrower, legendary heroes and powerful holy relics.

Features
More than 75 hours of epic new gameplay.

Four huge new campaigns: Britannia, The Crusades, The Teutonic Wars and The Americas.

13 new playable factions, including Aztec and Native American factions.

Over 150 new units, including the devastating Greek Flamethrower.

Follow in the steps of Hernán Cortés and explore a vastly expanded New World map.

Open up a wide array of new regions in the Americas, plus four brand new factions and a cast of new agent characters.

Experience unprecedented detail, including 30 regions of Britain and a region map of Teutonic Europe.

Control multiple armies in battle - command reinforcement armies.

New hero characters feature powerful battlefield abilities. Encounter a huge roster of new historical characters and events.

Build permanent forts to garrison troops or seize control of key strategic points.

Release Date: Aug 29, 2007

History Channel and maker of "Legion" team up for "Great Battles of Rome"

2007-07-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

"With a name like The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome, it's not too difficult to figure out what this game is about. Developed by Slitherine Software, Great Battles of Rome is a tactical battle simulator that lets you control Roman legions in battle against their many foes. Like Slitherine's previous games, Great Battles of Rome focuses just on battles. There's no strategic layer that presents you with a map of the Roman world, so you don't have to worry about moving armies around the map or managing cities. All you have to worry about is managing your army, both in and between battles.

There will be more than 100 battles in the game, divided among 14 Roman campaigns. They're all linear, too, so you must win a battle in order to progress to the next one. Most battles will be won and lost in the planning phase, before the fighting even begins. During the planning phase, you deploy your troops onto the battlefield, taking into account terrain and tactics. You'll then give them initial orders and formations for when the battle starts. For instance, you might want infantry to hold in place, and cavalry to move forward and charge. Your opening moves and stances will be critical, because once the battle begins you won't be able to micromanage it. Instead, you'll have only a limited number of points, which you can use to issue orders. That's to model the difficulty of generals to manage a battle once it has begun.

Should you win the battle, you'll move on to the army management screen, which lets you recruit and customize squads. You can control up to 20 different squads, consisting of more than 20 troop types. There are infantry, cavalry, archers, and whatever else you'd expect from this era in history, such as elephants. You earn gold for winning battles, and you can use it to purchase new squads, replace losses in existing squads, pay for specialized training for squads, or buy better weapons and equipment for your troops. The amount of customization and training is extensive, so you can really make your squads feel like your own. Once everything is set up the way you want, you'll launch into the next battle.

The battles are historically based, so you may battle Germanic barbarians in the North or campaign in much warmer climes. Each battle presents a different tactical challenge thanks to the terrain. Rough terrain might make things difficult for mounted units and ideal for infantry, while open terrain reverses the situation. Woods or hills might create obstacles that can be used to your advantage. You'll also need to study the composition of the enemy force and its deployments. If you see a weakness in their lines, figure a way to exploit it. You don't need to kill everyone in order to win a battle. That rarely happens in history. Instead, you just need to kill enough of them to make the survivors panic and flee."

Days of Wonder offer intriguing board games

2007-07-02T15:36:00.001-07:00

I was researching a link to information about the Persian salt mummies and noticed a link to an interesting board game about ancient Egypt.

The pyramids are crumbling, the temples are in ruins and even the nose of the Great Sphinx looks like it might fall off any day now. Cleopatra is one unhappy queen. Now she has called on the members of the Society of Architects to build her a magnificent new palace in Alexandria - with a Pharaohs ransom to the design that pleases her most. Cleopatra & the Society of Architects is the newest big-box board game from Days of Wonder. This fun and engaging family game includes a true, three-dimensional palace that players compete to build. Players strive to become the wealthiest of Cleopatras architects by constructing the most magnificent and valuable parts of her palace. The twist however is that players will be tempted to deal with shady characters and trade in materials of dubious origins in order to help them build faster. While these corrupt practices might allow an architect to stay a step ahead of the rest, they come with a high price ? cursed Corruption Amulets honoring Sobek, the Crocodile-god. When Cleopatra finally strolls into her new palace, at the end of the game, the most corrupt architect (the one with the most amulets) will be seized and offered as a sacrifice to her sacred crocodile. Only then will the wealthiest architect, from among those still alive, be selected and declared the winner of the game. The component design in Cleopatra is one of the most innovative that Days of Wonder has undertaken to date with dozens of 3D pieces, Column walls, Doorframes, Obelisks, Sphinxes, and a Palace Throne ? that create the sense youre truly constructing a royal palace. Players- 3-5 Ages 10 and up Playing Time- 60 minutes

When I checked the company for other games I found this one about ancient Rome:

In Colosseum you are a Roman impresario - producing great spectacles in your arena in the hope of attracting the most spectators to your events. You'll earn wealth and glory for each event you run, using it to build ever more ambitious events. Attract the most spectators to one of your events and you'll be granted the title of Grand Impresario, with tales of your extraordinary spectacles acclaimed throughout the empire! 3-5 Players Age 10+ 60-90 minutes Content1 Rules Booklet 1 Game Board 10 Arena pieces & Expansions 5 Emperor's Loges 10 Season Tickets 1 Emperor, 2 Consul and 3 Senator miniatures 80 Roman Coins 4 Podiums 152 Event Asset Tokens and Storage Bag 7 Star Performer Awards 30 Event Programs 18 Emperor Medals 6 Help Sheets Days of Wonder Online Access Number.

I like the idea that these games can be played in 1 hr to 90 minutes. I love the beautiful graphics of computer games but most of them consume hours that I really can't spare at the moment.

Ankh: Heart of Osiris

2007-05-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

After a wild party at Pharaoh's pyramid, young Assil accidentally dumps holy urns and gets himself a death curse - there he also discovers the precious amulet Ankh.

Only Pharaoh can save Assil - however not only is it impossible to get an audition, but Assil also has another problem: Osiris, God of the Underworld, is after the Ankh.

Features
At last a new humorous Point&Click-Adventure in state of the art 3D-graphics with attention to detail.

A funny and romatic story in a mystical and inspiring setting.

Numerous original localtions and characters create an immerging atmosphere that will amaze you.

The puzzles are always integrated to the gameplay - forget frustrating logical puzzles that have nothing to do with the game.

Self-explaining, uncomplicated interface, fair difficulty-level and above all: black humour in abundance!

Ancient Wars: Sparta filled with beautifully detailed images

2007-05-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

I see that "Ancient Wars: Sparta" has been released and is presently being offered on GoGamer during one of their 48-hour specials for only $27.90. I checked the game review on Gamespot and noticed it received a "fair" rating from the pros but a "good" rating from the regular gamers posting reviews. I browsed through the 111 screen shots and loved the detail of the imagery, particularly the sea battle scenes so I decided it was worth the $27.90 just for the pleasure of looking at the scenery alone! If the game itself is interesting, and it sounds like it would be from the overall description of the game play including the ability to individually select weapons for your troops, that will be icing on the cake.

I am also interested in the possibility of creating online history vignettes using text from original sources accompanied by images like those in this game. It would be even better if I could capture short action clips to use in the presentation.

Playmobil's version of the Roman Empire displayed in Belgium

2007-04-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

Playmobil does its best to introduce little ones to the Roman Empire at a young age:

"If you haven't heard of Playmobil then take me to your leader so that I can persuade him not to destroy this helpless planet of ours. Space exploration is one of the only aspects of human existence not covered by the Playmobil Expo in Verviers. Displayed on three floors of the former Wool Factory, dramas have been re-enacted behind Perspex, case after case lit with colour and character(s).

A small boy ran around the Roman Empire exhibit incongruously uttering modern sounds of war while other children followed a quiz set by the organisers; one little girl was clearly tired of quizzing her little brother on the characters' occupations – "No, he's obviously a plumber!"

Dutifully, I visited each and every display, stepping with ease from the Arctic to the Sahara, travelling from ancient Egyptian to the Viking era, leaping from a pirate galleon to a 747. But I stopped dead in my tracks – as did every male of every height – at the panorama that was the Wild West."

Playlogic releases Ancient Wars: Sparta Demo

2007-04-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

I see that Playlogic International based in the Netherlands has released an online demo of their title "Ancient Wars: Sparta" that is due to be released this month:

"Sparta is based on the history of the ancient ages and their main nations. Spartans, Persians and Egyptians are fighting for influence around Little Asia, Europe and North Africa. Historical correct timeline is 500-450 BC and the action takes place with different campaigns for all three races. Sparta represents 3D strategy in real time with the new developed “Ancient Wars Engine” (AWE), where the player will have to use each nation’s powers to be superior over other competitors and build up a driving and ruling faction.

The main emphasis is on large-scaled battles and complex tactical manoeuvres. Additional to this, a new method of army equipment is represented. Warriors can be equipped with weapons and shields, can be put on horses or on chariots and be given special abilities. The player can collect abandoned weapons after battles or import powerful weapons from other cultures to build more powerful and different special units. Additionally the forces of nature are very important, because fire, find etc. will affect the whole environment. Cities can be upgraded (e.g. turned to fortresses), workers gather resources to ensure the economic part. Sparta offers every aspect RTS gamers like."

Features

Haunting storyline based on proven history 500-450 BC
Play three different tribes to conquer the known ancient world with 27 missions to play through
Huge choice of weapons, kit and armory
Usage of a self developed physics engine in RTS game play
Unique weapon equipping & trading system
Specific flora and fauna for different climate zones
Heroes with different role system effects
More than 15 different buildings for each tribe
Beautifully detailed full 3D environments
Breathtaking visuals with lovely details on every unit
Experienced team supported by the German “The Settlers” veteran Torsten Hess

Rich Persian history portrayed in new animated film

2007-03-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

Nader Yaghma'ian, the director of Jamshid and the Sun, says his animated film, which took three years to make, is a portrayal of the "glorious realities" and "rich civilization" of ancient Persia.

He suggested Iran should make more programs like Jamshid and the Sun to depict the reality of its history and to replace what he described as "imaginary heroes" fabricated by Hollywood.

"The Tablet of Human Rights by Cyrus the Great and a famous poem by Iran's Sa'di at the United Nations is evidence of the peaceful way of life which Iranians have always searched for," Yaghma'ian said during the forum.

Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising slated for Summer 07 completion

2007-03-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

Recently the folks at Gamespot had a chance to try out the developing combat system driving the upcoming game "Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising".

"Sony Online Entertainment and Perpetual Entertainment want you to start thinking about the upcoming Gods & Heroes not as a massively multiplayer role-playing game but as an action adventure massively multiplayer role-playing game. That's because the style of gameplay in Gods & Heroes is inspired by fighting such games as Mortal Kombat. When you attack something in Gods & Heroes, it looks like you're actually attacking it, and that translates into a much more intense feel to the combat." - Game spot

What I thought was particularly interesting is the inclusion of a character builder:

Characters can only be human, but you can choose a gender and a class, including gladiator, soldier, priest, and healer. The class that you select will determine which two Roman gods you can choose from to worship, and that will play a significant role throughout the game. After that, you can customize the appearance of your character, from various facial features using sliders (such as the size of eyes, the separation distance between them, and their color), to hairstyle, body build, skin tone, and more. In no time flat, we made a sleek female Roman soldier, as well as an albino male gladiator. - Gamespot

"300" places graphic splendor over inspiring story

2007-03-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

I dutifully took the afternoon off and took my husband and another couple of friends to see the highly anticipated film "300". I had read an article by the producers of the film in which they stated their movie is more about the legend and not the actual event so I wasn't expecting much in the way of historical accuracy.

I might be getting older, but as I am not dead yet, I have to admit to enjoying the Spartan "eye candy". However, I would have preferred a more realistic depiction of the Persians. Everytime I saw Xerxes I would think of the villains of Stargate and of course, like many people, I thought Ephialtes was a thinly disguised Gollam character. I saw no reason to portray the Ephors as leprous trolls either. The men in the audience could have still enjoyed the writhing prophetess (I actually found that scene at least somewhat artistic) without deforming the Spartan elders.

I think overall, though, the film suffered from a lack of exploration of human emotions. We weren't provided with enough interpersonal relationships in the film to develop much empathy for any of the characters. I think this is a major oversight in a film whose purpose was to inspire and sadly, a common flaw in many of the films Hollywood now produces.

Of course it is accompanied by the release of a Playstation Portable game based on the film where players are invited to "Decapitate, dismember, and disembowel your enemies in bloodthirsty sword-and-spear combat."

Real World Places in Second Life: Ancient Rome

2007-02-16T09:13:00.000-08:00

This sounds like great fun! I also like the learning potential of such a simulation. I had written to the producers of the Caesar III PC game and suggested they incorporate some of the features Mr. Golding has incorporated into his sim like being able to attend a play once you have built a theater in your virtual city, being able to attend a chariot race if you have added a hippodrome, or being able to watch a gladiator match. Mr. Golding has all of these activities included in his sim as well as the ability to drive a chariot or be a gladiator!

The Click Heard Round The World: "Torin Golding's outstanding sim called simply 'Roma' is a feast for the senses and a powerful demonstration of the potential for virtual environments to immerse you in historic places.

Upon arrival at the Roma "customs house", you are presented with a number of orientation materials as well as a free toga to help you fit in better, and get into the spirit of the locale.

Roma is a no-fly zone, so bring your walking sandals and a good map or be prepared to get lost. There are handy "magic fountains" everywhere, which when touched rez fancy litters that transport you to various spots on the sim. You can also wear a free HUD map of the city, that helped me in my meanderings.

The sim is dominated by a giant legion fortress and official structures that rise high atop the Palatine Hill. There's also a wharf area, marketplace, museum, and lush gardens.

Lots of nice accents add to the immersiveness and context of what you are experiencing. Clicking on the red markers on various sites brings up notecards that give you historical background on the structures around you. Legionaires, Roman citizens and gladiators walking around greet you with a hearty "Ave!" as you pass by. I learned more than I thought I would at the museum on Palatine Hill, which features an exhibition on sexual mores in Roman times.

You can do things you only imagined doing in the real life Rome, like climbing Trajan's column! There's a free "play" you can watch in the amphitheater, which is quite cleverly done using text, images and sound. There's action afoot in the chariot races. You can also enter the gladiator pit and duke it out with other would-be warriors. Or sit in the stands and render judgement with a thumbs up or down."

Heart of Empire: Rome release cancelled!

2007-02-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

This is a real bummer!

"Paradox Interactive confirmed today the official cancellation of "Heart of Empire: Rome". The strategy title was to be published in Q1 2007 in North America by Paradox Interactive.
"Rome is a very popular era and there is still much ground that can be covered for this time period as far as computer games are concerned, said Fredrik Wester, Executive Vice President for Paradox Interactive. "It's unfortunate that this title will not be released, but we look forward to reveal new projects and new releases for 2007 and 2008".

"300" not just a retelling of Thermopylae

2007-02-10T08:33:00.000-08:00

I see excitement is building for the "300" due out next month. Although I had certainly planned to see this latest ancient epic when it opens, I was a little dubious when I saw the trailer and it contained "ork-looking" humans and mounted rhinocerous. But this review points out that there has been a lot of care taken with the development of the characters in the film so I'm becoming more optimistic about the film's potential.

"A feared and revered military king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, Leonidas rules with the guidance and support of his queen, Gorgo. "Gorgo is, by all accounts, brilliant," says Miller. "She and Leonidas watch each other's backs and she is a great contributor to his strategic thinking. There is a great depth of emotion and intellectual partnership between them. Spartan women are Spartan warriors just like the men. They send the men out first, but you'll see in the movie that the women can play pretty tough, too."

Born in the rugged north of England, Lena Headey possessed an innate strength and grace that proved essential to the role of Gorgo. "Lena is so tough and down to earth and strong. And she's beautiful, with such wisdom in her eyes," says Butler. "Lena brought incredible charisma, intelligence and fire to Gorgo."

Calling the film "a story of honor, fearlessness, passion, blood and faith," Headey was ready to portray the Spartan Queen. Gorgo is not a prominent figure in Miller's tale, so Headey had freedom in crafting the character, guided by her conversations with Snyder. "She's a really strong character in the movie, just because of everything she goes through and is prepared to sacrifice," Headey remarks. "She has already lost her husband, but to admit that would be too much, so she fights, with her heart, in the political arena. I see Gorgo as the heart and instinct of Sparta, and instinct usually guides us through to the right decision."

The Mummy: One more time!!!

2007-01-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

It looks like we're in for another helping of "The Mummy" as details start to surface about the 3rd installment scheduled for a summer 2008 release.

Jeff Giles writes: "Once, twice, three times a "Mummy": ComingSoon.net reports that screenwriter Al Gough, who is co-writing the third installment in the "Mummy" series with Miles Millar, recently divulged a few storyline details to Sci Fi Wire. Turns out that Alex, the young son of the explorers played by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in the first two films, is all grown up and ready to battle the undead himself.

I wonder who will be "The Mummy" this time out since Imhotep fell to his everlasting punishment in the flames of undead hades last time around. Maybe there will be a volcanic eruption that spews him back into the world of the living.

Bookworm Adventures

2006-12-16T06:02:00.000-08:00

This is not the typical game I usually include in this column but, being an educator at heart, I couldn't help being intrigued by its concept. What a great example of a game that people would find immersive but with a twist that you have a better chance for success if you build your vocabulary! What would be even better would be if teachers could use the game engine but supply the words that result in the highest hit level to overcome the game's villains that are attempting to destroy the Great Library. The game could also serve as a foundation for versions about particular historical periods or topics with accompanying reading assignments. The most powerful words would be those from the reading assignment.

Indystar E Technology Marc Saltzman:

In case you've never played "Bookworm," the core game play in "Bookworm Adventures Deluxe" involves a 4-by-4 grid of randomly placed letters and it's your job to create words out of them. Unlike PopCap's "Bonnie's Bookstore," the letters you click to make a word do not need to be adjacent to one another. The longer the word or the higher the letter value (think "Scrabble"), the more points you'll earn.

Our hapless hero is a tiny green worm named Lex (short for Lexicon, perhaps?), and in the main Adventure mode he is magically zapped into books to confront a threat to the Great Library. The tale spans 30 chapters in all, each with a different theme as our little bookworm traverses a huge map to confront enemies of all shapes and sizes.

Confused about how a word game mixes in fighting bad guys? Here's how it works:

While you create words with letters from the middle of the screen, Lex faces off against foes at the top, be they ancient Roman soldiers, mystical Sirens or sea serpents onboard a ship or even angry ewes.

Depending on the word you create, Lex charges his enemy and inflicts damage. The enemy then takes a turn and retaliates. If your word is just so-so, such as P-E-A-R-S, then you may only take away one heart (symbolizing health level) from above the enemy's head. But if it's a good one, such as Q-U-A-I-N-T or U-N-A-L-T-E-R-E-D, then expect to finish the monster off by taking away two-and-a-half or three hearts of a total of five. This game offers more than 150 different enemies, each with a unique look, fighting style and short description.

Technorati tags: game words puzzle library

Apocalypto provides visceral insight into early American cultures

2006-12-10T17:31:00.000-08:00

Like many history buffs, I went to see Mel Gibson's latest offering, Apocalypto, this weekend. I had read a mixed lot of reviews and, although there seemed to be no consenus, I thought it worthwhile to see a film depicting a civilization rarely if ever the centerpiece of a Hollywood production.

I found the film quite visually interesting. The costumes and makeup reflected the unique designs I have seen in museum exhibits of central American art at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the University of Utah Museum of Fine Art in Salt Lake City. I found the set detail in the scenes of the Mayan city with its smoking pyramids and streets seething with people utterly fascinating. It really brought the civilization to life just as the gritty scenes of Roman streets and temples did in the HBO miniseries, "Rome".

My primary regret was that the plot for the film was a basic chase and the villains in the film were rather two-dimensional. Every civilization has its good aspects as well as its bad and to allow the practice of human sacrifice to overshadow some of the Maya's phenomenal accomplishments in mathematics, astronomy, and engineering was a disservice to their culture and to history. As for the violence, I found it graphic but no more so than the arena violence in "Gladiator" or the battle scenes in "Troy". The ancient world was a violent place. I think the outcry about the film's violence is just posturing by the politically correct who must find fault with the film not because of its actual cinematic shortcomings but because of the publicly acclaimed "dark nature" of its director.

From a historical perspective, Mr. Gibson chose to interject European intervention several centuries too early. I don't know if this was the result of trying to find some dramatic way to end the chase or to draw a social parallel but it did not accomplish either of these goals.

I think the film would have had far more impact if it had depicted the decline of the Maya from a catastophic drought, as historical evidence indicates, and used their desperation as the reason for their frenzy of human sacrifice. It would have provided the opportunity to introduce at least some empathy for their own situation as well as illustrated the futility of their extreme actions.

Great Invasions The Dark Ages

2006-12-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

Great Invasions The Dark Ages 350-1066 AD

Great Invasions is based on pure historical facts designed in collaboration with historians and includes 150 historical events and over 3700 key figures of this period. Manage the finances, diplomatic, religious and military needs of a nation.

Apart from managing the conflicts between borders, you must control population migrations, heresies and confront the fall of kingdoms and empires facing barbarian attacks. Manage up to 10 populations simultaneously, selecting them via a bidding system with over 80 difference nations.

Multiplayer mode supporting up to 4 players via LAN or Internet.

Features
Live the greatest moments of the times! This historically accurate recreation allows you to encounter over 150 nations / tribes.

More than 30 religions and heresies, as well as thousands of historical characters drawn from the pages of world's richest historical sources.

Great Invasions is an extremely elaborate real-time strategy game covering over 700 years of history.

Put your leadership and visionary skills to the test and drive your population to the dawn of the Middle Ages!

Great Invasions puts you in command of one or more of Europe's nations between 375 and 1066.

You decide their path? and their fate!

Scheduled for January 2007 release.

Love and Virtue

2006-11-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

Movie News: "Cast Set for Charlegmagne Epic

Director Raoul Ruiz has found a cast for his period epic Love and Virtue, about the battles fought within King Charlemagne's empire. John Malkovich, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Peter O'Toole, Damian Lewis, Saffron Burrows, Virginie Ledoyen and Stephen Dillane are all set to star. British actor Lewis will play a knight in Charlemagne's court who falls in love with Ledoyen's character. Malkovich and Madsen will play barbarian marauders, and Dillane will be the king, who was the first ruler in a united Western Europe since the end of the Roman Empire many centuries before. Mia Sperber and Stefano Pratesi wrote the script, which is adapted from epic poems The Song of Roland and Orlando Innamorato.
Source: Variety "

Ignite to offer Myrmillo and other Gladiator 12" figures

2006-11-20T09:36:00.000-08:00

I was checking the Ignite site for new releases and noticed that they will be offering a series of gladiator figures including a Myrmillo and Retiarius. Although Ignite figures are quite a bit more expensive ($75 and up) then 12" figures offered by Dragon and Sideshow, their figures include real metal accessories.

Recently I took advantage of a 30% off sale of Ignite figures at Michigan Toy Soldiers and managed to get the new Julius Caesar figure and a Roman Vexillarius, the standard bearer for the legion. The Vexillarius is wonderfully detailed. I only wish his wolf skin headdress was made of faux fur instead of soft vinyl.

The Julius Caesar figure's costume was puzzling - a white cuirass and caligae with a conical helmet sporting wings??? I have never read about this attire anywhere so am a bit skeptical although Ignite prides itself on its figures' historical accuracy. I think I prefer to email them and see if I can get a standard Roman officer's helmet for him.

Conte Collectibles Releases 300 Spartans Series

2006-09-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

I see that Conte Collectibes has released a beautifully detailed series of 1:32 scale metal figures depicting Spartans in various poses defending the pass at Thermopylae. Perhaps this is a prelude to the eventual release of the film that it is production starring Gerard Butler as Spartan King and commander, Leonidas.

13 New Screens released for Caesar IV

2006-09-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

WORTHPLAYING - - All about games !: "Developed by Tilted Mill, Caesar IV advances, refines and updates the city-building gameplay pioneered by Caesar III, while remaining true to its predecessor's proud legacy. In Caesar IV, players take on the role of an aspiring provincial governor within Caesar's empire as they build and manage an individual ancient Roman city and its province.

Players lay out each city, road by road and building by building, making sure citizens have all they need to remain healthy, happy and safe from barbarian threats. As the city grows from a simple village to a cosmopolitan metropolis, so too do the challenges it presents. The ultimate goal is to rise among the political ranks of the empire, and become Caesar.

For Plebs and Patricians alike, enduring the hardships of life in the days of the Roman Empire was no easy feat. In 'Caesar IV,' players keep citizen morale levels up by building entertainment venues and holding festivals in their city. Revels such as Bacchanalia and Cerealia elevate the happiness levels of the citizenship, making them more productive and your city more prosperous."

Total War games pack includes Alexander expansion

2006-08-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever, all three award-winning Total War games and their official expansions are now available in one ultimate collector?s edition compilation: Total War: Eras Collector's Edition.

Since the debut of Shogun: Total War in 2000, the Total War series has impressed critics and consumers alike with its unique blend of turn-based empire building and real-time combat.

With its realistic gameplay and historical authenticity, the franchise has gone on to sell over three million units worldwide and garner numerous awards from leading publications like PC Gamer, Computer Gaming World, GameSpot, and IGN.

With Total War: Eras, newcomers to the franchise can now experience all the award-winning gameplay in one premium package.

Long-time fans of the series will also find special bonus material to commemorate the art and music of the series.

This is a must-have collection for diehard fans and general strategy gamers alike.

Six Award-winning Titles
Shogun: Total War, Medieval: Total War, Rome: Total War and the official expansions ? Mongol Invasion, Viking Invasion, and Barbarian Invasion.

Bonus Expansion
The Rome: Total War ? Alexander expansion is a digital download-only expansion available on disc format for the very first time.

The Making of Total War Documentary
Includes a behind-the-scenes look on DVD at the development of Medieval II: Total War ? due in Fall 2006 ? that includes an interview with The Creative Assembly studio head, Mike Simpson.

Total War Soundtrack CD
Featuring musical selections from Shogun, Medieval, Rome, and the upcoming Medieval II.

50-page Artbook
Beautiful art highlighting the best of Shogun, Medieval, Rome, and Medieval II.

And More!
Customers will also find a Medieval II poster and full-color artcards with memorable images from the Total War series.

Civilization IV: Warlords released!

2006-08-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

Requires Civilization 4

Overview
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Warlords is the first expansion pack for the award-winning game that has become an instant world-wide hit.

Paying homage to some of history's greatest military leaders, the expansion will deliver six unique and interesting scenarios.

Giving players the chance to change the course of history with the help of their new powerful "warlord" unit.

New civilizations, leaders, units, and wonders that will offer even more fun and exciting ways for players to expand their civilization's military power as they strive for world domination.

Features
10 new civilization leaders featuring some of history's greatest military leaders

Six new civilizations, each will have a new unique building as well as a unique unit.

New Warlord Unit, A new great person unit, the Warlord, Capable of changing the course of history through military might.

Vassal States, Conquer an enemy and subjugate them to your rule.

Core game tweaks and additions as well as post-release patches and game upgrades.

Six unique and interesting scenarios:
Chinese Unification (350 BC)
Peloponnesian Wars (430 BC)
Alexander?s Conquests (330 BC)
Rise of Rome (300 BC)
Vikings (800 AD)
Genghis Khan (1206 AD)

Atlantis Quest

2006-08-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

CNW Telbec: "For anyone who has spent hours playing classic-style matching games like 'Bejeweled,' there is a new addiction arriving in stores this week as Got Game Entertainment LLC today announced that 'Atlantis Quest' for the PC has shipped to game retailers across North America. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060801/NYTU011 ) In this classic-style matching game with a fun new twist, you embark on a puzzle-filled journey across ancient Greece, Babylon, Carthage, Egypt, and Rome in search of one of the greatest mysteries of all time -- the lost city of Atlantis. In every location, you must solve a puzzle to help assemble an ancient artifact which will help lead you to your ultimate destination. Beginning in the land of the Olympian gods, you must assemble the precious Amphora of Dionysius by acquiring pieces of the vessel pottery skillfully moved through rows of clever puzzles and then freed through the bottom of the game-field. Once this task is complete, you discover an ancient map inscribed on the vessel and learn your next destination. Using the classic matching game mechanics with the new twist of freeing the puzzle pieces through the bottom of the field, 'Atantis Quest' offers extremely addictive gameplay over 76 brain-teasing levels. While a riveting storyline incorporating interesting facts about the lands you visit, power-ups, and loads of other features can keep you playing for hours on end, the game also offers the option to save your progress automatically, so even if you must stop playing, you can easily continue your quest later. Further, if you want to turn 'Atlantis Quest' into a friendly competition, the game allows creation of multiple profiles for different players. 'Atlantis Quest' is rated 'E' for Everyone by the ESRB and debuts at a suggested retail price of $19.99 (USD)."

Civilization IV: Warlords to include 8 total scenarioss instead of 6

2006-07-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

PC News at GameSpot: "If more is better, than fans of Civilization have some good news regarding Civilization IV: Warlords, the upcoming expansion to last year's hit PC strategy game. (Not to mention GameSpot's 2005 PC Game of the Year.) We recently got an updated look at Warlords, and we've learned that there's going to be more content than originally expected, including a cool new scenario that finally lets you play as the barbarians in a Civilization game.

As an expansion pack, Warlords will improve Civilization IV in two ways. Fans of the regular Stone Age-to-Space Age game mode will get new civilizations, new leaders, new Great Wonders, and more, which will flesh out the core game to a greater degree. For example, you can play as the Vikings; if you're England, you can get Winston Churchill as your leader; or you can build the mighty Great Wall wonder, which literally erects a wall on your borders to keep those pesky barbarians out of your territory.

Warlords will introduce eight new scenarios to Civilization IV, each offering a distinctly different gameplay experience.

If you're looking for a different challenge, you can play one of the eight new scenarios in Warlords, and yes, that's a bump up from the original six scenarios that were announced for the expansion. The first of these two new scenarios is Omen, which is an alternative history scenario in which Great Britain and France race to settle North America, yet strange and mysterious events occur along the way. As you can probably guess from the name, there should be a supernatural element in this scenario, which is a change of pace from the six original scenarios, all of which are historically based.

The second new scenario is Barbarians, which finally puts you in the position of those pesky barbarians that plagued you in all of the Civilization games. This mode begins just like any Civilization game, with a map being randomly generated and the artificial intelligence picking civilizations to play and taking their turns. However, after they're done with their turns, you can jump in as the barbarians. You'll start with a large amount of gold, which you'll use to purchase and upgrade military units, such as swordsmen, trebuchets (one of the new units in the expansion), horsemen, archers, and more. After you've selected them, your units will appear on the map from their main base and begin to look for cities to sack. As a barbarian, your ultimate goal is to wipe out all civilizations from the map, and you'll do so by taking enemy cities and burning them to the ground. You won't be able to take over cities and govern them yourself, so the name of the game is pillaging for gold, which can be used to purchase more units. As the game progresses, you'll get more advanced units to keep up with the civilizations. What's really cool about this mode is that it offers a different play experience each time, beause the map and starting conditions are randomly generated at the start."

Civilization IV:Warlords is due to be released July 24, 2006.

If You Want an Intriguing Story try Playing Barrow Hill instead of the Da Vinci Code game

2006-06-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

This game review of the Da Vinci Code made me want to delve into the ancient world of the Celts in a game entitled Barrow Hill instead!

New York Times: "It's a shame Da Vinci wasn't handed over to Shadow Tor, a tiny company whose low-budget adventure game Barrow Hill displays a far better feel for story.

Barrow begins as the player's car breaks down on a dark English road. Wander down the road and you soon come across a gas station-hotel, deserted except for a man hiding in the hotel office who babbles excitedly about some sort of creature that is hunting him and has done something awful to everyone else.

The story becomes clearer as you explore the hotel and learn of an archaeological dig at Barrow Hill, a nearby burial mound topped with a stone circle. You also find torn pages from the journal of a seemingly insane archaeologist and the pamphlets of a group protesting the desecration of the mound.

Trapped in the Barrow by an invisible force, you must learn what happened and how to set it right, helped by survey reports, a metal detector and pamphlets on the history of the Barrow. Puzzles are intelligent, fair and uncontrived. The game does an excellent job of placing clever clues throughout the environment; often you'll need to reread journals to catch information that seemed meaningless earlier.

Barrow Hill is decidedly low budget, using a node-based interface popularized years ago by Myst in which the player can stand only in certain spots and look in certain directions. But while the graphics are only serviceable, the game has a strong sense of atmosphere. The woods are filled with the sounds of rustling leaves and snapping twigs, the pay phone whispers eerily when you lift the receiver, and despite its mainly static graphics, the game offers a couple of genuine scares."

"Join the adventure, and uncover the secrets of the past. The legends of the Cornish world will live again; renewed, refreshed and hungry. Time has no meaning, as the sun sets low across the landscape." - Barrow Hill

Hallmark's "The Curse of King Tut's Tomb" sadly inept

2006-05-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

"It?s 1922, and free-spirited archaeologist Danny Freemont is infamous for his outlandish theories about the pyramids, Atlantis, alien civilizations, and the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Freemont is certain that if found, the Emerald Tablet, rumored to be buried in King Tut?s tomb, would hold the power to control the world. Unfortunately, the only one who believes Freemont is nefarious archaeologist Morgan Sinclair, a member of the diabolical secret cabal known as the Hellfire Council.

Sinclair wants the tablet to summon and harness an invincible evil, and he?s fully prepared to follow Freemont to the ends of the earth to get it. With the help of a crackerjack team, Freemont will venture into the Valley of the Kings, toward Tut?s tomb, nearer the portal to another world, and closer to the truth behind a mystery that will change the world forever?or end it."

With Hollywood squandering so much money on films with little plot but tsunamis of violence, I truly commend production companies that are attempting to create inspiring films that target a cross section of the viewing audience instead of the seemingly bizarre tastes of adolescent (18 - 25 year-old) males.

The Hallmark Channel, capitalizing on its well-earned reputation for quality enterntainment, showcases a number of these family-friendly films. Some of them, often produced by Larry Levinson Productions, are well made with good (if relatively unknown) actors. "Love's Long Journey", a story of a young 19th century couple's efforts to build a successful cattle ranch, featured an interesting ensemble of actors, and a few plot twists that helped it rise above the overworked B-western theme. It's prequel, "Love's Enduring Promise" was equally well done. Of course, both of these films were written by Michael Landon Jr. and the young writer seems to have inherited his father's "feel" for creating uplifting stories from the lives of everyday people.

Hallmark's "The Odyssey" followed the classical story pretty closely and although their "Jason and the Argonauts" suffered from a really amateur lead, it moved along nicely and had some good supporting roles. But when it comes to action/adventure films, Hallmark and/or Levinson cannot seem to strike the right chord. "The Curse of King Tut's Tomb" not only suffered from terrible acting (mostly attributed to Casper Van Dien) but from the overall air that none of its cast took the story seriously. Of course, I guess you could hardly blame them since it seemed to be a badly blended mixture of the recent "Mummy" sequel that introduced the legend of the Scorpion King and a pathetic remake of Indiana Jones. In fact, several measures of the background music were barely disguised excerpts from John Williams "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" theme.

In addition to a muddled plot (if, in fact, you could call it that), Van Dien's archaeologist, a bumbling n'er do well with two sidekicks that brought neither comic relief nor useful expertise to the story, evoked little empathy (or sympathy). Why any university would ever hire him or a talented, beautiful, respectable archaeologist would be attracted to him is, frankly, beyond me. Unlike the original Indiana Jones who demonstrated an indepth understanding of ancient history, languages, and symbology and made the audience respect his knowledge despite his unorthodox methods, Van Dien's character would not inspire anyone to consider a study of the past as a fascinating pursuit. He approached the job like an undisciplined child in a sandbox. At least in Indiana Jones, the villain and Jones were equally gifted. Here, the villain (played by Jonathan Hyde of "You musn't read from the book!" fame in 1999's "The Mummy") approachs the undertaking with some professionalism which contrasts starkly with Van Dien's ineptitude.

The only bright spot in the film was the brief appearance of a dynamic young man made up to quite closely resemble the latest Tut facial reconstructions. Next time, Hallmark/Levinson, ditch the rest of the cast and focus on Tut and his efforts to escape the fate Horemheb and/or Ay had planned for him.

Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising (PC)

2006-05-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

Gameplanet (PC): "PART FANTASY, PART HISTORY, Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising will put players in the role of hero at the time of ancient Rome. You will face the traditional enemies such as Gauls and Carthage - however, there are also mythical beasts such as minotaurs, furies and gorgons with which to also contend.

Game features will include:

* Embark on a hero's journey to explore and conquer mythic Rome.
* Acquire, train and control a squad of warriors in epic battles using both traditional and user-created formations.
* Build and customise a squad of soldiers including melee, ranged and caster-class fighters.
* Master forceful hand-to-hand combat tactics in gladiatorial duels based on the ancient pankratic method of wrestling.
* Face and fight fierce mythological creatures including Medusa, Chimera, Cereberus and the Hydra among others waiting to challenge you.
* Experience fast-paced combat featuring moves choreographed and tuned so finely that the timing resonates to the feel of action role-playing games.
* Command and wield the unequalled powers of the gods as you fight to save Rome.
* Fight alongside and control as part of your squad creatures of myth including the Minotaur, Cyclops, Automaton and others.
* Embark on over 1,000 story-driven missions."

CivCity: Rome to be released July 2006

2006-05-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

GameSpot: "The Civilization series has always been known for allowing players to create massive, boundless empires through a careful balance of domestic and military strategies. However, in the upcoming spin-off from Firefly Studios and Firaxis games, the focus is instead on a single city. Of course, it's not just any city but the legendary metropolis of ancient Rome. We recently learned more details about CivCity: Rome just in time for E3.

As implied by the title, CivCity is a city-building game in the vein of the classic Sim City. The game plays out as a series of missions that you must complete. In doing so, you'll end up building a living, breathing, highly detailed rendition of ancient Rome. To develop your city you have to use strategic planning to manage technology, production, politics, and more in an attempt to take your city from a humble village to a thriving urban center.

There are more than 70 different technologies to develop in the game, so you can expect to have a wide array of options when it comes to choosing where to focus your efforts as you build your city. In addition to technology, there are hundreds of unique types of buildings that you can place in your city. In fact, the most important decisions you make will be in regards to building placement, because the game is going for simple, accessible gameplay that doesn't get bogged down in complex menus and minor details.

Unlike in many city-building games, the people that inhabit your city in CivCity aren't just mindless masses. Each person in the game is unique, and you can watch families live, grow, prosper, and interact right inside their homes, which sounds like it will provide an interesting and personalized gauge of your success as a city planner.

The city will also be full of touches that will make it feel as unique as Rome itself. You can watch gladiators duke it out in a grandiose coliseum, witness tense political debates, build magnificent structures, the likes of which the world has never seen, and much more."

'The Glory of The Roman Empire' to be released in June

2006-05-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

Entertainmentwise: "The Glory of The Roman Empire has taken all the best bits and ideas from previous 'build the world' strategy titles and rolled them into one very nice looking, smooth sounding, un-annoying title that will have you simply pleased to play a game that doesn't mess up in any major area. Searching for potentially annoying features within the game, to be honest - I couldn't find any.

Any tweaks I would suggest are relatively minor things, such as allowing you to build the same structure again after you've made one of them so that you don't have to re enter the build menu from the very top level once again. It would also be nice to have some indication after a structure has burnt to the ground of what you used to have built there, for replacement assistance. On the Quest screen, I would like to see a form of check list indication of what parts of your quest you have achieved, or have yet to achieve. The reason for this one is simple; sometimes in a mission you aren't aware of what left there is for you to do and spending ages trying to complete the level when all you actually had to do was build a woodhouse can be rather frustrating. Stronghold 2 gives you percentages of the work done as well, which I would love to see enter the final version of this game. But I am nit picking, here.

The control of the mouse, scrolling and zoom, buildable and non buildable areas are all dealt with in the easiest and best possible manner. Detail is fully optional and lovely to look at, and the game has a gradual learning curve that is easy to understand and non frustrating, yet challenges fairly quickly. Missions are selectable and non linear, gaming areas are returned to in latter missions like Stronghold 2 giving you a real sense of pride and care in your town set ups, and the background music is very Roman, very gentle and very unobtrusive; you barely notice it unless you're thinking about it. That's how level music should be - atmospheric yet subtle."

Death in Rome interesting and educational little online game

2006-05-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this well done little online game developed by the staff of the BBC.

Description: Be a Roman sleuth - use your detective skills to unravel the events behind a mysterious death. You have until dawn to investigate the crime scene, and crack the case.

Time is short. Each expert you consult will cost you precious minutes. Piece together the puzzle using their evidence, eye-witness testimonies, and perhaps a little detective's intuition.

It was fun and I learned a few things about ancient Roman life too. I?m afraid I didn?t arrive at the right answer the first time though! Watch out for red herrings!

Medieval 2 next full game package from Total War folks

2006-05-05T09:34:00.000-07:00

GameZone: "The Total War team is hard at work on Medieval 2: Total War, the next step in the Total War franchise.

The gameplay will span from 1080 to 1530, the largest period covered in a Total War game. The conquest of the Americas will play a pivotal role in the game?s campaign, as the Aztecs will make their first appearance in the heat of the action.

On the battlefield, Medieval 2 is even more detailed than Rome: Total War. The units on the field each have their own unique look and feel to them, some with more armor, and some with nearly none. They also act differently and will do different animations while standing idle, which adds to the game?s sense of realism. Impassable terrains will also play a role on the battlefield, meaning that players will have to exercise a bit more strategy when thinking out their plan of attack.

Out of conflict, you also have the ability to either make your civilization a castle or a city. Cities are civilian, and tend to do better in trade and mercantile exploits than castles, which excel in military ventures. Princess units are important outside of battle, as well, as they can be used to fortify relations with allies or even turn enemy generals into compatriots through marriage.

The AI in the game has been improved in terms of negotiations. Now, the AI will bring baggage to the table when negotiations are underway, be it failed previous negotiations or battles, and this will have an effect on the outcome of the talks, positive or negative."

Rome: Total War Expansion "Alexander" to be offered as download

2006-05-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

TotalVideoGames.com: "SEGA Europe and SEGA of America have today announced the development of a second expansion pack to The Creative Assembly's Rome: Total War, which will be available exclusively via digital download in June for an undisclosed amount.

Entitled Rome: Total War - Alexander, the pack will guide players sequentially through the battles faced by Alexander the Great as he unites Greece and conquers Persia. The game will also feature voiceover content from Brian Blessed and more than a half dozen movies that help unveil the storyline as the player progresses. The six battles are expected to last around thirty hours in total, which will hopefully satisfy fans eager to get hold of the next Total War instalment.

'Digital downloads let us quickly and efficiently get new and exciting content to the players that were outside the scope of the original game,' commented Mike Simpson, Studio Director at Creative Assembly. 'It should provide many hours of new and absorbing gameplay, and will be superb value for money. It's been great fun putting the Alexander pack together and I'm sure the players will enjoy it just as much.'

SEGA also confirmed that new factions and over sixty new units will all play a part in the epic battles of the game, including the Macedonians and Indians, as players get the chance to conquer the ancient world once more... "

Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War Single-Player Demo

2006-04-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War Single-Player Demo: "Empires Rise and Fall. But Heroes live forever!
Don't miss the Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War single-player demo! Play as one of the world's mightiest empires, Greece, Persia, Egypt or Rome and navigate your armies through land invasions and ship-to-ship combats. Command your troops as one of history's greatest heroes, such as Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and Alexander the Great, each with a unique set of abilities and weapons and fight alongside your troops to victory! In Rise & Fall, build a thriving civilization from the ground up! "