God of War (PS2) released

Winnipeg Sun: "You are cast (and cast is the best word, since the game is truly cinematic in its production values) as Kratos, a skilled and ruthless general in the Spartan army who strikes a deal with Ares, the god of war: Help me win a battle against a barbarian horde, and I'll be your willing servant forever.

But Ares turns Kratos into his earthly one-man killing machine, and only after the scarred, smooth-pated warrior has spilled oceans of innocent blood does he finally rebel against his master and embark on an epic quest to track down and slay a god.

As you travel from Athens to the home of the gods themselves, you'll fight mythic Greek monsters like minotaurs, harpies, medusae, cyclops, sirens, cerberuses (cerburi?) and legions of undead soldiers. The creatures are so radically different from one another that you'll quickly learn which weapons, magic and tactics are the most effective against each."

Sega announces Spartan: Total Warrior to be released on Xbox on XBox

TotalVideoGames.com "Sega of Europe has today announced that they have signed a deal with Total War developers Creative Assembly to publish the team?s forthcoming console title, Spartan: Total Warrior.

The game, which is set for release on Xbox, PlayStation2 and GameCube in September 2005, switches the action away from the strategy PC franchise to a third-person action/adventure strategy game set in the battles of the Roman Empire."

If the game is set in the battles of the Roman Empire, I wonder why they are calling the game "Spartan: Total Warrior" since the Spartans were Greeks?

Midway Announces Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War

Midway : "Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War is the latest creation from award-winning developer Stainless Steel Studios and renowned game designer Rick Goodman. Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War is a detailed real-time strategy game that lets players completely command one of the four mightiest empires of the ancient world: Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Persia. Rise & Fall allows players to fight alongside their troops as one of history's eight greatest heroes, and bring victory to their nation on the battlefield.

'Stainless Steel Studios is known for creating revolutionary, real-time strategy games that appeal to a worldwide audience,' said David F. Zucker, president and chief executive officer of Midway. 'This relationship and the upcoming launch of Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War will further establish Midway in the premium PC market.'

'We are very excited to be working with Midway, a publisher who is truly committed to creating the highest quality games in the industry,' said Rick Goodman, president of Stainless Steel Studios. 'With its unprecedented gameplay, historical accuracy and unique elements, Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War will be one of the most ambitious RTS games to date.'"

Roma Victor nears release

Roma Victor for PC at GameSpot: "Formally known as Gladius Online, Roma Victor is a role-playing game set in Europe during the heyday of the Roman Empire."

The Settlers: Heritage of Kings to be released this month

GameSpot: "The Settlers: Heritage of Kings will take place in a world that tends more to the medieval than to the mythological, along with a form of 'credible magic'. The maps will incorporate active terrain that includes things like changing weather and seasons as well as smaller environmental details, like forests populated with deer and ranging wolves. Resources that you can collect will include iron (used to help build your military), stone (used to help build towns and important structures), sulfur (used in the art of alchemy, which is akin to magic), and silver. Working serfs will collect resources as well as construct buildings; they'll also carry out other tasks. There will be 70 different kinds of buildings and 40 different kinds of people present in the game. Serfs will indicate their needs, like food and rest, via thought bubbles that will appear above their heads, in addition to making verbal utterances. The closer your workers are to their sources of food and shelter, the more efficiently they will work.

There will be 20 dynamic scenarios in the game, and there will be multiple successful paths you can take to complete your missions, including engaging your enemies in battle. If you've built a barracks, you'll be able to recruit leaders who will, in turn, recruit squads of troops for you. Types of troops will include men who use swords, spears, and bows and cavalry and artillery units. In addition, there will be 'hero' units that possess special abilities. You'll be able to train your troops at your barracks as well, increasing their levels and making them more successful in combat. Certain characters will also have the ability to use alchemy, which can actually be used to predict the weather. Weather will affect troop movement. So, for example, a cold, wintry setting will cause bodies of water, like rivers, to freeze, thus allowing your men to cross them quickly."

It's Alexander Madness!

It's Alexander Madness!Alexander is the officially licensed real-time strategy PC game tied to Oliver Stone?s upcoming ?Alexander? movie starring Colin Farrell.

Integrating exclusive footage from the motion picture, the game immerses players in the era of Alexander the Great.

Like Alexander, players will face the challenges of managing vast resources, a multitude of units, buildings and advancements, while his enemies always seem to have more of everything.

Blood will be spilt on the battlefield and honor will be put to the test, as the courage and cunning of each decision will determine success.

Triumph in epic real-time battles using formations, morale, and authentic battle tactics.

On sale now for only $9.90

Rome Total War Patch provides tool to script and "film" battles

DailyGame.net: "I notice that the new 1.2 version patch for Activision's Rome Total War includes several new developer tools that allow players to create their own battles, script said battles and create custom videos of those battles. This provides a wonderful opportunity for history educators to produce their own versions of battle sequences like those broadcast by the History Channel in their Decisive Battle series."

The Eye Of Isis and Mystery of the Mummy on sale

GoGamer Madness!GoGamer has been offering quite a few games featuring ancient themes in their 48-hour madness specials lately. Today I received an email notice of two more ancient adventure games offered for less than half price and I haven't even received my shipment of the two others I ordered earlier this week.

This time it's the Eye of Isis and Mystery of the Mummy, both titles are adventure games published by Dreamcatcher.

"Curse is a game that will take you from grim Victorian London, to the inside of an ancient Egyptian pyramid. And everywhere in between.

On the way, the very objects around you will make attempts on your life, and only you, with help from your friend and cohort Victoria Sutton, the beautiful clairvoyant, can return the statuette and stop the evil.

But not all of humanity welcomes your intervention. Ruthless henchmen, led by the vicious Mullins, have their own plans for the statuette and are a dangerous complication in an already highly perilous mission.

Hordes of living dead inhabit the game, all reanimated in horrific ways by the awesome power of the Curse, and their hideous monster masters are screaming for their chance to destroy you.

And, if these foes aren?t enough to deter you, the Curse itself has a surprise in store... "

In Mystery of the Mummy, you "become Sherlock Holmes as you embark on a remarkable adventure. Investigate a mysterious case, full of suspense, of the disappearance of a famous archaeologist and a valuable Egyptian Mummy, in turn-of-the-century England.

What begins as a simple case quickly becomes a web of intrigue, robbery, priceless artifacts, and potentially, a murder.

Inspired by the writings and characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. An involving storyline in true Sherlock Holmes style.

Wonderfully appointed, atmospheric and graphically detailed mansion. 5 different levels of gameplay.

Many rooms to search, all uniquely decorated and furnished. Numerous interesting objects to search for, collect and use during gameplay.

Exceptional puzzles of differing complexity. Interesting characters to interact with."

It's Riddle Of The Sphinx 2: Omega Stone now only $9.90

It's Riddle Of The Sphinx 2: Omega Stone Madness!After years of digging, noted archaeologist, Sir Gil Blythe Geoffreys uncovered a secret chamber and an ancient papyrus scroll overlooked for centuries that revealed the whereabouts of a treasure sought after throughout the millennia, the Ark of the Covenant.

Further exploration led to the discovery of another prophetic scroll, the contents of which unravels an ominous mystery.

Sir Gil Blythe Geoffreys, calls on you to lead the exploration and examination of the origins of this sacred scroll, whose symbols point to cultures of great intelligence and refined intellects.

Features
Stunningly realistic 3D replications of the world?s most mysterious sites including Chichen Itza, Stonehenge, Easter Island, Devil?s Triangle including Bimni, and the ruins of Atlantis.

Unrestricted access and exploration of archaeological sites currently off limits to tourists. A haunting original score evoking the unique but primitively similar spirit of each environment.

Real-time environmental effects.. rain, sun, water, with full 360° environment exploration. Over 50 hours of immersive gameplay with puzzles and challenges throughout.

Uncompromising graphical details. Breathtaking underwater dive scenes and exploration. Historically and archaeologically accurate reference material at each location.

Egyptian Prophecy now only $9.90

It's Egyptian Prophecy Madness!: "Ramses II is dying and with him the glory of Egypt shall fall. Amon-Ra, the Sun-God, promises to extend his life in exchange for the most magnificent temple ever built.

Trouble is not far away as the building site for the temple is affected by a number of sinister incidents.

Maia, a young priestess, must solve the mystery behind these events and save the life of the Pharaoh.

Features
Travel along the Nile and explore magnificent locations and monuments such as Karnak, Memphis, and the labyrinth of Ptah.

Interact with various characters and encounter Egyptian gods, including Osiris, Seth, Isis and Ptah.

Decipher an array of intriguing 3D real-time puzzles set in breath-taking environments.

Easily concoct sacred potions and perform ancient Egyptian rituals using the customized game interface and inventory.

Scour the in-game encyclopedia for historically accurate information on rituals, ancient monuments and artifacts, and Egyptian mythology."

Hadrian's Wall model

Hadrian's Wall: Geoblox offers a free download of a section of Hadrian's wall.

"At this scale, you will need 79 wall segments to make one Roman mile. To build the whole wall you would need 6400 models stretching 6/10 of a mile!" this picture shows one of the turrets although the free download is just the wall.

A book containing the complete wall along with other models from the ancient world for reproduction in the classroom is available for $26.

The Gallo-Roman Town of Glanum: Scale Architectual Paper Model

by Jean-Marie Lemaire and Anne-Marie Piaulet: "A precision three-dimensional paper model of the reconstructed town of Glanum, which is unique in the world. The roofs of the baths and that of one of the houses lift off to offer an insight of the interior layouts. An illustrated text gives historical information and step by step instructions for assembly, in English, French, German and Italian. There are 30 colored sheets to cut-out in order to build the model (scale 1:200, base 17.5 x 39.5 inches, height 6 inches)."

Shadow of Rome finally scheduled for release Jan 29

PlayStation 2: Shadow of Rome: "In the year 44 B.C., during the reign of Julius Caesar, a terrible plot comprised of murder and corruption was secretly brewing. A plot to prevent Caesar's plans for a reformed Rome was executed, resulting in the infamous 'Et tu, Brute' slaying of the beloved leader. The inevitable fallout of such a tragic blow to the Roman Empire results in Uesnius being accused of the crime. In Shadow of Rome you assume the role of an upcoming gladiator, Agrippa, the son of Uesnius. The only way you will be able to save your innocent father's life is to rise through the ranks of the brutal gladiators until you have achieved a level of infamy worthy of recognition by the Roman elite. Only the most unforgiving, triumphant gladiator is given the honor of executing the branded traitor, Uesnius. If you can reach that level of notoriety, maybe, just maybe you'll be able to free your father at the last minute. The fate of your family name rests in your hands!

Luckily, Agrippa is not alone in his quest for justice. While his portions of Shadow of Rome focus on the visceral, blood-soaked acts of pure animal violence that occur in the gladiatorial arenas of the city, your close friend and ally, Octavius, has a very different task. Octavius must infiltrate the halls of power that control the political and subversive aspects of Roman life in order to uncover the man (or men) who commissioned the incarceration of Uesnius. "

New King Arthur DVD worth a look

I watched the new "King Arthur' DVD last night and found that the Extended Edition Director's cut was much less choppy than the version that was shown in theaters. The DVD also includes a version with director commentary and an alternate ending that I hope to have time to view this weekend. Hopefully it will dispense with the cheesy "wedding" finale.

When I viewed the film last night I was able to listen more intently to the dialogue as well. Clive Owen was forced to speak such formal stilted passages that it was as if he was given expansive Shakespearean lines that contrasted too starkly with the more pedantic dialogue of the other characters.

The extended edition also emphasized Arthur's admiration for Pelagius as a basis for his world view. I was unfamiliar with the teachings of Pelagius so I did a little research and found some interesting articles at:

http://www.clive.bates.btinternet.co.uk/palagius.htm

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/Augustine.html

http://tinyurl.com/4trs9

King Arthur (PS2, GC, XBox)

Review at GameSpot: "The whole basis for the movie King Arthur was to try to tell the 'real' story behind the legend. Set 1,000 years ago in Britain (while it was still tenuously under Roman control), the Arthur of the film is a Sarmatian commander who leads a squad of Sarmatian knights within the Roman army. Arthur's squad is just about to be granted its freedom after 15 years of service, but faster than you can say 'He was only one day away from retirement,' Arthur's unit is sent on one final mission to rescue a Roman priest and his family. All the primary characters from the Arthurian legend are here, including Lancelot, Arthur's right-hand man; Merlin, who is portrayed as the leader of a rebel tribe called the Woads; and Guinevere, who is no longer the damsel in distress or the focus of a bitter love triangle between Arthur, Lancelot, and herself. Rather, she's a feisty, bow-wielding warrior of the Woads. The story is presented through a series of computer-generated and ripped-from-the-film cutscenes, which actually tie together fairly seamlessly. Similarly, the missions the game puts you on are based entirely within the scope of the film's plot, so if you liked the film, you should very much appreciate how the game relates to its source material."

God of War (PS2)

GameSpot: "God of War, casts you in the role of a despondent former Spartan warrior under order from the gods to slay the cruel god Ares (who is--surprise--the Greek god of war). Seems the only way to do this is by unlocking the power of Pandora's box, and the finding of said box will occupy the first part of the game. After a few minutes playing God of War, we were duly impressed by the frenetic action, interesting puzzle mechanics, and cohesive visual style that the game presents.

Magic will be a powerful ally in the game as well. At the beginning you'll be able to control the thunderbolts of Zeus, which of course can be used to zap enemies. At one point in the demo you end up fighting Medusa, who can turn you to stone. In an interesting twist, once you defeat the beast, you can use her head as a magical weapon to turn enemies to stone as well. The game is scheduled for release in early 2005"

Alexander the Game

Game InfoAlexander is the officially licensed real-time strategy PC game tied to Oliver Stone's upcoming "Alexander" movie starring Colin Farrell.

Integrating exclusive footage from the motion picture, the game immerses players in the era of Alexander the Great. Like Alexander, players will face the challenges of managing vast resources, a multitude of units, buildings and advancements, while his enemies always seem to have more of everything.

Blood will be spilt on the battlefield and honor will be put to the test, as the courage and cunning of each decision will determine success. Triumph in epic real-time battles using formations, morale, and authentic battle tactics.

Dragon to release Alexander the Great 12" Action Figure

With all the interest in Alexander the Great stirred up by Oliver Stone's film, Dragon has released a 12" action figure of the invincible conqueror to complement it's other figures of ancient fame including Attila the Hun, Ermanarich" the Goth, and Subadi the Mongol.

Right now, Michigan Toy Soldier is offering Attila on sale for only $29.95 and Ermanarich the Goth for only $24.95. You can also qualify for a preorder discount on Alexander the Great if you sign up for their free preferred customer program.

Immortal Cities: Children Of The Nile

"Immortal Cities is a game where eventually hundreds of citizens, each with their own individual free will and lives, affect your city-building decisions and your ability to build and rule an empire.

Create an empire by providing for your people, and make your mark on history...

From hunter-gatherers to immortal civilization. Watch your people go about their daily lives; make the right decisions and help them, and society, move forward.

Lead your people, Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile is the first and only strategy game where citizens, who behave like living, independent beings, are your primary resource. Power and prestige cannot be purchased, they must be earned.

Build your dynasty over 2,000 years. The fate of civilization is in your hands, you must balance your own ambition with your people's needs."

Empire Earth 2 coming soon

Empire Earth 2: "Become the greatest conqueror of all time by creating, building and forging the grandest of all empires as you progress through 15 epochs that span more than 10,000 years of history.

Introducing new units, powers and leaders through 3 expansive campaigns, Empire Earth 2 will once again set the standard for real-time strategy games with the latest technology and features that expand both the singleplayer and multiplayer experience."