Limited collector’s edition for pirate RPG by developer Piranha Bytes offers a boat load of content.

Deep Silver today announced the limited Collector’s Edition of Risen 2: Dark Waters for consoles that will be released in the UK on April 27th 2012 alongside the standard edition.

The Collector’s Edition will have the following additional content:
·         Making of DVD – interviews with the developers from Piranha Bytes who delve deeper into the production of Risen 2
·         Soundtrack CD – The gripping tunes of the Risen 2 soundtrack will immediately absorb the listener into this fantastic pirate world
·         double-sided poster – a large sized map of the game world on one side and an epic artwork featuring the hero and his crew on board their impressive ship
·         Pirate Flag – with the skull motif from Risen 2
·         Amulet – a pendant that every pirate and Risen 2 fan will be proud of
·         The Art of Risen 2: Dark Waters – an exclusive collection of art cards on high quality-paper
·         Three Risen 2 stickers

The Collector’s Edition of Risen 2: Dark Waters will be available for a price of £69.99 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

About Risen 2: Dark Waters
In Risen 2: Dark Waters, the Inquisition dispatches the hero to seek a remedy against the monstrous sea creatures that are interfering with the shipping lines, thus cutting off the islands’ supplies. The pirates seem to know how to deal with these critters … but they are hardly cooperative.

New gameplay elements add to the diversity of Risen 2; for example, players can also use firearms now. And, being pirates, adventurers can also employ special new skills called Dirty Tricks, allowing them to confuse or attack enemies in combat.

Deep Silver will release Risen 2: Dark Waters for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Windows PC, and PlayStation®3 on April 24^th, 2012 for USA and Canada and on April 27^th, 2012 in European countries.

Official Website: http://www.risen2.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/risengame
Community: http://forum.deepsilver.com

About Deep Silver
Deep Silver develops and distributes interactive games for all platforms. The Deep Silver label means to captivate all gamers who have a passion for thrilling gameplay in exciting game worlds. Deep Silver works with its partners to achieve a maximum of success while maintaining the highest possible quality, always focusing on what the customer desires. Deep Silver products are designed to equally appeal to pros and beginners, children and adults.

Deep Silver has published more than 200 games since 2003, including own brands like Dead Island, the critically acclaimed zombie action game with RPG elements, the action role-playing game Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, successful adventures such as the Secret Files series and Lost Horizon, the role-playing game Risen and well-known licenses like the Chernobyl shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky and Prison Break: The Conspiracy, the action adventure based on the popular TV series. Deep Silver has announced more upcoming highlights such as Risen 2, the sequel to the hit RPG, and Sacred 3. For more information please visit www.deepsilver.com

Koch Media is a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products (software, games and films). The company’s own publishing activities, marketing and distribution extend throughout Europe and the USA. The Koch Media group has more than 15 years of experience in the digital media distribution business, and has risen to become the number one distributor in Europe. It has also formed strategic alliances with numerous games and software publishers: Capcom, Codemasters, Kaspersky Labs, Paradox Entertainment, Square Enix, Tecmo-Koei, and System 3 etc. in various European countries. With Headquarters in Planegg near Munich/Germany, Koch Media owns branches in Germany, England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Nordic regions, Benelux and the USA. www.kochmedia.com

About Piranha Bytes
Piranha Bytes are based in Germany’s old industrial heartland, the Ruhr region. They were founded in 1997, while approximately 20 team members have been working together since 2002. Piranha Bytes have acquired fame with their RPG successes „Gothic” (2001), „Gothic II” (2002), „Gothic – Night of the Raven” (2003) and „Gothic 3″ (2006) that have so far sold several million copies worldwide. In 2007 Piranha Bytes have started a new RPG series – Risen. The first part was released in 2009 internationally for Xbox 360 and PC. www.piranha-bytes.com

The zombie smashing Dead Island released last year to great reviews across the net. The latest DLC gives us a look into what makes the villain of the game tick. Is he truly a villain, or is someone else infecting him with their ideas? Is this DLC worth playing, or should you just run the other way?

Read on to find your answers in our review.

The main storyline of Dead Island paints Ryder White as the bad guy who is only looking out for himself and his wife. He seems nothing more than a villain to our four playable characters. The Ryder White DLC  shows us who he really is, and gives us his back story and why he’s on the island of Banoi.

The story is the best part of this DLC. The opening sequence shows us that he is a soldier who is asked to do whatever is needed for the greater good. If this means civilians must die, then so be it. If this means eradicating an entire island of all living creatures, he’s prepared to follow through with his orders. Only when he’s shown an image of his wife, and asked to kill her as well, does he pause before answering.

Through the original campaign of Dead Island, Ryder is an easy villain to dislike. This DLC takes our original impressions of the man and turns them upside down. His back story shows us that he is only a pawn in a much larger game, and that he’s not the villain we thought he was.

Gameplay for Ryder White is identical to the Dead Island campaign, with a few changes. Zombie smashing is still there, but all of the great RPG elements are almost completely removed. Ryder starts out as Level 15 and doesn’t change and he has no upgradeable skill tree. His fury mode is already unlocked so you get a super stomp right from the beginning.

Where the original campaign focused on melee weapons for zombie killing, this DLC focuses more on guns. Ryder is a soldier so that does make sense. There are blueprints lying around for more effective melee weapons, but they aren’t carried over to the original campaign, and guns work better. Medi-kits and ammo can be found in decent quantities, and at first you may think this will be a cake-walk. You would be wrong.

In the original campaign, dying will have you respawning somewhere near where you died, with the zombie kills also carrying over. This DLC uses a check point system where you’ll have to kill the same zombies again if they killed you. Ammo and items in your possession aren’t refreshed, so if you’re low on ammo and die, you may have a problem. Items lying around are refreshed though, and that’s a good thing. You may find yourself dying on purpose just to grab a few extra rounds for your rifle or an extra medi-kit or three. Zombies seem to spawn out of places that you have already cleared, and having zombies spawn behind you like that is not fun.

Will Ryder Take the Life of his Wife?

Techland also decided not to allow co-op. This DLC is single-player only, and that adds to Ryder’s isolation. Ryder has to go it alone, with no help from anyone. You may actually find yourself feeling bad for him. He is abandoned, on his own, and has to face never ending zombie hordes.

There are no new levels introduced. Areas will look familiar to Dead Island vets. From the slums to the sewers, everything is re-used from the main Dead Island campaign. The zombies are all re-used as well, with more of the fast moving infected zombies coming at you. The high number of fast movers adds to the difficulty for this DLC. The story itself should only take a couple hours to play through, but add in the death and respawning, and that could easily double.

Dead Island: Ryder White does a great job of letting us look behind the man that stood in the way of our four good guys in the main Dead Island campaign. It not only shows us he’s human, but also shows that he was never the man in charge and he was only a small pawn in a much larger story. That much larger story will probably be the basis for Dead Island‘s sequel.

If you’re a fan of Dead Island, then you’ll want to get to know Ryder White.

7

Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax® Media company, in partnership with Aspyr Media, Inc., today announced that RAGE®: Campaign Edition™ is now available for the Mac worldwide.

Details after the jump.

This action-packed new shooter from id Software has been published for the Mac by Aspyr, the leader in Mac games publishing.  The game can be digitally downloaded in English, French or German now via Apple’s Mac App Store, Aspyr’s own digital store GameAgent.com, and through other supporting Mac digital retailers.

In RAGE: Campaign Edition you will take on bandit gangs and hordes of mutants with an arsenal of exotic weapons and special items, such as Wingsticks, personal turrets, sentry bots, and remote-controlled bomb cars as you play through the game’s full unaltered single-player campaign. The Mac version will also include bonus equipment formerly exclusive to the RAGE Anarchy Edition, including a Double Barrel Shotgun, the Rat Rod Buggy, Fists of RAGE and Crimson Elite Armor. You’ll also have access to the Wasteland Sewers Missions which feature additional mutant blasting gameplay and looting opportunities.

“Aspyr has been a great partner, bringing id Software’s games to the Mac platform for years,” said Todd Hollenshead, President of id Software.  “We’ve worked closely with them again to offer the amazing graphics and intense combat that RAGE is famous for to Mac gamers.”

Developed by id® Software, the creators of DOOM® and QUAKE®, RAGE features intense first-person shooter action, breakneck vehicle combat, an expansive world to explore and jaw-dropping graphics powered by id’s revolutionary id Tech® 5 technology. Set in the not-too-distant future after an asteroid impacts Earth, you emerge into a vast wasteland to discover humanity working to rebuild itself against such forces as bandit gangs, mutants, and more.

RAGE, originally released for the Xbox 360®video game entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and PC, was awarded ‘Best Console Game’ by the Game Critics at E3 when first presented.

RAGE has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB. RAGE: Campaign Edition has been rated 17+ on the Mac App Store.  For more information on RAGE: Campaign Edition for the Mac, please visit: http://www.aspyr.com/games/rage-campaign-edition.

About id Software

id Software, part of the ZeniMax Media Inc. family of companies, has provided technical, design and artistic leadership as a world-renowned game developer and technology innovator since its founding in 1991. id Software’s iconic brands such as Wolfenstein, DOOM, QUAKE and Enemy Territory have become staples of popular culture for generations of gamers. More information on id Software can be found at www.idsoftware.com.  id, id Software, id Tech, RAGE, Wolfenstein, DOOM, QUAKE, Enemy Territory  and related logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of id Software LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries.  All Rights Reserved.

About Bethesda Softworks

Bethesda Softworks, part of the ZeniMax Media Inc. family of companies, is a worldwide publisher of premier interactive entertainment software. Titles featured under the Bethesda label include such blockbuster franchises as DOOM®, QUAKE®, The Elder Scrolls®, Fallout®, Wolfenstein®  and RAGE®.  Among the world’s top development studios creating titles for ZeniMax are Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, Arkane Studios, MachineGames Sweden, Tango Gameworks and ZeniMax Online Studios. For more information on Bethesda Softworks’ products, visit www.bethsoft.com. 

About ZeniMax Media Inc.

ZeniMax Media is a privately owned media organization headquartered outside Washington DC with international offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Eindhoven, and Tokyo. Through its subsidiaries, ZeniMax Media creates and publishes original interactive entertainment content for consoles, the PC, and handheld/wireless devices.  ZeniMax Media divisions include Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, Arkane Studios, Tango Gameworks, MachineGames Sweden, ZeniMax Europe Ltd., ZeniMax Asia K.K. and ZeniMax Online Studios.   For more information on ZeniMax Media, visit www.zenimax.com.

About Aspyr Media

Aspyr Media, Inc. is a leading video game publisher that specializes in bringing the best in gaming to the Mac. Hailing from Austin, Texas, USA, Aspyr strives relentlessly to ensure a quality experience for consumers and industry partners. Aspyr’s online digital and retail store GameAgent.com is a leading provider of Mac and PC digital downloads.  Exclusive downloadable titles and a diverse selection of boxed products make GameAgent.com a #1 Mac gaming destination. To fall more deeply in love with Aspyr and its amazing line of products, visit www.aspyr.com and www.gameagent.com to see just how much fun you can legally have.

Capcom today released an all new set of screenshots, artwork, and a video for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for the PlayStation Vita.

Check it all out after the jump.

New artwork provides a sampling of the exclusive Gold Herald color options available for all characters which can be obtained through costume sharing via the PS Vita’s NEAR function. In addition, new screens and gameplay video from the PS Vita version showcase what players can expect as they unleash their ultimate anytime, anywhere!

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 takes the epic battle to all new heights with 12 new characters from the Marvel and Capcom universes, a refined fighting system, eight new stages and new modes. The PS Vita edition of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 builds upon the console experience, complete with all modes from the console version including Heroes & Heralds mode, plus new features designed specifically for the PlayStation Vita.

PlayStation Vita Gameplay

The PS Vita version features online and local multiplayer, touch screen functionality, NEAR support and everything you would find in the PS3 version. In addition, the PS Vita version includes a Spectator Mode and Replay function that allows players to watch or share exciting matches over wi-fi. PS Vita exclusive Gold Herald color options are also available for the characters. As an integrated option, gamers can use the PS Vita as the “Ultimate Controller” to play the PS3 version of the game.

Ryu Gold

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for the PS Vita is rated T for Teen by the ESRB and carries a low MSRP of $39.99. As a launch title for the PlayStation Vita system, the game will be available alongside the PS Vita First Edition bundle on February 15, 2012. The regular launch date for the PS Vita system is February 22, 2012. The game is also currently available for PS3 and X360.

Capcom has just released a new gameplay trailer for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City which takes a closer look at each of the members of the US Government Spec Ops squad and U.S.S. (Umbrella Security Service) and their specific skill sets.

Check out the details, and the video, after the jump.

As revealed last month, players will be able to choose their side in three online competitive multiplayer modes: Biohazard, Survivor and Team Attack. In a brutal four-versus-four player team battle players choose their character with unique skills and abilities that will help make them escape the terrifying madness that’s been unleashed on the streets of Raccoon City. In an evil twist that could only be possible in the world of Resident Evil players should expect complete chaos as a third force of zombies and B.O.W.’s, adds to the mayhem.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City – U.S.S. Characters Trailer

All roads will lead to hell when Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City launches in North America on March 20, 2012 for PS3 and Xbox 360, with the PC version to follow.