Universe at War: Earth Assault (PC)
Universe at War: Earth Assault is set in the near-future where Earth has become a battleground for three alien factions at war. Amongst the three factions are the Hierarchy; a savage, hulking race that has come to Earth to harvest everything on the planet to fuel their war machines. Next are the Novus; a sentient robotic race hell-bent on stopping the Hierarchy from destroying civilizations across the galaxy. And lastly, the Masari; ancient astronauts that have lay dormant on Earth, only to awaken when the Hierarchy disturbs their millennium slumber. With numerous features and customization options never-before-seen in the RTS genre, Universe at War: Earth Assault creates an exceptional strategy experience for single-player and multiplayer battles.
"Universe at War: Earth Assault has three of the most diverse factions contained in a single game since StarCraft," said Elliott Chin, Director of Marketing, SEGA of America, "The developers at Petroglyph recognized the importance of unique factions as being a driving force of great gameplay in the RTS genre. Universe at War: Earth Assault presented Petroglyph an opportunity to utilize their years of game design experience in conjunction with a large amount of creative freedom to create this new IP. RTS gamers should ready themselves to play something truly innovative."
The game employs a unique balance system called "Tactical Dynamics" that allows players to retrain and customize units in the midst of battle to better cope with enemy forces and tactical situations. Weaponry and defenses can be modified in real-time to take advantage of constantly shifting battlefield conditions. Fully customizable tech trees allow players to control the development of technologies that they deem key to victory. With deadly super-weapons and alien powers, players can destroy large-scale cities and whole territories.
The multiplayer modes in Universe at War: Earth Assault are inspired by popular massively multiplayer online games and competitive online-playable titles. With its support of Microsoft’s Games for Windows Live, Universe at War: Earth Assault gives players achievement points, rewards, and medals in a balanced environment to further encourage players to move forward in the game. Players from around the world will battle in persistent-style online campaigns for ultimate faction supremacy across a virtual representation of the Earth.
Universe at War: Earth Assault is rated “T”, will retail for $49.99. The Xbox 360 version is shipping in Q1 2008.
Unreal Tournament 3 (PS3)
“Unreal Tournament 3 sets a new benchmark for graphical quality and what a first-person shooter gameplay experience on the PS3 should be,” said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. “The game is a must-have for a PS3 owner this holiday season.”
"We are thrilled to put Unreal Tournament 3 in gamers' hands before the holidays," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "The game plays so amazingly, and I think this is the pick-up-and-play shooter people have been waiting for on PlayStation 3. In addition, UT3 is the first game ever to allow truly robust user-created content - we call them ‘mods’ (as in ‘modifications’) - on any console platform, and we can’t wait to see what the mod community creates for this game. User-created content has always been the remarkable backbone component of the Unreal Tournament series, and we think PlayStation 3 users are in for a huge treat when the mods start to appear."
"We are excited about our continued collaboration with Midway on Unreal Tournament 3, exclusively for PS3," said Riley Russell, senior vice president of third party relations, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Unreal Tournament 3 is sure to be a hit this holiday season as it allows gamers to embrace the creativity of user-generated content utilizing the power of the Unreal Engine 3 on PS3."
Making its debut on the PS3, Unreal Tournament 3 unleashes the full power of Unreal Engine 3, taking graphics, gameplay, and challenge to a whole new level. Players engage in intense battles with other human players online, or against Unreal artificial intelligence that sets the industry standard. With the most powerful futuristic weapons and vehicles available, this is FPS action at its best!
Unreal Tournament 3 for PS3, rated “M” for Mature, is available for a U.S. suggested retail price of $59.95. UT3 is currently available for the PC for a U.S. suggested retail price of $49.95.
BlackSite: Area 51 (PS3)
The immersive and fast-paced FPS title, which is already available in stores for Xbox 360 and PC in North America, allows gamers the chance to direct living, breathing squad mates with a context-sensitive "One-Button Squad Command" control system as they make their way through the game's politically-subversive storyline. Throughout the mission, destructible environments can be reduced to rubble, creating interactive cover points for both you and the enemy, which can be blown away with enough firepower.
Using a fully-customized version of Unreal Engine 3.0, BlackSite: Area 51 combines cutting-edge technology and smart game design with an illuminating, politically-inspired storyline.
Featuring a powerful single-player campaign, along with numerous multiplayer modes BlackSite: Area 51 delivers vicious combat action, next generation graphics and A.I., and a powerful arsenal of weapons and vehicles. Set in present day, players take the role of decorated military veteran, Aeran Pierce, charged by the government to lead a squad of secret soldiers, each with his/her own specialty skill set, into the Rachel, Nevada, area to fight off the invasion of unidentified enemy races.