Red Faction: Guerrilla is one of those life altering experiences for me.. a game where you can freely roam the landscape of a sandbox with all intent and encouragement to maim and destroy property and people. Sure, it sounds a bit aggressive but after playing Red Faction it makes you wonder why more games don’t treat their world so destructively.. I mean, sure there is a bold story of a man revenging himself upon the oppressive government that liberated the people from their original evil corporate overlords, but this is a game that is all about the booms.. like a Michael Bay video game that doesn’t suck (Yes I’m looking at you Transformers!)

Well, if you’re like me and you need even more to do on the martian sandbox then THQ has some good news.. well actually it wants more money but come on.. it’ll make you feel better! Today the publisher revealed that it has three new doses of Red Faction goodness on the way via download.

The press release only really talks about the first pack, which is called Demons of the Badlands and will sell for 800 Microsoft points/ $9.99 via PlayStation Store. The new content will include a new single-player mission arc that expands the game into a new Martian environment. The download is planned for release August 13th, 2009 so that gives us all time to sharpen up our best “Ahnold” impersonation and re-watch Total Recall a few times for good measure.

Oh and since the Total Recall game was utter drek.. you can just act like Red Faction is really a continuation and go looking for Kuato yourself.

InFamous is an action packed trip into a familiar genre with an interesting twist. You start out as Cole McGrath, a poor schmuck who has a mysterious delivery package blow up in his face, leaving him with burgeoning electrical based powers and everyone else in a six block radius with a slight case of death. You emerge from your baptism by fire, crawl out of the blast zone and run for your life guided by your buddy Zeke as the police force hunts you down.

Once you reach the relative safety of your roof top penthouse, the game truly begins throwing you into a grand conspiracy masterminded by a clandestine mystical organization. As you unravel the mystery, you can either fight your reputation as the bringer of the apocalypse or revel in the new coolness that is you and start building your own evil empire.

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Overlord was one of those games many consider a guilty pleasure. Like Pikmin with blood and gore, the title let you assume the role of an evil leader while building up your henchmen and eliminating the pastoral villages and their inhabitants. Teh continuation of the Overlord series is due out later this year and in the wake of E3, publisher Codemasters is revving up the information flow to tease us all about the game’s new features.

Today we have two new videos – one, a comical look at beginning your “Career in Overlording” and the second – ‘Mayhem and Chaos’ highlighting the destruction you can drum up in the new title. These instructional vids come straight from the Minionstry of Information.

If you’re interested, Overlord II’s demo recently hit Xbox Live and should make its way to the PSN sometimes soon.

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Gamers who are current subscribers to GameTap either for the free service or subscription service are in for a treat this week with American McGee’s Grimm Volume 2, Episode 16 and Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War Gold. The freebie this week is none other than King of Fighters 2003.

Grimm Volume 2, Episode 16: A Christmas Carol: We all know the tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge and how awful, nasty and mean-spirited he was until death and some ghosts made him change his ways. But how would this tale by Dickens have ended if our little vile troll Grimm has his way? Not as nice, I can tell you that much!

Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War Gold Edition: This RTS from Relic and THQ contains the amplified Game of the Year version Dawn of War, as well as its first expansion pack, Dawn of War: Winter Assault, which introduced a new faction, a new campaign, and gameplay tweaks that assure the most balanced and fun Dawn of War experience possible.

King of Fighters 2003: The tournament is back, this time hosted by an unknown patron. But the tournament has sinister underpinnings, and someone, or something, once again seeks the power of the demon Orochi. There’s only one way to bring an end to this sinister plot, and it involves a lot of butt-kicking.

King of Fighters 2003 will be free to play for a week and Grimm: A Christmas Carol will be free to play until Wednesday, December 31 for some nasty Christmas fun. If you have not signed up for GameTap yet, you can do so by visiting the official website where you can look through their many many subscription games and 145 free ones.

Next week: Overlord will be the free offering, so get your mind set for some deliciously evil fun with your little minions.

Welcome once again fellow gamers to our weekly edition of GameTap Thursday. If you have been hem hawing around about signing up, this week may just give you the push you were so desperately needing, because not only have they added Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance to their subscription games, but Codemaster’s wickedly fun Overlord is now free to play – for one week only though. But what a deliciously evil week that will be, eh?

Here are the subscription goodies that have been added:

• Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance: From Total Annihilation creator Chris Taylor and his new team at Gas Powered Games comes Supreme Commander, the next generation of real-time strategy games. Published by THQ, Supreme Commander has been widely praised by critics, earning an 87% average on aggregator GameRankings.com. As a bonus, your GameTap download of Supreme Commander includes the 2007 expansion pack, Forged Alliance, to complete the package.
• Die by the Sword: Limb from Limb: Treyarch’s sword fighting game that allows brutal and realistic swordplay. GameTap’s download of Die by the Sword now includes the expansion pack Limb from Limb, which features a new main quest and new playable characters.
• World Poker Championship 2: Final Table Showdown: Coresoft and publisher Valusoft (a division of THQ) present World Poker Championship 2: Final Table Showdown. This poker tournament simulation offers deep character customization, ten different game modes, and online play. Poker styles include Texas Hold’Em, Super Hold’Em, Omaha, Pineapple, Crazy Pineapple, Tahoe, Billabong, Shanghai, 7 Card Stud and 5 Card Draw.

Once again, Overlord will be free for one week, but GameTap also has 144 other free games to peruse through so head on over there right now and sign up because next Thursday, October 30, American McGee’s Grimm Volume Two launches with the first episode: The Master Thief. Like previous versions, it will be free to play for the first 24-hours, so that should give those of us too old to trick or treat something to look forward to.

As always, for more information, check out the official GameTap website. Tune in next week to see just how much more diabolical Grimm can get!

For gamers who enjoyed the wacky fun of controlling nonsensically devout minion’s in the original Overlord were probably rejoicing when Codemasters announced back in August that the sequel, along with two other titles, would be released next year. Today though, you have even more reason to be pleased, because Rhianna Pratchett is returning to write the script for Overlord 2 along with two more titles Overlord: Dark Legend and Overlord: Minions.

Pratchett is currently up for an award from the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain which will hold an awards ceremony on November 23 at BAFTA in London, England. She has been nominated twice in the category of Best Videogame Script for her work on the original Overlord and for her work with co-authors Tameem Antoniades and Andy Serkis for Heavenly Sword.

Besides working on Heavenly Sword, and the Overlord games, Pratchett also worked on SEGA’s Viking: Battle for Asgard, two unannounced projects and the upcoming Mirror’s Edge from DICE and Firefly’s Dungeon Hero. When asked about how she feels about her nomination and being asked to work on the next installment in the Overlord franchise, Pratchett has this to say:

“For a relatively new entertainment medium, it’s a sign of great progress that the industry is being recognized by the Writers’ Guild in this way. Writing for games is part alchemy, part narrative woodwork and part swimming in shark infested waters wearing ham pants, so it’s a real honor to be nominated for Overlord. The Overlord titles are fantastic creative projects and Triumph and Codemasters make a talented and supportive team who keep some of those sharks at bay. It’s a real pleasure to be back in the evil writing seat and taking the Overlord and the Minions to new lands and new adventures for the 2009 titles.”

With her competition being slim and the fact that she has been nominated in the same category twice, it would not be surprising if Pratchett walked home with such a coveted award next month. She is really starting to make a name for herself in the videogame industry, and we wish her all the best.

Overlord 2 will be made available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 sometimes next year, and so will Overlord: Dark Legend for the Wii, and Overlord: Minions for the DS.

NIS America has put out a warning that Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice for the PS3 has been unleashed upon stores. The third iteration of this darkly comical tactical RPG adds a new netherworld campus setting for an even more twisted take on the Disgaea world. You can get more details on your favorite scoundrels on the official Disgaea 3 website.

I’ve been looking forward to Disgaea 3 for a long time. Unfortunately, when I checked my local GameStop last night, they didn’t have it or TALES OF VESPERIA which is also just out. I’ll have to wait a little longer to see if Mao can mend his wicked ways and defeat the Overlord.

Atlus announced today the release dates for the three highly-anticipated titles from publisher NIS America.

• Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice for PS3 will hit stores on August 26th.

Beautiful artwork, funny characters, and deep strategy gaming come to PS3 Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice, a new entry in the famed strategy RPG series, follows the exploits of Mao, the most honored student at Evil Academy, a school where the tardiest, laziest, and rudest demons receive the highest marks. The son of the school chairman, Mao has never once attended class nor opened a textbook. He longs to overthrow his father and assume the title of Overlord, which he decides he must become a hero to achieve. Join him on his zany adventure filled with witty dialogue, exciting events, and thrilling strategy battles!

• Disgaea DS will arrive on September 23rd.

Completely remade to take advantage of Nintendo DS, Disgaea DS offers a deep strategy RPG experience with an exceptional story, a fantastic script, and a host of lovable characters and settings. An all-new story focus means a completely different experience for the player, not to mention a brand new ending. Geo Cubes add special effects to the battlefield, completely shifting the balance in the blink of an eye. Using local wireless multiplayer support, take your friends on in grand battles of strategy and wit– or try different modes like Defeat the Leader and Capture the Flag. With support for touch screen control and excellent of use of the two Nintendo DS screens, Disgaea has never played better.

• Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure will also arrive at retail on September 23.

Enter the world of Rhapsody, where music and action combine to create a charming adventure! A beautiful remake of the PlayStation original, Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure for Nintendo DS delivers stunning high-resolution 2D sprites, innovative music-based RPG gameplay, and more features than ever before. New features exclusive to the DS version include dual screen navigation and unlockable characters not previously available. Experience a wonderful symphony of RPG fun!

Via: Press Release

Loads of different titles are coming out starting tomorrow, and we have the full list for you right here. Looks like it is going to be an interesting week in gaming, so let us know what you plan on purchasing.

June 22

• Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS)
• Rock Band (Wii)
• Rock Band: Special Edition (Wii)

June 23

• American Girl Kit Mystery Challenge (DS)
• Battlefield: Bad Company (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Battlefield: Bad Company Gold Edition (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath (Xbox 360)
• Supreme Commander(Xbox 360)
• The SimCity Box (PC)
• The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff (PC)
• Top Spin 3 (DS, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)

June 24

• 1 vs. 100 (DS)
• Alone in the Dark (PC, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii)
• Baseball Mogul 09 (PC)
• Big Beach Sports (Wii)
• Cake Mania 2 (DS)
• Elements (PC)
• Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (DS)
• Gears of War: Refresh (Xbox 360)
• Gourmet Chef (DS)
• Hail to the Chimp (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Hellboy: The Science of Evil (PSP, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Ninja (DS)
• Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian (DS)
• Midnight Play Pack (DS)
• My Weight Loss Coach (DS)
• Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress (PSP)
• Operation Darkness (Xbox 360)
• Overlord: Raising Hell (PS3)
• Purr Pals (Wii)
• Wall-E    (DS, PC,PSP, PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)

June 26

• Deadliest Catch: Alaskan  Storm (PC)

June 27

• In the Shadow of the Raven 2 (PC)
• Samurai Warriors 2 (PC)

All release dates are subject to availability, so some may be in stores on the day listed, the day before, or the day after so check with wherever you purchase your games because shipping times vary.

Lionhead Studios is working the hype-meter to death lately with their strangely timed asset releases for Fable 2. I expect the meter to explode due to a speed-ball type effect. What with the slowing down and speeding up being a constant and all… Anyway, they released all sorts of info during Gamer’s Day, held back some of the assets, and have let them flow in a constant trickle ever since. Marketing at its finest people.

Enough complaining though, here are three new screens for your viewing pleasure. Let’s just hope that the gameplay is just as neat as the atmosphere depicted in all the screens we have seen. Also, the little goblin looking thing in the main screen above – does anyone else think it resembles the minions in Overlord besides me?