Torchlight Dated

Hot off the presses, Runic Games have announced that their upcoming Action-RPG, Torchlight, will be available for purchase through digital distribution outlets on October 27th. They also note that they'll be showing the game off to fans at this year's PAX. So if you're attending, you may want to stop by their booth! Anyways, here's the official word:

September 4, 2009 – Seattle, WA - Runic Games, Inc. ("Runic Games"), a specialized developer of PC-based entertainment software in the United States, today unveiled at the Penny Arcade Exposition that the highly-anticipated, action RPG, Torchlight, will launch on October 27. Runic Games’ development team features the same talent that brought the bar-setting, action RPGs, Diablo, Diablo II and Fate. Torchlight will be available as a fully downloadable game for US$19.99.

Gaming enthusiasts looking for a sneak peak at Torchlight before the official launch date can visit Runic Games at Booth 872 in the Expo Hall during the Penny Arcade Exposition, which runs from September 4-6. On hand will be Runic Games’ CEO, Max Schaefer, co-designer of Diablo; and President, Travis 2204Baldree, designer of Fate, to demonstrate the game.

“We have always felt that gaming should first and foremost be about the players and by announcing the launch date of Torchlight to fans at PAX, we’re able to give them a sneak peak of the game before its official release” said Max Schaefer, CEO of Runic Games, Inc. “PAX is a unique venue geared towards video game enthusiasts and we are excited to be showcasing Torchlight and look forward to seeing many of our dedicated fans at PAX.”

Torchlight sets itself apart from other action RPGs with its intuitive, approachable interface, which enables gamers of all skill levels to quickly immerse themselves into the rich game play and varied world of Torchlight. The level randomizer will ensure that each adventure is unique with different monsters, treasures, puzzles and items for players to find, defeat, and unlock. Through a powerful suite of development tools, Runic Games will empower players and game enthusiasts alike to create and share their own content and levels.

For more information on Torchlight, gamers can visit the official website at

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Need for Speed: SHIFT System Requirements Revealed

Spilling the beans this afternoon, Slightly Mad Studios have announced some official minimum system requirements for their upcoming racing title, Need for Speed: SHIFT. What kind of setup will you need to run this bad boy? Apparently not much:

Required – Internet Connection
OS - Windows XP (Service Pack 3) or Windows Vista (Service Pack 1) / Windows 7
Processor – Intel Core™2 Duo 1.6 GHz or faster
Memory – XP: 1 GB RAM; Vista/Wi2184ndows 7: 1.5 GB RAM
Hard Drive – 6 GB
DVD Drive - 8 SPEED
Video Card – 256 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 3.0*
Sound Card - DirectX 9.0c compatible
DirectX - DirectX 9.0c compatible
Online Multiplayer – 512 Kbps or faster; 2-12 Players
Input - Keyboard, Mouse
Optional – USB Steering Wheel / Dual Analogue Gamepad

*Supported Video Cards: ATI Radeon X1800 XT 512MB or greater; NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT 256MB or greater. Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required.

Need for Speed: SHIFT is scheduled for release in North America on September 15th and Europe on September 17th.

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New Left 4 Dead 2 Content Shown @ PAX

Wrapping things up tonight, Valve has announced that they'll be showing off some new Left 4 Dead 2 content at this year's PAX. Fans who stop by their booth will get a chance to see the Dark Carnival campaign, along with a handful of new weapons, a new Zombie Clown 'uncommon common' and a new boss infected called The Jockey, which attacks lone Survivors and "wrestles control of their movement away from them-into fire, off ledges, or straight into the middle of a zombie horde." Here's a pic of the new boss:

Here's the official word:

Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2), the sequel to the best-selling and critically-acclaimed action thriller from Valve is being shown this weekend at The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle, Washington.

The game is available to play, by the press and public, at Valve and Microsoft's Xbox 360 booth.

After debuting "The Parish" campaign (set in the New Orleans' French Quarter) at E3 and "Swamp Fever" at Comic Con San Diego, Dark Carnival is the third of the five campaigns shipping with L4D2 this fall.

Valve is also unveiling a new Boss infected monster coming in the full version of Left 4 Dead 2. Known as "The Jockey" this is the third new Boss infected from L4D2 revealed thus far (the Charger was revealed at E3, The Spitter at Comic Con). The Jockey lets you attack lone Survivors and wrestle control of their movement away from them-into fire, off ledges, or straight into the middle of a zombie horde.

In addition to the new campaign and boss monster the PAX showing of L4D2 marks the debut of the "Zombie Clown," the "uncommon common" exclusive to the Dark Carnival campaign, and a few more of the 20-plus new items coming in the full product (electric guitar, machete, and the American baseball bat being offered as a pre-sell exclusive with select retailers).

Coming exclusively to Xbox 360 and PC on November 17, Left 4 Dead 2 promises to set a new benchmark for co-operative action games and become one of 2009's marquee titles.

Pretty sweet! Can't wait to see some footage of the new boss in action. :)

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Shank Gameplay Trailer

Keeping us entertained this weekend, Klei Entertainment has released a short gameplay trailer for their upcoming side-scrolling action title, Shank. Running just over a minute and a half long, the video highlights various weapons and combo moves at your disposal. Pretty cool stuff! Check it out:

Thanks to GameTr212dailers for the above stream. Mirrors are also available at the FileShack and WorthPlaying.com.

Shank's release date is still TBD.

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Empire: Total War Patch v1.4 Detailed

Spilling the beans this afternoon, Creative Assembly has released some new details on the upcoming v1.4 patch for their hit Strategy title, Empire: Total War. In addition to the usual truck-load of bug fixes, this update is said to focus heavily on AI improvements, along with siege and naval rebalancing. No word on when the patch will go live, but we'll be sure to keep you posted! In the mean time, feel free to peruse the changelog!

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Order of War Gets North American Release Date

Pinning down an exact release date for us this afternoon, Square Enix and Wargaming.net have announced that their upcoming Strategy title, Order of War, will begin shipping to stores across North America on September 22nd. As previously reported, European gamers can expect to get their hands on the title a couple days earlier, on September 19th. Don't forget to mark your calendars!

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Ezio gets funky and deadly in Assassin's Creed 2 montage

November 17th is when the next chapter of the Assassin's Creed story is released for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

Ubisoft Montreal released a new gameplay montage today. In it, Ezio shows off fancy and deft ways to stab and maim people. Though the game is set in the Renaissance era, the music accompanying the video seems like something that John Carpenter would have come up with if he was listening to Michael Jackson's Thriller on repeat over and over again, locked in a music studio someplace.

Will the much-anticipated sequel add a bit more variation to the gameplay?

Will you be able to assassinate Leonardo Da Vinci and steal plans for his machine gun and cluster bombs and armored robot soldiers (source) ? Probably not -- apparently he is your friend in the game. But certainly there will be no shortage of targets in Assassin's Creed 2.

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