NPD & D2D: PC game sales, week of 3/1

NPD has weighed in again this week with the top 10 PC game sales at retail in the United States, while IGN's Direct2Drive (D2D) service shows us its own list.

Empire: Total War is dominating the top spots at both retail and D2D, which should be making Creative Assembly very happy; meanwhile Warhammher Online: Age of Reckoning jumped into the #3 slot at retail due to a drop in price, with Red Alert 3 in a similar situation at #8. Relic's Dawn of War II (DoW II) dropped from #1 down to #5; aside from that there's your standard Warcraft's and Sims...

On the digital side, DoW II dropped to #3, Drakensang is at an impressive #5, Visual Concepts' MLB 2K9 finds a cozy spot at #6, Rome is at #7, followed by the Final Fantasy XI collection, Defend Grid and Grand Theft Auto IV. Quite an odd list, especially compared to retail, but variety is the spice of life, we've heard.

NPD's Top Ten (3/1 - 3/7)

Empire: Total War / Creative Assembly / $48 World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King / Blizzard / $39 Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning / EA Mythic / $16 The Sims 2 Double Deluxe / EA Maxis / $20 Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II / Relic / $48 The Sims Carnival: Bumper Blast / Electronic Arts / $2 Empire: Total War - Special Forces Edition / Creative Assembly / $69 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Premier Edition / EA LA / $14 World Of Warcraft Battle Chest / Blizzard / $38 World Of Warcraft / Blizzard / $18

Direct2Drive's Top Ten (3/2 - 3/10)

Empire: Total War / Creative Assembly Empire: Total War - Special Forces Edition / Creative Assembly Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II / Relic Empire: Total War (Pre-Order with Free Game) / Creative Assembly Drakensang: The Dark Eye / Radon Labs MLB 2K9 / Visual Concepts Rome: Total War Gold Edition / Creative Assembly Final Fantasy XI Vana'diel Collection 2008 / Square Enix Defense Grid: The Awakening / Hidden Path Grand Theft Auto IV / Rockstar North


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Dev studio behind Stargate Worlds in financial trouble

This time it wasn't Lord Anubis that is causing troubles for Stargate Worlds. Instead, it's lack of cash. (And we aren't talking space-bucks. Nope, just ole plain-Jane U.S currency.)

While it could only be a petty squabble or small misunderstanding, it seems that Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, developer of in-progress Stargate Worlds, is being sued by data center business called IO Capital Princess, for an unpaid bill.

This isn't the first time Cheyenne Mountain has been in the red either. Late last year, a widely circulated story stated that they were unable to pay all of their employees, and another news story stated that were actively searching for new investors. 

Stargate Worlds is Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's first game. MMORPG development is notoriously difficult and expensive so it could prove challenging for Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment to deliver. However, they do have one big thing going for them, for sure: there are about five zillion Stargate fans who might be interested in playing a Stargate MMORPG.

Hopefully the company will be able to see through project to the end. And hopefully they'll be able to launch it, without too many bugs, or shortages of content -- a situation which has been the bane of many a MMORPG.

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Mass Effect 2 confirmed for early 2010

Everybody knew Mass Effect 2 was in the works, but up until now it did not have any official announcement.

“We’re going to surpass the extraordinary gaming experience we brought our fans in Mass Effect by delivering intensified combat and expanded weapon options as well as increased depth of planet exploration, all while delivering a powerful, emotionally engaging story,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, founder of BioWare, and EA big-wig.“Mass Effect 2 is shaping up to be an unforgettable RPG-shooter experience, taking players on a non-stop roller-coaster ride filled with stunning plot twists and no-holds-barred action,” he went on, in a cliche-driven press release. 

The game is set for "early 2010" for both PC and Xbox 360 -- giving a glimmer of hope that perhaps the PC version will come out closer to the Xbox 360's version's release -- unlike last time.

Bioware employees have previously stated that Mass Effect was always envisioned as a trilogy, and that saved player-characters from the first game would be able to be used in the sequel.

If you somehow missed hearing about it last year, Mass Effect is a science fiction RPG set in a future struggle where human beings are battling nasty robots and long-dead aliens.

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Wallace & Gromit Demo Released

As promised, the guys over at Telltale Games have released a short singleplayer demo for Episode 1 of their upcoming Adventure series, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures. Weighing in at 138MB, the demo features a mix of scenes from the first episode, allowing you to play as both Wallace and Gromit. The demo is currently available exclusively through FilePlanet and Yahoo. More mir 20e1 rors are expected tomorrow.

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Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Video Dev Diary #2

Also available for download today is a new video developer diary for Starbreeze Studios' upcoming Action-Stealth title, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. Running just under four minutes long, the video touches on the game's visual style, lighting effects and the voice acting cast. Check it out:

Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. Prefer a manual download? Then look no further:

GamersHellFileFrontFileShackStrategyInformerWorthPlaying

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is scheduled for release in North America on April 7th and Europe on April 24th.

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Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack Trailer

Keeping us entertained today, Treyarch has released a new teaser trailer for their upcoming Call of Duty: World at War map pack. Running just under a minute long, the video gives us a sneak peek at the new Zombie Asylum level and the Perks-a-Cola machines. Check it out:

Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. Hit-up any of the following websites for a mirror:

GamersHellFileShackWorthPlaying

The map pack is scheduled for release on Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 19th. A PC release date is expected "soon".

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Red Orchestra Update Released & Steam Weekend Deal

Keeping us on our toes tonight, Tripwire Interactive has announced that they've released major update for their hit World War 2-based first person shooter, Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, which adds a new map called "Fallen Heroes" and 44 Steam Achievements. To grab the update, just relaunch your Steam client.

For those of you who don't already own Red Orchestra, the game is currently on sale through Steam for $4.99 (a 66% savings). The deal runs from now until March 15th. So if you've been waiting for the price to drop a tad before picking it up, now's the time to jump in! ;)

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