The full Joshi quote as pulled by Gamerzines reads: “RTS players are great people but some of them have very little balance in their life. So their enjoyment is entirely derived from smashing another human in a video game.”

On the one hand, I want to disagree because I like RTS games and consider myself a level-headed person who enjoys all kinds of balanced things like butterflies and nail polish, etc. But, yeah, I enjoy smashing another human player in a competitive video game — that’s kind of the point, isn’t it?

On the other hand, I do agree with Joshi because I once watched a friend fling his expensive keyboard across a room during a total rout in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. “Unbalanced” just about sums him up.

And on a third hand that I don’t physically have, couldn’t you say that by Joshi’s logic all gamers who get off on crushing other players in any genre are unbalanced? Why pick on his own audience when there are so many other worthy targets to choose from (*cough* first-person shooters *cough*)?

Oh, but here’s another Joshi tidbit to sink your teeth into: “Now the gameplay is no longer tailored to beating the opponent’s base and having that be the source of victory. It’s now about capturing objectives. So there’s less of that head-to-head ‘I’m going to crush you’ mentality going on.”

I’ll let you handle the arguments behind that one, commenters.

RTS players “have very little balance in their life” – C&C4 Producer [Gamerzines]

The BattleForge Renegade Edition card set is an expansion of the Renegade Campaign introduced earlier this year, which added the Southern Wastes region of Nyn to the game. The expansion brings two new support factions in the Bandits and Stonekin, plus a whole mess of legendary creatures and buildings to help bolster your line as you advance through the ranks.

The Renegade Edition cards are now available in the BattleForge in-game store, purchasable for $US2.50 or 250 BattleForge points. Check out the game’s official website to download and play for free.

You get Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II multiplayer beta access! And you get Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II multiplayer beta access! And you get Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II multiplayer beta access!

And you get Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II multiplayer beta access! And.. ahem, sorry. Got a little carried away with the news that the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II multiplayer beta is now open to everyone, not just those who own a copy of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War – Soulstorm.

That’s it. Go get it off Steam. Have fun. See ya.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II Multiplayer Beta [Steam]

At a preview event for UK journalists, the lead producer behind Ensemble Studio’s real-time strategy take on the Halo universe suggested that downloadable content for the game could be in the works.

UK tech news site Electricpig spoke with Halo Wars producer Jason Pace at the preview event for the game, who indicated that while there are no definite plans yet, the studio is committed to supporting the franchise. While that isn’t exactly a yes as far as DLC goes, he did mention that “additional downloadable content is something we’re looking in to.”

Looking into is much better than breaking down in tears or punching the journalist in the face, so we’re going to go ahead and put a check in the “Definitely Maybe” column.

Halo Wars DLC a maybe, says Microsoft [Electricpig]

EA has announced the live-action cast of the Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising expansion, adding in a little ultra-violence, a bit of unfortunate anime adaptation, and a whole lot of Flair.

Ric Flair, that is. The 16-time world heavyweight wrestling champion joins an all-star lineup of new additions to the Red Alert 3 roster, portraying Commander Hill, one of the commanders players will take on in the new Commander’s Challenge mode. Flair was understandably excited about the role.

“When I found out that EA wanted me to be part of Command & Conquer, all I could say was ‘Woooooooooooo!’”

…okay.

Along with Flair comes the legendary Malcolm McDowell, Jamie Chung from the live-action Dragonball movie, Prison Break’s Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, and Holly Valance from the Dead or Alive movie.

EA Announces All-Star Celebrity Cast for Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising

Eclectic Ensemble Cast Stars in Newest Addition to the Red Alert Universe

LOS ANGELES—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced the members of the live action movie cast for Command & Conquer™ Red Alert™ 3: Uprising, the upcoming campaign expansion to last fall’s award-winning Command & Conquer™ Red Alert™ 3. Picking up in the aftermath of the events in the original, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising features an eclectic cast starring in the all new, live-action movie sequences the Command & Conquer franchise is known for. From sci- fi legends to rising starlets and masters of the squared-circle, the cast of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising includes (in alphabetical order): Jamie Chung, (Dragonball Evolution), Ric Flair (16-time world heavyweight wrestling champion), Malcolm McDowell (Heroes, Clockwork Orange, Wing Commander), Jodi Lyn O’Keefe (Prison Break), Holly Valance (Neighbours) along with returning fan-favourites Gemma Atkinson and Ivana Milicevic.

“Quality live-action movies and storytelling have always been a unique component to the Command & Conquer DNA and we wanted to make sure we did things right with Uprising,” said Amer Ajami, Senior Producer at EA Los Angeles. “We are really pleased we were able to assemble another large and talented ensemble for Uprising, and we think our fans are going to be pleased by everyone’s performances not only in the cutscenes, but also in Commander’s Challenge, where you’ll actually be battling some of our stars.”

“When I found out that EA wanted me to be part of Command & Conquer, all I could say was ‘Woooooooooooo!’” said 16-time world heavyweight champion, Ric Flair, who stars as Commander Hill, a commander players will have to take on in the new Commander’s Challenge mode. “I had a great time on set and while I may have retired from the ring, I think my fans are going to love seeing the ‘Nature Boy’ style and profile his way to victory. I know my kids are going to have a great time trying to take it to me on the battlefield.”

Malcolm McDowell, who plays Rupert Thornley, the president of the European Union, and had previously starred in the live-action movies for the Wing Commander franchise, added, “It’s great to be working with good actors and the more good actors you can get to do games, the better. In the past people might have thought you could get away with anything in games and that isn’t a good attitude. Kids are spending a lot of money and time on these games and they deserve first rate performers and I’m glad to say that this is what Uprising is.”

Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising will take players deeper into the Red Alert™ universe with four new mini-campaigns set in the aftermath of the events of Red Alert 3. The game also features the new Commander’s Challenge mode, a series of 50 challenging, over-the-top scenarios where players will need to battle through a gauntlet of commanders and obstacles in order to unlock the game’s powerful new units.

Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising will be available for digital download this March for $19.99 and has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI. For more information about the game, please visit www.commandandconquer.com, home of Command & Conquer TV, EA’s dedicated online Command & Conquer network that goes beyond the game and brings players all the latest news, tips and strategies straight from the developers. This Friday, fans can go to the website to catch the first episode of BattleCastTM PrimeTime, the channel’s flagship program, which will have all the latest Command & Conquer news including an interview with Ric Flair.

And for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising’s live-action movies and the debut of the game’s first trailer, tune in this weekend to “GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley” on SpikeTV (check local listings) and GameTrailers.com.

It’s a matter of blue versus brown in Stromrise, apparently, with the tribal Sai units sporting earth tones and the technologically advanced Echelon forces decked out in a deep blue-steel. I really like the designs, though of course once you are in the thick of things with an RTS title the character design starts to matter less and less.

Check out the press release after the gallery below to find out exactly what each of these units is bringing to the battle when Stormrise ships this March.

STORMRISE

Stormrise is a post apocalyptic real-time strategy game from Creative Assembly, the makers of Medieval II: Total War. Two warring factions arise from the rubble: the Echelon, a technologically advanced race that endured the planet’s fallout by way of self-induced hibernation, and the Sai, a tribal society that adapted to the new apocalyptic environment and evolved over time.

Stormrise will be released in March on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

For more information please visit http://www.sega.com/stormrise/.

Unit descriptions

Echelon
Enforcers

Enforcers are the troops on the frontline, bringing peace and security to all who fall under the wing of the Echelon. Determined to bring the civility of the past to the chaos of the frontier, Enforcers serve with utmost loyalty to the Chancellor. They are protected by tactical combat armour and heavily armed with an assault rifle/grenade launcher combo.

SPECIAL ABILITIES
• Grenades: The Enforcers can launch a barrage of explosive grenades at their enemies.
• Riot Shield Up: The Enforcers activate their energy Riot Shields and hunker down behind them for increased protection.

Infiltrators

The arbiters of justice, Infiltrators seek out the hidden enemies of the Echelon and dispatch them with a high velocity shot to the skull. Trained from a young age to join the elite ranks of the Echelon infantry, Infiltrators are supreme scouts and deadly accurate snipers. All Infiltrators are armed with the best field camouflage armour and a large calibre high velocity rifle. The Infiltrator always strikes its target.

SPECIAL ABILITIES
• Thermal Vision: The Infiltrator is able to detect and target any hidden and cloaked units within view.

Prowlers

Prowlers are moderately armoured but highly mobile vehicles that provide security both on the ground and in the air. Unmatched for their versatility, Prowlers engage land and air targets with turret-mounted twin cannons. Echelon Commanders know that when these cats are on the prowl, the enemy better watch out!

SPECIAL ABILITIES
• Search the Skies AA Mode: The Prowler transforms into a stable gun platform to shoot down airborne targets.
Sai

Rangers

Rangers perform two functions within the Sai hierarchy. Firstly they scout the frontiers for dangerous mutants, alerting Sai villages if they are in danger and secondly, Rangers form into Militia Platoons in time of war, providing the most common form of troops available to Sai commanders. Armed with basic armour and an assault rifle, Rangers are best deployed in numbers. When the Rangers’ battle fervour is heated they will charge into combat heedless of danger. They can also fire Sai energy charges at air targets.

SPECIAL ABILITIES
• Sai Anti Air Rockets: The Rangers can fire Sai energy charges at airborne units from their unusual weapons.
• Commando Rush: The Rangers call forth their natural aggression and rush into combat completely ignoring the dangers around them but increasing their damage.

Spectres

The silent knives in the night, Spectres are a true nightmare for Echelon soldiers to handle. They have an exceptional ability to control Sai energy, having been trained from a young age to manipulate the energy in different ways. Able to project swords made out of energy from their arms, the Spectres can slash their way through nearly all opposition. The Spectre can also bend light at-will to cloak itself, making it nearly invisible to the naked eye, only being given away by a slight shimmer. The fact that Spectres can also use mind control could be the most terrifying thing of all.

SPECIAL ABILITIES
• Mind Control: The powerful mind of the Spectre can temporarily dominate any enemy except for commanders.
• Cloak: The Spectre can warp light around itself to hide from enemy sight. The shimmering can be detected from up close though.
• Rapid Slice: The Spectre goes into a slashing frenzy, destroying any infantry within its reach.

Scorpions

The Sai may not be as technologically advanced as the Echelon but that doesn’t mean they don’t have machines. Scorpions are off-road vehicles used to patrol the wastes around Sai villages and to provide light strike power for when Sai forces go into combat. The Rangers enlisted to drive them revel in the freedom of thrashing their machine around and firing off the back mounted machine gun.

SPECIAL ABILITIES
• Sting: A ceramic shell-filled with Brood acid charged with Sai energy. On impact it does minimal damage, but greatly reduces the armour where the shell hit.

For those of you who’d rather not fill your Xbox 360 with a nice-sized chunk of video, here’s the first in a series of video documentaries for the real-time strategy game Halo Wars.

It almost serves as an introduction to the real-time strategy genre for those fans of the series who are used to the first person shooter, explaining the action in terms of how it differs from your average FPS. I especially like how they explain that in Halo you’d only get one explosion, where in Halo Wars you get a whole bunch of explosions. If that doesn’t sell you, what will?

Ensemble Studios’ real-time strategy take on the Halo universe is heading to the printer, with a single player demo of Halo Wars ready to strike Xbox Live Marketplace on February 5th.

The Halo Wars gold master is on its way to manufacturing, well in time for its late February / early March release dates. While excited fans of the Halo series dream of discs sliding out of a giant, magical disc pressing machine, Microsoft is readying a playable demo of the game to help ease the wait. On February 5th the Halo Wars demo will be available for download, featuring the first two levels of the single player campaign along with “Chasms”, one of fourteen multiplayer maps shipping with the full game. Note that the multiplayer map looks to be only playable against the A.I. is Skirmish mode, so you’ll have to wait for the full game in order to hop online.

Along with the news of the demo, Microsoft Game Studios also launches a new video documentary for the game today, with the first episode now available for download via Xbox Live.

Genre Defining Xbox 360 Exclusive “Halo Wars” Goes Gold

New video documentary series and Xbox LIVE demo details revealed

Microsoft Game Studios and Ensemble Studios announced today that “Halo Wars,” the highly anticipated action strategy game based on the legendary “Halo” universe, is finished and sent to manufacturing! Created from the ground up for the Xbox 360 console and controller, “Halo Wars” combines a peerless control scheme and gameplay with an incredibly rich, epic story set 20 years prior to the story told in “Halo: Combat Evolved.” The result is a commanding experience that is a must-have for “Halo” fans and a title that is sure to become a classic amongst fans of strategy games.

As fans eagerly await launch day, a video documentary series announced today will explore defining themes of “Halo Wars” and give viewers a behind the scenes look at the game’s development and some of the people involved in its creation. The premier episode captures key elements that frame “Halo Wars” gameplay: the controls, perspective and strategy. The “Halo Wars” video documentary is available for download on Xbox LIVE and can be viewed at Xbox.com/Halo.

In addition, the recently announced Xbox LIVE public demo for “Halo Wars” will be available beginning on Feb. 5 at 2 a.m. PST in Xbox LIVE enabled regions worldwide. In the demo, players will be able master Ensemble’s groundbreaking control scheme in optional beginner and advanced tutorials or jump right into the action to experience the beginning of the “Halo Wars” story with the first two campaign missions. The demo will also include “Chasms,” one of “Halo Wars’” 14 multiplayer maps, wherein players can battle it out in Skirmish mode vs. A.I., playing either as the UNSC with Captain Cutter’s leader powers, or as the Covenant with the Prophet of Regret’s own unique abilities. Don’t forget to set your Xbox to download this demo!

“Halo Wars” is rated T for Teen by the ESRB and 16+ PEGI, and will be available starting Feb. 26 in Asia, Feb. 27 in Europe and March 3 in the Americas. For more information, visit Xbox.com/Halo or HaloWars.com.

Ubisoft are the proud new owners of Massive Entertainment, the developers behind World in Conflict. And Ubisoft have just announced a release date for World in Conflict: Soviet Assault.

Good news, as the release of the expansion was up in the air following the demise of former publishers Sierra. Well, good news for PC owners. There’s no mention of the planned console versions. Not a word.

Soviet Assault on PC will include both the original game as well as the expansion, which lets you take command of Soviet forces. Those who already own the original game will have the option of downloading the expansion by itself.

UBISOFT® ANNOUNCES WORLD IN CONFLICT®: SOVIET ASSAULT FOR PC

SAN FRANCISCO – January 21, 2009 – Today Ubisoft announced that it will
publish World in Conflict: Soviet Assault for PC in March 2009. World in
Conflict: Complete Edition, the retail version of the much awaited add-on to
the critically acclaimed strategy game will include the entire original
World in Conflict title, as well as the Soviet Assault add-on and other
exciting all-new features. Players that already own World in Conflict will
have the option to download the Soviet Assault expansion pack exclusively
online.

“The teams at Massive Entertainment have worked hard to ensure that they are
bringing new original content to the popular World in Conflict brand,” said
Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft. “Fans
have been eagerly awaiting Soviet Assault and Ubisoft is excited to be able
to bring them great new material.”

World in Conflict: Soviet Assault allows players to relive the Cold War in a
dramatic, gritty, real world setting driven by compelling characters and
storyline. This one of a kind strategy game offers players a unique
team-oriented experience on chillingly realistic battlegrounds. Soviet
Assault features all-new characters, gameplay from the Soviet perspective,
ten new films, new multiplayer maps and more.

Okay, well perhaps it isn’t all that ultimate, but it gets the job done, mentioning the Blu-ray disc they’ve packed with delicious C&C:RA3 goodness while giving a basic overview of the game’s plot, which is all we ask for a game trailer to do. Check out the ultimate official press release below to ultimately learn more.

EA BRINGS BEST-SELLING RTS FRANCHISE TO THE PLAYSTATION 3 FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH COMMAND & CONQUER RED ALERT 3: ULTIMATE EDITION

Red Alert 3 Comes to PS3 this March with a Ton of Extras Including Exclusive Multiplayer Maps, Over an Hour Worth of Video and More

Guildford, UK., January 21, 2009 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that the Command & Conquer™ Red Alert™ 3: Ultimate Edition will be bringing the best-selling Command & Conquer franchise to the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system for the very first time this March. The Ultimate Edition includes everything from last year’s award-winning release of Command & Conquer™ Red Alert™ 3, while taking full advantage of the PLAYSTATION 3’s Blu-ray disc capacity, offering an extensive array of exclusive bonus content, making the Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition the ultimate Red Alert 3 experience and an incredible value for PLAYSTATION 3 gamers.

“Our team has been dedicated to bringing the RTS genre to console gamers and we are excited to have this opportunity to introduce PS3 owners to Command & Conquer,” said David Seeholzer, Development Director at EA Los Angeles. “The PS3 is a very powerful platform, and the extra time we have had in development has helped us create the ultimate console RTS experience, with better graphics, improved performance, a ton of extras and some nice exclusive perks that cannot be found on any other version of Red Alert 3.”

Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 blends the over-the-top humor and fast, fluid and fun gameplay the series is known for with exciting new innovations for the RTS genre, including fully co-operative, story driven-campaigns and an unprecedented emphasis on naval gameplay. PLAYSTATION 3 gamers will navigate the C&C style, action-packed gameplay via the Command Stick 2.0 interface, an intuitive control system that allows gamers of all skill levels to easily and efficiently command their units on the battlefield. Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition also packs in a tremendous amount of bonus content, including:
• Five exciting new multiplayer maps
• Behind the scenes videos and trailers, including Raising the Iron Curtain Documentary, From Pens to Pixels, the Girls of Red Alert 3, Bloopers & Outtakes, the Red Alert 3 Remix and many more!
• PS3 exclusive Command & Conquer TV programming, including PS3-dedicated BattleCast™ PrimeTime and a special episode of Command School focused on tips, tricks and strategies from the development team
• In-depth profiles on all the Red Alert 3 Units
• The official Red Alert 3 soundtrack

Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 also features the franchise’s trademark live-action movie sequences starring one of the largest and most talented ensemble casts in the history of video games, including (in alphabetical order) Gemma Atkinson, Gina Carano, Randy Couture, Tim Curry, Kelly Hu, Jenny McCarthy, Jonathan Pryce, Autumn Reeser, J.K. Simmons, Peter Stormare, George Takei, and a special appearance by David Hasselhoff.

The Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition will ship in March 2009 for the PLAYSTATION 3 and has been rated ‘T’ for Teen by the ESRB and ‘16+’ by PEGI. For more information about the game, please visit www.commandandconquer.com. Fans of Command & Conquer can continue to get their fix 24 hours a day, seven days a week at Command & Conquer TV, EA’s dedicated online Command & Conquer network that goes beyond the game and brings players all the latest news, tips and strategies.

###