Cryptstone Games has just released a demo for Star Prospector. Star Prospector is a sci-fi real-time strategy game with some RPG elements. The demo gives you full access to all of Star Prospector’s features and unlocks all the missions available in the first star system. The missions are randomly generated. Tried the demo for a few minutes and I was quite pleased with the game’s look & feel. Gameplay seems to be quite straightforward to master. Built a bot factory, a soldier bot and killed some alien creatures that were wondering around. Very simple stuff but quite fun.

For more information check out a small Star Prospector preview: Explore the Galaxy with Star Prospector – Coming Soon Space RTS for the PC. Have a look also at Star Prospector’s recently available video below. It is a tutorial video Cryptstone has assembled for us, to guide us on building our first base. Star Prospector costs $19.99 and is being sold exclusively for the Impulse digital platform. Have fun prospecting the galaxy!

GameSpy has just published an interview with Stardock’s staff about Rebellion, the new, and highly anticipated Sins of a Solar Empire stand-alone expansion pack. I condensed in this post what were, in my opinion, the juicier parts of the interview. I also added a few personal notes and bits of further information. You can read the entire interview here.

In the interview Stardock clarified that Rebellion will include all the previous titles content, so, all the features included in the Diplomacy or Entrenchment expansions (or in the Trinity pack) will be in Rebellion.

Stardock also provided some details about the 3 new Rebellion (sub)factions. As we already knew each one of the three original races gets split into Loyalists and Rebels. “The TEC Loyalists are very defensive (…) the TEC Rebels are very aggressive”. Stardock also added that each faction gets its own Titan class ship and confirmed that “there are going to be six distinct Titans (…) each has its own abilities and stats”.

Stardock also clarified that regarding more ships offered (from the original Sins’ games) apart from the new 6 different types of Titan class ships there will also be new corvette and capital class ships.

Then GameSpy staff asked the gold question (always have been a Sins debate over this topic). “Are you planning to introduce any kind of single-player campaign?”. Stardock confirmed that “there won’t be a single-player campaign.” although “we are hoping to put some scenarios in, which would be not just stand-alone maps like we’ve had in the past, but a bit more detailed, with specific objectives to accomplish”. So, at least it seems that we are gonna get a few more mission depth with these new promised scenarios.

Now, about the tech trees, and any possible major revamping Stardock clarified that there will be changes that make Rebellion feel a bit more unique regarding research but “probably more of an addition to the existing”. Stardock explained further that the new Rebellion techs were integrated into the existing tech trees (military, civilian and diplomacy).

About the pirate system (a very cool Sins feature btw), GameSpy asked about changes on that. Stardock confirmed that they’ve done some additional tweaks to the pirate system this year. They also added that there will be key differences “the TEC Rebels (…) can actually ally with the Pirates, and use Pirate ships and not have to pay for them”. Now that’s a funny twist.

Stardock then announced that there will be a research victory now. “You have to have researched X number of technologies Then, once you do that (…) a special research condition is unlocked which is really expensive and takes quite a lot of time to research, but if you can do that ahead of anyone else you’ll win”.

About the looks and sounds Stardock said that the UI is not getting significant changes. The only one worth mentioning by Stardock was that each race will have its own UI now. Regarding overall graphical improvements Stardock promised many changes on that aspect. They also added more music and a new intro movie.

About possible AI improvements Stardock replied that “there’s a bunch” of AI areas that were worked on. They add that they have updated the pathfinding for ships so that they don’t try to go over or under one another” or ending up getting stucked. They also stated that they’ve updated the AI to be more effective against exploits like ” massed missile swarms or massed bomber attacks”.

Questioned by release date Stardock replied “As cliche as it sounds: when it’s done“. There was anticipation for a Rebellion release still in 2011, with all the pre-orders and beta announcements. But after a while no more news were heard about that. There are rumors (and only that) in the Sins’ forums that Sins of a Solar Empire Rebellion will (probably) be released this spring 2012.

It’s worth mentioning that Ironclad  Games is helping Stardock on Rebellion’s development (or vice versa, can’t really tell). Thanks to Gamespy for putting up this nice interview. It really was informative and very well structured.

SOL: Exodus, a 3D space-action shooter developed by Seamless Entertainment (a indie game studio based in the USA) has just been made available on Steam. SOL: Exodus aspires to be a worthy successor of titles like Freespace and Wing Commander, which are two of the best space simulation game series of all time. The game offers single-player missions (no multiplayer). For more information check out SOL: Exodus’ website. SOL: Exodus costs $9.99 USD, supports a variety of input devices (joysticks, gamepads, …) and is available as from now for the Windows PC.

I’ve just received word from Cryptstone Games that Star Prospector was released today, and is now available for purchase on Impulse/GameStop. Star Prospector is part of the Space Sector’s sci-fi/space games to look for in 2012 list, and it is also the first of those to get released.

Star Prospector offers a gameplay mix of strategy (real-time) and RPG elements and I was intrigued not only by that but probably most of all due to its curious gameplay features. At first glance Star Prospector does not seem to be like your typical RTS game, and it seems to have something to offer for everyone. See this clip taken from the 2012′s sci-fi games list about Star Prospector, that I think describes well my thoughts on the game.

“Star Prospector features a mix between RPG and real-time strategy elements and your mission, in the role of a prospector, is to mine, salvage and build bases on remote planets in search for resources, technology and adventure. In the good tradition of RPG games you also get loot drops from your foes and skill points that will allow you to get access to new units, buildings and items. Although certainly not like StarCraft 2 in terms of graphics, Star Prospector seems to be a decent title, that intertwines some 4X elements and RPG elements. I’m curious to see what Cryptsone Games has assembled for us.” ~Adam Solo (Space Sector)

Star Prospector is available on Impulse/GameStop for the Windows PC starting today, for a launching price of $19.99 USD.

StarDrive is now available for everyone who’s interested in pre-ordering the game, play the game’s alpha versions, and did not pledged the $45 bucks required to have access to all the game’s dev builds in StarDrive’s successful Kickstarter campaign by the end of last year.

StarDrive is a 4X space strategy game with a little bit more action to it then usual in 4X games, because although you may select fleets and manage your empire in the traditional 4X strategy way, you are also allowed to control your flag ship manually in a traditional WASD fashion with your keyboard.

Daniel DiCicco, StarDrive’s main developer, recently asked for support to help fund the remaining parts of his game through a kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. Dan didn’t get the $7.500 he asked for. He got $17,676!!

So, after today everybody interested in trying, supporting or just playing the preliminary versions of StarDrive may do so by pre-purchasing the game in its alpha version in Desura. Cheers Indie Magazine. Good luck on sales Dan!

Gemini Wars official release date is set for Q1 2012, however the European version (to be released by Iceberg Interactive) is due for April, 20 2012, for a release price of 29.99€. Yesterday, and after a long (apparent) dormant period with no news, Camel 101 has released a new Gemini Wars gameplay video and announced that they are making the final touches on their game.

What’s left them to get the game out?

Balancing: we‘re still balancing the game; it’s quite big, that’s the reason it’s taking so long. Some polishing (textures and sounds) and testing; multiplayer testing is also underway. ~Camel 101

Here is the gameplay video that got released yesterday.

Couple of days ago Seamless Entertainment, an indie game developement studio of 6 people, has announced in their website that SOL: Exodus, a space shooter they have been working on for the past years, is “GO FOR LAUNCH!”. Seamless folks announce their game as “If you like blowing things up, saving solar systems, and being a hero, we think you’re going to love SOL”. SOL: Exodus is a 3D space-action shooter that aims on bringing a modern graphics worthy successor of titles of series like Freespace and Wing Commander.

The game offers single-player missions, but from what I could tell the devs apologize that for now they had to sacrifice co-op multiplayer (although it was not completely clear to me if there’s no multiplayer at all. The game will run on Windows and will support a variety of input devices (joysticks, gamepads, …). For more information check out the SOL: Exodus website. SOL: Exodus will be launching on Steam next Wednesday, 25th January for the price of $9.99 USD.

Steam has announced the release of Unstoppable Gorg, a casual sci-fi tower defense game from Futuremark Games Studio. Futuremark describes Unstoppable Gorg as a “Thrilling space defense game inspired by vintage sci-fi”.

Gameplay sounds simple, as usual in tower defense games, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. For more than 40 levels you have to defend the solar system using satellites you send into orbit around planets, moons and space stations. You need to create a defense perimeter by rotating orbits to move your satellites into the best positions. Your job is to defeat Gorg’s plans and save the solar system, all in a classic sci-fi films from the 1950s setting with an appropriate storyline. The game is available on Steam for the PC and Mac with a 10% off promotion for the next week. It is also available on the App Store for the iPad. finally it will also be available for the Xbox Live Arcade soon.

Star Trek Online is a sci-fi MMORPG set in the Star Trek Universe, in the same fashion as World of Warcraft is Warcraft’s MMO or Star Wars: The Old Republic is Star Wars’ MMO.

I didn’t play Star Trek Online yet but word is that it had a very rough release. Back then people stated that the game was very incomplete (at the time of release), featuring very repetitive gameplay and not offering enough content (lack of stuff to do). The game has received only average reviews and word again was that Star Trek fans, desperately wanting to have a MMO experience of the same caliber as other MMOs of that type, had a huge disappointment.

Almost 2 full years after release Cryptic Studios, under CBS Studios (that holds the Star Trek franchise trademark), seem to have decided to try to bring new life to its MMO by “re-releasing” Star Trek Online, now following a free-to-play business model. You can find the game’s features matrix here. There you can find what to expect if you decide to try and play the game for free (Silver Player credential) or fully featured (as a Gold Member).

STO Features (as in STO’s wiki)

• Act as the captain of your own ship.
• Control the ship’s engineering, tactical and science systems by keyboard/mouse or using an on-screen console.
• “Beam down” and move around as a player character in various settings with access to weapons and specific support and combat skills relating to their own character’s class.
• Two combat systems that get intertwined throughout the game: away-team missions feature fast-paced “run-and-gun” combat, while space combat stresses the long-term tactical aspect of combat between capital ships.
• Star Trek storyline and emphasize ship positioning to efficiently utilize shields during space combat, as well as the player’s away team’s positioning in consideration of flanking damage and finding various weaknesses to exploit during ground combat.

I’m not much of a MMO guy myself so I think I’ll pass on this one too (as any other MMO for that respect in any case), but maybe you will find STO’s experience an enjoyable one, specially if you like to play online games and you’re a big fan of Star Trek.

I’m really feeling a bit nostalgic these days :) Syndicate, the original sci-fi strategy game developed by Bullfrog in the 90′s surely had some kind of magic to it. The game unfolds on a sci-fi cyberpunk setting where mega corporations have corrupted all the way to governments. Yes there’s plenty of violence in Syndicate, and immorality behind all that you do in the game, but there were few things after that that made me feel more powerful then when I used that Minigun and that Flamethrower to eradicate everything in my path. Hehe, it’s a game so there’s no problem in having a bit of fun :)

Good old Games (or GoG for short) has managed to bring Syndicate to their DRM-free collection of old video games. In two days GoG will start selling this great sci-fi strategy game masterpiece for $6 USD with some additional bonuses: the game manual, dark SF artworks, and avatars. In the meantime they have launched a contest to keep you in the loop.

A new Syndicate will come out this February 2012, but (un)fortunately (depending on your taste) now on a shooter form.

So, feeling in the mood to blow up buildings, shoot stuff and light everything on fire, all that in a sci-fi noir Blade Runner kinda of way? Then join the Syndicate and lead your cyborg mercenaries through missions to get the job done. Accidentally killed some innocents and half the city was left on fire? Well, that’s ok, it will take the Syndicate just a phone call to fix all that :)

I guess this is XCOM: Enemy Unknown’s week :)

Folks at Game Informer have put up the first XCOM: Enemy Unknown video footage showcasing the concept art behind the game.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown’s Art director Greg Foertsch from Firaxis, that started in Microprose back in 1995, working side by side with Sid Meier, talks that “having the opportunity to work on a sci-fi game is like finding the holy grail”. He also talked about the process of coming up with the right soldier looks, so that soldiers don’t look too much like G.I. Joes or like Space Marines but still keep the sci-fi looks (they look pretty cool by the way). Greg also shows off weapons, the drop-off vehicle and the interceptor. Both look awesome. You can see by watching the video that they tried hard to keep the original game’s look & feel always present during concept design (even the music if you listen carefully reminds you of the original UFO: Enemy Unknown).

Go to Game Informer to watch the video. Today, they’ve also released three new screenshots. I’ll post them soon after this post.

I’ll keep you guys informed as more info gets in.

And now, and in no particular order, here are the sci-fi and space games that Space Sector recommends you to have a look at this year.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion

This year the Sins Universe gets a stand-alone new expansion: Rebellion. Among many new additions there are new factions (Loyalists or Rebels) with their own and unique tech-trees. There’s also the new highly anticipated Titan-class ship that promises to dwarf existing capital ships. Other new types of ships were also announced. Improved graphics are also promised, with new lighting and particle effects. Previously scheduled for late 2011, there has been no word about Rebellion’s release date (and the beta has not started yet also), but most probably Rebellion will come out still in the first half of 2012, for the PC. 

Aliens: Colonial Marines

SEGA and Gearbox Software are working on an Aliens first-person shooter title. Alien is no doubt one of the most influential science fiction franchises ever made, a true landmark to horror, action and sci-fi, and one of my favorites. The shooter story starts onboard of the U.S.S. Sulaco, that got recovered in orbit around LV-426 (the planet where the Aliens movie unfolds – and part of Alien too, the first movie). After dealing with what is found inside the Sulaco, the story continues on the surface of LV-426. I’m not much for shooters these days but because it’s Alien I must check it out, and it will be no doubt a good appetizer for Prometheus, that gets released in June this year. Aliens: Colonial Marines is targeted for release this spring 2012 on the PC, PS 3 and Xbox 360.

Legends of Pegasus

“An epic journey into space that mixes real-time and turn-based strategy” – That’s how Kalypso Media, Legends of Pegasus publisher, presents its new space strategy title. They add that players will expand their space faring civilization by colonizing new planets, building factories, labs and shipyards, researching new technologies and designing new spacecrafts. Sounds like a 4X game no doubt. Legends of Pegasus will offer a single player campaign but there will be also multiplayer available through the Internet or over a LAN against Humans and AI opponents. The game late coverage has focused on space battles a bit too much in recent screenshots where we only see battles and explosions, hum, ok. I don’t have a good feeling for Legends of Pegasus, but I hope I’m wrong. Legends of Pegasus is targeted for release in Q2 2012 for the PC.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

X-COM, the original strategy series, is back, now with a re-imagined new installment, XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Firaxis Games was given the job to bring back one of the most beloved sci-fi series of all time. The turn-based and real-time strategy mechanics seem to be kept from the original series. The main view, where you tracked alien UFOs crossing Earth’s skies and then sent your interceptor ships to shoot them down should unfold in real-time while the tactical combat will be fought in turns. Let’s hope Firaxis and 2K Games manage to revive the spirit of X-COM in its great splendor. Let’s also hope the horror, the tension and the fun are all there in a way that no other sci-fi tactical combat game was ever able to meet. X-COM: Enemy Unknown is target for release in Q3 2012 for the PC, PS3 and XBox 360.

Horizon

Horizon is a 4X space strategy game being developed by L3O, a small indie studio from Canada. Development started in 2003 but suddenly stopped, at least for quite a bit of time around 2009. Now, a few days ago, the indie devs have announced that they are resuming development. And now it seems they will go all the way through since they are hiring a 3D game artist and a game programmer and have set a (tentative) release date for Q4 2012. Horizons’ major features include full tactical turn-based combat, happening in the same view as the rest of the game mechanics, and an in-depth ship design system which let’s you choose weapons and emplacements on different hull sizes. You can know more about Horizon by reading an interview we did with Horizon’s designer and producer Raffi Parsekhian. Some folks have doubts if L3O will be able to stand up to the task. I’m with the group of people who think that this time they are gonna make it. Good luck L3O!

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm

Heart of the Swarm is Blizzard’s first expansion pack to its sci-fi RTS, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Heart of the Swarm will continue Wings of Liberty’s story, now with 20 new missions focusing on the Zerg race. New multiplayer content is also expected to be included in the expansion, as well as new features and upgrades to the Battle.net online platform. I was not a big fan of the original StarCraft game. It was too much of a click-fest for my taste, although I do recognize that StarCraft 2 is probably one of the best RTS experiences out there, judging from the dozens of optimal reviews. HotS will be available for Mac and Windows, and although Blizzard has not set any release date yet (as usual for Blizzard), consensus is that HotS will come out this year. There’s no firm word if StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void (the second expansion) will come out this year also or not.

StarDrive

Zer0sum Games, a one-man show indie studio called Daniel DiCicco :), has come out and asked the community for the extra bucks to finish-off his 4X action-strategy space title for the PC. Dan explained that he needed $7.500 to pay the artist and to help on multiplayer development (he got $17,676!!). The pledge at Kickstarter was a huge success because, in my opinion, Dan had already a good game base established and because his game showed enough potential and innovation, sufficient enough to make many folks open the wallet (I was one of those). Dan, that has quit his day job in the meantime to dedicate his time fully to StarDrive, has promised a close-beta version of StarDrive for this spring, followed by a full release somewhere in the summer. Good luck Dan, we’ll be here eagerly waiting to play your game.

Empire of the Eclipse

The iOS players can’t complain much about a lack of space games lately, and specially 4X space games. Empire of the Eclipse, developed by ZarkSoft Games, is a very promising new title for this platform. EotE is an MMO, and so you’ll have the opportunity to play what I think is history’s first mobile 4X MMO space game ever. EotE seems to contain lots of depth and scale, with thousands of space sectors available to play. I have very high expectations for this title, that I’ve been following for quite some time now. We did an interview with Lee Dotson, President of ZarkSoft Games if you want to know more about EotE. EotE is getting close for a limited region launch in January 2012, followed by a full international launch not much time after. Stay tuned for news very soon.

Gemini Wars

At the beginning of this year, Camel 101 will bring us Gemini Wars, a new space RTS, that focuses on tactical space warfare. From what I could tell there will also be a few sprinkles of 4X strategy elements in Gemini Wars, since it allows you to build space stations, colonize planets, extract minerals and do research, although (and very importantly) the game will not feature diplomacy options, which makes it a weak 4X game or better even not a 4X at all. Camel 101 is an independent and self funded game development studio, but that recently successfully managed to make a deal with the Iceberg Interactive publisher to help with retail and to put the game on some digital stores. Gemini Wars is targeted for release soon, so stay alert for news.

Gratuitous Tank Battles

Cliff Harris, the same guy behind Gratuitous Space Battles, will now bring us Gratuitous Tank Battles, his new sci-fi strategy / tower defense game featuring laser weapons, tanks and mechs in an alternate history, where world war 1 continues for 200 years. I like Gratuitous Space Battles, it is a fun game to play. It doesn’t have lots of depth and all that but it has a very addictive gameplay. GTB is expected to be released sometime in Q1 2012 for both PC and Mac. You can have a look at GTB’s gameplay on this trailer.

UFO Online: Fight for Earth

Looks like free-to-play MMO games are here to stay. UFO Online: Fight for Earth is a new sci-fi browser-based MMO developed by Gamigo, that is obviously inspired in the turn-based tactics X-COM series (UFO: Enemy Unknown, X-COM Terror from the Deep, among other titles). UFO Online is powered by the Unity 3D graphics engine and it provides 3 playable factions, many different classes, skills and quests all set in tactical battles against the AI and other Players (PvE and PvP). UFO Online entered closed beta not long ago, so, we’ll probably witness the open-beta soon. You have a small UFO Online preview here.

Star Prospector

Cryptstone Games, a computer game development company from Canada, is developing Star Prospector, a single-player sci-fi RTS. Star Prospector features a mix between RPG and real-time strategy elements and your mission, in the role of a prospector, is to mine, salvage and build bases on remote planets in search for resources, technology and adventure. In the good tradition of RPG games you also get loot drops from your foes and skill points that will allow you to get access to new units, buildings and items. Although certainly not like StarCraft 2 in terms of graphics, Star Prospector seems to be a decent title, that intertwines some 4X elements and RPG elements. I’m curious to see what Cryptsone Games has assembled for us. Although the dev has not set a formal release date yet, Star Prospetor has been in beta for quite some time now, and is expected to release soon. You have a small preview here. And a first impressions article here.

X Rebirth

Space simulation fans will be happy to know that publisher Deep Silver and developer Egosoft announced the latest game set in the X Universe: X Rebirth. Rebirth promises to innovate but at the same time not deviate too much from its origins. X Rebirth is all about action, adventure and combat set in a vast and detailed Universe, all with great graphics. Space sims fans seem to have a great title to look for. X Rebirth is expected to release in 2012 for the PC.

XCOM

Like so many XCOM fans I was disappointed to know that the new XCOM was going to be a shooter. Thank god XCOM: Enemy Unknown has now been recently announced. It’s good to know that the series will continue with its original form. But XCOM surely will have its own merits and should contain enough tension and fear to please sci-fi shooter fans. The game unfolds on an American 1950′s setting and you play the role of an FBI agent tasked with dealing and eliminating an alien threat. Although not my favorite genre of sci-fi, XCOM shows good potential and it is surely a game to have a look at this year. XCOM will be available for the PC and XBox 360.

Miner Wars 2081

Keen Software House, an indie software company, will bring us Miner Wars 2081, a first-person action space simulation game set on a post-apocalyptic solar system, set 10 years after Earth’s destruction. The remaining population is now struggling to live in space without a home planet. The player controls a mining ship on an adventure across the inner Solar System. Features include a destructible and persistent environment, a wide variety of upgradable ships all with its own advantages and disadvantages, dozens of factions to choose from, all in a combination of single-player and multiplayer elements. It has a been a long time since I played an action space sim, I think Miner Wars 2081 is a good candidate to get back to a space ship cockpit. Miner Wars 2081 is expected to release in Q1 2012 for the PC and Xbox 360.

UFO: Extraterrestrials 2

There are 3 X-COM type games coming out this year. One I already talked about, X-COM: Enemy Unknown, the one that supposedly follows on the footsteps of the original X-COM series. The other two titles are X-COM clones. One is Xenonauts (that I’ll talk about in a while) and the other is UFO: Extraterrestrials 2, a sequel to the not so memorable UFO: Extraterrestrials game, also developed by Chaos Concept. Being an XCOM clone, UFO 2: Extraterrestrials is a sci-fi strategy game that combines real-time mechanics for air combat and turn-based tactics for missions. Let’s see if Chaos Concept will manage to surprise us, in a good way, after all this is their second UFO game, and surely there were many lessons learned from the first title.

Mass Effect 3

BioWare brings us Mass Effect 3, and so this intergalactic action RPG trilogy seems to be complete. You continue to play as Commander Shepard and must now lead a counter assault against the ancient alien race known as the Reapers that have launched an all-out invasion of the galaxy, and have already taken Earth. I never played any game of this series but I know how popular these games are, and for that reason alone, and by the fact that Mass Effect is a sci-fi game, it more than deserves to be in this list. Mass Effect 3 will be released on March 6, 2012 for the PC, PlayStation 3 and XBox 360.

Xenonauts

The second X-COM clone, remake, re-imagined title, whatever, is Xenonauts. Xenonauts is a single-player sci-fi strategy game for the PC. Like in X-COM: UFO Defense, the player is in control of an organisation tasked with defending the planet against extraterrestrial invasion. The skies must be defended against alien incursions, while ground teams must be sent into combat to capture crashed UFOs. Yep, it’s basically the same thing. The devs are not hiding anything however, they state in their website that Xenonauts is heavily (their word) inspired by the classic X-Com / UFO: Enemy Unknown, released in the mid-90s. The game is due for release in 2012. In fact, a preview copy should be available soon, so stay tuned for news on that.

No, it’s not a post from 19 years ago :), XCOM: Enemy Unknown (yes, a new true X-COM installment with the same name as the original title) was announced today by Firaxis and 2K Games.

So, Firaxis Games and 2K revealed that our dear sci-fi strategy series is back. That’s right, this fall (hopefully) we’ll have a new good old X-COM game to dive-in and lose ourselves doing your best to stop another alien invasion. Will lobster navigators return? Perhaps the flying flowers-of-doom are back? Or the tiny insectoid-like creatures hidden in someone’s backyard doing gods-know what kind of experiences on we poor humans.

Now, this was the sort of news that I was needing to lighten up my day. Boy, I’m so excited about this. The X-COM games are among my favorite games of all time! And it couldn’t get better, I guess. A new (true) sequel to X-COM that is currently being developed by Firaxis Games, which is undoubtably one of the best strategy producers out there, and we don’t need to wait years for having it! It’s ironic that this gets announced now when XCOM, a tactical shooter (not to be confused with the real-time and turn-based strategy title we are talking about here), is coming out this spring, curiously brought also by the same publisher (2K).

Steve Martin, Firaxis Games president, said “It’s been a dream of ours to recreate X-COM with our unique creative vision. We’re huge fans of the original game and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to re-envision a game that is as beloved as X-COM,”. Steve added “We were careful to keep XCOM: Enemy Unknown true to the elements that made X-COM such a revered game while delivering an entirely new story and gameplay experience for both die-hard X-COM fans and newcomers to the franchise.”

From left to right: X-COM: UFO Defense (aka UFO: Enemy Unknown) from 1993 , X-COM: Terror From the Deep (1995), X-COM: Apocalypse (1997). Credits for the images for Gamespot.com.

The original X-COM series offers a mix between a real-time strategic view where events unfold (new UFOs sighted, intercepted and crashed) and turn-based combat, where all the alien hunt fun began. Let’s hope both views are kept from the original installments, now (hopefully) with better graphics, improved gameplay and more surprises.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown will come out for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this fall. Keep tuned-in for more information on this as it comes out. Thanks, Game Informer.

I always do what I can to help spread the word about Sci-Fi games and Sci-Fi game developers the best I can. And when a Sci-Fi enthusiast buddy needs help, and asks for it, here I am to help him out the best way I can.

Today I got in contact with Fazri Zubair, the founder of a small development studio in LA called PyroElectric Games that focus on mobile platform gaming. Fazri is developing a sci-fi artillery-style game for the iPad and iPhone called T.R.E.K. Orbital Artillery (TOA). Fazri is asking for support to help finish his game. He said that the name T.R.E.K. stands for nothing at this moment. Part of the fun, he says, will be to come up with a suitable meaning for that name in the near future.

TOA features planets destruction. Yes, that’s the main purpose of the game. Planetary extermination! You setup your fire power and then need to adapt to the various orbital elements around you, like asteroids, comments, stars, wormholes anomalies, black holes, supernovas. There seems also to be a generous arsenal of weapons available to choose from, with additional stuff available through in-app purchase, which leads me to believe that probably TOA will be free to play.

TOA will initially be created for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The dev stated that a Mac version will follow shortly after launch. If he gets the funding he plans to have an Android version ready within a few months.

Fazri asked for support to:

- Hire an artist to complete the art assets for the game and design a UI.
- Add sound FX and music to the game.
- Add multiplayer support & cross-platform compatibility (Android).
- Additional graphic improvements & more weapons.

Crowd funding sites like Kickstarter or Games Plant seem to be a great place for the indie devs to look for support these days. These sites seem to charge a fee only when projects funding succeed. StarDrive was the perfect example of a well presented project with solid goals, having already a strong game base developed to show that the dev meant business. I’m sure the funding was well deserved.

You can have a look at T.R.E.K. Orbital Artillery pledge at Kickstarter here. As always in this sort of thing there will be perks involved for the backers.

Good luck Fazri!

I’m excited to share with you that the L3O team has announced that they will resume development of their 4X space title, Horizon.

Horizon is a turn-based 4X space strategy game where combat is also set in turns and interestingly also not in a separate phase but always in the same tactical view, where all the gameplay unfolds. With so few 4X titles going turn-based these days Horizon is a great hope to bring back the good old “one-more-turn” feeling, that we like so much.

In a forum thread update the devs announced that they’re committed to “put the development of Horizon back on track”. They plan to increase the L3O team and for that they’ve also announced that they’re looking to “add a couple of experienced game developers to the team“. They’re looking for a game programmer and a 3D artist. If you’re interested in joining the team you can contact them here.

Regarding “when the game will be ready” L3O’s team made a tentative release date to before the end of 2012.

See L3O’s full announcement in the L3O forums.

To know (almost) everything about Horizon I invite you to read a small preview we did some time ago presenting Horizon’s features and inspirations, and an interview we did with Horizon’s designer and producer Raffi Parsekhian. In the interview Raffi speaks about Horizon’s characteristics, features, innovations, background story, spaceship design, combat, bombardment and much more. Don’t miss it!

StarDrive, a new 4X space strategy title on the making has just reached its funding goal on Kickstarters. Looks like Daniel, StarDrive’s main developer from Portland US, will be having his opportunity to finish his game in style after all :) with the help of his Artist guy Ariel Chai from Australia.

He asked for $7.500 in 30 days, he made it in 9! I have no doubt in my mind since day 1 that his project will be a success. To know more about StarDrive, gameplay style, inspiration and key features please read StarDrive – A New 4X Action-Strategy Game for the PC.

Looks like we have another great new 4X space strategy game in the horizon! Dan plans to reach closed beta by March 2012 and expects to release the full version in June/July 2012. Due to my pledge I’ll be waiting for my copy in the summer :)

\Edit (10/12/11): I’m new to this crowdfunding business, but so it seems that we can continue over-funding the project. Don’t see why not. Better more than less :)

Today I discovered a new 4X space strategy title on the making named StarDrive. StarDrive is, in its single developer’s own words, a 4X Action-Strategy game. It’s partly action partly strategy because although you select fleets and manage your empire in the traditional strategy way (real-time in this case) you are also allowed to control your flag ship manually in a traditional WASD fashion with your keyboard.

Dan, the main developer behind StarDrive and single worker of Zero Sum Games, is asking for support to help fund the remaining parts of his game, namely art and multiplayer. For this he has set up a kickstarter crowdfunding project where we pledges for a sum of $7.500. Dan explains that the money will almost entirely be used to pay another guy involved in the project, the artist. As usual in this type of funding projects you will get rewards depending on the sum you pledge.

Dan explains that the primary inspirations for StarDrive are Masters of Orion 2 and Escape Velocity and adds that ultimately he plans to make other games inside the same StarDrive universe. So, it seems that Dan is really commited on finishing off his game and possibly even create more in the future. All he needs is a little push.

In the presentation video Dan justifies the need for the extra funds to create unique palettes for the alien races spaceships and to help kick-off multiplayer. With a successful funding Dan expects to reach closed-beta by March 2011 and a full release by Summer 2011.

So, what are you waiting for to help this guy finish his 4X space title in style? :) The game looks very good already, with the extra funding  it will surely be a great title. So, let’s help him out. Support Dan’s indie 4X space game project at StarDrive’s Kickstarter website. I already did.

Key Game Features

• Customize your Race by selecting from a large list of physical traits, socioeconomic traits, and traits relating to your history and tradition.
• Deep, module-based ship design as described above.
• Lead your forces into battle with your own flagship that you control like an arcade shooter; command your fleets like you would in a real time strategy game with simple mouse commands.
• Tactical ground combat to take over enemy planets.
• A deep research tree with many dozens of technologies.
• Alien Artifacts to find and collect, which give bonuses to your empire.
• Rich diplomacy options, allowing you to make and break treaties with alien races; trade technologies and artifacts, sell ships, declare wars, and design joint operations with your allies.
• Finally, multiplayer.  Do this all with your friends online.

Presentation Trailer

About the game

Renations is a free browser-based massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game (abbreviated MMORTS) set in a future apocalyptic world. In this sci-fi setting you found your nation, explore new lands, research technologies, establish alliances and wage war with your enemies.

Renations is Pikaia’s Games first game, a new indie studio founded by four brothers from Sweden. For more information on Renations I invite you to read the recent Renations first impressions article and the preview I wrote a couple of months ago.

From the first impressions:

«Renations did not disappoint me. This is actually a MMO game I enjoyed playing. It features a nice bundle of features. At times, and in a way, it made me feel like playing Civilization on a browser with a post-apocalyptic setting. Only time will tell if Renations has enough depth (and not too many annoyances) to keep me interested, but for now I will play it in the background to check-in from time to time. (Space Sector: Adam Solo)»

To play go to the Renations official website.

Teaser Trailer

Screenshots

Game Features:

• Battle your friends for supremacy in pass-the-pad skirmish mode. Launch missiles from afar or close in for ship-to-alien melees.
• Turn-based tactical battles between the Alliance forces of Novus and the mysterious Nautilid invaders.
• Epic campaign story specifically crafted for the iPad release.
• Hotseat multiplayer. Skirmish mode gets you to design your own fleet and jump straight into the battle against a friend or a challenging AI.
• Sci-Fi setting. Explore the universe of Star Hammer with the encyclopaedic data archives. Get the facts and history about Novus, and find clues on how to defeat the Nautilid swarm.
• Achievements and Leaderboards to prove you are the Alliance’s greatest commander.

For more information on Star Hammer Tactics I invite you to read the Star Hammer Tactics exclusive preview article. Preview’s bottom line:

«If you’re looking for a quick space tactical game where you don’t have to read a WIKI to learn how to play, then definitely look for this come early November. (Space Sector: Kyle Rees “Lordxorn”)»

Star Hammer Tactics is available at the App Store for free! With that, and according with what the devs state in the game’s App Store page, you can experience unlimited play in four campaign missions and small Skirmish battles. All further content will be unlocked with a single in-app purchase.

Trailer

Legends changes and additions:

- Leaders / characters
- Influence spheres
- New ships models (around 600!) with better graphics
- Ability to track where your ships are heading (ship vectors overlay)
- Potential colonies, scenic and research locations shown on main map (more overlays)
- Expanded technology tree (e.g. cutting lasers, new planetary facilities, wonders)
- Race-specific events and victory conditions
- Improved fleet management and automation, including fleet postures
- Improved modding support, including full race and character modding
- Improved refueling system (more intelligent fuel management)
- Improved diplomacy system with refueling and mining rights and immigration policies
- Improved performance, memory usage decrease and sharper graphics

For complete details on what’s new on Legends I invite you to read the Distant Worlds Legends preview article. I’ll post here the bottom line of that preview for the hasty:

«I am really looking forward for Legends. And if you’re a 4X space strategy game lover, as I am, I think you cannot afford to miss this one either. I think they’re making history here. In my opinion Distant Worlds Legends shows enough potential to be running for the best 4X space strategy game ever made. That’s a very controversial and bold statement to throw I know, but I’m totally convinced that Legends may be that good (Space Sector: Adam Solo)»

For even more details I recommend you have a look at the next trailer made by the developers and the publisher, which features Legends new gameplay features.

You can buy Legends at the publisher’s store (Matrix Games), the only place where it is being sold at the moment. There’s a digital download version and a physical copy version of the game that also allows you to download your game for free.

Buy Distant Worlds: Legends (20% off release promotion)
Buy Distant Worlds (33% off)	Buy Distant Worlds: Return of the Shakturi (32% off)

Don’t forget that Matrix Games is at a sale right now, so don’t miss the opportunity! Note that you need to buy the base game (Distant Worlds) and Return of the Shakturi in order to play Legends.