Fortress comes to the App Store on August 2

Recently, Philadelphia has become the city of burgeoning game development, ranging from small studios heading to PAX Prime to one-man companies like Ray Merkler’s Hindrances to Progress releasing its first game. I say “recently,” but in reality, this is just years of work by people like Merkler finally paying off. His first game, Fortress, will be released on the App Store on August 2 for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

Fortress is a strategy game played with a simple (and pretty adorable) deck of cards. The cards act as soldiers in a colorful army, defending your own King, while you try to destroy your opponent’s fortress. The game is fun and easy to learn, but tickles your brain only the way strategy can. I played my first game of it years ago against Merkler himself, and while he wiped the Fortress floor with me, I enjoyed it, and look forward to its long-awaited release.

Fortress will be $2.99 at launch, but will drop down to $0.99 after two weeks. Support indepedent games and buy it when it comes out! Or wait until it’s under a buck, ya scrooge. Either way, this entertaining little strategy game is worth having on your iDevice.

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WoW: Mists of Pandaria emerges from the fog on September 25

After months of testing, Blizzard has finally announced a release date for World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. The MMORPG’s next expansion will be available to purchase in stores and through WorldofWarcraft.com on September 25. In addition to a standard edition priced at $39.99, two special editions of Mists of Pandaria will also be available.

If you plan to download Mists of Pandaria, you’ll have the option of buying the Digital Deluxe Edition for $59.99, which will include the following in-game goodies:

  • World of Warcraft In-Game Mount: Take to the skies of Azeroth astride the mystical Imperial Quilen flying mount.
  • World of Warcraft In-Game Pet: Journey across Pandaria with the Lucky Quilen Cub at your side.
  • StarCraft II Battle.net Portraits: Bring the Horde and Alliance rivalry to the far reaches of the Koprulu sector with exclusive Infested Orc and Night Elf Templar Battle.net portraits.
  • Diablo III Banner Sigil and Accent: Display your status as a hero of Pandaria with the iconic markings of World of Warcraft’s newest playable race, the pandaren.

But if you’re looking to score a physical disc and a box full of swag, you’ll want to look for the Collector’s Edition. The Collector’s Edition, which will retail for $79.99, will include all the in-game items from the Digital Deluxe Edition as well as a few extras that’ll make you say wow:

  • Behind-the-Scenes DVD and Blu-Ray: Learn about the creation of Pandaria with this two-disc set featuring over an hour of commentary, insider interviews, and developer roundtables.
  • Collector’s Edition Soundtrack CD: Experience 20 orchestral pieces from Mists of Pandaria.
  • The Art of Mists of Pandaria Book: Explore this 208-page hardcover tome featuring never-before-seen pieces from the expansion, from early concepts to final 3D renderings.
  • Chen Stormstout Mouse Pad: Equip your desk with this special-edition mouse pad featuring the legendary pandaren brewmaster.
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Quantum Conundrum to receive two DLC packs before Summer’s end

Square Enix has announced that Airtight Games’ Quantum Conundrum will be receiving a double dose of DLC by the end of Summer. The first pack, entitled “Desmond’s Debacle,” will explore an entirely new wing of the Quadwrangle mansion with the former butler and “Chief Button Collector” himself. It will launch on Steam on July 31, and two weeks later on the PSN and Xbox Live.

A month later, players will be able to invest in “IKA-aramba!,” with a mission to rescue the titular IKE (Interdimensional Kinetic Entity). In this DLC, players will have to “leap seemingly endless chasms while traveling through a newly discovered wing of Quadwrangle Manor.” How many undiscovered wings does this mansion have? The second pack hits Steam on August 28 and, once again, two weeks later on the PSN and Xbox Live.

Both packs will be available for the rather reasonable price of $2.99 (or 240 Microsoft Points) for PS3 players, Xbox 360 owners, and Steam users.

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PSN Today: Lego Batman 2, RE: Operation Raccoon City, Puddle, more

We’ve got Lego superheroes, water puzzles, and a whole mess of zombies in this week’s PlayStation Store update. Here’s a look at the PS3 Full Games and PSN titles available this week. The PS Vita and PS Mini games can be found after the break.

PS3 Full Games

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes ($49.99)
The Dynamic Duo of Batman and Robin join other famous super heroes from the DC Universe including Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern to save Gotham City from destruction at the hands of the notorious villains Lex Luthor and the Joker. Collect 50 DC Comics characters, flex your new super abilities, and master new suits and gadgets. Players can also explore Gotham City and unlock a variety of cool vehicles.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City ($49.99)
Operation Raccoon City is a unique and brutal three way shooter set in the terrifying world of Resident Evil. Play as Umbrella Security Service, sent in to the city to cover up Umbrella crimes. Zombies and bio-organic weapons flood the city but a bigger threat to your mission exists: a government Spec Ops unit has been sent in to hunt you down and capture the evidence you’re fighting to destroy.

PSN Games

Malicious ($9.99)
Take control of the Spirit Vessel and battle waves of brutal fighters and colossal enemies to rid the world of the evil force of Malicious. Gain new weapons, build your powers and perform devastating combo attacks as the final showdown between good and evil draws near.

Worms 2: Armageddon Game of the Year ($27.49)
Worms 2: Armageddon, the turn-based-strategy blast-a-thon, returns in a new Game of the Year Edition. Packed with features set to satisfy both new and older generation Worms players alike, this online and offline destruction-fest is set to go global with its unique brand of easy to learn, but hard to master gameplay. Included is the feature-packed standard version of the game and all of the great additional content!

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Daily Scoop: July 24, 2012 – Gold Box Event!

Not much going on today, folks! I mean, except for one tiny little thing: an Amazon Video Game Gold Box Event!

  • 6:00AM PDT/9:00AM EDT – Shred away the summer heat… – SSX for $34.99
  • 8:00AM PDT/11:00AM EDT – This game will have your knees shaking as you feel like you’re truly in the ring. – WWE ’12 for $29.99
  • 10:00AM PDT/1:00PM EDT – Action RPG Meets First Person Shooter – Game of the Year Edition! – our guess is Borderlands
  • 12:00PM PDT/4:00PM EDT – Lightning strikes in the great groundbreaking collector’s edition. – could be FF XIII-2
  • 3:00PM PDT/5:00PM EDT – Enjoy your vacation with this horror thriller. – possibly Dead Island
  • 5:00PM PDT/9:00PM EDT – Feel the Payne! – Max Payne 3, anyone?
  • 8:00PM PDT/11:00PM EDT – For the serious fighting game enthusiast! – probably some type of ludicrous controller…

A few shirts as well for you today, faithful readers!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Square Enix CEO says Final Fantasy Versus XIII is still in development

The saga of Final Fantasy Versus XIII took another strange turn today as Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada denied reports the game has been canceled. In a post on Twitter, Wada claimed that Kotaku was taken in by “a hoax” and confirmed that the game is still very much in development.

The CEO also revealed that he recently attended a meeting related to the game and praised the “quality of the cityscapes.”

So Final Fantasy Versus XIII isn’t dead, but it still doesn’t have a release date or even a tentative plan for when it’ll make it’s next public appearance.

[Source: Andriasang]

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Lollipop Chainsaw’s Pop Culture Yearbook

At first glance, the pairing of game developer Goichi “Suda 51” Suda and filmmaker James Gunn seemed to come out of nowhere. But a shared love of pop culture brought them together and allowed them to create the madcap world of Lollipop Chainsaw‘s resident zombie slayer, Juliet Starling.

Naturally, neither one could resist packing it with as many pop culture references as they could think of…

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Posted in Features, PS3, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Free Penny Arcade 3 DLC to be released in August

Today’s Penny Arcade news post from Jerry “Tycho” Holkins dropped a few tantalizing teases about the first (free) DLC expansion for Penny Arcade’s On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3.

Zeboyd Games is hard at work on the first piece of DLC, “The Lair of the Seamstress,” and plans are in place to release it next month in close proximity to the Penny Arcade Expo (August 31 – September 2). These are very tentative plans, and things could change, but that’s the current plan.

Holkins also revealed that a second DLC package is in the works, which will reveal the fate of the Player Character from the first two Rainslick episodes. You might want to have a box of tissues handy.

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