What’s coming with Civilization 5: Gods and Kings? Here’s a nice rundown from 2k Games:

Tons of New Stuff. I know I just mentioned it, but I want to draw attention to just how many new things we’ve got here: 27 new units, 13 new buildings, 9 new wonders, and 9 new playable civilizations. Among the new civilizations are the Netherlands (William I, Prince of Orange), the Celts (Boudicca), and the Mayans (Pacal the Great).

Religion. That’s right; quite possibly the most requested major addition to the game is coming in the Gods & Kings expansion. Using the new “Faith” resource, you’ll be able to found your own religion and grow it from a simple Pantheon of the Gods to a world-spanning fully-customized religion.

Reworked Combat System. The expansion has a reworked combat system along with an AI that places more emphasis on balanced army composition. Among the changes to the combat system is the addition of melee naval units, which will force you to really rethink the way you execute your naval assaults.

Enhanced Diplomacy, with Espionage. In addition to being able to establish embassies with your rival civilizations, spies will now be an important part of how you conduct your foreign affairs. Surveilling foreign cities, stealing advanced techs, and garnering influence with city-states are some of the things you’ll be able to do with this new powerful mechanic.

New City-States. With religion being added to the game, it only made sense to introduce Religious city-states which will interact with your religion in special ways. In addition, Mercantile city-states will be attractive for those of you who love to grow your civilization’s treasury. All city-states will use the greatly expanded quest system, making city-states more dynamic and diplomatic victories more challenging, while decreasing the importance of gold when dealing with city-states.

New Scenarios. Three new scenarios will be coming in Civilization V: Gods & Kings. Experience the fall of Rome, explore the medieval era, and my personal favorite: a unique scenario in a Victorian science-fiction setting.

Religion and espionage? A better-balanced combat system? New civilizations, units, buildings and more? Sign me up. What excited you most about the expansion? Besides what’s been announced, what do you hope to see included?

Is this Master Chief as he will appear in Halo 4? What do you think of the design? Can you tell a difference?

Halo 4 is the first mainline Halo game developed by a team other than Bungie Studios, the creators of the series. Halo 4 is being developed by 343 Industries and is the start of a new trilogy starring Master Chief. Halo 4 is set for release in the 2012 Holiday season (so, think September through December).

Details from Shacknews:

Even the game’s achievements reflect the optional nature of the online component. If you refuse to play co-op (or you simply don’t have an Xbox Live Gold account), you’ll still be able to collect every achievement.

For example, “Tour of Duty” has you playing all the multiplayer maps, or playing every “N7 mission” in single player. “Explorer” has you playing three multiplayer matches, or finishing five N7 missions. “Peak Condition” will unlock when you reach level 20 in multiplayer, or level 60 in single-player. Finally, “Unwavering” can be unlocked when finishing all the multiplayer maps on Gold, or all single-player missions on Insanity.

Its a nice approach from Bioware and should allay the concerns of fans unhappy with the addition of multiplayer to long-time single-player-only RPG series.

Mass Effect 3 will be released for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on March 6th. A demo will hit all three platforms sometime before that.

EA has just announced Mass Effect Infiltrator for iOS, a companion app that will help boost your “Galactic Readiness” in Mass Effect 3. Increased readiness will help enable players get the best ending possible in the trilogy’s finale.

“Take the all-out galactic war in Mass Effect 3 on-the-go with Infiltrator, a fully-featured iOS third-person shooter showcasing stunning graphics and authentic weapons and powers from the Mass Effect series,” a PR pamphlet acquired at an EA event describes.

“Inspired by the deep and immersive Mass Effect 3 universe, in Infiltrator players will help to free prisoners from a hostile Cerberus base and will receive rewards for collecting evidence of Cerberus’ crimes along the way. Every completed rescue and intelligence discovery in Infiltrator will increase a player’s Galactic Readiness rating directly through the Galaxy at War system in Mass Effect 3.”

And some sexy screens thanks to IGN:

We’ve already seen what the developers are capable of (they’re behind the iOS version of Dead Space), so we know that the franchise is in good hands. Completing the game will also allow players the ability to unlock new weaponry and increase their “Galactic Readiness” (whatever that is…) in Mass Effect 3.

Mass Effect Infiltrator will hit iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch “soon,” which presumably means “before Mass Effect 3 launches on March, 8th.”

Shacknews reports:

When Square Enix announced a “remake” of Final Fantasy X for Vita and PS3 at Tokyo Game Show, we were skeptical. “We assume it’s simply an HD port of the classic title,” we wrote last year.

It appears our suspicions were correct. At the Taipei Game Show, Square Enix’s Shinji Hashimoto confirmed that the game is a “remaster” versus a full “remake.”

“It’s being developed as an HD Remaster, but the visuals will be much more beautiful than before,” he told GNN (via Siliconera). “Please look forward to it!”

Similar HD treatments for Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid (2, 3 and Peace Walker) and the Sly Cooper trilogy were all released to impressive fan fare and critical success, which bodes well for this re-master. While it might not be a full remake, when Final Fantasy X is released on the Playstation Vita and PS3 it will allow a whole new generation of gamers to experience Tidus’ tale with graphics that don’t look like a muddy mess on their shiny HDTVs.

Are you looking forward to the Final Fantasy X remake? What are some of your fondest memories from the game?

Behind the screen I am still your friend, but I’m also something else:

I’m the angry god on the peak of the mountain flinging lightning bolts and ill omens.

I’m the god of the wolves at your door, the blizzard howling overhead and the all-consuming flame.

My servants are grave worms, ghouls and things that go bump in the night.
Challenge the fate I have set before you, for the gods do love men and women of strength and guile, but hasten to remember: I presided over your creation, and I will preside over your end.

However, Giant Bomb is reporting that XBOX 360 users will have the benefit of gaining access to the demo a full two months before PS3 gamers:

If you’re buying the Xbox 360 version of Dragon’s Dogma, the Resident Evil 6 demo becomes available on July 3. If you’re buying the PlayStation 3 version of Dragon’s Dogma, however, that very same demo is locked into Microsoft exclusivity for two months–the demo won’t arrive until September 4.

This is certainly a coup for Microsoft, especially given that the Resident Evil series was traditionally considered a Playstation franchise before it moved temporarily to Nintendo platforms with the release of Resident Evil 4, and it could be doubly for Microsoft if Capcom can create some sort of incentive, like, say, unlockable costumes, weapons or other items in the final product, for players who finish the demo. It’s an interesting time to be a Resident Evil fan.

To feed your anticipation for both games, launch trailers are available for both Dragon’s Dogma and Resident Evil 6.

Which game are you more eager for? Will you buy Dragon’s Dogma for a chance to play Resident Evil 6 early?

Tabletop gaming company Chaosium and indie software developers Red Wasp Design have teamed up to bring Cthulhu and the Elder Gods to the iPad, iPhone and other IOS devices:

The game features nine 3D levels set in the trenches of World War One. The player controls a team of up to six investigators charged with uncovering a deadly inhuman conspiracy underlying the clash of empires of the Great War. Barbed wire, mustard gas and machines guns will prove to be the least dangerous thing that the investigators will encounter as they venture out into no-man’s land to solve the mystery of the Wasted Land. As the game progresses, the player can build up the skills, weapons and equipment of the team to suit their playing style. As well as the physical danger, the investigators must guard their sanity against the myriad horrors that threaten to destroy it.

Can’t wait to test your touchpad skills against the mind-bending horrors of Lovecraft’s dark pantheon? Buy the universal app at the iTunes store for only $4.99.

In DARKSIDERS: THE ABOMINATION VAULT, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse (beings charged with maintaining the Balance between the forces of Heaven and Hell) have uncovered a plot to resurrect ancient weapons of unimaginable power. Death, with the help of his compatriot War, must track down and neutralize the mysterious individuals behind the scheme before the entire universe is plunged into a devastating conflict.

ABOUT DARKSIDERS II:
Summoned by the End of Days, Death, the most feared of the legendary Four Horsemen embarks on a quest to undo Armageddon. Along the way, the Horseman discovers that there are far worse things than an earthly Apocalypse, and that an ancient grudge may threaten all of Creation. Become the terrifying force which everything fears, but nothing can escape. Death Lives in Darksiders II.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ari Marmell is the author of The Conqueror’s Shadow, The Warlord’s Legacy, The Goblin Corps, Agents of Artifice, a Magic: the Gathering novel, and his young adult books Thief’s Covenant and False Covenant. Marmell lives with his wife in Austin, Texas.

ABOUT VIGIL GAMES:
In 2006, THQ Inc. acquired Vigil Games and enabled the dream to become reality through significant management and resource support. Today, Vigil employs over 200 talented and dedicated developers making games across multiple genres and platforms.

Vigil Games strives to be a world-class game development studio that produces high-quality interactive entertainment for a global audience.

ABOUT THQ:
THQ Inc. is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found at http://www.thq.com. THQ, Darksiders, Vigil Games and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.

ABOUT THE RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP:
The flagship imprint of Random House, Inc., the Random House Publishing Group had its origins in 1925 when Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer, two New Yorkers in their mid-twenties, acquired a line of classics and contemporary American works called The Modern Library from publisher Horace Liveright. The company assumed the name Random House two years later, in 1927, when Cerf and Klopfer decided to publish a few books on the side, “at random.” Their artist friend Rockwell Kent drew his now celebrated logo of a random house, which made its debut in February l927. Among the first titles of the new imprint were limited editions illustrated by Kent of Voltaire’s Candide and Melville’s Moby Dick.

Del Rey Books (http://www.delreybooks.com) was founded in 1977 as an imprint of Ballantine Books, a division of the Random House Publishing Group, under the guidance of the renowned Judy-Lynn del Rey and her husband, Lester del Rey. Del Rey publishes the best of modern fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history.

Random House Worlds, part of the Random House Publishing Group, is responsible for the creation of original multi-platform intellectual properties (IP), developed and marketed within strategic corporate partnerships. The group also works with authors and partners on story creation, world-building and launch strategies for existing IP. Using its vast experience in bestselling storytelling and, in particular, the Del Rey imprint’s extensive expertise in such genres as science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and horror, Random House Worlds is in a unique position to help create complex storylines set in original worlds with fully imagined characters, world histories and geographies—all prepared for multi-platform implementation.

THQ Forward-Looking Statements: The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts may be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the business of THQ Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “THQ”), including, but not limited to, expectations and projections related to the release of the Darksiders Novel are based upon management’s current beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, business, competitive, economic, legal, political and technological factors affecting our industry, operations, markets, products or pricing. Readers should carefully review the risk factors and the information that could materially affect THQ’s financial results, described in other documents that THQ files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended March 31, 2011 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and particularly the discussion of trends and risk factors set forth therein. Unless otherwise required by law, THQ disclaims any obligation to update its view on any such risks or uncertainties or to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

For hours afterwards, I was lost in Middle-Earth. Not just a digital playground version, but the Middle-Earth. I was in love.

So, it was with a certain amount of excitement that I read about the latest expansion for Lord of the Rings Online, Riders of Rohan.

From the official press release:

Riders of Rohan expands the online world of Middle-earth where players join forces to ride into the Plains of Rohan. Riders of Rohan launches in the Fall of 2012 with an increased level cap, the vast plains of Rohan including iconic locations such as Amon Hen and Fangorn Forest, the new Mounted Combat system and much more!

[...]

NEW FEATURES:

Experience the Riders of Rohan – Join with the Rohirrim and ride across the sprawling Plains of Rohan; witness the breaking of the Fellowship at Amon Hen; forge alliances with the Ents of Fangorn; and aid Éomer, adopted son of Théoden, as he seeks to protect his homeland from the growing Shadow.

Introducing Mounted Combat – Ride into Combat atop your loyal War-steed as you defend the people of Rohan from the forces of Isengard and Mordor. Customize your War-steed’s armor and level its skills over time to aid you in mounted defense of King Theoden’s lands. Mount your steed and gather your fellows to fight against Warbands, contingents of roving warg riders that have been scouted all over the Plains of Rohan! It falls to you to head off and defeat this new threat before they over take the land.

Advance to level 85 – Continue your legend in the next chapter of The Lord of the Rings Online. Experience new adventures in the epic story, and gain new skills and deeds as you face new challenges on your journey to 85!

Aside from The Shire, I’ve always had the strongest connection to Rohan of any of Tolkien’s lands. From the rolling seas of grass, to the noble warriors and their equally noble steeds, to my mega-crush on Eowyn, I’ve always found there to be a certain sort of romance to the Rohirrim and their land. Giving Cabenting the chance to re-trace the footsteps of fellow Hobbit Peregrin Took, or to stand at the top of the epic falls at Amon Hen remembering a fallen friend, already sends goosebumps running up my arms.

Mechanically, the ability to do combat from horseback seems like a big (and natural) step for the game, and also helps to separate it from its biggest competitor, World of Warcraft. Plus, who wants to dismount their horse every time they come across a baddie in the games’ largest realm? As much as Cabenting loves his Morian Mountain Goat, there’s no way he’ll be able to pass up the opportunity to ride a properly armoured steed, violent notes of music raining down from his lute, slaying beasts left and right.

Riders of Rohan will go live sometime this autumn. The Lord of the Rings Online is a free-to-play MMORPG. For more details and to sign up, visit the official LOTRO website.