Shooter

THQ today announced that the Windows PC version of the hotly anticipated first-person-shooter, Homefront, from Kaos Studios, is being developed by a dedicated team at Canadian-based studio, Digital Extremes.

Homefront on PC further illustrates THQ’s commitment to PC gamers with additional features and options for multiplayer fans.

“Digital Extremes has a superb track record in PC development,” said David Votypka, General Manager at Kaos Studios, THQ. “While the team here at Kaos is completely focused on the core Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Homefront, our partnership with Digital Extremes means that PC gamers can look forward to a version of the game tailored to the demands of the discerning PC gamer.”

“We’re building on the great game that Kaos Studios is making and enhancing it with specific PC relevant features,” added Frank De Lise, Executive Producer, THQ. “PC players will be able to set up and host Homefront dedicated servers and enjoy additional community features including clan support. We believe the core PC first-person-shooter fan will really appreciate these features, which are becoming increasingly rare.”

2K Games and Gearbox Software announced today that Borderlands fans can return to Pandora’s inhospitable environment to enjoy a brand-new destructive downloadable adventure in Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution. This fists-of-fury-filled fourth add-on pack from the popular franchise will be available this September via Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 from Microsoft for 800 Microsoft Points and the PlayStationNetwork for the PlayStation 3 and Windows PC.

Just a little editorializing before I post the news release:

Codemasters, have you no shame? I was one of the PC gamers who were eagerly anticipating the arrival of Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. I thought, “Sure, it may not be as realistic as Bohemia Interactive’s ArmA II, but I bet it will be more fun!” Boy was I wrong. What we received was product that was nowhere near the level of realism suggested by the Operation Flashpoint name, nor promised by Codemasters themselves in the months leading up to its release. Worse, the game arrived in a downright buggy state – nearly unplayable in my opinion – with lots of promises about forthcoming fixes. Well, we did get a few token patches, but the game still fell far short of where it should have been both in terms of realism and gameplay. Adding insult to injury, the final patch released by Codemasters had a nasty habit of over-heating video cards – thanks for that! Then, of course, it was suddenly (but not surprisingly) announced that Codemasters was done with Dragon Rising, leaving gamers with a buggy, incomplete mess of a game (in effect: “thanks for the cash, suckers!”).

The other day Steam gave me quite a shock.  While perusing my stats, I discovered that I had invested an incredible 55 hours in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in just over two weeks!  Now, I know for some of you hardcore gamers that amount of time would be a mere drop in the bucket, but for this (proudly) casual gamer it is a near record.  If I invest 55 hours in a game over the course of its lifetime on my hard drive, it is a lot.  To do so in just a few weeks time is unprecedented for me.