Brand new features in Legion Gold include:
* 3 new campaigns including the Hispania, Germanic, and Elysium fantasy campaign
* Battle system - improved strategic and tactical elements
* Improved - diplomatic, economic and management elements
* 3 levels of difficulty - provide a challenge to all gamers #

Experience the glory years of the Empire in Ancient Rome! Pax Romana is the first strategy game in which all the players must collaborate in order to survive while, of course, struggling against each other in a bid to become the sole ruler of Rome. Wannadoo plans to release this title in Q4 2003. #

Players try to escape the curse in "The Eye of Isis"       ( 3:58 PM ) Libitina  
The Eye of Isis, a priceless Egyptian statuette, has mysteriously disappeared. In occult circles, rumour has it that an ancient curse hangs over the statuette, ready to strike anyone who dares touch it. No victim of the curse will escape madness or a painful death.
Indestructible, the curse is apparently a gaseous entity which possesses all bodies and objects within its reach, thus avenging the Eye of Isis against all those who dare defile the idol. Release date October 2003. #


posted by Mary Harrsch mharrsch@uoregon.edu on 3:58 PM | link

Wannadoo to release "Crusaders" October 2003       ( 3:41 PM ) Libitina  
Between 1150 and 1250, the Holy Lands went through a pivotal period dominated by fear and chaos, and where everything could change dramatically from one moment to the next. The strategic choices made by the Frankish barons in the region were to reveal themselves crucial to the survival of the Eastern Roman Empire. On the one side, three well-known western monarchs were involved in the Crusades: Richard the Lion-Hearted, Philip Augustus and Frederick Barbarossa. On the other, the unifier of Islam, Saladin, was growing ever more powerful and was mortally opposed to the Crusades.
As an ambitious young noble, will you be able to take advantage of this knife-edge situation to establish your own stronghold in the Holy Land? #


posted by Mary Harrsch mharrsch@uoregon.edu on 3:41 PM | link

The Romans passion for wild beast hunts during the games in their amphitheaters resulted in the extinction of a number of species of animals once found within the realm of the Roman Empire. Buka Entertainment of Russia has partnered with the World Wildlife Fund to use a game to encourage players to develop strategies to conserve a particular wildlife species.


"This unique game represents a model of absolutely real situation with leopards population. At the very beginning of the game you are given certain monetary funds and you should use them properly to save the remaining leopards in the Far East: you may spend them on fire-fighting, forest reserves and etc. You are free to choose a strategy, but remember: if you manage to heighten leopards population from 30 up to 100 units within 30 years you win! Afterwards you may report about the strategy you invented for leopards saving to the WWF executives."

I also noticed that JoWood Productions is planning to release a game called WildlifePark that also looks promising. The first strategy game I ever played (that hooked me on strategy games) was called "Eco: East Africa" where you are the administrator of a wildlife preserve in East Africa and must juggle the needs of the animals, local villagers, tourists, researchers, etc. and build a successful preserve with a diverse, thriving population of animals.

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An ancient Egyptian Universal Empire once joined several worlds through Solar Disc portals. The old empire was destroyed and the civilizations in each world have suffered different fates, some of them have continued contact and others have lost it. These worlds have been separated for such a long time that many of them would not recognize each other.

The legend says that two forces, one negative, one positive, are trying to recover the old empire and all of its crowns again. The chain of communication between the worlds remains partially abandoned, partially destroyed and so unstable that to use it is a sure way to cause even more problems and dangers. For that reason, long time ago the Great Wall in Heliopolis was built to protect the civilians. Many people have used the portals but disappeared without trace.

As Sphinx, you will travel throughout the world via magic portals to stop the evil plans of Set and retrieve the stolen crowns of Egypt. This new adventure game for the PlayStation 2 and the GameCube is being developed by THQ and developer Eurocom. #

Inspired by the legends, gods and myths of Greek Mythology, Ancient Conquest is the story of Jason, a Greek hero who must sail to a distant island to find and retrieve the Golden Fleece to lift a curse that has been laid upon his land. Throughout your journey you must recruit other heroes to help you on your quest. Their skills will help you on your journey and aid in your epic battles to defeat barbarians and Persians who robbed you of your ships and settlements. #

In the year 106 A.D., you are a Roman slave who must learn how to use a multitude of weapons to fight both within and outside the arena. Your opponents are both human and mythological. Sort of a "Gladiator" meets "Jason and the Argonauts". #

In this time of lawlessness, only an outlaw can lead the people to freedom. One man, the embodiment of true honor, vows to save his people and restore peace to the land. This man is known as Robin Hood. From the small-scale skirmishes with the Sheriff of Nottingham in Sherwood Forest, Robin finds himself drawn into the larger the battlefields of England, and the hero of the poor must become the savior of an entire nation. #

Medieval Total War Viking Invasion Expansion pack to be released mid-May       ( 3:05 PM ) Libitina  
"We felt the era of Nordic raiders offered the perfect opportunity to add new flavors to the Medieval: Total War experience," said Tim Ansell, founder and managing director of Creative Assembly. "Players can now sweep west from Scandinavia to raid, pillage, and conquer just as they did over 1200 years ago."

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posted by Mary Harrsch mharrsch@uoregon.edu on 3:05 PM | link

Dreamcatcher to release "The Omega Stone"       ( 2:59 PM ) Libitina  
Decipher cryptic Mayan codices. Search through the ruins of Chichen Itza, discovering lost chambers, tombs, and passageways overlooked for centuries deep within the exotic Yucatan jungle. Explore the mysterious megaliths of Stonehenge. Uncover a secret sect of Celtic Priests and Guardians and explore the sacred Celtic grounds. Discover the secret linking all of these ancient civilizations in The Omega Stone.

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posted by Mary Harrsch mharrsch@uoregon.edu on 2:59 PM | link

Egypt II The Heliopolis Prophecy       ( 2:45 PM ) Libitina  
As a young Egyptian woman called Tiffet, search for a remedy for the strange illness afflicting her adopted father and discover if simple negligence and subsequent cover-ups of the spoiled wheat crop, is causing the disastrous illness throughout the city. #


posted by Mary Harrsch mharrsch@uoregon.edu on 2:45 PM | link

Empire Earth Gold released       ( 2:13 PM ) Libitina  
Empire Earth Gold that includes the original Empire Earth, the Empire Earth Art of Conquest expansion pack, and an Official Strategy Guide with award-winning strategies and advice from tournament champions for both games has been released by Vivendi. The bundle also includes new terrain and graphic enhancements for improved, realistic environments.

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posted by Mary Harrsch mharrsch@uoregon.edu on 2:13 PM | link