Filed under: RTS, Strategy

If you like your WWII RTS games to be big, bold and Ukrainian, then Men of War could be the game you are looking for. The title, from developer Best Way and publisher 1C Company, launched it’s official web site this week with a ton of new screenshots, trailers and info about the title.

We’ve posted up the new shots in our already established gallery. You can read a recent hands-on preview of Men of War, written last June at an 1C Company press event, right here at Big Download. While Men of War is scheduled to be released in Europe next month via 505 Games, no US release date has been announced.

Official Men of War web site launches originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business

A day after it was tabulated that PlayStation 3 was outsold by Xbox 360 nearly 2-to-1 in December, industry analyst Michael Pachter has told GameDaily he believes Sony would outsell Microsoft if it dropped PS3′s price to $299 — the going rate for the 360 “Pro” system.

“I think that PS3 will sell well once competitively priced,” Pachter said, adding, “Should [Sony] price at parity with Xbox 360 ($299), I think that PS3 sales would exceed 360 sales, and eventually, they could catch up.” Sony’s cheer squad shouldn’t get too charged up yet, though. Pachter also said that, “At present, it doesn’t look like that is happening any time soon, so Sony should be prepared to remain in third place until well after they cut price.”

For its article, GameDaily spoke with several other analysts, all of which echoed the same sentiment: given its current standing and the state of the US economy, PS3 needs to be priced below $300 — and, if it is, it will eventually overtake Xbox 360 in sales.

Pachter: $299 PS3 would outsell 360, put Sony back in the game originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Time Warp, Sports/GTs, Auction Action, Pontiac, Lifestyle

Well, what do you know? K.I.T.T. was a big hit here at Barrett-Jackson today. We’d never have guessed that there would be enough fans (with money) of the original Knight Rider series here at the auction to drive bidding all the way to $40,000 (add another $4K in fees), but indeed there were. This isn’t actually one of the original cars that was used by the Hoff in the ’80s, but bits and pieces of it were in fact used in the craptastic new version that our own Mr. Núñez so lovingly mocks each and every week in his hilarious live blog. Not all is lost, though, for fans of the real K.I.T.T., as this is a fully functioning replica, complete with the trademark flashing front strobe lights and two working monitors inside. Plus, how many of your friends have talking cars that are signed by George Barris? None. Perhaps it was worth the dough after all.

Photos copyright (C)2009 Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.

Barrett-Jackson 2009: 1982 Pontiac Trans Am K.I.T.T. replica originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Nissan

Most of this week’s Nissan GT-R tuning news has been coming out of the Tokyo Auto Salon, but South Side Performance is making its own headlines. The tuning firm based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is offering a set of upgraded stock turbochargers for the GT-R that have the potential to boost output to 820 hp when used in conjunction with other (undisclosed) performance modifications.

The upgrade consists of swapping out the stock turbos’ center section with remachined compressor and turbine housings, sized 68mm and 53.8mm, respectively. The aluminum compressor wheel is good for up to 32 psi of boost, and since the basic hardware remains, the swap appears to be a simple bolt-on affair. According to South Side, the turbos make more power at stock boost levels and provide a linear power band throughout the rev range.

GT-RR.com is distributing the GTR820RR kit for South Side, and owners can send their stock turbos and $6,499 for the upgrade, with an approximate turnaround time of one week. Of course, the next question is: how will the stock clutches and transmission hold up to the additional power? Check out the images of the setup in the gallery below and hit the jump for the press release.

[Source: South Side Performance via TheRealJDM]

Continue reading South Side Performance introduces 820 hp turbo upgrade for Nissan GT-R

South Side Performance introduces 820 hp turbo upgrade for Nissan GT-R originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Culture, MMO

The annual Child’s Play charity fund drive is officially over for 2008 and the gaming oriented organization has announced that it raised $1,434,377 in its latest drive, setting a new record for the charity despite the current economic downturn.

While the annual toy portion drive is over, Child’s Play continues to raise money for its participating children’s hospitals. Today Sony Online announced that it will offer up special in-game items for both Everquest and Everquest II. The publisher will donate $10 to the Child’s Play charity every time someone purchase a special Child’s Play branded in game item with Sony’s Station Cash. The promotion begins Jan. 20 and lasts for a month.

Child’s Play 2008 campaign raises over $1.4 million originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Culture, Business

With the end of the holidays came the news that EGM is being shuttered. These are disappointing days for many people, not least the hard-working staff that contributed to the respected magazine. I think that the occasion probably merits a mention as much for its inevitability as its sadness.

In days in which even large, mainstream print publications are facing severe financial difficulties, it seems all too obvious that smaller, niche publications are going to face similar pressures. And gaming magazines seem to me to be among the most vulnerable, for several reasons.

Continue reading Counting Rupees: Oh, magazine

Counting Rupees: Oh, magazine originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Videos, UK

You know that saying, “From here to Timbuktu?” Apparently the people at Parajet do, and the ‘here’ in this case will be London. You see, the British flying car maker decided to use that phrase quite literally to show the world that their paragliding dune buggy can actually, well, fly. They’ve launched an expedition that will take them from London to Timbuktu, driving where they have roads available, and flying wherever they don’t.

We first told you about the Parajet Skycar journey in November but now the adventure has officially launched. A Parajet Skycar took off from London, and the plan is to fly over France, Spain, Morocco and the Sahara, then – God-willing – arrive in the Malian capital of Timbuktu sometime in February. When we saw the Parajet Skycar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last summer, we learned that it makes use of a biofuel-powered Yamaha motorcycle engine to power either the rear wheels when ground-bound, or an airboat-type caged propeller when taking flight.

It needs just 200 meters of runway and has a cruising speed of (just) 68 miles-per-hour at 3,000 feet, but the Skycar can reportedly reach altitudes of 15,000 feet. Thankfully, parachutes are included. When driving, the car has a top speed of 108 mph and a range of 240 miles. We’ll try to keep you posted about their progress, but check out the iMOTORTV clip we found of the Parajet Skycar in action, after the jump.

[Source: The Telegraph]

Continue reading From London to Timbuktu… via Parajet SkyCar?

From London to Timbuktu… via Parajet SkyCar? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Freeware

Comparer is a free Windows utility that lets you compare detailed file information for any two files. Have two pictures that look a lot alike and want ot see which one was taken first or accessed most recently? Want to see at a glance whether one file is larger than another? Comparer can help.

The user interface is simple if not entirely intuitive. There’s no File -> Open dialog. Instead, you just drag and drop any file you want to analyze from Windows Explorer into the Comparer interface. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to compare two files: You just select two files at a time and drag and drop them. If you select 3 or more files it won’t do any good. Only two will show up in the utility.

Comparer can also use Total Commander’s WDX plugins, which provide additional information like ID3 tag info for music files.

Compare any two files with Comparer originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Wagons/Estates, Crossovers/CUVs, Ford

Ford is looking to bring over more C-segment crossovers from Europe to the US, and word has it that the people-hauling C-Max is toward the top of the list. The current C-Max would probably be sufficient for US duty in terms of size and performance, but with America’s different legislative standards, if we get the Euro crossover Stateside it will likely arrive with the next redesign.

The next C-Max is already on its way toward production, as evidenced by spy photos taken of a couple next-generation mules dredging through the snow. The C-Max mule is clothed in yesterday’s duds, but a wider than usual b-pillar shows that the Euro crossover is going to get bigger. The extra four or five inches of interior volume could make room for a third row of seats, or Ford could simply be angling for extra cargo capacity. Either way, a new C-Max is en-route. And thanks to Ford’s future ability to build Focus-sized vehicles in Louisville beginning in 2010, it could be built here in the States. We can hope.

[Source: Next Autos]

Spy Shots: Ford Focus C-Max caught testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Downloads, RPG

GOG.com is joining Steam in offering up a number of games on sale this weekend. The DRM-free download service is putting up a number of their role playing games on sale at 15 percent of their normal prices from now until Monday at 11:59 pm ET.

Head over to the web site for the instructions to take advantage of the sale (you will need to enter special promo code to get the discount). Here is the list of games that are a part of the special promotion. Have fun:

Arx Fatalis
Fallout
Fallout 2
Fallout Tactics
Gothic
Invictus: In the Shadow of Olympus
Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader
Sacred Gold
Stonekeep

GoG.com offers up RPGs on sale this weekend originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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