Multiplayer

America's Army: Special Forces (Overmatch) v2.8.4 is being distributed for the first time through a new Deploy Client. This client lets users automatically download and install the full version of America's Army: Special Forces Overmatch and/or its latest patch updates. The Deploy Client will also act as the game's new launcher. Go to www.aadeploy.com for more information about the America's Army Deploy Client.

America's Army: Special Forces (Overmatch) v2.8.4 includes the "Every Soldier a Sensor" (ES2) training mission, a new multiplayer co-operative mission and improved AI performance that reacts in a more realistic manner.

Update: Users who are having technical difficulties with the Deploy Client should contact deploysupport@pr-sol.com

Download the America's Army Deploy Client (10 MB)

This gameplay trailer for Need for Speed Undercover shows off a multiplayer mode called Cops'N Robbers. One player drives as the thief and needs to grab the money (a map point icon) before speeding it off to a drop-off location. The other player is the cop, who must stop the robber in any way possible.

Download HD Need for Speed Undercover Cops'N Robbers Gameplay Trailer (354 MB)
Check out all the downloads for Need for Speed Undercover

Take a look at this early trailer for League of Legends: Clash of Fates, an online competitive game being developed by Riot Games.

"League of Legends is a competitive online game set in an imaginative world. Gamers take the role of a powerful Summoner, calling forth and controlling brave Champions in battle. League of Legends combines the best elements of session-based games with persistent elements of MMORPG's. Enter the Fields of Justice with your most trusted allies as you fight for your right to rule the world of Valoran. There is only one rule of law among those in the league: Winner rules all."

Download HD League of Legends: Clash of Fate Trailer (64 MB)

The effects of the Activision Blizzard merger are still being felt by gamers, particularly those who like to play older games online. A post on the official Sierra message boards indicates that a large number of multiplayer master servers for both Activision and Vivendi Games (under their Sierra brand) will shut down on Nov. 1

While multiplayer will still work people who want to continue to play these title must use third party server browser software to find online games. Most of the games are from the Sierra brand but there are a few older Activision titles in the mix. Check out the full list of affected titles after the jump.

Electronic Arts' attempt to go back to basics with their Need For Speed series extends to their multiplayer modes as well. Today the publisher announced that next month's release of Need For Speed Undercover will contain a new multiplayer mode, Cops and Robbers, that has its basis in the game's history with driving and dealing with the long arm of the law.

According to the press release, "This visceral team-based mode pits two teams of four players against each other in the ultimate battle-royale. Robbers must pick up the package and take it to the drop-off point while the cops attempt to prevent the delivery. Each game consists of two rounds giving the players the chance to play as cops and robbers. Up to eight players will also be able to prove their driving prowess in sprint and circuit multiplayer race modes." The game is due for release on Nov. 18.

New game announcements are a dime a dozen but a new Los Angeles game development company called Riot Games hopes to make a mark in the industry with their first title, a fantasy online multiplayer action-RPG-strategy titled League of Legends. Yes, this mix of genres is making this title hard to categorize.

League of Legends involves the player (or as the game terms the Summoner) invoking one of dozens of different "Champions" as they battle online with other Champions in team matches. Champions can gain experience to get new abilities, items and such as they battle and even Summoners can gain rank to access new abilities.

As you can see from the screenshots, this title has a definite Warcraft influence in terms of its cartoony art style (Indeed the game's development team has members who worked on the popular Warcraft 3 mod DotA-Allstars). Riot Games promises that League of Legends will have a ton of multiplayer features including "matchmaking, stat tracking, clan support, anti-cheat systems, dedicated in-game ladders and Leaverbuster technology". There will also be a single player training mode with AI bots. League of Legends does not have a release date nor has pricing for the game been revealed. However a beta test of the game is expected to launch in 2009.

Check out this trailer for the free to play Crysis Wars weekend coming up October 10-12, then download the client for hot multiplayer action. The trial client will allow you to play Crysis Wars over a LAN to practice for the weekend. Register an account at www.mycrysis.com.

Download HD Crysis Wars Free Weekend Trailer (104 MB)
Download Crysis Wars Trial [Complete Single File] (5.5 GB)
or
Download Crysis Wars Trial [Self-Exctracting Multipart] 1 of 3 (2 GB)
Download Crysis Wars Trial [Self-Exctracting Multipart] 2 of 3 (2 GB)
Download Crysis Wars Trial [Self-Exctracting Multipart] 3 of 3 (1.5 GB)

Download the Crysis Wars client, the multiplayer component of Crysis and Crysis Warhead, and jump into the action this weekend starting Friday October 10 and going until Sunday October 12. Players will be able to practice in LAN games before the event starts. Crysis Wars multiplayer modes include Instant Action, Team Instant Action and Power Struggle. Go to www.mycrysis.com to register and for more details about the free multiplayer event. Official press announcement after the jump.

Download Crysis Wars Trial [Complete Single File] (5.5 GB)
or
Download Crysis Wars Trial [Self-Exctracting Multipart] 1 of 3 (2 GB)
Download Crysis Wars Trial [Self-Exctracting Multipart] 2 of 3 (2 GB)
Download Crysis Wars Trial [Self-Exctracting Multipart] 3 of 3 (1.5 GB)

Congratulations, soldier: you survived another week. It's Friday afternoon, and instead of going out partying with your friends, you're anxious to get home, sit down at your computer, and play some new games. Sounds fun! Too bad you're broke. Lucky for you, PC gaming has an impressive library of classic games that are available online for cheap. Hang out with us every Friday so we can take you on a guided tour of some of the greatest bargains available throughout the many tubes of the Internet.

Welcome to Virtual Bargain Bin, the cure for your weekend gaming woes. This week's classics: The id Super Pack, and X-COM: The Complete Pack

Crysis Warhead was released to stores a few weeks ago but contained a separate disk featuring the multiplayer online title Crysis Wars. As it turned out there was more to that move than meets the eye. Today developer Crytek and publisher Electronic Arts announced that people will be able to download and play the full version of Crysis Wars for free online for one weekend only, (Oct. 10-12).

If you haven't bought your copy of Crysis Warhead you will be able to go to Crytek's new community site MyCrysis.com starting on Monday to sign up and get your unique activation key. You will also be able to download the full Crysis Wars client at that time which has 21 maps, three gameplay modes and more. If you have a LAN set up you will be able to play Crysis Wars for free immediately until Oct 12. The free online play will begin on Oct. 10. If you already own a copy of the game, the announcement hints that those folks will get something extra this weekend.

Patch updates Frontlines: Fuel of War from v1.1.1 to v1.2.0, which includes bug fixes and game enhancements. Game must be updated to v1.1.1 for patch to work. Direct Download patch does not work on for Steam or Trymedia versions. Customers should check with those providers for updates.

Download Frontlines: Fuel of War v1.1.1 - v1.2.0 Retail DVD Patch (959 MB)
Download Frontlines: Fuel of War v1.1.1 - v1.2.0 Direct Download Patch (971 MB)
Download Frontlines: Fuel of War 1.1.1 Patch (64 MB)

This multiplayer map add-on is for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky.

"The map, called 'Industrial', is a compact location, designed for a team play of ideally 4x4, though technically allowing the usual up to 32 players online or over LAN.

Once downloaded, the map files are to be extracted into the "mp" folder of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky root directory (for instance "C:\Program Files\STALKER_Clear_Sky\mp"). Then you can play on the new map.
Note: If you are creating the server, make sure you reboot your computer after extracting the map files."

Download the STALKER: Clear Sky "Industrial" Multiplayer Map (5MB)

It's been years since the Darwinia hit Steam, exposing the digital world populated by flat stick figure inhabitants, to an audience looking for something new and original. For all its charm, winning the game numerous accolades, it lacked a multiplayer mode to bring it all together. In comes Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest, the long-awaited follow-up to Darwinia. More of a spin-off than an actual sequel, the little Darwinians have evolved into a new breed called Multiwinians, divided into colored factions and all competing for supremacy. Multiwinia takes all the uniqueness and charm of little inhabitants and puts them at war with each other in all-out battles across six different competitive game modes.

The follow-up game to the acclaimed independent game, Darwinia, Multiwinia lets people play competitively using flat Multiwinian soldiers across a variety of maps and game types.

Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest is "the ultimate retro-arcade multiplayer experience! Choose from a selection of six hilariously fun, action-packed game modes, set in one of the most beautiful game environs you will ever set eyes on. Challenge your opponent to a game of stick-man slaughter, and watch digital-war unfold, as your Multiwinian army struggles to complete a chosen task faster and better than your rival's."

Download the Multiwinia Demo (49 MB)
Check out all the Multiwinia Downloads

There have been just a couple of WWF/WWE wrestling games made for the PC (the last was a port of the original Xbox game WWE Raw a few years ago) but publisher THQ announced today plans to bring the pro wrestling series to Asian PC gamers with WWE Smackdown vs RAW Online.

Due for release in late 2010, the game will feature both single and multiplayer modes as players will be able to create their own wrestler and move up the ranks in matches to unlock more content. Players will also be able to purchase in-game items. There's no word if this title, which is being developed by Korea-based Vertigo Games, will be released in the US. This is the latest online game announcement from THQ. It has a Warhammer 40,000 MMO in the works along with two Asian based games; Company of Heroes Online and the just announced casual MMO Dragonica.