Preview: Advanced Tactics: Gold (PC Download)

Matrix Games knows its niche. Its games range from intelligent strategy games to the truly hardcore. Look at Harpoon. Its brand of strategy is so strong that the military make use of it.

Matrix Games also has a unique approach to its properties. As evidenced by Harpoon, Matrix and the developers it publishes are fans of incremental improvements, and continued support over a long period of time. Perhaps recognising that the niche appeal these games have suit Wargame hobbyists rather than traditional gamers, refining existing, familiar systems seems to be a better way of keeping the fans on side than a Call of Duty-stle release cycle.

This is the kind of game that's going to have you thinking hard

Magic the Gathering: Duals of the Planeswalkers gets sequel

One of the better multiplayer games that is on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers. Now in 2012 we can expect a sequel.

PlayStation 3 gets free-to-play MMO, FreeRealms

Here's a big coup for the PlayStation 3 - from March 29 it will be the only home console to offer a free-to-play MMO.

Review: Painkiller: Purgatory HD (iPad)

Now this is good fun. Chillingo, and developer MachineWorks’ iPad adaptation of the Painkiller formula sacrifices little in the transition from keyboard & mouse/ controller transition to virtual controls, and leaves us with a game that successfully channels Doom or Quake into an action-heavy gothic masterpiece. 

Splatter

Opinion: Tecmo Koei's Warriors, the most misunderstood game series

I’m sure everyone is familiar with Tecmo Koei’s Warriors series of games. Whether they’ve played the games or not, everyone has seen the reviews, which inevitably slam each new release, dismissing them as mere “button mashers.”

However, having read some truly amusing examples of these reviews in my time (in one classic, a review of a Samurai Warriors game claimed the game took place during the Chinese Three Kingdoms era), I’ve realised that the Warriors series might well be the most misunderstood series of games in the west – after all, they are consistently rated highly by Japanese press.

Preview: Slam Bolt Scrappers (PSN)

Multiplayer action-puzzler, Slam Bolt Scrappers, is just five days away, and looks like it could be a sleeper hit on the PlayStation Network.

Review: Larry Bond's Harpoon; strategy that leaves Starcraft in the dust

When someone says 'real time strategy,' people will first think of Starcraft. Then (especially if they've been playing games for a while), they might think of Command and Conquer. The really hardcore gamers might then also picture the likes of the Total War series or even RUSE.

What they're probably not thinking of is Larry Bond's Harpoon, and yet for sheer strategic depth, none of them are even in the same league as Harpoon. See, this game has been around relatively unchanged since 1989. It's so deep that an enhanced version of it holds real military value.

Quick! Watch the flanks!

The new best reason to have a PlayStation Plus account

From today, PlayStation Plus Subscribers will be able to save a backup of their game saves online.

Where's the download game love, Kinect?

Microsoft sent around a press release today, proudly proclaiming that 10 million Kinect sensors and 10 million Kinect games have been sold.

It’s an impressive feat, to be sure, and in targeting a casual audience, Microsoft has found itself a new market. The momentum should continue, too, with a set of games and applications that should prove very popular with that same audience.

Defenders of Ardania is the best looking Tower Defence game we've ever seen

The tower defence genre is filled with cheap and disposable games, but Paradox Interactive is taking a crack at reinvigorating the genre with Defenders of Ardania.

Retro Review: Tomb Raider (PSOne classic)

Tomb Raider has given us a lot. Two horrible films, a few years of truly woeful games, and a lead character who has lost relevancy quicker than George Lucas lost respect for the Star Wars prequels.

To be fair to Lara, she wasn't the only one. Devil May Cry's Dante, even James Bond has lost a lot of their potency as audiences look for more than one dimension in their leading man (or lady). For Lara Croft, the very unrealistic bust and wide hips quickly marked her out as nerd fan service, and in a industry quickly maturing and finding heroes with regular proportions, Miss Croft quickly found herself relegated to the peripheral.

Yep. This was meant to be sexy

New screens: Hard Corps: Uprising (PSN)

For less than $10, you'll be able to pick up this good looking side-scroller from Konami come March 15 for the PlayStation Network.

Today we launch the digitallydownloaded.net magazine!

Digitallydownloaded.net is coming along nicely now, and has been a lot of fun to put together.

Today we launch the 'print' edition. It's only in prototype stage right now, but it will become a complement to the Website, with some exclusives, in-depths and highlights each month.

You can download the prototype first issue here:

Click here to download your copy of the magazine

Do let us know what you think, and what you would like to see it in future months. And as always, thanks for reading!

Liverpool fans take on Pepe Reina in new iPad game

Here's one for Liverpool soccer fans: Bright AI has developed an app just for you!

Android hit, Pool Break 1.0, comes to iOS

Usually the story goes like this: a successful iOS game finds its way to the Android app store. But with Pool Break 1.0, it's the other way around.

Review: Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSN download for PSP)

In 1988, a little development company, called Quest Corporation, was formed in Japan. In 1993 it released Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen on the Super Nintendo, and one of the greatest tactical RPG series’ was born.

Ogre Battle is a real time strategy game with some RPG elements, and is still loved today for the incredible depth and epic scope that was crammed within the relatively primitive visuals.

In 1995 came Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. Same game world, but this time around it was a turn based strategy game, where you move characters around a grid, rather than direct them over giant maps. It was a very different style, but it too was magic. 

There's some serious talking going on here

Review: Sonic the Hedgehog (PSN)

The original Sonic the Hedgehog is, quite rightly, a genuine classic. The speedy little blue hedgehog’s breakthrough release has since been released in just about every classic compilation on every console Sega could think of, including – now – the PlayStation Network.

That’s a big problem, and Sonic is not worth buying again. Enough is enough, and anyone who actually pays to download this is getting a raw deal considering you can get the game, and a whole host of other games on the retail (or PSP download) release Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection. As part of a compilation, you'll be paying a fraction of the asking price of this here download.

Here we go around the bend. Again.

Q & A: Digger Dan developer, Mick Waites, talks industry and 3DS vs. NGP

The creative mind behind the quite excellent Digger Dan, Mick Waites, took the time to sit down with us and talk about breaking into the UK games industry and give us his view on the upcoming 3DS vs. NGP battle.

Coming soon to iOS