Telltale Games announced today, that the final chapter in the Tales of Monkey Island series will release next month on December 8th.  The episode will be entitled “Rise of the Pirate God” and will follow up on the events that were presented in the previous episode. 

It seems that there are reports everywhere that the heralded pirate, Guybrush Threepwood is dead, and more innuendo followed that speculated on the reformed pirate, LeChuck having a hand in the evil-doing.  Confused.  Well, if so, head over to Telltale Games, where you can pick up each individually wrapped episoded for $8.95.

Check the jump for the highly amusing press release.

GUYBRUSH THREEPWOOD, MIGHTY PIRATE … REST IN PEACE?

Mysterious Happenings Plague the Caribbean as Denizens Anxiously Await Answers in “Rise of the Pirate God” on Tuesday, December 8

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — November 18, 2009 – Telltale Games and LucasArts today are reporting the purported demise of Guybrush Threepwood, one of gaming’s greatest heroes and the Caribbean’s mightiest pirates.

Details are sketchy and authorities have not named any suspects, but unconfirmed reports suggest that the recently reformed pirate LeChuck may somehow be involved. Investigators have not been able to locate the former demon pirate, or Threepwood’s wife Elaine Marley-Threepwood, for questioning.

As the chronicler of Threepwood’s recent exploits in Tales of Monkey Island, Telltale Games assures the masses that answers to many vexing questions will be revealed in the grand finale episode, Rise of the Pirate God, which releases on Tuesday, December 8 at http://www.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland.

During his eventful lifetime, Guybrush stepped in as the Caribbean’s savior on many occasions, vanquishing his arch-rival LeChuck (in ghost, zombie and demon form) countless times. However, it was his uncanny ability to hold his breath for 10 minutes straight that truly set him apart from his pirate peers.

“He wanted what every young man wants – to loot, pillage, and sail the high seas in search of further looting and pillaging opportunities,” said Dave Grossman, veteran Monkey Island game designer and writer. “It’s a great tragedy to see such a productive life seemingly cut off prematurely. And I’m not just saying that because he owes me money.”

In honor of Threepwood’s heroic and adventurous life, Telltale is now offering the first four episodes of Tales of Monkey Island for individual purchase at http://www.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland. Each episode is priced at $8.95 USD each.

With many adventure games, there is always a secondary character that rises up as a shining star to overshadow the main protagonist. Then there are others who through their own bumbling manage to carve an unforgettable niche into the series and become that comedic crutch that supports the plot. Like the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop, you know they’re just around the corner and while enjoying said confectionery treat you wonder how long you’ll have to wait to meet them. Monkey Island has one such character: he goes by the name of Stan and is no longer a stranger as we find him in Tales of Monkey Island 4: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood.

Over the series, Stan has held many titles dating back to his first appearance as a shady used ship salesman. What cemented him as a go-to character was his shady salesman speeches; his vibrant and annoying attire; and, his constantly flailing arms. And all of these pieces are proudly thrown in your face as he takes the stand in his first role directly opposed to Guybrush as the prosecuting lawyer. Seems that your little pirate tirade in the first episode was frowned upon by the other pirates and now you must prove your innocence.

Overall, this episode maintains the high level of production found in the last iteration. One of the main aggravations lies in controls that were sketchy at times. I prefer to play the game using the keyboard to control Guybrush, since the click and swirl mouse lent itself to accidental clicking of objects, which was even more frustrating. So the use of the arrow keys is nice touch to maneuver The Might Pirate. However, the use of the shift key, which allows for fast, almost run-like, speed movement stopped working almost after every scenery change which really dragged the speed of the game down since there was a lot of land traversal in this episode.

The episode starting off on a high note, with a great puzzle that had me confused how to start. Unfortunately, like the cliff hanger plot twist at the end of the episode, the play time of the episode left me hanging. If you recall the previous review, I mentioned that it felt shorter than the previous outings. This fourth attempt was definitely the shortest of all them thus far, which is a shame since I’m loving the world and story that Telltale has weaved. The other item that irked me was a solitary interaction that relied on the movement of the character and not clicking on something. In a breakaway from the standard form of click-to-interact, this puzzle left me hanging as I knew exactly what I wanted to do but could not perform it since clicking was futile. While its nice to see new ways of addressing the old problem, at least some prior mentioning of it would have been preferred.

As with previous chapters, this one comes recommended but be forewarned that while it will whet your appetite for more of Guybrush’s misadventures, you will be waiting a while longer to come full circle. Just like a certain rug, it’s the episode that really ties the series together, and gets 4 out of 5 Aeropausonauts.

Check out Tales of Monkey Island Episode 4: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood and other PC reviews at Test Freaks.

The Night Elf Mohawk is back, and this time he is bringing in ranged support to help his cause.  Yes, World of Warcraft has brought back Mr. T to promote the hugely popular MMORPG title, and he has a new weapon.  The Night Elf Mohawk Grenade apparently rains good looks upon the world, according to Mr. T.  Of course, that is only if you think everyone looks great with a Mohawk.

There is a downside to this commercial.  Where is the “Shut up fool!” or “Sucka” quotes that regularly follow Mr. T.  I feel a petition is in order to have Blizzard add these comments into the trailer pronto.

Cryptic Studios was nice enough to send over a series of new screenshots from their early 2010 title, Star Trek Online.  Currently the game looks like it is getting a lot more polish as it goes through the final stages of development.  Now if we could just get a price point, all would be well.

Check the jump for the rest of the screens.

Ultra-Realistic Modern Warfare Game Features Awaiting Orders, Repairing Trucks

I am a little late to the Prototype party, but after seeing it on sale for $19.99 at GoGamer.com, I decided to jump on the deal.  After playing through thirty minutes of Prototype, I am kind of conflicted as to where I stand on the game.  I do like the hardcore story that is being presented, with a security team that takes no survivors or prisoners back.  Watching them gun down several innocent people gave me the understanding that Prototype is going to tell me a story that will not be pleasant, or have a nice ending for that matter.

Prototype started off with a nice intro movie that shows off a rather devistated New York City.  All the streets were emply and military/security were sweeping through the streets.  One would assume they were looking for either survivors or whoever caused the destruction, but your thoughts will are proved wrong shortly into the trailer.  The team saves a woman from death, only to then execute her with a bullet to the head.  Our protagonist, Alex Mercer shows up and proceeds to dismantle the strike team, including one person getting cleaved from head to groin.  Yeah, Prototype is a bit more gritty than Infamous, the game it was compared to over the summer.

From the trailer, we are launched into the gameplay, which sets the clock back 18 days, where the same Alex Mercer is apparently dead on a coroner’s table.  Of course, they go to cut Alex open, and you spring to life.  You are then sent through a series of tutorials that show off all the different powers and moves that you can use in the game.  Using claws and blades, you can chop and cut your way through soldiers, and the populace alike.  It appears that there is no penalty for killing innocent civilians, at least this early into the game.  You can also get charged attacks, but holding down a button before attacking, which is great for taking out hardened enemies like a tank or helicopter.  You can also defy gravity as your powerset allows you to run up the sides of buildings, allowing for some rather creative attacks on flying enemies.

By the end of the tutorial, I had already killed 44 enemies, complete with several decapitations, and dozens of limb removal.  The game tracks a host of stats that track your progress throughout your playthrough.  The game looks good, but not great, and the action feels like more of The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.  The model almost seems the same, but I could be wrong, as I only scraped the surface of the Hulk game, but the similarities are the same, including the fact that Radical was the developer on both.  I look forward to continuing my play of Prototype, but I am not feeling the wow that I was hoping after reading some of the reviews out there.  Look for our review sometime in the future, as I have a stack of games to finish before I can finish Prototype.

ASC Games ended up signing with Activision to make a game based on the role-playing game Werewolf, and a few years later, that game was cancelled, and the company disappeared shortly thereafter.  While that company is gone, ASC Games’ Sanitarium lives on, now without having to switch discs to install, and with no DRM whatsoever at GOG.com.  Add in the fact that they have included a full ripped soundtrack from the game, and anyone that wants to play a great, scary adventure game that will mess with your mind should grab this game.

For more information, check out the Sanitarium page at Good Old Games.

After a slight delay in the mail system, I finally received my review copy of Dragon Age: Origins on the PC, and after thirty minutes of play, I can say that it was well worth the wait.  From the initial isometric view, down to the intricate family relationships that are formed in those early moments of the game, show just a small amout of what the game has to give a player through the long run.

My first thirty was delayed a few minutes, by what might be the most ridiculous system ever to handle DLC content in a game.  On the PC, it was not too bad, except I had a hell of a time getting my Bioware account to link up to the Dragon Age social site. Only after getting that successfully synced up, could I finally use the DLC codes that came in my game box.  Since I did not have a store bought copy of the game, I did not get the Warden’s Keep, but I did get most everything else.  The DLC is kludgy, requring you to exit the game, register the download, hope that you don’t have issues linking your Bioware account to your Bioware social account, etc.  Bioware, why not just have a code in the game that you enter.

That said, once I started up the game, I was presented with the character creation screen, and I knew at that point I was home.  All the customization that was available in Mass Effect is available here, except that the graphics have been bumped up a bit.  I liked that there were more quality choices for making characters this time around, because the ones in Mass Effect were lacking at times.  I had my female warrior created after about 10 minutes of tinkering.  Yes, I am a female warrior, you have a problem with that?

My origin path that I was creating had me playing as a Warrior Noble, where I was the daughter of a famous warrior.  My father and brother were readying themselves to go into battle, and I was lamenting the fact that I would have to stay behind.  The voice work from the characters is a little stilted at times, but there is enough good story there to get you hooked.  Most of the introductions done in the Origins story are there to prepare your for the world and how you will interact with it.  I learned the ins and outs of combat and attacking enemies with a full party.  I did like the way that you could surround enemies with your party.  Combat is three dimensional, and you have to remember that if you want to succeed.

My first thirty finished with a great setpiece, as I had to fight my way out of the keep I lived it, as a friend of my father turned traitorous, and attacked.  My escape had me fighting through several throngs of enemies on the way to the secret exit.  It left me wanting more, as the story hooked me in big time.  I was perplexed at the total lack of voice over for my character.  I am not sure if that only shows up in the origins section of the game, or if I will play through the whole game like a Gordon Freeman, completely mute.  It made less sense when I remembered that I was asked to choose a voice for my character.

Dragon Age: Origins is a very enjoyable experience through the first thirty minutes.  This obviously does not give you a true feel for a game that has an average play through time of 60 hours, but from what I have seen so far, I have really enjoyed what Bioware is feeding players this time around.  Keep an eye out for a full review after I get enough time to play through the full story.

Focus Home Entertainment and Pendulo Studios have released a new trailer for their upcoming adventure title, Runaway: A Twist of Fate.  In this trailer, we get to see some of the action from the view of the other protagonist in the series, Gina Torres.  It appears she thinks Brian Basco is dead, and she proceeds to get herself in some trouble.

Runaway: A Twist of Fate also looks like it has moved its release date to early 2010.  As most have said, this just adds to an extended holiday purchasing season that now seems to occupy October to March.  The title will be available on the PC and the Nintendo DS.

Also, you can check out the new site for Runaway: A Twist of Fate by following the link.

Atari and Cryptic Studios have finally put a date on their upcoming sci-fi MMORPG, Star Trek Online.  People will be able to beam up to the Federation or Klingon side of battle come February 2nd, 2010.

Star Trek Online is set to offer players a full Star Trek experience, including captaining their own ship, creating their customized character, and even the possibility of creating their own race.  Star Trek Online will contain both ship to ship combat, as well as away missions which will give on foot combat. 

No word on whether there will be PvP battles, or even a pricing scheme for that matter.  We have heard something about two tiers, with a free basic tier and a premium tier, but nothing concrete on these details.  Also, Star Trek Online is releasing right on the heels of Mass Effect 2.  While the two titles sit in different game types, they attack the same genre, which might cause some problems.

Check the jump for more info from the Press release.

Atari to Ship Star Trek Online on February 2, 2010

Star Trek Online Offers Fans and Gamers Opportunity to Experience Beloved Star Trek Universe through Space and Ground Gameplay

NEW YORK, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ – Atari, Inc., one of the world’s most recognized videogame publishers, and Cryptic Studios(TM), creators of the acclaimed Champions Online, City of Heroes and City of Villains, announced today the highly anticipated Star Trek Online for PC is set to release on February 2, 2010 in North America and February 5, 2010 across Europe and Australia. This first-of-a-kind massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) will offer space and ground gameplay to fans and players.

“Star Trek Online is poised to become the ultimate Star Trek gaming experience,” said Jim Wilson, CEO of Atari, Inc. “Throughout the last four decades, Star Trek has been a mainstay in pop culture, influencing legions of fans through television, film, and more. Star Trek Online opens a whole new chapter and expands upon this incredible universe in 2010.”

Taking place in the year 2409, continuing the story of the latest film installment, Star Trek Online boasts extraordinary features and lets fans both new and old experience unparalleled adventures. Players will have the opportunity to become a high ranking Starfleet officer and will participate in missions that will take them into the depths of space, across exotic planets and even inside other starships. Star Trek Online offers total customization, where every ship players command can be customized, from color to construction. Additionally, anyone can create their own species in Star Trek Online, as well as customize the look of their avatar’s uniform.

For more information, please visit: www.startrekonline.com.

ABOUT ATARI, SA

Atari group is a global creator, producer and publisher of interactive entertainment for interactive game platforms that include PC, online, consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony and advanced smart phones (i.e. iPhone). Divisions of Atari, SA include Cryptic Studios, Atari London Studio, Eden Studios, Atari Interactive, Inc. and Atari, Inc.

Atari benefits from its global brand and an extensive catalogue of popular games based on classic owned game franchises (Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Lunar Lander), original owned franchises (Test Drive, Backyard Sports, Deer Hunter), MMO games from Cryptic Studios (Star Trek Online, Champions Online) and third party franchises (Ghostbusters, Project Runway, Dungeons and Dragons).

For more information please visit www.atari.com.

© 2009 Atari Europe SASU. All rights reserved.

Atari word mark and logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc.

About Cryptic Studios

Based in Los Gatos, CA, Cryptic Studios is a leading developer of massively multiplayer online games committed to delivering the next level of MMO gameplay. Cryptic develops AAA titles for PC and consoles, including Star Trek Online and Champions Online. For more information on Cryptic Studios, please visit the official website at: www.crypticstudios.com.