Europa Universalis III Complete
magnamundi_thumb


Magna Mundi, the grandest of grand strategy games, has been cancelled by publishers Paradox Interactive. In a statement put out by Paradox and spotted by RPS, the company explained that they've been unhappy with the game's progress towards release. "We have seen this project drag on and the code we have gotten has not shown significant improvement for many months. Some old and known problems persists and new ones appear with each delivery."

Although it seems the developers disagree, and hope to still release the game. Read on for grand sadness.

Magna Mundi started life as a mod for Europa Universalis 3, but it was popular enough for Paradox to think it had legs as a full game. I saw the game at Paradox's yearly preview event two years ago, and it was absurdly vast in scope, simulating 400 countries over 400 years of history. It looked like the rest of Paradox's line up - which at the time included Pride of Nations and Crusader Kings 2 - combined in to a single game. Magna Mundi was then conspicuous in its absence at the same event this year, suggesting problems have been brewing for a while.

Paradox's Mattias Lilja, the executive producer on Magna Mundi, followed up the original statement with more detail in a forum post. He talks about a lack of trust in the developer and poor leadership of the development team. It's fairly damning.

Developers Universo Virtual would disagree completely, though. They say the game is ready for release, the "cancellation" is bizarre, and that they'll fight Paradox in court. In a post of his own on the Magna Mundi forums, Carlos Gustavo Benavente promises that "the 'cancellation' issue is just a detail on everything that's going to be settled there." This is going to get ugly fast.

Hopefully all parties involve can resolve the issues satisfactorily, because really I just want to play the game. It looked amazing.
Mount & Blade

Game Glitch Causes Mass NightmaresI love Mount & Blade. Sure, it's a little rough around the edges, and its ugly as sin, but that's just part of the charm. What other game lets you engage in 200-man battles with muskets and/or swords? Not enough, that's how many.


Correction: I did love Mount & Blade. Now, having seen this texture glitch, replacing "sky" with "dude's face", I'm not so sure. I'm not sure I'm going to get to sleep tonight, either.


Mount and Blade has some of the weirdest glitches....[Reddit]



Game Glitch Causes Mass Nightmares


Mount & Blade

Why I Play Mount & BladeBecause it gets me, that's why.


To be specific, this is from a tutorial sreen for Mount & Blade: Warband's Napoleonic expansion, which has all the tea, flutes and muskets you could ever want in a multiplayer shooter.


Here's the recently-released expansion's trailer. It's as fun as it looks. Provided you can stomach the reload times.


Mount & Blade - Valve
This weekend only, save 75% off the Mount & Blade franchise on Steam*!

Additionally, checkout the just launched Napoleonic Wars DLC for Mount & Blade: Warband! This multiplayer expansion features the final years of the French Empire’s struggle to remain the dominant power of Western Europe in the early 19th century. Experience the thrill of Napoleonic warfare first hand - Take part in the invasion of Russia or fight the French at Waterloo from the front line!

*Discount excludes Napoleonic Wars DLC



Mount & Blade



The Mount & Blade series has had a spotty history with guns, which is understandable when you consider that gunpowder was ultimately responsible for making both mounts and blades totally irrelevant. After the troubled Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword, Taleworlds and Flying Squirrel Entertainment are taking another pop at blackpowder in the form of this multiplayer-only expansion for Warband.

It'll feature five factions and 220 units, historically accurate weapons and artillery, and an engineer class that can erect barricades. You'll also be able to become a musician and play drums, fifes, trumpets and bagpipes - which seems like a recipe for getting shot, to me.

Europa Universalis III Complete - Valve
All new Medieval and Revolution Spritepacks are now available for Europa Universalis III!

Each pack adds 16 historically authentic uniform sprites for Western European nations during specific centuries

Europa Universalis III Complete - Valve
All new Enlightenment and Reformation Spritepacks are now available for Europa Universalis III!

Each pack adds 16 historically authentic uniform sprites for Western nations during specific eras.

Mount & Blade
Mount and Blade Lord of the Rings mod
The Lord of the Rings Last Days of Middle Earth mod for the original Mount and Blade has been released after five years of work. The mod lets you fight and command all the factions of Middle Earth, no less, with some top notch custom armour sets, new textures and new locations designed to bring Middle Earth to Tale World's medieval rags to riches pillaging sim. Find out more and see some fantastic screenshots of the mod below.

The mod's creators have taken almost all of their inspiration from the books, rather than the film trilogy, and the ambition and attention to detail is clear to see in the impressive screens. The war for Middle Earth will kick off shortly after you start a campaign with your chosen race. The territory system will let you help the forces of Mordor or the Fellowship as they strike at each other's strongholds. If you weaken the enemy enough, you can even ride in with an army and take their fortresses. You can download the mod from ModDB now.













Europa Universalis III Complete - Valve
Act now and take advantage of huge savings! Paradox Strategy Pack is available at 75% off during the Midweek Madness sale. Offer ends Thursday at 10am PDT.

This Strategy Pack includes Hearts of Iron III, Europa Universalis III, the Victoria series, and others!

Eurogamer


It's Wednesday, and that can only mean one thing: I'm back with yet another selection of the finest discount gaming offers to tempt your wallet with. Throughout the week you can keep your finger on the pulse of cut price gaming by checking SavyGamer.co.uk. Read on to find out what's cheap this week.


Here are this week's deals:

Batman: Arkham Asylum - £3.75


Cracking price for what I reckon is The Batman's finest hour in the field of games. Don't just take my word for it; Dan granted it a a highly sought after Eurogamer 9/10:


"Most of the gameplay concerns are minor when taken in the context of how much Arkham Asylum gets so gloriously right. Rarely does a game do a character justice in such a satisfying way. Arkham Asylum finds room for every major aspect of Batman's enduring appeal, and it does so in a game compelling enough to work even without its masked star. Fans of the caped crusader really shouldn't hesitate - this isn't just the best grown-up Batman game, it's the best superhero game, bar none."


The sequel is looking good too.

Video: It's pretty clear that Bruce Wayne would be a PC gamer.

Duke Nukem Forever, Xbox 360 - £14.13 delivered


This is the Asian version, but it is in English, and totally region free. You probably won't be able to trade it in, but it's a saving of nearly £6 compared to the next best price.


The only real problem is that it's not very good. Dan dissected it in detail in his scathing 3/10 review:


"In the end, you feel every year of Duke Nukem Forever's ridiculous, fractured development seeping out of each unsatisfying frame. With four studios sharing title space in the opening animation, and end credits which run for almost 10 minutes, the weight of so many false starts, dead ends and endlessly revised design documents proves too much. For all his muscle and bravado, Duke Nukem is actually a fragile creature. His legacy is based on a specific combination of time and technology and a mercurial element of fun that simply doesn't lend itself to repetition, especially after so long in limbo."


But maybe you want to see this car crash for yourself. This is certainly better than paying full price for it.








Star Wars: The Old Republic, PC - £27.29 delivered


EA is having a laugh with its price of £45 for this from Origin. The retail price represents a saving of 40% compared to buying it direct from EA, so if you are dead set on jumping into BioWare's Old Republic MMO on day one, I'd suggest getting your order in now.


John previewed this back in May:


"Once again, we've been treated to an awfully generous slice of this long-awaited online world. But inevitably, and with so much potential on show, we find ourselves asking the nagging question that lingers after every preview of The Old Republic. Where exactly is the long-term MMO in this most epic – and infamously costly – of MMOs?"


Where indeed. Stick with Eurogamer for the latest on The Old Republic, and you can always cancel your preorder if it looks naff.

Mount & Blade Complete, PC - £8.74


Here you get all three entries in the wonderful, but messy, Mount & Blade series.


Here's Tim on the latest entry, With Fire & Sword, which he scored at 6/10:


"The worst accusation I can hurl at With Fire & Sword is also the kindest compliment I can pay it. Despite the new setting, infernal weaponry and bespoke story quests, most of the time the game plays just like Warband or the original Mount & Blade. The majority of the bread-and-butter activities are nigh identical, as is the pace and pattern of play. Once the novelty of gunpowder has worn off, series veterans may find themselves wandering back to familiar pastures - or wondering whether one of the tastier Caravanserai offerings (some of which also supply musket action) wouldn't have provided as much pleasure."


Dan covered the first one here.

Deal of the week

Crayon Physics Deluxe, Cogs, VVVVVV, Hammerfight, And Yet It Moves, PC/Mac/Linux – Pay what you want

Video: That seems like a good thing.


It's the Humble Indie Bundle 3, and it's an excellent selection of some of the best games from the last few years.


John gave Crayon Physics Deluxe a loving 7/10 review, saying it was "well worth the USD 20". Cogs got an 8/10 from Kristan. Oli gave VVVVVV a solid 8/10 - and that was before it had mod tools, an updated engine, and bonus levels from Notch and others. Kristan reviewed the WiiWare version of And Yet It Moves here, but you're on your own for Hammerfight. Sorry.


All these games are DRM free, cross platform on PC, Mac and Linux, come with a code for activation on Steam and/or Desura, and all at the price of your choosing. It's a must have deal.

Also of note this week...

Hard Lines, iPhone/iPad – Free


Visit SavyGamer.co.uk for your gaming bargain needs throughout the week, and hassle me on Twitter if you ever want a particular game for cheap.

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