It’s been a long day at the THQ presentation event in north London and, in a moment of typical gaming journalist existence, I’ve forgotten half of what I want to ask my interviewee about the sequel to one of the lesser known but better appreciated RTS titles on PC, Company of Heroes.

Quinn Duffy sits in one of two comfortable chairs, with me taking the other. An experienced Canadian games designer whose enthusiasm for the RTS genre becomes more apparent as we talk, Duffy has had a long day too. Most of it’s been spent answering questions, so in my haste to find something interesting to latch on to I stumble rather spectacularly into the old ‘PC versus console’ subject.

“Do you think in terms of keeping Company of Heroes with the PC crowd you are selling the RTS as a ‘PC only’ product or do you think it’s something you could port to consoles in the future?” I manage, after much preamble.

Duffy doesn’t seem to mind. “I think that the purity of the experience in an RTS is best supported by a PC; people have tried a number of things on consoles with voice command or with controller commands or changing up the control scheme. But the RTS experience – because of the depth of the gameplay, especially in Company of Heroes and Company of Heroes 2 – and the involvement and the intensity of the experience, I think, would be very challenging to develop for console. And until we can build the same experience and give console players the same experience PC players have, I don’t think it would be worth us doing.

“But there are some things I’m personally very excited about for the future, when we talk about the next generation of what PCs will look like – tablets and slates – and how that gives players a chance to engage with a much more tactile gaming experience, so I think that’s really exciting and we’ll see what happens there.”

I’m more relaxed by this point and encouraged by the fact that Duffy is unafraid to state his thoughts on a touchy subject without ambiguity, so we move on directly to Company of Heroes 2 with a question about its content. Relic Entertainment has chosen to depict real nations; real people who were real soldiers in real conflicts. Does Duffy think that by removing the player to the role of directing the combat, rather than participating, something of that pure experience of what it was like for the people involved in these real conflicts and situations is taken away?

“It’s a really interesting question and we approached the development of the game, both the original and the sequel, to counter that very feeling of removal. But so much of what we do in the game is about the presentation of the game; it’s about high fidelity units and thousands of animations, engaging with those soldiers the way an officer would,” Duffy asserts, “An officer has to be similarly removed from the experience. I mean, they’re ordering people to do actions and they’re sometimes ordering people to their deaths, and there’s that burden of command that weighs heavily on those guys.

“We wanted to get just a bit of that into our game. That’s why we put so much effort into helping the player identify with the game, with the controls, that’s why we put so much effort into the audio, so it immerses the player and engages them. Unlike any other RTS, we give the player a deeply emotional experience. I know when I played Company of Heroes and I finished the game, and I had to pry my fingers off the mouse and I sat back – PHEW! – That’s an incredible experience.”

He smiles. “We’re not abstracting; we’re trying to get the player as deeply engaged as possible for the experience, even though it is an RTS.”

Following on from that, then, why not use a completely fictitious setting? Why use troops and nations who are known as being real? Couldn’t you use something else and have that same level of emotional engagement?

“I know people can identify really strongly with fictional environments,” Duffy nods slightly, acknowledging the point but not conceding to it, “I’m always a firm believer that truth is stranger than fiction…and history is so compelling, and as somebody who loves history I love being able to pick the time to set this game, and hopefully people will be interested in the outcome and the experience. We built unique IPs. We built a much-loved world in Homeworld, but we built a much-loved experience in Company of Heroes. And the attraction of that is its authenticity, its history.”

It’s hard to argue with that logic and Duffy’s belief in the material that makes up Company of Heroes 2 as a hard-hitting experience rather than a trip through wonderland is compelling.

So what about the gameplay mechanics themselves?

Obviously now people expect the RTS to become more than the RTS has been in the past, I point out. Players no longer build everything themselves, they’re expected to use every facet of the landscape, any buildings and every piece of situational context that they can. By squashing all of that detail into an RTS model, are there any particular balancing issues that developers have to address with learning curves for new players? Can new players pick up a sequel to something like Company of Heroes and be sold on the controls alone?

“We looked at new systems that felt immediately intuitive. Line-of-sight is intuitive, so there’s really nothing new to learn, it actually feels more accurate and closer to real life expectation than the standard RTS line-of-sight system.

“The new system feels like a natural evolution from Company of Heroes; things like ‘vaulting’. When we looked at the original we were thinking, “Why can’t I get over that wall? Why can’t I climb those stairs?”, because we expect to be able to. In Company of Heroes 2, things like the ‘vaulting’ system match player expectations. By placing these things in the game we’ve created a lot more tactics, a lot more submerging gameplay, but they’re very natural-feeling systems.”

It’s a short interview and he doubtless has a few more to go before the day is done. I thank Quinn Duffy for his time and shake his hand, expressing a vague hope that I asked some questions he hadn’t been hearing all day. “Um, I think you have,” Duffy states in a tone of voice that suggests all interviews eventually bleed into each other.

It’s customary to tell developers you love their work and you’re looking forward to their games, even if you’re not, but after meeting the man who’s put quite a bit of his mind into how Company of Heroes 2 operates I am genuinely enthused. We could all do with something that demands the use of our brains instead of raw killing instinct, and if it’s anywhere near as intelligent as Duffy makes it sound we’re in for a proper treat and it can’t get here soon enough.

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The stunning Collector’s Edition will come in a prestigiously produced folded box, housing an extraordinary arry of contents:

• A steelbook copy of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2
• A ‘Sniper Tactics and History’ hardback book, developed in collaboration with military experts with combat experience
• A lavish artbook with never before published illustrations of environments and characters from the game
• An official soundtrack CD
• The DSR-1 in-game sniper rifle for multiplayer modes
• The Vintorez in-game sniper rifle – AKA the ‘Thread cutter’ – for use in multiplayer modes
• Four exclusive multiplayer playable characters (Diaz, Medox, Marinov and Marine Team Leader)

The Limited Edition offers astonishing value for money, housed in beautiful O-card packaging and includes:

• The Vintorez in-game sniper rifle – AKA the ‘Thread cutter’ – for use in multiplayer modes
• Anderson – game protagonist, ex delta-force sniper wearing an exclusive ghilie suit – as a playable character in multiplater modes.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 takes the bulls-eye precision of its best-selling predecessor to new and exciting heights. Powered by the CryENGINE 3 engine, the missions of  Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 are graphically stunning and more challenging as you once again step into the ghilliesuit of a special ops sniper to take down the enemy.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 will be shooting onto Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on August 21^st 2012.

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These include two new episodes; “Lightning’s Story: Requiem of the Goddess” and “Snow’s Story: Perpetual Battlefield” along with White and Black Mage Costumes and “Mog’s Outfits: A Wondrous Wardrobe,” which includes 16 different costume types for Noel and Serah’s Moogle companion.

About “Lightning’s Story: Requiem of the Goddess”:

This DLC reveals the full arduous battle of Lightning and Caius. Players will be able to take control as Lightning who has a special ability available only for this episode. This episode includes important information relating to the overall storyline of Final Fantasy XIII-2 and players are therefore encouraged to complete the game prior to playing through this new content!

About “Snow’s Story: Perpetual Battlefield”:

Snow is engaged in battles at the Coliseum after being separated from his fiancée, Serah. The episode also features a battle against the “Arbiter of Time,” who has been watching events unfold at the Coliseum. Snow should pose a difficult challenge to players and will allow them to end the Coliseum battles on a high note, and ultimately unlock Snow as a party member.

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Vigil Games and Joe Mad takes you behind the mask and into the story of Darksiders II

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The Darksiders II Collector’s Edition will include The Limited Edition version of the game as well as a life-sized replica Death Mask with display stand, a unique Shadow of Death armour and scythe set with enhanced stats, a digital copy of the Darksiders II sound-track and a hard-cover Darksiders II art book. The Collector’s Edition will be available in limited quantities as a pre-order item only and is anticipated to sell for around £79.99.

In UK & Ireland the Collector’s Edition will be available from GAME, HMV, Amazon, Play.com, Gamestop and other select retailers as well as the THQ.com store.

Jim Huntley, Vice President of Global Brand Marketing commented: “We are pleased to be able to offer the Darksiders II Collector’s Edition to our European fans. Our European Operations team has worked extremely hard in order for us to make this happen. Stock is incredibly limited so pre-order now to avoid disappointment.”

Limited quantities of the Collector’s Edition are still available to pre-order from Gamestop, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Walmart.com, EB Games, the THQ.com store and other select retailers in the US and Canada while stocks last.

The Darksiders II Limited Edition will include the standard retail game along with a unique code allowing the purchaser the opportunity to download the game’s first single player downloadable content pack, Argul’s Tomb for free once it becomes available. All pre-orders of Darksiders II will receive the Limited Edition version of the game at no additional cost.

Darksiders II follows the exploits of DEATH, one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, in an action-packed tale that runs parallel to the events in the original Darksiders game. This epic journey propels DEATH through various light and dark realms as he tries to redeem his brother WAR, the horseman blamed for prematurely starting the Apocalypse in Darksiders.

For full information on pre-order bonuses available for Darksiders II check out the Pre-order tab on www.facebook.com/Darksiders

Darksiders II is scheduled to be available for console and PC in August 2012

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After installing the patch, the fighting system will now offer the possibility to block the attacks of medium to large-sized monsters.
In addition, the patch offers a new dodge move that allows the hero to side-step in a fight.
The patch also includes several balancing tweaks.

New Features:
- Most monster attacks can be now blocked
- Player has the ability to dodge during combat (activated through pressing the direction keys twice)

Tweaks:
- Improved vegetation rendering
- Improved object draw distance
- Improved terrain rendering

Balancing:
- Maximum amount of automatic saves limited to 10
- Improvements in monster combat AI
- Improvements in character AI if they get attacked from behind
- Simplified cannon sabotage in Puerto Isabella
- Merchant on Sword Coast now also sells rum and grog
- Removed exploit for shooting game
- Mara’s health increased
- Stealbeard’s hat can’t be sold anymore

Bugfixes:
- Fixed issue with flickering trees in far distance on Nvidia graphic cards
- Fixed crash with 7.1 sound system configuration
- Fixed issue with SLI graphic cards
- Fixed rarely occurring crash during climbing
- Fixed issue within return to ship option
- Fixed an error with rain in interiors
- Crew members can’t be killed by monsters anymore
- Player will get the cunning potion after crafting
- Fixed issues with skill teachers
- Fixed several exploits

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The eagerly awaited and much talked about Deus Ex will arrive on 16^th May, priced €9.99 / £7.99. In addition Conflict Desert Storm 2 and Conflict Vietnam will launch on 23^rd May and 30^th May respectively, both priced at €6.99 / £5.49.

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From Activision Prototype 2’s first DLC pack, Colossal Mayhem, is available today, while the second DLC pack, Excessive Force, drops on 29^th May, 2012 – each giving fans key add-ons to their arsenal of destruction as well as three all-new custom skins allowing players to parkour their way across NYZ in style. The full contents of Prototype 2’s Colossal Mayhem and Excessive Force DLC packs includes:

Colossal Mayhem Pack

• · Thermobaric Boom-Stick
• · Force Multiplier Powers:
  • o Warp Vortex
  • o Anti Gravity Field
  • o Air Time
  • · Custom Skins:
    • o Heller Test Subject
    • o Infected Heller
    • o Infantry Heller

Excessive Force Pack

• · Viral Infector Grenade Launcher
• · Force Multiplier Powers:
  • o Shockwave
  • o Chaos Creator Mode
  • o Medusa’s Wrath
  • · Custom Skins:
    • o Armoured Heller
    • o Agile Armour Alex Mercer
    • o Zombie Mercer

Both Prototype 2 DLC packs will be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 for 400 Microsoft Points, and on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3 for £3.99. Fans that purchased the Prototype 2 Blackwatch Collector’s Edition will be able to redeem their one-time use code to download the Colossal Mayhem Pack for free beginning today.

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As a true sequel, this game moves the battle away from the common Western Front focus of World War II and refocuses on some of history’s most brutal and devastating conflicts on the Eastern Front, challenging players to take command of the iconic Red Army and repel the Nazi invaders from the very gates of Moscow.

Company of Heroes 2 utilizes Relic Entertainment’s state of the art proprietary Essence 3.0 Engine to bring new technological advancements to the strategy genre in the form of innovative Dynamic Battle Tactics, increased graphical fidelity and new environmental destruction, ultimately putting the player in control with new Commander Abilities.

Greg Wilson, Producer at Relic Entertainment commented, “Company of Heroes 2 is a true successor, introducing a new front, new protagonists and new technology while retaining the unique mix of strategic gameplay and competitive multiplayer that made the original Company of Heroes such a success.”

Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President of Core Games commented, “We are excited to announce a sequel to one of THQ’s best loved properties. Company of Heroes 2 will deliver an amazing strategy experience along with a strong post-launch digital content plan that enhances and expands the product’s lifecycle.”

The original Company of Heroes was released in 2006 to critical acclaim and is currently the highest rated strategy title on Gamerankings.com (with more than five reviews) with an average of 93.82% based on 56 reviews. The game features similar acclaim on Metacritic.com with a Metascore of 93% based on 55 reviews.

Company of Heroes 2 is scheduled to be available for PC in early 2013. For more information check www.companyofheroes.com

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That Game Shop, based in Nottingham, realises that sometimes an independent cannot compete directly on price but instead have come up with some great ideas on giving you value for money for the extra couple of quid that you are paying.

A great example of this is two pre order incentives happening right now.  Assassin’s Creed III is due for release on 31 October and to celebrate this That Game Shop are flying in the voice of Altair from L.A. to personally sign and hand out your pre orders if you collect directly from the store at their midnight launch.  Further still, each pre order of this title will enter the buyer into a draw to win one of three complete sets of signed Assassin’s Creed games plus a hooded Insert Coin top.

But that’s not all.  In an attempt to let you know that they mean business That Game Store has also gone out of its way to secure the services of an, at present classified, special guest who plays a character in this game for their launch of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2.  Suffice to say that this classified guest will sign each Black Ops 2 pre order copy that is sent via post and will also be on hand at their midnight launch event to sign and personally hand over each copy to anyone turning up at the store.  You never know, you may even get a photo or two taken too!

Big things are happening and there is a reason why we have started a partnership like this.  Everyone loves a David and Goliath story and That Game Shop are using their heads to come up with some inventive ideas on how to beat the big guns at their own game.  It may cost a couple of pounds more but I bet you that your game will not have the same personal touch anywhere else!

For more information on the Assassin’s Creed III promotion and how to pre order your copy, head over to their special promo page and show it some love.

For details on the Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 incentive you need to head over to their newly crafted Blacks Ops 2 promotion page and pre order your slice of personal gold.

Remember that if they can secure a drop in price before the release then they will even refund that back onto your card.  Can’t say fairer than that!

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2. Sniper Elite V2′s pre order incentive gets you to assassinate Hitler
3. First Black Ops 2 screenshots appear