Games

Bethesda and Blizzard have released trailers for their upcoming games The Elder Scrolls Online and StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm . Both trailers are unfortunately just CGI 'flavour' trailers rather than showing any gameplay. First up is The Elder Scrolls Online , which takes the Elder Scrolls universe into the MMORPG realm. Set a thousand years before the events of Skyrim , the game will feature the entire continent of Tamriel (including locations already familiar to players of Skyrim and Oblivion ) and will focus on a three-way war for control of the continent: Second is StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm . The long-awaited expansion to StarCraft 2 itself, Heart of the Swarm focuses on the Zerg species and adds RPG elements to the strategy game. The trailer features most of the opening cinematic to the game, apparently: No release date has been set for The Elder Scrolls Online , whilst StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm will be released on PC on 13 March.

Two major new games have been announced for 2013. First up is Company of Heroes 2 . The original Company of Heroes was released in 2006 and was brilliant, easily the finest RTS released since StarCraft (a position it retained in the face of the latter's good-but-unoriginal sequel). Two so-so expansion packs followed, but it was the game's fiercely engaging multiplayer and its ridiculously inventive mod scene that really made it a success. Eastern Front , in particular, was an amazing mod that allowed players to play as the Russians. Company of Heroes 2 is due for release in 2013 and will in fact be focused on the Eastern Front, allowing players to play as the Russians against the invading Germans (no word on if players will be able to play as the Germans as well; I assume so). The first game was noted for its destructible terrain and the sequel will continue to evolve that, with soldiers now able to leap over obstacles and snow forming a barrier which can slow troops and tan...