Hussar Games have released a single-player demo for For Liberty!, a turn-based strategy game, including one hypothetical scenario set during the American Revolutionary War. The demo is restricted to a six month play cycle, and limits the numbers and types of units available to the player. The official site provides a list of download mirrors.

The full version of For Liberty! features two campaigns: The American Revolution (against the British) and the lesser known 18th century Hungarian War of Independence (against Austria). The player can choose to play either side in both conflicts. According to the website, historical authenticity has been paramount in the development of the game:


If you just can't get enough turn-based strategy with hexes, you may want to check out another game by Hussar Games named 1848, which is completely free, and focuses on another Hungarian war of independence. They sure do like their independence in Hungary.

Bunnies indeed. If you haven't been part of this viral ad campaign for the lastest installmant in the adventures of a french man who has hands but no arms then you haven't lived!

The question is... are you ready? (2MB)

The assault continues

Run to the cupboard and dust off your copy of Unreal Tournament 2004 - the team from Tactical Ops have announced the release of Tactical Ops: Crossfire 1.2.

Update 1.2 contains all the fixes from version 1.0, as well as three brand new maps; the eye candy of OBJ-Salsa, the Japanese-inspired OBJ-Bushido, and the fast-paced OBJ-Dagger.


Tactical Ops: Crossfire was inspired by the Unreal Tournament counter-terrorism mod TacticalOps, and aims to use that profile to bring Crossfire to a whole new audience via Unreal Tournament 2004.

What the heck are you waiting for? A terrorist to sneak into your bedroom and smack your bottom while you're asleep? Download Tactical Ops: Crossfire 1.2 now!

The mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, is not happy with the upcoming Rainbow Six Vegas and plans to fight against its release. The mayor says the game is "based on a false premise", namely that terrorists have taken over Las Vegas, which Goodman is fairly certain has not actually happened.

The mayor argues that Rainbow Six Vegas could hurt the city economically, presumably because players might mistake a game for an interactive live news feed. Statements from Sheriff Bill Young reveal another reason behind the opposition:


Should moral objections fail, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is investigating whether the game infringes on any Las Vegas trademarks.

There's no word on whether TV's CSI is facing similar objections for its weekly depictions of grisly murders in Vegas.

The fifth Rainbow Six game is due out on consoles later this year, and a PC version of some description is in development.

A single-player demo has been released for Dunes of War, the stand-alone expansion (I'm still trying to understand how that works) to the tank-battle simulator, Panzer Elite Action: Fields of Glory. The demo includes one single mission set in Tunesia and can be downloaded from 3D Gamers.

Panzer Elite Action: Dunes of War follows two separate tank crews - one German, the other American - through the North Africa campaign in World War 2. The full version will ship with multiplayer support for up to 32 players in "Capture The Flag" and "Conquest" modes.

With fast-paced action and a third-person perspective, it is arguable that describing this game as a "simluation" may be overly generous.