Village Gamer

For those among us who are awaiting the release of Thief 4 which is currently under development at Eidos Montreal, Mastertronic has released Thief – The Complete Collection for PC, which contains all three original Thief titles. Defining stealth adventures, including the ultra-rare Gold edition of the first Thief game, the Thief franchise puts the player in the silent shoes of acolyte Garrett as he prowls his way around the City, treating gamers to an astounding visual experience. Thief – The Complete Collection retails at £9.77 on Mastertronic’s retail site. I did check several Canadian game retail sites, but could not find any listings for this compilation for sale on this side of the Atlantic.

According to a statement on Eidos Montreal’s site, General Manager Stephane D’Astous says that, “Eidos Montreal is in the early development stages for Thief 4, but this is an incredibly ambitious project and a very exciting one. It’s too early for us to offer any specific game details, right now we are focused on recruiting the very best talent to join the core team at the studio and help us make, what we believe will be one of the most exciting games on the market.” To that end, there are several job openings listed on Eidos Montreal’s web site for both Thief 4 and Deus Ex 3.

By all accounts, Klei Entertainment had a very successful presence at PAX 2009, thanks in part to the promotional efforts of Carolyn Carnes of Flash Fire Communications, who conducted a unique and intriguing marketing campaign prior to the expo. There are few details being released about Klei’s upcoming game Shank, but we can tell you that it’s a 2D side-scrolling action adventure title featuring a hero named… Shank. It appears that there will be a wide variety of weaponry, moves and enemies in the game and it’s perhaps scheduled for release in 2010. Klei has not confirmed which platform or platforms the game is being developed for, but they did hint at a possible Mature rating due to levels of violence and splattering of blood which occurs during gameplay.

BattleGoat Studios has released a demo for its upcoming war strategy title, Supreme Ruler 2020 GOLD which will give players the opportunity to engage in three different scenarios including “California Dreaming”, “Ethiopian Empire”, and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” Additionally, strategy fans will have the opportunity to play up to four in-game months at a time.

In Supreme Ruler 2020, choose one nation out of over 250 to rule as you attempt to avoid a world filled with chaos, and eventually, torn apart by an impending World War III. In Global Crisis, the challenge continues as you march through a sandbox-style campaign that pushes the player to make careful and precise decisions based on real-world diplomatic, economic, and political models. Supreme Ruler 2020 GOLD will be available for purchase in retail stores and via digital distribution channels on September 18.

Features:

• Over 30 scenarios spread across the original campaign and the thrilling expansion as players march towards World War III
• Control one of more than 250 territories from around the world in single-player or multiplayer modes
• Use high-resolution NASA satellite imagery to manage your sprawling empire
• Control hundreds of actual military vehicles using a sophisticated tactical command system
• Realistic world using detailed diplomatic, economic, and political models
• Great flexibility, either through modding or a limitlessly customizable Super Sandbox mode