APB is near death

A short few years ago there was a lot of anticaption for the then still to come Realtime Worlds creation APB. Thoughts of an MMO of sorts in the vein of a Grand Theft Auto game were a huge topic of discussion. A console version of the game was even apart of the conversation as well. But, now that the game has seen the light of day on PC only and largely failed to live up to its high expectations along side financial difficulties from its creators it looks like the end is nearly here already. What will happen to all of the prepaid purchase's made by players is still an unknown. From the APB official forums comes this message:

APB has been a fantastic journey, but unfortunately that journey has come to a premature end. Today we are sad to announce that despite everyone's best efforts to keep the service running; APB is coming to a close. It's been a pleasure working on APB and with all its players. Together we were building an absolutely amazing game, and for that, we thank you. You guys are awesome!

From all of the Realtime World staff we thank you for your continued support.

The servers are still up, so join the party and say goodbye!

- Ben 'APBMonkey' Bateman (Community Officer)

[Via Joystiq]

Chime now available on Steam, with "Still Alive"

Xbox LIVE was previously the only place to find Zoe Mode's Chime. A music puzzle title that finds itself in the fortunate situation of being a vehicle of great charity on behave of OneBigGame. For every purchase 5% of the royalties of the PC version will be donated to charity. Previously 100% of the proceeds from the Xbox LIVE version have already been donated. Additionally this version of the game will include an extra level featuring Jonathan Coulton’s “Still Alive”, made famous by Valve's Portal.

Chime can be found on Steam at the following url for $4.99: http://store.steampowered.com/app/62100/

Cities in Motion GamesCom Trailer

The next title from Paradox Interactive AB, titled Cities in Motion, is a mass transit simulator. Yes, you've heard that right. Much in the same way other sandbox building games are portrayed, you'll be building travel routes throughout the four European cities of Vienna, Helsinki, Berlin, and Amsterdam in both a 12 mission single player and an open sandbox mode.

Features:

- Over 100 unique buildings
- Advanced economy simulation including contractor deals, banking, insurance and fluctuating economic trends
- Play through 100 years of transportation history across four eras between 1920 and 2020
- Choose between over 30 different vehicles based on real-life models including buses, trams, water buses, helicopters and a subway system with underground view
- Real-time city and traffic simulation as people commute between their homes, workplace and social lives.
- Three difficulty levels – easy, medium and hard

Cites in Motion releases in early 2011.

Homefront comes to PC

THQ's upcoming alternate history FPS that was previously only slated for a console landing has been expanded to release on the PC as well. Shown at GamesCom in Cologne, Germany for the first time this week, Homefront will be co-developed for the PC with Bioshock 2 developer Digital Extremes.

“Digital Extremes has a superb track record in PC development,” said David Votypka, General Manager at Kaos Studios, THQ. “While the team here at Kaos is completely focused on the core Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Homefront, our partnership with Digital Extremes means that PC gamers can look forward to a version of the game tailored to the demands of the discerning PC gamer.”

“We’re building on the great game that Kaos Studios is making and enhancing it with specific PC relevant features,” added Frank De Lise, Executive Producer, Digital Extremes. “PC players will be able to set up and host Homefront dedicated servers and enjoy additional community features including clan support. We believe the core PC first-person-shooter fan will really appreciate these features, which are becoming increasingly rare.”

Look out for Homefront in Early 2011 on PC now as well as consoles.

[Via Press Release]