Coming as good news from the Red Orchestra site is word that a free trial for the World War II shooter will be available through Steam from August 2 through August 7. During this time, players can download and play the full version of the game.

For owners of the title, a free Booster Pack will be released soon. No definite release date was provided, but details on the pack are available; it will offer a full new map – Lyes Krovy; a new weapon system (smoke grenades); two new weapons – the German MP41 sub-machine gun and the Soviet M44 rifle; and numerous other changes.

First up, the demos:

• Dead or Alive 4 (Xbox 360)
  
• Table Tennis (Xbox 360)
  
• Sword of the Stars on 3D Downloads, 3D Gamers, Computer Games, FileFront, FilePlanet, Gamer’s Hell, VGPRO and Worthplaying

• GODS: Lands of Infinity v1.40 on the Official Website
  
• Out of the Park Baseball 2006 v1.0.2 on the Official Website
  
• Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War v1.12 (UK) on Midway’s FTP Server
  
• SÖLDNER v33673 on 3D Downloads, 3D Gamers, Gamer’s Hell, VGPRO and Worthplaying
  
• Titan Quest v1.11 on 3D Gamers, FileFront, FileShack, Gamer’s Hell and Worthplaying

As reported by Major Nelson, the “Collateral Damage Pack” for The Outfit is now available for free, previously worth 500 Microsoft points.

The map pack offers three new maps, including the Luftwaffe Finale, Bleak Mile and Eagle’s Nest, all of which offer various gameplay modes.

Coming from the genius behind the awesomely amazing Alice, American McGee’s Bad Day: LA has gotten itself a publisher in Europe: Lexicon Entertainment. The game is due out during Q4 2006 in UK and PAL territories on PC.

McGee’s latest game, “Bad Day LA,” is a spoof of disaster films like “The Day After Tomorrow.” “In simple terms, ‘Bad Day LA’ is every blockbuster disaster film funneled into one insane day as experienced from the perspective of the world’s ultimate politically incorrect antihero,” McGee said, adding that the story and events are meant to humorously highlight what he called the ridiculous nature of the “fear culture” in the U.S.

Los Angeles resident McGee said that the game will bring the vibe of the city into this context. For example, in the midst of natural disasters, the game’s residents remain on their cell phones as they watch citizens on fire run down the street.

The protagonist is a homeless man who abandoned his privileged life as a successful Hollywood agent after losing his self-respect. McGee said supporting characters in the game are a recognizable cross section of broad stereotypes, including a blond Beverly Hills bimbo, a Hispanic yard worker, a gung-ho action hero and a middle-class white kid.

Although the game will not use celebrity talent, McGee said certain household names provided inspiration for several of the main characters. Among those he cited are Dave Chappelle, Haley Joel Osment, Danny Trejo, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Paris Hilton.

McGee is in talks with publishers for distribution in North America and other territories.

Starting tomorrow, British PSP gamers can head on over to the Oxford Street or Milton Keynes branch of GAME to download music, videos and game demos from PlayStation Spots. Offering downloadable content via WLAN, the Spot will be host to exclusive content for PSP owners, including new music videos, game demos, movie trailers and image galleries.

To celebrate the launch, GAME in Crown Walk, Milton Keynes will be hosting a LocoRoco Funday that will see a Ceramic White PSP given away complete with software.

Further information, including details on available content, can be found on PlayStation Spot’s official website.

Summer cleaning has been going on at full force at Square Enix and Blizzard recently, as the two companies have announced that they have banned accounts from Final Fantasy XI and World of Warcraft, respectively, doe to “suspicious” activities and cheating.

In an update on the Final Fantasy XI website, the publisher states that after investigation, over 2000 PlayOnline accounts have been either suspended or terminated July 21 due to “malicious and intentional use of third-party tools.” The update also mentions that the publisher is not friendly towards RMT (Real Money Trade) activities and will be breaking down on individuals who carry out these sort of transactions.

On the Blizzard front, World of Warcraft has been approximately 59,000 bans, as well as the removal of 22 million gold from the total economy to eliminate cheating in the extremely popular MMORPG. The company also called for players to take action against suspicious users by reporting them to in-game GMs, or emailing details to hacks@blizzard.com.

This forum thread on GameReplays.org is host to a response from “EA Apoc”, an EA community representative, who confirms rumors of a Battle for Middle-earth Ii add-on, offering the title of the project: The Rise of the Witch-king.

Ever wanted to sing your way to stardom, but couldn’t due to the fact that you suck at singing? Well, SCEA is bringing over SCE London’s popular SingStar karaoke franchise for PS2 to North America this Fall, letting aspiring singers check out their skills without being mocked by strangers or neighbors.

As stated above, the game is set for release this Fall and will support up to 8 players. It will come bundled with two karaoke microphones and 30 songs; the game will also support the EyeToy camera, allowing players to insert their own images into music videos.

This Fall will be witness to thousands of bad singers across the States.

Those who like turn-based strategy games and the American Civil War can rejoice, because Matrix Games has announced Forge of Freedom, an upcoming strategy title based on the Crown of Glory engine.

As the leader of the Union or the Confederacy, you will be faced with historical decisions on the military, economic and diplomatic strategies to pursue. The diplomatic and economic systems have been streamlined and improved since Crown of Glory to be more user-friendly and also suited to the period. Rather than multiple minor nations, each state has its own Governor and they will make demands on you and shift their attitudes according to events. In addition, you will have to manage diplomacy with the European powers to try to sway them towards or against intervention. Over 1,000 historical generals are included along with an option to know their abilities ahead of time or have to find out the hard way, as happened historically. Railroads, rivers and cities all play important roles, as do elections which occur at both state and national levels. Every effort has been made to bring you as thorough a simulation of the American Civil War as is possible, from 1860 to 1865, from the skirmishes and raids in the West to the pitched battles in the East and the Naval blockade.

Further details on the game can be found on the publisher’s website.

From ZOO Digital comes word that the publisher is set to launch Premier Manager 2006-2007 in time for the new Premiership season. The latest entry in the simulation series will see itself make it to stores in the UK on August 18 for PS2 and PC.

Premier Manager 2006-2007 will be a massive overhaul from last year’s version and will feature much improved navigation and an updated player database to result in an enhanced gamer experience. Players can manage teams in England, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and Scotland in both domestic and European competitions giving them great scope in their quest for silverware.

The title will retail for £20 and is available for pre-order from ZOO’s website.

Summer is usually a dull time for gaming, but Square Enix’s lineup for the season just warmed things up. The publisher will release three new games for the PS2 and DS this summer, along with a PSP game that has already been released.

Already released is Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth for the PSP, which will be followed by Dirge of Cerberus, the Final Fantasy-spinoff title that features Vincent as the main character, for the PS2 on August 15. The following month will see the release of Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (DS) and Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (PS2) on 19 and 26 September, respectively.

The Greatest Hits lineup for the PSP is now available, letting gamers in North America check out up to five PSP titles at $20 each. The most popular first-party titles have made the first cut: Ape Escape: On the Loose, ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin’ Trails, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee, Twisted Metal: Head On and Wipeout Pure.

Additional third-party titles will join the Greatest Hits program later this year, including Lumines, Midnight Club 3, Star Wars Battlefront II, Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix and Untold Legends.