This thread on the Savage 2 forum offers word that the online first-person shooter/strategy hybrid is having a free weekend where all demo accounts will have full access to the game, as well as get the opportunity to win cash prizes.

It will start this Friday and run through till Monday. The top total experience earners will win prizes starting from $50 to the maximum of $250. There will also be other rewards.

It’s no secret that developing on the PS3 is difficult, or in other words “more challenging” than the Xbox 360, but it’s always news when a developer publicly admits it.

The latest one comes from Massive Entertainment, the studio behind the console port of World in Conflict. Originally released for PC last year, the game is now being reworked for PS3 and Xbox 360; the developer has gone on record to say that the PS3 version has been the more challenging platform of the two, but they still plan on offering the same content on either consoles, noting that there might still be some minor graphical differences, but that gamers are going to have “virtually identical experiences.”

The console version of the game is expected to be released sometime later this year.

The very first gameplay footage from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 has been released today. In development at EA Los Angeles, the studio behind Tiberium Wars, RA3 will add co-op campaign play, new units and a new Japanese faction.

The game is slated for release this October; a beta test is scheduled ahead of its release.

Hoping to cater to battle strategy gamers, Ascaron Entertainment sent out word that it will release a Blitzkrieg 2 Anthology next month. The set includes Blitzkrieg 2 and its two expansions - Liberation and Fall of the Reich.

The original game let players command German, American and Russian WW2 armies, taking charge of more than 250 types of historically accurate units, including 60 types of ground infantry. There are over 80 missions and 15 multiplayer maps. The add-ons expand on this by offering two more campaigns, three major offensives and more.

Blueside, the developer of the Kingdom Under Fire series, has revealed to 1UP through an interview that they are working on another game in the series that goes back to its roots.

“We are currently working on a ‘traditional’ real-time strategy sequel to The Crusaders, as well,” Blueside’s Henry Lee disclosed.

The upcoming game, Circle of Doom, takes a more action-oriented approach to the original’s real-time tactical battles. It is due out on January 8, 2008 on Xbox 360.

The development of an add-on for Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory was announced earlier this week. Dubbed the “Ardennes Offensive”, the expansion will feature two campaigns playable for Germans and Allies, plus a campaign playable for the German and Soviet sides. Multiplayer maps and new features will also be included.

Set for release in April 2008, the add-on will feature fully interactive landscapes, massive maps, thousands of units fighting in real time, more than 300 new units, advanced micro-AI behavior, and even more.

3000AD has announced Galactic Command: Echo Squad Second Edition, a reworked version of the game that was previously exclusive to GameTap. Set for release next month, the Second Edition features several of the company’s new technologies, gameplay improvements and revisions over their earlier titles.

More information on the game, including a version control file and media have been put up on their website.

Some new patches, most notably the UT3 one:

• Democracy 2 v1.01 on the official website

• Napoleon’s Campaigns v1.02 on the AGEOD forums, AtomicGamer, FileFront and Gamer’s Hell

• Unreal Tournament 3 v1.1 on Epic Games’ forums, 4players.de, AtomicGamer, AusGamers, ComputerGames.ro, FileFront, FileShack, Gameguru Mania, Gamer’s Hell, Internode Games Network, The Patches Scrolls and PixelRage

Apparently, Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of United Kingdom, resorts to Democracy to make sure he’s making the right decisions. Or at least that’s what Ascaron, the game’s publisher, wants us to believe anyway.

The game is due out February 2008 and lets players take on the role of a country’s leader, running the country and choosing between policies to maintain the majority vote.

With mounting pressure from the back benchers to review unpopular policy, the PM needs to carefully assess political strategy to gain the largest share of the vote to stay in power. But you won’t be able to keep everyone happy all of the time, so tread cautiously as popular policy may not be in the best interests of the country.

With an unpopular war being waged in the East and financial meltdown coming from the sub prime markets in the West, the UK government needs to take a firm and steady stance to appeal to the mass vote and win through. Tough political decisions lie ahead…

Do you withdraw British troops from Iraq to gain approval from the masses back home but expose the world to the increasing threat of terrorism? Do you maintain the unpopular increase in interest rates to safe guard from recession or opt for the more popular cut in interest rates and risk increasing the level of consumer debt in the UK? Winter bird flu is back on the agenda - do health services need a boost?

THQ, in conjunction with Games Workshop and a team of professional modelers, has announced that it has created a limited set of six exclusive Squad Command themed PSP consoles, one of which it will give away in the UK through an exclusive competition. All users have to do is enter the competition on the publisher’s website and test their luck; there are copies of the game for runners-up, too.

Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command is the first portable title in the series, offering turn-based action strategy combat on the go. It features 15 single-player missions, as well as various multiplayer modes playable over nine multiplayer maps with up to eight players.

Battlefront sends word that they are looking for beta testers for Histwar: Les Grognardo, its upcoming Napoleonic wargame. The game puts players in charge of a Napoleonic army on the battlefields of the early 19th century. It features a three-tiered AI system, editing and customization, historical accuracy and more.

The official Space Siege website is now online, offering the usual assortment of info, screenshots, video, forums and more from the upcoming RTS project from Gas Powered Games.

ND Games has announced 9th Company: Roots of Terror, a new action-oriented RTS developed by Lesta Studios, creators of Pacific Storm, using their proprietary engine.

Set for release during Q2 2008, the game is based on actual events that took place during the Soviet military campaign in Afghanistan. It follows the story of young recruits undergoing brutal training, culminating in a stand against the Mujahideen warriors Here’s the deal:

9th Company recreates in detail the events that took place during the last large-scale Soviet military operation. Few know the history: the 9th Company of the 345th Guards Airborne Regiment came under heavy fire on “Hill 3234″ on January 7th, 1988. They managed to stop several attacks by an estimated 400 Mujahideen and Pakistani mercenaries and held their position for two gory days. The company lost 6 men, and the remaining 28 of the total 39 were wounded. Two 9th Company soldiers were posthumously awarded the Golden Star medal and the title of Soviet Hero.

Game features:

• Warfare on two tactical levels: use the area operations map to choose your mission or explore 12 unique and highly detailed tactical maps of Afghanistan.
  
• Stunning 3D graphics and a spectacular physics engine guarantee a one-of-a-kind experience in destroying any mechanized unit or building.
  
• Merit reward and in-combat morale system for every character and advanced hit location system for mechanized units make tactical battles even more realistic.
  
• A complex system of tactical behavior and firepower control for mechanized infantry, assault, reconnaissance and special operations units. More than 80 different unit types.
  
• Nonlinear mission structure.

The Command & Conquer series has marched its way through a decade of awesomeness. To celebrate that, EA announced a new compilation title dubbed Command & Conquer Saga, which includes all of the Westwood Studios and EA titles as well as the recently-released C&C3: Tiberium Wars.

The package consists of 13 titles in total and will be released sometime this month for $50. Below is the full list:

• Command & Conquer (August 1995)
  
• Command & Conquer - The Covert Operations (April 1996)
  
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert (October 1996)
  
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Counterstrike (March 1997)
  
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert - The Aftermath (September 1997)
  
• Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (August 1999)
  
• Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun - Firestorm (February 2000)
  
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (October 2000)
  
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 - Yuri’s Revenge (October 2001)
  
• Command & Conquer: Renegade (February 2002)
  
• Command & Conquer: Generals (February 2003)
  
• Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour (September 2003)
  
• Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (March 2007)

Strategy-outfit Strategy First has announced its plans to publish Urban Empires, an upcoming RTS-cum-FPS in development at Radioactive Software. The game is scheduled for release early next year.

Urban Empires features two gameplay modes: Command and Action, allowing players to switch between macro management and individual action in an instant. It will include 30 weapons, Ageia PhysX support, 20 vehicles, Internet music player with 20 channels, City editor, 9 different gangs and more. Unfortunately, it will be online-multiplayer-based and will not include a single-player campaign. However, players will be able to take part in offline matches with bots.