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The Political Machine 2008 v1.5 Update Now Available!

Stardock has updated its popular PC strategy game, The Political Machine to include the new Vice Presidential candidates along with adding a host of compelling new features. The Political Machine puts players in the role of a Presidential candidate on the campaign trail making speeches, buying ads, hiring spin doctors and consultants, raising money, and going on cable news shows. The Political Machine v1.5 includes vastly enhanced multiplayer features including supporting match-making vi... [read more]

9/10/2008 By Zoomba in Political Machine News

ShackNews Interview with Brad Wardell (Part 2)

Yesterday I posted the first part of the interview with Stardock CEO Brad Wardell by ShackNews. Part 2 of the interview goes into Stardock’s appearance at PAX ‘08, the upcoming game Demigod , and the upcoming turn-based fantasy strategy game that Stardock is currently working on. Another quick excerpt: “ Shack : How was your time at PAX? Brad Wardell : It was great. That was so fun. Because we were out there and we had the Gas Powered Games guys [Supreme... [read more]

9/10/2008 By Island Dog in Sins News

ShackNews Interview with Brad Wardell (Part 1)

ShackNews has a two-part interview with Stardock CEO, Brad Wardell. The first part talks about the plan to “revitalize” PC gaming. It also covers Stardock's stance on copy-protection. A quick excerpt: " Shack: A lot of people think the solution is making games that are so connected with the online experience that everything is validated online, patched online, controlled through the internet. But what you're talking about is an offline, almost traditional solution.... [read more]

9/9/2008 By Island Dog in Sins News

PM2008 - Multiplayer Nights?

Once 1.5 is released, and multiplayer get's easier to manage (the Impulse intergration is nice ), I'd like to come up with a night where people can come on and KNOW there are going to be other players online. So which night would it be? My best nights would be Monday, Tuesday, or Wedensday. End of the week is much too hectic. Plus then we could call the nights 'Political Machine Mondays', 'Super Tuesdays' or 'Washington Wedensdays'. ...perhaps something better for Wedensdays [read more]

9/6/2008 By ScottTykoski in Political Machine News

Paste Magazine Reviews TPM

Paste Magazine has published their review of The Political Machine 2008. It's a quick, but great review of the game which you can purchase for yourself here . " The Political Machineobserves the whole affair without editorializing in favor of one partyor another. When it does tweak the election’s unsavory aspects, it’swith a “pox on both your houses” attitude. All candidates can hire PRgurus, smear merchants and thugs to disrupt polling on election day.Winnin... [read more]

9/3/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

Stardock Announces "The Gamers Bill of Rights"

Stardock announced today the Gamer’s Bill of Rights: a statement of principles that it hopes will encourage the PC game industry to adopt standards that are more supportive of PC gamers. The document contains 10 specific “rights” that video game enthusiasts can expect from Stardock as an independent developer and publisher that it hopes that other publishers will embrace. The Bill of Rights is featured on Stardock’s website (www.stardock.com) and is on prominent display i... [read more]

8/29/2008 By Zoomba in Sins News

Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment Announced!

Today Stardock & Ironclad Games are proud to announce the first of several micro-expansion packs, for the award-winning Sins of a Solar Empire. The first micro-expansion Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment is currently in development and will be released late 2008 for $9.95 via Stardock’s Impulse digital distribution platform (www.impulsedriven.com). Developed by Ironclad Games, Sins of a Solar Empire is a real-time strategy game that adds an extreme amount of depth normall... [read more]

8/29/2008 By Zoomba in Sins News

Stardock will be at PAX

Stardock will have a booth at the Penny Arcade Expo ( PAX ) this weekend. Stop by and say hi if you're going to be there. There will be game demos to check out and various Stardock employees there to chat with. We'll also have an area where you can purchase some of our games. You could probably get them signed too, if you wanted. Should be a fun weekend. ~C [read more]

8/28/2008 By CharlesLentz in Political Machine News

Impulse - Phase II Released

Stardock is excited to announce that “phase two” of its digital download platform, Impulse, has begun and all updates, new games and software applications will soon be live. Phase two of Impulse sees new games from 2k ( Civilizations III, Shattered Union, Sid Meier’s Pirates! and Sid Meier’s Railroads! ) and Tilted Mill’s Children of the Nile enhanced edition. New software applications include a host of Corel applications like WordPerfect Office X4, CorelDR... [read more]

8/27/2008 By Island Dog in Sins News

Impulse - Phase II

Stardock is excited to announce that “phase two” of its digital download platform, Impulse, has begun and all updates, new games and software applications will soon be live. Phase two of Impulse sees new games from 2k ( Civilizations III, Shattered Union, Sid Meier’s Pirates! and Sid Meier’s Railroads! ) and Tilted Mill’s Children of the Nile enhanced edition. New software applications include a host of Corel applications like WordPerfect Office X4, CorelDRAW ... [read more]

8/27/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

Impulse Phase 2 Preview

In June we launched our next-generation digital distribution platform, Impulse. And in July, we released the beta of the mega update to Sins of a Solar Empire that Ironclad has been working long and hard on. There's been a lot of talk about Impulse (pro and con) since then. Our tentative date for the final version of Sins of a Solar Empire v1.1 is mid September. We want to have plenty of time to address your feedback and Ironclad has been doing a great job in implementing featu... [read more]

8/18/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

Gaming Nexus Reviews The Political Machine

The folks over at GamingNexus.com took The Political Machine on a ride, and now you can read their take on it. The Political Machine 2008 gets a grade of a B- in their review. "I feel much the same about the 2008 outing—there’s a fun little game here, and while it won’t hold a coveted place on my hard drive, I’ll certainly give this a few more goes while the real general election is grinding on. For the bargain price, political aficionados and strategy gamers... [read more]

8/8/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

Video Game Generation Reviews TPM!

Video Game Generation takes a look and gives their review of The Political Machine 2008. They give a pretty thorough review and walk through many of the scenarios found in The Political Machine. A quick excerpt: "One of my favorite parts of the game is the TV appearances. They have a60 Minutes knockoff, a show in the vein of the O’Reilly Factor orHardball, and a Stephen Colbert-styled show. My only quirk is thatthese media events don’t occur nearly enough. I&rsquo... [read more]

7/30/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

Sins Now Available in France

French games publication, Cyberstrategie , has sent word to us that Sins of a Solar Empire is now available in their home country. Sins can now be found at retail locations around France for 39.99 Euros. For more information and details, please check out Cyberstrategie's news story: http://www.cyberstratege.com/magazine/2008/07/sins-of-a-solar-empire-arrive-enfin-en-vf/ [read more]

7/25/2008 By Yarlen in Sins News

Sins of a Solar Empire v1.1 Beta has Arrived

The next major update for Sins of a Solar Empire, the best-selling PC strategy game of 2008 that puts the player in command of an interstellar empire at war, is here! Since this new update is huge and contains several brand new technologies, we're going to be offering it as an optional beta for those who want to help test it out and provide feedback. Version 1.1 not only includes a host of play balancing changes but new content such as an updated graphics engine, updated visuals, new da... [read more]

7/24/2008 By Yarlen in Sins News

G4TV Nominates Sins for Strategy Game of the Year

While earlier than I think anyone saw it coming, G4TV has nominated Sins of a Solar Empire for Strategy Game of the Year! This puts Sins up against only one other PC game (World in Conflict) while the other nominees are console titles. Check out the link below for the details: http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/features/27273/Best_Strategy_Game_Nominees.html [read more]

7/24/2008 By Yarlen in Sins News

Sins v1.1 Beta Set for Thursday

The Sins of a Solar Empire version 1.1 BETA test is set to begin on Thursday, July 24th! For more information on the BETA test and what it entails, please visit the forum thread at: https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/319061 [read more]

7/23/2008 By Yarlen in Sins News

PM2008 Version 1.04 Released!

Today the Political Machine team put the finishing touches on 1.04, an update that adds some new candidates to the fold (Gravel, Huckabee, and Kicinich), as well as a 'Simple Icon' mode that will add some pep to the game on slower machines. Users will also see a significant improvement in memory usage and a slew of new candidate peices to use when building your political avatar! Check out the link for more details! [read more]

7/22/2008 By ScottTykoski in Political Machine News

The Political Machine 2008 Official Trailer

The great team at Stardock have put together the official trailer for The Political Machine 2008. Check it out and share with your friends! [read more]

7/17/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

GamePro Gives The Political Machine 2008 4.5/5

Andrew Dagley over at GamePro.com reviewed The Political Machine 2008 recently and gave it a glowing 4.5/5 score. He talks at length about many options in the campaigns, and how issues and state political biases play out in the game. The Political Machine doesn't disappoint, offering an excellentimprovement over the last version released four years ago - but it'sultimately hamstrung by some nagging issues and the lack offull-fledged improvements. Be sure to read the full re... [read more]

7/8/2008 By Zoomba in Political Machine News

Softpedia's Political Machine 2008 Review

Softpedia has weighed in and given their review of The Political Machine 2008. It's a thorough review with a load of screenshoots as well. "Get this game. Try it out and see how you do in a simple match up. Readup on the Internet about all the things that you do not understand.Read CNN or major blogs for political news. Read statistical dataregarding the voting preferences of the white male population of Ohioand then look up information on by how many votes Al Gore lost theelect... [read more]

7/7/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

GameStooge TPM Contest Winner Announced

The folks over at GameStooge.com were running a contest to win a copy of The Political Machine 2008. The contest was for anyone who submitted their own version of a campaign slogan. There were many entries and the winner with the best slogan was announced today! The winner was Damian G. and his winning slogan was... “I’m not running for just the Right or the Left. I’m running for theup, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, A, B, B, A, start.” C... [read more]

7/1/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

GamePro gives The Political Machine 4.5/5

The reviews keep rolling in and the latest is from GamePro.com. They give The Political Machine a review and gave it 4.5 out of 5 and Editors Choice Award! "As it stands The Political Machine 2008 is a fine follow-up toStardock's earlier political gem. Though most games only last an hoursor two, the game offers enough to keep potential candidates coming backfrom just one more campaign. Political junkies will almost certainlyfind themselves sucked in, along with those who have only a sm... [read more]

6/30/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

Sins of a Solar Empire v1.1 BETA Coming Soon

The next major update for Sins of a Solar Empire is coming in mid-July! In fact, it's so huge that we're going to be offering it as an optional beta for those who want to help test it out and provide feedback. Click through for all the details on what's coming in mid-July. [ Version 1.1 Beta Change Log ] [read more]

6/27/2008 By Yarlen in Sins News

Philly.com Press Play Reviews The Political Machine

Press Play, the video game entertainment section of Philly.com gives a review of The Political Machine 2008. Gaming columnist, Dennis McCauley, takes TPM through its paces with Barack Obama at the helm. He tried several running mates including Hillary Clinton and Al Gore, and gives a good perspective on what The Political Machine is all about. In the game, players assume the role of presidential campaign managerfor the candidate of their choice. A number of 2008 contenders areav... [read more]

6/27/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

The Political Machine 1.03 Update Released!

The 1.03 update for The Political Machine 2008 has been released. You can download the update via Impulse. + NEW: 60 Seconds Interview Forum + TWEAK: Added code to increase the amount of scaling done to map objects once they surpass a certain threshold. + Added a slider in the options window to control this. + 1 means smaller icons with more objects, five means larger size; five is the default. + Added "MapIconScaleRate" to ... [read more]

6/26/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

gameSlave (UK) Reviews Sins

With the boxed version of Sins being released in the UK recently, gameSlave takes a detailed look at Sins of a Solar Empire. Using their very own Iron Forge engine, the rookie developer hasmanaged to re-define 'space strategy' by using a delicate combinationof control, innovation and sheer scale. Trying to make the physics of a game feel as real and as plausible as possible, whilst stillmaking it fun to play, is a delicate balancing act - yet Ironclad doesit oh so well. Go ch... [read more]

6/26/2008 By Island Dog in Sins News

Rock, Paper, Shotgun Gives Political Machine a Spin

Rock, Paper, Shotgun takes The Political Machine for a spin, and they even went as far as making Dick Cheney President. They take a unique and entertaining look at TPM, with once again, a lot of attention to what you can make Cheney do. "Meanwhile I’m accruing political clout and PR influence by constructingheadquarters across the country. The former buys me the support oflobby groups such as hard-right christians or gun nuts, the latter Ican spend on agents who’ll in... [read more]

6/24/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

Ripten Reviews TPM 2008!

Ripten has went ahead and posted a review of the Political Machine 2008 this past weekend. It's a great review with a great bit of humor as well. "At first glance this downloadable game looks a bit like Civilization, but on a scale of 41 weeks instead of 4,100 years. Also, instead of a whole world to explore, you are limited to the 50 United States (suck it, Guam!), and there is no “fog of war” obscuring your view of the nation. While there is no rolling blackne... [read more]

6/23/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

Reuters Takes a Look at The Political Machine

Reuters take a big look at The Political Machine 2008 today in their technology section. I say big because this article spans 3 pages and goes in depth about the game and some of the mechanics behind it. There's also several quotes from Brad Wardell about the game and the upcoming election. " As a candidate you have to make some choices that are difficult.How people feel about illegal immigration in New York is different thanhow the fell about it in, say, Arizona," Wardell said. ... [read more]

6/20/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

GameStooge is Giving Away a copy of TPM 2008!

The fine folks over at GameStooge.com are giving away a free copy of The Political Machine 2008! Entering is quick and easy, all you have to do is head on over to their contest post , and leave a comment with your best political slogan on why someone should vote for YOU in the 2008 Presidential Race. They're accepting entries until 11:59pm EST on June 30th, with the winner announced on July 1st. Enter here . [read more]

6/20/2008 By Zoomba in Political Machine News

MSNBC Interview About The Political Machine 2008

MSNBC's David Shuster talks with Brad Wardell about the release of The Political Machine 2008. It's a quick interview, but Brad gives some insight on some possible battleground states, and just some great info about The Political Machine 2008. Link: MSNBC Video [read more]

6/17/2008 By Island Dog in Political Machine News

A Guided Tour of The Political Machine

Just learning about The Political Machine? Take this guided tour through the game with tips and tricks to get the most out of it. https://forums.politicalmachine.com/315289 [read more]

6/17/2008 By Frogboy in Political Machine News

Pre-Order availability

For those of you who pre-ordered, the batch job for sending out emails was quicker than the batch job for activating said serials. So some users received a "account expired" message. We're about to send out a second email job to let people know that the activation has completed. We apologize for any inconvenience. [read more]

6/17/2008 By Frogboy in Political Machine News

The Political Machine released!

PLYMOUTH, MI – June 17, 2008 – Today Stardock ( www.stardock.com ) released The Political Machine 2008, the highly anticipated follow-up to its 2004 smash hit. The Political Machine 2008 is a PC game that puts players in control of the 2008 presidential campaign. Play as the campaign manager for a host of candidates including Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, historical candidates or design one from scratch. The game is available at major U.S. retail outlets as well as directly fr... [read more]

6/17/2008 By Frogboy in Political Machine News

The Political Machine 2008 Now Available!

Today we're proud to announce the release of The Political Machine 2008 , the highly anticipated follow-up to our 2004 smash hit. The Political Machine 2008 is a PC game that puts players in control of the 2008 presidential campaign. Play as the campaign manager for a host of candidates including Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, historical candidates or design one from scratch. The game is available at major U.S. retail outlets as well as directly from www.politicalmachi... [read more]

6/17/2008 By Zoomba in Political Machine News

Impulse Arrives: Next Generation PC platform

PLYMOUTH, MI – June 17, 2008 – With the backing of industry powerhouse games and software developers and publishers, Stardock today announced the launch of its next-generation digital distribution platform, Impulse (www.impulsedriven.com). Impulse is a cohesive, integrated virtual platform for consumers and developers that is designed to simplify buying, supporting, and developing PC games and applications for Windows XP and Vista. "Impulse is a platform first, a store second," said Brad W... [read more]

6/17/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

Brad's Impulse Launch Review

Today's the day Impulse launches to the public with much fanfare and celebration. In anticipation of the release, Brad Wardell walked through what will be available in Impulse on release, and a few sneak peeks at what will be added in the comming weeks and months. It's required reading before you get the final version later today. It will answer a lot of questions and hopefully clear up a lot of confusion of what Impulse is, what it isn't, and what it can and can not do. ... [read more]

6/17/2008 By Zoomba in Sins News

Impulse this week!

For two years now, Stardock has been developing a next generation digital distribution platform. Called Impulse, it is far more than a program that lets users purchase software and update. It is designed to open the door for developers and publishers to add new features to their programs and easily distribute them as well as providing an integrated community experience and let a player's various games all work together. Check out the Impulse preview to get a better idea of what Impu... [read more]

6/15/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

Win a Copy of Sins at Rock, Paper, Shotgun

The fine folks over at the gaming site Rock, Paper, Shotgun are giving away five copies of Sins of a Solar Empire, the surprise strategy game hit of 2008. The best part is that entering could not be easier! Here's what you have to do: Here’s the question: What is the best line of dialogue ever to beuttered in a science fiction capacity? This means it must be a linefrom a science fiction movie, TV-show, or videogame. Since I'm willing to venture a guess that a lot of you are... [read more]

6/12/2008 By Zoomba in Sins News

Stardock Game News