Petroglyph Games and Sega have released a free demo of Universe at War: Earth Assault on the Xbox Live Marketplace. This should make  it easier for RTS fans to decide whether this title is worth getting or not. Learn more about the demo in the full article.

Don't you just love the holidays? Everyone's in the spirit of giving, and it seems that game companies are no exception. In the spirit of the season, the folks at Petroglyph have given out a gift to the fans of Universe at War: Earth Assault (Xbox 360, PC), and it's the original soundtrack to the game... all three discs of it.

Some kind words from the game's composer, after the jump!

PC gamers will be glad to know that Petroglyph and Sega have announced that Universe at War has gone gold and is ready for manufacture. Get ready to fight aliens in a future Earth invaded and stripped of its natural resources with clever battle tactics in a sci-fi war of epic proportions.

New trailers for Universe at War: Earth Assault show how three alien factions duke it out. The battles are set in three separate locations on Earth and show how aliens have utter disregard for human civilization. They could have at least put down newspapers.

The first battle is set in none other than Washington DC where the alien factions have decided to tear each other apart just in view of the White House. The second battle is fought on the site of one of our history's oldest civilizations: Egypt, right at the base of the pyramids. The third is set in the suburbs of the Pacific North West.

Check out all three videos in the full article.

PC gamers will not have an upperhand over the Xbox 360 lot after all: the PC version of Petroglyph's Universe at War: Earth Assault's release date has been pushed back to January 2008. It's now a bit closer to the Xbox 360 version release date, which is also set for early next year. The game was slated to be released on November 2 later this year.

However, Sega has decided to look at the setback with a more positive outlook. Said a Sega representative:

The new release date means that both the PC version and Xbox 360 version will launch closer together, allowing gamers to enjoy the full experience of this fantastic RTS from acclaimed developer, Petroglyph.

The first ever third-party game to support cross-platform gaming between the PC and Xbox 360, Universe at War: Earth Assault will feature at least two more chapters to be plowed through in the game. Gamers will find themselves fighting against an invading alien horde, who are threatening to wipe out the Earth's resources.

Most of you out there have probably heard of Petroglyph and Sega's upcoming project Universe At War: Earth Assault, which is a 3D RTS set for release on the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the PC later this year. It tells the tale of Earth's desperate plight to resist an alien invasion that's poised to strip-mine the planet of its natural resources.

This video has the devs talking about what the three factions in the game have to offer. All of them are said to play differently, making for some serious time before you master their tactics.

Also revealed in the clip is the fact that Universe At War: Earth Assault draws some inspiration from the immortal Starcraft by Blizzard. Petroglyph hopes to blend some of its elements with their original work to create a hybrid that will offer the RTS crowd new nooks and crannies to explore. A public beta is set to commence in October, so be sure to sign up for that.

For the past few weeks, most of us RTS fans have been preoccupied with hunting for info and speculating about Starcraft 2. That biggie should take quite a while to land, but it looks like it'll have some strong competition coming in. One of those is Sega and Petroglyph's upcoming Universe At War series. The first member of the franchise is Universe at War: Earth Assault and we've got some gameplay footage right here:

Universe At War: Earth Assault tells the story of our planet in the not-so-distant future. Scientists discover an alien threat looming for an invasion and we must come together as a race to combat it. Sadly, the human nations failed to resolve their differences and we are beaten and reeling. The aliens who call themselves the Hierarchy begin strip-mining our world for resources and are hunting down remaining pockets of resistance.

As you would expect, units will be both fictional and futuristic in this RTS. Heroes have already been revealed for each faction with special skills which can tip a battle's balance. Much is still under wraps, but we'll update you as soon as fresh details come in.

You can now sign up for Sega and Petroglyph's Universe at War: Earth Assault Beta on their official website. If you're selected as one of the Beta testers for this RTS, then you'll be one of the first gamers to play the game, not to mention help the designers in balancing the game's combat mechanics.

The game is set in the year 2012, when an alien race known as the Hierarchy lands on planet Earth to strip-mine it. However, observatories and scientists on Earth were able to find out about their arrival beforehand, thus giving the human race a chance to organize a unified military front against the alien forces.

A benevolent race known as the Novus comes to our planet to help us, even though they were expecting us to be completely wiped out by the time they arrived. However, the Hierarchy commander intentionally slowed down their assault (they could have wiped us out much earlier in their campaign) - the Hierarchy wre actually trying to lure the Novus into a trap.

If the storyline catches your interest, and would like to play the game, feel free to click on our read link which will send you to the game's official site. You have to submit your information before August 15 though if you want a chance to get your hands on the game.

Finally, something to stare at! Here's the latest batch of screens fresh off the Petroglyph workshop. Universe at War: Earth Assault is the first third-party game to support the Windows Live framework so you get to beat up your friends on the Xbox 360 and the PC at the same time! This new real-time strategy game is set in the year 2012 when a group of aliens called the Hierarchy have come to Earth to stripmine it.

Humankind failed to properly form a defense, but they are still holding out (barely) when another bunch of aliens has come in to battle against the Hierarchy. These aliens, called the Novus, and another alien race, the Masari, will be forming the classic ménage à trois that we enjoyed in Starcraft. Humans though, will ultimately be the minor race.

The Novus are robotic beings at war with the Hierarchy for killing off their creators. The Masari are high-tech druids who fled to the Earth before to escape the Hierarchy. They are intertwined within Earth's history, particularly with civilizations in Europe, North Africa, and South America.

Universe at War will be released later this year for the PC and early next year for the Xbox 360. In the meanwhile, enjoy the screenshots. They feature ground units and structures for all three races, and two lonely humans:

  

More screens behind the Full Article link!

We reported a few days ago that the PC RTS Universe at War: Earth Assault will also be making a debut on the Xbox 360. If words are not enough to give you an idea of the game, then maybe these artwork and screens would do the trick. The game is being developed by Petroglyph while Sega is the publisher. Here is the game's partial feature list:

• On-the-fly customization lets you adapt dynamically to your opponent, raising the stakes of battle
• Unique multiplayer achievements and modes that are new to the RTS genre
• Environmental destruction and manipulation in a persistent world
• Dual-layer of tactical and global gameplay
• Special hero units
• Massive-scale units that dwarf conventional RTS units
• Real-world, modern-day environments
• Three unique factions, not including the introductory military faction, which players can control as they learn the game
• On-demand UI that doesn’t clutter your view of the battle

Aside from all that, Sega mentioned in a just-released press release that they are employing a control scheme built from the ground up for the Xbox 360 version of Universe at War. Below, we have some character renders, artwork, and screens of the game; do check them out. The game is expected to hit store shelves in Q1 2008.

Universe at War: Earth Assault's screens and other goodies await after the jump!