Been waiting on this one a while. Hard Reset was a good game. Not a great one, but a solid bit of Quake 2-era style FPS action with lots of ugly robots and cyborgs to shoot, and then it just kinda ended with the conclusion of the second act. A jarring, abrupt ending that made it feel like the game just wasn’t finished yet. And it wasn’t – developers Flying Wild Hog were continuing work on the game, and have just released the third and final act of the game, titled ‘Exile’, as a free download for all owners of the game to date.

Boasting five more story levels set outside the walls of Bezoar, four new enemy types, two new survival maps and a new final boss, Exile was already included in the recent retail release of Hard Reset, but the digital release of the DLC was delayed for some reason. Guess it’s time to jump back into the post-cyberpocalypse, warm up my plasma cannon and – to pilfer another games’ tagline – finish the fight. I’m sure there’s at least a few robots that I haven’t shot yet. There should be a lot of folks out there with Hard Reset, too. The St Patricks Indie Royale bundle included the game.

Hard Reset: Extended Edition is on sale for 10 Euros or your regional equivalent via Steam now. Those who already had the game can grab Exile here.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Delayed Free ‘Exile’ DLC for ‘Hard Reset’ Released On Steam

Be sure to stay tuned to the end, I think the last game will have something special even for the non-FPS fan.

Flying Wild Hog has developed and pubished a dark cyberpunk FPS called Hard Reset, with purported fast-paced, old-school gameplay. The Windows PC exclusive features an experience-based weapon upgrade system and extensive use of physics and dynamic environments. Hard Reset is sold on Steam for $29.99, with a free demo to test the gritty waters.

For more realism, we have Tripwire’s newly released Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad. This is a tactical multiplayer WWII FPS made in part by war historian and Tripwire VP, Alan Wilson.  The unique scenarios involve playing from both German and the Soviet armies; this ain’t no “proud to be an American” title. Red Orchestra swept up awards its first pass through the industry, and no doubt the sequel will follow suit.

Tripwire’s Heroes of Stalingrad fetches a slightly higher price tag of $39.99 on Steam.

Another big indie and Georgian neighbor to Tripwire, Hi-Rez Studios has just announced Beta signups for Tribes: Ascend, which is a jetpack-enabled multiplayer shooter. While we didn’t get a chance to play it at PAX Prime, PC Gamer found it to be its “Favorite Game of the Show,” a tough feat considering all the competition.

The beta will be ongoing until Tribes: Ascend releases Q1 2012.

And finally, right around the corner is WXP Games’ Xotic, releasing on Steam on September 16. It’s a very colorful FPS with arcade style elements, including chaining. The developer says that each stage in Xotic allows for a perfect chain combo, where the player chains nonstop.

Oh, and the weapon is pretty neat, too: it’s ALIVE and has wings. Xotic seems very different than the average FPS, and may even convert those more puzzle or arcade shooter fans. Heck, the chaining combo feature earns bonus points, reminding me of some classic shmups.

With these four FPS titles, almost anyone who enjoys first-person shooting should have something to look forward to. What are your thoughts on this collection of games?