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EA's upcoming Frostbite 3 engine will be optimized exclusively for AMD graphics
cards, reports
IGN, noting this may relate to AMD being the graphics chip supplier for all
the next-generation consoles. According to their story: "Starting with the
release of Battlefield 4, all current and future titles using the Frostbite 3
engine — Need for Speed Rivals, Mirror's Edge 2, etc. — will ship optimized
exclusively for AMD GPUs and CPUs. While Nvidia-based systems will be supported,
the company won't be able to develop and distribute updated drivers until after
each game is released." This follows the
earlier news that
EA Sports' Ignite engine won't support PCs for the foreseeable future.
Arcen Games now offers Vengeance Of The Machine, the fifth expansion for
AI War: Fleet Command, THEIR Windows and OS X strategy game. The
new expansion is on sale on the
Arcen Games Store,
GamersGate, and Steam
for 10% off, and the entire AI War Collection is on sale on the
Arcen Games Store,
GamersGate, and
Steam, where there is
also a new Four Year Anniversary Edition comprising the whole series. They
celebrate the release of the new expansion and the game's recent update to
version 7.0 with this
trailer. Continue here to read the full story.
Paradox Interactive announces the release of Knights of Pen & Paper +1
Edition, the Windows and OS X version of Behold Studios' meta-RPG that was
first released for mobile devices. Here's the deal: Knights of Pen & Paper
+1 Edition is an RPG where players take on the role of players who are playing
an RPG. Assemble a group of mundane in-game friends and transform them into
classic RPG fantasy classes, while the dungeon master narrates the adventure
within their imaginations. Control both the players and the DM – design
encounters for your party, and then slay the monsters for all the XP and loot
your character sheets can hold. Leveling up the original mobile title, there’s a
hoard of new features, including new character options, a lengthier campaign,
raid-friendly dungeons, and much more. The Digital Deluxe Edition also includes
a strangely familiar wizard character in a yellow robe, an extra in-game map
where experience farming meets crop farming, and special sci-fi nerd treasures
for the DM’s room.
The Gunpoint Blog outlines the sales trajectory of Gunpoint, the
platformer designed by PC Gamer editor Tom Francis. The post explains the game
recouped its development costs in 64 seconds, which is a little less impressive
when we learn that this does not account for any of his time, just the $30.00
paid for a copy of Game Maker 8. The actual impressive results follow, as he
shares the graphs he used to chart the game's trajectory, saying its sales
success means he "can now make games full-time for the foreseeable future." He
talks about the freedom this provides, while also putting out the call for
someone to help port the game to Game Maker Studio for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Thanks nin.
Amplitude Studios announces a June 26th release date for Endless Space:
Disharmony, the first expansion for Endless Space, their 4X space strategy
game. Here are
some new
screenshots, and here's word: Haarlem, The Netherlands – 18 June 2013
– Amplitude Studios is excited to announce that they have entered the last
stages of development for ‘Disharmony’, the first official expansion to their 4x
space strategy hit Endless Space. The expansion pack follows the release of 4
free add-ons that have extended gameplay since the game’s original inception in
2012.
Upon the Disharmony launch, Amplitude plans to unlock the ‘Sheredyn Faction’ and
the ‘Endless Hero’ from the Emperor Edition for all players, as well as the
addition of “Automaton ship models” as a gift to the community for being so
awesome. All of this will be available at the release of the expansion (acquired
or not).
The
Skulls of the Shogun website announces Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide
Edition, a revamped edition of 17-bit Studios' turn-based strategy game
coming to Steam that adds new content, and also breaks free of the game's
Windows 8 exclusivity, good news for most PC gamers who are avoiding the latest
iteration of Microsoft's OS.
This page has all the details on the new version, and those who preorder the
game on Steam will
receive a 20% discount, and instant access to the game's multiplayer beta.
Here's word: SKULLS OF THE SHOGUN: BONE-A-FIDE EDITION features the full
campaign and multiplayer modes from the original game, while adding a
challenging brand-new four-chapter episode that takes place after the original
game’s ending. This episode offers a new protagonist and a new unit type, the
Tanuki, who confounds enemies with teleport spells and nonstop taunts.
Players will also find all of the multiplayer functionality from the original
release, including 6 new multiplayer levels, making for a total of 36
battlefields. SKULLS OF THE SHOGUN: BONE-A-FIDE EDITION supports real-time
multiplayer over Steam, hotseat support, and asynchronous multiplayer modes that
allow players to take turns at their leisure. Multiplayer matchups now reward
players as well, with a new progression system that allows players to gain
experience points, rank up, and unlock emblems. The asynchronous “Skulls
Anywhere” mode is designed to be forward-compatible, so future releases of
SKULLS OF THE SHOGUN will play with each other regardless of hardware platform.
Additional bonus features include an extensive developers’ commentary mode, and
a new intro theme performed by chiptunes DJ, Mega Ran!
RockstarGames tweets that the Max OS X edition of Max Payne 3 is due
this week: "Max Payne 3 will be available for Mac later this week, on Thursday
June 20th: http://rsg.ms/15gLZNQ." Thanks
Shacknews.
The Humble Bundle with Android 6 is a
new flexibly priced indie bundle that adds Android versions of the included
games to their typical Windows, OS X, and Linux support. Here's a
promotional video and
here's the lowdown: For two weeks, fans can name their price to support
developers and charities and receive the following games for Android, Windows,
Mac, and Linux:
- the underwater fantasy action-adventure game
Aquaria by Bit Blot, making its Android debut
- the chromatic minimalist puzzler Fractal: Make
Blooms Not War by Cipher Prime Studios, making its Android and Linux debut
- the retro zombie survival game Organ Trail:
Director’s Cut by The Men Who Wear Many Hats
- the nail-biting stealth strategy platformer
Stealth Bastard Deluxe by Curve Studios, making its Android debut
Bundle buyers will also receive a bonus game:
- the rhythmic audio-visual experience Pulse: Volume
One by Cipher Prime Studios, making its Android debut
If a buyer pays more than the average price at the time of purchase, they
will also receive:
- the intense tactical combat sim Frozen Synapse by
Mode 7 Games, making its Android debut
- the mystery point-and-click adventure Broken
Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Director’s Cut by Revolution Software Ltd,
making its Linux debut
Customers can choose to allocate a part of their purchase to the Electronic
Frontier Foundation (who fight for our freedom on the Internet) and the Child’s
Play Charity (who provide technology & games to children in hospitals around the
world). So far, the generous contributions of our customers have allowed us to
donate more than $13.5 million to charity!
Indie Royale now offers The Chosen 2
Bundle, with fan-selected indie titles available at a bargain price. Here's the
deal: Really Big Sky, Eufloria, Runespell: Overture, Cthulhu Saves the
World and Breath of Death VII are available in this bundle and, if that weren’t
enough, it comes with a selection of bonus soundtracks to listen to when you’re
not playing.
Those who pay $7 USD or their currency equivalent during The Chosen 2 Bundle
will get Disasterpeace's chiptune album: Rise Of The Obsidian Interstellar. This
album is available in MP3 and FLAC format.
Matrix Games is now accepting applications to beta test Germany at War:
Barbarossa 1941, Phobetor's upcoming World War II turn-based operational
strategy game. This page is where
to sign up, and word is testing will encompass the game's four campaigns, the
mission editor, and PBEM++ multiplayer. Here are
some new
screenshots showing off the game.
The Mars: War Logs
website announces a new patch is now available to remedy the translation
woes in Spiders Studios' cyberpunk RPG.
This trailer offers the
first seven minutes of the game with the new dialogue, and the game happens to
be a Steam daily deal for
33% off if this strikes your fancy. Here's word on what went wrong with the
game's original English dialog from Focus Home Interactive's Luc Heninger:
Mars contains a vast amount of dialog, even by RPG standards. The plot
has numerous strands and the dialog often has many variants to mirror the hero’s
changes in reputation. The tight deadlines between the game release dates meant
that the initial English translation lacked depth and contained a number of
errors; it was then sent to the recording studio, making the job of the actors
extremely difficult. The actual game was thoroughly tested and released with
very few bugs on PC, but unfortunately the procedures for the audio and text QA
failed and allowed many English localization issues to slip through. We realized
the extent of the problem after seeing the first feedback from the press and
gamers. The result was so far removed from what we usually produce that we took
the decision to halt the submission process for the console version, which was
due for release only weeks after the PC title. We have re-written the game text
and dialog and, of course, recorded the actors again, replacing the sections
that weren’t true to the characters in Mars. All these problems will therefore
be fixed in the console version. An update is now available for players with the
PC game, and we have also incorporated the new audio in the PC versions on the
various download sites.
Steam News announces
that Friday Zen Studios will release the Sorcerer’s Lair table for free for
Pinball FX 2 on Steam. They say there are no strings attached: "Zen Studios
is happy to provide Sorcerer’s Lair absolutely free for all Steam users,
starting this Friday. This table will be free forever – no timed free play
session, no ads, no gimmicks. YAAAAAAAAAAAY PINBALL! Simply download the Pinball
FX2 platform, then download Sorcerer’s Lair and start playing. Additionally, the
Paranormal, Fantastic Four and Marvel Civil War tables will all be available for
download for $2.99. There are more tables coming from our extensive library very
soon, as well as new features and continued product support."
Activision and Treyarch announce new Vengeance DLC for Call of Duty:
Black Ops II, saying this will debut exclusively on Xbox LIVE on July 2nd
before making its way to other systems at some point thereafter. The new pack
will add four multiplayer maps, "including a re-imagined classic," to the
military shooter sequel along with a new zombies "experience," and
this trailer offers a
look at what to expect. Here's word: Call of Duty: Black Ops II Vengeance
delivers four new, diverse multiplayer maps starting with "Cove," where the
stage is set for all-out conflict on this small, forgotten island in the middle
of the Indian Ocean, with players battling it out amongst the wreckage of a jet
that crash-landed during a smuggling operation gone wrong. Next up is "Detour,"
a destroyed suspension bridge, high above an East Coast waterway, packed with
scattered vehicles, exposed iron and collapsed pavement where the head-to-head
action will play out on multiple levels. The third map, "Rush," sets the stage
for fast, close-quarters engagements in this paintball course turned full-combat
arena, giving players new opportunities and challenges to use the cover to their
advantage. Rounding out Vengeance's multiplayer maps is "Uplink." In this
re-imagined adaptation of the fan-favorite multiplayer map "Summit" from the
original Call of Duty®: Black Ops, players clash deep in the rain-soaked jungles
of Myanmar, high atop a hi-tech mountain facility.
Treyarch yet again expands the Zombies storyworld in new, mind-bending ways with
"Buried." Players meet up with old characters and will encounter new ones as
they face off against the undead residents of an abandoned underground Old West
mining town. A healthy arsenal of equipment and weapons that will be at players'
disposal, but with one very special addition - something so powerful it will
also appear in all other Call of Duty: Black Ops II Zombies maps (with the
purchase of Vengeance DLC): the Ray Gun Mark II.
Continue here to read the full story.
GOG.com announces their 2013 #noDRM
Summer Sale is underway, where the discounted games come with no DRM, and a
free hashtag to boot. This comes with a doorbuster, as for 48 hours they are
offering a free copy of Torchlight, Runic Game's action/RPG. The 17-day
sale includes 500 games on sale and will feature daily deals up to 85% off, and
today they are offering 90% off on Alan Wake and Alan Wake's American
Nightmare and a special on all of their D&D titles, including Baldur's
Gate 1 & 2, Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2, and
Planescape: Torment. Here's their pitch on their anti-DRM stance and a
summary of the sale: In the last few months, there has been a lot of
outcry from gamers over DRM and how it is changing our favorite form of
entertainment. If it keeps growing, it may well take a large part of the fun out
of gaming. As anti-DRM crusaders, we're very glad to see that the issue of
restrictive digital rights management has become an item of public debate, and
we want to make sure that our #NoDRM stance is clear. None of the games in our
sale have DRM, and none of our games ever will.
Once again: More than 500 games 50% off until July 5. Daily Deals bringing the
discount even up to 85%.
Torchlight distributed as a free gift to all GOG.com users until Thursday,
June 20, at 12:59PM GMT. We'll throw exciting offers at you daily, so consider
following us on Twitter,
Facebook, and
YouTube
just to make sure you're not missing out. That's it! The
2013 #NoDRM Summer Sale is now on. Have
fun and remember to support the #NoDRM movement on GOG.com and
elsewhere!
The
Kickstarter for Shadowrun Returns has word from Harebrained Schemes
that the release of their turn-based RPG is delayed until July 25th, after being
planned for this
month, saying they've "decided to invest additional time in bugfixing and
polishing the game" in spite of this meaning "a longer crunch period for a tired
team," saying this fits with feedback they've received from fans saying they
should take the time they need. They outline more of what to expect, including a
section on the editor, and videos of the creations some of their backers have
made with the early access version of the tools to make new content. Thanks nin.
NASCAR The Game: 2013 is already on the starting grid, as Eutechnyx's
just announced racing simulation
is available for pre-order
on Steam, and those who avail themselves of this will get immediate access to
the game's closed single-player beta as well as a 10% discount on their
purchase. Here are
a couple of
screenshots and here's a rundown on the game: In NASCAR The Game:
2013, players can drive straight into an authentic NASCAR experience, filled
with intense graphics and competitive AI, all backed from a strong and
supportive multiplayer system. Jump into the driver’s seat of a Gen 6 model
stock car and race towards the finish line in hopes to be crowned the Sprint Cup
Series Champion. Featuring Inside Line Highlights, relive and rewrite iconic
moments from recent NASCAR races, all recreated using telemetry data. Update
packs including the Inside Line Highlights will be released throughout the 2013
NASCAR season*.
A post on
Bubblews states that Bethesda showed off Fallout 4 at E3 last week
behind closed doors, saying a brief trailer (oddly specified as 37 seconds in
length) was part of the presentation. They say "it seems there was a leaker
inside" who allegedly shared unconfirmed details about the unannounced next
installment in the action/RPG series. These details include word that the game
will come to Windows, as well as Xboxes One and 360 and PlayStations 3 and 4,
the game will be announced before next year's E3 but is not expected to launch
before October 2015, the main setting is Boston, and more. This is all to be
taken with a grain of salt, though it's interesting to note that one of the
editors at
Strategy Informer commented on that site's report of this with a smug: "I...
can neither confirm nor deny that rumor. :p"
A new video from
GamesHQMedia offers the Thief presentation from E3 2013, showing the
on-stage demonstration of the upcoming stealth/action reboot. The 30+ minute
clip includes cinematics and gameplay footage, shot using the PlayStation 3
edition of the game, and is accompanied by a Q&A where Eidos Montreal lays out
the vision for the game. Continue here to read the full story.
Gamasutra nails it. If you are interested,
GameInformer offers the new NPD report.
Gamasutra - Why Gamasutra is skipping monthly NPD reports.
NPD obviously knows the importance of tracking and reporting revenues
from digital venues, such as paid downloads, subscriptions, mobile, etc., as
well as used game and rental revenue: The company now includes monthly
estimates for these streams. But the way that publishers and digital
distributors like Steam lock down their sales data, it's hard to imagine
anyone making accurate estimations of sales by title, or even overall
digital sales.
The fact that NPD only focuses on U.S. sales is also an issue -- some of the
biggest players on digital platforms are internationally-operating companies
like Blizzard, Riot, Supercell, DeNA and Rovio.
Additionally, a while back NPD stopped reporting on software unit sales in
its monthly report, leaving us questioning for some time, "What's the
point?" So as editor, I need to ask myself if the monthly NPD figures paint
a truthful picture of the video game industry -- does conveying monthly NPD
releases to our readers help in their day-to-day decisions? I have to say
"no." I've seen on Twitter and in Gamasutra comments that a lot of our
readers also answer "no." Even the president of the Entertainment Software
Association, Michael Gallagher, agrees that the monthly NPD U.S. retail
figures hold little value these days.
As a resource for the game industry, it's not enough for Gamasutra to
disclaim monthly NPD articles in the phrase, "Keep in mind, these are only
physical, new U.S. retail sales." We probably should have stopped running
the figures (particularly the software sales figures) a little while ago,
honestly.
Blatant plug: I Was There Man is a
new project from Walter "2" Costinak, who has provided this site with so much
artwork and design help over the years, I couldn't repay him with a million such
mentions. The site seems to be a repository for anecdotes from hippies of all
ages, so if you have a good story about Jerry Garcia trading you a guitar for
that last box of doughnuts in the 7/11 (a far more realistic scenario than those
Diet Dew commercials), you should share it with them.
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