Archived News:

Monday, Jun 25, 2012

Rome: Total War Sequel Plans?

NeoGAF has an image said to be from the latest PC PowerPlay teasing the next issue of their magazine. The image shown is a large "II" superimposed over a scene from Rome: Total War, leading to speculation that The Creative Assembly is preparing to announce a sequel to the strategy game, which following the naming convention of their recent Shogun sequel would likely be titled Total War: Rome 2. Thanks Computer and Video Games.

Ships Ahoy - Penny Arcade Episode 3

Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 is now available on Steam, offering the culmination of the webcomic-based episodic series that at one time looked like it might never be developed. The game is only USD $4.99 so in lieu of an introductory sale, they are offering giftable copies of Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII to those who buy their copy by July 2nd. Here's word:
The Startling Developments Detective Agency springs into action as On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 begins, set in motion by a call from a mysterious source. The ever escalating perils on the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness will season our tender heroes to their very core! Expect cunning evil doctors, a series of unexplainable thefts, a mysterious book of power, enigmatic supernatural forces, hoboids, roboids, time travelling dinosaurs, and more!

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Menace of the Underdark Launches

Dungeons & Dragons Online Website announces the new Menace of the Underdark expansion is now live in the Dungeons & Dragon MMORPG. Word is: "Also, speak with Kruz to perform one free Lesser reincarnation for each character!" The Release Notes have all the details on the game's 14th update.

MechWarrior Online Details

The MechWarrior Online Website has answers to an eighth "ask the devs" session where Piranha Games discusses their upcoming free-to-play mech game. They duck the tough question about the average land speed velocity of an unladen Atlas.

etc., etc.

Into the Black

Link of the Day: Star Trek - "Gaseous Anomalies".

Meet the Pyro & Team Fortress 2 Features Near

The Team Fortress 2 Website is now offering day one of Pyromania, which will feature three days of festivities revealing new game features coming to Team Fortress 2. This will culminate in the release of the "Meet the Pyro" video this week and a new version of Valve's multiplayer shooter soon. Today's update reveals new achievements coming to the game, and offers this outline of a new game mode:
Doomsday pits BLU against RED, with only one team getting the honor of transporting a suitcase nuke full of recalled Mann Co. Australium to American monkeynaut Poopy Joe’s rocket, so he can blast off and hunt down Soviet space chimp Vladimir Bananas. It's the same spirit of competitive enterprise that stalled the moon landing by three years when Buzz Aldrin suplexed Neil Armstrong into a pile of folding chairs at Astromania '69! Both teams will attempt to get the necessary fuel up a preposterously slow-moving elevator and into Poopy Joe’s Australium-powered rocket to the stars.

Co-op Shooter Warframe Announced

Digital Extremes announces Warframe, an upcoming free-to-play co-op shooter from this studio that's contributed to the Unreal, Gears of War, and BioShock franchises. The Warframe website has a pre-alpha trailer, word that the game is this winter, and a signup form to reserve your in-game alias and possibly beta test the game this fall. Here's the announcement:
Today Digital Extremes provided a first look of WARFRAMET, a fast-paced co-op shooter currently in development and set to hit the Free-To-Play PC market this winter. A stopped-in-mid-action diorama has gone live on playwarframe.com that gives gamers an appetite-whetting glimpse into the WARFRAME world. It also signals an open call for gamers worldwide to register at playwarframe.com for their chance to help shape the game during the closed Beta Test this fall.

Set in the far reaches of outer space during a new Dark Age, WARFRAME introduces the Tenno, a race on the brink of extinction after being enslaved by the Grineer for centuries. Players enter WARFRAME on the cusp of the Grineer's victory over the Tenno until they begin to arm themselves with WARFRAMES - an ancient exo-skeletal technology only they can operate. Hidden within the Orokin Derelicts of a lost civilization, new WARFRAMES lie dormant and undiscovered. These artifacts are the Tenno's only hope for survival.

WARFRAME is a fast-action PvE shooter set in an evolving sci-fi world. Some would call it MMO-Lite as squads of four players band together to advance their characters and battle the oppression of the genocidal Grineer. Throughout their combat missions, players will continually increase the power and abilities of their WARFRAME and weapons. Players will raid new areas of space searching for exotic and powerful weapons and WARFRAME augmentations to customize their arsenal. With WARFRAME's Automatic Mission Generator, the game will offer endless replay as levels are procedurally configured for a unique raid -- every time.
Continue here to read the full story.

Far Cry 3 Delayed

Ubisoft announces a delay for Far Cry 3, saying the first-person shooter sequel is now due for PCs and consoles on November 29th in EMEA territories and on December 4th in the U.S. "We're taking more time to create the best possible gameplay experience," said Dan Hay, producer at Ubisoft. "Far Cry 3 is a huge offering and we want every element of this insane, action-packed adventure to be of the highest possible quality for the players." Prior to this setback, the game was expected in September.

Scrolls Alpha Nears; Beta Plans Explained

The Scrolls Website announces Mojang's next game is approaching the closed alpha testing phase, also taking the opportunity to look ahead an explain how they envision beta testing to progress for their upcoming collectable card-style strategy game (thanks Videogamer.com). Word from Mojang cofounder Jakob Porser is this will be handled much like they did Minecraft:
We are rapidly approaching the closed alpha of Scrolls. Although this alpha version will be far from a feature complete version of the game, it will include multiplayer matches, single player matches vs AI and the Deck Builder, where you can build your decks out of the 100+ scrolls that currently exist in the game.

As we get closer to a stable build, we will stop the closed alpha, and move to an open beta, where you will be able to buy the game at a reduced price and with some added benefits (more about that later).

At that point, we will also look to include the single player world, where you can explore and do battle to earn new scrolls to your collection.

Keep in mind, that the beta will not be feature complete. We will still have a big bag of goodies that we plan to include over time, such as an auction house where you may buy or sell scrolls from each other and additional features in the world such as character customization, items, quests and so on. If you’re wondering why we would release a game that’s obviously not finished, the reason is simple: We want your feedback in good time to help us shape Scrolls to be the next big online Collectible Card Game!

So if you’re curious enough to pick up a copy of the game, please don’t be shy. Hit the forums and help us out!

Battlefield Heroes Rewards

EA announces they are celebrating the third anniversary of Battlefield Heroes, their free-to-play installment in the military shooter series. The have added a new map called "Fortress Frenzy," and are expanding their mission system "with more opportunities to earn Valor Points and Experience Points" and are introducing a new Treasure Chest feature to offer special rewards. They are also offering new freebies to all players between now and July 1st:
And to really get this celebration off the ground, players who log in between June 25, 2012 and July 1, 2012 will receive two free Party Packs*: one Royal and one National. Each Party Pack will include a Battlefield Heroes Birthday Shirt, a Tricycle Emote that lasts for 3-days and a new Treasure Chest Key. To claim their free Party Packs, players can log in at www.battlefieldheroes.com then look in the "My Stuff" menu and select "Rewards."

Spec Ops: The Line Launch Trailer

Here is the launch trailer for Spec Ops: The Line, showing off Yager's military-themed third-person shooter that's due in North America tomorrow and elsewhere on Friday. Here's word: "The trailer offers a look at the powerful and maddening experience players can expect as they battle their way through a sandstorm-ravaged Dubai. In the trailer, fans are treated to plenty of intense action sequences while simultaneously getting a taste of the dark, gripping, and complex narrative found in Spec Ops: The Line." Continue here to read the full story.

U.K. Charts

The new GfK Chart-Track listing of the 20 bestselling full-price PC entertainment titles for the week ending June 23rd. Diablo III retains the top spot, and the two new entries on the chart are LEGO Batman 2 at number nine and Battlefield 3 Premium at #10. LEGO Batman 2 is number one on the all-platforms chart.

Morning Previews

Game Reviews

Hardware Reviews

Out of the Blue

This morning Hudson the wonder dog alerted us to the presence of some people in the yard, though she wasn't in full-on alert mode: This was more like "your friends who are allowed in the yard are here." This is because it was the third visit in a short span from the tree guys who were unexpectedly hauling more debris out of our yard. They explained that they were told their Friday job called to complain they had not done an adequate clean-up, and they assumed it was us because their other job was just a light trimming. I assured them that they had done a bang-up job, and we had lodged no complaints. Today I'll call their boss and tell them how great they were, just to set the record straight.

Links: Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play: Sugar Sugar 2.
Zomboz 2.
Links: Boobsdontworkthatway.tumblr.com. Thanks Reddit.
Stories: Alex Trebek, 'Jeopardy!' host, hospitalized after mild heart attack.
"No More Batman Movies" Says Nolan's Wife.
'Little Jerry Seinfeld,' chicken mascot for weekend, finds a new home for life.
Science: Your Brain on a Magic Trick. Thanks j.c.f.
Study predicts more hot spells in Southern California. Thanks Slashdot.
Media: The Prometheus Science Training School.
Michael Moschen: Juggling Rhythm and Motion.
The Funnies: Brevity.
About That Ad Blocker
We see you're using an ad blocker. While we strive to make our ads behave, we understand your desire for peace and privacy. So please consider becoming a supporter to take advantage of the no ads version of Blue's News. This will help sustain our efforts to bring you the best in gaming and tech news without requiring you to see ads or suffer a guilty conscience. You'll even get a nifty forum badge that will be the envy of the neighborhood!
Support the Site!