Archived News:

Friday, Apr 26, 2013 Alien Day - Arbor Day (USA)

THQ Creditors Detailed

Polygon has poured over court papers for details on the creditors in the THQ bankruptcy case, ranging from the $2.98 owed to a tax assessor to $39 million owed to a holding company. Among those looking to recover funds are developers like Double Fine and Codemasters who are owed royalties, THQ subsidiaries on the hook for loans, and THQ execs seeking salary and compensation. Perhaps oddest is tattoo artist Christopher Escobedo's representation claiming he's owed $4.16 million for tattoo copyright infringement. Word is the court should start paying out claims next month.

Thief Production Issues?

A post on Polygon calls the state of the Eidos Montreal's upcoming Thief reboot into question, saying they've learned from "anonymous sources familiar with the studio" that the project is suffering from inflated production costs and staff departures attributed to "corporate politics, creative confusion and a lack of publisher oversight." They say that the team has had to spend a lot of effort on creating press demos, and that "many programming tricks" are required to run their demo, going so far as to say "the vertical slice doesn't load inside Thief's current heavily modified version of Unreal Engine 3," which is hard to understand (it makes it sound like the demo doesn't actually run). They say that Square Enix is growing concerned with this situation, noting that a portion of the recent GDC demo video was to be released to the public, but a source tells them this plan was scrapped because Square Enix was unhappy with the quality of the footage. They conclude noting the game is still slated to be shown off at E3 this June.

PC Metro: Last Light to Include Metro 2033 Novel

Deep Silver announces that Windows editions of Metro: Last Light will include a digital copy of the novel Metro 2033 when authenticating 4A Games' upcoming first-person shooter sequel through Steam:
April 26, 2013 – LARKSPUR, Calif. -- Deep Silver today announced that owners of all PC copies of Metro: Last Light will be offered a free digital copy of the novel Metro 2033, when authenticating on Steam™ for Windows PC. The highly anticipated sequel to the extraordinary Metro 2033 will hit shelves on May 14, 2013 in North America.

The plot of Metro: Last Light was written by Dmitry Glukhovsky, acclaimed author of the novel Metro 2033 which inspired the creation of both video games. Glukhovsky’s novels Metro 2033 and Metro 2034 have sold more than 2.000.000 copies worldwide. In 2013, his latest book Metro 2035 will also be available outside of Russia.

In the year 2034, a nuclear war has turned the world into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. In Moscow, the tunnels of the Metro have become a new home for the former inhabitants of the city. Within the catacombs, they fight for their survival, fending off hordes of hideous mutants born from the toxic atmosphere, as well as other factions desperate to take control of what little hospitable land remains. As they fight, they also search for a doomsday device that could be the key to their victory. A civil war is inevitable. During these dark hours, the players will embody Artyom, and become the last light for all of mankind.

On Sale

Evening Previews

Into the Black

Link of the Day: What Too Send Too GrammarPolice. Thanks Ant.

XCOM Now The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, a TPS Due in August

2K Games announces the promised "fresh look at the long-awaited squad-based tactical shooter in development at 2K Marin" with the announcement that the first-person shooter formerly known as XCOM is being rebranded as a third-person shooter called The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, saying the game will be released on August 20th in North America and August 23rd in other territories, with preorders are already underway. This rebranding was tipped by some new domains spotted a couple of months ago, and suspicions such a move was coming were reinforced when the game's website recently went missing, but as recently indicated, they are not severing ties with the XCOM universe. The switch to a third-person perspective was also tipped last year, and is touched upon in an interview on games.on.net, where 2K Marin creative director Morgan Gray talks about the project and these changes. The game's new website is online, here is some concept art and a live-action trailer, and here's word:
Windsor, UK – April 26, 2013 – 2K and 2K Marin, makers of BioShock® 2, announced today that The Bureau: XCOM Declassified will be released on August 20, 2013 in North America and August 23, 2013 internationally on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. XCOM: Enemy Unknown, developed by Firaxis Games, dazzled turn-based strategy fans and rebooted the classic franchise. Now The Bureau will deliver a new experience within the XCOM universe.

Set in 1962 at the height of the Cold War, The Bureau tells the origin story of the clandestine XCOM organisation’s first encounter with a mysterious and devastating enemy. Originally established as America’s covert defense against the Soviet Union, The Bureau must adapt and overcome a threat unlike anything the world has faced before. As special agent William Carter, players will call the shots and pull the trigger, leading their squad of agents in the high-stakes secret war for humanity’s survival. Paramount to repelling the outside threat is The Bureau’s ability to cover-up the enemy’s existence in order to prevent worldwide panic.

“We’re thrilled about 2K Marin’s refined vision for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “The game has evolved through a creative and iterative development process, and the result is a narrative-driven experience that is smart, engaging, and challenges players to think tactically.”

“The Bureau tells the story of XCOM’s mysterious beginnings,” said Morgan Gray, creative director at 2K Marin. “We’re expanding the universe with a declassified tale of government conspiracy and heroic cover-ups told through third-person tactical gameplay.”
Continue here to read the full story.

Counterstrike: GO Operation Payback Pays Map Authors

The Counterstrike: Global Offensive Blog announces that Operation Payback is now live, offering the community the chance to remunerate map creators for their efforts. Word is: "Since we launched the CS:GO Maps Workshop back in February, over 1,400 maps have been uploaded. The CS team has been consistently blown away by how complex, well thought out, and just plain fun so many of these maps have been." Saying that they "wanted these maps to reach a wider audience" they came up with a way to do so and also reward the maps' authors efforts with some OPM:
Operation Payback” marks the first of an ongoing series of limited-time updates aimed at giving a well-earned financial reward to some of CS:GO’s most popular and prolific mapmakers. For a limited time, you can buy a pass half-priced for $2.99. That’ll get you unlimited access to a Classic Casual map group featuring seven of the highest-voted Workshop Maps. Invite your friends (even if they don’t have a pass) and enjoy uninterrupted low-ping play on official servers—all while rewarding CS:GO’s top-voted virtual mapmakers with real money. Buying a pass also gets you a one-of-a-kind challenge coin, upgradable by playing and viewable wherever your avatar is shown. “Operation Payback” will be live from now until July 31st, and it’s currently half-priced, so get in there! And remember: “Payback” is just the beginning. Future Operations will highlight all-new collections of popular maps. So stay tuned, keep mapmaking, and keep upvoting!

Resident Evil Revelations Demo Plans

Capcom announces plans to support the upcoming release of Resident Evil Revelations with a playable demo, even though the game "is a known quantity and a solid RE game to boot." Maybe that makes more sense in context:
Even though Revelations is a known quantity and a solid RE game to boot, today we're happy to announce there will be a playable demo coming to Xbox Live, PSN, Nintendo eShop and Steam. So for those who still haven't sampled the claustrophobic hallways of the Queen Zenobia, you'll soon have a chance to do so free of charge.

The exact date is still TBD, but given that the game's out on May 21 (24 EU), it can't be far off.

We've also recently detailed "present codes" for residentevil.net, as well as pre-order incentives.

More as soon as we have that precise date - just thought you'd like to know it's coming :)

Ships Ahoy - Mars War Logs

Publisher Focus Home Interactive announces the Windows PC edition of Mars War Logs is now available, offering role-playing in the science fiction vein (in case the Mars part wasn't a giveaway) from Spiders Studio. The game is available through digital distribution, and they say the console editions will be available "very soon" on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network. Here's a launch trailer, and here's the deal on the game, where you play as Doug Roy, who is caught up in a rebellion over the red planet's scarce supply of air water:
Mars War Logs takes you to Mars, nearly a century after a huge cataclysm that threw Mars and its colonies into chaos. You play as Roy, a renegade caught in the middle of a civil war, while different corporations fight over the most precious resource, water. Follow an immense main quest in which every choice counts, develop your character and your combat style by choosing among many different talents and skills. In dynamic, real-time combat, face fearsome opponents including some of the most terrifying creatures of Mars. The craft system lets you create and modify your equipment, your weapons and your armor.

Your behavior during dialogues, as well as your choices and decisions will influence your companions and the fate of the people who will cross your path… and maybe the fate of all the colonies on Mars.
Continue here to read the full story.

Steamships Ahoy - Painkiller Hell & Damnation Full Metal Rocket

Publisher Nordic Games announces that the Full Metal Rocket DLC for Painkiller Hell & Damnation is now available on Steam.

Steamships Ahoy - Resident Evil 6 Siege Mode
Steam News announces the release of the new Siege Mode DLC for Resident Evil 6 / Biohazard 6:

Adds the Siege game mode to the Extra Content menu of Resident Evil 6! Protect the innocent civilians from the creatures until the rescue effort arrives. Players can choose to be an agent helping the civilians, or a creature hunting them down in this multiplayer mode that supports up to 6 players!

Morning Previews

Hardware Reviews

Out of the Blue

As predicted, I found the first round of the draft exciting, even if the Giants made a pretty mundane pick. Hats off the Vikings for being what seems to be the obvious winner of the day, and all prejudices aside, hats back on for the Cowboys for their epic fail. Jerry Jones has never found a pooch he couldn't screw as he nears the start of a third decade of trying to prove he deserves credit for the championship teams Jimmy Johnson built.

R.I.P.: Jim Mackonochie, flight sim mainstay. Thanks nin via Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

Drafty Links: Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play: Stormy Castle
Stories: US tourists swim for 14 hours after boat sinks.
Officer helps deliver baby on freeway for 2nd time. Hero, or preggo stalker?
Sheriff: Woman killed by lion left door open.
Science: Einstein's Theory of Relativity Holds Up in Tiny But Massive Objects.
Getting junk out of Earth’s orbit needs more urgency.
Earth's Core 1,000 Degrees Hotter Than Expected.
Media: Alexander Graham Bell: Smithsonian Releases 128-Year-Old Recording Of The Telephone Inventor.
Close Call Compilation.
RC Cattle Drive.
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