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Archived News:
GameSpot announces that tomorrow will see the release of the playable demo for
Supreme Commander, Gas Powered Games' imminent RTS game. They predict the
release for tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. their time, which will be 12:30 p.m. EST. Word
is: The demo will include an early portion of the single-player campaign
for the Cybran Nation, one of the game's three playable factions. It will also
include a skirmish map named "Finn's Revenge," which can be played on easy,
medium, and hard difficulty levels.
- Dungeon Runners
MMORPG.COM's
Dungeon Runners Q&A chats up Stephen Nichols about NCsoft's online RPG:
"The basic game is free to download and play, and for $4.99/month you get
access to members-only features. At present, those features are: access to
weapons, armor and magical items above “blue” quality, more powerful
stacking potions (take up less inventory space), login queue priority and
access to an in-game bank to store loot. Right now, you can pay for
membership with a credit card and very soon, you’ll be able to use an NCsoft
game time card. We’re also looking into other ways to pay."
- Earth Eternal
WarCry's
Earth Eternal Q&A talks with Matt Mihaly about Iron Realms
Entertainment's upcoming MMORPG: "Well, we're all independently wealthy from
our gun-running days, so we simply don't need to take money from users.
Someday, that would be fun to be able to say, modulo the gun-running bit of
course. Since we have to pay mortgages and such, what we'll actually be
offering is probably more than one option. One will be some variation on the
free-to-play model we use in our current games in which you can pay for
virtual stuff, but never have to pay for that stuff as you're able to get it
simply by playing. Paying for it is a shortcut, albeit a substantial one.
The other model we'll have is a pretty standard subscription model, likely
at $5/month. We recognize that there are people who just dislike the other
model, so we'd like to offer our players a choice."
- Pirates of the Burning Sea
The
Pirates of the Burning Sea Q&A on Fargo's FileBlog converses with John
Tynes about Flying Labs' upcoming MMOarrrrPG: "It's a tired statement but
you have to focus on the fun. I really believe you can either go for the big
laundry list of scattershot features and hope you win points for variety or
you can focus and do a few things really well. (Or you can spend sixty
million dollars and do both, I guess!) We've worked hard to make ship combat
both tactically interesting and easy to learn. The result is a fun,
challenging game system that we're really excited about. Our swashbuckling
system is also a blast. We found some veteran animators at LucasArts and
Sony and asked them to make the pirate swordfight of their dreams, and they
really delivered. With their visuals and our fast gameplay the result is
delicious cinematic delight."
- Valve/Steam
Valve
on Steam on Computer and Video Games talks with Doug Lombardi about
Steam's impact on the traditional retail marketplace: "Initially, I think
they saw it as a direct threat. Now, as Steam and online distribution have
matured, more and more of the myths about online versus retail are falling
away. Primarily the myth of online cannibalisation is getting debunked.
Online is just another sales channel and all outlets benefit from a title
being widely available and marketed to as many people as possible. So, I
think that retailers have evolved to a new way of thinking about digital
distribution."
- Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 on
GameInformer. Multiplayer Impressions.
- Jade Empire: Special Edition on
GamesRadar.
- Pirates of the Caribbean Online on
RPG Vault.
- Runaway 2: The Dream of the Turtle on
IGN.
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl on
1Up and
Eurogamer.
- Stranglehold on
GamesRadar.
Okay, I take back my groundhog joke… it was really cold out there
today.
CDV announces that Alien Shooter:
Vengeance is shipping to North American stores, and the action/RPG should
also be available soon via digital distribution: Today CDV Software
Entertainment USA shipped its latest action title, Alien Shooter: Vengeance to
North American retail outlets. Alien Shooter: Vengeance features action-packed
hack 'n slash gameplay through dozens of sci-fi themed levels, and lets players
deal massive punishment with a devastating collection of weaponry and vehicles.
The game will also soon be available via digital distribution. For more
information on Alien Shooter: Vengeance, please visit
http://alienshooter.cdvus.com.
Developed by Sigma Team, Alien Shooter: Vengeance drops players into an
expansive sci-fi world of classic hack 'n slash gameplay. Set against the
backdrop of an intense conflict, Alien Shooter: Vengeance has players using
dozens of gut-ripping weapons to tear though waves of vicious alien life forms
bent on total destruction. Multiple character types and an RPG skill-tree expand
the game experience, while multiplayer gameplay modes increase the replay value.
With the choice of three different game modes - Campaign, Survival and
Multiplayer - the adventure will continue for hours on end!
Atari announces a deal whereby they will market and distribute The Witcher, CD
Projekt's action/RPG that's due for release this fall: NEW YORK, February
5, 2007 – Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), one of the world’s most recognized brands
and a third-party video game publisher, and game developer CD Projekt Sp. z.o.o.
today announced that the companies have entered into a publishing agreement for
The Witcher, whereby Atari will market and distribute CD Projekt’s upcoming
fantasy role-playing game (RPG) throughout North America. The Witcher is
scheduled for release on Games for Windows, the new brand optimized for Windows
XP and Windows Vista, in North America in Fall 2007.
The Witcher transcends traditional fantasy role-playing by throwing players into
a unique world rife with political intrigue, in which the lines between good and
evil are blurred. Based on the world created by best-selling Polish author
Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels, The Witcher casts players as Geralt, a legendary
monster slayer and master swordfighter with supernatural abilities and reflexes.
The Witcher presents a fresh approach to traditional role-playing, blending an
expansive, twisting plotline – in which the impact of individual decisions can
drastically alter the outcome of the game – and fast-paced combat against a wide
variety of foes. Using advanced graphics and physics systems, The Witcher
delivers brutal action, multi-faceted RPG options and an intriguing story to
engulf all players who dare.
“The Witcher is a tremendous game that has been on everyone’s radar since CD
Projekt began development,” said Jeremiah Cohn, Product Manager, Atari, Inc.
“With this publishing deal, Atari continues its quest to bring highly impressive
titles to North America and we have our sights set on making The Witcher one of
the most anticipated RPGs of the year.”
“We are delighted to begin a mutually beneficial relationship with Atari, a
publishing partner that shares our commitment to delivering a top-quality
role-playing game,” said Michal Kicinski, Joint CEO of CD Projekt. “We are very
much looking forward to working with Atari to bring this distinctive fantasy
world that we love to a broad audience.”
For more information about The Witcher visit
www.thewitcher.com and for more details about Atari’s entire product line up
visit www.atari.com.
Lighthouse Interactive offers a new patch for Ship Simulator 2006, bringing
the seafaring game to version 1.8.The update optimizes loading times, eliminates
ship damage at the start of missions, and an update to how additional ships are
loaded into the game.
- Epic Games
Epic
Games Gears Up for Greatness on Wired News talks with Mark Rein about
what's up at Epic: "It's definitely a challenge to convince Japanese
developers to work with a third-party technology like ours. But Square Enix,
they're the granddaddy. I'm hoping that'll be pulling the stopper out of the
drain, and we'll gradually crack that nut. We've been looking to hire
somebody in Japan, to be our representative there. It's really hard to find
somebody who speaks really good English, knows our technology well, is
native Japanese, has an engineering background, can answer complex
questions. We're looking; the job's open."
- Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles
The
Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Q&A on ActionTrip talks with
Bethesda's Mark Nelson about the upcoming Oblivion expansion: "Sheogorath is
the Daedric Prince of Madness, one of the incredibly powerful beings in the
Elder Scrolls pantheon. When the player encounters him, Sheogorath is in
search of a champion—there is an impending threat to his realm, and (because
of the nature of the threat) he needs a mortal's help. The player will need
to rise in the ranks of the Court of Madness in order to earn the respect of
the citizens of the Shivering Isles and eventually repel the threat."
- Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
Jeff
Butler on Vanguard: Saga of Heroes on GameSpy is a Q&A with Sigil Games
Online about their new MMORPG: "It's tough. I've leveled up a bunch of
characters throughout the course of beta - we had a nice long beta, where we
were able to test out our systems and revise them when we needed to, take a
hard look at those things - and WOW, free-for-all PvP is tough. But I'm
having fun, because a lot of friends of mine are on the server. Good ol'
voices in TeamSpeak, guys that I leveled up my first 60 in World of Warcraft
with. Guys that go all the way back to my pre-EQ days. So, I couldn't be
happier that those guys are there. It's gonna be a tough crawl on the
free-for-all PvP server, but I'm having a good time."
- D.I.C.E. Summit
The
D.I.C.E. Summit Q&A on FiringSquad rolls the d.i.c.e. and discusses the
upcoming D.I.C.E. Summit with AIAS president Joseph Olin: "The Academy’s
peer panels and panelists are allowed and encouraged to consider any game
released during the appropriate calendar year: it need not be formally
submitted by a publisher to be reviewed, discussed and voted upon. The
Interactive Achievement Award finalists are determined by nearly 400 of the
most experienced game makers in the industry. Of the 45 titles that were
finalists last year, seven were write-ins from the Peer Panels. This year,
eight Interactive Achievement Award finalists are write-ins."
The Eternal Silence Website offers
the release of beta 2.0 of this multiplayer modification for Half-Life 2. Word
is: "This is still a beta, and while we can guarantee it plays a lot better and
more stably than Beta 1.1, there are still bugs in there. We have committed to
frequent patches this time around, however, so expect to see a quick response to
issues and new features coming soon. In fact, the next patch is already planned
and we will begin work on it soon, after a bit of a rest, of course."
The
World at War Q&A on Planet Half-Life discusses this upcoming Half-Life 2
modification with members of its development team. Also, this
Neotokyo Production Report kicks
off a new series of development updates for this Source-engine modification.
So Long, and Thanks for
All the Files is the clever headline on 3D Gamers announcing the departure
of our dear friend Frans from the site, part of a break he is taking from the
gaming industry as a whole, a well-deserved rest for one of the hardest working
people I know. This will impact this site, even though Frans hasn't officially
worked here in years, and even regulars used to seeing his name appearing on
numerous stories here every day would still probably have a hard time picturing
the invaluable support he's provided over the years, from
compiling the daily game reviews list to catching leftovers and typos, tech
support, moral support, and much more. Besides all of the game-related stuff,
he's also been a true friend, always able to help navigate the shark-infested
waters of the gaming scene.
Here's wishing Frans the best of luck as he fishes off the pier, rocks his
rocking chair, and whatever other things retired guys do. Hopefully he will get
enough of that stuff in by the end of today so he can consider starting his
comeback tomorrow, if not sooner. But even if this is a long-term or permanent
departure from the scene, it's huzzah and kudos for Frans on this occasion, he
will indeed be missed.
R.I.P.: Spinners
soul star Henderson dies.
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