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Archived News:
Halcyon game for 'Terminator' adaptation on the Hollywood Reporter has news
that the Halcyon Co. is planning a new Terminator movie and related game for
release in Summer 2009 (thanks
Shacknews). Word is
the company will form its own game developer to create the Terminator Salvation:
The Future Begins game in order "to control our own destiny," according to
acting Halcyon CEO Peter Levin. Form may actually be formed, as the story also
states work on the game has been underway for "several months," as they have
someone associated with the game's production embedded in the film production in
Budapest. The report also notes that Halcyon owns the rights to make games based
on the works of sci-fi author Philip K. Dick, and is also looking to develop
original IPs.
Vivendi, Sony call 'Ghostbusters' on Variety has further details on the
just-revealed ( story) Ghostbusters game (thanks Ant) as well as
some screenshots from the project. Terminal Reality is named as developer of the
PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 editions of the game, which is set in the early 90s
following the events depicted in Ghostbusters 2. Included along the way is the
reassurance that Ernie Hudson will indeed be involved, as will supporting
characters like Annie Potts and Brian Doyle Murray. A story on
Kotaku based on this article mentions multiplayer and co-op support, but we
cannot find any such references.
EA announces that an enhanced edition of
Rail Simulator will leave the station in North America on January 16,
2008: Redwood City, Calif. – November 15, 2007 – All aboard! Electronic
Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that it will distribute Rail Simulator
for the PC in North America. The game was released in Europe in October and will
now ship in North America, with a wealth of new content, on January 16, 2008.
Developed by Kuju Entertainment, Rail Simulator is the ultimate experience for
train enthusiasts and gamers alike, allowing players to take the controls of
historic and contemporary trains on more than 1,000 miles of real-life routes
from around the world. New to the North American release is the highly popular
Barstow to San Bernardino route alongside all-new Union Pacific locomotives and
rolling stock.
Rail Simulator puts players in control of every aspect of the train’s operation
and even gives players a track editor to create their own routes and share them
with other gamers online. Varying difficultly levels tailor the game to players
of all skill levels, from Easy to Full Simulation.
“We’re thrilled to extend our European relationship with EA Partners to include
distribution of Rail Simulator in North America,” said Tim Gatland, managing
director of Rail Simulator Developments Limited. “The team at Kuju Entertainment
has created an incredible product for train enthusiasts of all ages, and the
team at EA Partners is helping us reach the widest possible global audience.”
“Kuju Entertainment is the hands-down leader in this category and EA Partners is
excited to be distributing Rail Simulator in North America this January,” said
David DeMartini, vice president and general manager of EA Partners. “The team at
EA Partners is committed to helping studios of all sizes take advantage of EA’s
worldwide publishing infrastructure, and we can’t wait to help get Rail
Simulator into the hands of North American gamers.”
A new trailer from SunAge shows off Vertex 4's imminent RTS game and highlights
its soundtrack. Word is: "Globally known music producer, Angina P, created the
music for the teaser. She is a production force whose unique sound transforms
raw elements of breakbeat, new age and ambience, into unique and rare gems.
Beside the music for the teaser, she created and produced the complete SunAge
soundtrack." The clip is available on
FileFront and Gamer's
Hell.
The Strange History Of Gamecock's Mike Wilson on Gamasutra transcribes a
podcast interview with the co-founder of Gamecock. They discuss what he's up to
at the upstart startup publisher, developers, marketing, his days at DWANGO, id,
ION Storm, and more.
A Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory demo offers the chance to bask in the glow
of Fireglow's upcoming World War II RTS sequel. The demo is a 270 MB download,
which is available on
4players.de,
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FanGaming,
FileFront,
FilePlanet (registration required), and
Gamer's Hell. Here's the accompanying blurb from FilePlanet: "The third in
the RTS series Sudden Strike, featuring a new Sudden Strike Next7 graphics
engine for large-scale air and naval battles and large numbers of units. This
edition also features new units, fully redone AI and pathfinding, an improved
interface, and more complex multiplayer modes across four campaigns -- two in
the Pacific Islands and two in Europe."
A new playable demo for Universe at War: Earth Assault is now available,
offering a sample of Petroglyph's real-time strategy game. Word on the 1.2 GB
download is: "This demo includes a tutorial and the first two missions of the
Hierarchy campaign." The demo debuts on
GameSpot (registration required), and mirrors can be found on
4players.de,
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FanGaming,
FileFront,
FileShack, and Gamer's
Hell.
id Software and Fountainhead Partner to Create id Mobile has word that id
Software is expanding upon it's mobile gaming initiative with a dedicated mobile
development arm, to be headed by Fountainhead Entertainment Founder and former
Director of Business Development at id Software, Katherine Anna Kang, who is
also the wife of id co-owner John Carmack.
Carmack on id Mobile, Crap Games, and Why iPod Sucks is a Q&A with Mr.
Carmack about the news, here's a bit that explains that this is in part a way of hedging
against a paradigm shift in the gaming market: It's been an interesting
journey to get here in that we didn't start off with some grand strategic
planning where we decided this was going to be really important. It all started
when I got a cell phone and thought the games on it were really bad and we could
do a lot better. That led to Doom RPG, which was a big success. Then we followed
up with Orcs & Elves and now Orcs & Elves II coming out... By testing the waters
like this we've found out it's a viable business right now, we're doing good
business, the products are successful and profitable, we've got a plan laid out
for a bunch of new things we want to be doing, but I think there's really some
significant potential.
The worst, most pessimistic case is that we could carry on as we're doing right
now, doing successful games and having fun with all of this, but I think over
the course of the next five years or so there's the possibility that the mobile
gaming market could wind up becoming significantly larger than some of the
traditional markets. There are 10 to 20 times as many mobile phones as there are
personal computers and 100 times as many as there are console platforms. As
these things evolve into devices more like the media powerhouses we're used to
developing for, there's a possibility we could have a breakout success there. I
think if we go into this thing thinking we'll do our best, we'll be successful,
then we may be positioned for something that could be a really significant
tipping point some time in the next five years or so. Mobile gaming really could
take off.
The
Hellgate: London Website has once again extended the grace period for the
Hellgate: London beta test, giving testers one more week to add a retail
registration code to their beta accounts: Previously, we had intended to
end the beta grace period on November 14. But, we don't want to cut your game
off prematurely, so please make sure you enter your retail registration key as
soon as possible.
Again, no beta players without registration codes will be able to login and play
Hellgate: London after November 21, 2007.
Matrix Games announces
the release of Close Combat: Modern Tactics, a new installment in the Close
Combat series of tactical war game that changes the focus of the series from
World War II to the present day. Here's a bit: Close Combat: Modern
Tactics combines classic top down real time tactical warfare with the excitement
of multiplayer head to head gaming. Developed from the US Marines training
simulation, Close Combat Marines, you get to take command of all types of modern
battlefield weaponry including Abrams tanks and Soviet-made RPGs as well as air,
helicopter and artillery support. This is serious gaming at its best.
You take command of modern US forces or various opposition forces in one of 25
scenarios included with the release. Engage in combat with with up to 5 players
per side and participate in intense head to head battles using Modern Era
weaponry and equipment on gorgeous hand-drawn maps measuring from 1km square to
giant 4km x 1km maps. Fight on hypothetical battlefields ranging in style from
backwoods America to the streets of Iraq and the former Soviet republics. You
face all the enemy can throw at you in a series of immersive, action-packed
engagements that will test your tactical abilities! Air and artillery support
are on-call but the final objective can only be secured by Close Combat. You are
in command!
When the Beowulf game tie-in with the upcoming major motion picture was
announced ( story) we presumed this meant the demise of the
different Beowulf game previously announced by German developer 4HEAD (apply
directly to your forehead!). This speculation ultimately turns out to be
accurate, if a bit premature, as it has now been announced that 4HEAD's Beowulf
game is cancelled (thanks
Gamer's Hell). Though it seems like an epic poem over a thousand years old
would be in the public domain, according to the report on
XboxCircle, 4HEAD had some sort of "older" rights to the IP for a game, and
were able to sell these rights to Paramount. The remaining
Beowulf game is due
this month along with the release of the movie.
The first patch for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is now available, updating the
just-release military shooter sequel to version 1.1, addressing an issue that
caused users to lose rank by switching between ranked and non-ranked servers.
The 1.5 MB download is available on
ActionTrip,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and Shacknews.
Activision Value announces plans for the first patch for Soldier of Fortune:
Payback (thanks The Patches Scrolls). Word is to "check back soon for updates," as they are
developing a patch to address lock-ups when playing the mercenary shooter sequel
under Windows Vista.
- Stargate Worlds
The
Stargate Worlds Interview With Cheyenne Mountain's Kevin Balentine on
Stratics Central discusses the upcoming MMOG based on the TV series.
They discuss outsourcing development, instancing, shooter elements,
technologies, competing with other MMOGs, and more.
- Penny Arcade
Interview
with Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade on GameCritics.com talks with half
the creative team behind the hit Penny Arcade webcomic (though I can't keep
track of which one is Penny and which is Arcade). Topics include the ascent
of PA over the years, PAX, Kilts, being sort-of famous, fans, hate mail,
games, and more.
- Hellgate: London
The
Hellgate: London Music Q&A talks with Sascha Dikiciyan & Cris Velasco
about their soundtrack for Hellgate: London. Thanks
Hellgate IncGamers.
As noted on
inCrysis, an IRC session tonight at 7:00 pm EST offers the chance to talk
with Cevat Yerli of Crytek and Roy Taylor of NVIDIA about Crysis and the way
it's meant to be played. Also,
Matrix Games' Live
Chat with Dan Verssen announces an IRC session with the designer of Hornet Leader,
starting tonight at 9:00 pm EST.
The 2K Boston Job Listings Page
includes several new listings for openings they are looking to fill. The
offerings include programmers, producers, designers, artists, and audio
personnel.
I saw an interview segment with Jason Batemen on the news this morning, and he
seems fairly confident Arrested Development, the quirky TV comedy, will return as a movie or some other project. Here is exactly what he had to
say: "Well, I think one day we will probably do some sort of reunion, whether
it'd maybe be a movie, or something for cable, I mean I doubt very much a series
will ever come back, but it's something that we the cast are eager to do. The
boss Mitch Hurwitz, I believe is eager to do it; he's got a master plan, he's
probably got timing worked out. You know you don't want to do it right away,
you've got to wait a little bit, so, we'll see."
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