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Archived News:
BeyondUnreal has updated patch notes for a new beta for patch 2 for Unreal
Tournament III, saying the patch is now entering private testing. They highlight
what's changed since the last set of patch notes ( story), and
have word that the new version may be ready for prime time soon: "With any luck,
the patch will not be in testing long so we can get these many important fixes
into the game as soon as possible!"
A new demo for Theatre of War Demo is a chance to sample this military strategy
game, updated to version 1.10.0.81, featuring a new advanced Line of Sight
system, improved performance, and enhanced AI behavior. Word is: "This demo also
differs from the previous demo in that it includes an all new playable battle
taken from the new German Panzer Lehr Campaign. In addition to that battle are
also 5 playable tutorial missions designed to quickly introduce you to both
basic and advanced features of the gameplay." The 588 MB download is available
on
ComputerGames.ro,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
Bizarre
Creations follows up on word that The Club is gold ( story)
with a release schedule for various territories and word that a playable demo
for the PC edition will debut soon on
FilePlanet. They
also outline a high-score competition they will be running using the full game,
awarding prizes like, well, the full game (albeit signed) as well as other
Bizarre swag (not to be confused with bizarre swag). The high score competition
is only open to owners of the console editions.
Guitar Rising Website is online
(thanks Mike Martinez and
Gizmodo),
home to a game due for release for PCs and Macs later this year that will offer
a gameplay experience similar to Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The twist is that
this will make use of real guitars interfaced with to your sound card, and will
teach real guitar skills, certain to kill the joy of all those "you should learn
to play a real guitar" killjoys. The website offers a movie offering a look at
the interface and gameplay, and the following description: Guitar Rising
is a music video game where the player plays a real guitar as cued by the game’s
visuals. Following rock music sequences and streaming notes, players play guitar
melodies and rhythms. Beginner difficulty levels are designed for non-guitar
players and hard difficulties will challenge experienced guitarists.
This press release from
GameCock and Spark Unlimited reveal summer as the new release date for
Legendary, the first-person shooter originally expected in spring of this year
( story). The announcement is accompanied
by new screenshots, and perhaps significantly, the press release also omits
the game's subtitle, though the
official website still
lists the full title as Legendary: The Box. As for the delay, these are not the
droids you are looking for, as the quote from GameCock refers to the game being
on track: "I’m happy to report that the team on Legendary is well on target for
a simultaneous multi-platform launch this summer."
Like Having A Gun Pointed At Your Baby Discussing the Fox News/Mass Effect
Controversy With BioWare General Manager Ray Muzyka on Level Up is a DICE
conversation asking why BioWare allowed others to take the lead in defending
Mass Effect against surprisingly inaccurate allegations of explicit sexual
content in the RPG. Author N'Gai Croal makes strong points about allowing media
reports like this to go unchallenged, saying "there's a bit of an ostrich
mentality in this industry when it comes to controversy," and this aids and
abets what he calls the "infantilization" of videogames by the mainstream press.
The
City of Heroes Community Website has word that a double experience points
weekend for Cryptic's superhero MMORPG will kick off tomorrow following their
weekly server maintenance. On a related note, they have also examined the game's
XP system, and will be implementing a "smoothing" system that will offer a
near-global increase the amount of XP distributed, based on their analysis of
the way certain levels virtually halted some players' progress. The new XP
system is expected to go live before Valentine's Day.
Steam
News announces Valve's online service has passed the 15 million account mark
and has experienced remarkable growth over the past year, saying "year-over-year
sales growth of 158% through the holiday season." Going forward, word is:
"Throughout 2008 more Community features will be introduced to support existing
games as well as new titles such as Valve's Left 4 Dead."
Speaking of
Steam,
the service is offering a free copy of
Deus Ex:
Game of the Year Edition to anyone who pre-purchases
Conflict:
Denied Ops from Steam. Word is: "This offer ends on February 12th in North
America, February 8th everywhere else."
Mastiff announces they've
acquired the license to create games based on the gluttonous world of
competitive eating, though platforms for the game are not revealed (Mastiff has
focused on publishing portable games to date). The tongue (or is it a hot
dog)-in cheek press release suggests a fighting-style game, and while there may
not be blood, there will be vomit: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. -- (February 7,
2008) -- Video game publisher Mastiff announced today that they have acquired
the Major League Eating (MLE) license for interactive platforms.
Major League Eating, which oversees all top eating events in the nation
including the July Fourth hot dog-eating contest, counts among its members
Takeru Kobayashi, the Japanese eating phenomenon, and American Joey Chestnut,
current champion of the world.
“Major League Eaters aren’t just elite athletes,” says Bill Swartz, Head Woof at
Mastiff. “They are the people who built America. Or at least the competitive
eating part of America. And I am deeply honored that the International
Federation of Competitive Eating and Major League Eating choose Mastiff as their
exclusive videogame partner.”
“We knew this sport would lend itself very well to an interactive format,” said
George Shea of Major League Eating. “Mastiff has the stomach and the sense of
humor to pull this off.”
Major League Eating: The Game features the world’s greatest gurgitory athletes
competing across twelve different food types. Built much like a fighting game,
MLE: The Game requires players to show brilliant on-screen eating; a mastery of
offensive and defensive weapons including burps, belches, and mustard gas; and
of course the technical mastery necessary to avoid emptying one’s stomach in a
vividly colored reversal of fortune.
- Sam & Max: Night of the Raving Dead
A new Sam & Max 203:
Night of the Raving Dead Trailer offers a look at the soon-to-be-released
next episode in the quirky episodic adventure series. The clip is available
from AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and
Gamer's Hell.
- This is Vegas
A new trailer from This is Vegas shows off
the sinfulness in Surreal's surreal sin city game. The download is on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, Gamer's
Hell, and
PixelRage.
- Age of Conan
The Age
of Conan Q&A on Play.TM is a talk with Erling Ellingsen of FunCom about
the upcoming MMORPG based on Robert E. Howard's barbaric creation.
- Live Gamer
Live
Gamer Deal: Smedley, Schneider Interviewed on WarCry Network discusses
Sony's new virtual marketplace, learning that one of their motives for
switching from The Station Exchange to Live Gamer is to eliminate credit
card charge backs and associated penalties that cost them over $1 million
last year.
- LEGO Indiana Jones
The
LEGO Indiana Jones Q&A on GameSpot discusses another LucasArts property
following Star Wars in getting the LEGO treatment. The game is slated for
release in fall of this year, and like the LEGO Star Wars games, will offer
brixilated scenes from the movie, though it's hard to figure out how they
are going to get a square version of that giant boulder to roll.
A playable demo for Penumbra: Black Plague is now available, offering the chance
to scare yourself with a sample of the imminent second chapter in Frictional
Games' horror series. Word is: "Developed by the Swedish two-men-team Frictional
Games, the demo includes the four first levels of the game, giving gamers an
opportunity to get familiar with the unique physical interaction and the
horrifying atmosphere, hopefully without completely stripping players of their
sanity so they miss out on the actual launch of the game next week." The 137 MB
demo debuted on
GameSpot (registration required), and mirrors can be found on
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FanGaming,
FileFront,
FileShack, Gamer's Hell,
and
PixelRage.
Rumour: Viacom
circling Take-Two for acquisition? Asks the musical question of whether
Take-Two, long the subject of takeover rumors, will be acquired by Viacom,
long-rumored to be seeking a game company. This is based on a report in the financial
blog Notable Calls, which offers
a few reasons they consider this credible. The story also points out that Viacom
VP of video games Arwed-Ralf Grenzbach formerly served as managing director at
Take-Two.
A
Sins of a Solar Empire version 1.02 Changelog outlines what's planned for an
upcoming patch for Ironclad's recently released 4X space game (thanks
Voodoo Extreme). The post outlines a number of fixes and balance changes,
and word is: "We hope to get this out this week. Ironclad has been working hard
to make v1.02 available as soon as possible but we also have to finish testing.
"
Ntreev USA announces open beta testing for the North American edition of
Grand Chase, described as an "action
adventure MMO brawler." Word is: The Grand Chase Open Beta has begun, and
for the first time ever, players will be able to experience the exclusive North
American release of this highly anticipated Action-Adventure MMO Brawler!
Grand Chase is a fast-paced, heart-pounding, action brawler that combines the
elements of traditional RPG character advancement & customization, and adds new
cooperative and competitive elements for players who aren't afraid to put their
brawling skills to the test! Grand Chase raises the bar for Free-To-Play online
games by setting itself apart from the pack by featuring superior quality in
design and execution. Grand Chase is a title unlike any other, and is poised to
make its mark on the North American, English market!
The North American release of Grand Chase will be the most enhanced and upgraded
version of the game available in the English market. In addition to this, it is
also a completely different and unique title that pushes the boundaries of
traditional online gaming. A fully realized fantasy world sets the stage for
high adventure and epic action, as players join the forces of the Grand Chase
Knights to fight the evil Kaze'aze and protect not only the land of Bermesiah,
but the very world!
This completely Free-to-Play, five star title, is being brought to North America
for the first time ever by the online game publisher, Ntreev USA Inc.
A new patch for Gothic 3 updates Piranha Bytes' RPG sequel to version 1.6,
offering a new memory management system along with changes and bug fixes. Word
is: "This Update includes a large number of gameplay and data improvements
committed by the Community Patch team. These improvements deal with larger and
smaller bugs and were made with community wishes particularly in mind." The
download is available on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and The Patches Scrolls.
Infinite Interactive
announces the launch of
Warlords Online (thanks The Patches Scrolls), a free browser-based strategy game set in
Etheria, the ethereal locale of previous Warlords games.
LB Games is offering LEFT
BEHIND: Eternal Forces for free(ish), as the religious-themed strategy game can be had
for the cost of shipping or a "convenience fee" for digital downloads (thanks
Ant and
Joystiq). Supplies are limited, though, as they are only giving away one
million copies, which are bound to run out some time between now and the
Rapture.
SOE, Live
Gamer Reveal 'Live Gamer Exchange' Service on Gamasutra is a Q&A with SOE
president John Smedley about the Live Gamer Exchange service that's usurping
SOE's Station Exchange virtual item service. According to Smedley, virtual item
exchange is not the problem, it's fraud and professional gold farming, and their
focus for this service is to eliminate these factors. Smedley also says he
respects companies like Blizzard who have taken a hard line against item sales,
before justifying their support of Live Gamer Exchange based on the large number
of players who engage in item exchanges (and presumably the large number of
dollars that can be earned by dipping a toe in the revenue stream created by
players who seek "success" in MMOGs without actually playing them).
- Alone In The Dark
A new
Alone In The Dark: Central Park
Website is live offering conspiracy theories about the park laying
groundwork for the coming horror/survival game.
This press release
poses some of their burning questions about the park's history (and here I
thought the Manhattan Project was in the twentieth century).
- Ford Off Road Website
A new
Ford Off Road Website is
home to Razorworks' upcoming game featuring off road racing in Ford
vehicles, a splash page leading to
this
product section (thanks Gamer's Hell). This game is not based on the Explorer
rollover deal from years back, it's focused on intentional off roading in
Land Rovers and other 4x4 vehicles.
Happy Chinese New Year! It is now the Year of the Rat, and in a grand tradition
I am compelled to point out that I fear I will continue writing Year of the Pig
on my checks for another couple of weeks. Badoom-bah!
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