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Archived News:
Red Alert
3 Announced in April 2008 issue of PC Gamer, No Hungarian Required shows the
cover story on an upcoming issue of PC Gamer magazine is on Red Alert 3. Word is
the issue with offer a first look "at glorious strategic Soviet victory in Red
Alert universe."
Gaming Alliance stumps
for PC on the San Jose Mercury News has word that a number of major players
on the PC gaming scene, including Intel, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and AMD, are
preparing to announce a PC Gaming Alliance at next week's Game Developer's
Conference. Word is the consortium is to promote the PC as a gaming platform in
the face of the console onslaught.
Eidos announces that Conflict: Denied Ops is shipping today in North America,
bringing Pivotal Games' co-op first-person shooter once known as Crossfire to
Windows PCs, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3: Destroying store shelves near
you, Conflict: Denied Ops ships to stores across North America today for the
Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3
computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows®.
Featuring accessible co-op FPS action gameplay across 10 levels, Conflict:
Denied Ops puts you in control of two specialized operatives in an explosive
battle for freedom, streamlined with single button teammate commands allowing
focus on action instead of complex controls.
Centered around co-op gameplay, utilize two-man tactics and on-the-fly switching
between teammates to take full advantage of the battle terrain, creating perfect
two-man war machines.
Find some cover because Conflict: Denied Ops, shipping to a store near you
today, will blow you away!
- Lord of the Rings Online Book 12 on
WarCry Network.
- Monster Madness: Grave Danger on
1Up.
Twofish Elements is described as
a turnkey in-game economy solution. Word is: "A true Economic Engine, Twofish
Elements integrates seamlessly into games, provides a flexible and secure
banking and retail infrastructure, and puts complex economic analytics at a game
operator’s fingertips."
Telltale Games announces Sam & Max
Season Two: Episode 3: Night of the Raving Dead is now available from
GameTap, to
be released worldwide tomorrow along with a playable demo. Screenshots and a
trailer from the new episode can be found
on this
page and there's a walkthrough of the episode
here. Word is: Night of the Raving Dead puts a new spin on the classic
horror genre. Droves of undead are converging in the streets. Now Sam & Max must
confront their leader – a Eurotrash vampire with a style all his own. Are the
Freelance Police cool enough to outsmart this emo before his flesh-eating army
usurps the western world?
Fate
of Hellas Product section (thanks Gamer's Hell) reveals development of this upcoming
real-time strategy game set in the days of ancient Greece ("Did I forget to
mention, to mention Memphis? Home of Elvis and the ancient Greeks!"). According
to the page, the game is due next month in the UK, Germany, Austria, and
Switzerland. Some screenshots are included, and here's word: Thrilling
realtime battles in ancient Greece "Fate of Hellas" is an RTS game, which takes
the player to ancient Greece: 2500 Years ago, before the rise of Rome, fierce
battles between the Greeks and their enemies took place.
Be part of great battles, fought with honor!
> Thrilling realtime battles in ancient Greece
"Fate of Hellas" is an RTS game, which takes the player to ancient
Greece: 2500 Years ago, before the rise of Rome, fierce battles between the
Greeks and their enemies took place.
> Build formations with your troops
3 different formations for strategic fights!
> Equip your troops with weapons from your defeated enemies
Pick up the weapons left behind by your enemies after you have
killed them in combat
> Besiege the citys of historic Greece!
The more cities you conquer, the greater your power on the
battlefield
> More than 60 different characters! Different fighters, buildings,
vehicles and many more.
Matrix Games announces
the release of Battle of
Britain II: Wings of Victory, a sequel to one of the many games based on the
Battle of Britain, the R.A.F.'s "finest hour." Or perhaps it's not a sequel, as
this quote sort of explains: "Battle of Britain – Wings of Victory is a
strategy/action classic which has received acclaim from reviewers and gamers
since its original release. GameSpot gave it an 8.4 rating and called it “… the
ultimate combination of a strategy game and a hard-core simulation." Available
now as a fully updated v2.06 release from Matrix Games, Battle of Britain –
Wings of Victory is not an experience to be missed!"
The Darkeden Website now offers the
full release of Darkeden, as this free-to-play vampire-themed MMORPG has emerged
from beta testing. Word is: SAN JOSE, CA - February 12, 2008 - Joymax, an
independent developer of interactive entertainment for the global market, has
launched their vampire-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game,
Darkeden. Previously only available in an open beta test, Darkeden is now
available for everyone to play for free. Players can log in today and slay
vampires, fight humans, or crush ousters! Players can also retreat to the new
Daden Market where they can purchase Coins and spend them on Premium Service for
access to new areas, rare items, weapons, armor, pets, armor and more.
Peter Moore Q&A on GameDaily talking with the EA exec about the
just-announced extension of EA's NFL license ( story). Moore
argues the benefits of exclusivity, pointing out the latest version of Madden
had better reviews than the couple that preceded it, though this ignores the
fact that the
game's best reviews come from the 2003, 2002, and 2004 editions, all of
which were back before EA's exclusive NFL deal ( story). He also
points out that the exclusivity was at the NFL's behest: "Let us not forget that
this deal was at the NFL's directive. They wanted to have an exclusive
arrangement. This was not EA coming in and demanding exclusive rights. The NFL
put their license out for tender and we bid, as well as many other companies did
at the time...I wasn't here at the time but I remember it very well. I think if
the product we put out this year was slipping in quality and innovation, we
might have a tougher platform to defend, but that's not the case."
EA announces the weekend of September 7, 2008 as the worldwide release date for
the PC, Mac, and mobile editions of Spore, the highly anticipated evolution
simulation (no release dates for the console editions are offered). This
confirms the delay predicted by analyst Mike Hickey a couple of weeks ago
( story), which is the latest in a series of setbacks for the
game, which was even dubbed "vaporware" ( story) by Wired (though
one could argue that list is "tired," rather than Wired"). On related notes,
Level Up follows this up with some Spore-mania, which includes
Will Wright Gives Level Up the Scoop On Why Spore Is Taking So Long to Get
Right--And Why It Will Be Worth the Wait, Part I and
Part II, a two-part Q&A talking with the game's lead designer, and
this Q&A with executive producer Lucy Bradshaw on how the Nintendo DS, Mac,
and Mobile Phone editions of Spore evolved. Here's the announcement:
Redwood City, CA - February 12, 2008 – Get ready for the next Big Bang
this fall! Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Maxis today announced that
Spore™, the highly anticipated game from the creators of The Sims™, will be
available at retailers worldwide the weekend of September 7. Spore will be
available for the PC, Macintosh, Nintendo DS™, and mobile phones.
“The wait is almost over,” said Maxis Chief Designer Will Wright. “We’re in our
final stages of testing and polish with Spore, and the team at Maxis can’t wait
to see the cosmos of content created by the community later this year.”
Spore gives players their own personal universe in a box. Create and evolve
life, establish tribes, build civilizations, sculpt entire worlds and explore a
universe created by other gamers. Spore gives players a wealth of creative tools
to customize nearly every aspect of their universe: creatures, vehicles,
buildings, and even UFOs. Players can then seamlessly share their creations with
the world or explore infinite new galaxies created by other gamers.
Consumers can visit www.spore.com to sign up
for the Spore newsletter or check out all-new screenshots and video of the
game.
Update: The demo was apparently corrupted, and has been pulled until this
can be straightened out.
Original Story:
Meridian 4
Games now offers a new North American playable demo for Shadowgrounds
Survivor, Frozenbyte's shooter follow-up (thanks Gamer's Hell). A German version of this
demo was released last week along with a 30-minute English trial version
( story), but this is the game's "official" English single-player
demo. The 587 MB download offers two campaign levels, Wake Up Call and Road to
Atlantis, and a Survival mode demo called Spider Trouble.
This press
release announces plans for a PC edition of Mass Effect, saying a
"re-designed for the PC" edition of BioWare's science-fiction RPG will be
released in May: Chertsey, UK – February 12, 2008 – Leading video game
developer BioWare™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) company, has
announced that the award-winning space epic Mass Effect™ will be released for
the PC in May 2008. Published by EA and re-designed for the PC, Mass Effect
invites players to take the role of Commander Shepard as they set out on an
adventure to save the galaxy from imminent destruction. Wrought with treachery,
heroism, difficult decisions and a universe filled with unique and colorful
species, Mass Effect delivers a truly compelling storyline.
Optimized for the PC, Mass Effect for the PC incorporates the following
features:
• Optimized controls designed specifically for the PC.
• High resolution visuals – Mass Effect for the PC features highly detailed
textures, characters and environments.
• Fully customizable controls – PC gamers can re-map the control scheme any way
they like.
• Run & Gun Control – Players can assign biotic powers or skills to ‘hot keys’
allowing them to play Mass Effect with a heavier focus on action.
• New decryption mini-game.
• New inventory screen GUI and functionality – The enhanced inventory system
makes it easier for players to equip and modify their weapons and armor.
“Mass Effect serves as a powerful example of video games as an art form,
delivering new levels of emotional intensity, realistic characters and a
gripping storyline – all set in a compelling new universe,” said Ray Muzyka,
General Manager, BioWare and Vice President, Electronic Arts. Frank Gibeau,
President of EA’s Games Label added, “EA has struck an agreement with Microsoft
to handle future publishing for Mass Effect. We are looking forward to releasing
Mass Effect on the PC this Spring and brand new titles in the future.”
Originally released for the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system, Mass
Effect has received critical acclaim throughout the world with more than 70
awards including Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year and Role-Playing
Game of the Year. Mass Effect combines a deep story with intense combat and
challenges the player to make difficult decisions that can significantly impact
the course of events. An innovative conversation system allows for lifelike
interaction with some of the most realistic digital actors, voiced by Hollywood
actors such as Seth Green, Marina Sirtis, Lance Henriksen and Keith David. Mass
Effect for the PC has not yet been rated by the Entertainment Software Rating
Board.
A playable demo is now available for Imperium Romanum, offering the chance to do
as the Romans do in this imminent city building game. The demo is a 461 MB
download that features a pair of missions and a couple of training missions,
available on AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FileFront,
FileShack,
Gamer's Hell,
PixelRage, and
Strategy Informer.
A new demo for Need for Speed: ProStreet Porsche allows another test drive of
the latest installment in the long-running motorsport series. The updated demo
features the Porsche GT2 and GT3RS and Porsche's Leipzig test track. There are
two editions of the demo, one for the US and the other for Europe, each
available on
this EA
FTP directory. The 571 MB US demo is mirrored on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FanGaming,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and
PixelRage. The 570 MB European demo is available on
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FanGaming,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
Paradox Interactive announces the North American release of
Penumbra Black Plague, a
second installment in this horror series from Frictional Games. A recently
released playable demo ( story) offers a sample of the game, and
here's a feature list: Cutting-edge game engine featuring modern 3D
and physics technologies
Adapted motion blur effects and a new unified lighting system with real-time
lightning create great depth with a realistic atmosphere of psychological
horror.
Compelling and detailed story
Find the answers to questions of the mystery of Philip's lost father throughout
the game, with new explanations and a complete storyline wrap up.
Highly interactive environments
Interact with any object not nailed to the ground! Focus on, pick up and move
around objects through a simple drag and drop interface.
Environmental sounds system
The sounds of the different environments are contributing to the atmosphere and
give the player scaring hints of dangers.
Puzzle solving challenges
Horror adventure game in puzzle-like style with bonuses and incentives to
challenge the player throughout the game.
Lighthouse Interactive and dtp Entertainment announce March 31, 2008 as the
release date for Overclocked
calling this a "solid" date, not to be confused with the game's previous
(apparently ethereal) release dates like April 2007 ( story) and
October 2007 ( story). They've also given the game a new subtitle,
"A History of Violence," presumably to create an association with the film of
the same name, even though the two projects are unconnected.
EA Extends
NFL Contract To 2012 Season has word that the competitive world of NFL
football will remain uncompetitive from a gaming standpoint for another couple
of years, as EA's exclusive NFL license has been extended through 2012. Word is
the license covers "all aspects of the interactive experience," from console and
handheld games to "console-based online features."
- PROTOTYPE
The
PROTOTYPE Q&A on Rock,
Paper, Shotgun is an article based on a conversation with Tim Bennison
of Radical Entertainment about PROTOTYPE, their upcoming project they hope
will be a prototypical open-world action game.
- Just Cause 2
The Just
Cause 2 Q&A on Play.TM chats with Peter Johansson of Avalanche Games,
discussing the game's new location, new gear like an updated grappling hook,
action, visuals, and more.
- As
announced here, Switchblade
Gaming offers a new version of their software that allows the use of an
Xbox 360 controller in PC games, adding support for Guild Wars, Half-Life 2,
and Hellgate: London…
Happy Safer Internet
Day! You're wearing a helmet, right?
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