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Archived News:
This press release
announces Battlestations Pacific, a sequel to the action/strategy hybrid
Battlestations Midway, slated for release for Games For Windows and Xbox 360,
though no release date is revealed at this point: Eidos Interactive Ltd.,
one of the world's leading publishers and developers of entertainment software,
today confirmed that Battlestations: Pacific, the official sequel to 2007's
acclaimed Battlestations: Midway, will be available for the Xbox 360 video game
and entertainment system and Games For Windows. The game features a massive U.S.
and Japanese single player campaign that offers a unique blend of action and
strategy. Players must plan their moves carefully on huge open-world arenas and
fight in the air, above sea and underwater to relive some of the most
hard-fought battles in WWII history. With the newly added Japanese faction,
players will also gain insight into what could have been, should Japan have
gained the upper hand against the United States. Battlestations: Pacific also
features five new innovative multiplayer modes to strategically plan and battle
against friends with all new maps and units.
Set in WWII, Battlestations: Pacific delivers intense, action-packed combat and
strategic warfare at an extraordinary scale and features two distinctly
different single player campaigns. As the Americans, the game picks up the story
where Battlestations: Midway left off and allows players to fight their way from
The Battle of Midway to Okinawa as they try to secure peace in the Pacific. As
the Japanese however, players take control of the Imperial Japanese fleet and
have the unique chance to fight at Pearl Harbor before attempting to change the
course of history and take full control of the Pacific Ocean.
"Eidos is excited to bring an even bigger, more innovative and authentic
experience with Battlestations: Pacific," said Robert A. Lindsey, Executive Vice
President of Sales and Marketing for Eidos Inc. "With an all new Japanese
faction to explore and fight with, newly expanded multiplayer content, and a
slew of new air, sea, and land units, the game takes the Battlestations series
to the next level, bringing a completely different perspective to the war over
the Pacific."
The U.S. and Japanese single player campaigns in Battlestations: Pacific feature
over 28 story missions, doubling the size of the previous Battlestations:
Midway, and 21 new units, including kamikaze and other WWII jets and units.
Players can now discover another viewpoint of the war by taking direct control
of the infamous Ohka and other Japanese air units that fought over the Pacific
Ocean during WWII.
For the first time, the game also includes the tactical landing of troops in
battle. Launch your parachute squadrons with pin-point accuracy or ensure the
safe passage of your landing craft and watch your battalions of troops capture
key locations, man the defensive artillery and gain a strategic foothold to
support your offensive efforts.
Battlestations: Pacific features all-new online multiplayer modes where players
can actively engage in battles and skirmishes against friends online, and via
System Link. With a plethora of new maps, units, and options to explore,
Battlestations: Pacific delivers the most exciting, authentic and fun
Battlestations experience yet.
Battlestations: Pacific will be available on Xbox 360 and Games For Windows.
EA Announces The
Sims 2: FreeTime Expansion Pack Now Available in Stores announced the North
American and European availability of the umpteenth expansion for the lifestyle
simulation. Word is: "Sports, music & dance, arts & crafts, science, and film &
literature are just some of the new storytelling options connected to your Sims
discovery and pursuit of their individual hobbies."
Planet
Battlefield has a trailer showing off the first footage from Battlefield
Heroes, the upcoming cartoon-inspired installment in the military shooter
series. The trailer shows off gameplay, including oddball features like wing
walking, and touts the planned fun factor of its casual gameplay.
- The
Connect08 Website has word the event this March will include a big Lord
of the Rings Online announcement.
This page offers links to
download of a new patch for Frontlines: Fuel of War, updating Kaos Studios'
military shooter to version 1.01 (thanks Gamer's Hell). As noted in the
Patch 1.0.1
Release Notes, there are localized editions of the patch for North America,
Germany, Europe, Korea, Australia, Asia Pacific, Bundled (OEM) & Digital
Downloads, though they specify that "TryMedia and Steam users must visit the
vendor for the appropriate patch. We will leave a few 1.0.0 servers up until
they have the patch available." The release notes do not specify what's changed,
but do have a note about what is not: "This patch does not fix the SecuROM and
Vista issues. We are working around the clock to addresses [sic] these and we will
update you as soon as possible."
Paradox Interactive announces that
Lost Empire: Immortals is
gold, and the 4X space strategy follow up from Pollux Gamelabs will be available
on the Ides of March.
Some screenshots accompany the announcement, which is reproduced here in
glorious yellow text: New York, USA (February 28, 2008) From the depths of
the cosmos Paradox Interactive heralds the imminent release of the universally
vast 4x strategy title - Lost Empire: Immortals. The second incarnation from
Danish Studios – Pollux Gamelabs can be found colonising retail stores
throughout the quadrant, from start March 15.
The title has been rated "Everyone" by ESRB and 7+ by PEGI and suggested retail
price is set to USD 29.99/EUR 29.99.
In Lost Empire: Immortals, take your race to the stars and into the unexplored
depths of the universe. Discover the long forgotten history of the mysterious
Aeons and pillage the ruined sites of their civilisation for powerful
technology. Discover and colonise planets, research and upgrade technology, make
allies among your stellar neighbours or conquer those to weak to stand in your
way. Will you dominate or be destroyed?
Features
• Colossal Galactic Map consisting of 5000+ star systems
• Lead one of 6 major races to stellar domination
• Encounter 28 unique minor races with their own agendas
and motives
• Open-ended gameplay and alternative victory conditions
provide phenomenal longevity
• Wage war in space or planetside displayed in the new 3D
rendered dual warfare system
• Research a vast multi-nodal tree of 150+ technologies
split into 11 categories
• Customisable ship design and construction
• Assignable leaders to boost all aspects of the empire
including warmongering, production, research and diplomacy
• Reducing player micromanagement through a revamped sleek
interface
The Iron Lore Entertainment Website
announces they are closing shop after failing to secure funding for their next
project due to "several unrelated events" (thanks The Patches Scrolls). Here's word on the
demise of the developer of the Titan Quest series and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of
War - Soulstorm: It is with great regret that we must announce that as of
close of business Tuesday, February 19, 2008 Iron Lore Entertainment has ceased
active game development. Several unrelated events occurred which resulted in
Iron Lore being unable to secure funding for its next project.
We would like to extend our thanks to everyone who has helped us in the last
seven years – our team who moved mountains to create such great games, our
publisher THQ who has been a great partner through three product development
cycles, and most of all our customers and fans. We owe all of the success we’ve
had to you, and our greatest satisfaction has come from creating games that have
given enjoyment to the community.
While Iron Lore will not continue, the talent of the team is embodied in the
individuals now available for other opportunities. If you are a developer or
publisher looking to hire top-notch experienced developers, please send an email
to pchieffo “at” ironlore “dot” com and we will be happy to facilitate
recruiting with you.
Iron Lore also owns it’s powerful and flexible engine and tool set, and is
actively pursuing licensing opportunities. If you are interested in further
information about the technology and licensing options, please contact pchieffo
“at” ironlore “dot” com.
R-rated
games may still be out of reach for Australia on Internode Games Network
follows up on recent news that
Australia may receive an R-rating for games ( story), which
would allow many titles to be sold down under that were previously not allowed
under what may be the most restrictive rating system in the western world. They
outline the position of
Mr. Michael Atkinson,
one of the attorneys general who must approve the plan, who "doubts whether any
safeguards could be put in place to deter young people, who after all (are) the
most computer literate and savvy in our society, from being able to access
material." The
IEAA's
most mature current classification is MA 15+: "Strong content People under 15
must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian when hiring or buying these
computer games." They offer suggestions on how to contact the AG to try and
influence this situation. On a related note,
GamePolitics reports the public opposition to the proposed R18+ Rating by
the Catholic Bishop of Sydney.
$1 billion
investment needed to take on World of Warcraft on GamesIndustry.biz reports
on comments made by Activision CEO Bobby Kotick at an investor meeting saying
competing with the MMO juggernaut of World of Warcraft will be difficult even
after an investment of a half-billion to a billion dollars. It was this line of
thinking that lead Activision to merge with Vivendi to create Activision
Blizzard, though Kotick takes a break from counting beans at the end to concede
that budget notwithstanding, the game itself may have contributed to its own
success: "They have a model that is very well-developed, they have a very keen
understanding of their audiences, and they're just scratching the surface of
opportunity in a lot of areas... These guys are among the best in the world of
game development."
My DirecTV receivers are now offering a beta test of their on-demand service,
which works through the internet, rather than the satellite. I haven't gotten
the chance to check this out yet, but in poking around it looks like there's no
special on-demand content like Howard Stern TV, but there is the chance to see
Howard the Duck. Okay, it's still in beta: I won't judge yet.
R.I.P.:
Boyd Coddington, Hot Rod Hero, Dies at 63.
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