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Archived News:
Tom Clancy's HAWX Flies
into the Danger Zone on IGN has word on HAWX, a new air combat
franchise being launched this fall for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 under
Ubisoft's Tom Clancy brand, offering user-friendly controls and four-player
co-op support. Here's a bit: Developed by Ubisoft's Bucharest Studio,
HAWX lets you pilot more than 50 planes in dogfights across the sky. Set in
2012, HAWX imagines a world that has become increasingly dependant on private
military companies (PMCs). With PMCs increasingly gaining power, we sit on the
precipice of a global conflict. Sounds like a good enough reason to hop in your
fighter jet and shoot down some bogies.
HAWX features an Enhanced Reality System (ERS), which is meant to make even the
average pilot feel like Iceman. ERS includes radars, incoming missile detection,
an anti-crash system, damage control system, tactical map, information relay,
weapons trajectory control and allows players to give commands to their AI
squadron. With the Assistance Mode flipped on, the ERS will put pilots into a
maximum safety mode. Think of it like having all the assists turned on in a
racing game. You get more freedom and control with Assistance Mode off, but you
will also be at greater risk without the full protection of the ERS.
Wired.com
announces they've learned of plans for a Sins of a Solar Empire
expansion, straight from the horse's mouth, the horse in this case being
Stardock's Brad Wardell. There aren't many details, basically they've learned
it's due "in the reasonably near future" and will offer user-requested features
like a full campaign mode and new playable factions. They also say the version
1.04 patch for Sins is due within days and a more broad-reaching version 1.1
patch is not far behind that.
Peter Moore's Blog has word from the EA Sports honcho on why this year's
installment of Madden NFL will not be hitting the PC platform (thanks
GameSpot). Word is: We knew that our decision to not develop this
year’s Madden for the PC would be an unpopular decision in some circles. But
I’ll reiterate what I said a couple of weeks ago in this space…the PC presents
some very serious business challenges to us in the sports category, particularly
because so many of you all are playing your favorite sports games on the PS3,
Xbox 360 and Wii. We are committed to shipping a limited number of our games on
the PC this year, but we’ve also had to cut a few of our games from the
platform. We do have ideas for how to revitalize the PC for sports games and the
types of games that are best suited to the platform, and we’ll continue to
explore those.
The
Battlefield Heroes Q&A on Gamasutra mentioned the other day includes a
tidbit about the upcoming free installment in the Battlefield series we
overlooked at the time (thanks
FiringSquad). In what may be a case of getting what you pay for, producer
Ben Cousins revealed the game will launch with a mere two maps: Yeah,
absolutely. I mean, what we did is, we come to this from two angles. The first
one is that in every Battlefield game, we bust our asses making 50 maps, and
then within six months of the game being released, everyone's playing two maps.
The two best maps. So, we just decided to make just the two best maps, and not
the other kind of maps.
And the other reason is because this is a service, not a product. We're going to
have ongoing support. The live team for the game are almost as big as the dev
team. We want to have people coming back to the game over time, but we also want
the community to inform us what type of game they want to play.
So we're launching with an infantry-focused map, and a vehicle-focused map, and
if they want to play the infantry-focused map then we will continue to make
infantry-focused maps. And, similarly, if they think of this as a vehicle-based
game, then we'll make the maps which reinforce that feel. So it's down to the
community to define what type of game this is, really.
LucasArts announces they have filled their vacant presidency, hiring EA's COO
as their new honcho: Darrell Rodriguez has been named president of
LucasArts, the videogame division of Lucasfilm Ltd.
Rodriguez, currently serving as COO of Electronic Arts LA, will take the helm in
mid-April.
"Darrell is the ideal person to run LucasArts," said Lucasfilm president
Micheline Chau.
"Having worked at both Electronic Arts and Disney Imagineering he brings the
perfect blend of production, operational, and creative expertise. For a games
company such as LucasArts with its roots in film, this is an electric
combination."
Rodriguez has worked on such titles as SSX On Tour, Medal of Honor: Airborne,
The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II and Command & Conquer 3:
Tiberium Wars. He has held positions in product development and production at
EarthLink and the Walt Disney Internet Group.
"I couldn't be more excited to join such a dynamic and innovative company as
LucasArts," Rodriguez said."
"The people are world class and the IP is the best in the business. To be able
to work with such cultural icons as Star Wars and Indiana Jones and develop new
franchises is like a dream come true."
LucasArts will be releasing Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, Star
Wars: The Force Unleashed and Fracture in the upcoming months.
New demos are now available for both the PC and Mac editions of
StuntMANIA!pro, offering an updated chance to get in touch with your inner
StuntMANIAC. The new version 2.6 spiffs up the game's graphics, adds new
challenge games, and more. The new PC demo is available from
AtomicGamer,
FanGaming,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and
GameSpot (registration required). The corresponding updated Mac demo is on
AtomicGamer,
FanGaming,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
New version 1.1 PC and Mac demos are also now available for
Turret Wars MP, the
multiplayer arcade action game. The Windows edition is available from
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell. The Mac edition is available on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
The Savage 2: A Tortured Soul
Change Log outlines the changes in a new patch for Savage 2: A Tortured
Soul that updates the action/strategy sequel to version 1.41. Balance tweak,
map changes, new features, and bug fixes are all part of the new version.
The Combat
Mission: Shock Force Demo and Patch Download Page is host to new patches for
Combat Mission: Shock Force, updating the Battlefront.com, Paradox
Interactive, or GamersGate editions of the military combat game to version 1.08.
In addition to those three all-inclusive patches, there is also an incremental
update for version 1.07, but this is only for the Battlefront.com edition.
Greenhouse is new game delivery
service aimed at indie developers. The project is a partnership between Hothead
Games and Penny Arcade, and their first offering will be Penny Arcade
Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One, not
coincidentally also a partnership between Hothead Games and Penny Arcade.
They are currently beta testing the service with a large podcast.
The Avernum V Homepage
offers a new patch for the Windows edition of Avernum V, updating
Spiderweb Software's RPG to version 1.0.1. The patch is a 28 MB download.
- Project Origin
A new "Abomination" trailer from Project
Origin offers another look at the unofficial F.E.A.R. sequel in the works at
Monolith. The 15 MB clip can be found on
ActionTrip,
FileFront, and
Gamer's Hell.
- Sam & Max
A new "welcome to Hell" movie from Sam & Max:
What's New Beelzebub shows off more of the upcoming fifth episode in
season two of the Sam & Max series. This clip is available on the
Telltale Games Website and it is mirrored on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, Gamer's
Hell, and
MyGameTrailers.
The
Crysis Weekly Update #10 is online, with the latest on Crytek's first-person
shooter (thanks Ant). The update includes a new outtake video, word they
working on the problem that caused clients to be randomly kicked from
multiplayer servers with "Hash Mismatch" errors (which were also responsible for
the breakup of Cheech and Chong), details on a play-date on the game's
"official" server, and the following on the upcoming version 1.3 patch: In
an earlier weekly update we already confirmed that Crytek will continue working
on patches for Crysis and supporting the community with new updates. Currently
our Multiplayer dev team is fully concentrating on the upcoming Patch 1.3. It
has been in development for quite a few weeks already, but we do not have a
release date available just yet.
As for the content we can already say a bit, but not that much. The patch will
not only include bug fixes and further gameplay balancing, we will also
introduce new features to it. Unfortunately we cannot tell you too much about
the content at this point, but be sure to not miss out the upcoming weekly
update next Wednesday since it will include more news and details on the content
itself.
Another new patch for World of Warcraft is now available, updating
Blizzard's MMORPG to version 2.4.1, adding 0.0.1 of goodness to the recently
released version 2.4. The US/Aus English patch is available on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FanGaming,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
Games32, The
Patches Scrolls,
PixelRage, and
Strategy Informer. Some or all of the other various localized editions can
be found on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FanGaming,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
Games32, The
Patches Scrolls,
PixelRage, and
Strategy Informer.
Lost Empires: Immortals is up to a new version 1.0.3 thanks to a patch
that's online for Pollux Gamelabs' 4X space strategy game. The 19 MB download
can be found on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
The Patches
Scrolls,
PixelRage, and
Strategy Informer.
House of Tales now offers a hotfix
for the German edition of Overclocked: A History of Violence, addressing
ATI crashing issues with the psychological thriller. The hotfix is available
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
The Patches Scrolls,
and
Strategy Informer.
Paradox Interactive announces the completion of development on Europa
Universalis: Rome, the latest installment in this grand strategy series,
which sounds like it's on track for its recently announced April 15 release date
( story). Word is: New York, USA (April 2, 2008) The gods
have spoken. Rejoice, for the wait is almost over! Prestigious publisher Paradox
Interactive proudly confirms that Europa Universalis: Rome has gone gold.
This latest epic incarnation from the award winning Europa Universalis series
takes players back in time, to a world of dynasty and intrigue. Where empires
rise through economic muscle, military conquest and cultural assimilation. Only
to fall years later by their own hand, in civil war or by bands of marauding
barbarians biding their time in surrounding lands. Waiting for their time to
strike.
To reacquaint yourselves with this imperious game of grand strategy, visit the
website at www.paradoxplaza.com/rome
Shrapnel Games announces
War Plan Pacific, an upcoming turn-based World War II PTO (Pacific Theater
of Operation) wargame, said to be in the vein of Avalon Hill's classic
Victory In The Pacific. The game doesn't have a set release date, but it is
entering beta testing now. Here's a bit: It should have been just another
December Sunday morning. It wasn't. Scores of aircraft dropped from the sky,
blood red suns adorning their wings, unleashing a Hell borne from bullet, bomb,
and torpedo. Body and hull shattered, blood and oil staining the Hawaiian waters
as most of the United States' Pacific Fleet was transformed into a mangled wreck
of flesh and steel within hours. As bad as the carnage was it was but a sign of
the days to come, as the greatest naval conflict the world had ever seen-- or
would see-- erupted upon that infamous day. Forged in the flames of Pearl Harbor
this conflict would only end in the atomic flames of Nagasaki.
Shrapnel Games is pleased to announce the upcoming publication of War Plan
Pacific, developed by KE Studios, a new development house based in the Puget
Sound region. Currently about to enter beta War Plan Pacific will be available
for the Windows operating system, price to be decided.
War Plan Pacific is a turn-based computer wargame for one or two players (IP
based multiplayer capability) covering the entire war in the Pacific from 1941
until 1945. Focusing on power projection through the use of a strong navy,
players will assume the role of the heads of either the Imperial Japanese Navy
or the United States Navy (along with allied British, Australian, and Dutch
forces), commanding a historical force mix in a total war aimed at achieving
nothing less than an unconditional surrender of the enemy. Individual ships of
light cruiser size and larger are represented, and each turn represents one
month of real world time.
ANACONDA
announces another delay for Gray Matter, the upcoming epic adventure game
being designed by Jane Jensen (thanks Gamer's Hell). Last January the game was delayed
until the quarter that ended two days ago ( story), and with that
window closed, they announce (in German) that the game is now expected in 2009.
According to the particularly rough
Babel Fish translation,
"the change will make a relevant contribution to guarantee the completion of the
play in the demanded quality."
Ensemble Studios is now
offering the first patches for Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasties,
updating the assorted localized editions of the real-time strategy expansion to
version 1.01. The Patch
Notes outline what's new, and word is: "Patch 1.01 for Age of Empires III:
The Asian Dynasties is now available through the in-game auto updater or from
our game updates page. Click 'Help and Tools' then click 'Update Game' to get
the latest version. If you have any mods for Age of Empires III installed, it is
recommended that you uninstall them before installing new patches." The
downloads are mirrored on
Gamer's Hell and
The Patches Scrolls.
Acclaim announce launch of new expansion content for
2Moons, the free-to-play
MMORPG. "Hope you got your things together. Hope you are quite prepared to die,"
as the new Bad Moon Rising content adds new bosses, skills, and
equipment. Events will kick off Friday to surround the rising of the bad moon.
The
Fury Website has a new 34864 build of the client for Fury, Auran's
free-to-play MMOG. The update includes changes for the game's bots and maps as
well as gameplay and performance tweaks.
Wolverine Studios announces
Draft Day Sports: Baseball, an upcoming addition to their catalog of sports
games being developed by Shaun Sullivan ( PureSim
Baseball). Here's word on the project, which does not yet carry a release
date: Michigan, April 2, 2008. Wolverine Studios, a developer of sports
simulation games, is proud to announce that well-respected developer Shaun
Sullivan, creator of the widely praised PureSim Baseball series, has joined
Wolverine Studios to produce Draft Day Sports: Baseball.
“I’m really excited to join the Wolverine Studios team”, says Shaun Sullivan.
“Gary Gorski and I have known each other for many years and already have a
successful history of informally collaborating on titles such as Total Pro Golf
and Total Pro Golf 2. Now, as an official member of the team, I am looking
forward to working with the talented folks at Wolverine to build Draft Day
Sports: Baseball. PureSim Baseball has been a great franchise, and I think
bringing the PureSim engine to a title powered by Wolverine’s user interface
technology will result in a winning combination.”
Wolverine Studios President Gary Gorski says of Sullivan: “Shaun is a fantastic
developer and a very well respected member of the community. He’s played a
valuable role in some of our previous projects and I couldn’t be more excited
about him joining our team. I always felt PureSim was a terrific game and now
with the Wolverine team around him I know that Shaun will be able to take Draft
Day Sports: Baseball to new heights.”
More details and discussion about the game will be available from Wolverine
Studios’ company website at
www.wolverinestudios.com.
The aftermath. Thanks Gamer's Hell.
Okay, I'll admit it. I don't really find April Fools' day to be very funny. I
confess this in hopes that this is an "emperor's new clothes" situation, and
that everyone else feels the same way and we can just call it off for next year.
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