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Archived News:
4D Rulers Software announces
that Gore Special Edition is gold, and since this enhanced version of their
first-person shooter is being digitally distributed, this means it is also now
available for download for free from the
Gore Website. What's
different from the original Gore Ultimate Soldier is detailed in
this changelog,
while this page
outlines the advantages to buying a premium key for the game.
Valve and Tilted Mill Entertainment announce that
Children of the Nile: Enhanced Edition is available via Steam, offering a
version of this historical city building game that's updated with Vista support
and a number of enhancements to the UI (all detailed
here).
Those who already own the original Children of the Nile are entitled to a free
update that's "coming soon" to the
game's official
website (presumably this really will be soon, as they've announced it is
supposed to be available already). Finally,
Steam is also offering a Children of the Nile Enhanced Edition Demo for
those interested in a sample.
The Savage 2: A Tortured Soul
Website has word on a new version 1.5.1 patch that's now available for S2
Games' action/strategy sequel. The new version includes "a ton of polish and bug
fixes, as well as some key balance changes," all outlined in this
Change Log, which makes
it clear this patch does not incorporate recently promised performance
improvements ( story). They also announce that next week will be a
free-to-play week in the game: For the week of July 21-28, we are lifting
all restrictions on demo accounts. Savage 2 will be completely free to play for
the full week with no restrictions.
The
Hellgate: London Website has word that a new version 1.3d multiplayer patch
will go live on the US and EU Hellgate: London servers tomorrow, which will
involve about an hour of downtime.
These patch notes have
all the details on the new version.
The
C&C3 Support Forums feature an update from community manager Apoc warning
against using the version 1.01 patches for Kane's Wrath from earlier today
( story) until they are officially announced, even though the patches
were found on EA's public FTP server (thanks Jeremiah). The update reflects on
the circumstances surrounding the delays to this patch, and suggests the best
way to know the new version is official is when it can be acquired through the
in-game auto-updater: There seems to be mass confusion about the patch
download available at Large Downloads. First of all, this is likely not the
final patch build you should download, regardless if it is our final EXE, and
the files up there were put up there to assist with our ECG submission process.
Please do not download any patch file until you hear the official word from us.
We are working to get the patch live and are looking to begin the upload process
later this afternoon. Again, I am not going to come on here and say the patch is
live until it is officially live on our servers where you can download it
manually or auto-update through the game (which is what you should do).
And finally, some people are commenting on the balance already and even a desync
that one-person experienced in a match. Every one of you has been through a
patch release before and anyone with a bit of common sense knows and understands
that you cannot judge a patch-balance until at least a few weeks after its
release. This patch changes the game dramatically, and if you are trying your
same tactics and seeing the same results, its because you haven't evolved your
playing style or played against people who are using the benefits of the new
balance. So please, please, do not make threads discussing the
patch-fail-balance until you've thuroughly tested and played many games. It is
absolutely unfair to us, to our patch designers and testers, and to the
community to make such a baseless opinion off ONE game. We ask that you not be
quick to judge and like anything else, give a patch time to evolve and breathe.
Regarding the desyncs, we spent hundreds of hours testing against them and have
fixed the primary desyncs people were experiencing. Its absolutely possible you
will experience a desync again, but extremely less frequent and in most cases
would be the result of someone trying to cheat against you or a "red-herring"
case with a rare desync. But we have tested and tested and have fixed the
primary desyncs so you should not experience these nearly as frequently,
hopefully not at all when you download the official patch.
We'd also appreciate those who are not quick to judge, we're doing a service for
the community and while its long over-due, all fairness should still be granted
in the service itself. We'd really appreciate the support as it helps keep us
motivated and thankful for having a fantastic community. So thank you for
sticking through some of these tough times in recent months, and I am excited to
see this patch come out and make Kane's Wrath for PC the game its meant to be,
at least to start =)
Thank you for your understanding, i'll be back when the patch is officially
live.
Activision Stockholders Approve Combination with Vivendi Games has word that
Activision shareholders have expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for the proposed
merger with Vivendi Games, and that the parent of Blizzard and Sierra is set to
become a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision tomorrow, with the resulting
company to be known as Activision
Blizzard: Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced that, at a
special meeting of stockholders held earlier today, it received the stockholder
approval necessary to consummate the company's agreement with Vivendi, S.A. to
combine Vivendi Games, Vivendi's interactive entertainment business, with
Activision's businesses. All of the proposals required to effect the transaction
received more than 92 percent of the shares voted. The transaction is expected
to close on or around July 9, 2008.
Activision and Vivendi Games will combine their businesses through the merger of
a newly formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision with and into Vivendi
Games. As a result of the merger, Vivendi Games, the parent company of Blizzard
Entertainment and Sierra, will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision.
Vivendi will receive approximately 295.3 million newly issued shares of
Activision common stock. Concurrently with the merger, Vivendi will purchase
approximately 62.9 million newly issued shares of Activision common stock at a
price of $27.50 per share for a total of approximately $1.7 billion in cash,
resulting in a total Vivendi ownership stake in Activision Blizzard of
approximately 52% on a fully diluted basis and approximately 54% of shares
outstanding. As of the closing of the transaction, Activision will be renamed
Activision Blizzard and will continue to operate as a public company traded on
NASDAQ under the ticker ATVI.
There's a Crysis Warhead
preview on IGN with hands-on impressions of Cryek's upcoming first-person
shooter follow-up, including several gameplay movies. Along the way they spill
some beans that Crytek was planning to announce at E3 next week, saying that
game, which will run slightly shorter than the original Crysis, will carry the
$29.99 price point of an expansion, rather than the MSRP of a full game.
A new video developer's diary for Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. offers a look
at the upcoming aerial combat game. The clip features lead game designer Thomas
Simon describing the various systems that will help players operate their
aircraft and accomplish their objectives within the game. Thomas has a very
heavy French accent ("Does your dog bite?"), but there are helpful subtitles.
The clip is available in this
Ubisoft FTP directory and mirrored on
ActionTrip,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
Just a tad in advance of the show's July 14 opening.
A new "Tire Deformation" video from X
Motor Racing helps foster a better understanding of where the rubber meets
the road in this motorsports simulation. You can find the clip on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant
Capcom announces Devil May
Cry 4 is now available for the PC, offering the Games for Windows edition of
the supernatural action game with enhancements over the versions that were
released for consoles earlier this year. A playable demo came out last month
along with DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 benchmarks to test how the game will run on
various systems ( story), and here's the announcement:
Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today
announced that the highly anticipated Games for Windows version of Devil May Cry
4 ships to retail today. Devil May Cry 4 is already a certifiable hit in the
console world, having shipped over 2 million units world wide since its release
in North America in February. The Games for Windows version of Devil May Cry 4
will feature new modes, enhanced graphics options and additional content. Devil
May Cry 4 has been rated M for Mature by the Entertainment Software Ratings
Board and carries a suggested retail price of $39.99.
Good things come to those who wait as Windows-based PC owners will benefit from
having more modes and more visual customization options to help enhance their
demon-slaying action. Following up on the amazingly popular Windows-based PC
demo available for download at major direct-to-download websites, Devil May Cry
4 for Games for Windows has garnered critical praise with the game's additional
graphical prowess and buffed up frame rate. The full version will feature a
number of exclusive content for the Windows-based PC including, Turbo Mode,
which will turn-up the action to insane speeds, and Legendary Dark Knight Mode,
which will harness advanced Windows-based PC processing power and fill the
screen with an unbelievable number of enemies for extra difficulty.
Moreover, familiar enemies from the console versions will show-up in new
locations in the Games for Windows version. The high resolution screen settings
allow the cut scenes of the game to run at up to 120 frames per second (up from
30 frames per second in the console version of the game). Slider options are
available to manage various visual effects seen throughout the game.
Additionally, Devil May Cry 4 for Games for Windows comes with a Benchmark Test
Mode which lets users test their Windows PC. Devil May Cry 4 for Games for
Windows will have both DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 modes,
From the producer of the original Devil May Cry and Resident Evil 4 comes the
next installment in the hugely successful stylized action series that has so far
achieved global sales of nearly seven million units.
Devil May Cry 4 immerses gamers in a gothic supernatural world, where a new
protagonist clashes with a familiar hero. As the new leading man, Nero, players
will unleash incredible attacks and non-stop combos using a unique new gameplay
mechanic: the powerful "Devil Bringer" on his right arm.
For more information, visit:
http://www.devilmaycry.com
The promised first patch for Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath is now
available, updating the real-time strategy expansion to version 1.01. The patch
includes balance tweaks, bug and exploit fixes, and fixes for various desync
issues that disrupted multiplayer play. The various localized editions of the
patch are available from
EA's FTP directory,
where there is also
a read me
outlining all that's changed. Thanks to
The Patches Scrolls, where
they have all the patches mirrored. Additional mirrors can be found on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
The Todd Hollenshead Interview on Kikizo hears from the id Software CEO
(with an assist from designer/marine biologist Matt Hooper) on a variety of
topics, including Rage, engine technology, platform support, and more. At
one point a question about DOOM 3's shortcomings inspires a defense of
the game (thanks
Eurogamer),
as Todd points out that sales-wise, "It's the most successful game in id's
history." Along the way, Matt talks about Rage and the Tech 5 engine, apparently
fearless about raising expectations: The things we're doing with id Tech 5
have really opened things up design-wise. I work closely with Tim Willits who's
the creative director on id Tech 5 and the guiding force on Rage, and we're
going to do some things which I think are just going to blow people way - it's
just going to be on a whole new level. Things that you have never seen in any
game before, some things borrowed from different games, really action focused.
Just as a designer we can do things in these giant worlds and with these vehicle
systems and still maintain the things that people love id for, which is that
control and the FPS action combat, but now we can introduce all these other
elements, so it's really opened things up. On the design side, we've never had
more energy, it just makes us giddy to be able to use this tech.
Ubisoft acquires Sin City effects studio has word that Ubisoft has acquired
Canadian movie effects company Hybride Technologies, saying their motion picture
work will continue as they add video games to their upcoming workload. Hybride
founder and CEO Pierre Raymond is quoted on the impact of the deal: "The sharing
of technological and creative expertise between Ubisoft and Hybride will
position the two companies at the head of the pack in an entertainment industry
in rapid evolution."
The Introversion Software
Blog has word from Chris Delay that preproduction is underway on
Chronometer, as the independent developer is collaborating with the UK's
Channel 4 to produce a project they have long hoped to undertake, but knew would
be beyond their means (thanks
Eurogamer).
Here's a bit, including Chris' admission that this game may never move into full
production: There is one document in this vault which has been edited and
revised and updated more times than any other, and that document is called
Chronometer.
It’s one of our more recent ideas, and was first written down during Defcon’s
beta phase. I specifically remember the moment I explained it to Mark – in a KFC
in London of all places, and he just stopped and stared at me while I was
speaking. He genuinely couldn’t continue eating. By the time I’d finished I went
back to my food and Mark just sat there silent for a few minutes before uttering
“fuck me”, slowly shaking his head in disbelief.
It’s always been clear to us that it’s not a project we could ever afford to
make ourselves. So the project sat there in The Bespokery all this time, a
fascinating thought experiment in ambitious game design and nothing more, until
Channel 4 approached Introversion and asked us if we had any game ideas we’d
like funding for.
Our initial response was something along the lines of No. But the more we
thought about it, the more we found Chronometer actually fitted the requirements
extremely well, and their deal on offer was something we hadn't seen before. We
pitched the idea to them and they approved the first exploratory phase pretty
soon after.
So around three months ago, despite being busier than we’ve ever been,
Introversion Software began work on its sixth game. Channel 4 funded an
exploratory pre-production phase of three months work, which we have now almost
completed. We spent a long time looking for a fulltime writer, and worked
through nearly 50 applicants until we hit on the right guy for the job – a
writer named Chris Hastings, who's sample work was a league ahead of the
competition. Chris and myself have been working closely together in Cambridge
during this three month period and that Chronometer document has now expanded
into a whole project folder with scripts, pictures, maps, flow charts,
production plans, budgets, the whole lot. We’ve spent a lot of time moving
post-it notes around on a giant board, trying to piece together the structure of
this new game.
Ultimately we don’t know for certain if Chronometer will be going into full
production – the conditions would have to be right for Introversion and for
Channel 4, although they’ve been fantastic to work with during pre-production.
We’re pretty much finished with this phase of Chronometer for now, and we’ll
keep you updated about this interesting sixth game project as decisions are
made.
Kaos Studios
Community Forum announces that a beta version of the promised PC demo for
Frontlines: Fuel of War has been "leaked," but that the release is also "legit,"
suggesting the word "leaked" does not mean what they think it means. Official
word from Kaos is: "Just understand, this may not be the final version of the
demo so you may have to uninstall and reinstall when we release it. All we ask
if you do install the demo beta is that you post your feedback here." The
download can be found on
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FileFront,
FileShack, and Gamer's
Hell.
Matrix Games announces a new patch is available for Gary Grigsby’s War
Between the States, updating the Civil War strategy game to version 1.010.
Word is: "the update includes a handful of new player-requested features
including an interface improvement making it easier to see which leaders have
initiative, additional feedback to players on leader casualties and Kentucky
neutrality a dozen fixes, and some improvements to the Union AI in Missouri."
The patch can be downloaded from
this page.
SimRacingWorld reproduces a post from the
Codemasters forums
where the executive produce for RACE steps into a hornet's nest of controversy
over whether Formula One 2009 will be more of an arcade racing game or more of a
true simulation, offering reassurances to sim fans that it will be more of the
latter: Right, I haven't read every post in this thread, but I get the
jist and just to stop you all from panicking too much... GRID and DiRT are aimed
at an arcade audience and they do that very well. F1 has different requirements
and will get a completely different treatment from our in-house team, including
full on sim options, physics, rules and regs etc. We will also have arcade
requirements catered for as well. How this will be split we do not know yet, but
split it will be.
EGOSOFT offers
some new screenshots from X³: Terran Conflict, while also narrowing the release
date for the upcoming culmination of the X trilogy of space combat games. The
game was previously slated for a Q3 2008 release, which has been pinned down to
the beginning of the quarter at end of September. Thanks Gamer's Hell.
The Mark
Rein Q&A on GamesIndustry.biz chats up the Epic veep in a conversation that
mostly centers on console gaming, though on the subject of ongoing PC support,
he says: "Well, we make our games on the PC obviously and PC is how we do
development and why we have this great Intel million dollar 'Make Something
Unreal' competition. Our games are on PC, if we have a game that suits the PC I
don't see any reason why we wouldn't release it on PC. It seems like a
no-brainer." Other topics include progress on Gears of War 2, their
disinterest in Wii development, the European market, and how Epic's games
already support 3D monitor technology.
Broken
Sword legend speaks on VideoGamer.com talks with Charles Cecil in a lengthy
conversation. They manage the information overload by highlighting a few
tidbits, including a
Broken Sword movie
update, his patriotic contention that
GTA 4 "had to be
made by Brits," and
word that an
"official announcement" on a new Broken Sword game is coming, though it
sounds like this may be a Nintendo DS edition of the adventure game.
I just cannot believe how much bird poo is covering our car at this point. We
certainly have more than enough birds in the area, but the car is parked in a
spot that is not near any trees, nor is it under any telephone wires or other
perches where said pooing could take place. I guess it must be something in
their nature that makes them want to deliver their presents somewhere specific
(I remember how the Canadian Geese at my summer camp would cover this rock in
the middle of the lake with their droppings), but I sure wish it didn't have to
be on our car. I've never like white paint on cars, but I'm beginning to
understand the appeal.
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