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Archived News:
NCsoft announces the merger of City of Heroes and City of Villains, the
complementary super-powered MMORPGs that for some reason had not been
consolidated prior to now. They say this will lay the groundwork for future
projects to be announced later this year. The
City of Heroes Community Site also has word that a double-XP weekend kicks
off on Friday. Here's the merger announcement: Wednesday 16th July,
Brighton, UK/... There is a reason for the rejoicing in Paragon City™ and the
Rogue Isles™. It is official – NCsoft® has completely merged the two games into
one game universe. All current subscribers who only had one of the games (City
of Heroes® or City of Villains®) now have access to the features of both games.
Additionally, all City of Heroes and City of Villains games for sale at retail
or online will grant access to both games.
This is the final step needed in preparing the IP for future projects, to be
announced later this year. Paragon City and the Rogue Isles have always been a
part of the same game universe. When City of Villains launched in 2005 as a
stand-alone game, it did not launch with an extra subscription fee, so there has
always been this feeling that they are closely related. What’s different here is
that NCsoft has taken down the barrier where players had to have a City of
Villains serial code to make a villain, and vice versa. Now, it doesn’t matter
if you bought Heroes or Villains, you can make characters from either faction
you want and experience their unique game content. Additionally, Heroes now have
access to base building, which was previously only available if you had
purchased City of Villains.
“In setting the stage for our upcoming plans for the IP, we felt the time was
right to truly consolidate the City of Heroes and City of Villains universe,”
said Brian Clayton, General Manager and Executive Producer. “We have removed all
restrictions that were created when City of Villains launched in order to make
way for some really cool content and features we have in the pipeline. This is
an evolution of the IP that lays the foundation for what’s to come.”
The most recent game update, Issue 12: Midnight Hour, launched in May and
included a wealth of features, including a new Greek and Roman inspired zone,
Villain Epic Archetypes, Powerset Proliferation, as well as more character slots
so that players can try out the new character powers and Archetypes.
“We know that character variety is one of our greatest strengths and that’s why
our players love to create new characters” said Matt Miller, Lead Designer.
“Even former players who reactivate will be pleasantly surprised to see new open
character slots waiting for them.”
Uniting the City of Heroes universe enables the development team to focus on
other features slated to come in future installments. Improvements to Supergroup
Bases and raids, an offline character reward system, and the previously revealed
Mission Maker are just some of the systems that will see the benefits of a
unified City of Heroes game.
The Call of Duty: World at War E3 2008 Trailer offers glimpses of the
action in the next installment in the military shooter series, showing off night
combat and how it can be illuminated by a flame thrower. You can view the clip
on AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
The E3 trailer for Scorpion combines the violent action of a first-person
shooter with the music, lights, and dancing of a rave. Enjoy the clip, and
please don't take the brown acid. The clip can be found on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
A new m.o.v.i.e. from Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. is now available, promoting
the upcoming aerial combat game, though this is a cinematic clip with no actual
gameplay. The movie is posted on
AtomicGamer and
FileFront.
This Battlefront.com Videos Page offers movies from Combat Mission Shock
Force - Marines taken from a beta of their upcoming military combat
expansion. Word is: "Among other units featured in the videos are various models
of the Marine Corps Light Attack Vehicle, or 'LAV' including the 25mm cannon
armed LAV-25 A2, the missile equipped LAV AT and the command vehicle variant,
the LAV C2 A2." The clips can also be found on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
The E3 trailer for Pure offers an unadulterated look at this upcoming
racing game in the works at Black Rock Studio. The action all takes place on
4x4s, but, apologies to Superman, you'll really believe a man can fly. You can
find the movie on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and
MyGameTrailers.
The game formerly known as Plunder is on display in the Age of Booty E3
movies. I watched pretty carefully, but I saw no actual booty in the clips. Oh
well, there's plenty of that on the internet already. The movies are posted on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
Two new movies from Flock show off this just-announced flocking game.
The flocking clips are available on
FileFront and Gamer's
Hell.
A new Sims 3 trailer shows off the excitingly mundane existence of the next
installment in the upcoming life simulation. This clip can be found on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell. If you go quickly enough you can finish watching before they start
announcing expansions.
The Obsidian Conflict Website now
features a new version 1.31 patch for this Half-Life 2 modification, saying: "We
have just finished up Patch 1.31, which fixes some important exploits and
issues. This patch also introduces a new feature for donating points to other
players." Thanks jimnms.
Remind me who thought this was a good idea?
- Age of Booty on
GameSpot.
- Alpha Protocol on
GameSpot.
- Battlestations: Pacific on
IGN.
- Borderlands on
1Up,
GameSpot, and IGN.
- Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway on
GameSpy and IGN.
- Call of Duty: World at War on
IGN.
- Champions Online on
Eurogamer
and
GameSpot.
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 on
GameSpy and IGN.
- Crysis: Warhead on
1Up,
ActionTrip, and
GameSpy.
- Damnation on
1Up and
IGN.
- Dark Void on
1Up,
GameSpot, and IGN.
- Dragon Age: Origins on
1Up,
GameSpy, and
IGN.
- Dead Space on
GameSpy and
IGN.
- Disciples III: Renaissance on
GameSpy
and RPG Vault.
- Empire: Total War on
IGN.
- Fallout 3 on
ActionTrip
and GameSpy.
- Far Cry 2 on
GameSpy.
- Free Realms on
IGN.
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on
GamersInfo.net and
GameSpot.
- Heavy Duty on
IGN.
- Jumpgate Evolution on
1Up.
- King's Bounty: The Legend on
IGN.
- The Last Remnant on
IGN.
- The Lord of the Rings: Conquest on
GameSpot.
- Left 4 Dead on
1Up.
- LEGO Batman: The Videogame on
IGN.
- Mirror's Edge on
ActionTrip,
GameSpot, and IGN.
- Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir on
IGN.
- Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising on
1Up and
GameSpot.
- Postal III on
IGN.
- Project Origin on
ActionTrip.
- Prince of Persia on
GameSpot and
GameSpy.
- Pure on
IGN.
- Rise of the Argonauts on
GameSpot and IGN.
- Saints Row 2 on
1Up.
- Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization on
GameSpot and IGN.
- Space Siege on
IGN.
- Spore on
GameSpy and IGN.
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky on
IGN.
- This is Vegas on
GameSpy and IGN.
- Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. on
GameSpot and IGN.
- Wanted on
1Up and
IGN.
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II on
1Up.
- Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning on
GameSpy
and IGN.
- Wheelman on
1Up and
IGN.
- The Witcher: Enhanced Edition on
IGN.
- Wolfenstein on
IGN.
- X-Blades on
IGN.
Sure it's E3, but if only there were some movies to watch or previews to read...
This press release announces plans to release a Wanted video game
later this year, saying a tie-in with the new action movie for the same name has
been in development at GRIN since last year. A solitary screenshot from the game
is available, you can view that on
Gamer's Hell. The third-person action game will be "taking combat to a new
level with iconic moves -- such as 'curving bullets' and 'Assassin Time'." Word
is: LOS ANGELES, July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Pictures Digital
Platforms Group (UPDPG) is creating a video game based on Universal Pictures'
blockbuster action-thriller "Wanted", starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman and
Angelina Jolie. The game will be published worldwide by Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment and is being developed by renowned game developer GRIN, best known
for its work on the Tom Clancy: Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter series and the
upcoming Bionic Commando. The film, which was released on June 27, 2008, has
earned $192 million in worldwide box office to date.
Based upon Mark Millar's graphic novel series and helmed by stunning visualist
director Timur Bekmambetov -- creator of the most successful Russian film
franchise in history -- "Wanted" tells the tale of one apathetic nobody's
transformation as he is introduced to a new life and new powers that he never
knew existed. With the film's successful release, the world has been introduced
to a hero for a new generation: Wesley Gibson.
"'Wanted' is a film with a fantastic visual style, an in-your-face attitude and
edge-of-your-seat action sequences, and moviegoers around the world have
resoundingly embraced it," said Bill Kispert, Vice President and General
Manager, Interactive, Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group. "From the time
we read the script and saw the film's pre-visual material, it was clear that
'Wanted' was a powerful property -- one that was well poised to deliver an
engaging gaming experience. We look forward to working closely with the film's
creative team to extend 'Wanted's' mythology and to expand the story behind the
Fraternity of Assassins."
The "Wanted" video game will feature intense third-person action, taking combat
to a new level with iconic moves -- such as "curving bullets" and "Assassin
Time" -- drawn directly from the film, as well as an innovative, multi-layered
cover mechanic. The storyline of the game will pick up where the movie leaves
off, providing fans with another chapter to explore both Wesley's journey into
becoming an uberassassin and the epic fiction of the Fraternity.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will publish the "Wanted" video game,
utilizing its premiere sales, marketing and distribution capabilities to deliver
the title to gamers worldwide.
"'Wanted' is a striking property with gripping action, which presents strong
gaming possibilities," said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment. "Publishing the 'Wanted' game is an excellent opportunity for
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to team with Universal on a global
property with terrific cross-platform potential. Players will get to immerse
themselves in the 'Wanted' universe with a stunning visual experience and
engaging gameplay."
The project also re-teams UPDPG with executive game producer Pete Wanat, who has
previously collaborated with the film studio on critically acclaimed movie-based
games The Thing, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, and
Scarface: The World is Yours.
"The team at GRIN has a proven track record of creating action games that push
the envelope in terms of gameplay and combat," said Mr. Wanat. "With the
'Wanted' video game, GRIN is creating entirely new gameplay mechanics and an
experience that pulls no punches. Gamers and fans of the film alike will be
blown away by the ability to curve bullets, pull off amazing combat sequences
and literally conduct a symphony orchestra of action with the arsenal available
to the most powerful assassins in the world."
The 'Wanted' game, in development since early 2007, will be available later this
year for consoles and personal computer. For more information on the film and
franchise, please visit www.wantedmovie.com.
The E3 trailer from Wolfenstein is online, showing off the upcoming
latest installment in the original World War II shooter series. The clip runs a
quick 20 seconds, but offers actual gameplay, including glimpses of supernatural
and science fiction combat. The clip is posted on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
Gamer's Hell, and
MyGameTrailers.
The E3 trailer for Singularity offers the first look at the new game in the
works at Raven Software. The movie doesn't exactly clarify the nature of the
game, but does indicate a technological disaster is somehow involved, though it
is probably not creating an actual gravitational singularity, as event horizons
are not particularly well-suited to gameplay (perhaps it is a
technological
singularity). Anyway, the clip is available on
ActionTrip,
Gamer's Hell, and
Tiscali Games.
Bungie.net has the abortive
results of their countdown announcing that the timer had been ticking down to an
E3 announcement that they are no longer going to make (thanks nin).
Xbox 360 Fanboy has several updates with a chronology of what happened, one
of them leading to a
Joystiq article with a number of updates as well. In short, it seems the
countdown ended with a teaser related to the Halo Superintendent as shown in
these
screenshots, but this update was then removed with an explanation that plans
for an announcement have been changed by their publisher (subsequently
identified as Microsoft Game Studios). In what may or may not be related news,
Microsoft Confirms That Bungie Is Developing New ‘Halo’ on MTV Multiplayer
has word from MGS's Don Mattrick that the studio is at work on a Halo project
that's neither Halo Wars, nor Peter Jackson's upcoming movie. Here's the
explanation that was posted on Bungie.net in lieu of an announcement:
From: Harold Ryan
Sent: Tuesday July, 15, 2008 7:00 PM
Subject: E3 Announce
For the last several months, we've been building toward a reveal of something
exciting that Bungie is working on. We were looking forward to sharing that with
our fan community during the week of E3. However, those plans were just changed
by our publisher.
We realize that many of our fans are disappointed by this turn of events;
members of the Bungie team share that disappointment.
When the right time comes, we look forward to sharing this exciting announcement
with you. Until then, we appreciate your continued support and patience.
Harold Ryan
President
Bungie LLC
The
Paradox Interactive Forums have details on a new update 2 that's now
available for Supreme Ruler 2020 that brings BattleGoat Studios' strategy
sequel to version 5.2.1. The update includes a number of bug fixes and changes,
along with a new scenario called "Kashmir Objective," described like so: "As
India you must reclaim the region of Kashmir while keeping Pakistan out of the
action."
The E3 trailer from Bionic Commando hopes to hook you by showing gameplay
from the upcoming return of the combative cyborg. The clip can be found on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer, and
FileFront. In another Bionic Commando and E3-related tidbit, there's a post
on the game's official website called
The Horror that is
E3 with Ben Judd's comments on the extravaganza.
The John Carmack Q&A on Maximum PC talks with the id Software technical
director as well as Tim Willits, shedding more light on the tech they are using
in Rage: MPC: It seems like you’ve taken inspiration for
Rage from Mad Max and everything else that’s post apocalyptic and awesome. What
would you say that you’re juiced about and pulling on to make Rage?
TW: For us, it’s all about fun and making the game experience as
enjoyable as possible. During development, whenever we hit a crossroads between
realism and fun, we take the fun path. We would love for game players, after
they finish Rage to say, “that game was fun. I had a great time.”
JC: And that actually, there are some technical points that we tie in
there. I was very proud of the Doom 3 generation, where I unified all these
things: static and dynamic lighting, static and dynamic geometry. It was
technically elegant and wonderful, and was this thing that I was quite proud of
as a setup. We’re making completely different decisions on Rage. I’m not trying
at all to be perfectly uniform or elegant in whatever way. We’re doing a lot
more of the traditional gaming hacks in the technology, because we’re a 60Hz
game. We’re totally blazing fast because Rage is a 60Hz game. We want to be
responsive for the driving side of things, and that carries over into a
silky-smooth sense of play even with all the other first-person sides of things.
That also plays into our grand strategic plan with all this generation of
technology. We’re ramping up to do another Doom game, built on id Tech 5. But
it’s going to be a 30Hz game. Even though we’re not changing the engine, we get
to throw three times as much horsepower at it, so it’s going to look like a
totally new game engine on there, even though it’s going to be built on the four
years of effort that we spent developing this generation of technology.
FX stays Sunny, Nippy (thanks Neevo) has news that more of It's Always Sunny
in Philadelphia is on the way, not just one season, but apparently another
(drumroll) 42 episodes! Yowza!
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