|
|
 |
Archived News:
Eurogamer has
word from Maxis that there will be no demo for Spore, the now-gold
life simulation, quoting executive producer Lucy Bradshaw, who also told them
"yes, we'll add to the experience," when asked about expansions, but also
mentioned plans to eventually distribute the flora editor that was axed from the
game. She also addresses the game's controversial DRM scheme, saying "We
do have copy protection, it is a necessary part of our biz, but we've worked to
make it something that does not punish the legit owners," Bradshaw said.
"You need to authenticate once at the first install. This happens online. You
can install on three separate computers and you do need to register for the
online features."
Meridian4 announces Space Trader - Merchant Marine, a sci-fi
shooter/trading game under development at Hermitworks Entertainment. There are
some screenshots in the
Space Trader
Product Section. Update: Seems this is a reissue of a previously available game
(thanks JaguarUSF).
Today's Team Fortress 2 -
A Heavy Update introduces the second Heavy class unlockable weapon as a
Level 5 Minigun which has a 100% chance of slowing victims at the expense of
doing 25% less damage: The Heavy's second unlockable, Natascha, slows
enemies with her bullets. Anyone damaged by her will move slower for an instant,
encouraging them to find cover or turn and face the Heavy,
mano-a-tiny-itty-bitty-mano. Unfortunately, Natascha is slightly weaker than
Sasha, so she takes longer to finish off a victim. As a result, Natascha's great
against fleeing cowards, such as Scouts & Medics, and less great against anyone
actively trying to kill her master. Heavies that like to jump around corners and
surprise groups of startled enemy crybabies will also find her very useful,
although they should look for a Sasha-wielding enemy Heavy before they
leap.
Jace Hall Show, Ep 11 features an interview with SOE's John Smedley
discussing DC Universe Online and offering ShakyCam footage of
never-before-seen gameplay from the upcoming superhero MMORPG. The footage
emphasizes the throwing of large vehicles and a heavy dose of man-ass, though
there's some cleavage at the end for balance.
Steam
is offering a sale on TrackMania United Forever this weekend (thanks
Dagok). Word is: "This weekend only, pick up one of the most entertaining car
racing game ever in
TrackMania United Forever for just $19.99. Offer ends August 18th."
EA and Black Box officially announce Need for Speed Undercover
( story), which will feature actress
Maggie Q in its live-action
sequences. The latest installment in the racing series is due on multiple
platforms on November 18 in North America and November 21 in Europe:
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – August 15, 2008 – Black Box, a studio of
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced Need for Speed™ Undercover,
the intense action racing title scheduled for release this holiday. The new game
will feature international movie star, Maggie Q, as the lead character in the
big-budget live-action sequences that propel the original story forward as
players get behind the wheel. EA’s Need for Speed Undercover takes the franchise
back to its roots and re-introduces break-neck cop chases, the world’s hottest
cars and spectacular highway battles.
“Need for Speed Undercover features a deep and engaging story of spectacular
Hollywood-style live-action that will transport players into the fictional world
of the Tri-City Bay Area,” said Bill Harrison, Need for Speed Undercover
Executive Producer. “Working with talent the caliber of Maggie Q allows us to
deliver an unparalleled level of storytelling that will keep players engaged in
between 180-mile an hour races.”
Maggie Q, who has starred in Mission Impossible III and Live Free or Die Hard,
plays Federal Agent Chase Linh, a seductive handler who recruits and guides
players as they go undercover. Players will take on dangerous jobs and compete
in races in order to infiltrate and takedown a ruthless international crime
syndicate.
“I’ve always been a fan of racing games and working on Need for Speed Undercover
was an amazing experience,” said Maggie Q. “I was so impressed by the scope and
quality of the overall production that goes into a videogame these days. It was
like any other day on a Hollywood set; I felt right at home. The Black Box team
is doing tremendous work here and I can’t wait to see the final game.”
Need for Speed Undercover is being developed by Black Box in Vancouver, B.C.,
and is slated to be in stores North America on November 18 and in Europe on
November 21. The game will be available for Xbox 360® video game and
entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Wii™ as
well as the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™, PSP®
(PlayStation® Portable) handheld entertainment system, PC and mobile. More
information can be found at
www.needforspeed.com.
KOEI announces that Dynasty Warriors 6 is coming to the PC, saying the
tactical action sequel that's already available for Xbox 360 and PS3 will be
released for PC on November 18: Burlingame, CA -- August 15, 2008 --
KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games,
today announced that the company is bringing its mega-hit Tactical Action game,
DYNASTY WARRIORS®6 to PlayStation 2 and to Windows-based PC.
DYNASTY WARRIORS 6 will debut on PlayStation 2 as a massive two-disc collection
action-packed with the full cast of playable characters and pulse-pounding
scenarios of the original release, plus platform-exclusive content including
never-before-seen "Musou" mode stories, incredible new weapons, five additional
stages and 10 new scenarios.
DYNASTY WARRIORS 6 for PlayStation 2 will ship to retailers starting November
18, 2008, while the version for Windows-based PC will be available
simultaneously and exclusively through digital download. The game is already in
stores for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and for the Xbox 360®
video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.
Space
Siege Q&A on Gaming Nexus talks with "someone at Gas Powered Games" about
their just-release action/RPG. The someone is eventually identified as writer
William Harms, who offers reflections on the game's plot, how it's different
from Dungeon Siege in space, multiple endings, multiplayer support, and
more.
The site was spitting out database errors for a while this afternoon, preventing
forum posts and many other functions. It looks like everything's cleared up now,
but apologies to anyone who had problems with this.
DirectX10 Features in Age of Conan Exclusively Revealed at Games Convention
has word that new Age of Conan DirectX 10 features will be shown off at
GCDC as well as new content, as: "Funcom will reveal and demonstrate brand new
and never-before-seen locations, content and features that will be put into the
recently launched massively multiplayer online game ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian
Adventures’ in the months ahead."
The Capcom Forums have word that a last-minute problem means the
recently released Bionic Commando Rearmed ( story) will not
appear on Steam (thanks
Eurogamer).
Word is: Actually, I do have some bad news on the Steam front. At the
last minute, we've been unable to reach mutually agreeable terms with Valve on
BCR, so they won't be carrying it (unfortunately you'll have to get it
elsewhere). I won't get into the details but we do continue to have a good
relationship with Valve and future Capcom titles we expect to be carried on
Steam.
The
Financial Times speaks with Activision Blizzard CEO Robert Kotick, who responds to Warner Music
Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman's recently expressed opinion that music games
should be paying a higher royalty rate to music publishers for using "content [they]
own and control" ( story). Kotick says Bronfman's "one-sided
comments" were not "respectful of how much we’ve done to bring new audiences
into the market." He goes on to say: "We’re introducing a whole new group of
artists to new audiences that is resulting in their iTunes downloads being
exponentially higher than they would otherwise be, [as well as] new album sales
and new merchandising opportunities." In response F.T. quotes a (presumably
different) Warner rep, who says: "We hope that
our partners in the gaming space appreciate not only the value of their own
contributions but also those of the recording artists, songwriters, record
labels and music publishers on which their games are significantly based." Most
significant is Kotick's comment that seems to be a warning that they do not
foresee bowing to pressure to increase royalties: “I think his view
was ... that [Warner Music] should be compensated the way they might for a
performance on iTunes,” said Mr Kotick. “But this is an entirely different
business that is very technically complex. We’re going to favour those
publishers that recognise and appreciate how much we can add value to their
artists.”
A new Saints Row 2 trailer introduces another of the gangs/factions in
Volition's upcoming life of crime open-world action sequel. The clip shows off
the Sons of Samedi gang, and introduces some of the voodoo-inspired faction's
storyline. The clip concludes with an October 14th release date, but once again
no PC logo (hmmm). The movie is available on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
Pandemic on Mercenaries 2: World in Flames on GameSpot is a conversation
with Pandemic director Cameron Brown about the upcoming open-world action
sequel, discussing gameplay, the differences on various platforms (like the lack
of PS3 trophy support), and on how they have reworked the game's cooperative
multiplayer play: That was one of the big things we wanted to do over
[with] Mercs. What we decided to do early on was we didn’t want you to go to any
kind of special mode or arena. We really wanted you to play multiplayer and that
it would be the full single-player experience. What we focused on was co-op,
it’s just two players--you and your friend--in the game. We focused on this very
easy to get into, drop-in, drop-out, co-op. I could be playing my game and see
you pop up online, I could send you an invite and you jump into my game. There’s
literally no interruption for me at all, I’m just playing around with the world.
If I’m in a vehicle, you’ll appear there, like in the gunner’s seat. If I’m
running around, you’ll appear beside me. We just keep playing the single-player
game, with the two of us in there together. We can play from the opening credits
to the final credits--all the way through the game in co-op.
This
Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway Q&A is an internally conducted conversation
where Gearbox's Randy Pitchford discusses the way commanding your squad will
work in the upcoming continuation of their world War II shooter series. On a
related note, a new trailer is now online that shows off the game's emphasis on
teamwork. This clip can be found on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
GamersGate announces the addition of
titles from 2K Games to their online game marketplace. Word is: "The first
titles to be released under this agreement will be the strategy titles: Sid
Meier’s Civilization® III: Complete and Shattered Union. Additional titles will
follow, including the titles: Sid Meier’s Railroads!™, CivCity Rome™ and the
classic action-adventure game Sid Meier’s Pirates!®."
Take-Two Interactive names Gary Dale COO has word that Gary Dale is the new
chief operating officer of the publisher/developer that's been spending
much of its time lately fending off the advances of Electronic Arts. According to
MarketWatch: "Dale will be responsible for Take-Two's publishing labels,
sales activities, international expansion and business development initiatives."
The Rise of the Argonauts Q&A on GameSpot UK chats with Liquid
Entertainment's Ed Del Castillo about the upcoming action/RPG and what will set
it apart: "We have a rich, compelling story for the player first and foremost,
and all the gameplay mechanics serve this experience. If you're playing this
game to kill 5,367 boars and rats or to min max your character, you're going to
be disappointed. Instead, we have streamlined RPG features, slick, brutal
real-time combat, and a truly compelling world that begs to be explored."
There's also a new "Rise of the Argo" trailer from the game on the
Codemasters Website where
Charley Price and Rico Sablan discuss Jason's ship and its pivotal role in the
game. The clip is mirrored on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
Captaining The Lifeboat: Runic Games’ Max Schaefer and Travis Baldree on
GameCyte is an interview with these survivors of the sinking of Flagship
Studios. They discuss the way Flagship's collapse unfolded, Runic's failed
efforts at retaining the Mythos IP, and their plans to continue to focus on PC
games though they must start from scratch after losing all the tech they created
for Hellgate and Mythos. Schaefer also provides an update on the last remaining
vestige of Flagship: "It’s barely open. It’s just open enough to take care of
the final affairs, but for all intents and purposes it’s closed down."
‘Diablo III’ Designer Describes How Game Will Appeal To ‘Diablo’ Fans And Broad
Audience on MTV Multiplayer continues this ongoing exploration of their
conversation with Jay Wilson about Diablo III. This time around they discuss the
concerns of fans over the way health potions will now be part of monster loot.
This press release announces
Robosoft's pride in their Macintosh port of Battlestations: Midway,
saying this "reinforces Robosoft¹s commitment to being a market leader in
porting the best-selling AAA titles from PC/ Consoles to the Mac platform." What
they don't mention is the Mac edition of the World War II action/strategy game
seems to now be available from
Feral Interactive.
A new Empire Total War trailer shows off naval battles in the upcoming
strategy game, the first time sea combat will be featured in Creative Assembly's
Total War series. The age of sail combat gameplay clip is posted on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
- QuakeCon Recap on LinuxGames
(thanks Ant). Carmack's Linux pessimism and confirmations of intentions to
OpenSource the DOOM 3 engine next year (not the Q3A engine, as origianlly posted, apologies for the error).
Gearbox sends along a help wanted: Award-winning video game developer
Gearbox Software is looking for talented developers to work on upcoming titles
for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and Windows PC. Open positions abound, please visit
our website for more information! Announced projects are only a small part of
Gearbox’s future – contact us to learn more! Come create incredible games with
one of the most successful independent game developers in the world!
For more information, please visit
http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/index.php?p=jobs
To apply email your resume and link to online portfolio to
gamejobs@gearboxsoftware.com
We ended up watching some more Olympics last night; if memory serves, the few
hours I've seen of this year's games are more than I've watched over the past
few summer and winter games put together. We caught some swimming, and some of
those swimmers had the broadest shoulders I've ever seen… and then we saw a
men's race (badoom-bah!).
|
Twitter 
