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Archived News:
ATI's Drivers & Software Page
is where to find the new version 8.8 Catalyst reference drivers for ATI Radeon
graphics cards (thanks Bill).
The release notes outline what's new and different; for Windows this
includes New Avivo video features and Hybrid Graphics Support for Windows XP,
and for Linux, overdrive and CrossFire support are added (as described on
Phoronix).
The BlizzCon 2008 ticket
lottery opt-in period is underway. Word is: "The opt-in period will last until
11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, August 24. After it ends, we will select 1,500 people
from the opt-in pool and offer them a chance to purchase up to two tickets to
BlizzCon 2008."
The Leipzig GC trailer from Tom Clancy's EndWar shows off gameplay from
the upcoming Clancy-fied game of real-time tactical combat. The clip includes a
mix of cinematics and gameplay footage, concluding with a logo screen that omits
the PC logo (though the Windows version is planned for release some time after
the console versions). The movie is posted on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer, and
MyGameTrailers.
A new cinematic trailer is now available for Warhammer Online: Age of
Reckoning. Word on the new WAR trailer is that it "brings the Age of
Reckoning to life in stunning detail and showcases the ongoing conflict between
the armies of Order and Destruction, the catalyst for WAR’s groundbreaking Realm
vs. Realm gameplay." The clip is available on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and
MyGameTrailers.
A new "shadows" trailer from Velvet Assassin shows off action in the dark
environments in the upcoming World War II stealth game. The clip is posted on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and again on
FileFront.
- Aion: The Tower of Eternity on
1Up.
- ANNO 1404 on
GameSpy and
IGN.
- Bionic Commando on
1Up and
IGN.
- Borderlands on
GameSpot.
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 on
Eurogamer.
- Crysis Warhead on
1Up and
IGN.
- Dark Void on
GameSpot.
- Diablo III on
IGN.
- Dragon Age: Origins on
IGN.
- Fallout 3 on
GameSpy and
IGN.
- Far Cry 2 on
GameSpot.
- Fuel on
1Up.
- Grand Theft Auto IV on
1Up,
Computer and Video Games,
GameSpot,
GameSpy,
and IGN.
- Left 4 Dead on
IGN.
- The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria on
Eurogamer.
- Mirror's Edge on
IGN.
- MotoGP 08 on
GameSpot.
- Need for Speed Undercover on
GameSpy, IGN,
and
NFSUnlimited.net.
- Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising on
GameSpot.
- Overlord II on
GameSpot.
- Prince of Persia on
AtomicGamer.
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 on
GameSpot.
- Pure on
GameSpy and IGN.
- Rage on
IGN.
- StarCraft II on
IGN.
- This Is Vegas on
GameSpot.
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II on
1Up,
GameSpot,
GameSpy,
GamesRadar, and
IGN.
- Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning on
IGN.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Bethesda Softworks announces October 28 as the North American release date for
Fallout 3 and October 31 as when European stores will be carrying the
post-apocalyptic RPG sequel: August 20, 2008 (Rockville, MD) – Bethesda
Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that its highly anticipated
title, Fallout® 3, will be available on store shelves and online in North
America on October 28, 2008 and in Europe on October 31, 2008. Developed at
Bethesda Game Studios – creators of the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls
IV: Oblivion® – Fallout 3 is slated for release on the Xbox 360®video game and
entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment
system, and Games for Windows.
“We are very excited to let gamers get their hands on Fallout 3, the latest
chapter in this beloved and highly acclaimed franchise,” said Vlatko Andonov,
president of Bethesda Softworks. “To meet the huge demand for this title by our
fans worldwide, we are planning one of the biggest launches of any game released
this year.”
Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Set more
than 200 years following a nuclear war, you can create any kind of character you
want and explore the open wastes of Washington, D.C. however you choose. Every
minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders,
and other dangers of the Wasteland.
Hailed as one of the most anticipated games for 2008, Fallout 3 has already won
numerous awards including Best of Show from the official Game Critics Awards at
E3 2008, a selection voted on by an independent group of journalists from 36
leading North American media outlets that cover the videogame industry.
Fallout® 3 has not yet been rated by the ESRB. For more information on Fallout
3, visit http://fallout.bethsoft.com.
EA announces FIFA 09 will be another of their sports games that will
offer continuously updated player ratings based on the performance of the
players during the soccer/football season. The announcement says purchasers will
get a one league "trial" of this function for one season, implying this will
include fees at some point. They also say this will work for PC, Xbox 360, and
PS3, and though a footnote adds a "subscription to Xbox Live or PlayStation
Network" as a requirement, such a subscription will presumably not be necessary
for the PC edition. The
Leipzig GC 2008 trailer for the game is online, and here's word:
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – August 20, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:
ERTS) today announced a new premium service for EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 09 called
adidas Live Season that will redefine the soccer videogame experience by
dynamically updating player form in-game on a weekly basis so that player
attributes mirror real-world performances. FIFA Soccer 09 will now feel and play
differently throughout the entire 2008-2009 season matching the weekly rhythm of
soccer. The new service will be available for Barclay’s Premier League, La Liga
BBVA, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A and Mexican Primera Division on the
PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and
entertainment system and PC.
FIFA Soccer 09 is now powered with dynamic real-world data and analytics,
lifting the game to new heights of authenticity for soccer fans and gamers
connected online. The adidas Live Season service is based on how real players
performed in the most recent real-world matches. Gameplay will change
dynamically as the performance of players and soccer teams in the real world
experience the highs and lows during their campaigns.
“This is an ambitious and completely unique feature that has never been
attempted before for football videogames,” said Andrew Wilson, Vice President &
Executive Producer for the franchise. “The game will feel and play differently
each week. With adidas Live Season if Ronaldinho has a great match on the
weekend you’ll feel the difference when you pick up the controller as his
in-game attributes increase.”
A global network of scouts will monitor every player in the adidas Live Season
leagues throughout the season to supply accurate and in-depth player and team
data each week. Player attributes will be impacted and player performance will
change dynamically. The adidas Live Season service is downloaded into FIFA
Soccer 09 each week and will run from the launch of the game to the end of the
2008-2009 season. Gamers will have access to one league of their choice for a
free* trial from the moment they activate it to the end of the 2008-2009 season.
*Requires purchase of FIFA 09. Internet Connection required and subscription to
Xbox Live or PlayStation Network.
Tiscali Games
reports on what they learned at a just-completed presentation about the upcoming
PC edition of Grand Theft Auto IV, also offering some screenshots of the
PC edition. The article is in Czech, but
a rough Google translation can help English speakers czech out the new info,
which includes support for resolutions up to 2560x1600, higher-resolution
textures than the console versions, longer view distances, and movie-creation
capabilities that include a TiVo-like ability to capture gameplay from up to 30
seconds prior to initiating a recording. There was also mention of new the
multiplayer mode, but Rockstar held back details on this.
The 7Million Website is online as a home
to this upcoming MMO celebration of criminal intents from Deep Silver, Team
Vienna, and Cliffhanger Productions. Word is: "7Million will be a welcome change
in MMO's, as it does not play in the typical fantasy or science-fiction genre.
Players with only a small amount of time will get their bearings quickly without
missing out on all the fun of the game and the interaction with loads of other
players." The site offers some screenshots and a teaser trailer, along with the
opportunity to sign up for the game's closed beta test. Here's the description
of the game: The game about fame welcomes you all to the glamorous world
of gentleman gangsters and lady thieves. If you simply can’t resist the scent of
big money and spectacular heists, 7Million will allow you to rub shoulders with
the cleverest of crooks. Create your own individual character and prowl the
streets of Paradise City in search of the next big thing.
Our first news will allow you a short glimpse into the game visuals as well as a
short trailer to whet your appetite. We have also launched the 7Million Forum
and are looking forward to hearing what you think of our little game so far. The
developers will drop by regularly, so be sure to drop in from time to time.
Welcome to the game that never sleeps - welcome to 7Million!
Konami announces plans for a PC edition of Silent Hill Homecoming to be
released next month digitally via Steam: EL SEGUNDO, CA - August 20,
2008 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today revealed that Silent Hill
Homecoming, the latest installment of the popular horror franchise Silent Hill,
will be available for the PC, in addition to the PLAYSTATION®3 and the Xbox
360®.
Silent Hill Homecoming marks the fifth story in the Silent Hill mythos, and
introduces a new protagonist to the mysterious town. The story follows Alex
Shepherd, who returns to his hometown of Shepherd's Glen to investigate the
sudden disappearance of his brother and the strange occurrences taking place
around town. Shepherd unravels a tale that takes him from his boyhood home to
the fog-shrouded streets of Silent Hill, as he faces the darkest horrors of his
soul to find his missing brother.
Silent Hill Homecoming features all-new graphics that bring the fear and terror
of Silent Hill alive like never before. Alex must survive the terrible denizens
with an all-new enhanced combat system that provides a wide array of attacks and
counters. Along the way, he will encounter a variety of weapons to battle these
horrific monsters and solve deadly puzzles, discovering the darkest secrets of
the town. Silent Hill Homecoming also features an all-new soundtrack by
acclaimed series composer Akira Yamaoka.
Silent Hill Homecoming for the PC will be available as a digital download
through www.steamgames.com and is
expected to launch September 2008. For more information, visit the website at
www.konami.com.
Ubisoft announces ANNO 1404, currently scheduled for a March 2009
release, so the next installment in the strategy/simulation series is a prequel
of sorts, continuing an alternating back-and-forth pattern that began with
ANNO 1602, followed by ANNO 1503, followed by ANNO 1701. The
previous installment in the series was created by Related Designs, who were said
to be working on a new ANNO game when Ubisoft acquired the series and a stake in
Related ( story), hence Ubisoft is now listed as the developer.
This series has always been sold in North America as YEAR A.D., rather than ANNO
YEAR, but the announcement makes no mention of 1404 A.D., so that convention may
be ending. On a related note,
a video interview
about the game is on GameStar that is conducted in German, but offers English
subtitles as well as some gameplay footage. Also, the 1701 A.D. Gold Edition
( story) seems to now be available in North America. Here's the
announcement: Leipzig, GERMANY – August XX, 2008 – Today Ubisoft
announced that it will develop ANN0 1404™, the highly anticipated sequel in the
award-winning building-strategy ANNO brand. Designed for the PC, ANNO 1404™ is
scheduled for release worldwide in March 2009.
Set in the Orient, ANNO 1404™ offers a richness of features never before seen,
bringing the ANNO™ series to a new level. Exploring a strange and fascinating
island world in the utmost East, players will get to know the culture and
technology of the ancient Orient while learning the tricks of local trade,
diplomacy and economy in order to build their own metropolis.
New customizable elements, dozens of embellishing objects and bigger islands and
worlds will provide players with endless opportunities to express their creative
vision, making all metropolises look truly unique. A new intuitive interface, as
well as a motivating, fully modifiable sandbox mode will make it easy and
enjoyable for everyone to play.
ANNO™ is one of the most successful strategy brands with over five million units
sold worldwide to date.
EA Announces Star Studded Cast for Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 has
details on the cast for the live-action sequences in the coming RTS sequel,
including Jenny McCarthy as Tanya. Other cast members include Tim Curry,
Jonathan Pryce, and George Takei as well as previously revealed participants
Gemma Atkinson and Gina "Conviction" Carano. There's a clip highlighting the
cast posted on
PCGH. On a similar note, Activision announces they have secured the rights
to use the likenesses and voices of all the leads from the Quantum of Solace
movie for the upcoming videogame tie-in with the next James Bond movie. In
addition to Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, and others from Quantum, they have also
picked up characters from Casino Royale (including Eva Green as Vesper
Lynd and Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre), as the game encompasses both movies.
Eurogamer
draws attention to a revelation from their
interview with
BioWare's Dan Tudge that indicates BioWare's intent to support the release
of Dragon Age: Origins with "downloadable content, both pre-release and post
release; free content, paid-for content; online achievements." When pressed
about whether pre-release downloadable content is code for demo, Dan plays it
coy: "I can't say. You can expect something very creative from BioWare; the
details I can't really go into."
Times Online has news that five developers, Atari, Topware Interactive,
Reality Pump, Techland, and Codemasters, are serving notice to 25,000 UK
families demanding they pay a settlement, or risk being taken to court over
software piracy (thanks
Edge Online). Here's a portion: The computer games industry has
launched an unprecedented assault on illegal downloads, demanding payment from
thousands of families who obtained the latest releases over the internet without
paying.
Five of the world’s top games developers will serve notice on 25,000 people
across the UK, requiring each one to pay £300 immediately to settle out of
court. Those who refuse risk being taken to court. The companies will target
their initial legal actions on 500 people who ignore the letters.
The companies involved – Atari, Topware Interactive, Reality Pump, Techland and
Codemasters – make some of the popular games, including The Lord of the Rings,
the Colin McRae Rally series and Operation Flashpoint. It is estimated that as
many as six million people in Britain share games illegally over the internet.
The aggressive action marks a dramatic change in the approach to copyright on
the internet. The British music industry, hit hard by illegal file-sharing, has
taken action against just 150 people in ten years.
The game makers have appointed the law firm Davenport Lyons. This week Isabela
Barwinska, an unemployed mother of two, became the first person in the UK to be
ordered to pay damages to a manufacturer. She must pay more than £16,000 to
Topware after downloading Dream Pinball through a file-sharing site.
Paradox Interactive announces Hearts of Iron 3, saying they plan on
releasing the next installment in their World War II grand strategy series in
the third quarter of next year: New York, USA (August 20, 2008) – Amidst
a backdrop of fevered online speculation, Paradox Interactive has today finally
revealed the true identity of "Project Mayhem" at the Games Convention in
Leipzig. The next Grand Strategy title to be released from the Paradox
Interactive development team is the third instalment in the critically acclaimed
Hearts of Iron series.
The Hearts of Iron series has become renowned for beingthe biggest, most
detailed and complete strategic game series on World War 2 ever made. Hearts of
Iron 3 will follow that tradition closely while focusing on satisfying veteran
players through a multitude of brand new features and systems, including a huge
map with more than 10,000 provinces.
It's clear this is a game that fans of our titles have been eagerly
anticipating", commented Johan Andersson, Head of Development at Paradox
Interactive. "Before revealing the project, our upcoming announcement online
forum received more than 14,000 page views in less than 24 hours with a third
installment of Hearts of Iron seemingly being at the top of everyone's wish
list."
Hearts of Iron 3 is scheduled for release in Q3, 2009.
MCV has word from the Leipzig Game Convention on the release date for The
Sims 3, the next installment in the lifestyle simulation. They say EA
announced February 20, 2009 as the release date for both the standard edition as
well as a collector's edition that will feature an exclusive sports car as well
as other bonuses.
The Heavy Update is live in Team Fortress 2, but the patch notes haven't yet shown up on the Steam website, so here they are from Steam itself:
Updates to Team Fortress 2 have been released. The updates will be
applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes
include:
Added 3 Heavy unlockables
• Natascha, The Sandvich, The Killing Gloves of Boxing
• Added 35 new Heavy achievements
Added Arena game mode
• 5 arenas: Lumberyard, Ravine, Well, Granary, Badlands
Added 2 new maps
• Badwater Basin, a new payload map
• cp_steel, a community map by Jamie "Fishbus" Manson
Changes
• Added server map timeleft to upper right of scoreboard
• Added new firing sounds to The Backburner
• Removed the Custom Tab in the serverbrowser, and added
the Tags field to the base Internet Tab
• Increased The Kritzkrieg's uber-charge rate bonus from
10% to 25%
• 32 player servers can now support an extra slot of
SourceTV
• Made the freezecam item panel description easier to read
• Players now broadcast whether they chose a team directly
or use autoteam
• Added proper handling of cart blocking recognition to
Payload maps
Bug fixes
• Fixed bug where switching from flaregun-wielding Pyro to
another class meant you didn't get a full ammo loadout on first spawn
• Fixed Spy watch arm not using team skins
• Fixed weapon switching preventing you from using
secondary attacks for a 0.2s window after the primary became available
• Fixed players getting stuck in a bad animation state when
class switching while spinning the minigun
• Fixed a loophole that allowed players to pickup weapons
of other classes
• Fixed a bug that resulted in players earning more crit
chance bonus in large, single damage events than they are supposed to
• Fixed an issue with the floating HUD +X health indicators
that resulted in them appearing incorrectly
• Fixed a bug which caused the minigun spinning & firing
sounds to occasionally stop while the Heavy was still firing
• Fixes the Loadout player model panel causing the in-game
player facial animation to perform incorrectly
• Fixed spectators not having the target ID labels display
correctly
• Fixed the cart alarm sound occasionally getting stuck on
in Payload maps
Dev Corner:
Tabula Rasa's Newest Deployment on PlayNC.com has thoughts from NCsoft's
Starr Long on how their latest content update improves the new player experience
in Tabula Rasa, as well as continuing to properly serve their veteran players.
He also discusses the impact publicity from
Operation Immortality, and
how they have integrated aspects of that real-world event into the game.
The BlizzCon 2008 Website
has word on how the promised lottery will be conducted for tickets to the
sold-out BlizzCon 2008 convention. The
BlizzCon 2008 Ticket
Drawing FAQ has all the specifics.
NCsoft’s Brian Knox
talks about Aion on GameZone converses about Aion: The Tower of Eternity
with Brian Knox, associate producer on the upcoming MMORPG. One topic they
explore is attempting to appeal to global audiences: "It was really important to
us that this game appeal to a global audience. So when the title was started, we
went to the East, the West, Europe, everywhere and wanted to pick out the best
features of all the games around the world and make sure that Aion would have
that global appeal. We really feel there is not a lot of difference in the games
around the world – a good game is a good game."
Ragnar Tørnquist Q&A Part 2 on Rock, Paper, Shotgun continues their
conversation with the FunCom designer, this time focusing more on The Longest
Journey.
- ASUS Radeon HD 4870 TOP 512MB Graphics Card on
TweakTown.
- ATi Radeon HD 4870 X2 Graphics Card on
InsideHW.
- Corsair TX750 750W PSU on
Ninjalane.
- Diamond HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 Graphics Card on
Legit Reviews.
- Diamond & Visiontek Radeon 4870 Graphics Cards on
Boot Daily.
- ECS GF8200A Motherboard on
Overclockers Club.
- ECS P45T-A Intel P45 Express Motherboard on
PCStats.
- Force 3D Radeon HD 4870 Vs. Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 Graphics Card
on
X-bit labs.
- Fujitsu SAS Drives and Highpoint RocketRAID 2640X4 on
Techware
Labs.
- GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3 Extra-Ordinary Budget Motherboard on
X-bit labs.
- Icy Dock 3.5" Screwless External Enclosure on
ASE Labs.
- Logitech MX1100 Cordless Laser Mouse on
ExtremeTech.
- Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4850 TOXIC Graphics Card on
bit-tech.net.
- Thermaltake DuOrb Heatpipe CPU Cooler on
Big Bruin.
The trip to Manhattan I made yesterday was to accept an invitation to check out
Rock Band 2 at the offices of MTV. This was sort of a proof of concept to see if
I could update from the road while attending such an event, though my stated
affection for the game was a huge draw, while I was also curious to see what I
could of the current state of MTV, where I once worked (this curiosity went
unsatisfied, as we just saw elevators, a hallway, and an office). Unsurprisingly,
there was nothing revealed about the game that has not already been announced,
though it was interesting to see the interface changes they've made to better
accommodate their ever-larger library of songs. We did get to play, however, and
I have to say that the fine tuning to the code and hardware was evident: The
guitar I played had a smoother feel on both strumming and button presses than
previous Rock Band and Guitar Hero pseudo-axes. The new drum surfaces have
actual rebound as well as sound deadening for an, I don't know, million percent
improvement over the first-gen drums (not to mention a metal reinforced bass
pedal that will last through more than one Who song). And nearest to my own
heart, we were told the vocal recognition engine has been entirely re-written,
and that broken "talkie" segments should be less of a nightmare for singers. We
didn't play any songs from the original game for contrast, but it was still
obvious during Rock Band 2 songs that pitch recognition is a good deal better in
Rock Band 2 than the original. I can't wait.
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