Archived News:
KOEI announces that the Windows edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI is
now available for digital purchase and download for North American and Brazilian
customers via either
Direct2Drive or
Trygames. Here's word on the latest installment in this historical
turn-based strategy series: "Set during the end of China's Han Dynasty and the
2nd and 3rd centuries A.D., RTKXI presents the most visually captivating
evolution in the history of the series. Blurring the line between video games
and art, RTKXI features visuals evocative of classical Chinese ink-paintings
along with debates and duels rendered in real-time 3D animation." Those
interested in a sample can check out the recently released playable demo
( story).
Censors Force Fallout 3 Changes on Edge Online has a surprising revelation
about the news that Fallout 3 was rejected by Australian censors
( story) later to be approved for sale down under after the
editing of some of the game's drug references ( story). It turns
out the edited version resubmitted down under will be the version that's
released globally, so everyone will be subject to the Australian standards for
adult games, which is that there are no such things. They quote Bethesda
Softworks' Pete Hines on the topic: "An issue was raised concerning references
to real world, proscribed drugs in the game, and we subsequently removed those
references and replaced them with fictional names. To avoid confusion among
people in different territories, we decided to make those substitutions in all
versions of the game, in all territories. I didn't want people continuing to
assume the version in Australia was some altered version when it's not. There
are no references to real world drugs in any version of Fallout 3."
GamesIndustry.biz reports a rumor that NCsoft is planning on cutting about
50 positions from its European office in Brighton, reversing an expansion from
just a year ago ( story), saying that this is the result of the
cancellation of an unannounced MMOG the studio had been creating. The report is
attributed to "a number of sources close to the company," and the story also
includes speculation that Tabula Rasa is in trouble, saying: "It is also thought
that the company's troubled MMO Tabula Rasa will be discontinued at some point
in the coming months due to continuing poor subscriber numbers."
Ubisoft Commits To Include Subtitles In Future Products on GameInformer has
word that Ubisoft has announced the launch of Handigo: The Game, a
"serious game," described as "a tool to raise understanding of difficulties
encountered on a daily basis by disabled individuals worldwide." This was
created in conjunction with Handicap International as part of that charity's
Ability Together campaign, and in
other news related to game accessibility, the article also states that Ubi has
committed to including subtitles in all their future in-house games, and will
also attempt to add subtitles where possible to titles currently in development,
including Far Cry 2, Prince of Persia, and Shaun White
Snowboarding. Those interested in Handigo: The Game, which is actually three
mini-games "placing the player in a situation of disability: motor impairment,
sensory impairment and learning difficulties," can find it on
this page.
Wolverine Studios
announces they will be publishing the 2008 edition of FaceOff Hockey, adding the
ice hockey simulation to their roster of sports games. Word is: "FaceOff Hockey
2008 will be the first version of the series released through Wolverine Studios
and will update the prior version of the single season replay PC game for the
2008-09 season. Going forward we intend to introduce career play to the
franchise as we do with our other sports titles." They also put out the call for
programmers interested in working on the project.
The
Multiwinia Mondays Page offers what is said to be the penultimate
installment in this weekly series of media releases for Introversion's upcoming
multiplayer offering. Word is: "This week we’re taking a look at Blitzkrieg – a
mode with a basic premise not dissimilar from a game of join-the-dots!"
A new trailer from The Sims 3 offers a developer-narrated
behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming return of your Simlish-spouting little
friends. In particular focus is your ability to create characters that look and
act the way you choose. The clip is available from
AtomicGamer and
FileFront.
So did you break out your Dreamcast today to celebrate its birthday? Nah,
neither did I, but it would have been appropriate. Oh well, maybe next year for
its 10th.
Shacknews is reporting
a rumor that Ensemble Studios ( Age of Empires) will shut down completely
following the release of the upcoming console RTS game Halo Wars (due next
year). According to their anonymous sources, described as "multiple independent
reports," employees not associated Halo Wars were let go today, while incentives
have been offered to those staying on to complete that project. Neither Ensemble
nor Microsoft have commented on this story at this point. Thanks nin.
Mythic Entertainment announces details on the head start program for
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, which will allow preorder customers to
get started progressing through Mythic's MMORPG in advance of its full launch on
September 18. Those who preorder the Collector's Edition will gain access on
September 14 as expected, with the festivities getting underway at 7:00 am EDT.
The deal for preorder customers of the standard edition is slightly different
than what we'd heard, however, as they will not get to start playing on the
15th, as had been reported ( story), but will gain access on
Tuesday, September 16, likewise at 7:00 am EDT.
Empire Interactive and WBIE announce that the Windows edition of
FlatOut Ultimate
Carnage has taken the green flag and has raced onto North American store
shelves. Word is: "Published by Empire Interactive, distributed by Warner Bros.
Interactive Entertainment, FlatOut Ultimate Carnage (developed by Bugbear
Entertainment) takes the trademark mayhem of FlatOut and FlatOut 2, lifting
destruction racing to a whole new level of bone-breaking slaughter. FlatOut
Ultimate Carnage captures arcade destruction racing at its best and most extreme
with real world physics, three different game modes, stunts and competitions. "
Crispy Gamer's StarCraft II Interview talks with Blizzard's Frank Pearce and
Bob Colayco about StarCraft II, focusing on how to attract a new audience
for the sci-fi real-time strategy sequel while simultaneously satisfying fans of
the original game. Along they way they probe for details on beta testing: "A
beta is very important from the perspective of getting feedback from the
community and continuing that process of iteration. A beta is something that
we're very likely going to need to host. But we haven't made any determination
whether we're going to have to host a closed beta or an open beta, or both yet."
On a related note,
OMG StarCraft.com links to three StarCraft II cam videos from PAX. Thanks
Ant.
The playable demo for Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals is now available,
offering the sample of this point-and-click adventure from Benoît Sokal’s White
Birds Productions that was supposed to accompany the game's recent release
( story). Word is: "Join struggling artist Alcide Nikopol in a
richly detailed world of a future Paris. Who watches and waits from high above
this City of Light and what dark secrets lie buried beneath its fabled streets?
Begin your search now for clues and embark on your path to personal and
political destiny from this humble artist's apartment." The demo can be found on
the Nikopol Website, and it is mirrored on
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FanGaming,
FileFront,
FileShack, Gamer's Hell,
and
Strategy Informer.
Eurogamer
announces the European launch of Velvet Assassin has been pushed back to
early 2009, after previously being scheduled for next month. Word is the EU
edition of Replay Studios' stealth/action game formerly known as Sabotage will
now coincide with the launch of the North American version.
GamersGate is now accepting preorders for Sword of the Stars: A Murder of
Crows, the upcoming expansion for Kerberos Productions' upcoming 4X space
strategy expansion. A Murder of Crows was announced with a September 2008
release date ( story), but GamersGate now lists an October 9
release date for the add-on, which will require ownership of either the Sword of
the Stars: Collector’s Edition or Born of Blood to play. They do not seem to be
offering any preorder bonuses.
Mark Jacobs' Blog has thoughts from the Mythic boss about the difficulties
launching the open beta testing of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning in
Europe ( story),
which is now
underway. His initial post is mostly to decry the outcry over troubles with
a beta, though this may not be completely cognizant of how beta access was
dangled as a benefit of preordering. The post was subsequently updated
clarifying that GOA is not without blame, saying that the game's European
manager "messed up" and that it "was an ugly day," and clarifying that he does
not deny the right of players to be angry. He also comments on statements by
GOA's IainC: "I’ll simply say this, I do not agree with what he said, I do not
support what he said and his comments were, in my opinion, way out of line."
We're not sure what comments he's referencing, there's a
Letter from IainC on the Warhammer Forums, but this does not seem at all
inflammatory. Moving forward,
Videogaming247 has received a statement from GOA saying "These issues will
of course be completely fixed for the launch."
Fresh off of negative reactions to the SecuROM DRM in Spore
( story), a post to the
C&C Support Forums by Red Alert 3 Executive Producer Chris "easmudge"
Corry looks to head off a similar outcry for Red Alert 3 by saying the SecuROM
implementation in the coming RTS sequel will be more lenient than for their
previous titles. According to the post, RA3 will require a one-time online
authentication upon installation, the game can be installed and played on five
different computers, and you will not be required to have the disc in the drive
to play. He also says that users who need more than five installations will be
able to contact customer support, and additional activations will be authorized
on a case-by-case basis (similar to other games with limited activations). He also says: "I think it would be a shame if people decided to not play
a great game simply because it came with DRM, but I understand that this is a
very personal decision for many of you and I respect that. As you might imagine,
I’m a lot less respectful of those people who take the position that they will
illegally download a game simply because it has DRM." Thanks
Destructoid. Also, there's a new
Command & Conquer 3: Red Alert 3 Interview on ActionTrip talking with
producers Amer Ajami and Greg Kasavin, asking the pair of GameSpot expatriates
about various aspects of the game, none of which relate to DRM.
Gameplayer has an article about the potential to power other games with the
engine behind Dead Space, which is an update of the tech behind the
Godfather game that has been refined over the past two-plus years by the
team behind the upcoming sci-fi horror game. This engine is also being used for
the upcoming Godfather II, and they quote executive producer Glen
Schofield saying that lawyers are currently working through the process of
renaming the engine to pave the way for its debut as a middleware product.
Thanks
Videogaming247. There's also a new Dead Space diary movie showing off some
zero-gravity action from the game and collecting thoughts from the team on
zero-G gameplay (including a science-bending comment about learning how much
various body parts "weigh" in zero gravity). Grab your Dramamine and head over
to ActionTrip,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell to view the clip.
A new Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway diary movie offers thoughts from
the team at Gearbox about realism in the coming World War II shooter sequel.
They describe the use of the squad as a weapon, and the balance between
promoting real tactics and allowing the player freedom to play as they like. The
discussion of realism also covers destructible environments, gore, and more. The
clip can be found on
ActionTrip, Gamer's Hell,
and
MyGameTrailers. There are also new screenshots from the game on
PC Games and
PC Pointer.de.
The
Vanguard – Saga of Heroes Website has details on Game Update 6, which should
go live early next week for this SOE MMORPG. The update will add a new Isle of
Dawn starting area, a character model revamp ("beefing up the men while
enhancing the feminine features of our females"), and "thousands of bug fixes."
Thanks
Eurogamer.
The Stardock
Interview Part 2 on Shacknews talks further with Brad Wardell of Stardock
about how his PAX experience and about games, including Gas Powered Games'
Demigod and Stardock's upcoming fantasy-themed strategy game, which Wardell says
may be formally announced in November: "We're going to be formally announcing
it--the team promises me in November, which means I can't promise that. But it's
a turn-based fantasy strategy game. It's essentially--imagine Civilization with
magic, in terms of general, broad play style. I mean, it's a lot more than that,
because I'm a Civ fanatic--no pun intended, great site--but there's a really
good mod for Civilization IV that lets you do magic and stuff. Obviously it's a
lot more than just Civ with magic."
An Examination of Outsourcing- The Developer Angle on Gamasutra is the
second installment in their three-part series on outsourcing and its role in the
game world of development. This segment looks at outsourcing from the
perspective of the developers, talking with Kuju, Wideload, and THQ about their
reliance on outsourced work.
Part one was posted last month ( story).
A new Far Cry 2 trailer offers a promotion for the just-announced
pre-order program for the shooter sequel in an unusual in-game format. The clip
is available on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and
Gamer's Hell.
This sixth behind-the-scenes trailer from Legendary is now available,
offering another look at the creation of Spark Unlimited's first-person shooter
based on the myth of Pandora's Box. This clip rocks out with its box out, as it
looks at the creation of the game's music soundtrack and sound effects. The clip
can be found on
AtomicGamer and Gamer's
Hell.
The GC 2008 trailer for Arcania: A Gothic Tale promotes the next
installment in the Gothic series once known by the title Gothic IV. The clip is
pretty much a nothing, offering neither gameplay nor cinematics, but it does
conclude with a release date of Winter 2009. The clip is posted on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
Our phones are acting funny again, and while they are not dialing the police
like last time, one or both lines occasionally gets disconnected, offering a busy
signal to incoming callers. A very nice woman from Verizon came by yesterday and
said she needed to come back today to complete the repair, but that by
disconnecting one phone jack the problem wouldn't recur in the meantime. As you
can guess, one of the lines did its thing about 10 minutes after she left, so we
may have another of those F.M. situations here.
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