Archived News:
A playable demo for the PC edition of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
allows you to sample the soldier of fortune lifestyle in the open-world action
sequel. Word is: "Players can play an objective from one of the missions, and
while they are limited to a relatively small section of the world, there's
enough there for players to get a feel for the sandbox nature of the game.
Additionally, we give players a customized load out of awesome vehicles and
airstrikes, so that players can get a taste of the toys and destruction that
combine to make Mercenaries 2 the premier explosive action game of the summer!"
The download can be found on
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FanGaming,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and
Games On Net.
A cinematic trailer for Mirror's Edge sets the story for DICE's upcoming
parkour-themed action game with some more 2D animation. The clip is available on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
Gamer's Hell, and
MyGameTrailers.
Turns out a couple of Duke Nukem Forever shots are tucked in the Duke
Nukem 3D Xbox release, though first-generations versions are not available.
No Giants game this weekend, but at least we have a presidential debate, though
this may be rougher than tackle football…
StarCraftWire.Net has a bunch of screenshots of StarCraft units that
have been created by some intrepid Korean gamers using Spore's editing tools. In a similar "you got chocolate in my peanut butter" sort of mash-up,
Project Rise is an
under-construction Crysis modification that seeks to recreate the
gameplay of Starsiege TRIBES, Dynamix's much-loved teamplay shooter. They
say plans for a beta will be revealed soon, and that they will move this project
over to Warhead when the just-announced Crysis Warhead SDK is released
( story).
Good
Old Games and the "idiocy" of DRM on Ars Technica is an interview with Adam
Oldakowski, Managing Director at Good Old Games. and Michal Kicinski. CEO of CD
Projekt. about GOG.com, CD
Projekt's online home of good old games. They discuss various aspects of this
DRM-free marketplace, including the difficult time they've had convincing
publishers of the benefits of offering their software without copy protection:
"Just like most innovative projects, GOG.com needs to overcome some stereotypes
and obstacles which exist in the gaming industry. It's very hard for
us—entrepreneurs who work hard to make a profit—to understand the corporate
approach. We are able to show publishers that selling DRM-free old games will
bring them additional revenue without extra costs, and the best part is that we
can handle the organizational stuff."
EA announces that Command & Conquer 3: Deluxe Edition is now available in
stores, offering Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars and the Kane’s
Wrath expansion pack in one box. The bundle comprises over 45 solo missions,
60 multiplayer maps, and over two hours of live cut-scenes featuring the likes
of Natasha Henstridge, Josh Holloway, Michael Ironside, Billy Dee Williams, and
Joe "Kane" Kucan.
Paradox Interactive announces
Dark Horizon is now available in Europe, offering the space-based combat
game that just launched in North America ( story). Dark Horizon
is also available for purchase online through
GamersGate.
This page offers a complete description of the game and its back story.
Wickedly Interactive
announces ACE Online is now live on
their SUBA Games portal, a offering
space combat in this subscription-free MMOG that once operated under the title
Space Cowboys in the US, and is available in Europe under the title
AirRivals. The game's launch marks the
opening of their item mall that allows the game to earn its keep.
The Phil
Spencer Interview Part Two on GamesIndiustry.biz continues this conversation
with the boss at Microsoft Game Studios. They further discuss the closure of
Ensemble Studios ( story), and the possibility that the new unit
being formed by an ensemble of former Ensemble staff will continue to work on
Age of Empires-related projects.
He also comments on the possible fates of other MGS studios, implying that
Rare's productivity will spare them from a fate similar to that of Ensemble, and
saying that Lionhead's next project would be an MGS title and offering some
support for Peter Molyneux's recent comments ( story): "So yes,
the next Lionhead game is definitely an MGS game. And Peter's right - it's very
different than games that Lionhead or many others have built before."
EA announces
initial subscriber numbers for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, saying
the 500,000 subscribers the fantasy-themed MMORPG picked up in its first week
make it the "fastest selling new MMO of all time." This prompts Mythic's Mark
Jacobs to say: "We spent years working to provide players with the most stable,
epic, and polished online world we could, but it is the players that have truly
brought the Age of Reckoning to life."
Silent Hill: Homecoming has been
refused classification in Australia, making Konami's upcoming
survival/horror sequel the latest game to run afoul of Australia's Office of
Film and Literature Classification's strict guidelines for media content. This
means there will be no home for Homecoming down under unless some of the
offending content is stripped, as the AU Office of classification system does
not allow for adult-only games. The exact reasons for the refusal to classify
the game are not readily apparent. You may recall Fallout 3 ran into similar
trouble recently ( story), leading to some content changes in the
RPG's drug-related content ( story).
Midway now freely offers the PC edition of The Suffering, Surreal
Software's survival/horror game set in a penitentiary that is currently being
adapted into a feature film. The free version of the [M]ature-rated game is
supported by advertising, and the 1.3 GB download can be found on
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro, and
Gamer's Hell.
Cyberhand Technologies Announces plans to devise "the world's first direct
nerve force feedback system for gaming." This will operate via sensors embedded
in wrist and elbow pads to send pulses "into the Carpal Tunnel to the Median
nerve through the soft tissue in the Cubital Tunnel to the Ulna nerve." If that
hasn't sent you screaming out the door, here is more on how this is to work: "
Different frequencies, current strengths and duration will give a variety of
responses from the feeling of heat, numbness, cold, exhaustion to having your
arm jump or go limp." And it's not just your arms they hope to abuse, the
announcement refers to this as a subsystem of a complete series of force
feedback accessories covering knees, shoulders, ankles, and head. calling this
"the first true body armor for the digital adventurer where you can feel the
bullet impacts and if you make a mistake you really feel it."
The Blackshot Website
is now accepting sign-ups for closed beta testing of Blackshot,
Outspark's upcoming subscription-free MMO first-person shooter, a brief beta
that will run from September 30-October 5. Word is: "Blackshot hurls
participants into a virtual war zone filled with fierce head-to-head action. As
powerful nations compete for money and resources, players must take on the role
of a mercenary and battle one another for status and rewards in the game's
dangerous environments. Featuring powerful weapons, lifelike characters and
gritty urban backdrops, Blackshot's intense multiplayer action is designed for
gamers of all skill levels." There are some screenshots on
FileFront.
Release Candidate 3 of P.U.R.E. is the newest version of this freeware
real-time strategy game from WolfeGames.
There is a Windows edition, available on
AtomicGamer and
Gamer's Hell, and a
Linux edition, available on
AtomicGamer and
Gamer's Hell.
Roy Taylor on game physics, AI & piracy on bit-tech.net offers highlights
from a sit-down with this NVIDIA vice president who also serves as a member of
the PC Gaming Alliance. The conversation covers both of these jobs, discussing
NVIDIA's recent foray into physics, AI support, and DirectX 11 as well as the PC
Gaming Alliance's anti-piracy efforts.
Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez.
Well, my dentistry yesterday was not so bad while it was going on, but man have
I been in some pain since the Novocain wore off. I've got a prescription for
Vicodin, which helps with the pain, but I know from past experience that it's
only a matter of time before this starts turning my stomach inside out. On the
bright side, it will also probably inspire a wacky post or two along the way.
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