Archived News:
Steam now has the release
of STCC The Game, SimBin's
racing expansion that's the official game of the Swedish Touring Car
Championship. Word is: "Race against up to 25 players online, across 25 tracks,
and in 11 different classes. Also includes classes such as Camaro Cup, WTCC,
Formula 3000 and much more..." STCC requires RACE 07, and is
available by itself, or as part of a complete bundle including RACE 07.
Steam also offers a
playable STCC demo that was released last month ( story). Also,
Steam now offers North
American customers online sales and distribution of Far Cry 2, Ubisoft's
open-world first-person shooter sequel set in Africa. There has been controversy
over the game's use of SecuROM DRM ( story), but even though
Steam includes its own DRM, it is also noted the third-party DRM is also
present: "SecuROM™ 5 machine activation limit."
The Spectromancer Website now offers
the release of this fantasy-themed online virtual card strategy game. Here's the
skinny on Spectromancer, which was co-designed by Magic: The Gathering’s
Richard Garfield and Alexey Stankevich: "In Spectromancer, an online fantasy
card game, players participate in a magical duel against other mages by
strategically summoning creatures and casting spells. Each mage uses five
magical elements during a duel - Fire, Water, Air and Earth, plus a fifth
related to the specific mage type. There are six mage types in the game: Clerics
use Holy power; Mechanicians use Mechanics; Necromancers use Death; Chaosmasters
use Chaos; Dominators uses Control and Illusionists use Illusions. Players are
able to duel against the computer or against other online players live." A
playable demo is also available, this can be found on the
Spectromancer Website and
Greenhouse,
which also offers online sales of the game. The demo is also mirrored on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
ESA Talks
E3 Re-revamp on Edge Online talks with Entertainment Software Association
president Michael Gallagher about the revelation that E3 2009 will be a larger
event than the scaled-down version of the trade show seen over the past couple
of years ( story), which has now been officially announced on the
E3 Website. Michael outlines the attendance
requirements for the "smarter" version of E3 they are planning, but stresses
that the show will remain closed to the general public: "Consumers will
absolutely be the targets for the output of the show through the eyes of the
media. But the key is that the attendees have the environment they need to do
their business. ... E3 has never been a consumer show. We're not competing with
PAX or Comic-Con."
This press release announces a North American distribution agreement between
cdv and Atari. Included is an update on North American release plans for
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, the action/RPG prequel that earlier indications
suggested would be out already ( story). Now we learn the PC
edition of the game is due on November 11, while console versions are expected
on February 17, 2009.
Wednesday, October 29 is the release date for Penny Arcade Adventures: On the
Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two,
announces
Hothead Games, saying the Windows, Mac, and Linux editions will come out
that day on Greenhouse, while the
Xbox 360 edition will be release via Xbox LIVE. Here's word on the second
installment in the episodic adventure/RPG based on the
Penny Arcade webcomic: "The madcap Penny
Arcade experience continues in Episode Two of the RPG-Adventure romp! Rejoin
Gabe and Tycho and go crazy in a whole new episode with more puzzles, areas to
explore and levels to gain, all while moving ever closer to solving the sinister
mystery hidden deep in the heart of New Arcadia. Players can jump right in with
a fresh character and new customization options or carry over their looks and
stats from Episode One. Plus, new difficulty settings allow gamers to play it
safe or go insane, battling bigger and badder enemies than ever before." Three
new videos from episode 2 are available on
AtomicGamer and
Gamer's Hell.
Treyarch talks about Call of Duty: World at War on Big Download interviews
Treyarch community manager Josh Olin about the coming shooter sequel. World at
War marks the return of the CoD series to World War II, but they feel they are
still offering a good degree of newness: "New enemies, new locations and new
tactics – we take players to the Pacific theater, a story that had never been
told before, at least not in the Call of Duty way. We learned early on the
Japanese tactics were unlike anything we had ever faced before. It only seemed
natural if we were going to throw you into a new conflict with Imperial Japan,
we'd re-write the Artificial Intelligence from the ground-up to accommodate the
use of a new enemy. So, the guerrilla tactics: hiding in bushes, waiting in
trees, feigning death, booby traps – these are all ambush scenarios you'll
encounter repeatedly through the Pacific campaign of our game. Ultimately, it
will influence the way you traverse the terrain throughout the rest of the
game."
EA producers Amer Ajami and Greg Kasavin are the subjects of an interview on
Gamasutra titled
Red Alert
3: Why The Actors? The topic is the reasoning behind continuing the
live-action cut-scenes, which, while a long-time signature element of the RTS
series, have generally fallen out of favor since the last Red Alert games. One
interesting point made is that creating the 60+ minutes of cut-scene footage
would actually cost more using CGI than it did using a cast of familiar professional actors.
Aspyr's
GameAgent Online Store now offers online purchase and download of 1701
A.D.: The Sunken Dragon, the 18th century strategy/simulation expansion previously only available in North America as part of the 1701 A.D. Gold
Edition bundle ( story). The add-on can now be purchased
separately, but they are also
offering a 10% discount for those who purchase 1701 A.D. and The Sunken
Dragon add-on together.
The
World of Warcraft Test Realm Patch Notes have been updated with info on a
new World of Warcraft version 3.0.3 update that's now being tested prior
to going live in Blizzard's MMORPG. As always, these notes are fairly extensive,
but the folks at
WorldOfWar.Net have excerpted some of the most noteworthy bits for
examination and discussion.
American McGee’s Blog outlines plans for BaiJiu Racer, a game
proposal from McGee's Spicy Horse Productions and its Chinese publishing partner
ICEE that they've decided to pitch over the internet to solicit western
publishers (ICEE is "locked in" to publishing the game in China). The game is
described as an "MMO-lite racing game concept with China as the core theme,"
that hopes to fill the dream of a "'Mario Cart' or 'KartRider' killer." There is
a piece of concept art with the pitch and more in the expatriate American's
Flickr Account and a concept video on his
YouTube Channel. Here's a bit
on the game and its eastern focus: "For one, it’s the first Chinese cart racing
game developed with an authentic and original Chinese art style, set in
real-world locations, and featuring some of the funkiest racing vehicle designs
the world has ever seen (inspiration coming from actual Chinese vehicles). We’re
focusing on semi-realistic (and fun) physics-based racing dynamic, going light
on the power-ups, and throwing in a lot of visual action."
Kalypso Media
Announces their involvement in publishing upcoming add-ons for Sins of a
Solar Empire in Europe, revealing there are three unannounced expansions to
follow the first one due later this year ( Entrenchment, which is not
mentioned by name in the announcement). There are no specifics on these
additional add-ons for the 4X strategy game, which are mentioned in passing
here: "Kalypso Media have today announced they will be publishing 4 Add On packs
for the hit space strategy PC game Sins of a Solar Empire. The first of these
Add On packs will be published in Q4 2008 for £7.99 and available via download
from Impulse."
Edge Online highlights a couple of quotes from Deus Ex 3 lead game
designer Jean-Francois Dugas from an interview in the next issue of Edge
Magazine, set to go on sale tomorrow in the UK and in other territories
within a week. Dugas opines that the original Deus Ex was "kinda slow,"
elaborating on his opinion of the
critically acclaimed action/RPG created during Warren Spector's
incarceration at ION Storm by saying: "There weren’t enough exciting, memorable
moments. It was aimed more towards a simulation rather than a game experience."
The other quote they excerpt looks to reassure gamers that Eidos Montreal is
focusing on the PC experience, even if they create console ports: "At this point
we don’t know exactly which platforms we’re going to be out on. The PC, we’ll be
there for sure. But for us, console-isation isn’t about dumbing down features.
If we’re to go console we will want to keep the complexity alive. We want the
menu interface and controller to feel simple without risking any of their
potential."
A patch is now available for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War -- Soulstorm,
offering the overdue ( story) and delayed ( story)
first update for Relic's sci-fi real-time strategy expansion. The version 1.1 patch is
available from
Relic.com, where it is described in brief like this: "The patch contains a
number of technical bug fixes, balance changes, and a fix for a bug that allowed
a trainer to work in multiplayer games." A more complete description can be
found in the (age-gated)
Patch
Changelist, and the downloads of some of the localized patches are mirrored
on Gamer's Hell and
The
Patches Scrolls.
The first patch for Sword of the Stars: A Murder of Crows is now
available, updating the 4X strategy expansion to version 1.6.3; tweaking a
couple of features, adding AI improvements, and addressing a handful of bugs.
Downloads and complete details on the new version can be found on
the Lighthouse Interactive Website.
Lighthouse Interactive announces Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches
is gold for European territories, though no release date is included in the
announcement. Word is: "This mythological Adventure game is based on the
gripping tales of the Mabinogion, a collection of eleven prose stories from
medieval Welsh manuscripts. Rhiannon is deep rooted in Celtic mythology and
follows the present day haunting of a lonely teenage girl named Rhiannon, as she
unwillingly enters a world filled with supernatural phenomena, magic, and
legend." The game is already available in North America ( story),
and those looking for a sample can check out either or both of its two playable
demos ( story).
Reflexive Entertainment ( Wik and the Fable of Souls)
announces it has
been acquired by Amazon.com, indicating this deal is about their
distribution platform and casual gaming: "As I'm sure you can all imagine this
is a very exciting day for us at Reflexive. It means we'll be able to expand our
distribution network to include Amazon's amazing distribution channel. With
Amazon we will bring a huge new group of customers into play. At Reflexive we
have always prided ourselves on maintaining good relationships with everyone in
the industry, and are excited that Amazon shares that philosophy. We intend to
provide the best distribution platform anywhere, and to continue working openly
with all the participants of the casual games space. Together it is our priority
to continue this inclusive attitude going forward."
WAR State of the Game Interview
with Mark Jacobs, Part Two on Ten Ton Hammer concludes a conversation with
Mythic's Mark Jacobs about Warhammer Online and related topics. The
conversation took place prior to the official announcement of Star Wars: The
Old Republic ( story), but Mark welcomed the game with open
arms: "I obviously know what the title is - and have known for quite awhile.
You've got a great bunch of guys working on this title. My respect for Bioware
runs VERY deep. I've said this before in a number of interviews that they are
absolutely one of the premiere developers in the industry. I have also gotten to
know Ray and Greg better since they've been a part of EA and my respect for them
has only grown. I think that given their expertise and talent - and all the guys
that are involved with it, whether they're in the North or South studio - I
think the game is going to be a good thing no matter what they announce it as
being. In this industry, we need more successful games. The more successes we
can have, the more the industry will expand. It doesn't matter whether it's a
fantasy, sci-fi, horror, or whatever they are, we need more successful titles
period. I really look forward to what they're working on."
Steam News has word on a
new version of Team Fortress 2 that's now automatically available through
Steam. Several fixes are in the new version, including a few that close off
exploits. There is also a new version of the
Steam client.
The Spore Website warns there will be
scheduled downtime later today for the Spore.com servers. Word is: "The
Spore.com servers will be down for maintenance on Wednesday , October 22nd, at
10AM Pacific Time (5PM GMT). They will be down for approximately three hours.
Players will be unable to log into their games and the website will be
inaccessible during this time."
The Frontlines: Fuel of War
Website has a status report on the upcoming version 1.3.0 patch for the PC
edition of Kaos Studios' military shooter. The update will include four new
maps, two new vehicles, a new weapon, and more. They say the release of the
patch is expected sometime next month.
More tweaking to the site here courtesy of Frans, who is, as I've pointed out
before, is the Man, with a capital "M." The menu on the left now features the
return of the "New on Blue's" section to find local copies of screenshots and
such, and we also now have an insert showing upcoming events from our
LAN Party List.
Additional thanks go out to 2 too (yeah, I couldn't resist), as he cooked up the
new menu headers for these sections.
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