Archived News:
The Lineage II Website
announces the launch of the second part of the Gracia update for NCsoft's PvP
MMORPG sequel.
This press release has word on the update, which speeds up player
progression, among other things. The announcement also has word that the
Lineage II 4th Anniversary
Edition is now on sale.
Hi-Rez Studios has released a new movie trailer from Global Agenda, the
upcoming MMOG with the agenda of using the Unreal 3 engine for an
espionage-themed, mission-based action/MMORPG. The clip can be found on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and
MyGameTrailers.
Electronic Arts and Nissan announce that Nissan's redesigned 2009 370Z will make
its debut virtually in Need for Speed Undercover next month, in advance of
the real life debut of the sports car, which is schedule for early next year.
Two clips showing off the game's version of the 370Z are online, there's a
"sizzle" trailer on
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
Gamer's Hell, and
MyGameTrailers; and a "mission" trailer on
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro, and
Gamer's Hell.
- Call of Duty: World at War on
GameSpy
and IGN.
- City of Heroes on
Ten Ton Hammer. Issue
13 Dev Journal - Designing New Missions.
- Tomb Raider Underworld on
GameSpot.
- World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King on
Eurogamer.
I'm Blue, and I approved this message.
Bethesda pencils in new Elder Scrolls title for 2010 on GamesIndustry.biz
has a quote from Paul Oughton of Bethesda Softworks, who answers a question
about Wii development by volunteering information about the next installment
The Elder Scrolls RPG series, saying it will potentially released in 2010:
"At the moment we've got Fallout 3 for this year and potentially there's a new
Elder Scrolls title in 2010. At the moment we're not that interested in the Wii.
We're going to stick to PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. We'll continue to pursue three or
four titles a year and go for big titles."
In a Q&A a month
ago about Fallout 3, Bethesda's Pete Hines made a vague, but
reassuring statement about the DRM in the RPG sequel, saying:
"Pretty similar to what we did for Oblivion, which was--we basically don't do
any--we do the mildest form possible. I actually don't know if I even want to
get into what it is that we exactly do, but we try to be really noninvasive when
it comes to that stuff." Now an update on
Reclaim your Game indicates that this has turned out to be an exaggeration at
best, saying the game ships with SecuROM version 7.36.0006, and notes the
Bethesda Game Studios Forums have posts from many users unable to install
Fallout 3, who are apparently being told by customer service reps that they need
to uninstall any third-party CD-writing software to be able to run the game.
There's
another forum post for those who have SecuROM issues with workaround
instructions and a pointer to the
SecuROM Website
where there's a replacement launcher for Fallout 3, as well as a replacement
launcher for Far Cry 2. Thanks Mike Martinez and
Negative Gamer.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky can be updated thanks to new version 1.5.06
patches for GSC Game World's first-person shooter prequel. There is a patch for
the retail edition, which can be found on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and The Patches Scrolls.
There is also a patch for digitally distributed versions on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and The Patches Scrolls.
The new version includes balance tweaks, bug fixes, and adds DirectX 10.1
support, for which ATI released a hotfix earlier today.
A new patch is now available for Mount & Blade to update Taleworlds
Entertainment's action/RPG to version 1.010. The patch addresses compatibility
problems with the latest ATI catalyst drivers, solves start-up issues under
Vista, "significantly" improves performance, fixes bugs, and more. The patch,
which can be applied to either the English or German editions of the game, is
available on the
Paradox Interactive Website, and is mirrored on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
The EA FTP Server now
offers patches to update the various language editions of Red Alert 3 to
version 1.1. According to
the
English patch notes: "This patch for Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 makes
improvements to the multiplayer game invite system, which should cause
invitations to cooperative and competitive matches to work more reliably."
Thanks Mike Martinez and
Voodoo Extreme. Update: The full patch downloads are now on the
Red Alert 3 Website
(thanks The Patches Scrolls).
The 3000AD Downloads Page now
offers downloads of two new patches. A new version Galactic Command -
Echo Squad SE patch brings this game celebrating "the lighter side of space
combat" to version 2.11.03 as detailed in the
version control file
and a new patch for Universal Combat Collectors’ Edition to update "the
final chapter in an era of niche space combat" to version 1.00.10, as detailed
in this version
control file.
AMD Customer Care announces the release of new hotfixes for ATI Radeon
accelerators for both Windows XP and Vista, though an accompanying note stresses
that these are unsupported releases. The updates offer performance improvements
for the DirectX 9 version of Far Cry 2 on CrossFire compatible systems,
for the DirectX 10 version of Far Cry 2 on both single and CrossFire compatible
systems, and for the DirectX 10 and DirectX 10.1 version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:
Clear Sky on both single and CrossFire configurations at higher resolutions.
GamePolitics has the follow-up on Jack Thompson's disbarment.
The one-time crusading attorney has threatened to take this matter to
a higher court, but they post an image of
this page that indicates now that the 30-day period since the disbarment
decision has passed, John Bruce Thompson is "Not Eligible to practice in
Florida." Thanks
Videogaming247 for this moment of schadenfreude.
Steam is now offering a
pre-purchase bonus for Empire: Total War, offering those who buy the next
installment in Creative Assembly's large-scale real-time strategy series in
advance of its release can receive a free copy of the Rome: Total War Gold
Edition, which can be downloaded and played immediately. Empire: Total
War is currently expected for release on February 3, 2009.
DICE is showing off Mirror's Edge at the Eurogamer Expo, offering
attendees the chance to jump in to a level from the upcoming acrobatic action
game. Now a ShakyCam clip of the demo is online at
Videogaming247, offering the chance to watch a player engaging in some leaps
of Faith at the show. It's not all perfect, but as we learned in The Matrix,
No one's ever made their
first jump.
The Warhammer
Herald announces the launch of the new version 1.04 of Warhammer Online:
Age of Reckoning, and according to the
current status report, all servers should currently be down. The update will
kick off "The Witching Night" live event,
described in full here. Thanks
Massively.
Patch 3 for Age of Conan: Hyborian
Adventures is now live, offering new features and bug-fixes for Funcom's
barbaric MMORPG. Details on what's new and different can be found on the
Age of Conan
Europe Forums, which outline combat updates, trade-skill changes, a revamp
of The Cistern dungeon, and probably most significant, the launch of the
notoriety system that's the heart of the PvP consequence system. Thanks
Massively.
Greenhouse Interactive
now offers online sales of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick
Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two, as Hothead's adventure/RPG is now
available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. Accompanying the release are playable
demos for all three platforms, a batch of new screenshots, and a gameplay movie.
The game's
standings are also now live for stat-hounds, and here's a bit on the game:
"On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is an episodic RPG-adventure game
series set in the deranged 1920s universe of New Arcadia. Whether you’re a fan
of the first installment or new to the series, you’ll be able to pick up and
play Episode Two as a standalone experience. This time, armed with a new
gardening implement and witty repartee, you rejoin Gabe and Tycho in searching
for more clues and another place to live. Explore new areas, combat bigger,
badder and stranger enemies, solve even more puzzles and move one step closer to
unraveling the mystery hidden deep in the sinister heart of New Arcadia."
Mirrors of the demo are also available, the Windows demo can be found on
FanGaming and
Gamer's Hell. The Mac
demo is mirrored on
FanGaming and Gamer's
Hell. The Linux demo is mirrored on
FanGaming and
Gamer's Hell.
Matrix Games announces the availability of Close Combat - Wacht am Rhein,
the remake of Close Combat – Battle of the Bulge. The announcement is
accompanied by
a set of new screenshots, and word that a version 4.50.2 release day patch
is available. Here's a bit of the game's description: "Based on Atomic Games’
award-winning Close Combat series, Close Combat - Wacht am Rhein brings together
the classic top-down tactical gameplay from the original series and plenty of
new features, expansions, and improvements! This remake based on Close Combat -
Battle of the Bulge gives newcomers and veterans to the series alike a vastly
improved and expanded version of the original experience. The Wacht am Rhein
remake comes with a brand new Grand Campaign including a new strategic map with
64 gorgeous hand-drawn tactical maps, over 70 scenarios, tons of new interface
and unit graphics, countless engine improvements, and much more!"
Paradox
Interactive announces Supreme Ruler 2020: Global Crisis, an expansion
for BattleGoat Studios' Supreme Ruler 2020, the geopolitical simulation to be
released via Gamer's Gate later this year. Here's a bit on the expansion, which
will require the original game: "At the core of the expansion pack, we created a
whole new sandbox style campaign that paints a new and far more intricate
portrayal of the world of 2020 based on many of the ominous events from recent
real-world headlines. Anyone who’s played our game knows that the possibilities
to change the underlying storyline for new play experiences are limitless.
There’s always something going on in the world, thanks to human nature, that can
easily escalate into a conflict."
Tilted Mill Entertainment has launched
Immortal Cities: Nile Online a
historically themed, browser-based city construction game based on their
Immortal Cities series. Word is: "Immortal Cities: Nile Online is a persistent
browser-based empire building game set in ancient Egypt. Play with thousands of
other players as you construct cities and monuments worthy of your legacy as
Pharaoh! Nile Online is casually paced; it's something you can play throughout
the day, minutes at a time. The game is free to play and there is nothing to
download or install - within seconds you're commanding, tweaking and growing
your empire from anywhere that you have access to the internet."
The Dragon
Age: Origins interview on GameBanshee talks with Dan Tudge about BioWare's
upcoming RPG, a game that Dan says is a return to their roots: "For BioWare,
Dragon Age: Origins represents a return to our own origins, in this case the
fantasy genre which is really what put us on the map with games like Baldur’s
Gate and Neverwinter Nights. We wanted to take the best elements from classic
fantasy RPGs but make a dark heroic fantasy RPG that delivered a gripping story,
exciting combat, and emotionally compelling moments all rolled into one
spectacular next-gen experience. Dragon Age is our own IP so we have a lot of
creative freedom which we’re taking full advantage of – you’re about to see a
lot of things that you won’t find anywhere else."
Unknown Worlds talks about Natural Selection 2 on Big Download talks with
Charlie Cleveland of Unknown Worlds
Entertainment about Natural Selection 2, the retail game being
created as a sequel to Natural Selection, which was a modification for
Half-Life. They discuss being an independent game developer, the game's mix of
first-person shooter and real-time strategy elements, the decision to create a
new in-house engine for the game, gameplay features, and more.
I spent a good deal of yesterday morning fighting with my antivirus software,
which insisted on relentlessly crashing. It's very aggravating to have something
so vital become unavailable, it forced me to find another AV suite to use before
I could progress (I'm waiting until I better understand what went wrong before
naming guilty parties). I can remember the days when you basically didn't even
need anti-virus software. I guess that's the internet equivalent of remembering
when people didn't lock the doors to their houses.
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