Archived News:
Mercenaries 3 unmasked on GameSpot has a quote from EA's sequel-hating CEO
John Riccitiello from yesterday's earnings call about continuing Pandemic's
Mercenaries series beyond the current second installment. According to JR:
"There will be a Mercenaries 3 and, if I have anything to do with it, there will
be a Mercenaries 10."
Gamasutra
reports that casual game developer WildTangent has closed its internal
development team, and laid off about 20% of its workforce. The company is
primarily a publisher, and will continue in this vein. The report also indicates
that cofounder Alex St. John has stepped down from his role as CEO, though he
continues on as chairman.
Command & Conquer:
Red Alert 3 Website now offers new version 1.02 patches for the various
language editions of the real-time strategy sequel. Word is: "This patch for
Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 corrected aggressive patch checks that could
result in main menu sluggishnes [sic]." Though they are offering manual patches,
they strongly recommend using the game's auto-update function if possible.
Thanks
Voodoo Extreme.
A New Galaxy- Daniel Erickson On Writing The Old Republic on Gamasutra is a
conversation with BioWare Austin lead writer Daniel Erickson. Though the
conversation touches on his work on Star Wars: The Old Republic, the
upcoming Star Wars MMORPG, it focuses more on his career path from game
journalist to game developer, and the BioWare method of writing for games.
Call of Duty: World at War Interview on Games On Net is a video interview
with Noah Heller, senior producer on Call of Duty: World at War, the
latest installment in the military shooter series currently being completed at
Treyarch Studios. The article also offers a preview of the World War II game,
talking about gameplay, graphics, and the new cooperative multiplayer support.
Limited Edition, a comic
book-oriented blog, has several minutes of new footage from Jumpgate
Evolution from their attendance of Eurogamer Expo 2008. Completionists will
be pleased to know the video begins at the author's home, and traces his trip to
the show. Those more focused on the game can find the ShakyCam footage of
NetDevil's space combat remake beginning at about the 2:20 mark. The camerawork
is not too steady, but it was obviously shot with a good camera, because the
clip still does a good job of showing off the game's graphics. Thanks
Massively.
Paradox Interactive celebrates Halloween by announcing the Penumbra
Collection, all three installments in Frictional Games' horror-oriented
series compiled under one penumbrella for release early next year. The
collection includes the survival/horror game Penumbra: Overture and its
sequel Penumbra: Black Plague as well as the puzzle-oriented expansion
Penumbra: Requiem.
Develop reports Team17 is working on a revival of Alien Breed, a
top-down action shooter unofficially influenced by the Aliens movie.
Alien Breed was released for the Amiga in 1991 and for PC in 1993, and Team17
studio director Martyn Brown informs them that a new Alien Breed game has been
in the works for several months and a release is expected next year, but that
this is more than just a remake, saying: "I think it's safe to say that it's
perhaps one of the larger indie digital titles to date and has pretty high
production values." More details are expected early next year when press
previews begin, but in the meantime, they offer this statement on the topic from
Brown: "It's something we've always wanted to do, and despite being
exceptionally close on a number of occasions to getting the right deal on
various platforms, it never worked out. Fortunately sci-fi action is back in
fashion, and we look forward to delivering Alien Breed - the details of which
may surprise a few people when we cough them out."
Eurogamer
reports that EA has "categorically" denied rumors of layoffs of staff
working on a secret Steven Spielberg game. They say the publisher informs
them development continues on the game, which Eurogamer calls an "emotional
action-adventure for Xbox 360 and PS3."
Gamesindiustry.biz reports the results of today's
Golden Joystick Awards, recognizing
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare the big winner at the show, as Infinity
Ward's military shooter sequel won a number of the individually sponsored game
of the year awards, as somewhere along the way the show seems to have been
subdivided into categories like the "Activision Blizzard Retailer of the Year"
and the "Official Playstation Magazine High Definition PlayStation Game of the
Year."
Pwn or Die Blog has news
of an issue with the Windows edition of MotoGP 08. Owners of the
just-released motorcycle racing game are warned not to change the default
directory when installing the game. Problems caused by changing the default
installation location are not specified, but the warning is reminiscent of a
problem seen more than once over the years where uninstalling a program with a
buggy installation routine from a custom location could remove other files from
the system. A patch is promised over the next few days to correct whatever issue
underlies this warning. Thanks Mike Martinez.
Atari and Wizards of the Coast announce that development is complete on
Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir, and Obsidian Entertainment's now-gold
D&D RPG expansion will be available worldwide sometime next month. Here's a bit
about the add-on: "The 20 to 30-hour campaign in Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of
Zehir introduces new classes, including the fearsome Hellfire Warlock and the
daring Swashbuckler, as well as brand-new spells, creatures, and playable races.
Fans of the compelling multiplayer features of Neverwinter Nights 2 will be able
to play through Storm of Zehir's campaign in the online cooperative mode, while
modders can use the included editor to create their own campaigns and Overland
Maps to share online."
The playable demo for the Windows edition of Tomb Raider: Underworld is
now available, after appearing online yesterday before being quickly yoinked
again. Download locations can be found on the
Eidos Forums,
where there's a warning: "Do not bother with the torrent download since it seems
to be corrupted." Word on the demo is: "The demo will have players travelling to
the western coast of Thailand - the second destination in Tomb Raider:
Underworld - to experience a taste of the adventure that is to come. Gamers can
master steep coastal cliffs, navigate perilous and crumbling ruins, evade
vicious wild animals and use state-of-the-art gear such as the grapple or the
new Field Assistance System to create and uncover paths that will take players
deep into the challenging wilds of Thailand." Additional download locations can
be found on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
AusGamers,
Big Download,
ComputerGames.ro,
FanGaming,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
The Golden Joystick Awards Website
has word that today's gaming awards ceremony can be viewed live via an internet stream. The
awards show kicks off at 2:00 pm GMT, which is about 20 minutes from now.
Variety.com has word on plans for a video game based on Dante's Inferno,
the first cantica in Dante's Divine Comedy. There aren't many details for
the game, as it has not yet been announced, but its existence comes to light
because EA has been shopping the idea of a film tie-in with the property to
movie studios. It is therefore not clear what sort of game this is, what
platforms it targets, or where it is in development. They do report the game
will offer a "modern interpretation" of the epic poem, and that it is due for
release late next year.
The price tag for EA's recent attempt to take over Take-Two Interactive is about
$21 million, reports
Variety.com, noting EA's financial reports yesterday included
an unusual $21 million line item: "Certain abandoned acquisition-related costs."
Kotaku
reports that game rentals have been outlawed in Belgium, where
the Belgian Entertainment Association has gotten legislation passed to help
protect the bottom line of its member organizations. According to a story
translated from
De Standaard Online, shops were not allowed to acquire new games to rent out
beginning this past June, and will no longer be allowed to rent out their old
games after December 1. This is probably being watched with great interest
elsewhere, as many interviews with developers and publishers discuss the
impact of rentals on game sales, though used game sales seem to be an even
greater target of ire.
EA announces
the Battleforge Website is now
accepting signups from those interested in beta testing Battleforge,
Phenomic's upcoming game that combines elements of collectible card games and
real-time strategy. The game is set to launch early next year, and the beta is
slated to kick off on November 7, and players in North America looking to
guarantee a slot in the beta can preorder the game. Word is: "In BattleForge,
players use virtual trading cards to build the perfect army and lay waste to
their foes. The cards are the tools of war each representing a unit, building or
spell that is conjured directly onto the RTS battlefield. They enable you to
customise and combine factions, and play with a unique army of your own design.
With no base building and production queues BattleForge players are instantly
immersed into fast-paced RTS action."
Update: EA has denied this rumor Original Story:
Videogaming247 reports hearing a rumor of layoffs for the team at work on
the Steven Spielberg game at EALA, following the announcement of
significant workforce cuts at EA yesterday. The status of the project known
by the code name "LMNOP" (Layoffs Mean No One Plays?) is uncertain, but since
this game was not officially announced, there was not much certainty here before
this rumor. They do not identify their source, but say they've heard that
"almost everyone on the team has gone."
How
Frictional Games Does Frightening Without Fighting on Gamasutra is a
Halloween-appropriate interview talking with the folks behind the horror-themed
Penumbra series. They discuss the way the Penumbra games unfolded and the way
the episodic format of the series shifted as they changed publishers. They also
discuss the studios' next project that they recently teased, a
more action-oriented game called Unknown, though this means more action-oriented
for them, but it does not make it an action game: "Now this is not necessarily
bad, and we still want to have some more complex puzzles in Unknown too -- but
we want the base of the gameplay to consist of action.... without adding tons of
pickaxes, shotguns and roaming zombies."
Tri Synergy announces
they will publish Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge in North America, saying
the turn-based strategy game will be available this holiday season. Hired Guns:
The Jagged Edge once carried the title Jagged Alliance 3D and
later JAZZ: Hired Guns, and a playable demo for the game
was released this past summer. Here's a bit on the game: "Tons of
firepower will let your team destroy anything standing, but smooth talk and a
wad of bills can also go a long way towards ensuring success. With multiple
story lines and endings, you’re in total control of your own fate."
WoW Insider has word that all World of Warcraft players with active
accounts on US, Oceanic, Latin American, European, or Russian realms will get a
free three-day credit added to their accounts to compensate for the extended
downtime that occurred when Blizzard updated the servers for their MMORPG to the
recent version 3.02. Thanks nin.
Warhammer Online Announces that in the coming days Mythic will offer free
character transfers from lower population servers to those with higher
populations. They have a list of source and destination servers in both North
America and Oceana, saying players can move to any available destination server
based on rule set. The program will also allow the transfer of guilds, warning
they "encourage guild leaders to take their time when preparing to transfer
their guild as it cannot be reversed." Thanks Mick.
IGN has a confirmation of the delay for the PC edition of Grand
Theft Auto IV, which is indeed now expected on December 2. They also
elaborate on the recently released specs for the PC edition, which
are now divided into minimum and recommended systems, with the recommended specs
including an Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4Ghz or AMD Phenom X3 2.1Ghz CPU and a 512MB
NVIDIA 8600 or ATI 3870 graphics card.
Spark Unlimited follows up on recent reports that Legendary is
delayed, confirming a setback for this first-person shooter based on the myth
of Pandora's Box and detailing when the release is expected. The new schedule
calls for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions to ship on November 4, and the
PC edition to ship on November 18. The announcement is
accompanied by some new screenshots.
The Storm Eagle Studios
Home (which may be Netscape enhanced) has new release information for
Jutland, their upcoming World War I naval combat game. This sequel to Distant
Guns was announced with a Fall 2007 release date, but it is
now expected later this fall. Here's a bit on what this game looks to
accomplish: "JUTLAND pushes the envelope of the real time 3D military
simulations with the most realistic ballistics ever created in a commercial
war-game. Every shell fired is physically introduced into the 3D Battle-Space,
where it follows a true-to-life trajectory all the way to the target. If the
shell actually hits the target in the 3D world, it must then penetrate the armor
of the ship's hull, deck, or turret based on the thickness at the impact point."
The Spider-Man Web Of
Shadows Website offers a patch for Treyarch's new superhero game, bringing
all language editions to version 1.1. The new version addresses two specific
stability issues and a problem with NVIDIA 7000-series accelerators, adds new
video options to improve performance, and incorporates other general performance
improvements. Save games from version 1.0 will still work after updating, and
this patch is "highly recommended." Thanks Mitch-dk.
Steam News has word on a
new free update for Hinterland available via Steam. The
Halloween-themed update for Tilted Mill's strategic RPG adds new characters,
followers, buildings, enemies, and items.
An update for the FIFA Manager 09 Database is now available to ensure
that when you bend it like Beckham, he's wearing this week's uniform. The update
is available from
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
A new developer diary video for The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria
is online with more on the upcoming MMORPG expansion. Word is: "In this new
video Cardell Kerr, Creative Director, and Ryan Bednar, Lead Game Systems
Designer, discuss the two new classes to be added to the game with Mines of
Moria – the Warden and the Rune-keeper." The movie is found on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and
MyGameTrailers.
A new The Lord of the Rings Conquest movie is online as a consolation
prize for the just-announced delay to Pandemic's Tolkien-inspired
action game. The clip is posted on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and
MyGameTrailers.
Boo! Happy Halloween! As is our usual dorky way we are going to dress up the
doggies for this evening to delight and amuse the trick-or-treaters and their
parents. One or two children are invariably frightened by the pups as well, but
nobody ever gets too badly traumatized, so I guess that's just the trick part in
action. Anyway, hopefully I'll be more on top of things today than I was
yesterday so I can wrap things up early enough to hand out some candy.
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