Archived News:
Kotaku has word that Ragnarok
Online players have discovered that a competing browser-based MMOG
Aurora Blade uses art assets similar to
those in Ragnarok Online, as well as other MMOGs, including World of
Warcraft, Maple Story, and LaTale, spurring accusations of
plagiarism. Aurora Blade western publisher IGG has not yet responded to
requests for information about this, but they have posted a curious note to
the
official Aurora Blade forums that disavows responsibility by saying they
host, rather than develop this game, but then going on to say: "Any thread or
post containing information about other games that including screenshots, game
info or any other information will be deleted, as its [sic] against the forum rules.
We will also take actions against members that will repeat breaking the forum
rules."
Midway: "GTA 4
has changed gamers' expectations" on VideoGamer.com highlights a quote from
an upcoming interview with Simon Woodroffe about Wheelman, Midway's
upcoming action movie-style driving game. According to Woodroffe, they were
planning a very simple arcade style of driving until Grand Theft Auto IV raised
the bar with its "super-realism" (no really!), saying: "But GTA IV moved the bar
towards realism - even super-realism, you know?" He explains: "We started to get
feedback from our focus testers, within weeks of GTA 4 coming out, that the
basic driving was dropping in popularity. It had gone from being the most highly
rated element, to one of the lowest on the list. And I'm looking at this and
thinking, 'There's only one reason for this. GTA 4 has changed gamers'
expectations.'" Woodroffe goes on to explain that as a result, driving in
Wheelman was redesigned, which apparently only took a few hours of programming
and a couple of weeks of polish: "...to change the way Wheelman felt to be a
little more realistic and a little more grounded, based upon the feedback we
were getting, based upon the impact of GTA 4."
The F.E.A.R. 2 Community
Website now offers the final two installments in their four-part
behind-the-scenes video series about Monolith's upcoming horror-themed shooter
sequel. There's a new AI
movie with perspective on the game's artificial intelligence from AI
Engineers Matt Rice and Nate Cleveland and a
new Engine movie
where John O'Rorke discusses the engine and technology behind the game.
Ask
Cryptic: Bill Roper Special Edition on Champions Online Official Site is the
latest installment in this internal Q&A series, talking with one of Cryptic's
newest hires, Bill Roper, formerly of Blizzard and Flagship. The conversation is
more about games than many previous installments in this series, and one
interesting question asks about his role in a game where development has already
progressed as far as it has on Champions Online: "I’ve got a lot of
experience coming in at the later stages of a product to help get it through the
polish phase and released. This is something that I did for a lot of years at
Blizzard, but unfortunately wasn’t in the position to do at Flagship. The design
of Champions Online is very far along, and is really exceptional, so I’ll be
helping out wherever I can, as well as starting to plan for the future releases
and support of the game."
DICE's
Grondal On Evolving Battlefield For Heroes on Gamasutra is a Q&A with
Aleksander Grondal, producer on Battlefield Heroes, DICE's upcoming
subscription-free MMO shooter. Their discussion of gameplay modes makes it clear
that the main emphasis of Battlefield Heroes is on combat, in contrast with the
objective-oriented gameplay of previous Battlefield games: "No; currently we
only have one game mode, and that's like a conquest mode, but it's more about
actually shooting people, to be honest. You can go and capture flags if you want
to -- and the arrow on the screen points you to the flag. It directs you toward
the action, because they're usually fighting over it, but if you want, you can
just go and shoot people in the face, and that's perfectly fine. We don't want
to force you to do anything. You [can] play the game however you feel confident
with it."
‘DC Universe Online’ MMO Writer Geoff Johns Talks Parallel Earths, Secret
Identities on MTV Multiplayer offers some brief responses from comic writer
Geoff Johns to questions about DC Universe Online, the upcoming superhero
MMORPG. According to Johns, he thinks the game is about a year off, and it
sounds like he has already completed most of his role in the project: "It
launches I think in early 2010, it could be late 2009. I’ve written the overall
story and the path that gets you into the game and the areas of the universe and
how to explore them, but not every line of dialogue. That’s a fulltime job, it’s
too frigging big, too intense to write every line of an MMO. I’d probably jump
off a building."
NCsoft talks about updating City of Heroes, keeping it relevant on Joystiq
is a Q&A with NCsoft's Matt "Positron" Miller about the superhero MMORPG,
focusing on various ways it differs from the current crop of MMOGs. They also
confirm plans to begin beta testing of the MacOS version of the game with the
launch of the upcoming Chapter 13, more on the Mission Architect feature, plans
for a second "Super Booster" pack, and more.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Today is the 20th annual
World AIDS Day.
Atlantica Online developer NDOORS announces the acquisition of CrazyBox
Entertainment, the South Korean developer behind Seven Years of War, an
online first-person-shooter that operates in Japan. NDOORS say it will
incorporate technologies developed by CrazyBox "to produce new games in the FPS
genre" and that they will introduce a new first-person shooter (presumably some
sort of MMOG) next summer. Of the move NDOORS CEO Cho Seong Won says: "We’re
excited about the synergy that will be created by melding Crazybox’s technology
with NDOORS’s creativity. This acquisition will allow us to provide people a
broad range of games. We look forward to making those games fresh and exciting
for all players out there."
Shacknews has news
that Phil Shenk, formerly of Blizzard and co-founder of Flagship Studios, has
formed a new development studio called Gravity Bear ( no
relation). There's no word on what they are up to, but Shack has also
learned that former Hellgate: London senior software engineer Kevin
Klemmick will serve as the new company's technical director.
EMA Statement on Benefit
Denial Technology is an Adobe Acrobat-format document from the Entertainment
Merchants Association (EMA) outlining a proposal for using "Benefit Denial
Technology" to safeguard games and DVDs in stores by rendering them inoperable
if they are stolen. "Benefit Denial" is when a stolen item is rendered useless,
with the most familiar such technique being the use of tags that spill permanent
dye on clothing when improperly removed. The EMA's proposal is to
implement some sort of point-of-sale method for activating games and movies,
saying this will prevent "shrinkage" (where items are not replenished after
being stolen), and will also increase sales by decreasing other
shrinkage-prevention measures, such as not displaying such products openly on
store shelves or the need for bulky tamper-proof packaging. Thanks
Gamasutra,
where there's further word that the EMA has dubbed this initiative "Project
Lazarus," and they have assembled a consortium of retailers, home video
companies, and video game publishers to do cost-benefit analyses on the concept.
Game Developers Conference Europe 2009
has been
announced for August 17-19 in Cologne Germany, and this year's show will
operate in conjunction with gamescom, described as "the leading game industry
European event for consumers, publishers, and trade professionals." Word on the
new partnership is: "GDC will bring to Europe its renowned conference content
quality and its access to the industry leaders driving innovation in games
across the globe, in an effort to engender learning, networking and inspiration.
Presenting GDC Europe at gamescom, the leading European consumer and industry
show, will allow the conference to address the development community at a
central location in the heart of Europe which will command the critical mass of
the European games sector. The new arrangement will also enjoy the advantage of
a local leadership that truly understands the needs of its market as well as the
ability to navigate the region and offer a stage to present the largest
professionals-only event in Europe."
The 3D Entertainment Summit is currently
underway in Los Angeles, here's hoping
Dr. Tongue is
somehow involved. No summit is worth its salt without some news, so here are a
couple of tidbits:
Darkworks signs 3D technology deal with Trioviz has word of a licensing deal
between developer Darkworks ( Cold
Fear) to use Trioviz 3D technology "in titles for PCs and consoles." Trioviz
has tech to use special glasses to enable 3D on standard televisions, and the
announcement quotes Darkworks development manager Alexis Arragon saying, "This
technology allows us to provide an incredible 3D gaming experience on existing
CRT, Plasma and LCD TVs." He goes on to enthusiastically say: "We're excited
about the possibilities and opportunities that this will open up for us as game
developers for consumers to enjoy. Full 3D gaming is the next revolution in
videogames. Consumers will be amazed at the depth of experience that we can
provide with this technology." Word is an SDK is in the works to further promote
this technology. In other 3D-related news
Gamasutra
says UK-based console developer Blitz Games Studios has unveiled proprietary
technology to enable stereoscopic 3D in Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 games. They
claim this can "replicate the full HD 3D experience" from 3D theaters, and they
quote Blitz Games co-founder Andrew Oliver saying that 3D games will be "even
more immersive" than existing titles after the industry learns to overcome
design issues associated with using 3D. Blitz also claims games using this tech
can run in either 2D or 3D in a single version by "simply flicking a switch,"
but rather than special glasses, this seems geared towards 3D monitors, as they
also paraphrase Oliver saying that 3D-capable television sets are likely to gain
in popularity as more content for them becomes available.
The
amBX interview on Develop talks with amBX CEO Neil MacDonald about the
recent emancipation of the gaming environmental effects vendor from one-time
parent Philips, though Philips remains a silent partner in their company. They
discuss how this independence may help amBX offerings from gaining greater
mindshare and market share: "Being independent will also make it easier to work
with manufacturers who may have felt that working with a Philips company was a
conflict as they were competing hardware companies." Here's Neil's outlook on
the coming year: "We're pushing further into the games sector than ever before
and we have big plans for music and movies, too. We will be working very hard to
make it easier than ever and very inexpensive for content owners and developers
to add amBX enhanced affects to their content, and you will also see amBX in
some very unexpected places."
A new Stormrise developer diary movie kicks off a series of such clips
looking at development of Creative Assembly's strategy game due for release on
PC and consoles early next year. The clip starts at the beginning, outlining the
back story that motivates the gameplay in the post-apocalyptic RTS game, their
efforts towards creating a control scheme that works for playing on consoles,
game balance, and their commitment to quality. The clip is available on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
Gamer's Hell,
Gametrailers, and
MyGameTrailers.
A new "epic gameplay montage" move from Prince of Persia shows off more
of the platformer remake that's due in stores for consoles tomorrow and PCs in a
week. The clip highlights both the combat and the fancy footwork for which the
series is known. The clip can be found on
Gametrailers. There is
also a new "The Gameplay" trailer where both developers and journalists discuss
various aspects of the game accompanied by related gameplay footage. This clip
is on AtomicGamer and
Gamer's Hell. Finally, a
"The World" trailer was recently released where that same group introduces the
game's setting; this clip is posted on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer, and
Gamer's Hell.
GamesIndustry.biz has word that Chinese company NetDragon Websoft has
licensed Dungeon Keeper from Electronic Arts for use in an MMOG based on
Bullfrog's classic strategy game putting the player in the role of an evil
mastermind creating a dungeon full of traps for unsuspecting adventurers. The
game is to be released in China at first, but it sounds like the door to the
dungeon is being left open for this project to make its way westward, as well,
as they quote NetDragon Websoft chairman Liu Dejian saying: "Capitalising our
strength to create a strong gaming experience, powerful operating platform and
unmatched expertise within China's online game market, we are confident that
Dungeon Keeper Online will not only become successful in the Greater China
region but also achieve remarkable results overseas."
Mail Online has the latest in the seemingly endless rumors about attempts to
take over SCi Entertainment. According to the paper, SCi, which suffered
terrible financial results this year, is in "early-stage" talks with two firms,
offering further speculation that these are Ubisoft and Electronic Arts, saying:
"renewed interest in SCi has been sparked by the dramatic fall in value of the
company." The origin of this report is vaguely described as "a source familiar
with matter." The article points out that SCi is worth all of about £50million
today, after being valued at as much as £1billion at the height of the dotcom
boom. Thanks
GamesIndustry.biz.
Reuters reports Sumner Redstone has sold his controlling interest in Midway
Games after years of poor performance. The report says Redstone's National
Amusements will announce today the sale of its 87% stake in Midway for
approximately $100,000. No, there are no zeros missing from that sentence, as
the price is about $0.0012 per share, which may literally satisfy that old
saying about a stock not being worth the paper it's printed on. In that way rich
people have of making chicken salad out of the less edible portions of the
chicken, the $100,000 sale will net National Amusements a 2008 tax loss of
approximately $800 million, which represents about half of the company's
outstanding debt. Thanks
GamePolitics. If disclosure is appropriate here, at one time I indirectly
worked for Sumner Redstone, as Viacom assumed control of MTV Networks during my
tenure there.
A post on GameSpot
offers reassurance that the upcoming Games for Windows edition of Grand Theft
Auto IV will not be censored for release in Australia, a
natural concern, considering the number of games with adult content that do not
fit Australia's adult-free rating system. The way this story reads, however,
makes it sound like questionable content may have been removed from the game for
all territories in anticipation of AU problems, much the way Fallout
3 was cut for all territories, though in that case the cuts were made after
the game was initially refused classification. It may be the
Windows version has received no cuts at all, but the console editions needed
edits to earn approval, while word on the PC version is: "Grand Theft Auto IV PC
has been rated MA15+ strong violence, sex scenes, coarse language, and drug
references by the Australian Classification Office. The PC game is unedited in
any way and identical in content to the international version."
Coming off a big
LEGO Batman
victory at the notoriously bloodthirsty Children's BAFTA award, keepers of
the LEGO bricks Traveller's Tales
say they feel no pressure to rush into another LEGO game, saying: "we're
licking our lips at what we could do, but at the same time we need to be very
guarded that making quality games for young gamers is our goal. We don't need to
rush out and produce dozens of Lego games based on Warner Bros properties." That
quote is from a
larger interview with Nick Ricks where he is cagey over the next property
that could get their LEGO treatment, while
Computer
and Video Games reports on rumors that the next LEGO game will cover the
Harry Potter series.
New versions 3.0.1 are now available for the Windows and MacOS editions of
StuntMANIA!pro addressing some bugs in the new version of the
stunt driving game. The new versions are on the
Sector3 Games website,
accompanied by updated playable demos. The Windows demo is also mirrored on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell; wile the Mac demo is mirrored on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
Producer Lighthouse Interactive and developer White Birds Productions announce
a European playable demo for Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals, the
recently released point-and-click adventure game. Another playable demo for the
game was recently released, but the new demo is more than 100 MB
larger, described like this: "In the demo, players discover the first chapter of
the game: ‘Alcide’s Flat’, which gives them a glimpse of the eerie, corrupt
atmosphere that is unique to this visually stunning adventure game." The
download is available from
Lighthouse Interactive, and it is mirrored on
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
Auran announces that Trainz Simulator 2009: World Builder Edition is
now gold, and the latest installment in this transportation sim series is now
available for sale through the Auran
store. They say: "Trainz Simulator 2009: World Builder Edition is the
culmination of 8 years of ongoing development and is the fifth major release in
the series. It delivers new features and graphics capabilities along with over
12,500 rail related items including more than 400 locomotives and hundreds of
miles of drivable routes." Word is work is already underway on the Trainz
Engineers Edition for release early next year.
Hello, Numen! A new Numen: Contest of Heroes
Website is home to the upcoming action/RPG from Cinemax (the developer, not
the soft-core cable network). The site includes forums, a gallery, videos, and a
FAQ that seems translated from Czech based on questions like "what kinds of
battle are there in game" and "why is Greece chosen for action place?"
Okay, so it's cyber Monday. In that case I want my flying car; preferably one
that folds into a briefcase.
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