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Archived News:
Steam News has word that
a new update is now automatically available for Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3
on Steam that removes the SecuROM copy-protection from the game. Here's the
deal: This game was delivered with both Sony SecuROM and Steam digital
rights management technology. This patch will remove the SecuROM technology from
the game as well as remove the game-specific SecuROM license from your machine.
The game will continue to be protected by Steam technology. To remove SecuROM
files from your machine and for more information, see the EA support site at
http://support.ea.com/cgi-bin/ea.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_sid=ic-Oypqj&p_faqid=20763.
Steam News announces that
those who pre-purchase Tom
Clancy's EndWar on Steam before the release next week of the Windows edition
of the RTS game will receive a complimentary copy of
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Advanced Warfighter. They say: "Tom Clancy's EndWar will be available
worldwide on February 25th and 26th. See the
game page for specific
release times."
The Entrenchment Beta 3
Change Log on the Sins of a Solar Empire Website offers an outline of the
extensive number of changes and fixes planned for Ironclad's space strategy
expansion. When the new beta version will launch is not specified.
Installment 3
in the run up to the Team Fortress 2 The Scout Update is now online,
outlining the Scout's new power-up, the Bonk energy drink You know, because,
"Runnin' rings around all them molasses-slow dummies out there on the
battlefield is thirsty frickin' work."
The Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) announces the launch of
The ECA Institute, explaining the new
organization like this: The ECA Institute (ECAi) is the focal point for
public policy research and analysis (federal, state, and international), as well
as scholarships and educational programs, at the Entertainment Consumers
Association (ECA). Its mission is to inform the development of ECA's public
policy positions and to contribute to and influence public debate on issues of
importance to video game players (gamers).
The official Legends of Qin Website
is online as home to gamigo's upcoming western launch of this subscription-free
MMORPG set in historical China. Word is: "Solve thousands of story-based quests,
learn new skills, find numerous friends and challenge other players in epic
fights – this is a 3D MMORPG more complex and challenging than typical free to
play games." If that's of interest, you can sign up for the chance to be one of
the beta testers on the game.
The Evolution Vault announces EV
Online a browser-based massively multiplayer online strategy game "where
thousands of players are fighting for supremacy in a remote corner of the
universe," with no sense that they know this is one "E" removed from a similar
game. The Supreme Strategy Website
has information about the project, screenshots, and registration for prospective
testers. A release date isn't set yet, but here's a bit about the game: "Far
away in the galaxy, two species are in conflict as we speak. In a dark corner of
space, inside the EV cluster, the Sargon Empire became the mightiest nation our
galaxy has ever known. One which decides the fate of all civilizations, the
Sargon is based on deceit and lies, as their technological advancements, their
legacy, were all stolen."
A new trailer is now available for The Godfather II, the upcoming movie
tie-in sequel where you don the clothes of a Don. Word is: "As a Don in The
Godfather II, you will be faced with many strategic decisions as you build your
empire. Check out the different crime rings in the game and the associated
in-game perks that will help you and your family in the action game with this
new trailer." The clip is available on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Bonfire Studios reveals its
existence to the world as the second new development studio to emerge from the
demise of Ensemble (the other being the newly formed
Robot Entertainment). The 35
employee studio is made up entirely of former Ensemble employees, who are
currently working on an original IP that sounds like it won't be revealed for "a
few months." The announcement quotes David Rippy, president and CEO of Bonfire
Studios, saying: "Ensemble had an incredible group of highly talented people and
the companies coming out of it are really made up of the best of the best.
Ensemble was one of the few studios with two A-teams."
EA makes the unexpected announcement that a sequel to American McGee's Alice
is in the works at American McGee's Spicy Horse Games, planned for release on
PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. There's a piece of concept art on the
Spicy Horse Website, where word is the working title is The Return of
American McGee's Alice, which, since it is still in pre-production, "won't
be completed for some time." Here's the announcement: Redwood City,
Calif. – February 19, 2009 – Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Spicy Horse
today announced that they have signed a publishing deal for an all-new title
based on EA’s 2000 classic, American McGee’s Alice™. The game reunites EA with
American McGee, the creative visionary behind the original game. The new title
is in development for the PC, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and
Xbox 360® video game console.
“This new project is a dream come true for me and the fans who’ve kept the Alice
flame alive,” said American McGee, senior creative director at Spicy Horse. “EA
gave us creative latitude and support on the original game which resulted in
something beautiful and daring. This trip through the looking glass promises to
be even more exciting.”
“EA Partners is thrilled to team up with American McGee and Spicy Horse on the
next installment of the Alice franchise,” said David DeMartini, senior vice
president and general manager of EA Partners. “American McGee’s interpretation
of Alice was an instant classic, and EA Partners is ready to help him bring his
innovative vision for the franchise to even darker, more exciting places.”
Spicy Horse was represented in the deal by CAA and Weissman Wolff.
The Penny Arcade Expo Website is now
accepting pre-registration for the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo, the sixth annual
installment in the gaming series that will take place on September 4-6 of this
year at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center in Seattle. Here is the
announcement that explains the benefits of pre-registration: SEATTLE -
Feb. 19, 2009 - The wait is over! The organizers of PAX 2009 proudly announced
today that pre-registration is now open for the sixth annual gaming festival to
be held Sept. 4 - 6 at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center in
Seattle. Pre-registration pricing will be available at
www.paxsite.com until Sept. 3, allowing
purchase of a three-day attendee badge for $50, a 10% discount on the day-of
rate. Pre-registrants are also eligible to participate in the Omegathon gaming
competition, where one attendee will win an all-expenses-paid trip to the Tokyo
Game Show and other fabulous prizes.
New for this year, pre-registration will continue until Aug. 15 or until
pre-paid attendee badges sell out. "Every year, we essentially double our
attendance, but let me say right now that's not happening for 2009," said Penny
Arcade's Robert Khoo. "We've rented every square foot in the center and it still
won't be enough. The facility has requested that we not exceed capacity, so
we're going to be closely monitoring the number of badges we sell this year.
But, fear not. Our goal is the same as ever: to offer a world-class show to all
attendees, focusing on amazing content and experiences for the truly hardcore."
Last year's impressive program of over 70 exhibitors, a keynote address from
noted industry professional Ken Levine, awesome music concerts and inspiring
industry panels drew 58,500 attendees to the expo. Further information on PAX
2009 exhibitors and events will be available later this month.
GameTap announces the launch of
American McGee's
Grimm: Jack and the Beanstalk, and like its predecessors, the latest
installment in the Grimm adventure series is free for 24 hours. They have
also rotated the
Tropico: Mucho Macho Edition into their free area, where it will remain for
the next week, and they have also added
Titan Quest to
their online gaming service, offering Iron Lore's action/RPG along with its
Immortal Throne expansion.
Independent developer Inhuman Games
announces plans to release a sequel to Trash this fall for Windows and
Mac, following up on their RTS game that makes you an offer you cannot refuse
(see what I did there?). Here's word on the game, including how they will
recycle the engine from the original Trash: A sequel to Trash is currently
in development. The new game will be based on the existing Trash game engine.
The graphics engine will be replaced with a DirectX 9 class graphics engine. We
also will be supporting Mac.
It's too early to say exactly what the sequel will be like. We'll be
experimenting with several new gameplay concepts. We might borrow gameplay ideas
from other modern RTS games, such as Starcraft 2 (if it's released in time), DoW
2, etc. As always, we'll also be taking your input.
We are currently in India putting together a team for this project. We have an
artist helping us with concept art. At the end of this month, three programmers
will be joining us. Eventually we'll have a staff of about eight developers on
the project.
We are shooting for a release date of Fall 2009. In the meantime, we'll have at
least more patch of the current version. We will be adding an automated
tournament system feature to the current version.
Ubisoft announces plans to expand their portfolio of Mac titles as they have
partnered with TransGaming to offer Mac editions of their titles at retail and
to expand their downloadable catalog of Mac titles available at the
Ubisoft Digital Store and
GameTree Online. Word
is: Ubisoft will release the award-winning Prince of Persia and Shaun
White Snowboarding to the Mac community in March 2009 via Ubisoft's online
digital store, GameTree Online and at traditional retail locations. Mac versions
of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation(TM): Hard Evidence(TM), Rayman Raving Rabbids®
and Petz® Sports will also be released at select retail establishments for the
first time in March 2009.
The Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
Website now offers a new "studio insight video" from the upcoming military
shooter sequel, "Showcasing the cutting edge technology that will take gamers
closer to war than they'll ever want to get" (which is presumably a good thing).
The clip features developer narration and shows off the game's use of the EGO
Engine, described like so: "A cross-format iterative technical project,
developed with accreditation from platform holders, the EGO Engine has
previously been used to great effect in the creation of award-winning titles
Colin McRae: DiRT™ and Race Driver: GRID™. The EGO Engine video released today
demonstrates how this technology powers everything from minute detail to grand
landscapes; delivering the most immersive real world effects and environments
ever seen in a FPS." The clip is mirrored on
AtomicGamer and
ActionTrip.
StarCraftWire.Net has new screenshots and concept art from StarCraft II,
showing new textures for a number of units in Blizzard's upcoming RTS sequel,
and outlining a bunch of changes to weapons and abilities that have been
recently implemented. They have a bunch of retextured Zerg units, and outline
changes to the Protoss Dark Pylon, Terran Orbital Command, the Zerg queen, and
more.
VideoGamer.com
has the announcement of SBK 09, the next installment in Milestone's
motorcycle racing series that's the official game of the World Superbike
Championship. New teams, a complete track overhaul, new gameplay structure, new
game modes, a revamped user interface, and visible damage to fairings and
leathers are all listed as new features in the game, which will have five
single-player modes, three online multiplayer modes, and a downloadable Online
Time Attack mode. SBK 09 is due for Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS2, and
PSP in May.
NDOORS Interactive announces a major content update for
Atlantica Online,
updating the strategic MMOG with two new character classes, new gear, new
dungeons, and more. Word is: "The majority of the new content will be accessible
to all players immediately, while some of the new features will only be
available to players who have reached level 100."
A
Darkfall Information Update on the Darkfall Forums announces the NDA is
officially lifted for Aventurine's MMORPG, and also announces the game will
officially launch in Europe on February 25, a bit more than a month after they
predicted late last year (thanks SpeedMann). North Americans are
welcome to participate, and while they don't have a set schedule for when North
American servers will go live, when they do, players will be given the
opportunity to migrate their characters over the pond. Here's the deal on
preorders: The pre-order consists of the Darkfall client digital download
along with a month of play starting on February 25th. The full cost for this is
42 Euro. This amount WILL NOT be charged during the pre-order. What will be
charged is an initial 2.52 Euro non-refundable payment to activate the process.
The remainder (39.48) of the pre-release price will be billed on release,
February 25th. You’ll be free to cancel the purchase any time before the
additional charge goes in on February the 25th.
Darkfall’s monthly subscription is set at 11.77 euro. A 3 month subscription
with a 10% discount and a six month subscription will be offered with 15%
discount on the monthly subscription rate.
March 5 is the planned release date for the planned Titan Pack
for Unreal Tournament III, a large free update for Epic's first-person
shooter that's coming to PC and PlayStation 3, but looks like it will not be
coming to the Xbox 360 due to download limitations (even though it's
considerably smaller than the new GTA4 pack). There are new previews of the pack
on BeyondUnreal,
Big Download,
The Escapist, IGN,
and Planet
Unreal with details, hands-on impressions, and screenshots of the new
gameplay modes and 16 new maps the add-on will include. Here's a bulleted
feature list from
Planet Unreal
outlining the contents of the pack:
• 16 environments – four Warfare, three vCTF, six
Deathmatch, and three CTF maps – that are new to the PC and PS3 versions
• Three bonus pack maps, CTF-Face, CTF-Searchlight and
DM-Morbias
• The namesake Titan mutator, which lets players overwhelm
opponents as a 15 foot tall titan, or crush them as a 30 foot tall Behemoth
• Greed and Betrayal, two gametypes that breed new-found
fervor throughout the competitive UT3 arena
• Two powerful weapons, the Stinger Turret and Eradicator
Cannon artillery
• Two valuable deployables, the X-Ray Field and Link
Station
• The Slow Field power-up, a portable version of the Slow
Field deployable
• Stealthbender, a new vehicle that carries two spidermine
trap deployables, one EMP mine, and one each of the new Link Station and X-Ray
Field deployables
• Two new characters, Nova and Kana
• 57 awards attainable as Steam Achievements and PS3
Trophies
• Broad improvements for PC and PS3: Significant AI
enhancements, especially in vehicle gametypes; networking performance upgrades;
greatly improved menu flow and UI usability; better mod support
• Client-side demo recording, highly improved Server
Browser, a new maplist system, plus mid-game mutator and gametype voting
functionality for PC
• High demand PS3 features including PS3 Trophy support,
two-player split-screen support, and mod browsing
There's a
Live Blog of the DICE 2009 Keynote on the G4tv Website recapping an address
by Valve's Gabe Newell on the topic of "entertainment as a service," discussing
Steam and serving customers in an era of increased digital distribution and
piracy. Along the way he mentions plans for Team Fortress 2 comic books, created
by the team behind the TF2 character videos, making a point that audiences tend
to be fans of properties, rather than specific products. Gabe makes some sage
observations, including how piracy is about service, saying pirates are beating
companies on service, citing the example that TV shows are not available in
certain parts of the world, but pirates have them up on the web minutes after
they are finished airing. He says DRM decreases service value for customers, and
makes pirated copies of games look more appealing, saying anecdotal evidence
appears to suggest that DRM is increasing and not decreasing piracy. Perhaps
most interesting is the talk of how Steam sales have impacted sales figures,
which look like they make a strong case for the idea that games are overpriced,
as not only did sales increase during these promotions, but so did their
profits, and Valve also noted spikes in sales of Team Fortress 2 every time they
issued a free update. Here are a couple of direct excerpts from an interesting
recap: Last weekend, Valve decided to do an experiment with Left 4 Dead.
Last weekend's sale resulted in a 3000% increase over relatively flat numbers.
They sold more last weekend than when they launched the game. WOW. That is
unheard of in this industry. They beat their launch sales. Also, they snagged a
1600% increase in new customers to Steam over the baseline.
Worried retailers, fear not. The weekend sale didn't canabalize sales from
retail. In fact, they remained constant. Well, constant isn't a 3000% increase,
but it's still pretty good, right?
Looking at a third-party game, they saw increases of 36,000% with a weekend
sale. Oh. Em. Gee. Okay, Gabe is starting to convince me that PC at retail is
going to die very soon.
During the Holiday sales:
• 10% sale = 35% increase in sales (real dollars, not units
shipped)
• 25% sale = 245% increase in sales
• 50% sale = 320% increase in sales
• 75% sale = 1470% increase in sales
At 75% off, they are making 15% more money than they were at full price.
Update:
There is also an article about all this on
Gamasutra.
Edge Online
- Context Sensitive.
"There is a drought of new ideas in our industry. But in the spirit of
optimism, I’m going to suggest we celebrate, embrace and downright exploit
this fact. The best way to do so is through the application of new context
onto an existing idea. This is all about creating new games from the ash of
the old, and not being shame faced while we do so."
Fidgit - Why I won't be playing Grand Theft Auto IV: Lost and Damned.
"The reason I won't be playing Lost and Damned is because after a couple of
hours with these characters, I have no desire to spend another moment with
them. These are unlikable thugs doing reprehensible things. Bikers, who are
traditionally the bad guys, are presented with all the usual stereotypes
that make them bad guys. They're brutal, vulgar, and cowardly. I can't tell
one from the other. The one who I think is supposed to be me is as typical a
bald space marine as you'll ever see. "
So as the advertising war rages on in this country for car insurance, one has to
wonder what's in the water at Geico. They seem to perpetually be running
multiple campaigns, but while some seem to have pretty broad appeal, like the
Wallace cousins spots
(personal favorites of mine), the
evil wildlife spots or
the strange, but cute
celebrity stand-in ads, a lot of them seem to be attempts at polarization.
They have the love 'em or hate 'em campaign featuring that
Gecko and there were
those Cavemen, who
ended up with their own short-lived TV series, and I know a lot of people who
hate each campaign, but at least you can see what they are going for. But these
latest ads featuring the
Money With Eyes and the Rockwell song? Well, I just don't know what to say.
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