Archived News:
A new Team
Fortress 2: The Scout Update outlines the Force-A-Nature, a double-barreled
shotgun to be added to The Scout's arsenal in tomorrow's Team Fortress 2
patch. The update offers a link to buy
a real
Force-A-Nature t-shirt and a poll to help determine which of the Scout's
three unlockables should be released first between The Sandman, Bonk Energy
Drink, or the Force-A-Nature.
A playable demo for Takeda III is now available, providing the chance to
try your hand at running a clan as a Feudal Lord in historical Japan in this
strategy game sequel from Magitech Corporation. The demo is an 820 MB download,
available on
ComputerGames.ro and
Gamer's Hell. Further details on the game can be found on the
Takeda III Website.
A note on Steam has word
that a patch is available for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, fixing a
problem that caused missions to stop populating. It looks like this was posted
Friday, so apologies for missing it at the time, though by virtue of the game's
use of Steamworks, presumably most users got the update automatically anyway.
The SaintXi Games Studio Website has
details on Light of Altair, a science-fiction colony-building game
telling the story of man's first expansion into the stars. The site offers
screenshots, a few movies, and information on the game, which involves
exploring, terraforming, and colonizing moons and planets. Word is: "Light of
Altair is a sci-fi colony building game with a deep plot. Grow colonies from
landing pod to metropolis, while sending off new spaceships to expand your
territory to other worlds. You are not alone in space, 8 factions from different
parts of the world are all following their own agendas in the solar system;
diplomacy and orbital-combat are essential to learn." Thanks Gamer's Hell.
The 3000AD Downloads Page has
a pair of new patches. There's a new patch to update Galactic Command - Echo
Squad SE to version 2.11.07, and
the version control
file outlines the one interface tweak, the one balance tweak, and the one
key bug fix in the new version. There's also a new version 1.01.04 patch for
Universal Combat Collectors' Edition, again the
version control file
can satisfy your curiosity over what this does, which includes the same
interface and balance tweaks as the Galactic Command - Echo Squad SE patch, as
well as a couple of additional tweaks/fixes.
Shrapnel Games now offers online sales of a Mac edition of
BRAINPIPE: A
Plunge to Unhumanity, offering Mac users the chance to experience Digital
Eel's latest offering and the hypnotic take on classic arcade gameplay it
provides, while still allowing them to think different.
Steam now offers online
sales of Dangerous High
School Girls in Trouble at a 10% discount between now and March 2. They have
also added Slamit Pinball Big
Score to their offerings.
The Eternal Silence Website
announces a new version of this Source engine modification is now available via
Steam. Word is: "It's been less than 3 weeks since our steam release and
Eternal Silence 3.3 is already live. This patch includes 2 new maps,
ctf_asteroid and de_asteroid as well as a host of other fixes. These new maps
have been a load of fun for our testers and bring back some nostalgia from the
old 2.3 days."
A new diary movie from Wanted: Weapons of Fate features gameplay footage
and developer narration to explain the curving bullets that are a signature of
the movie the upcoming shooter recreates. They show off the way bullet curving
works in the game, and explain the rather obvious implications of how this
changes gameplay from the typical shooter. The clip is posted on
AtomicGamer and
Gamer's Hell.
A new movie is available from Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X, showing off more of the upcoming
aerial combat game in a clip that focuses on the game's use of GeoEye, and don't
fool yourself girl, it's looking at you. The clip is available on
AtomicGamer and
Gamer's Hell. Also,
Ubisoft sends word that preordering the game at GameStop will earn you an
exclusive in-game FB-22 fighter plane, while
Steam is offering a free
copy of Blazing Angels:
Squadrons of WWII if you pre-purchase the game from them for digital
distribution.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Sierra On-Line: The Best of Early Computer Games on Gunaxin has a rundown on
some of the incredible number of adventure games Sierra On-Line produced back in
the day. Thanks Mike Martinez and
Digg.
The official Singularity Website
is online as home to Raven's upcoming time-traveling shooter. The site offers an
overview and a bit on the game's back story and a new Singularity
introductory trailer, with the promise of more soon. The site also offers a Fall
2009 release window, which contradicts previous indications the
game would be launched in the summer. Thanks Gamer's Hell.
A PC demo for Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is also in
the works, even though the announcement below only touts plans for console demos
for the updated Chronicles of Riddick game. Our request for information on a
possible Windows demo was met with a confirmation that a PC demo is in the
works, but does not currently have a set release date, which is perhaps why it
is not mentioned in that announcement.
Atari announces Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena will be
release on April 7 in North America and April 24 in Europe, with playable demos
for Starbreeze Studios' HD Riddick remake/update expected next month on Xbox
LIVE and the PlayStation Network. A new The
Chronicles of Riddick- Assault on Dark Athena Website is live, and here's a
bit more from the announcement: Featuring the brand new full-length
‘Assault on Dark Athena’ campaign, an HD remake of the classic ‘Escape from
Butcher Bay’ and multiplayer options including the unique Pitch Black mode all
on one disk, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena will deliver an
incredibly rich experience to gamers following its worldwide release this coming
April.
Renowned developer Starbreeze Studios has effectively combined stealth, vicious
hand-to-hand combat and ferocious gunplay in The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault
on Dark Athena, creating an irresistible game with something for all fans of
action gaming.
"Windows 7 will be great for games, undoubtedly," is the unequivocal quote from
Microsoft's Chris Lewis on
GamesIndustry.biz, saying: "It's all good news - it's even more robust, it's
quicker relatively, and the early testing cycles are proving very promising
overall." He promises they will have more to say on the topic later in the year,
reaffirming their commitment to PC gaming and the Games for Windows program. He
states: "Ultimately we're a Windows and PC company at heart, and that's not
going to change, and the development on both platforms will remain central and
important. The business ebbs and flows, and there will be times when we do more
on one platform than the other, but they do co-exist very nicely, and as a
company we're in a pretty unique position that we have a strong legacy on PC."
GamePolitics has word that today a Utah House of Representatives committee
will hold a hearing on the video game legislation drafted by
disbarred attorney Jack Thompson. The bill amends the state's truth in
advertising law to criminalize the sale of adult-rated media to minors, and
Thompson has claimed it does not fall into the same constitutional traps as have
previous attempts at such legislation in various areas. In another Jack Thompson
note,
GamePolitics reports that Thomson has followed through on his threat to
appeal his disbarrment all the way to the US Supreme Court, hoping
his case is heard by the highest court in the land, even though 99% of such
appeals are not.
Gamesindustry.biz has a story in Funcom's fourth quarter financial
reporting, saying the company had operating losses of $23.3 million, said to be caused by
underperformance by Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, their fantasy-themed
MMORPG, which made an initial splash, but suffered "shorter average subscription
periods than anticipated." Additional word is Olav Sandnes, the company's CFO,
has resigned the company, offering an optimistic quote about the mess: "Funcom
is a company with a substantial potential based on a unique combination of skill
sets in a fast growing global market. I wish Trond Aas and the rest of the
organisation all the best in realising the full potential of the company."
It seems to be slowing down now, but for a few days there was a surprising
amount of spam in my inbox using the word "crysis" in place of crisis, things
like "financial crysis," with no sense this relates to a game. I guess this is
another effort at thwarting filters, which does not seem to actually work.
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