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Archived News:
Twisted Pixel Games announces
the Windows edition of The Maw is now available for digital distribution via
Direct2Drive,
Greenhouse, and Steam:
AUSTIN, TX – March 09, 2009 – Twisted Pixel Games has announced that its
award-winning title The Maw has been released today on Steam, Penny Arcade’s
Greenhouse, and Direct2Drive for $9.99. Twisted Pixel’s CEO Michael Wilford
responds: “His cage just kinda slipped. Now he’s consuming PCs everywhere.
Whoopsie.” The Maw is the company’s first original IP, a product of monumental
effort by a passionate and loving team.
As the winner of the 2008 PAX 10 Audience Choice Award, The Maw was invited to
be a part of Penny Arcade’s game offerings on Greenhouse. And as a 2009 IGF
finalist for Technical Excellence, The Maw was invited to be a part of
Direct2Drive, the official distribution arm of this year’s IGF. The Maw’s
invitation to Steam has been in the works for a long time, as both Twisted Pixel
and Valve saw the potential of the game early on.
“Hitting all three of these amazing distribution channels is fantastic!”
exclaims Twisted Pixel CCO Josh Bear. “We couldn’t be happier with our
distribution partners. And now, not even Skynet is safe from Maw’s hunger. There
is no fate but what we make for ourselves.”
Development of the PC version of The Maw was handled by Hothead Games, the
talent behind the acclaimed Penny Arcade Adventures series. “It was crucial to
us to find a partner that we could depend on,” explains Twisted Pixel CTO Frank
Wilson. “Hothead was the ideal choice because they had experience doing this
before which we had not, and they couldn’t have been more reliable or great to
work with!”
Star Trek Games
reports on an insert being included with the Star Trek Season One Blu-ray set
teasing a game called Star Trek D-A-C, saying it will be available in May, 2009.
The only other thing known for certain at this point is the participation of
Naked Sky Entertainment ( Roboblitz)
as developer, but May is not far off, so we'll probably learn more soon.
Gametrailers TV interviews Todd Hollenshead, talking with the id Software
CEO about various things, including the just-launched QUAKE LIVE, as well
as upcoming projects like Wolfenstein, DOOM, and Rage.
Along the way he Todd confirms that Rage will not be released this year, though
he does say they are nearing the point where more information is revealed about
the game. He also says the new DOOM game may not be named DOOM 4, while also
hinting the game may include vehicles. Also, there are some new
Rage screenshots and images on Eurogamer.pt. Thanks
VG247.
The EVE Online Website now offers the
full Apocrypha trailer video for the imminent free expansion for CCP's
science-fiction MMORPG.
They also
announce the game will be taken offline in a few hours for the lengthy
process of launching the expansion: Deployment of the free expansion, EVE
Online: Apocrypha will begin at 03:00 GMT on 10 March. We anticipate the
extended downtime for the deployment may take up to 13 hours and we expect to be
back up at 16:00 GMT. We recommend starship pilots prepare for the unveiling of
that which is hidden by setting a long-training skill. During this time
Tranquility will be offline, our forums and news section, the EVE API and Secure
(login for EVElopedia, Account Management etc) will be taken down at about 02:30
GMT. Secure will return at 06:15 GMT and the news section and the forums will be
partially up at 09:30 GMT to provide players with a feedback channel. The EVE
API will remain down until downtime 11 March. We will activate a back-up news
system to provide updates during the time our news section is down.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Interview on GameShark
converses with Tigon's Ian Stevens about the upcoming first-person shooter
remake/follow-up, covering topics like reasons for remaking the original The
Chronicles of Riddick, achievements and trophies, sound design, succeeding
with licensed properties, multiplayer support, and more. There's also a new
developer diary movie from the game, available from
AtomicGamer,
Gamer's Hell, and
MyGameTrailers.
A new "water tank" trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine is now available
with a cinematic look at the game tie-in with the upcoming Wolverine movie. The
clip is available on
AtomicGamer and Gamer's
Hell. Also, there's
a new interview about the game on [OC]ModShop where they chat with Dan
Vondrak of Raven Software, who discusses topics like how closely the game
follows the film, their use of the Unreal Engine 3, enemies, NPCs, the
participation of the stars as voice talent, reasons for skipping multiplayer
support, storytelling, and more.
Mezmer Games
announces Stalin vs. Martians will launch in April, offering this offbeat
RTS game based on the idea off a Martian invasion of Russia during World War II.
Word is: "The bold leader is duly serious even as he faces the most ridiculous
threat the world has ever known. The game itself is far from standard RTS fare;
this is not a realistic and deeply strategic war simulation, but a
straightforward, fun and light-hearted arcade-style game complete with power-ups
falling from conquered foes in the form of bright shiny coins." A new movie is
available from the game, which is posted on the
YouTube.
- Ghostbusters: The Video Game on
IGN.
- Global Agenda on
GamesRadar.
- Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3- Uprising on
FileFront.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
GameDaily reports that GamePro Magazine has hired some of the former
Ziff Davis sales staff from 1Up, and is planning on starting its own game
publishing effort, of all things. GamePro
Labs is the new organization, which will concentrate on Microsoft's XNA
platform and Apple's iPhone, "but leaning more towards XNA because it's Xbox 360
and PC and down the road, Zune stuff too." In an industry where conflict of
interest is a business model, this may be the most conflict-laden choice a games
publication could make (their site cites "Regular promotion in GamePro Magazine"
as a benefit of publishing through them), so it will be interesting to see how
it unfolds.
There's Something in the Sea, the
teaser site for BioShock 2, now offers more clues about the back story
for the submerged shooter follow-up, with more newspaper clippings related to the
mysterious appearance of some sort of red tide and the disappearance of more
young girls. Presumably more light will be cast on these mysterious goings-on
soon, as
Computer and Video Games has word that the upcoming 200th issue of PC Gamer
magazine, scheduled for release on April 9, will have a preview of the game.
Empire: Total War: Common Issues on the SEGA Website reports some problems
users are having playing Empire Total War with the latest NVIDIA drivers and the
Empire: Total War Forums also outline problems users have been experiencing
with Steam when purchasing or installing the RTS game. The latter post
outlines their reasons for partnering with Steam as well as explanations and
work arounds for some of the issues folks have encountered, while the former
post also has Steam workarounds, and suggest rolling back to the previous NVIDIA
drivers for those experiencing driver problems, saying: "After the game was
finished, Nvidia released a new set of drivers which we were unable to test
before release." Thanks Mike Martinez and
GamesIndustry.biz.
A playable demo of Major League Baseball 2K9 offers the chance for some
practice swings at 2K Games' newest simulation of the grand old game. Here's the
party line on the game: "Major League Baseball 2K9 captures the essence of
baseball down to some of the most minute, player- specific details including
batting stances, pitching windups and signature swings. 2K Sports has gone above
and beyond the call of duty to deliver this in true major league fashion.
Additionally, gameplay enhancements in pitching, batting, fielding and
baserunning promise this year’s installment to be user-friendly and enjoyable
for rookies or veterans. New commentary and presentation provide the icing to
this ultimate baseball experience. If you really want to Play Ball this is the
game for you." The 1.25 GB download is available from
ComputerGames.ro,
FanGaming, and
Gamer's Hell.
Mythic Entertainment
announces they are expanding the Recruit-a-Friend promotion for Warhammer
Online: Age of Reckoning, offering additional incentives to player who
entice family and friend to join the MMORPG. They are giving 30 days of free
game time for each new player recruited, and additionally those who get two new
players to join will receive an exclusive in-game pet and those who inspire four
new player to join will earn another exclusive in-game item: "either the Rod of
Service or the Collar of Servitude, which increases experience and renown earned
by 5% for all group members. In addition, these pocket items allow a player to
temporarily raise a fellow realm-mate’s level to give them a fighting chance
against more powerful foes."
The Age of Steam on
Edge Online is the clever title for a brief history of Valve's Steam
platform that starts from the very beginning, described by Valve's Gabe Newell
as: "The genesis of Steam really came in the late '90s when people at Valve were
pretty aggressive users of the internet and bulletin boards." They describe the
growth of the platform, and the platform's increasing appeal to other developers
through the Steamworks tools, and recent triumphs like the addition of EA titles
to their offerings. "At the moment, we’re doing really well, but as soon as
someone else has better developer tools and useful things for customers, they’ll
move," is another quote from Gabe Newell, who goes on to say why they can't rest
on their laurels: "That’s a dominant thing on the internet – customers aren’t
locked into what you’re doing at all. That’s why we’re focused on creating
services for them: services control the dominant distribution tool at any time."
Deep Silver
announces plans to publish to publish X³: Gold Edition by the middle of this
year, offering a collection of both X3 games ( X3: Reunion 2.5 and X3:
Terran Conflict 2.0) as well as some all-new content called The Aldrin
Missions, as well as a soundtrack CD. The announcement covers all territories
except North America and the Caribbean, so presumably an announcement for those
territories will follow. Here's word on the new content: The new add-on,
"The Aldrin Missions", features the colony of Aldrin, which was lost centuries
ago, and is now once again joining the Terran system. The Terrans are quite
eager to reestablish the connections between Aldrin, separated from the rest of
the universe for so long, and Earth. The Terrans are putting a huge effort into
recolonizing the system that had been presumed lost for so long. The player
takes on a crucial role in shaping this new Terran frontier, while exploring new
Terran stations and facilities, and making use of a new ship and numerous
additional features.
Forbes.com
reports the Entertainment Software Association spent $980K in Q4 2008 on the
trade group's lobbying efforts. They offer an outline of what this money bought
them: The group opposes efforts to regulate the content of entertainment
media, including the creation of government-sanctioned ratings systems. It
lobbied on issues such as parental control technology, the regulation of media
violence and the sale of video games to minors.
In the October-December period, the ESA also lobbied on intellectual property
protection, and green cards for skilled foreign workers and the H1-B visa
program, which allows temporary employment of foreign workers in specialized and
advanced-degree positions.
The ESA lobbied Congress, the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission,
Federal Communications Commission and other agencies, according to the report
filed Jan. 16 with the House clerk's office.
Massive On Soviet Assault on Rock, Paper, Shotgun is an interview with
Magnus Jansen of Massive Entertainment, who explains how they are viewing the
Soviet Assault expansion as the "deluxe director's cut" of World in
Conflict, their alternate-history RTS game, saying: "Of course this means
that the best thing we could do is have a Men In Black mind zapper, zap people
who played the original game, and have them play this again. This game is the
way that it was intended. It’s the deluxe director’s cut." The conversation also
discusses the design principles of the original game, how it relates to the
Ground Control series, and more. Here's more on his perspective on the new
release: Yes, it’s the /complete/ edition. It’s the old game plus the new
stuff in one. It’s like a relaunch as the Ultimate Edition of World In Conflict.
That’s really the big thing for me. You can purchase just the new single player
stuff, and you can play that piecemeal, but you need to play it as part of the
full campaign. Owners of the original game will be able to buy this online, and
install it on top of their existing World In Conflict. Everything will upgrade -
there’s even a new extra-hard difficulty mode. We’ve polished every original
map, we did a full pass on everything from the original game.
The Lord of the Rings Online
interview on Ten Ton Hammer discusses the Book 7 update for Turbine's MMORPG
with live producer Aaron Campbell. They cover topics like balance changes, how
the chapter unfolds, items, quests, tie-ins with the Mines of Moria, and more.
The organizers of the Penny Arcade Expo
announce submissions are now being accepted for this year's "The PAX 10"
independent games showcase. From now through May 9, independent developers can
submit their original game creations for consideration at
Brown Paper Tickets.
Word is: "A panel of 50 industry experts, including Penny Arcade's own Gabe and
Tycho, will select the ten best submissions in terms of gameplay and overall
"fun factor" for inclusion in The PAX 10. Winners will be announced in July and
invited to show off their hard work in the PAX 2009 Exhibition Hall Sept. 4-6 at
the Washington State Convention and Trade Center."
The
Command & Conquer Forums have word from APOC where the C&C Community Manager
says to expect a new patch for Red Alert 3 today to update the RTS sequel
to version 1.08. They offer the entire change list for the new version, which
most notably will offer 2v2 Team AutoMatch, numerous technical fixes, and a
bunch of balance changes based on community feedback. Thanks Ant.
EA Announces
That The Godfather II Has Gone Gold is the press release with word that the
mafia movie homage sequel is complete, and will be available for the PC, Xbox
360, and PlayStation 3 on April 7 in North American and April 10 in Europe:
The Godfather fiction endures because it emphasizes the power of being a
Don – running the family, pulling the strings, outsmarting enemies – and The
Godfather II game puts this power in the player’s hands right from the start. On
the eve of the Cuban revolution, a major mob meeting in Havana takes a bloody
turn and the Don of your family is killed. Success breeds opportunity, so when
Michael Corleone comes under investigation by a Senate Committee on Organized
Crime, the Corleone Family calls upon you to reestablish its operation in New
York and eventually expand into new territories, Miami and Cuba, by any means
necessary.
As a Don in the Corleone family, The Godfather II lets the player carve out
their own story of deception, betrayal, and conquest in a 1960’s organized crime
world. While at its heart The Godfather II is an action game, it allows players
to go beyond street life to roll up their sleeves and get a feel for the
challenges of running their own organized crime family. Players will have to
invest in their family, manage their business, and even reach out to corrupt
officials all of which is done through the revolutionary Don’s View. The Don’s
View is a 3D representation of the player's criminal empire, putting the player
in the Don’s mindset; it allows them to coordinate their family strategy, plan
hits on rival made men, attack enemy rackets, and much more. By letting players
call the shots, The Godfather II delivers the ultimate organized crime
experience in both the single and multiplayer* modes.
The Godfather II has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB and 18+ for PEGI.
Players who pre-order The Godfather II at participating retailers worldwide will
receive an exclusive crew member, named Tommy Cipolla, to hire into their
family.
For more information about The Godfather franchise, please visit
http://godfather2.ea.com and/or the EA
press website at http://info.ea.com.
* Internet connection required.
The Art of Murder: Hunt of the
Puppeteers Website now offers three playable demos for this sequel to Art of
Murder: FBI Confidential, one English and two German. The English demo is
mirrored on Atomic Gamer,
ComputerGames.ro, and
Gamer's Hell and the German demos are on AtomicGamer
and Gamer's Hell.
A few recent posts to the
FIFA MANAGER
09 Website offer first details on FIFA Manager 10, the next installment in
the sports management series. They announce an enlargement of their permanent QA
team to support the sequel, that the size of the pitch in the game is once again
100% after being scaled down to 85% for the past few years, that player
animations have been reworked, and their plans for extensive widescreen monitor
support. Thanks Gamer's Hell.
I have an unusual Dr Toothy visit today, as I am escorting MrsBlue for
treatment. She has the polar opposite of my dental history, with practically
perfect teeth and gums, but the local dentist we visited for a short time
managed to put her in a position where she needs her first-ever root canal.
She's understandably a bit unhappy over that, as well as freaked out over the
procedure, so hopefully it will go smoothly.
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