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Archived News:
After some
BioShock 2 Rumors were posted & debunked earlier, the
GameSpot Forums and
NeoGAF have what appear to be actual details from the new issue of
GameInformer (thanks
Shacknews). Each post has summaries of the preview, including word that you
play as a Big Daddy this time around, and that the Big Sister, one of the little
sisters all grown up, is the new ruler of Rapture. There's plenty more.
Steam now offers an
automatic patch for F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin, offering fixes and tweaks
for Monolith's first-person shooter sequel. Here's the change list: •
Difficulty of Hard mode has been increased
• Implemented a toggle for switching between widescreen (16:9) and full screen
(4:3) in the Options|Performance|Advanced Settings menu
• Implemented a toggle for head bob in Options|Game Settings
• Implemented a toggle for film grain in the Options|Performance|Advanced
Settings menu
• Leaving a multiplayer lobby now returns the player to the associated
multiplayer menu instead of the front end main menu
• Applied fix for energy weapon audio causing lag
• Applied fix for team balancing host options not being applied properly
• Changing team swap during selection and grace periods to swap at the next
spawn
• Applied fix for team name showing as "undefined" after swapping
teams
Steam News has word that
still another Left 4 Dead update is now automatically available:
Lobby leaders can now specify in lobby settings whether to search for an
official dedicated server or for the best available dedicated server. If the
official dedicated search fails it will then default to the best available
dedicated server automatically
Monolith Productions and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announce the PS3
and Xbox 360 editions of the Toy Soldier map pack for F.E.A.R. 2: Project
Origin will be released for free in mid-April. We asked about the PC edition
and were told there will be a map pack for the PC version of the shooter sequel,
"but as of now we cannot confirm a date or further details," which even leaves
open the prospect it will not be free for the PC, though we don't imagine this
will be the case.
The
Telltale Games Forums have word that the PC edition of Wallace & Gromit's
Grand Adventures is due on March 24, and a playable demo will be released
this Monday (thanks
Joystiq). Here's the announcement, which includes news of a preorder
incentive: We've
opened up pre-orders for Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures! And what's
more, if you pre-order, you'll get a 25% discount AND two free games (one Sam &
Max episode, and one Strong Bad episode).
But wait, there's more! Check back Monday (that's March 16) for the playable
demo, available exclusively from Yahoo! Games. Then come back AGAIN the
following Tuesday to get the actual playable game! That's right, the game will
be in the hands of you, the gamer, on March 24!
Oh wait, that's not enough? A weekend is too long to wait for more Wallace and
Gromit you say? Well then, head on over to
Yahoo! Games for an exclusive trailer!
The Blizzard Website has word that
they will be interviewing job candidates at the GDC in San Francisco later this
month: Blizzard Entertainment’s recruiting team will be at Game Developers
Conference, March 23-27 in San Francisco, California. We’re actively recruiting
across all disciplines for locations worldwide. To speak with a recruiter,
please visit us at Booth # 410 in the Career Pavilion, West Hall, Level One. If
you are interested in scheduling an appointment with a Blizzard Entertainment
recruiter for this event, send your resume, cover letter, and supporting
materials (portfolio, demo, etc.) to
GDCapplicants@blizzard.com prior to the event with the subject line "GDC.”
Our recruiting team will review your materials and contact you for an
appointment should your experience and background be a match for our current
needs.
This
week's GOG.com sale is a bundle of
Patrician 3 and
Port Royale 2. The
new Impulse Weekend
Buys are Safecracker, Dungeon Lords: CE, Genesis Rising,
MotoGP 08, and Cellblock Squadrons. Finally, as previously
announced, the Steam weekend deal is the return of their
Unreal Tournament III Black
sale and they are offering Red
Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 for $4.99. Also, new on the DRM-free GOG.com are
Pro Pinball
Timeshock and
Apache vs. Havoc, and both
Steam and
Gamersgate now offer digital distribution of World in Conflict: Soviet
Assault.
The ARMA II Website
now offers a new faction movie profiling the National Party from Bohemia
Interactive Studios' upcoming military shooter sequel. Word is: "Nationalist
guerillas of the National Party is an underground movement lacking sophisticated
weapons, but their knowledge of the country, military expertise from civil war
and underground network make them serious opponents to both communist guerillas
and government forces." Thanks Jamie.
A new "Verticality" trailer is now available to show off Stormrise, the upcoming
real-time strategy game from SEGA and Creative Assembly. Here's the accompanying
blurb: "Stormrise is truly a 3D RTS experience due to its vertical gameplay that
takes players up in the sky and below ground…something we like to call
Verticality. What better way to explain this feature than with a trailer that
show’s some vertical RTS action in motion!" The clip is available
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
A new trailer from Merchants of Brooklyn offers a look at his episodic
CryENGINE 2 first-person shooter that's due for release on Steam next week.
The movie can be found on
FileFront and Gamer's
Hell.
Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez.
The Steam Website has
news that this weekend's promised encore of the free Unreal
Tournament III weekend is live: Unreal
Tournament 3 Black, the fully updated version of UT3 with the Titan Pack, is
now available to play for free this weekend.
All you need is a free Steam account to play: Install Steam, Create an account,
Play UT3 Black.
Free period starts this Friday at 10am PST and ends Sunday at 1pm PST.
Steam News announces
another update is now available for Team Fortress 2, fixing several bugs
in the teamplay shooter while also incorporating a pair of balance changes,
which increase the minimum distance to stun a player with the Sandman and
reduces by half the damage taken by players stunned by a Scout. As always, the
game will update itself automatically when you log into Steam. Also now
available on Steam is an automatic update
for Grand Ages Rome that
has the same changes as the manual patch from the other day.
A playable demo for The Maw is now available from
Greenhouse,
offering a sample of the recently released PC edition of this
action adventure from Twisted Pixel
Games. Here's a description of the game: "The pinnacle of alien evolution,
Maw is a cowardly fat blob concerned mostly with snacking and lounging. He can,
however, absorb the traits of anything he eats, is virtually indestructible, and
can grow to unlimited size. If he wasn't a danger to all life in the universe,
he'd make the perfect pet. In this 3D action/adventure game, he's the best
friend of our hero Frank, and only by working together can Maw eat their way to
freedom. The Maw was honored with the Audience Choice Award in the 2008 PAX-10
showcase of independent games." The demo of this tale of a boy and his maw is
also mirrored on
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
HB 353, the Utah truth in advertising bill crafted with assistance by
former attorney Jack Thompson has now passed the Utah State Senate after
previously passing in the house, bringing it one step closer to
being signed into law (at which point it will likely face a constitutional
challenge). GamePolitics has a report
on this, speculating that presentation of the bill was taken from "Jack
Thompson's Playbook," something Thompson denies.
Oxygen Games offers a playable demo for Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward,
which is due for release for PC and Wii in May. They say: "You’ll need to give
the demo your full attention while you move patients around, control the nurses
and take your patients through triage by dragging objects around, making sure
no-one is missed out while frantically playing against the clock!" The 74 MB
download is available on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
The
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Forums have word that Sony is going to implement
real-money trading in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes through Live Gamer, so
"participants will be able to both auction and purchase virtual assets
(characters, coin, and items) securely and safely and without the risk of the
fraudulent activities that plague 3rd party websites that are not authorized by
SOE to provide these services." Thanks
Eurogamer.
1C Company and Battlefront.com have released an English-language demo for
Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943, the new installment in this World War II
strategy series. Word is: "The demo features an all-new full mission from the US
campaign, 'The Battle of Sidi Bou Zid' which takes place in early February 1943,
as well as one Tutorial mission to get players acquainted with the command and
control of their units." The demo is available from
Battlefront.com and mirrored on
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
Strategy Informer. Additionally,
preorders are now being accepted, and owners of the original game who
preorder the sequel can get $10.00 off their purchase.
Destructoid has a story from the other day about Vin Diesel's dream game
that reveals Barca B.C., but we admit we didn't comprehend at first that
this unannounced game was actually in development (sorry about that). Anyway,
the revelation comes from statements by the actor/game mogul, who says his
development studio Tigon has been working on "a massively multiplayer online
game where you create an avatar that lives in the reality of Hannibal Barca, the
Punic Wars and life 200 B.C." This project has been in the works for a while,
but it is still far off, as Diesel says: "We all know those games take a lot of
work to create, a lot of funds. We are just in the first two or three years of
putting it together. It could probably take another four years before we see
that game. But it is something that is something very high on my priority list
of games we’re working on."
MyCrysis has
details on Crysis Maximum Edition, an upcoming bundle of Crysis and its
follow-up Crysis Warhead which includes the Crysis Wars multiplayer upgrade.
Word is: "Maximum Edition will be released worldwide on 5th May, and is
available for pre-order in many stores and sites; a selection of the
full list of
purchase options is shown below. The pack will vary in price according to
purchase location."
The
Justin.tv Blog has details on an
Online Multiplayer Gaming
Marathon that kicks off at 9:00 pm EDT this evening to raise money for
Child's Play. For those in the
Colorado area, they say there will be a live component of this as well, though
it's not readily apparent exactly where this will take place.
Offworld - Why Real Time Strategy Is The Genre Of The Year.
"And you don't need to give a damn about base-building or resource
management to be enticed, either: strategy is more action than ever, and the
top slots of the charts are there to prove it. The last couple of weeks have
been dominated by everyone I know playing Relic's maximalist squad combat
offering, Dawn Of War II. Can a third person combat game really call itself
real-time strategy? Yes, it really can. But it's also very close to being
Diablo-with-squads. There's no denying it: strategy is now as much about the
fluidity of moment-to-moment violence as a hack 'n' slash."
Destructoid - Why my children can never play the Wii again.
"How disgusted I was when I found out that the Wii, far from being a
sanctuary from violence and swearing and everything else that upsets me,
actually had some videogames on it that were not suitable for children. Et
tu, Nintendo? Have you also abandoned the only audience you have ever had?
Poring through the Wii's library of games, I was shocked to see that the
grisly work Michael Crichton had started was being allowed to run amok.
Jurassic Park was only the beginning -- violent videogames exist ... and I
CAN'T TAKE IT!"
Edge
Online - Action Must Be Taken. By Richard Wilson, CEO of UK trade
association Tiga.
"No tax breaks for games production exist in the UK. Consequently, video
games development in the UK is increasingly uncompetitive, despite its
world-class talent pool and impressive track record. Investment is flowing
away from the UK with global companies downsizing or relocating their UK
operations. Many UK based developers are being actively wooed by overseas
companies and government agencies to relocate to jurisdictions with more
favourable tax regimes. The UK game development industry fell from third
largest in the world based on revenue in 2006 to fourth position in 2007 and
is expected to fall to fifth place in 2009."
WSJ.com
- 'Resident Evil 5' Reignites Debate About Race in Videogames.
"Opponents of the new game will have plenty of ammunition. Although there
are Arab zombies in 'Resident Evil 5,' the majority of the undead are
Africans. As a player, you are often forced to use a machete to hack your
way through your attackers, using the same kind of weapons that were used in
atrocities in places like Rwanda and the Congo over the last two decades.
Killing African zombies can earn you gold treasure -- in addition to the
loot you find in barrels and vases in the different African villages. And
while Chris's partner, Sheva Alomar, is from the region, she's light-skinned
with straight-hair, and is introduced to players during a cinematic sequence
highlighting not her face, but rather, her rear end."
Monster-Hardware - Buy AMD NOW!
"I bought AMD because I believe there is a good chance that AMD is going to
go out of business in the next year if their sales don't increase and I
couldn't stand on the sidelines and do nothing and watch that happen. So I
guess you can consider my latest CPU (and I am sure I am going to catch heat
for this) a pity purchase. I am under no illusion about its performance
relative to a new Intel CPU. If you are one of the people that think AMD
deserves to go out of business if they can't compete with Intel on
performance, be careful what you wish for because if AMD goes out of
business then Intel can go back to resting on their laurels, being
non-responsive to the market, and not innovating. Know this: If AMD goes
away so will your 300 usd I7 CPU."
Happy Friday the 13th! It seems like just a month ago we had another of these.
Curse you February, and your usually divisible by seven day count! Anyway, an
interesting note as the QUAKE LIVE beta progresses is that is was eleven years
ago today that John Carmack announced that what had previously been plans for a
Quake II mission pack had been scrapped in favor of an all new game: Quake III,
which eventually became Quake III Arena, and now QUAKE LIVE.
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