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Archived News:
Shacknews reports a
delay until March 2010 for Singularity, the upcoming first-person shooter from
Raven that had been expected this fall, a date that's still listed
on the Singularity Website.
According to Activision this is to avoid conflicting with the release of Modern
Warfare 2: "The level of excitement for Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 coming
out of E3 well exceeded our expectations and therefore we have decided to move
Raven's upcoming sci-fi first person action title, Singularity, from 2009 to Q1
2010," says the publisher. "We believe that the March quarter will provide a
better opportunity to establish the new cutting-edge action IP as a "must-have"
title and clears the way for Modern Warfare 2 to dominate this holiday season."
This press
release on Gamer's Hell announces Lost Horizon, a point-and-click
adventure game from German developer Animation Arts (Secret Files: Tunguska)
planned for release next year. Apparently this was announced as an untitled
project last year. Here's the storyline for the game: "1936: Nazi henchmen are
traveling the world over, searching for occult weapons to help with plans for
further conquests – and for a key artifact to unlock the mythical Shambala. When
Fenton Paddock, a former British soldier and hapless smuggler, is asked to find
a lost expedition in Tibet, he has no idea that his search is going to lead him
through three continents, and eventually to a secret that could turn the whole
world upside down..."
No fewer than three new gameplay videos (and no more, for that matter) are now
available from Dragon Age: Origins, BioWare's upcoming Baldur's
Gate-inspired RPG. There's a July Tour Sloth Fight trailer on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell. There's also a July Tour Sloth Mage Battle trailer on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell. Finally, there's a July Tour Wynne Fight trailer on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
Link of the Day:
Ghostbusters: The Video Game review on Zero Punctuation. NSFW, but you
probably knew that already. Thanks Ant.
VG247 has word that beta testing of Champions Online will open to the
general public beginning on August 17, and will run around the clock. This
accompanies an update for participants in closed beta testing of Cryptic's
upcoming MMORPG that beta hours are being extended to cover full weekends, and
that they will have their level cap raised for the session scheduled for July
17-20.
While the new Mission Architect function in City of Heroes offers the
chance to add user-created content to the MMORPG for free, NCsoft has announced
a way to monetize this by selling additional story slots to players who need
additional room to offer additional content. According to a report on
IncGamers, prices are $5.99 for one slot, $9.99 for two, or $19.99 for five
slots.
EA follows up their recent apparent accidental revelation of
Command & Conquer 4 with another accident, as
Joystiq reports EA tweeted that the announcement of the RTS sequel is now
available on their press site, only it is not. Presumably these accidental
revelations indicate a more substantial announcement is near.
A new trailer from Dante's Inferno is now available offering both
cinematics and gameplay from the upcoming hellish action/adventure based on the
first cantica of Dante Alighieri's acclaimed Divine Comedy. The clip is posted
on ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer, and
Gamer's Hell.
Funcom announces a "return to Hyboria" program to celebrate the first
anniversary of Age of Conan, their MMORPG that launched in May of
last year. They have launched a
new section of the AoC website to outline what's changed and improved since
the game, and are offering free access to check out the game in its current form
for the next two weeks to anyone with a closed account in good standing, and
word is: "There are no costs associated with this offer or any subscription
obligations. It is also important to note that the free trial campaign will
temporarily be closed to ensure the best play environment for all returning
players." They also announce giveaways of free copies of the game at
Eurogamer and MMORPG.com, and here's
the outline of how the game has evolved since launch: Since launching last
year ‘Age of Conan’ has been lovingly improved by a dedicated development team
who has launched several major updates to the game. These updates have all added
a wealth of new content such as the massive outdoor area of the giants known as
Ymir’s Pass, the huge dungeon Xibaluku, and the vast new cityscape of Tarantia
Commons among others. All of these areas have added countless hours of adventure
through new quests, enemies, and rewards. New features have also been
implemented such as an extensive player vs. player notoriety system that allows
players to become murderers and hunt each other down for exclusive rewards,
improved DirectX 10 graphics technology that allows for some spectacular
visuals, and a massive revitalization of the core role-playing system.
“It has been quite a journey for the entire team getting to where we are today,”
says Game Director on ‘Age of Conan’ Craig Morrison. “I think that players have
always seen the great potential in ‘Age of Conan’ and we have put a lot of
effort into realizing that potential. The game has improved tremendously since
launch and we look forward to having players come back and seeing the changes
for themselves!”
A story from a few days ago on
GotFrag eSports indicates that anti-gaming backlash in Germany is
continuing, as they report the German government has prohibited playing
Counter-Strike at public LAN events. According to the story, this has
resulted in the cancellation of multiple ESL Friday Night games, and the
Convention-X-Treme tournament, and
a translation of the German-language
Convention-X-Treme Website discusses how this decision came down, and their
efforts at meeting with the powers-that-be to discuss the situation. Thanks
Ant and
Planet Half-Life.
Turbine announces August 6 is the launch date for Dungeons & Dragons Online:
Eberron Unlimited, the subscription-free version of the D&D MMORPG, with VIP
access beginning two days earlier: Turbine, Inc. announced today Dungeons
& Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimited™ (DDO Unlimited), a free digital upgrade
for Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Stormreach™ will launch on August 4, 2009 in
North America. DDO Unlimited will raise the level cap, introduce a new player
class and add major new content, as well as make the game free to play for
everyone. The new DDO Unlimited delivers heart-pounding game play featuring the
industry’s best combat system, a massive world with state-of-the-art graphics
and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found only
in premium subscription-based MMOs. DDO Unlimited will introduce an innovative
new pricing model that allows players to download and play for free, purchasing
adventure packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new DDO Store,
or to subscribe to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content. Turbine
will provide DDO VIPs early access to the game beginning August 4, 2009 and will
provide free, unlimited access to everyone on August 6, 2009.
“The DDO Unlimited Beta has been a huge success and we want to thank all of our
players who have participated to help us make this the best free-to-play game on
the market,” said Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer of DDO Unlimited. “On August
6th we are going to change what it means to be free-to-play with the most
immersive, action-packed and full-featured MMO that provides players with a
choice in how they play and pay for the game.”
DDO Unlimited delivers the best combat of any MMO and the most heart-pounding
action this side of a keyboard, plus a lot more!
» Brand New Content & Features – DDO Unlimited will deliver a new class –
favored soul, increase the level cap, introduce new adventure packs including a
new 12-player raid, major combat improvements and more!
» The Fiercest Combat – DDO Unlimited features an extraordinary heart-pounding
combat experience that requires players to fully engage in the battle by relying
on their wits and reflexes in real time. No more clicking skills and watching
the action from the sideline.
» Mind-blowing Visuals – Explore a vast and dangerous online world that features
the most advanced graphics in the industry and is stuffed with the legendary
monsters, glorious treasures, devious traps, mind-bending puzzles and endless
adventures from the world’s best known RPG.
» Full-featured MMO – Experience sophisticated systems found only in the best
games including auctions, NPC hirelings, arena death matches (Player versus
Player), crafting, and powerful social tools for finding a group, forming a
guild or planning an epic raid!
» Easier Than Ever! – DDO Unlimited gets you playing in minutes instead of
hours, using new proprietary Turbine technology. Creating a new character is
incredibly simple with guides and templates that speed you through the process.
Features an all-new new player experience that gives gamers their first taste of
excitement quickly while teaching them how to play solo or with a group of
fellow adventurers.
The Witcher Official Website
offers the release of the promised patch for The Witcher to bring CD
Projekt's action/RPG to version 1.5. The new version requires the game be
updated to version 1.4 with the Enhanced Edition content, and
after updating to 1.5 the game's DRM will be removed, and some new user content
will be added. The download is mirrored on
ActionTrip
and The Patches
Scrolls, and here's word: We are happy to inform that latest patch
version for The Witcher is now available to download!
Here are the features of patch 1.5:
Modifications: - copy securities (DRM) are removed - playing the game no longer
requires the game disc in the drive - patch solves problems with EAX and blurred
graphics
Additionally: - 5 bonus adventures made by the Witcher community: ‘Deceits’,
‘Blight of the Bogs’, ‘Wraiths of Quiet Hamlet’, ‘The Wedding’, ‘Merry
Witchmas’.
In order to install patch 1.5 correctly, original Witcher game upgraded to
1.4 (i.e. The Witcher: Enhanced Edition) should be installed.
You might also want to download the new game-difficulty modification, "Flash
Mod", prepared by our community member Andrzej "Flash" Kwiatkowski. Now
surivivng in the world of The Witcher will be much more challenging than ever
before!
Developer Bohemia Interactive Studios and publisher Got Game Entertainment
announce the North American release of
ARMA II, the military
shooter sequel that's also available digitally. A
playable demo is available, and here's the deal: ARMA II FOR
PC SHIPS TO STORES NATIONWIDE
Bohemia Interactive And Got Game Entertainment Announce The North American
Retail Release Of One Of The Most Anticipated Games Of 2009
Prague, Czech Republic, July 8, 2009 - Bohemia Interactive, creators of award
winning military simulation Operation Flashpoint* and ArmA: Combat Operations
and Got Game Entertainment, US leading publisher of interactive entertainment
games, announced today that the highly-anticipated PC game, ARMA II, has now
shipped to retailers nationwide for a suggested retail price of $49.99.
Bohemia Interactive, a pioneer of the realistic military genre, brings ARMA II
to the PC, with the ultimate military simulator powered by the 3rd generation of
their original Real Virtuality engine. The engine is so realistic that it's also
used to train soldiers in countries all over the world.
"It's very exciting to add such a strong title to Bohemia's line of successful
ArmA games," said Marek Spanel, Bohemia's CEO. "The North American audience has
been anticipating this game and we are confident they will find it worth the
wait."
"Bohemia's developement expertise and strength in realistic military games
ensures that ARMA II translates into a captivating ultra relalistic military
gameplay experience," said Got Game Entertainment President Howard Horowitz.
"We're excited to bring this game to the North American market and are proud to
offer such a high-quality title to gamers all over the country."
ARMA II offers the ultimate realistic combat simulation experience in a modern
day setting. With unprecedented freedom of movement, actions and tactics,
unbeatable detailed weapons and military hardware, easy-to-use built in mission
editor and one of the most dedicated online communities around. The game will
allow players to immerse themselves into the battle as never before.
ARMA II is now available at retailers nationwide for a suggested retail price of
$49.99 and carries an ESRB rating of M for mature. For more information please
visit the official homepage at www.arma2.com.
A demo is now available for Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, the
just-released first episode of Tales of Monkey Island, the
episodic adventure sequel from LucasArts and Telltale Games. The 175 MB download
is available on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro, and Gamer's
Hell. Also, the game is now available for digital distribution on
Steam.
Predictions that Google's aspirations include creating their own operating
system were accurate, as
Google has revealed plans to create an OS based on Linux. Here's a
bit: So today, we're announcing a new project that's a natural extension
of Google Chrome — the Google Chrome Operating System. It's our attempt to
re-think what operating systems should be.
Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will
initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code,
and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the
second half of 2010. Because we're already talking to partners about the
project, and we'll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to
share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.
Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We're
designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the
web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and
most of the user experience takes place on the web. And as we did for the Google
Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the
underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal with
viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.
Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and we are working
with multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market next year. The
software architecture is simple — Google Chrome running within a new windowing
system on top of a Linux kernel. For application developers, the web is the
platform. All web-based applications will automatically work and new
applications can be written using your favorite web technologies. And of course,
these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any standards-based
browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers the largest user
base of any platform.
VentureBeat has a detail from Zenimax's acquisition of id
Software that was not revealed when Bethesda's parent picked up the Mesquite,
TX-based developer. It turns out Zenimax issued convertible notes and promissory
notes to raise $105 million to complete the sale, as revealed in SEC filings
that also indicate id President and former CEO Todd Hollenshead has joined the
ZeniMax board of directors. This $105 million figure may not represent the final
purchase price for id, however, as ZeniMax also raised $300 million in private
equity funding in 2007 (which means that after
TARP,
it's possible that American taxpayers paid part of this tab).
Newly formed Namco Bandai Partners announce they will be
the distributor for CITIES XL in the UK, Nordic countries, Iberica,
Italy, Australia, and New Zealand. Developer Monte Cristo will handle the game's
distribution over the rest of Europe. If you are interested, the
CITIES
XL Website has word on how to get your hands on a beta key to help test the
urban-planning game.
OS X Reality has the news that Team 17's Worms 2: Armageddon is being ported
to Mac OS X, though the only release date they have for now is "eventually."
They also link to a new video on the
YouTube showing Worms on the iPhone, as the squirmy turn-based strategy
sequel is eventually going mobile as well.
BioWare's Dr Greg Zeschuk Interview on Eurogamer chats with one of BioWare's
docs about the upcoming release of Dragon Age: Origins, life after the EA
acquisition, and more. He
also tells them that Mythic Entertainment, the other half of EA's
new MMO/RPG group, will "without a doubt" help with development of
Star Wars: The Old Republic, saying there are "absolutely opportunities to share
and learn" from each other.
An Assassin's Creed II diary movie looks at the stealth sequel in the
works at Ubisoft Montreal for release this holiday season. The clip features
commentary from several of the developers outlining the background of the game's
new assassin, stressing his noble background, his nobility, and now noble he is,
and the live-changing event that changes the course of his life to become a
badass hoodie-clad killer. The clip is hosted on
ActionTrip and
AtomicGamer.
Ten Ton Hammer - The
Dilemma of Level vs Skill - How Old Became New Again.
Among all the developers, it seems like allowing for player choice is an
important aspect to their development philosophies, although the importance
of those player decisions seems to be something that varies from studio to
studio. Those that give players the option to choose their own skills rather
than simply setting them on a level-based appear to have the belief that
giving players the options to determine their own future - for better or
worse - is the correct course to take.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Happy 07/08/09! Be sure to mark the occasion at 10:11:12.
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