Archived News:
Sony of America announces preorder bonuses of in-game weaponry for Alpha
Protocol at both
GameStop and
Game Crazy, but like yesterday's Splinter Cell preorders, this
only applies to consoles. The
PC listing for the espionage-themed RPG carries no bonuses, though PC gamers
can take solace in their version costing $10.00 less, besides the other obvious
advantages of the platform. Alpha Protocol is due for release on October 6.
The
Mass Effect 2 Exclusive Reveal Dev Diary on GameTrailers.com offers a look
at BioWare's upcoming RPG sequel in a clip carrying this description: "Prepare
to be hunted by assassins and hounded by duty on an impossible suicide mission."
The clip includes gameplay footage and developer commentary reflecting on what
they showed of the game at E3. They go into detail that could be considered
spoilery about the game's story and gameplay, including a discussion of more
physics-oriented combat, the cover system, heavy weapons, an "interrupt system"
for ending tedious conversation, richer locations to explore, and more.
A new
Section 8 Exclusive Burn In Dev Diary on GameTrailers offers gameplay
footage and narration from several of the developers at TimeGate Studios
discussing gameplay in their upcoming shooter. Topics include their "burn in"
method of insertion into the battlefield, load out customization, jet packs, and
more.
A new Dante's Inferno developer diary video delves into the creation of
"Lust," the second ring of hell. If this doesn't sound hellish enough, you
should view the gruesome clip from the game, which they admit is designed to be
disturbing. The lusty clip is available on
AtomicGamer and
FileFront.
The
Left 4 Dead 2 interview on Kikizo gives Valve's Chet Faliszek yet
another chance to explain the reasons for making Left 4 Dead 2 so soon after the
original Left 4 Dead. Along the way they discuss what's different in the sequel,
including daylight, the whole boycott petition situation, and the possibility,
or lack thereof, that cross platform play between the PC and Xbox 360 will be
supported (thanks Mike Martinez). Valve also announces plans to show off the "Swamp
Fever" campaign from Left 4 Dead 2 at San Diego's upcoming Comic Con, and
provide
a new L4D2 Swamp Fever screenshot as well. Here's the Comic Con
plan: Valve today announced that Left 4 Dead 2 will be shown and playable
during the upcoming Comic Con in San Diego, CA.
After debuting "The Parish" campaign (set in the New Orleans' French Quarter) at
E3, the Comic Con showing will unveil "Swamp Fever", the second of the five
campaigns shipping with L4D2 this fall. The game will be playable in the EA
Gaming Lounge Presented by Xbox 360 from 2-9 pm Thursday-Saturday, and 12-5 pm
on Sunday. The EA Gaming Lounge will be located in the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp
Quarter Hotel, 401 K. Street.
In addition to the new campaign, Valve is also planning to unveil a few more of
the 20-plus new items coming this November when the title launches worldwide on
the Xbox 360 and PC. For more information, please visit
www.l4d.com
In addition to the weekend sales mentioned yesterday,
Steam now offers GRiD
for 50% off the regular price for Codemasters' racing game.
They also announce a
lowered price for Europa Universalis: Rome GOLD.
- Left 4 Dead 2 on
IGN. Left 4 Dead
1 & 2 Compared. Thanks Ant.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic on
the Official
Website. Outlining "one of the largest voice-over projects in
entertainment history."
- World of Warcraft on
Ten Ton Hammer. Patch
3.2 overview.
A new Nuclear Dawn Website
is online, heralding the coming of this commercial Source-engine game from
InterWave Studios based on what was once a modification for Half-Life 2.
The site includes screenshots and concept art, and a placeholder for a trailer
that's currently occupied by some streaming music from the project. They also
offer developer blogs, an
overview of the game, a
timeline of
events leading to the game's setting in 2049, and a profile of various factions.
More updates are promised as they ramp up to get the word out.
A post on
The RAM Raider alleges more review score shenanigans from Eidos, already
notorious for the GameSpot/Kane & Lynch Fiasco and
attemting to delay negative Tomb Raider reviews. According
to their report, Eidos UK has embargoed reviews of Batman: Arkham Asylum
until the end of the month, and while there is nothing unusual about that, the
problem comes in their offer of how to get around this, as they have allegedly
offered to allow magazines to print their reviews early, provided they feature
the game on their cover and guarantee a review score of at least 90%. The site
concludes with a guide to spotting questionable (they use a stronger term)
reviews: "This means that if you see a mag turn up within the next few weeks
(ding!) that features Arkham Asylum on its cover (ding!) and gives it at least
90% (ding ding ding!), you have a winner." Update:
Kotaku has comment from Jon Brooke, Head of UK Marketing, Eidos, denying any
wrongdoing: "With regards an article posted on RamRaider alleging that Eidos has
fixed review scores for Batman: Arkham Asylum, we want to state that no
discussions have been held about review scores with any magazines. In short
there is simply not one shred of truth in this article, except for the title of
the game."
A new version 2.1 is now available for Savage 2: A Tortured Soul, S2
Games' cross-platform action/strategy game. The new version was actually released a few days ago, and
this forum post describes all the changes. Thanks Ant and
LinuxGames.
The
Pro Cycling Manager Website has a new patch for Pro Cycling Manager 2009
updating this sports management sequel to version 1.0.3.3. The new version
addresses a handful of bugs, and the download is mirrored on
The
Patches Scrolls.
There's a Darkest Of
Days E3 Overview movie on the YouTube showing the E3 presentation of
this time-travelling first-person shooter in the works at 8Monkey Labs. The clip
is narrated by Aaron Schurman, who offers details on how gameplay involves
travelling back to participate in historic events like the American Civil War
and World War I while not adversely impacting the course of history. The
camerawork is tripod steady, but all the gameplay footage is second-hand, shot
off of a monitor. Thanks
superannuation, who obviously need a refresher on what
the artist formerly known as Cliffy B looks like.
The
Evochron Legends Website has a new version 1.108 of this freeform
space combat trader and mercenary simulator.
Their
news page outlines the changes and improvements in the new version, and
their downloads page is where to find the new version. As always, the new
version also operates as a playable demo. There is also an accompanying updated
dedicated server and a new customizing kit is now available to take advantage of
the game's new modification options.
A subscriber-only article on the hotbed of gaming that is the
Wall Street
Journal quotes Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia's theory that Blizzard may
push the release of StarCraft II into next year, apparently based on
delays to the launch of the game's beta test. The sci-fi RTS sequel does not
have a firm release date, but comments by Blizzard have been widely interpreted
to assume a release this year. Thanks
GamesIndustry.biz, who report that Blizzard has declined to comment on this
story.
GamesIndustry.biz talks with Funcom's Trond Arne as the CEO of the Norwegian
developer cops to the problematic launch of Age of Conan, but saying they
have "turned most if not all of this around and we have corrected these issues
through a series of massive updates. For us it was never an option to drop the
game despite the challenges we faced." He says the game was losing
subscribers for a while, but their efforts have reversed this, "I can say that
we have seen very positive trends in subscription longevity and server activity,
and I think this is proof that we are turning around the fortune of Age of
Conan. He also explains this is an ongoing process: "It's a long, multi-step
process that we've been going through since launch where we have planned every
update in utmost detail to make sure we're pushing the game in the direction
that both our players and we as developers want it to go."
Pete Hines of Bethsoft talks about the Id Software Merger and the future of
Quake, Rage, and Doom on Skewed & Reviewed is an interview with the Bethesda
Softworks spokesperson about the recent acquisition of id Software
by Bethesda parent ZeniMax. They cover a lot of familiar territory, receiving
reassurances in response to many concerns, including that id will continue to
develop cross-platform games, they would still have a say in deciding "when it's
done" in their game development, and that QuakeCon will continue on as before.
Thanks Mike Martinez.
IndustryGamers - Who Killed PC Gaming?
However, when we talk about the "death of PC gaming" anyone who follows
the industry should know what we mean. On retail shelves, less and less
space is allocated to PC titles. Increasingly, multi-platform developers are
treating the PC like a secondary priority. The PC used to get many games
before consoles, and now it's often the other way around. And then there are
games like Gears of War 2 which won't even be coming to PC at all. Core
gaming on the PC isn't what it once was, and the situation isn't likely to
get much better with time. According to NPD, PC games totaled just $701
million in 2008, which is down 14 percent from 2007.
GameTopius - Nothing Wins The Justice: Video Games, The First Amendment, and
Obscenity.
This question is a tough one for the very good reason that no video game
developer or publisher has ever been prosecuted for obscenity related to
video games. As we have seen, if the medium of video games are held to the
same standard as literature and film then, presumably, they can also be held
to be obscene. One of the reasons for the lack of obscenity prosecution
against video game developers and publishers is that the courts have limited
obscenity to sexual content only. In fact, the courts have gone so far as to
specifically reject calls to alter the definition of “obscenity” to include
violent content in video games.
Edge Online - Simulacra And Simulacrap.
The idea of simulation – the closest approximation of reality in digital
form – really suits certain genres. Racing a car, for example, where the
player’s possible interactions are limited to a couple of pedals, a
gearstick and wheel, can be modelled closely. So too can flying an
aeroplane, where the number of possible inputs via a keyboard resembles the
bewildering number of switches at the disposal of a pilot. But the
vicissitudes of human behaviour have yet to be captured. ArmA 2 gives it a
go, all the same. Yet, as Bohemia Interactive’s war sims have scaled up the
choices available to the player to a level more closely resembling that
available to a squad leader and even general, so its level of realism has
fallen away.
Kotaku - Why It's Hard To Make Today's Games Funny.
What separates games from movies or books is the gameplay, and developers
have to take that gameplay into consideration. They aren't simply riffing to
a bunch of people sitting in a darkened bar. They're trying to entertain
someone who just finished slaughtering enemy forces or solving a difficult
puzzle. That requires someone possessing not only a strong grasp of humor,
but an understanding of how games and gamers tick.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Last night's episode of
Penn
& Teller: Bullshit! on Showtime on the theories that playing video games
leads to teen violence was even better than expected. I thought there'd be a
clip online to link to by this morning, but I haven't seen one yet, but I'm sure
one will show up sooner or later. Anyway, it was nice to see this dealt with in
the light of reality, rather than propaganda and deception. If you haven't seen
it, I warn you that once you hear Penn's take on Jack Thompson's shtick you'll
have trouble ever deleting the clip from your TiVo.
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