Archived News:
Steam News announces the
release of a new patch for Left 4 Dead that adds a Lobby Browser to the
zombie shooter. Here's part of the update that explains: Left 4 Dead has
been updated to include a lobby browser. The lobby browser (under Play Online)
will show you a list of optimal games available for you to join. The browser
pares down the thousands of lobbies and games currently being played to show you
the best list of games available to you. This list includes official and add-on
campaigns, including add-on campaigns you have not yet installed, making it a
great way to discover them. You can filter by difficulty, official and/or add-on
campaigns and by lobbies and/or games in progress.
Steam News announces that
anyone pre-purchasing either the
Aion Standard Edition or
the Aion Collector's Edition
will get immediate access to beta testing of NCsoft's MMORPG as well as other
Aion bonuses: In addition to being able to play the Aion beta for
free until the full version launches on September 22 (and 25th in Europe) each
version comes with additional pre-purchase incentives such as:
- 7 additional days of game time - allowing 37 total days of play time when the
full game releases
- Special in-game bonus items including:
- Attribute boosting hat
- Experience boosting talisman
- Exclusive special effects ring (water)
Steam players who purchase the
Aion Collector's Edition
also receive these additional in-game items:
- Black Cloud Wings which give 40 seconds of additional flight time
- Black Cloud Earring which gives an HP and an MP boost
- Special character title, "Pioneer of Aion", with stat boost
- Color dye to tint one in-game item
- Two character emotes - Disco Emote and Samba Emote
This week's update to GameTap adds
Age of Mythology: Gold Edition and
Fishdom
to their subscription area, and declares the original
Fallout
their free game of the week. They've also rotated five other games into their
free area, where they will remain for about three months. These games are
Cuban Missile Crisis: The Aftermath,
Jagged Alliance 2 Gold,
Psychonauts,
Earthworm Jim, and
King of the Monsters 2, the latter two of which can be played in a
browser. This
page has the complete list of their free offerings.
The World of Warcraft Armory
is a new free iPhone app to support World of Warcraft (thanks Ant).
This announcement (thanks Mike Martinez) has details: Designed as a complement
to its World of Warcraft massively multiplayer online game, WoW Mobile Armory
helps you keep track of your World of Warcraft characters. You can also use it
to plan your adventures and keep up with the activities of your guild, similar
to the World of Warcraft Armory Web site operated by Blizzard.
You can use the WoW Mobile Armory app to look at your in-game calendar, check
the leader board, access a “talent calculator” that helps you decide how best to
level up the skills on your character, and to stay up-to-date on the latest
World of Warcraft news.
Exploring Borderlands with Gearbox's Randy Pitchford on Destructoid is an
interview with Gearbox president Randy Pitchford about Borderlands. One
of the topics they probe is the Role-Playing Shooter genre they have ascribed to
the game: "It’s funny -- obviously, when you’re doing something new, there’s a
certain amount of fear that comes with it. But I had a great time at E3 showing
people the game, because people really seem to dig it. It’s funny, too, because
some of the folks that do the awards or whatever, some of the times we got 'Best
of Show' in the shooter category. In a couple of others we got 'Best of Show' in
role playing. So I think it is kind of confusing. But you know, I think we’re
seeing this genre kind of emerge, right? I mean, there’s some other games that
started to blend the categories a bit. Mass Effect and Fallout 3 are other
examples."
The
ARMA II Website now offers a second video developer's diary from
Bohemia Interactive's new military shooter to show off the game's mission
editor. Word is: "Jan Prazak, Bohemia's PR manager explains the basic workings
of the ARMA II mission editor in this, the second in the series of dev. diaries
introducing the fantastic features and infinite possibilities of the sandbox
military simulator hit of this year. Check out the video and learn how you can
create your own missions or even whole campaigns which you can share with your
friends online!"
JLM
Pacific Epoch has a follow-up to earlier reports indicating
Blizzard's joint venture with NetEase to serve World of Warcraft in China
might be deemed illegal (thanks
IncGamers). The story quotes "a related NetEase chief" saying this is
inaccurate: Responding to earlier reports that GAPP had appointed the
Shanghai bureau to investigate the JV and that NetEase and Blizzard would face
punishment if the JV was involved in domestic game operation, a related NetEase
chief said "the content of this report is seriously inaccurate and its main
points and language are inconsistent with the truth," Southcn.com reported July
15.
The patch for the Windows edition of Call of Duty: World at War including
the promised map pack is to be released tomorrow, reports
IncGamers. They have details on the version 1.5 patch, which will offer
server admin functions and mod support, as well as Map Pack #2. The patch and
map pack will both be free, in case you are worried that they'd be, you know,
COD.
Capcom announces September 18 as the European release date for Resident Evil
5 for the PC, and according to
Shacknews the game is
due in North America on September 14. Word is the game will incorporate NVIDIA's
new stereoscopic 3D glasses support, and an NVIDIA stereo Resident Evil 5
benchmark is now available to see whether or not the stereoscopic PC edition of
the upcoming horror sequel will turn your system into a zombie (proper hardware
required). The 581 MB download is available from
NVIDIA's nZone
and mirrored on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer, and
ComputerGames.ro.
We've been informed that the October 9 release date announced
yesterday for CITIES XL does not apply to the US. We are told that
Monte Cristo's urban-planning game does not yet have a set release schedule for
the States, but they hope to be able to announce a US date soon.
Developer Frogwares and publisher Focus Home Interactive announce open beta
testing is underway for World of Battles, their upcoming free online
real-time strategy game. The World of
Battles Website has screenshots and a movie showing off gameplay, and here's
word on the game: Developed by Frogwares, World of Battles ® is a free,
massively multiplayer real-time strategy game. Set In a fantasy medieval
universe, nine races fight a terrible war for world domination. Choose your
side, recruit, train and equip units in order to create a powerful army able to
face in intense battles opposing armies created by other players. Take part in
huge battles in order to establish yourself as a warlord and progress in the
online World of Battles'® ranking system. Players are free to connect for quick
play and to participate in one of the many official tournaments of World of
Battles®.
In the game, you will discover a unique system for customizing your units and
soldiers. You'll be able to personalize the appearance of each one of your
soldiers with a very high level of detail. Before launching into your first
battles, you'll need to prepare your troops, because if you don't, your army
will surely take a beating.
Once you're ready to fight, gameplay switches to real time strategy mode. Take
command of your armies and show everyone who's the greatest warlord in the
war-torn battlefields of World of Battles ®. You can also join friends to
confront other clans in titanic guild wars in which tactics and teamwork will be
essential to become the most powerful army of all.
Free, accessible to all and with higher technical ambitions than other current
free internet games, World of Battles ® allows everyone to share an intense and
unique online gaming experience.
Mmosite.com reports on the possibility that World of Warcraft may not be
emerging from its extended hiatus in China, where the MMORPG has been offline
since early this year. The oddly worded report, attributed to "a
source," says that Blizzard may have run afoul of Chinese laws against an
outside company operating online games in the Chinese market as part of a joint
venture in partnering with NetEase for the Chinese version of WoW. Thanks Mike Martinez.
No more DLC is planned for Mirror's Edge, DICE's parkour-themed action
game, reports
That VideoGame Blog. They inquired whether any more DLC was coming to follow
the "Time Trial" pack released earlier this year, and received the
following reply from EA publicist Kelly Ekins: "There are no immediate plans for
future DLC for Mirror's Edge." Thanks Mike Martinez.
The Penny Arcade Expo announces the PAX
10, the ten independent games to be showcased at this year's installment of the
gaming convention, which gets underway in 50 days. Here's the list, in
alphabetical order: •
CarneyVale: Showtime
by the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Games Lab (Xbox 360) [and PC]
• Closure by
Tyler Glaiel and
Jon Schubbe (PC)
• Fieldrunners by Subatomic Studios
(iPhone/iPod touch)
• Liight by Studio Walljump (Wii)
• Machinarium by
Amanita Design (PC)
• Osmos by Hemisphere Games (PC)
• Puzzle Bloom by Team Shotgun (PC)
• Tag: The Power of
Paint by Tag Team (PC)
• Trino by Trinoteam (Xbox 360)
• What is Bothering Carl? by Story Fort
(PC)
Paradox Interactive announces
they will launch the Penumbra
Collection for Linux and Mac tomorrow, which bundles Penumbra: Overture,
Penumbra: Black Plague and the Penumbra: Requiem expansion. The bundle will
include a brand new installer which "will improve the user experience compared
to the original 'three downloads with three serials' installation procedure."
The package will launch at a discounted $5.00 price, which will return to $20.00
at the conclusion of the launch weekend. Thanks
Gamer's Hell.
Frogster
Interactive reveals more from Chapter II of Runes of Magic, the
upcoming expansion for their subscription-free MMORPG. The update discusses new
areas being introduced, including "Weeping Coast," the "Savage Lands," the
"Aotulia Volcano," as well as the more peaceful "Elven Island." Chapter II,
titled The Elven Prophecy, is due for release in September.
The Team Fortress 2 Blog
offers handsome collection of
avatars based on the Team Fortress 2 crew. These are suitable for use
as Steam avatars, though the Soldier apparently doesn't approve, saying: "I
don't have to know what the hell twitters and texting and body sprays are to
understand that they're not the sort of thing men should be engaged in. Like
conversations, or painting things that aren't a house."
A Tweet by
lucasartsgames explains why the PC edition of Secrets of Monkey Island
Special Edition is a larger download than its Xbox 360 counterpart. When you
only have 140 characters to work with, we'll forgive ending a sentence with a
preposition: "The PC version of SOMI:SE uses uncompressed art and audio, XBLA
has it's [sic] own method of compression. - that's where the size difference is at."
Aliens vs. Predator Interview on Games On Net is a video interview
with SEGA's Rob Bartholomew about Rebellion's upcoming first-person shooter.
This conversation focuses on the Marine class in the game, which is apparently
quite formidable, in spite of not rating inclusion in the title. According to
Rob, a Predator caught out in the open can be taken out by a single marine
"without too much of a fight," though he stresses that Marines will be that much
more deadly in groups of two or more.
Interactive fiction, from birth through precocious adolescence: a conversation
with Jimmy Maher on Adventure Classic Gaming talks with Jimmy Maher, a
historian of the semi-lost art of Interactive Fiction, the text-based adventures
from the good old days. Please leave the lights on while reading the article; if
it is dark you are likely to be eaten by a grue.
The Houston Chronicle - Racism in video games? The new norm? Thanks
GamePolitics.
One of the games that comes to mind is "Left 4 Dead 2." Though the game
isn't out yet, it's already causing an uproar. Set in New Orleans, players
will have to fight their way through hordes of zombies - with several of
them who appear to be African-Americans. When I saw the first trailer for
the game, all I could think about was Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath.
Setting the game in a city that was scene of dead, bloated bodies floating
by so soon afterward was a bad call, IMHO. The city has had enough to deal
with -- Valve, you should have spared them, even if it's just a video game.
Sessler's Soapbox - Indie Games Are Important.
The Sess wanted to explain why he thinks games coming from independent
developers are so important for the industry and gamers alike. If you bring
more creative voices to the table, everyone else has to match their game and
be just as innovative, creative and interesting as the other guy. So press
play and find out what Adam has to say on the subject.
IncGamers
- WoW is Killing Itself.
Essentially, the problem is that WoW has gone off the track. The game
gained popularity because it appealed to normal gamers, willing to devote a
few hours a day running dungeons and completing quests in a game they really
enjoyed. However, WoW has evolved. The game is now catering to a small
minority of so-called 'hardcore' players - according to one developers'
research, these make up less than 5% of the overall population. The WoW
developers have repeatedly discussed the fact that the hardcore players
experience is the best, most challenging content in the game; have more
skills than 'casual' players, and therefore receive the best rewards. Even
normal, average players now accept these ideas as fact.
IncGamers - WoW Is Not Killing Itself.
In Wrath of the Lich King, Blizzard really went to town and introduced 10
man raids alongside 25 man ones. When this announcement was made at the WWI
in Paris last year the cheer from the crowd was deafening. Bleeding edge
guilds certainly weren't happy with losing their exclusive access to the
hardest encounters in WoW, but this change meant the majority of level cap
players would finally get the chance to see end game content.
- East India Company on
Alltern8.
- Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim on
Alltern8.
- Star Trek Online on
ZAM.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
It was 40 years ago today that Apollo 11 took off on its voyage to the moon,
within the decade time-frame promised by President Kennedy, an accomplishment
that may well be used forever to humiliate lesser achievements that took more
time. Anyway, I find this a fascinating topic, and am looking forward to some of
the online and televised retrospectives on this.
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