Archived News:
The
Making History II Game Developer’s Notes on the Armchair General has word on
plans we previously haven't seen for Making History II, a sequel to
Making History: The Calm & the Storm, the World War II turn-based strategy
game from Muzzy Lane Software. The new
game offers a broader timeline than its predecessor and offers a number of
gameplay changes. The article says the game is expected this fall.
A new Modern Warfare 2 movie on the
YouTube shows off multiplayer play from Infinity Ward's upcoming military
shooter sequel. The clip demonstrates customized killstreaks that allow you to
customize your killstreak loadout. No actual greenhouses were harmed in the
making of this video.
A trailer for the just announced Star Wars The Force
Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition teases the expanded content in the version
of the Star Wars game that's coming to PCs and Consoles. The clip offering
cinematics and gameplay can be found on
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
The Matrix Online - Unplugged & Where It All Went Wrong on Gamer Limit has
an in-depth look back at The Matrix Online, just a couple of days before
the plug is pulled on this ambitious MMORPG that attempted to recreate the
virtual world of the Matrix within the virtual world of a video game (thanks
Ant and
Slashdot). The article goes into issues like how quickly Warner Bros. and
Monolith gave up on the project, the removal from the story of characters from
the movies, the loss of the live teams, and more, all written with a good degree
of familiarity with the game.
Aspyr announces the Beyond the
Sword expansion for Sid Meier's Civilization IV Gold Edition for the
Macintosh is now available in North American stores. Here's a reminder of what
this brings: "Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword focuses on the
late-game time periods and delivers 12 challenging and decidedly different
scenarios created by the development team at Firaxis Games. Sid Meier’s
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword includes a variety of new units that will
offer even more fun and exciting ways for players to expand their civilization’s
power as they strive for world domination."
The Star Wars: The Old
Republic Comic-Con Interview on Ten Ton Hammer chats with Jake Neri,
Hall Hood, Dallas Dickinson, Alexander Freed, and Jeff Dobson in San Diego about
BioWare's upcoming Star Wars MMORPG. You say you're cynical about this project?
They welcome that: "There's something different with the story you get in
BioWare RPGs. There's voice over on all the NPCs and all the characters. It
creates an immersion that simply isn't there in other games. That's one of the
things we learned with Mass Effect - and I think was one of the reasons why the
game was so popular when it was released. To some degree, I welcome the cynicism
because people are going to play the game and completely change their minds when
it comes to story."
Ubisoft delays key titles as sales drop 50% has word that Ubisoft's latest
financial results reveal a steep decline in sales for the quarter. The story
includes word on game delays, saying: "The company has also delayed key releases
Splinter Cell: Conviction and Wii exclusive Red Steel 2 until the fourth quarter
between January and March 2010, while the next Ghost Recon title and new IP I Am
Alive have been pushed back into the 2010/2011 line-up." Splinter Cell
Conviction had been expected for this holiday season, while
Ghost Recon 4 and I am Alive were previously due by
March 2010. According to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot: "We are disappointed that
we have to postpone the release of several major games but we consider that this
choice is the best one in the long term interests of Ubisoft."
Matrix Games announces the release of War in the Pacific: Admiral's
Edition, revealing this project that was announced as a War in
the Pacific expansion is now considered a full blown sequel for the World War
II strategy game (good news for anyone who hates half-blown sequels). The game's
release is accompanied by the launch of a "Victory at Sea Sale," offering War in
the Pacific at $20 off ($49.99 instead of $69.99), Uncommon Valor for $10 off
($19.99 instead of $29.99), and War Plan Orange for $10 off ($34.99 instead of
$44.99). They also offer
$20 off for owners of the original War in the Pacific. Here's a bit on the game:
Matrix Games,
2by3 Games and Henderson Field Designs
are thrilled to announce that the highly anticipated sequel to the legendary
wargame War in the Pacific is now available! Many additional man-years of
development from a dedicated and experienced team including subject matter
experts and experienced programmers has resulted in an improved War in the
Pacific experience across the board. This is the entire War in the Pacific down
to individual aircraft, vehicles, ships, guns and squads - more than just a
game, it's an encyclopedia of the war compiled from many sources to an unmatched
level of detail. Add in a much improved AI and more secure PBEM play and you
have the makings of a new classic!
Paradox Interactive announces Hearts of Iron III is gold, news that would
make King Midas and the alchemists of yore proud. They say the World War II
grand strategy sequel will appear at North American retailers and on all
major digital distribution portals on August 7, in UK and Scandinavian stores on
August 14, and in Germany and France on August 28. Here's word: Featuring
rich battle simulations that occur throughout 1936-1948, Hearts of Iron 3 will
appeal to both veteran players and newcomers alike with brand new features,
including a huge game map with more than 14,000 land and sea provinces. Players
will soon have the opportunity to put their battle plans into action and take
control of countries ranging from larger superpowers such as Russia or the
United States, to smaller nations such as Costa Rica.
VideoGamer.com reports the Ghostbusters The Video Game will be
released on October 23 in Europe for Windows, Xbox 360, Wii and DS. In the
meantime the answer to the question "who you gonna call" is the PlayStation 3,
the exclusive platform for the game in the EU between now and then.
A Demigod: end of July status
report is live, as support for this action/strategy game from Gas Powered
Games hits its stride after a hectic period following its release. The update
by Brad "Frogboy" Wardell of publisher Stardock describes plans for a version
1.2 patch for Demigod, a "post v1.1 update" that will precede version
1.2, and even a glimpse further ahead at version 1.3. He also says they have a
tentative plan for two new Demigods, saying: " Tentatively we are looking
at one general and one assassin. One will be of the forces of light and the
other the forces of darkness. One will be melee oriented, the other projectile
oriented." Regarding the patch before version 1.2, he says: "The post v1.1
update is expected to fix a LUA decompression crash that some people have run
into (and by some people we mean those people get it a lot) as well as some
fixes to stats. There may also be some balance tweaks to the bishops-related
idols but not sure if they’ll make it in time." As for version 1.2, he says it
is due in August, and that they hope to show it off at PAX, offering a
preliminary change list, as well as a handful of items "that are being discussed
without a consensus yet." Finally, looking way ahead to version 1.3, Brad
concludes: "Also high on our list but will probably not make it into v1.2 but
likely v1.3 are the Clan Wars. It was decided that getting modding out earlier
rather than later was important because in doing so, Stardock itself can start
to create maps and demigods to release as well as let players create their own
demigods if they want and in a pinch we can take care of the exporting for
them." Thanks The Patches Scrolls.
D.J. Caruso to direct 'Dead Space' on Variety outlines Dead Space movie
plans saying D.J. Caruso ( Eagle Eye) will direct. There's also an
off-hand comment that follows on previous indications that a
Dead Space sequel is planned with word that a third game is also on the
boards, saying, "EA launched the game in 2008 and is working on the second and
third installments." Thanks
Develop, who point out that the third game may actually be a reference to
the Wii title Dead Space Extraction, and have requested clarification on this
from EA.
Big Download reports a slight delay to the Windows and Mac editions of
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Republic Heroes, the upcoming action game tie-in
with the animated Star Wars series. The game was announced with a
September release window, but a Comic Con panel discussion revealed the game is
now expected on October 6.
Computer
and Video Games outline the system requirements for the upcoming Windows
edition of Resident Evil 5, to accompany the recently
released PC benchmark for the survival/horror sequel. Here are the points of
interest, including the recommendation to use the Xbox 360 controller for
Windows: OS
Windows XP: Required
Windows Vista: Recommended
CPU
Minimum Requirement
Intel PentiumD Processor
AMD Athlon64 X2
Recommended
Intel Core2Quad Processor or better
AMD Phenom X4 or better
RAM
Minimum Requirement
Windows Vista (1GB)
Windows XP (512MB)
Recommended
Windows Vista (2GB or more)
Windows XP (1GB or more)
Graphics Card
Minimum Requirement
VRAM (256MB)
DirectX9.0c/Shader 3.0
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 series
ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro
Recommended
VRAM (512 or more)
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 series or better
ATI Radeon HD 4800 series or better
Interface
Required
Mouse & Keyboard
Gamepad
Recommended
Xbox360 Controller for Windows
InternetBroadband Connection
The Champions Online
Website has a post outlining preorder bonuses for Champions Online at
GameStop,
Wal-Mart,
Best Buy, and
Amazon (thanks
Massively). The update also outlines plans for beta testing on August 17:
Atari and Cryptic are proud to announce the official Preorder promotions
from retailers across the United States. In addition to specific exclusive
promotions for each retailer, all preorders (from any retailer) will receive
guaranteed access to the Champions Online open beta, beginning August 17th. All
purchases also include 30-days of free play and five Cryptic Points to be spent
in-game.
A Mount&Blade WARBAND
Beta Test Application is online, offering the chance to express your
interest in beta testing Taleword's upcoming action/RPG expansion. There are no
details on when testing will begin. Thanks
VG247 and
IndieGames.
APOC Tweeted about
platforms for Command & Conquer 4, saying the RTS sequel is a PC
exclusive "right now," implying it's not out of the question that console
editions may be happening someday.
IGN: The Death
of PC Gaming – Again.
That will be the real test of the health of the PC platform, as digital
sales represent an ever-increasing percentage of PC game revenue... but
right now it's hard to say just how high that percentage is. While we may
not have the figures, we do know the PC has by far the most mature digital
marketplace, and has moved the furthest away from retail. Unlike the current
consoles, all of which offer robust selections of smaller games and retro
titles for digital download, but which – for the most part - don't offer
'full' games, the PC essentially offers its entire catalogue. When a PC game
comes out at retail, you'll be able to pick it up at the same time online,
while there are plenty of other PC games only available online. According to
the Interactive Australia 2009 report, 19% of Australian gamers download
games from online vendors, and that's only going to grow.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
We were driving yesterday when we hit a huge traffic slowdown, and shortly after
noticed a large plume of black smoke rising up ahead. As we inched around the
bend we saw that the smoke was coming from a minivan on the median in the
immediate aftermath of what was obviously a horrific traffic accident, engulfed
in a tremendous fire that looked like a special effect from a Michael Bay movie.
Emergency vehicles were already on the scene with a number of good Samaritans
attempting to help, so there was nothing for us to do except hope that there
were no major injuries, as unlikely as that seemed from the scene. It turns out
that this was indeed too much to hope for, as the
news on
the crash is grim (there's an AP video report on the
YouTube), with eight dead, and the victims including both children and
elderly folks. The news also explains why the crash was severe enough to cause
the minivan to essentially explode, as for some unknown reason, the driver ended
up on the parkway driving against traffic. All in all a sad and scary story, and
a picture in my mind of that minivan on fire I will never forget.
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