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Archived News:
A playable Death to Spies: Moment of Truth demo is now available,
offering the chance to check out the upcoming SMERSHy sequel to the stealth/action game
Death to Spies. Word is:
"The demo features a single level from the game called "Polish Surprise." In
this level the player infiltrates a Nazi castle to destroy a weapons cache and
intercept a radio transmission of top-secret intelligence." The 600 MB download
can be found on
AtomicGamer and Gamer's
Hell.
Ars Technica reports on unrest in the World of Warcraft Forums over
accounts that have been suspended due to credit card chargebacks the users say
they did not authorize. Word is users are being greeted with the message:
"Access to the World of Warcraft account *********, has been temporarily
disabled due to a chargeback filed against the account's past payment(s) which
were billed to a telephone number via PaymentOne," but they say many users claim
to not be using this
payment service. Here's a bit of their detective work on this confusing
situation: Posts in the forum thread show that Blizzard is willing to
discuss the unauthorized charges, but there haven't been any definite results
from pursuing this course of action yet. Even stranger, though, is multiple
posts stating that users have contacted their phone companies/broadband
providers and are told that they have no chargebacks on their account. A quick
Google search shows
this isn't the
first time
that
allegations of fraud and unexpected charges have been leveled against the
company.
Another major frustration is that PaymentOne seems unwilling to help players
reach a solution that doesn't involve simply paying these unathorized charges.
Posts on the thread state that they've either been hung up on when they call the
company or are transferred back to Blizzard. Two calls to PaymentOne seeking a
comment resulted in being placed on permahold and then being disconnected.
The Dawn Of War II
Website announces that Steam now offers the promised "There is Only War"
patch for Relic's Warhammer 40K RTS sequel. They say the update is about 380 MB,
and offer another link to the
patch notes revealing
the new version number for the game to be 1.50.
PopCap Games now offers sales of
Bookworm Adventures: Volume 2, a "vocabularious" word game sequel
offering three all-new books with 10 chapters each: Fractured Fairytales, The
Monkey King and Astounding Planet. A free trial is available, which is mirrored
on AtomicGamer.
Here's a bit on the game: Stop the presses! The walls of fiction are
collapsing as characters run wild through the Great Library, and only Lex the
Bookworm can save the world from certain doom! Build words and battle monsters
to survive three storybooks with 10 chapters each. Trade barbs, banter and body
blows with over 130 foes, and earn help from fighting friends along the way!
The better the word, the badder the damage — so power up with over 20 treasures,
including all-new Rainbow Tiles. Work wordy wonders in all four game modes and
flex your lexicon in six mini-games. It's a role-playing word game you can't set
down!
Joystiq points out Tropico Reloaded is now available in stores for
the low price of $10.00 for the bundle of Tropico, Tropico: Paradise
Island and Tropico 2: Pirate Cove, and that the bundle is also on
Steam, though the price
there is $14.99. Also, there's a
Tropico 3
interview on UGDB.com talking with Haemimont Games about the upcoming sequel
that once again puts you in the role of El Presidente. The interview is
accompanied by some new artwork and screenshots, and discusses the game in
detail, such as this bit about the lives of your virtual subjects: "In many city
builders like Caesar IV, or even our own Grand Ages: Rome, the whole simulation
is on a macro level, and the people you see walking around the streets are just
a part of the visual background. They don't participate in the actual gameplay.
In Tropico 3 it's exactly the opposite - every single person on the island is
simulated individually. You can track their individual lives – from their
arrival as immigrants, their marriage and when their children are born. As in
real life, each of these simulated persons will probably search for a job and
pursue his dream of a good salary and a better future. Of course all of these
dreams can end abruptly if becomes a target of the oppressive government."
Destructoid has some hands-on Left 4 Dead 2 impressions in advance of
a full preview based on a trip to Valve. They also have a
reaction from Left 4 Dead writer Chet Faliszek to a recent
editorial accusing L4D2 of racism. Here's part: "Utter insanity," says
Faliszek. "There are mixed races of zombies, there are all different races of
zombies that you shoot, and since we placed it in New Orleans, that makes it
racist? I honestly re-read the paragraph about five times ... but when two of
the characters in your game are African-American, it's a weird thing to be
accused of. We're like, 'how does this work?'"
A bit of deduction at
IGN leads them to believe THQ intends to bring Company of Heroes Online
stateside, after this online version of Relic's RTS series launches in China.
Word is: "In THQ's earnings report for the recent quarter, the company lists its
key releases for the remainder of fiscal year 2010. In the online category are
two games: the previously announced Dragonica Online and Company of Heroes
Online. We contacted THQ about the matter and a spokesperson responded that it
'has not officially announced any future plans for Company of Heroes Online.'"
Frogster Interactive
announces further details about The Elven Prophecy, the upcoming content
update for Runes of Magic, their MMORPG. The update will introduce an
underwater dungeon for high-level players. Here's a bit: Only characters
at or above level 50 can make the underwater journey and accept the challenge of
‘Heart of the Ocean’. Numerous quests lead through the dungeon, which is ruled
by powerful bosses. While a diminutive Naga Queen keeps player groups on the go
with her extensive spells, a gigantic crab deals out its own variety of close
combat. It is an arduous path right up until the end boss. Once he has been
summoned, the end boss has some particularly nasty tricks in his repertoire –
the petrified stone statues of past adventurers bear witness to those who have
gone up against him unprepared. You can find more information at:
www.runesofmagic.com.
A new Call of Duty: World at War Trailer on IGN shows off more zombie
killing in the upcoming map pack 3 for Treyarch's World War II shooter.
Action-packed would be good description for the clip, though if we only allowed
one word it might be "zany."
The DOFUS Website now offers a new
version 1.28 patch for this MMORPG. Word is: "On the agenda: new quests and
alignment specialisations, improved evolution of pets and spells, and many more
changes which will make the game even more fun and accessible."
EA announces over 100,000 custom adventures have been created by Spore
players in the month since the launch of Galactic Adventures: It’s only
been a month since the launch of Spore Galactic Adventures and already EA’s
Maxis studio has hit a major milestone with more than 100,000 user-created
adventures! Spore fans have taken creativity to new heights, creating
imaginative, wacky and fun missions with the game’s easy-to-use Adventure
Creator. Dive in today and play various imaginative and epic Adventures such as
“The Silent Beacon,” “Valley of a Thousand Deaths” and “The Fog” by visiting the
game’s Sporepedia at www.spore.com
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
A new video from Comic Con '09 has highlights from the Assassin's Creed II
panel discussion, where the upcoming stealth sequel is discussed, and shown off,
as it is accompanied by gameplay footage illustrating some of the points being
made. New assassination methods are shown, including the express elevator from
the roof and the old clunking two heads together made famous by The Three
Stooges. The clip concludes with an interview with Pierre Raymond of Ubisoft
subsidiary Hybride Technology, discussing how they will be creating films to
help support Ubisoft games, such as Assassin's Creed II. The clip is available
on ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer, and
Gamer's Hell.
A new behind-the-scenes "vision video" is now available from Blur, the
upcoming racing game from Bizarre Creations. The narrated clip highlights the
"controlled beautiful chaos" of the game, the included power-ups that trade
realism for fun in what is unabashedly a full-contact racing game. The clip is
on AtomicGamer and
Gamer's Hell.
The "Driver's Experience" is the subject of a new movie promoting Need For
Speed SHIFT. The clip doesn't offer gameplay, just real life drivers talking
about their job in vague terms. It's described as a "teaser" trailer, and it
concludes saying "the driver's experience begins 01.08.09," so we imagine more
light will be shed on what this is all about the day after tomorrow. The clip is on
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and
GameTrailers.com.
GamersGate is offering
BioShock for 60% off, making the waterlogged shooter $11.98. The
Impulse Weekend Sale offers several titles, including
Grand Ages: Rome for $29.99 and a
Crazy Machines
Bundle for 39.99. Also,
Steam is running a 50% off sale on all Relic Entertainment games, including
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
II. Finally, Steam is
now offering the Hearts of
Iron III pre-purchase bonus Paradox mentioned last week,
offering a free copy of
Hearts of Iron II to play while you wait for the World War II grand strategy
sequel's release next week.
New games on the DRM-free GOG.com are
Lords
of the Realm: Royal Edition and
Judge Dredd:
Dredd vs Death. New games on the GameTap
subscription gaming service are
Zoo
Tycoon 2 and
Turtix,
while the game that they've moved into their
free area
is
The King of Fighters 2003.
1C Company and Battlefront.com announce Theatre of War 2 - Centaurois, an
upcoming expansion for Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943, the World War II
strategy sequel (full disclosure: this announcement is from early this week,
apologies that we managed to neglect this until now). They say the expansion
pack, which requires the original Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943, will be
released later this year via download and/or mail delivery for $25.00 through
www.battlefront.com. Here's word:
The new expansion pack, Theatre of War 2 - Centaurois dedicated to the
131st Armored Division Centauro and the battles it took part in North Africa
starting from December 1942 till mid-May 1943. The 131st Armored Division
Centauro (in Italian: 131ª Divisione Corazzata "Centauro") was an armored
division of the Italian Army during World War II. The pack features a new
campaign and covers missions from rearguard actions near El Ageyla in Libya to
the battles in Tunisia. New desert and mountain landscapes of North Africa will
be available on ten new maps accurately reconstructed according to historical
documents. There will also be ten new missions based on real battles in Tunisia
allowing would-be Generals to command counterattacks, breakthroughs, flanking
manuevers, hardened defenses and stealthy ambushes. Ten new military vehicles
will also make their debut in this expansion including the Semovente M40 tank
destroyer, the Carro Armato M13/40 medium tank, the Autoblinda AB 40 armored
car, and many more. For more information please go the official website at
www.battlefront.com/tow2.
The
Section 8 Preview on G4tv.com offers a look at the single-player campaign in
Section 8, TimeGate Studios' upcoming first-person shooter, offering gameplay
footage, cut-scenes, and a conversation with producer Robert Siwiak. The
preview, which also touches on multiplayer features, outlines the role of your
character, how the player's jetpack-equipped armor can be customized, vehicles,
enemies and AI, "dynamic combat missions," how the solo campaign unfolds, their
view that single-player will be a springboard to multiplayer, and more. The
gameplay footage they offer has combat, including a glimpse at a boss battle.
Capcom announces the release of Dark Void is being delayed until their
fiscal fourth quarter, which runs through March, 2010, reports
Joystiq, saying the reason offered is "in order to get the game out of the
crowded fall game season." This is familiar, as it is not the first game delayed
to steer clear of a release later this year, which prompts the 'stiq to outline
the long list of titles Airtight Games' horizontally challenged shooter will now
be facing off against.
A playable demo from Ashes Cricket 2009 is now available, allowing you to
take a crack at this sports simulation and see if it gives you a sticky wicket
(sorry). The demo allows three overs-a-side matches between England and
Australia, all for a 621 MB download, which can be found on
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
There are three new trailers
from Heroes
Over Europe on IGN:
Bomber Defense,
Cliffs of Dover, and
Bombs Over London, all showing off single-player play from the upcoming
World War II aerial combat game. This accompanies their hands-on
Heroes Over Europe
Preview and they also have a batch of
new screenshots.
A playable demo is now available for Demigod, offering a sample of the
action/strategy game from Gas Powered Games. The demo includes a single map
(Cataract), four playable Demigods (Regulus, Rook, Sedna and Lord Erebus), all
four gameplay modes (Conquest, Dominate, Fortress, and Slaughter), and support
for multiplayer play over the internet. Here's a bit on the game: "Demigod is
the ultimate real-time tactical PC strategy game. For fans of strategic epic
large-scale multiplayer battles, Demigod is irresistible. Players will vanquish
other would-be gods, gain levels and unlock the power of mystic artifacts as
they battle for ascent to the Pantheon." The 599 MB demo makes its debut on
FilePlanet, where you will need to register for a free account to download
it, and mirrors can be found on
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro, eXp
Download,
FanGaming,
FileFront,
Gamer's Hell, and
The Patches Scrolls. If you enjoy the demo, Stardock wants to be sure you know the
full game is available on the Demigod
Website for the same price in every territory.
Computer
and Video Games has some news from the new print issue of EDGE Magazine
about RAGE, id's upcoming first-person shooting/driving game. Speaking to
id Technical Director John Carmack, Edge learned that in its current state,
RAGE, powered by id's new Tech 5 engine, runs at 60 frames-per-second on PCs and
Xbox 360, but only 20-30 FPS on the PlayStation 3. Carmack says: "The RSX is
slower than what we have in the 360. The CPU is about the same, but the 360
makes it easier to split things off, and that's what a lot of the work has been,
splitting it all into jobs on the PS3." It is not specified what improvement
over that, if any, can be expected by the time the game is released. The article
also confirms a Mac edition of the game is still in the works.
Monolith has released details bout the just-revealed Reborn DLC
for F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, confirming this will be coming to Windows
as well as consoles, albeit "at a later date." The DLC will come to consoles on
September 3, adding four maps and more to the horror-themed shooter sequel, and
it will be accompanied by a patch adding a new free multiplayer "Slow-Mo
Deathmatch" mode. They also promise a "robust game demo," though it's not clear
if this will come to the PC as well. Here's the deal: Beginning September
3, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin fans will be able to download four all-new
single-player levels in the exclusive F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn DLC campaign from
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Monolith Studios, for a brand new
gameplay experience on the PlayStation®Network for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer
entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from
Microsoft, and Windows™ PC. F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn lets players experience four new
single-player missions that coincide with the events in F.E.A.R. 2: Project
Origin, and a simultaneous automatic title-update provides a free Slow-Mo
Deathmatch multiplayer mode for use with F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin multiplayer
content. A robust game demo of F.E.A.R. 2 Reborn will be released on August 27.
· Four All New Levels: Face the chaos of Alma’s aftermath from an entirely new
point of view: that of Replica Soldier Foxtrot813. As gamers begin the mission
as part of an orbital Powered Armor drop to reinforce their squad, the ruined
city of Auburn emanates supernatural events and familiar voices, beckoning
Foxtrot813 to go against orders from Replica command. Be careful, not everything
is as it seems…
· Slow-Mo Deathmatch: Through a free title update, gamers obtain a slow-mo
powerup to slow down enemies in multiplayer deathmatch, thus gaining a distinct
short-term advantage. The longer players hold onto the slow-mo powerup, the more
objective points are accumulated, contributing to the overall score. Watch out
though, whoever has slow-mo ability becomes a bigger target to everyone else!
Additionally, launching on August 13 is a brand new F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
premium theme for 240 Microsoft Points and picture pack for 80 Microsoft Points
for Xbox 360®, as well as a new theme for PLAYSTATION®3 for $1.99. F.E.A.R. 2:
Reborn is the third robust DLC pack available for F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin,
and will become available for Windows ™ PC at a later date. The “Toy Soldiers”
map pack launched April 16, with the “Armored Front” map pack following soon
after on May 21.
The Champions Online
Website offers a thank you to fans on the occasion of Cryptic
Entertainment's 10th anniversary. To celebrate they are offering a present to
anyone who registers on their website, though to collect you also have to buy
Champions Online. Word is: "Register at the official Champions Online
website and signup to receive Champions Online news by August 31st and you’ll be
treated to an exclusive action figure. This offer of course extends to all
current members of the forums who are signed up to receive Champions Online
news; their input, passion, and dedication have really helped make Champions
into what it is today." In semi-related news,
IncGamers is giving away keys to the Champions Online closed beta test.
An interview with Nolan Bushnell on USA Today talks with the founder of
Atari and Chuck E. Cheese about Battleswarm: Field of Honor, an upcoming
subscription-free online game that combines FPS/RTS gameplay (thanks
Develop). The conversation describes Bushnell as the game's designer, though
we don't recall game design being his forte, but a little scratching around
also shows him as one of the principals in
Reality Gap, who will provide the virtual currency for the game as well as
for the recently launched MMOG
Monato Esprit. The benefits of
virtual currency are one of the topics of the interview, as he says: "Actually,
when we converted Chuck E. Cheese into a token-based gaming system (Bushnell
founded Chuck E. Cheese in 1976), we saw massive revenues because all of a
sudden we could do things with our own currency opposed to quarters." Here's a
bit on Battleswarm: Field of Honor: Bushnell:Battleswarm is really about
me being able to play against my sons [laughs]. I've got five sons, age 16
through 30. They're all avid gamers and like first-person shooters. The problem
is, as you get older, you lose some reaction time, and as a result, I'm getting
slaughtered by them. A real-time strategy [RTS] game, however, is more my
[preference], a good resource game is what I love. Battleswarm is both an RTS
and a shooter, a mash-up between StarCraft and Starship Troopers, if you will.
You can switch sides, too, if you feel like an RTS instead of a shooter, or
vice-versa.
Mythic Entertainment announces development of a Macintosh edition of
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, saying a beta of the Mac client for
their MMORPG is already available for testing.
This page offers the beta
Macintosh client for those already subscribed to the game, as well as a 10-day
free trial version for evaluation by newcomers, and word is: "As part of the WAR
Mac beta event, players who participate will receive an exclusive title and
trophy reward for their characters within the game." This edition requires an
Intel-based Mac, as it uses TransGaming's
Cider Portability Engine as a "wrapper."
PC Games Hardware has posted the system requirements from Risen, the
upcoming RPG from Piranha Bytes. Here goes: Required Hardware
Specifications:
• OS: Win XP
• CPU: 2.0 GHz
• GPU: Direct X 9.1; Pixel Shader 3.0; 256 MB (GeForce 7900 - ATI 1800)
• RAM: 1 GB
• Hard disk: ~2.5 GB
Recommended System Specifications:
• OS Win XP or Vista
• CPU: 3.0 GHz Dual Core
• GPU: Direct X 9.1; Pixel Shader 3.0; 512 MB (GeForce 8800 - ATI Radeon HD
2900)
• RAM: 2 GB
• Hard disk: ~2.5 GB
IGN reports that PC
gamers will not be faced with the temptation to buy one of the special editions
of Modern Warfare 2, Infinity Ward's upcoming military shooter sequel.
Console gamers can expect both a "Harden" edition with a tin case and other
perks, and the oft-discussed/mocked "Prestige" edition with night visions
goggles, but Infinity Ward Community Manager Robert Bowling confirmed for IGN
suspicions that these special editions are for consoles only: "There will be no
PC version of either collectors' editions."
As noted on the
Telltale Games Blog: "The fourth and final episode of Wallace & Gromit's
Grand Adventures has arrived on PC, and not a minute too early!" (which is a
gentle way of admitting it may have been a minute or two late).
The Wallace & Gromit's
Grand Adventures Page offers digital sales of the new episode or the entire
series, and here's a bit on chapter 4, titled The Bogey Man: "Wallace has been
admitted to Prickly Thicket, the oldest country club in Lancashire. Wallace and
his faithful caddie Gromit get wrapped up in a decades-old club dispute that
threatens to destroy their peaceful West Wallaby lifestyle, and the duo must
fight to save the neighborhood they hold dear!"
Wolfenstein Multiplayer Q&A on GameSpot fills in some of the blanks about
multiplayer support in Wolfenstein, Raven's upcoming supernatural World
War II shooter. The interview is with Matt Wilson of Endrant Studios, who are
handling the game's multiplayer support, who describes a class-based system
(thanks Sphinx). While BJ's for everyone sounds appealing, along the way we
learn this will not be happening in multiplayer: The main difference is
that in single-player, you're BJ, you're the hero--you get to do everything and
use every power. In multiplayer, you're not BJ--you're a member of either the
Resistance or the Axis, and you play as one of three roles: soldier, medic or
engineer. We wanted to keep the three roles distinct, so we gave them their own
unique veil powers that are specific to their responsibilities within the team.
The medic's veil power helps him heal other players, for example.
The problem with mire--the power that BJ has, which slows down time--is that
it's a relative effect; each player would experience it differently. For the
player using mire, it appears as if the world is slowing down. From his victim's
perspective, he'd appear to move at superhuman speed; impossible to hit and
everywhere at once. Even ignoring the technical constraints, this would be no
fun for 50 percent of the players involved, so we've tried to come up with veil
powers that fit the multiplayer game and are fair to all the players.
All the veil powers are still game winners, however, and using your abilities at
the right time can turn a game around. Fundamentally, the multiplayer in
Wolfenstein needs to be about skill, and knowing when to use your veil powers is
part of that skill.
ARENA Online is now live in
Europe, another fantasy-themed MMORPG that requires no subscription to play. As
the game's name might indicate, this is a realm-versus-realm game, as described
here: "The entire world is Realm vs. Realm based with some locations free of
fight. Players can organize themselves in guilds, but members must belong to one
race and can participate to castle siege every day. Guilds conquering a castle
can earn Platinum defending it. There are many events in the game like castle
sieges, treasure chest event, tournaments, Coliseum battles and so on. There is
a crafting system well developed and players can create their own weapons or
armors to increase their skills but they can also gather resources to get money
and create potions or enchantments. ARENA is continuously updated and new
features are added every week."
Science
Daily (thanks
Gamasutra)
relates results of a study by USC's Annenberg School for Communication that
finds the demographics of video game characters does not match the real world,
saying "Males, whites and adults were overrepresented," even when you account
for the fact that this group is also overrepresented when you look at who plays
games to start with. They recognize some potential problems with the report's
findings, including the fact that some game characters are aliens and animals,
you do not actually see the protagonist in many first-person games, and that
more and more games allow players to create a custom characters (which inspires
the confusing note that: "Those games were included in the survey, with
characters chosen randomly"). While one of the authors of the study does
suggest: "These are highly underserved groups. It's a missed sales opportunity,"
he also cautions against jumping to conclusions: "The characters the developers
put in the games do not match the real world," says social psychologist Dmitri
Williams. "Our thoughts about why are all informed guesses."
Sessler's Soapbox - Delays Are A Good Thing.
Take the time to listen to Adam explain the many reasons why delays can
be good on this week's Soapbox. From the level of polish a game may have, to
the timing along side other major releases, to the contents of your wallet;
there are multiple reasons why a delayed release date shouldn't make you
angry.
In a perfect bit of bad timing, the gable fan in the BlueTower has failed, just
in time for a heat wave that's hit our area, as it has much of the country,
bringing the first really hot weather of the season. The gable fan would
probably not suffice to keep the attic cool in the face of these temperatures,
but I can usually make good use of it to keep from running the air conditioner
constantly. The motor in the fan is not actually broken, I can hear it strain
when the fan is turned on, but dirt, rust, leaves, dead critters or some
combination of the above are preventing the blades from moving. I imagine I'll
be able to clear that up if I can manage to get to the fan, I'm just not looking
forward to taking the louvers off to access it, as I am picturing being showered
by decades of debris when I do *shudder*.
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