Archived News:
SEGA's Aliens vs.
Predator Page now offers release dates for Aliens versus Predator,
the upcoming class-based sci-fi shooter from Rebellion. The site now lists
February 2010 as the game's release date for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation
3. Thanks
Destructoid.
The
Huxley Beta on FilePlanet is now open to all US and Canadian users with registered
FilePlanet or IGN memberships, as a paid subscription is no longer required.
Huxley: The Dystopia is an MMOFPS, and word is the game "combines the
white-knuckle action and player vs. player combat of your favorite first-person
shooters with the social interactions, large-scale battles, character growth and
persistent gameplay of your favorite online RPGs." Thanks
Massively.
You can save $5.00 on preorders of Batman: Arkham Asylum through
Amazon by using the coupon code "5OFFARKM,"
in addition to Amazon's existing discount, making the PC edition $39.99 and the
console editions $47.99, with an Amazon-exclusive "The Road to Arkham" comic
book as a bonus (thanks
dealzon). Also, Steam
announces they are offering a 50% discount on
Trackmania United Forever
for the next week.
A new Trademark hunt by
superannuation reveals two filings by CCP ( EVE Online). The new
Trademarks are for
Dust
and
Dust 514, with each covering online games, and each containing a similar
menacing logo. We just hope the series doesn't run out of steam around Dust 350.
This press release announces that MMO developer Gazillion Entertainment has
partnered with Abu Dhabi Media Company to create a purpose-built MMOG studio in
the United Arab Emirates. Gazillion is noteworthy for its numerous western
properties, including licenses from Marvel Comics, but the announcement focuses
heavily on the opportunities for local developers and Arabic content, saying the
first game from the new Abu Dhabi studio is an Arabic language MMOG based on the
popular character "Majid." The announcement also explains: "With an expressed
aim towards Emirati management of the new company within the next five years,
the JV is intended to develop the path towards creating content in Arabic for
the Arabic gaming market."
Another Perspective on Live Content on MMORPG.com is written by Steve
Williams of Carbine Studios who relates his experiences as a member of the Live
Events team for The Matrix Online. He gives a detailed description of how
these events worked and an unflinching look at various problems they encountered
trying to advance the story in this way. This is half of a two-part series that
will conclude with a look at the future, as Steve says: "Our learning experience
with MxO has been largely ignored by the industry as we continue to concentrate
on building static worlds with static content. There are ways in which we can
make these things work, and I'll talk about this the next time."
There's a Champions Online trailer on
IGN showing off the punching and kicking associated with melee combat in
Cryptic's upcoming superhero MMORPG. There's an old boxing expression about
everyone having a plan until they get punched in the face, and this clip puts
that theory to the test. There's also another new clip from the game following a
less specific theme that's found on
AtomicGamer.
There's a Fairytale Fights trailer on
GameTrailers showing off this upcoming game that offers a grim take on
Grimm, presenting cutesy environments that seem relatively benign, until the
gory decapitations and other disfigurements kick in.
Link of the Day:
Company shows off new robot suit in Tokyo. Thanks Jim. Cyberdyne
Incorporated shows off its HAL. What's next, the Enterprise brought to you by
the Tyrell Corporation?
Electronic Arts announces wider first quarter losses than for the same
period last year based on lower revenue that was not offset by their
cost-cutting measures, but they say results are nonetheless better than expected
after strong launches for The Sims 3 and EA Sports Active. Word is: Redwood
City, Calif.-based Electronic Arts Inc. said Tuesday it lost $234 million, or 72
cents per share, in the April-June period. That compares with a loss of $95
million, or 30 cents per share, in the same quarter a year earlier.
Revenue fell 20 percent to $644 million.
Excluding items, EA lost 2 cents per share. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters
had expected a loss of 13 cents a share.
Adjusted revenue, was $816 million, up 34 percent from last year. This is above
the $729.5 million that analysts were expecting.
The latest financial reporting from Namco Bandai is reported on
Gamasutra,
revealing a downturn in a quarter where their bestselling release was Afro
Samurai (420,000 units on all platforms in the U.S. and Europe). Word is:
"Publisher Namco-Bandai's fiscal year is beginning inauspiciously, as it posts
losses of ¥2.8 billion ($29.6 million) on revenue of ¥75.7 billion ($800
million) for its first quarter, which ended June 30. This loss compares poorly
to a ¥1.5 billion ($15.9 million) profit during the same period last year, and
overall revenues were also down 16% in the period for the firm, which also sells
toys and operates arcades in Japan."
Gamasutra
reports 15 layoffs at Blue Fang Games, which represents about a quarter of the
workforce at the Waltham, MA-based developer of the Zoo Tycoon series,
commenting: "While we are saddened beyond words that we cannot continue to
employ these talented individuals, we are also confident and excited about our
studio’s future." Blue Fang says new proprietary development tools have enhanced
their productivity: "While this provides a tremendous benefit to our overall
business, it unavoidably means we needed to adjust both the size and mix of our
development team going forward," Blue Fang president Hank Howie tells Gamasutra.
"With today’s staff reductions, we have made these necessary team adjustments."
The developer continues to work on World of Zoo, their
recently announced youth-oriented zoology game.
When Human Head Studios sent along the help wanted we posted
earlier, it got us to wondering about the status of Prey 2, the sequel
the Radar Group announced last year for Human Head's 2006
first-person shooter. At the time Radar Group said the sequel "is currently
being developed in cooperation with Human Head studios," so we asked Human Head
about this, and they indicated that they have not announced Prey 2, and the
Radar Group would be in a better position to answer our questions. Completely
coincidentally,
superannuation just linked to a pair of blog posts (which have since been
removed) from a Human Head employee; One is an older post saying employees were
taking week-long unpaid furloughs to help with cash flow since they had no
current projects, and the other is a more recent post saying they just signed a
contract for a major title, further indications that they were not working on
Prey 2. We contacted Radar Group to ask about the status of Prey 2, but 24 hours
later are yet to receive a reply, so we can just share what Human Head had to
say: Unfortunately, we can't comment on the status of Prey 2,
other than to say that we've never announced that it has been in development, so
I'm not sure the starting assumption is actually valid.
However, we obviously have a strong attachment to the project, and it's
certainly something we're very interested in developing.
Valve announces Crash Course, new DLC for
Left 4 Dead they will release next
month to provide additional content for the zombie shooter. The September DLC
release will be 560 points for Xbox 360 and free for Windows: Entitled
"Crash Course," the latest DLC delivers new single-player, multiplayer and
co-operative gameplay to both platforms. Targeted for release in September,
"Crash Course" bridges the gap between the end of the "No Mercy" campaign and
the beginning of "Death Toll" in the original game, expanding the game universe
with new locations, new dialogue from the original cast, and an explosive finale
While containing both Survival maps and a Co-operative Campaign, the primary
goal of "Crash" is to deliver a complete Versus mode experience in just 30
minutes, resulting in a streamlined version of the game's existing Versus
campaigns. A recharge timer for infected teammates has also been added, and item
spawn behavior has changed for more balanced gameplay.
"Since the release of Left 4 Dead last November, the design team has been
excited about creating new experiences for this world and allowing players to do
the same, by releasing much of our internal toolset, like the Survival Pack and
Authoring Tools," said Gabe Newell. "We're working with the fans toward the
ongoing entertainment value of the product."
G4tv.com reports indications that LucasArts may be gearing up to announce
possible revivals of their beloved X-Wing and TIE Fighter series
of Star Wars space combat games. Following up on the recent revival of the
Monkey Island franchise, they asked LucasArts president Darrel Rodriguez a
question many gamers have already voiced about the possibility X-Wing and TIE
Fighter will be revisited, and received an intriguing non-denial: "We don’t have
any announcements now, but stay tuned," Rodriguez replied. "We will soon….."
The playable demo for Hearts of Iron III is now available, offering the
promised sample of this World War II RTS sequel. Paradox announces they are
maintaining a list of mirrors on
this page, and the 615 MB download is available on
AtomicGamer,
Clubic,
ComputerGames.ro,
FanGaming,
FilePlanet (registration required), Gamer's
Hell, and
GameStar.de. The demo contains the tutorial for the game along with the 1939
single-player campaign, playable as either Germany, France, Poland or the United
Kingdom.
The new version 3.2 update is now available for World of Warcraft,
Blizzard's MMORPG. Full details on the new version can be found
through this story. Manual versions of the patches are starting to come
online, the English US/Aus patch is available from
ActionTrip,
AtomicGamer,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and The
Patches Scrolls. Patches appropriate to other locales are being added to
AtomicGamer
and The
Patches Scrolls.
The Champions
Online Official Website outlines a couple of long-term subscription
plans for Cryptic's upcoming MMORPG. They will be offering $59.99 six-month
subscriptions with an in-game perk as well as $199.99 lifetime subscriptions (we
somehow imagine Bill Roper's name will come up in discussing these), which offer
additional in-game bonuses. Both plans also offer access to the Star Trek
Online closed beta test, and the lifetime plan also offers a "Unique Mirror
Universe outfit for Star Trek Online, available at the game’s release," for
those planning on subscribing to Cryptic's other upcoming MMORPG along with
their lifetime CO deal: While you’re here, though, take a look at these
exclusive specials you’ll get if you sign up for a 6-month or lifetime
subscription! When you enter your pre-order key at the bottom of this page, you
will be presented with these offers.
Lifetime Subscriptions come with:
• Access to the Star Trek Online Closed Beta, beginning later this year!
• Exclusive Art Deco costume set
• Exclusive Retro Future costume set, available only to lifetime subscribers
• Unique Mirror Universe outfit for Star Trek Online, available at the game’s
release
• Exclusive in-game Foxbat action figure, available only to lifetime
subscribers
• Eight additional character slots!
6-Month Discounted Subscriptions come with:
• Saves $29.95 USD (33% off!) over regular monthly subscription!
• Exclusive Art Deco costume set
• Access to the Star Trek Online Closed Beta, beginning later this year!
A retail box or digital purchase is still required to play Champions Online
after our launch on September 1st, 2009.
Steam now offers a
playable demo for Order of
War to provide a sample of Square Enix's upcoming World War II real-time
strategy game: "This real-time strategy game from Square Enix, Inc. is slated to
release this September. Until then, be sure to check out the single-player demo,
where you'll experience WWII warfare on an epic, cinematic stage that truly
captures the intensity and scale of the battlefield."
The
Sacred 2 Forums say that both ASCARON and company of Ascaron subsidiary
Studio 2 are both shutting down, a few months after we learned that
ASCARON Entertainment filed for bankruptcy protection. The German
developer expressed a plan to soldier on and announced a Sacred 2
expansion called Ice & Blood, but now
this
forum thread offers an English discussion of the dev team's farewell. Word
is that Koch Media (owner of a majority of ASCARON's former
assets) will take over the Sacred forum, and that the add-on will be released
in Germany on August 28. Thanks Mike.
The Braid Blog reveals
The Witness Website is online to
tease the new game from Jonathan Blow. Here's the little he's revealing for
now: "… along with a scant bit of information. The game is very visual, and once
we have developed those visuals to the point where they are representative, I’ll
start posting them there. In the meantime, it seemed like a good idea to let
people know a little about the game. Even if it’s not much." Thanks
Eurogamer.
Command and Conquer DEN has further details on plans for Command & Conquer
4, as more magazine articles surface previewing the RTS sequel. The features
they list include a dynamic "strategic environment" to make the game challenging
to all skill levels and that the resource system will include no harvesting.
More C&C4 cover stories are appearing around now, so this not the last blurb
like this we can expect. Thanks Ant.
Paradox
Interactive Tweets a confirmation that the demo release for Hearts of
Iron III is "def" on for 9:00 am PDT today, which is Noon Eastern time.
Section 8 PC Beta Blasting into Europe from August 10 reveals a September
release date for Section 8 while announcing plans to open beta testing for
TimeGate Studios' upcoming sci-fi shooter to European players. The test is
currently underway in North America, and here's word on European
testing: LEICESTER, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SouthPeak Games is pleased
to announce the European PC beta for its upcoming sci-fi shooter Section 8 will
launch on August 10. Wannabe recruits for the 8th Armoured Infantry can register
their interest at www.joinsection8.com before preparing themselves to burn into
multiplayer matches from 15,000 ft above the battlefield.
The draft process for the beta has limited spaces, so those who want to take
part in huge multiplayer matches – thanks to the game’s dedicated servers –
should sign up as soon as possible. The recently re-launched JoinSection8.com
also contains vital intel about the game and is the place to stay active within
the Section 8 community.
The
Runes of Magic Chapter II Expansion Interview on MMORPG.COM shares thoughts
from Matthias Fellinger about the coming update for Runewaker Entertainment's
MMOG. They run through the various changes planned for chapter II of the
subscription-free game.
Human Head Studios is looking to add to the human headcount at their Madison,
WI-based offices: Human Head Studios Inc is hiring for its latest project.
We are looking for a few good game developers to join our excellent team. Be
part of creating a game to be proud of. Live in a city voted one of the best
places to live in the US. Become a Head! Positions available are : Environment
Artist, Level Designer, Tech and Game Programmers. We offer excellent benefits,
generous vacation and paid company holidays and a relaxed, creative work
environment. See
http://www.humanhead.com/headhunt_jobs.html to get information on submitting
your resume and links to your work.
Crispy Gamer - Canon Fodder- Taking a Little Off the Top.
I will admit, GoldenEye 007 was much better than the grand total of zero
decent first-person shooters on consoles at the time. But looking back now,
the largely empty environments, blocky, grainy graphics and lack of a second
analog stick make the game seem almost prehistoric. And while it's still fun
enough to run around shooting your friends in multiplayer, PC contemporaries
like Quake II have much more robust multiplayer competition. Take away the
nostalgia factor and GoldenEye 007 is just an average console FPS that has
been left behind by the passage of time.
Auzentech
Support offers recently updated version 1.1 drivers for X-Fi Forte audio
cards that will work under either the 32-bit or the 64-bit editions of Windows
7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. Thanks Jim.
We were noticing a few ants finding their way into the kitchen, so we called the
exterminator to take a look. When I explained that we occasionally saw as many
as a dozen at a time, it seemed like he was trying not to laugh. Apparently we
are not infested, nor are we in danger of having our house destroyed by
carpenter ants (our house is brick to boot). He did a little spraying outside
just to make the trip worthwhile, but he told us we were just seeing little
probes from what he called "picnic ants," and he made it clear that if we had a
real ant problem, we'd know it.
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