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Archived News:
The TimeGate Studios Forums
have word that beta testing of Section 8 is now open to European and
Australian players. Players from these territories will need a free FilePlanet,
GameSpy, or IGN account, same as when the beta was opened to US and Canadian
players early last month. Word is: "By participating in the Open
Beta, you will get a first look at Section 8’s online multiplayer mode with two
of the maps from the final game, as well as a variety of some of the vehicles,
weapons, deployables, missions, and equipment." Thanks
Voodoo Extreme.
The Team Fortress 2 Day
2 Classless Update offers further details about Valve's upcoming no-class
update for their class-based shooter. The update introduces the new King of the
Hill mode, as well as a new map called KOTH Viaduct (I can understand why a
chicken, but why a duck?) and two maps converted for King of the Hill action,
KOTH Nucleus and KOTH Sawmill. Here's word on King of the Hill: King of
the Hill (KotH) is an intense new game mode focused around a single central
capture point that must be defended for three minutes. Gameplay begins with the
point initially locked—after a short time, it will open for capture by either
team. Once the point is captured by a team, their team clock will start a three
minute countdown. If the enemy team manages to capture the point back, their
clock will start counting down while the other team’s clock freezes at the time
the point was recaptured.
The Fallen Earth Website
announces open beta testing of this post-apocalyptic MMOG begins on Monday,
August 17, with sign-ups getting underway Friday: FALLEN EARTH, LLC
announced today that the post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online (MMO)
game of the same name will begin an Open Beta program August 17. Players who
want to get an early glimpse of Fallen Earth on August 17 need only register on
FilePlanet
beginning Friday, August 14 at 1 p.m. ET (GMT-4).
Taking place in the Grand Canyon, Fallen Earth gives players the choice to
rebuild the decaying world or participate in its destruction through use of the
classless advancement system, real-time crafting and the seamless integration of
first-person shooter and role-playing game mechanics.
“The Open Beta and Pre-Order programs give a much larger group of players the
opportunity to experience Fallen Earth,” says Jessica Orr, product manager for
Fallen Earth. “We are excited that players want to get a jump on the game, and
we are including a little something extra for being among the first to order.”
Those who pre-order Fallen Earth at
Direct2Drive get an exclusive in-game mount—the Wasteland Runner—which has
four more points of defensive skills, 2500 more Stamina and six more pack slots
than other horses. Additionally, pre-orders receive a guaranteed spot in the
Open Beta and a five-day head start in the game, beginning September 4.
Keep up to date with all the Fallen Earth action on the
Facebook and
Twitter pages.
Sports
Interactive announces an October 30 release date for Football Manager
2010 as well as Football Manager Handheld 2010 (thanks Gamer's Hell). Saying they
are aware that long-time fans of the series feel the addition of big new
features in recent releases has left existing areas of the game and
long-standing issues unaddressed, they explain they have "spent the last year
working closely with the community to target not only the areas of the game that
needed re-working but also what they could add to improve what’s already there,"
leading Sports Interactive's Miles Jacobson to say "We’re very confident that
having done that we will deliver the very best Football Manager to date in
October." Here's the feature list for the new game: • Improved Match
Engine – improved AI, over 100 new animations in 3D mode, new stadiums and
crowds, improved pitch degradations and better lighting make for the most
immersive pitch-side experience ever.
• New User Interface – completely new vibrant look and feel to the game
with a light and dark skin to choose from, plus a navigational overhaul. The
side menu is replaced by an intuitive tab system which allows you to access all
areas of FM 2010 quickly and easily.
• Tactical Overhaul – a new tactics module makes it much easier to make
your team play as you want them to. There are thousands of possible pre-set
options and touchline “shout” instructions for making instant changes to your
teams playing style. Don’t worry; the old system is still there for people who
love their sliders.
• Match Analysis – a new tool shows you where shots, passes, crosses,
headers, tackles, fouls and interceptions have happened for both sides, so you
can work out your, and your opponent’s, strengths and weaknesses.
• New Data Editor – As well as being able to update squads, with the
brand new and very easy to use Competition Editor you can now add cups and extra
divisions for leagues currently in the game plus completely new competitions.
• News Center – a subscription based newspaper. Get the news about the
football world around you that you want, and not the news you don’t want.
• Polish – a year of polish, making the game faster, more immersive,
more realistic and easier to play with better in game feedback and more advice,
delivered in a more user friendly way.
• Football Manager Handheld 2010 New Features – A brand new skin for
the game, improved match engine AI, new unlockable managerial abilities,
assistant manager team reports and improved coach and scout reports amongst
others.
Steam announces ten games
from PlayFirst were added to Valve's online service today. To celebrate they're
discounting each game 10% for one week. Also,
Meridian 4 announces the continuation of
their fifth anniversary celebrations, which may well stretch until their sixth
anniversary. GamersGate is offering
their titles for 50% off, and a
Meridian 4 Super Pack for $79.95, a $203.99 savings off the $283.94 list
price for this bundle of all their games.
Steam News announces a
new automatic update is available for the Steam client itself. A number of bug
fixes are included.
Battlefront.com now features a new patch for the English version of
Strategic Command 2: Patton Drives East, updating the World War II strategy
expansion to version 1.03. Here's the deal: "This patch is packed full of new
improvements to the main game and editor. It also includes a new Video
Acceleration setting to help those with slow map scroll speeds. The patch is 172
Megabytes in size and is all-inclusive."
The Over Flanders Fields
Website has a pair of new patches for Over Flanders Fields, the World
War I game based on the Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator. The
Downloads Page
offers a large version 1.32 "superpatch" from the other day which adds new
aircraft, new features, and bug fixes, as well as all the changes from previous
patches. There's also a small version 1.32b "minipatch" from yesterday with a
hotfix for a terrain issue. Thanks ReadyMan.
The Miner Wars Website has a new
gameplay movie from this Descent-style underground and space shooter. The clip
shows the game's deformable environments by showing the destruction of an
asteroid. Word is: "The video was captured from the actual game and the scene
contains two 8-km asteroids, five medium-size asteroids, and 300 mining ships.
In this footage we tried to show how your mining ship is small compared to the
biggest asteroid. Even your base ship is little compared to them. All asteroids
are fully destructible. In a few years we will be able to reach the moon’s size.
It is only 400 times bigger than our asteroids. Think about it – a fully
destructible moon."
Massively outlines a new system implemented in EVE Online to reduce the
impact of gold-farming (or ISK farming in this case) in the sci-fi MMORPG. The
new system involves something called a Pilot License Extension (PLEX), which
will join the banhammer in the battle against real-money transactions. They
outline this in detail, and here's a portion: The other half of the CCP
Games offensive against RMT is the 30 Day Pilot License Extension, typically
referred to as "PLEX."
A PLEX is essentially an in-game item that represents 30 days of game time. They
can be traded or given to other players, bought and resold. Once an EVE Online
player has a PLEX in his or her possession, all they need to do is right click
and credit those 30 days to their account.
The principle behind this is what's already been established by some of the
free-to-play games on the market. Those with disposable cash in real life but
who are short on time can buy game time codes and convert them into PLEX, so
they have ISK to spend in-game. (One game time code = two PLEX.) When they sell
PLEX on the market in EVE, that's money that players injected into the game that
didn't go into the wallets of aklfjalkfjd and his merry band of ISK farmers.
Likewise, players who have more time to rack up the ISK through gameplay can buy
PLEX in-game on the market, and play for another month without having to pay a
subscription fee.
C&C4’s Producer Explains All on Rock, Paper, Shotgun talks with EA LA
producer Jim Vessella about the upcoming Command & Conquer 4, asking if
the RTS has "failed" since the days of Dune II, the pros and cons of increasing
accessibility, role-playing elements, the single-player experience, options for
more hardcore players, how some of their campy cut-scenes were actually intended
to be more serious, dealing with fan expectations, lessons learned from C&C3 and
RA3, and more. There's also a new preview of the real-time strategy sequel on
IncGamers.
Part two of the Assassin's Creed II video diary is now online. Word is:
"Part two of the developer diary series for Assassin's Creed II is now available
for immediate release. 'Power to the People!' includes the game developers'
comments on exciting new features. They mention Ezio's helpers will be people
that he did not anticipate, such as mercenaries and thieves, as well as Leonardo
da Vinci and his long-lost uncle. Crowd-group interaction is another new feature
– with the addition of economic system, players will have the choice to do as
they please with their money." The movie is posted on
AtomicGamer.
Think before you speak
is an effort "to raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of
anti-LGBT bias and behavior." Thanks
GamePolitics. "That's so gay?" Well: "That's so 'Gamer Guy Who Has More
Videogames Than Friends.'" Touché!
The GRIN Website announces GRIN is officially
closed, offering a goodbye from Bo and Ulf Andersson, cofounders of the
Sweden-based developer, who wrap up their farewells saying: "And to all our
gamers – we hope you had a good time." Rumors of layoffs at GRIN surfaced
in May, and job cuts were confirmed yesterday along
with reports the situation was dire. Now, following news of former GRIN staff
joining Outbreak comes the bad news: It is with a heavy
heart we announce today that GRIN has been forced to close its doors. This as
too many publishers have been delaying their payments, causing an unbearable
cashflow situation.
After twelve years of hard work, employing hundreds of wonderfully talented men
and women, it is over. It has been a great adventure and the GRIN family has
experienced what few have.
Looking back at twelve years of games, titles such as Ballistics, Bandits, GRAW
1 & 2, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Wanted: Weapons of Fate, Terminator: Salvation,
Bionic Commando and our unreleased masterpiece that we weren’t allowed to
finish; it has been a great ride.
We would like to thank a few special companies and individuals that have meant a
lot for us during these years…
The PC Gaming
Alliance announces the addition of eight new members to their PC gaming
advocacy group (thanks
IGN). The new additions are BFG Technologies, Bigfoot Networks, Flextronics,
GameStop, GameTap, Gas Powered Games, Howe's Game Shack, and InstantAction. The
announcement is more about those companies than the organization itself, but the
quote from Gas Powered Games is hopeful: "I've spent most of my career fully
immersed in the world of PC gaming. It's where many of the world's biggest
gaming franchises were born and where much of the industry's innovation
continues to this day," says GPG's Chris Taylor. "By joining the PCGA, Gas
Powered Games hopes to make contributions that keep PC gaming at the forefront
of the industry, help it to overcome its challenges, and continue to fulfill its
amazing potential."
NCsoft reports income rise of 451% in Q2 outlines a startling upswing for
NCsoft amid disappointing financial results for so many game companies. Sales of
their MMORPG Aion in Korea were the primary cause for the increases,
though they also saw significant gains from NCsoft China. Word is: NCsoft
has reported massive increases in both sales and income for its second quarter
of the FY2010, returning a total net income of KRW 33.8 billion (USD 27.1
million) - a figure up 451 per cent on the previous quarter.
Sales increased for the South Korean company by 70 per cent, totalling KRW 137.8
billion (USD 110.5 million), while operating profit rose 353 per cent compared
to the same quarter in 2008, to KRW 47.5 billion (USD 38.1 million).
This press release from Samsung announces plans to market their 256 GB solid
state drive (SSD) specifically to gamers, touting the obvious benefit of
"reduced loading times" as well as the questionable claim of "faster game
performance." The included quote from Jon Peddie of Jon Peddie Research explains
why Samsung wants you to want SSD: "The PC gaming market continues to evolve
into a more mainstream segment, and should reach $30.7 billion by the end of
2012." Word is Samsung plans on showing SSD-enabled game stations at the World
Cyber Games (WCG) in the United States so we what this is all about can see for
ourselves: "Samsung will encourage participants to experience the SSD game
stations at the U.S. National Finals, taking place Sept. 25 – 27 at the Jacob K.
Javits Convention Center in New York City."
Oops, posted the box art for Borderlands, but didn't really make note of
it.
Here's the box shot for Gearbox's upcoming role-playing shooter.
Edge Online follows up on the cuts at GRIN with news that
Outbreak Studios is a new developer
formed by former GRIN programmer Peter Björklund, and word is: "The majority of
Outbreak’s 25-strong development team has been credited on GRIN’s Terminator
Salvation, and a number of them on the developer’s Bionic Commando and Wanted:
Weapons Of Fate." Björklund's credits include Terminator Salvation;
SimBin's Race Pro; EA's Battlefield: Bad Company; and Avalanche's
Just Cause. Here's a bit from the
Outbreak Website: Our
mission is to develop titles for Xbox 360 (XBLA), PS3 (PlayStation Store), Games
for Windows Live, PSP Go and iPhone. We also deliver online components for AAA
titles, both existing or upcoming.
The founder of Outbreak Studios, Peter Björklund, built the network engine for
EA/DICE that is used in games such as ”Midtown Madness 3™”, ”Battlefield 2:
Modern Combat™” and ”Battlefield: Bad Company™”.
Mythic announces September 8 release date for Ultima Online: Stygian
Abyss,
confirming the promised summer release for the digitally
distributed eighth expansion for Ultima Online. Current UO subscribers will be
able to check out a beta for the add-on beginning this Friday, August 14. Word
is early adopters will receive a token gift of extra game tokens: "Additionally,
consumers who purchase Ultima Online: Stygian Abyss from September 8th – 29th
will receive multiple Alteration Tokens to transform current characters into
Gargoyles, an exclusive gargoyle craftable pet, and decorative Stygian Abyss mob
boss statues."
A post on RPGWatch confirms
information found in the IMDB
credits for Risen outlining some of the writing and acting talent involved
in creating Risen, Piranha Bytes' upcoming RPG. Voice talent in the game
includes John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, and Lena Headey; while the writing
credits include Rhianna Pratchett, James Leach, and Andrew S. Walsh (thanks
Acleacius). This
subsequent announcement fleshes this out a bit more. Here's an excerpt:
One of the busiest actors in the UK, Andy Serkis takes the role of The
Inquisitor. Serkis, who has had a long and varied acting career, is best known
for his CG character representations Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and
King Kong in the movie of the same name. Veteran British actor, John Rhys
Davies, who has starred in countless blockbuster movies such as Indiana Jones
and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, performs as Don Esteban. Movie actress Lena
Headey, who played Sarah Connor in Terminator TV spin-off Terminator: The Sarah
Connor Chronicles take the role of Patty. “The quality of the voice casting
reflects the quality of the game” stated Paul Nicholls, Sales and Marketing
Director, Koch Media UK “with such an amazing lineup of talent from movies and
TV, there is a voice everyone will recognize; we will attract a new generation
of RPG players to the genre”.
The Champions Online Website
outlines the schedule for open beta testing of Cryptic's superhero MMORPG, and
how the GameStop early access will work: We’re pleased to
announce the schedule for next week’s Open Beta! On Sunday, August 16th, all
characters from Closed Beta will be wiped from the servers in preparation for
our Open Beta. When the servers open at 10 a.m. PDT on Monday, August 17th,
everyone will have a fresh start, and you’ll be ready to experience the game
from start to finish!
Servers will be taken down nightly from 1:00 a.m. PDT to 3:00 a.m. PDT for
scheduled maintenance. Other than that, you can play all week long until the
24th. At 10:00 a.m. PDT on Monday, August 24th, the servers will be shut down
and wiped once more in preparation for the game’s release. The “Early Start
Program” begins on Friday, August 28th, and allows select pre-order purchasers
an opportunity to get a headstart on the rest of the world by playing the game a
few days before the official release. In addition, all Early Start participants
will get to take part in a world event, where special enemies will drop unique
items which will only be available until September 1st.
Paradox
Interactive Announces Ship Simulator Extremes, which will add a dose
of extremeness to the normally placid Ship Simulator series when it is released
in the first quarter of next year. The new installment in VSTEP's series
includes vessels like coast guard interceptors, mammoth tankers, tugs, cruise
liners, hovercrafts (hopefully full of eels), and officially licensed Greenpeace
boats. Here are
three screenshots, and here's a bit from the announcement: Have you
ever wondered how it feels to sail a half-million ton supertanker through the
perfect storm or to take on illegal whale hunters in the Antarctic? Feel the
rush of serving as a coast guard as you evacuate an island threatened by a
volcanic disaster. With missions based on actual events that take place in
realistic environments and locations from all over the world, Ship Simulator
Extremes has you endure extreme conditions, fight the elements and face all of
the challenges associated with being a ship captain.
Section 8 Reveals New X
Server for the Xbox 360 announces plans for two Windows dedicated servers
for Section 8, one for PC gamers, and in an unusual twist, the other
Windows server will support Xbox 360 games. According to SouthPeak Games, both
dedicated server programs will be available for the launch of TimeGate's
first-person shooter on September 1. Word is: Midlothian, VA - August 12,
2009 – Section 8™ publisher SouthPeak Games, along with developer TimeGate
Studios, is set to break new ground on the Xbox 360® video game and
entertainment platform from Microsoft by supporting X Server functionality, an
option where players can run their own dedicated servers using a Windows®-based
PC. An X Server can handle up to 32 players at once, resulting in one of the
largest multiplayer games currently available on the Xbox 360. The X server
software will be distributed free of charge* upon Section 8’s launch. Meanwhile,
PC gamers can also run dedicated servers for the PC version of the game allowing
up to 40 simultaneous players. More information and availability of the X Server
and PC Server software will be available at launch on
www.joinsection8.com.
This added functionality is by no means necessary to enjoy the game since
Section 8 also features a single player campaign mode and offline ‘instant
action’ where artificially intelligent ‘bots’ take the place of human opponents.
To make sure Section 8 enters battle with all guns blazing; SouthPeak Games will
host official ranked PC and X servers in locations around the world. When
dedicated servers are not used, Section 8 supports up to 32 players on PC and 16
on Xbox 360.
This page on the
Dragon Age: Origins Website introduces Wynn, one of the characters in
BioWare's upcoming RPG, offering an introductory movie, some screenshots, and
concept art.
This announcement once again outlines preorder bonuses and contents of the
Collector's Edition for the game, following on previous preorder
and Collector's Editon announcements. Finally, there's also a new
Dragon Age: Origins
Preview on IGN and here is
a huge batch of new screenshots. Here's a bit on CEs and
preorders: EDMONTON, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading video game
developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today
announced the Dragon Age™: Origins Collector’s Edition and pre-order incentive
program*. The Collector’s Edition is a premium package available in limited
quantities featuring exclusive Dragon Age: Origins collectibles including a
unique steel case, a cloth map of the world of Dragon Age, a Making-of
documentary DVD, a digital version of the Dragon Age: Origins soundtrack, game
trailers, wallpapers, strategy tips and a concept art video, plus three
exclusive downloadable items that will provide special advantages to the player.
The Collector’s Edition is available for pre-order today at
www.eastore.ea.com for an MSRP of $74.99
(console) and $64.99 (PC) in North America.
As an added bonus, Dragon Age: Origins (both original and Collector’s Edition)
includes two special pieces of downloadable content: The Stone Prisoner, as well
as a suit of Dragon Age themed armor that can be used in Dragon Age: Origins as
well as in the upcoming BioWare Shooter RPG, Mass Effect™ 2 on all available
platforms.
With The Stone Prisoner download pack, players will have access to Shale, the
mighty stone golem who can become one of the most powerful party members in the
game, and comes with its own personal back-story and unique quests for the
player to discover. The Stone Prisoner will also include new environments, items
and hours of additional gameplay, further deepening the epic Dragon Age
experience. The Stone Prisoner is available to original purchasers of new copies
of Dragon Age: Origins at no additional cost. The Stone Prisoner can also be
purchased separately for $15.
*Restrictions apply to pre-order programs. See details at
www.eastore.com and at participating
retailers.
IncGamers has a statement from ArenaNet co-founder Mike O'Brien
about Jeff Strain's departure from NCsoft. He offers some
personal reflections in the full post, and here's part of how this related to
development of Guild Wars II, or more precisely, how it will not impact
the release of the online RPG sequel: It's important to understand that
ArenaNet is a separate and self-contained development studio. Jeff hasn't been
involved in the day-to-day development of Guild Wars 2 since he left ArenaNet
more than a year ago, and I don't expect his departure to have a direct impact
on our studio or on Guild Wars 2. I continue to lead ArenaNet, and I'm not going
anywhere.
Wolverine Studios announces Music Wars 2010, a sequel to Music Wars
Rebirth, the PC and Mac music biz simulation. The game is due by the end of this
year, and a preliminary
webpage for the game is online, though there's not much there yet. Here's
word on what's new: "New features to the series will include digital
distribution as an in game factor, the ability to create videos, live albums and
DVDs, improved trend models, new strategic marketing options, Latin America as a
new territory, multiplayer option and hundreds of all new bands and artists will
be included!"
Sega on Aliens vs. Predator on GameSpot interviews Tim (Not His Real Name)
Jones about Rebellion's upcoming return to Aliens versus Predator, the
class-based shooter. They discuss the challenges of balancing the factions,
trophy collecting, environments, the inclusion of the "Predalien," paying homage
to the movies, and word that they will be doing a full multiplayer reveal later
this year, but: "Suffice to say that you will able to play as all three species
and there are some great game modes that make the most of each of their special
abilities. It is sometimes hard to get the team to stop playing the multiplayer
in the office and do some work!"
The
Assassin's Creed 2 interview on PC Games is the English portion of
their conversation about the upcoming stealth/action sequel. Topics include the
role you play in the game, the notoriety system, and an outline of factions you
will encounter along the way.
The
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising interview on Rock, Paper, Shotgun
interrogates Sion Lenton, executive producer on the upcoming military shooter.
Topics include Codemasters' goals for the project, realism versus simulation,
one-shot kills, weapons and gun combat, the game environments, difficulty
levels, and more.
The
Colin McRae Dirt 2 Q&A on Boomtown takes a couple of laps around the
track with Ralph Fulton about the rally racing sequel. They discuss the rebuilt
physics system that will change how cars handle, damage modeling, cars and
tracks, career mode, novelty items, and more.
This press release outlines plans for Razer to support the upcoming release
of StarCraft II with peripherals specifically designed for the RTS sequel. This
supposedly goes beyond aesthetics, as they promise "a quality tournament-grade
mouse, keyboard and headset specifically designed to maximize the StarCraft II
gameplay experience." There's no word on whether such a mouse is supposed to be
pointier, or just clickier than its non-endorsed brethren, but they are claiming
these peripherals "are poised to revolutionize the RTS category." <Billy Mays
Voice> Now how much would you pay? But wait, there's more! </Billy Mays Voice>
Word is: "In addition to the co-development of Razer StarCraft II gaming
peripherals, Razer will design an exclusive StarCraft II messenger bag,
backpack, and E-Sport Pro Gamer Case. Razer will showcase the StarCraft II
messenger bag at the upcoming BlizzCon(R) gaming convention, to be held August
21-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California."
- Mount & Blade on
PC Cohort.
- Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 5: 8-Bit Is
Enough on
GamersInfo.net.
I suffered through some mail woes yesterday that were quite vexing, if you heard
thumping noises from the northeast, it may have been me banging my head against
the wall. Things seem to be cleared up now, but I did end up losing a bunch of
messages from the middle of the day, so please feel free if you sent something
along yesterday you think may have been missed.
R.I.P.:
NYC skateboarding legend Andy Kessler has died.
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