Archived News:
The Windows edition of Battlefield 1943 is delayed due to challenges
developer DICE is still working through, so gamers will have to wait until early
next year to play the PC edition of the online shooter released for Xbox 360
in July. The World War II game was planned for release
next month, but
an interview on G4tv.com with Battlefield 1943 producer Gordon Van Dyke
reveals the PC setback: We haven't released a Frostbite [DICE's game
engine] built game on PC, so going into this project we lacked a starting
foundation we had on Console. There are also many different and unique only
challenges to the PC that has lead to us pushing the release even further to Q1
CY 2010 [early next year]. This was a hard pill to swallow, but it was
absolutely needed to ensure the features and functionality that PC Players have
come to expect from Battlefield on PC are not missing. Things like support for
DirectX 9 and 10, higher player count (up to 32-player matches), wide peripheral
support i.e. Joysticks for flying, VoIP, and ranked server provider hosting. So
it was and still is the absolutely right decision, for quality sake, to not
release until it is ready.
Xbox360Achievements.org has news of new achievements added to Mass Effect,
a pretty strong indication new DLC is in the works for BioWare's sci-fi RPG, as
first rumored over a year ago. The three achievements they list
indicate the setting is a space station named Pinnacle Station, which correlates
with a
previous post of theirs on DLC plans outlined by project director Casey
Hudson on the Mass Effect Platinum Hits Edition DVD describing possible locales
as a "casino, gaming, fight club, space station." Thanks
Blend Games.
The GamesCom trailer for Dark Void is now on the
YouTube, showing almost
five minutes of combat and other action we haven't seen in previous clips from
Airtight Games' upcoming jetpack-powered action game. Especially cool were the
couple of scenes of flying onto large aircraft and messing with their engines
like the gremlin in the Twilight Zone.
The Rage Interview
on Shacknews chats with id Software's Tim Willits and Matt Hooper about
various topics of interest, focusing on RAGE, id's upcoming game of on-
and off-road rage. Specific topics include stealth, their "open but directed"
world, an insinuation Tech5 development was slowed by John Carmack's fascination
with the then newly-released iPhone, why they are holding off building the last
level, the parts of the game that still need polish, other assorted gameplay
stuff, a promise they are not holding back on anything for just to add it as
future DLC, word a Fallout Pip-Boy might just be on a dashboard in the
wasteland, and more. There is also a strong reassurance from Matt for those
concerned that RAGE being designed for console controls means PC controls will
suffer as a result: And a lot of your readers play with mouse and
keyboard, and I read a lot of comments about--it's funny, because they think we
abandoned that. Tim and I have been making games for that for thirty-plus years
combined. It's not like we forgot about that, we've got that covered. That's the
easy part.
The reason we mentioned the controllers is because that's the thing that's a
little new for id, making sure it's right on all the consoles. The game will
play awesome on mouse and keyboard.
English Final Fantasy XIII demo will be brand new, downloadable (if it happens)
reports Joystiq. In short, there's no certainty of an English language
version of a Final Fantasy XIII demo, but if there is one, it won't be the same
as PS3 demo released on the Japanese Blu-Ray release of Final Fantasy VII:
Advent Children Complete with Square Enix's Yoshinori Kitase saying: "if we were
to provide the demo overseas, it would be a completely new version."
Gatheryn Website is now accepting
account registrations and offering client downloads to prepare for the
presumably imminent launch of this steampunk MMORPG. Here's the description of
Gatheryn from developer Mindfuse Games: "Gatheryn is a free-to-play
virtual world from Mindfuse Games, bringing together simple, accessible gameplay
with the social experiences of a persistent online world. Set in a lush 3D
environment inspired by Victorian steampunk fiction, Gatheryn is a game where
players can enjoy a wealth of addictive, engaging mini-games, earning their way
to unique avatar customization, personalized player homes, and more -- as well
as explore a deep and intriguing story with a host of fascinating characters."
Thanks
Massively.
Fairytale Fights and the Kill 1,000 Children Achievement on UGO reports a
tidbit it seems likely will make a stink before long, but we'll see. Word is
Playlogic's Fairytale Fights apparently does (in its current prerelease
form, at least) have an achievement for killing 1,000 children, "innocent ones,"
no less. The game's producer Poria Torkan expresses concern this achievement may
not make the final cut, but aren't almost all fairy tales about killing innocent
kids? Thanks
GamePolitics. Speaking of which, there is a new GameTrailers has a new
Emperor Cinematic and a new
Boss Gameplay trailer from the game.
Europa Universalis III: Heir to the Throne is the title of a new
expansion planned for release this December for Europa Universalis III, Paradox
Interactive's RTS sequel, reports
Big Download. Details on what it will offer are scant, but include a new
system where "wars have specific goals from start to finish," more options for
the Holy Roman Empire and Papacy, more dynamic pirates, and more.
Big Download also has word on For The Glory: A Europa Universalis II Game,
a new standalone game based on the previous installment in the series based on a
Europa Universalis II user modification. For The Glory is due in November
offering control of any of 180 countries to participate in historical scenarios
set between 1419 and 1819. There are more details on Europa Universalis III:
Heir to the Throne on
the
Paradox Interactive Forums (thanks dubfanatic): Requested by the fans,
Heir to the Throne is the third expansion to the preeminent historical strategy game Europa Universalis III. The expansion takes
the hugely successful game beyond complete, with improvements across the board:
Features
• Intriguing Casus Belli system, where wars have specific goals from start to
finish.
• Monarchs now belong to dynasties, with far reaching effects on the diplomatic
model.
• More involving and powerful Holy Roman Empire and Papacy options.
• Special diplomatic options for Republics.
• Set your National Focus in a province to enhance growth and strengthen your
hold in the region.
• Permanent Terra Incognita removed and replaced with impassable regions.
• Cultural Tradition allows better advisors in the same way that Military
Tradition allows better generals and admirals.
• Spheres of Influence simulate the Great Game of the major powers.
• More dynamic pirates. Issue letters of marque to plague the sea zones of rival
nations.
• Monarchs need to uphold their legitimacy in the eyes of their subjects
• Many other additions and improvements.
The weekend deal on Steam
is 1701 A.D. (aka Anno 1701), the real-time strategy/city
construction game from SUNFLOWERS. Until Monday
1701 A.D. Gold Edition is
$14.99, which is half-price.
Impulse Weekend Buys include Kingdom Elemental Tactics for $14.95
($5.00 off), AI War for $14.99 ($5.00 off), Space Rangers for
$9.99 ($10.00 off), and Hero's Tale Enhanced Edition for $5.99 ($4.00
off). Finally, GamersGate offers
Universe at War: Earth Assault for $9.95 (half price),
Serious Sam 2
for $14.95 (also half-off), and
Viva
Media Chess Bundle for $29.95 (40% off).
New on GameTap for subscribers is
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword, which also includes the
Warlords expansion. Also, you don't need to steal anything to play
Thief: Deadly Shadows, as for the next week the stealth game is part of
the free area on this subscription service. There are also some new offerings on
DRM-free game vendor GOG.com, where they now
offer more Ubisoft
titles such as
Heroes of Might and Magic 2 Gold Edition,
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Complete Edition,
The
Settlers 2 Gold Edition, and
Might
and Magic 6 Limited Edition.
The Guild Wars 2 Website is now
live with the media and information released today for ArenaNet's
online RPG sequel, as well as newsletter signups, and presumably more to come.
The Unknown
Worlds Website has another of the reveals for
Natural Selection 2, the
upcoming online first-person shooter sequel. Today we meet "Gorge" the game's
main "builder/healer" class that's a bit lacking in offensive power. They link
to a trailer on the
YouTube with some character animations, and describe similarities and
differences between the Gorge in the first game and the sequel.
GameTrailers.com now offers part three of their video conversation with id
Software's John Carmack. In this installment, id's technical director outlines
his thoughts on how to break into the game development field.
A new Aliens Vs Predator trailer puts us in the dark with some Colonial Marines
as they lock and load in Rebellion's upcoming shooter. Things actually work out
okay until a predator shows up, at which point it's game over, man! You can find
the trailer on
GameTrailers.com.
A new "Vote Trailer" from Tropico 3 demonstrates the joys of a democracy,
as long as you vote for El Presidente. The clip is posted on
GameVideos.
There's an Age Of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer gameplay movie on
GameTrailers.com. This is a ShakyCam clip shot off the monitor, offering a
look at Funcom's MMORPG expansion in action.
Midway Europe Sold In Management Buyout on Edge Online has details on the
"smaller entities" said to be buying Midway's French and German divisions when
THQ bought Midway San Diego earlier this month. It turns out
these arms have been part of a management buyout, and word is: "Spiess Media
Holding UG has acquired the UK and French offices of Midway Games, while the
German office of the Midway group has been bought by F & F Publishing GmbH,
which is owned by Fürstenberg and Meyer." According to Midway boss Matt Booty
(call): "We are very pleased that the European management team has come together
to purchase Midway’s European organisation. Our European publishing and
distribution business had consistently grown year-on-year under the leadership
of Martin Spiess. These European operations are comprised of a strong network of
developers and publishers from around the globe and are based around an
excellent team that has proven its expertise and know-how in game production."
There's further detail on all this on
Gamasutra,
where they say this will revive the dormant Tradewest brand, and that Midway
says the UK, French, and German offices will "form a strategic alliance" within
a European distribution network, quoting Speiss saying: "Most recently, the
European arm had contributed almost 40 percent of Midway's worldwide revenues."
Link of the Day:
Apple Movie Trailers - Avatar. Thanks Tony!!!
There will not be a demo before the launch of Borderlands, though a demo
may still follow the release of Gearbox's upcoming role-playing shooter. This
comes from
Joystiq, who learned this from a 2K rep, who told them: "Everyone is really,
really focusing on getting the game done for release ... that's not to say there
will never be a demo, just not before launch." This jibes with a comment they
attribute to Randy Pitchford's GamesCom presentation, as he says he hopes people
will be drawn to the game through solid word of mouth. Also,
Eurogamer has comments from Pitchford about DLC, who says "people are going
to be surprised when they find out how quickly we're coming, and with what
content we're coming", though they are also planning on evaluating what players
want to seem more of. "But we do have some plans for the initial stuff already
in motion, and I'll be announcing that soon," he adds.
A tweet by Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling reveals some of the voice talent from
Modern Warfare 2 (including Keith David, one of Hollywood's great
voices), and says that development of the game is "all coming together," if you
are hoping for signs that development of Infinity Ward's military shooter sequel
is nearing completion: It's all coming together! Kevin McKidd, Craig
Fairbrass, Barry Pepper, Keith David & Glenn Morshower's final voice work going
into the game.
A new trailer from Batman: Arkham Asylum is now available, focusing on
the asylum itself, rather than the Batman. The clip offers the sordid history of
the institution, which turns out to have been created for psychopaths by a
psychopath. The trailer is available on
FileFront and
GameTrailers.com.
This Ubisoft
R.U.S.E Page outlines plans for a "VIP Beta" for R.U.S.E. later this
year that will test the multiplayer support in this upcoming RTS game. Anyone
with a Ubi.com account can register, and here's word: "R.U.S.E. VIP Beta will be
available later this year on Windows systems and will feature an extended
preview of the multiplayer mode. We’ll share extra details on the content you’ll
get your hands on when the time will draw near." Thanks
Kotaku.
'Early 2010' is a 'realistic' release for BioShock 2 on Joystiq reflects on
the release date for BioShock 2, 2K Games' upcoming underwater shooter
sequel. They hash out when the game is to be expected based a conversation with
a 2K representative, and after a confusing update over which version of PAX they
will be attending, they report being told "'early 2010' is a much more realistic
release date than 'second quarter 2010,'" as they had previously drawn the
inference that the game was due in Q2 2010. Either way, neither release window
is out of line with the game's release plans, as when the game was
delayed Take 2 said it was due in their fiscal year 2010, which ends in
November, 2010.
It's Welcome Back Week for
The Lord of the Rings Online as Turbine hopes to entice former
subscribers to return to their Tolkien-inspired MMORPG with a free sample of its
current state. They offer info on the latest content updates, links to download
client patches, and 25% XP bonus. This is offered to former LOTRO players whose
paid online subscriptions expired in good standing. Thanks
Massively.
Tripwire Interactive
announces the release of the free Heavy Metal Content Pack for
Killing Floor, and they celebrate the news by offering a 10% discount on
purchases of the co-op survival/horror game all week. The content pack adds two
new weapons, the AK-47 and the Katana, along with a new map called KF-Foundry.
The pack also adds new "on fire" behavior ("When you're on fire and running down
the street, people get out of your way"), makes the flashlight more realistic,
and addresses some bugs. The update is available automatically for free on
Steam (where that 10% off
sale is also underway), and the content pack will be part of the retail version
of the game, which is due in North American and European stores soon. Full
details are here.
EA community manager APOC tweets that the blank
on this cover image will be filled in
tomorrow, when they will reveal the subtitle for Command & Conquer 4,
their upcoming real-time strategy sequel. Our vote is for "Fred," but that's
probably not it.
Here is the latest
financial reporting from CDV Software Entertainment AG, calling their
results from the first half of 2009 "strong." Revenues for half were 11.3
million Euros, compared to 6.8 million Euros for the same period in 2008, an
increase attributed to "sales of video game software in key territories." The
group reports earnings of 0.9 million Euros compared with a loss of 1.6 million
Euros last year, with net income for the fiscal half-year ending June 30, 2009
of 0.4 million Euros, up from losses of 1.9 million Euros for the half year
ending June 30, 2008, attributed to "a substantial in-crease in sales of mainly
console software followed by game software for the PC." According to CDV CEO
Christian Gloe, "The first half of 2009 was a record year for us with major
achievements despite the current global financial crisis."
The
World of Warcraft Forums have news of the release of a new version 3.2.0a
bug-fix patch for World of Warcraft to address some issues in the MMORPG
that can't be hot fixed. Manual patches for the various language editions are
mirrored on
The Patches Scrolls. Also on
The
Patches Scrolls are manual patches to update any previous version 3.x.x of
the game to version 3.2.0 for a mere 1.6 GB download.
Telltale Games now
offers the promised release of The Siege of Spinner Cay, Chapter 2 of
Tales of Monkey Island, the episodic continuation of the adventures of
Guybrush Threepwood. A trial version of Chapter 1, Launch of the Screaming
Narwhal, is available, and here's word on the new chapter: In Chapter
2 - The Siege of Spinner Cay, Guybrush's adventures continue on the high seas as
pox-plagued pirates threaten the innocent Mer-People. In between defending the
Mer-People and dodging the persistent pirate hunter hot on his trail, Guybrush
manages to catch up to his beloved wife and despised arch-nemesis -- but their
reunion is short-lived. Now Guybrush must focus on eradicating the Pox of
LeChuck before more harm can be done. And as the Mighty Pirate draws closer to a
cure, the waters will only grow murkier in this thrilling new chapter of the
epic saga over 5 months.
The Tales of Monkey Island series can be purchased for $34.95 on PC at
www.telltalegames.com. The Siege of
Spinner Cay WiiWare is expected to release in the near future, and will be
available from the Wii Shop Channel. The first Tales of Monkey Island WiiWare
chapter is currently available on the Wii Shop Channel for 1000 Wii points.
GameStop posts disappointing profit, cuts outlook has disappointing
financial results for this retail game chain. GameStop claims earnings of $38.7
million (23 cents per share) for the period ended Aug. 1, down 32% from the same
period last year. Word is: "Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected a
profit of 28 cents per share. Sales fell nearly 4 percent to $1.74 billion,
while same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, fell 14.1
percent." GameStop has also lowered its financial outlook for the rest of the
year. There's a follow up on
IndustryGamers quoting GameStop CEO Dan DeMatteo's optimism for the future:
"To all of you who follow this industry, I would like you to begin thinking in
respect to 2010 and what it's going to look like, and I think if you look at the
model of 2008 you're going to find a very similar set of circumstances in 2010
that will drive the business bigger for both us and the entire industry."
PopCap announces that
Plants vs. Zombies is now available for Windows and Macintosh at
several retail outlets after three months of availability online. The press
release outlines current availability at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, Apple
Stores, and Amazon.com, and says the game will also come to Sam’s Club,
OfficeMax and Office Depot in October. They also outline plans to bring the RTS
game to iPhone and iPod Touch around the end of this year, though no further
details are offered at this time.
A Crynet Systems Website is a new
viral website offering an introduction to Nanosuit 2, "the next generation of
modern war fighter," that players will wear in Crysis 2, Crytek's
upcoming shooter sequel. The site offers info on the sci-fi game's new armor,
including a brochure in that Adobe Acrobat format that apparently will still be in favor
in 2024. There is a video trailer in the form of a Crynet Systems promotion, as
well as a technical demonstration video with specifications for the suit, which
may or may not make your ass look fat.
$40 For That Old Thing? How Used Games Are Priced on Kotaku.AU looks at how
used games are priced, talking with several used game vendors, though industry
leader GameStop was not willing to comment for their article. The simple
economics of supply and demand are still in play, of course, and they examine
how this is determined. On a related note,
Retailers 'limit UK
games market' on the BBC is a GamesCom conversation with a couple of
publishers about games at retail and the secondary market (thanks
GamesIndustry.biz). Koch Media's Georg Larch tells them digital distribution
will help publishers deal with used game sales, while Eidos' Ian Livingstone
says they still want to work with retailers because: "These aren't just shops,
they are a marketing tool, a window into our world where software houses can
display their wares." Of course some gamers buy games at full price only because
they know they can later recoup some of that cost by selling games, and many
gamers use the proceeds from selling their old games to buy new ones, but
apparently Livingstone sees no value in this, saying: "The pre-owned market is a
serious problem, because there is no benefit to developers or publishers."
Erik Lindqvist's LinkedIn
Page has a credit for a game called Fortress that was being developed
by now defunct GRIN for Square Enix before being cancelled. This
comes way of
superannuation, who
also show us that
Tomislav
Spajic's LinkedIn Profile lists an "unannounced Final Fantasy project" on
his résumé that is also Fortress, as his
portfolio offers art from Fortress as well as Cult, "another
cancelled and unannounced project." You may want to hurry to check out the art
if you're interested, as
they also link to
a portfolio that's already been deleted.
There's a Guild Wars 2 trailer on
GameTrailers.com as the first sign of the promised news on
ArenaNet's online role-playing sequel. The first half of the high-resolution
clip is pre-rendered, but striking, depicting all creatures great and small
(especially the great ones). The later portions of the clip feature in-game
environments and a bit of gameplay. Here is an updated
Guild Wars 2 FAQ
and a big batch
of Guild Wars 2 artwork and screenshots, and there are also details
on the game in a
preview on
Eurogamer and the
preview on IGN also has a Q&A with the folks from ArenaNet. Here's a bit of
Mike's own words on the topic:
We think of the Guild Wars franchise as the un-MMO, with all of the depth and
social features you'd expect from an MMO but without the grind or the mandatory
time commitments, and without the monthly fees.
Guild Wars 2 takes the instanced gameplay that allowed us to tell stories so
effectively in the original and supplements it with a fully persistent world
that provides easy opportunities to find existing friends and make new ones. It
takes the flexible and customizable character progression from the original and
adds new options, new playable races, and new personalized storylines. It takes
the optional competitive aspect of the original and splits it in two, so that
it's both more approachable for casual players and more of an e-sport for the
hard core. It takes the unique skill deck system of the original and makes it
more comprehensible, with a focus on quality of skills instead of quantity.
During the past two years of development we made huge advances to our game
engine, adding a persistent world with free-form movement and exploration,
day/night cycles, cutting edge support for dungeons and interior environments,
numerous graphical advancements including support for more detailed environments
and models, better lighting and shadows, new animation and effects systems, plus
new audio and cinematics engines, a more flexible combat and skill-casting
system, and so on. We also built an array of new content creation tools,
enabling us to build a larger and grander world, bring it to life with a wide
variety of events always taking place, create more unique and interesting
adversaries, and tell stories more compellingly than we ever did before.
Paradox Interactive announces East India Company Privateer, an upcoming
expansion for Nitro Games' naval combat RTS game East India Company,
saying it "introduces players to a dark and mysterious world with allegiances
only to fortune and a thirst for destruction." The "ominous" GamesCom cinematic
trailer for the add-on is posted on the
YouTube, and here's
word on what you will get to do playing as a Privateer: When playing
Privateer, you can hire two distinct type of commanders for your fleets:
merchant captains and privateers. You’ll be contracted by the crown or other
powers for different missions, ranging from smugglin and escorting friendly
fleets to locating, capturing or sinking important ships from enemy nations.
Also included in East India Company: Privateer is a brand new multiplayer
scenario entitled ”Breakthrough.” In Breakthrough, one team will attempt to
escort their flagship to safety while the other team tries to destroy the enemy
ship.
East India Company: Privateer Features:
• Two new campaigns in which you play the game as a privateer of your
chosen nation.
• New missions, including locating and either sinking or capturing enemy
ships, blockading enemy ports and escorting friendly fleets.
• New commander skills to fit the life of a privateer, such as "False
Colors", which allows the player to get close to the victim without them
perceiving a threat, and "Critical Hit", which gives the player a chance to hit
an enemy ship’s magazine, causing the enemy ship to explode.
The Just Cause 2 Website is now
online as a destination to find out more about the upcoming action sequel. The
site includes information, forums, videos, and screenshots, including the game's
box art. To kick things off they are running a competition that will add the
names of five registered users of the site to the game as Colonels.
This press release
announces plans to launch a print magazine devoted to World
of Warcraft, Blizzard's MMORPG. With the general shift from print to online
underway, this seems an odd move, especially for an online game, and a $40.00
subscription fee for four quarterly issues seems like a tough sell in any case.
Ars Technica talks to the folks behind this project to explore these issues,
discussing how the magazine is to be marketed
directly at players and issues will be printed on demand.
Playable console demos for Colin McRae: DiRT 2 are now available.
According to Codemasters: "...the Colin McRae: DiRT 2 playable demo will be
available today from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and
entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation Store for the
PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system in Europe." There's a clip from the
demo on the game's Facebook page
where they offer a best time competition and the following on the demo's console
release schedule: "The DiRT 2 demo is coming out in North America on Xbox 360
20th August and Playstation 3 27th August and the Rest of the World on Xbox 360
and Playstation 3 20th August." We're also told the
DiRT2 Website has yet another new
movie from Colin McRae: DiRT 2 to show off the RV interface in the game. We've
encountered problems with the site's mega- Flash interface to find it, but the
clip is also available on
ActionTrip.
Meanwhile there's a
Colin McRae- DiRT 2 Interview on IncGamers in your choice of video or text.
As for the PC-specific edition,
PC Perspective has a
clip teasing the DirectX 11 support that delayed the PC ediiton,
and we have contacted Codemasters for to ask if a PC demo is also planned, and
will follow up when we hear back from them.
Well my gable fan is finally fixed. After all that waiting, the guys didn't even
come into the house, they were able to replace it from the roof. I try not to
contemplate the consequences of them never asking me to shut off the power, as I
picture an electrocuted guy falling 30 feet from the roof to his death, but it
all worked out fine, and I'm sure I'm just being a wuss. And a hot wuss at
that, as I think I have been overestimating the impact the repaired fan could
have on such a nasty heat wave.
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