Archived News:
Direct2Drive's deal of the week is
Defense Grid: The Awakening. Between now and Sunday this tower
defense strategy game is $9.95 USD, which is 50% off the regular price.
GamesIndustry.biz quotes EA executive VP and GM of international publishing
Gerhard Florin, who does not conceal his frustration in a conversation with
German website
SPIEGEL
ONLINE over the German rating system that is exceptionally strict about
video game violence. Florin calls the system "censorship" and demands Germany
drop its USK system in favor of the Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) system
used elsewhere. They also offer a counter-point from USK head Marek Brunner, who
points out other regulations influence this situation, including German criminal
law, and that the there are "no plans" to adopt the PEGI system.
Voodoo Extreme has a multi-point document from Creative Assembly responding
to several complaints, including that the just-announced
Napoleon: Total War will take resources way from Empire: Total War,
as issues remain in CA's previous installment in the RTS series. Here's the
response to that part in particular: We have not given up on supporting
Empire. The major AI upgrade patch is still very much being worked on and is
coming shortly. It will be with you a good while before Napoleon's release.
Napoleons development is ongoing, just as our support of Emprie is ongoing. We
recognise Empire had problems on release and we've dealt with the vast majority
of stability and performance issues people are having. We now need to balance
and address gameplay issues. The AI particularly. We have listened to everything
you have said and are looking to address as much as possible. Empire has not
been forgotten and a major gameplay upgrade is coming, and coming soon.
A new trailer from S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat is now available to
show off more of this coming installment in GSC Game World's shooter series set
in the inhospitable Chernobyl region. The clip demonstrates the game's
environments and graphics more than gameplay, though there is a little combat
mixed in as well. The trailer concludes with a reassuring Fall 2009 release
date. You can find the movie on
ActionTrip.
The first Twin Sector
Teaser Trailer on GameVideos shows this upcoming "physics based
action-adventure" from Head Up Games that uses Havok physics. We've missed the
ball on this project up until now, and since it's due next month already, we've
dig up the
announcement we missed in May for a quick catch up: Twin Sector is a
thrilling physics-based action-adventure which allows players free interaction
with their environment. Using the advantages of the powerful HAVOC®-Engine,
innumerable puzzles, challenges and enemies await the players in a hostile and
threatening futuristic environment. Featuring more than 15 missions alongside a
thrilling story line unfolding over the course of action, Twin Sector appeals to
all core gamers worldwide.
Blizzard Answers Your Questions and More on Slashdot features the answers to
questions submitted by the Slashdot readership for answer by Blizzard at
BlizzCon. The lengthy article touches on all Blizzard's upcoming projects,
addressing questions towards the parties most connected with each project.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Link of the Day:
Taking an MRI in Japan might surprise you. I think we need to import more
Japanese TV. Thanks Ant.
The
Mass Effect 2 interview on VG247 discusses the upcoming RPG sequel
with BioWare associate producer Jesse Houston. Topics include their efforts at
producing the same amount of gameplay as is in the original Mass Effect
with twice the assets, changes to combat, control schemes, and more. He also
talks about how the PC edition will ship simultaneously with the Xbox 360
version: "We learned a lot from building the PC version before, and having built
it six months later there was a big difference. So we actually took what we
learned from PC and put it back into 360. Fundamentally, we want you to have the
same gameplay experience, but just with the difference in controls. This time
round, doing it at the same time for a sim-ship, we can control the differences
much more smoothly because it’s the same team building it now."
Amazon's Game Download Store now offers sales of the first two chapters of
Tales of Monkey Island. This is the first time individual episodes are
being offered from the Windows edition of Telltale's adventure revival, which is
planned for five chapters in total.
This press release
has the full details.
An article on
G4tv.com hashes through release scenarios for Aliens: Colonial Marines
after a phone conversation with SEGA about the occassionally
sketchy future of Gearbox's Aliens first-person shooter. SEGA president Mike
Hayes tells them the release date for Colonial Marines will be based on the
release date of Aliens versus Predator, Rebellion's upcoming
multi-franchise sequel, saying: "it's unlikely that we'd launch anything within
six months [after Aliens vs. Predator], but probably nine months, eight to 12
months possibly." Hayes also indicates the success of AvP at retail could end up
pushing this date forwards or backwards, and will influence the third game in
the series: "do we then determine when we want to bring the next one out and
then, of course, determine what the third one in the series is likely to be." As
for that third game, he says it "absolutely" will still happen, in spite of the
cancellation of Obsidian's planned Aliens RPG.
New version 190.62 WHQL-certified drivers are now available for NVIDIA GeForce
6, 7, 8, 9, 100, and 200-series desktop GPUs, and ION GPUs. The new drivers have
an updated version of PhysX for Batman: Arkham Asylum and Darkest of
Days and fixes some bugs. The new drivers are available for
Windows XP,
Windows VISTA/Windows 7,
Windows XP
64-bit, and
Windows Vista 64-bit, Windows 7 64-bit. Thanks Mike Martinez and
FiringSquad.
The launch trailer for Batman: Arkham Asylum is now available to drive us
batty for the console release of the new Batman game, though the Windows edition
is not due for aother few weeks. The clip shows off a bit of the
game and some review blurbs, concluding with an August 28 release date, though
this is for Europe, as the console versions are due in North American stores
tomorrow. On that topic,
Gamestop lists stores in the US with midnight madness events starting this
evening, and
Shacknews outlines how to get a $30.00 gift card from Toys
Я Us (thanks [THA] Hamst3r for the typography tip) with a purchase of the
game from one of their stores tomorrow. The new trailer is available on
AtomicGamer and
GameTrailers.com.
MindFuse Games announces
the promised beta testing of their subscription-free MMOG
Gatheryn is now underway. Here's the
pitch: "Gatheryn is a 3D virtual world filled with casual games that will
challenge your timing, skill, and wit. Featuring more than 30 of the most renown
casual games integrated into the game’s unique steam powered aesthetic, Gatheryn
also lets players personalize an avatar, purchase virtual items with in-game
silver or cash, and participate in a variety of community events and activities.
Gatheryn is scheduled to be released in late 2009."
Gamasutra
highlights an interesting bit from their
in-depth interview with Scott Miller we mentioned on Friday
where the 3D Realms cofounder described the future of his company "fine." At one
point he speaks of another company using the Apogee name, and we missed how this
mentions plans to "reboot" the Rise of the Triad franchise, though we'd
enjoy seeing a follow up to a 1994/1995 game that didn't involve a reboot, as we
think a 2D game would run pretty smoothly on current systems. That may be moot,
as from Scott's quote this all sounds like it may be all about mobiles:
There's actually another company now going by the name of Apogee. About a
year ago, we licensed the Apogee name to some other business people -- one of
them had actually worked here several years before. They're reviving the Apogee
label, the Apogee name, and they're doing a Duke Nukem Trilogy of games on the
DS and PSP. They're also going to reboot the Rise of the Triad franchise, plus
they have some other original titles that they're going to be doing.
The Entertainment Software
Rating Board now lists a PC edition of Manhunt 2 among the games it
has rated. As interesting as Windows plans for Rockstar Games' action/adventure
sequel is the AO/Adults-Only rating it has earned, since games are very rarely
released with that rating (there are currently all of
24 AO titles in the ESRB
database). The console versions of the game were originally also given an AO
rating before some of the content in the game was tamed down, and even then the
BBFC rejected the new version for sale in the UK before this ruling was changed
by a lawsuit. Currently it is not clear if the Windows version of the game
includes the content removed from the console editions, if it is destined for
digital distribution, or if this rating will be appealed. Thanks
Joystiq.
A
Demigod Preview of the Oculus on Brad Wardell's Blog outlines one of the two
free demigods that will be released for Demigod, the action/strategy
hybrid from Gas Powered Games. He says they were hoping to show off Oculus at
PAX, but he doesn't think the art will be ready in time. In the meanwhile, he
offers some preliminary details on how this "Ranged General fighting for the
Forces of Light." Thanks
Voodoo Extreme.
Gamer.nl has word (in Dutch) from Pyro Studios that they are reviving their
Commandos series of World War II real-time tactics games (thanks
Kotaku).
We once again put ourselves in the confusing hands of
Babel Fish for an automated translation
that seems to indicate they regret the switch to the 3D engine used in
Commandos 3, and we may see a return to 2D when development on a new
Commandos game follows the release of their Planet 51 game:
Developer Pyro studios gets to work with a new commando commandos-game.
That has confirmed the studio compared with Gamer.nl. "
We go certainly busy with new commandos, the time are there ripe voor" , said a
spokesman of Pyro studios against Gamer.nl. the new title returns to the basis
and will do think of the style of commandos 2. The game then real-time
strategiegame will be, and no first-person shooter such as the last commando
commandos-game, commandos: Strike Force from 2006. According to Pyro studios the
overstap to 3D a bad choice was.
The studio works at this moment for Planet 51. That game, to the gelijknamige
cartoon, is for November 2009. As soon as that project is finished, be ready
projects there two new. The new commandos are of it one according to Pyro
studio.
EA's Romily Broad tweets
a playable demo for FIFA 10 will launch on September 10 to give fans of
academy football aka (soccer) the chance to kick around a sample of the next
installment in the series. A post on
Computer and Video Games has details: Play as Chelsea, Barcelona,
Juventus, Bayern Munich, Marseille, and Chicago Fire (MLS) and discover a
football experience that will deliver a new standard for authenticity with
gameplay refinements and innovations that will make it the most complete and
intelligent simulation of football. In addition to playing an exhibition match,
for the first time in a FIFA demo users will be able to upload created in-game
videos to EA Football World
Telltale Games GCom 09
Interview on Gamerglotze.de is a video with Dan Connors that may set some
sort of record for worst-ever camerawork. Topics include the reception for their
Tales of Monkey Island series, an attempt to pin him down about a
possible Day of the Tentacle revival, future Sam & Max plans, why
Strong Bad sales were not as strong as some of their other series, why
individual episodes were not initially offered for sale for Tales of Monkey Island, their
relationship with LucasArts, and more. Dan admits Day of the Tentacle is his
favorite older LucasArts title, but denies that any set plans for a remake are
currently in place.
The
Todd Hollenshead interview on VG247 is their talk with the id Software CEO
from the recent QuakeCon extravaganza. Along the way he says
Microsoft is in the “best position” to launch next-gen hardware,
DOOM 4 was not shown because they weren't ready to show it, and that
while he doubts RAGE will have an open beta, it will may have a demo.
Here's one of his comments on the possibility of a sample of their
driving/shooting game: "There could be something that’s more along the lines of
a PC demo or maybe a Mac demo that comes out from a test perspective. But
really, at this point, that’s speculation."
The
Swiss.German edition of the Xbox LIVE Marketplace has a premature listing
for the Pinnacle Station DLC for Mass Effect first revealed
last week (thanks
VG247). Here's an always wacky Babel Fish
translation of the accompanying German language description: Effect
measured you is COMM other Shepard of the SS Normandy, an elite agent of the
alliance military. Investigate with your handread out team from combat,
technique and Biotik specialists strange planet, while you must hold a size-mad
to destroy the entire galaxy. Download new systems and worlds and visit you
them! Become acquainted with new characters never before and to meet you seen
extraterrestial species! Find new weapons, articles of equipment and other
objects, while you experience a completely new adventure!"
Universal picks 'BioShock' helmer has word that 28 Weeks Later
director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo has been signed to direct the BioShock
movie that was once to be helmed by Gore Verbinski before the project
went on hold. Word is: Gore Verbinski has stepped out of the
directing slot, but remains the film's producer through his U-based Blind Wink
shingle. John Logan wrote the script.
Verbinski opted out of directing because the studio's budget plan for the film
has been revamped to lense abroad in order to take advantage of tax credits and
favorable exchange rates. Verbinski couldn't commit to an overseas shoot because
he is locked into directing the Paramount animated film "Rango," with the title
character voiced by his "Pirates of the Caribbean" cohort Johnny Depp.
The
Supreme Commander 2 interview on Fragland.net talks with Chris Taylor of Gas
Powered Games about Supreme Commander 2, their coming RTS sequel. Near
the start of the short Q&A they ask Chris if he's satisfied with how the first
game came out and seems to sort of duck the question: "Most people measure a
game’s success based on the units it sold, but for a company it's how much the
revenue was. And yes we make good money… But we believe the success in this
industry comes from continuing to evolve your games and to make them better and
to build a momentum with your customer. Keep delivering more and more, building
on things that they love. So, I think looking ahead to the future is where the
excitement is right now for Supreme Commander."
- LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues on
GameInfoWire.
Had a rough start to the morning after some late-night snacking gave me some
nasty heartburn. This is not the first time this has happened, and I need to
learn my lesson once and for all. I guess having said that means that either
I'll learn to stop doing that, or at least stop admitting it.
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