Archived News:
Today is the launch date for Risen, the new action/RPG from Piranha
Bytes. The game is available from digital distributors
Direct2Drive and Steam
and presumably a retailer near you. Also, for those who missed the update to
yesterday's release of the Risen demo, the first versions of the
demo were corrupted, so here is a list of mirrors with known working copies:
AtomicGamer,
ComputerGames.ro,
FileFront,
Gamer's Hell,
PixelRage,
and The Patches Scrolls.
Preorders of Borderlands are now underway for Gearbox Software's upcoming
role-playing shooter, as the "remaining work items until gold" countdown on
GearboxSoftware.com is down to 74.
Direct2Drive and Steam
are each now accepting preorders/pre-purchases, and are offering a 10% discount
to reward the advance commitment.
Rogue Warrior will be released on December 1
Big Download has confirmed with Bethesda Softworks, after noticing that
release date in
GameStop's listing for the game. Rebellion's upcoming first person shooter
will feature actor Mickey Rourke as the voice of Richard “Demo Dick” Marcinko in
a game loosely based on his exploits as a Navy SEAL.
The
Dragon Age: Origins Forums announce Character Creator from Dragon Age:
Origins will be released on October 13, giving players three weeks to
experiment with character creation before the action/RPG goes live (thanks
IGN). As the
following states, this will be accompanied by beta testing of their new
community website: The Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator will allow
you to create numerous different characters before launch and experiment with
the different classes, races, and create multiple faces for the 6 Origin stories
and save them to your hard drive for safe keeping until the game is released.
As you may be aware we are extending the BioWare community with a new social
community site for Dragon Age: Origins. The great news is when we launch the
Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator we will also be launching an open beta of
the new social community site. You will be able to log into the new Social
community site with your existing BioWare forums account name and password, and
update it to the new social site account. Characters created with the Dragon
Age: Origins Character Creator can also be uploaded to your account from within
the Character creator. Once logged in to the social site, one of the first
things you will be able to do is use one of your uploaded characters as your
social website avatar for your profile on the new social website forums (yes we
got that in!!), exciting stuff! Stay tuned for more information on the social
website from now through launch.
The Star Wars: The Old
Republic Developer Blog now has a new update filling in details about the
Sith Warrior class from BioWare's upcoming Star Wars MMORPG. They offer a couple
of images and a description of this class centered on "domination and control"
that will allow those who have embraced the Dark Side to "express your inner
Vader."
Steam News announces a new
automatic update for RailWorks to address a couple of bugs in the transportation
simulator. Also now on sale is the latest in the large collection of DLC for the
game, a new Class S-2
Berkshire RailWorks Add-on, offering two locomotives and a free roam
scenario.
Develop follows up on this morning's news of an odd
stock-swap buyout that would take Polish developer/publisher CD Projekt public,
confirming with the company that such a deal is in the works, but has not yet
been finalized. They do stress that such a deal would be a positive move: "This
means money for future development of [the] whole company," a spokesperson tells
them. "This is very good news for us."
- Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales on
GoGamer. Save 50%.
- ANNO 1404 on
GoGamer. Save 30%.
- Borderlands on
Direct2Drive. Save 10% on preorders.
- Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood on
GoGamer. Save 14%.
- Champions Online on
GoGamer. Save 20%.
- City of Heroes Architect Edition on
GoGamer. Save 10%.
- D2D Best of Girls of Gaming on
Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
- Fallen Earth on
GoGamer. Save 10%.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on
GoGamer. Save 74%.
- Heroes of Might and Magic V on
GoGamer. Save 50%.
- Oddworld Games on
Steam. Save 66%.
- Painkiller Black Limited on
GoGamer. Save 85%.
- Premier Manager 2010 on
GoGamer. Save 44%.
- Raven Squad on
Steam. Includes a free copy of Legendary.
- Shaun White Snowboarding on
GoGamer. Save 75%.
- Stronghold Legends on
GoGamer. Save 90%.
- Tex Murphy Series on
GOG.com. Save 30%.
- Tropico 3 on
Direct2Drive. Preorders save 10%.
- Ultimate Flight Collection on
GoGamer. Save 84%.
- WWII Battle Tanks- T-34 vs Tiger on
GoGamer. Save 58%.
Still on sale (previously reported)
- AudioSurf on Steam.
Save 50%.
- All Aspect Warfare on
Steam. Save 25%.
- Angle of Attack on
Steam. Save 25%.
- Batman: Arkham Asylum on
Amazon.com. Save 10% for
PC,
12% for
360, and
PS3. Thanks nin.
- Bridge Construction Set on
Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
- Cities XL: Pre-Purchase on
Steam. Limited
Edition for the standard edition price plus in-game bonus items.
- Cogs on
Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
- Company of Heroes Gold on
Impulse. Save 25%.
- CrimeCraft on Steam. Save 25%.
- Dark Void Preorders on
GameStop. Outlines the preorder bonus.
- Dark Void Preorders on
Game Crazy. Get a limited edition Trexi.
- Defense Grid: The Awakening on
Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
- Europa Universalis Rome Gold on
Impulse.
- Gish Download on
Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
- Grand Ages: Rome on
Steam. Save 50%.
- Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge on
Steam. Save 50%.
- Light of Altair Download - Buy Light of Altair on
Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
- Machinarium on
Direct2Drive. Save 25%.
- Making History Gold Edition on
Impulse. Save 50%.
- MDK on Steam. Save 10%.
- Mount and Blade on
Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
- Nemesis of the Roman Empire on
Impulse. Save 47%.
- Officers on Steam. Save 50%.
- The Path Download on
Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
- Red Faction: Guerrilla on
Direct2Drive. Save $5.00 with the code 5OFFREDFACTION at checkout.
- Risen Prepurchase on
Steam. Save 10%.
- Risen on
Gamestop.com. Save $10.00. Thanks
Big Download.
- SFI Mission 4-Pack on
the Strategy First Website. Four games for $19.99.
- Spiderweb Software Store. All games 10% off through October.
- The Spirit Engine 2 on
Impulse. Save 50%.
- Sword of the Stars on
Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
- Tropico 3 Pre-purchase on
Steam. Save 10%.
- Warlords Battlecry III on
Impulse. Save 47%.
- Wolfenstein on
Amazon. Save
41%.
- World of Goo on
Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
- Zatikon on
Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
Polish
developer EXOR Studios announces Zombie Driver, "an action driving
game with a top down perspective and a dynamic helicopter chase camera" planned
for digital distribution next month. The title is (sadly) deceptive, though, as
you play a driver, but you are not a zombie, though you get to run over, shoot,
and blow up epic numbers of the undead. The
Zombie Driver Website is
online, there's a gameplay movie on the
YouTube, here are
some
screenshots, and here's a bit from the announcement: SZCZECIN, POLAND
- OCTOBER 2, 2009 - EXOR Studios, an independent game development company is
proud to announce its first commercial PC title - Zombie Driver™ - an action
driving game with a top down perspective and a dynamic helicopter chase camera.
Fight your way through the streets of a zombie infested city to save the
survivors of a disastrous chemical accident that changed most of the city's
population into mindless brain hungry monsters. Time is your enemy and your car
is your weapon as you race through the streets smashing everything on your way
including fences, phone booths, street lamps and hordes of zombies. When the
gruesomely mutated zombies become too much to handle, buy a new car or get more
guns and upgrades installed. You can earn more money for finishing side quests,
making kill combos and searching for hidden prizes. Game play is unrestricted
and the player can freely roam through the dark streets, alleys and backyards
searching for the best shortcuts or hidden power ups.
Vogster Entertainment announces a new subscription-free mode for their
online shooter CrimeCraft (they are
calling this an "unlimited free trial"), a new "enhanced subscription model" for
the game, a "loyalty program" for their current subscribers, and the first
content update for the game, all expected to launch later this month. Word is:
"CrimeCraft will introduce a new Standard Subscription for $4.99/month in
addition to the current $9.99/month Premium Subscription option. The major
differences between the subscription levels is the extent of customization,
skill slots, speed of experience gain and inventory capacity. Standard and
Premium subscription features will also be showcased behind “velvet rope” areas
to allow players to make a fully-informed subscription decision."
The first patch is now available for Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim,
updating 1C:Ino-Co's real-time strategy sequel to version 1.0.97. The new
version adds an automatic update function for future patches, a "safe mode" to
make it easier to optimize graphics settings, enhanced communication features in
the chat lobbies, as well as a number of bug-fixes. The full patch notes are
posted on the
Paradox Interactive Forums and downloads can be found on the
Paradox
Interactive Forums,
AtomicGamer, Gamer's
Hell, and
The Patches Scrolls. Digitally distributed copies should be updated through
their respective services (the
Impulse one is now available).
Harmonix announces a 10-pack of Queen songs as DLC for Rock Band for
release on October 20, offering one of the most requested classic rock bands
heretofore missing from the music game. This bit of console news is being passed
along here because we don't see it amid the news of next week's DLC on more
console-centric sites, and because it makes us very happy. Here's the track
list: Another One Bites the Dust
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
One Vision
Fat Bottomed Girls
I Want It All
I Want To Break Free
Killer Queen
Somebody To Love
Tie Your Mother Down
Under Pressure
Valve announces preorders of Left 4 Dead 2 are now being accepted,
revealing that preorders on
Steam get a 10% discount off the MSRP of the co-op zombie shooter sequel,
and they are also discounting the Left 4 Dead four-pack and the Left 4 Dead
bundle. The rest of the announcement repeats what we already know about early
demo access and the exclusive baseball bat weapon: "Starting now, those who
pre-order L4D2 from participating retailers (PC, Xbox 360) or via Steam (PC)
will receive early access to the Left 4 Dead 2 demo (currently targeted for
October 27) plus an exclusive in-game item - the American baseball bat, one of
the 10 new melee weapons included in the game."
Independent developer Aaron Styles announces that his game S.H.M.U.P has
been nominated as a finalist in GDC China's Independent Games Festival, and to
celebrate, a playable demo for the side-scrolling shooter is available on his
Charcoal Styles Website. There's
a trailer showing off the game on the
YouTube, here are
three screenshots,
and here's a bit: "S.H.M.U.P puts you in command of up to fifteen independent
ships, defending your wall against a never ending collection of enemies and
massive bosses. To aid you in your defence, you have access to a plethora of
upgrades and awesome exploding, homing missiles. S.H.M.U.P features chip tune
inspired music from Bart Klepka
and Multifaros. The game also features
a Twitter integration (which was included months before any commercial game
announced it!) and extensive modding capabilities."
Black Bean
Games announces WRC, a game based on the FIA
World Rally Championship racing
series, to be released for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 next year. The
announcement doesn't add much detail about the game, as it focuses more on how
the rights to the World Rally Championship were secured, though one quote says
this "will be the most realistic and playable rally game of all time." Here are
a pair of
screenshots. Update: Looks like those "screenshots" are actually photos.
Creative Assembly
announces plans for an upcoming patch to update Empire: Total War to
version 1.5 and add four free new maps to the real-time strategy sequel:
We're pleased to announce that we'll be releasing five new multiplayer
maps with the upcoming 1.5 Patch.
These maps are to mark the release of Warpath on the same day and are a thank
you for the communities continued support.
To be clear these maps are free with the 1.5 patch, you don't need to purchase
Warpath to enjoy them.
The maps are:
• Grassy Flatlands - This is a flat, balanced map designed for
competetive/tournament play.
• Austrian Pinnacles - A maze like European landcape with plenty of
opportunities to outflank and maneuver around your opponent(s).
• Syrian Ridge - A desert map with several oasis scattered around and a large
sandy hill near the centre to dominate the opposition.
• Siberian Plateau - A balanced flat snowy tundra map, heavily forested to allow
for ambush and conealed fighting.
• Homestead - An American plains map with several cabin dwellings and low
rolling hills with oportunities to seize elevated positions.
All the maps will be enabled for all team sizes - 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4,
allowing them all to be played by any number of players.
We hope you enjoy these new additions to Empire's multiplayer experience and we
welcome your feedback.
Polish site
Polygamia.pl reports that CD Projekt is in the process of being acquired by
Optimus S.A., a publicly traded company that builds PCs. The twist on all this
is that Optimus is nearly out of business, and the purchase is being paid for
with Optimus stock to the CD Projekt ownership in what is described as a
backdoor way for privately held CD Projekt to enter the stock market without
going through the paperwork and other formalities this would normally involve.
If this deal is completed, the current ownership will actually still own the
company, but its stock will then be traded on the Polish stock market. Thanks
Develop.
The EA Store is now accepting preorders for the Windows edition of
Battlefield 1943, DICE's World War II shooter. As they
tweet:
"BF1943 coming to PC featuring 32 players, joystick support, server browser, &
more PC goodness! Reserve your copy now at EAStore.com."
The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision Blog reports that the film rights to
Spore have been picked up by 20th Century Fox to create a CG animated
feature based on EA Maxis' evolutionary game. Word is Ice Age and Robots
director Chris Wedge "is attached to direct" and a screenplay is being penned by
writers Greg Erb and Jason Oremland.
IMDB has updated details on
the Warcraft movie, which is now titled Warcraft: The Rise of the Lich King.
The movie is slated for a 2011 release, and
WorldofWar.net hashes through some of the other revelations.
IncGamers has a follow-up to yesterday's unconfirmed reports
of layoffs at Transmission Games. They quote a purported Transmission employee
describing the company's tight finances, saying that 30 full time staff and a
few contractors were let go bringing their headcount down to around 60. The
story describes pitches to publishers for flying games that never got off the
ground, but on the bright side, the studio apparently has a deal in place to
create a new cricket game following the success of Ashes Cricket 2009.
BattleCast Primetime Season 2 Episode 3 is now live on the
YouTube. The clip is
co-hosted by Joe Kucan and thankfully seems to feature less shouting. The show
includes some brand-new in-game footage of the Crawlers in Command & Conquer
4: Tiberian Wars.
There's a new Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising trailer on the
YouTube offering
commentary from the developers at Codemasters' as they discuss the "look and
feel" of the upcoming military shooter. "Every vehicle in Operation Flashpoint:
Dragon Rising has its own characteristics: look, handling, turnout, weaponry and
so on," says Executive Producer Sion Lenton. "Everything from the smallest jeep
to the largest chopper has a completely different handling experience."
Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez.
Odd thought that popped into my head for no reason in particular. Why are
remotes called remote controls, rather than remote controllers? I can't figure
that out, and I also can't figure out why I'm trying to.
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