Archived News:
Destructoid has indications of plans for DLC for Mass Effect 2 picked up from a Microsoft Expert Zone quiz for retailers. The PC edition of BioWare's RPG sequel goes unmentioned, but the quiz said the following under Xbox LIVE Features: "planned episodic combat via DLC," and more, including "periodic updates," via Mass Effect 2’s unannounced in-game "Cerberus Network."
Blend Games has a follow-up to indications that surfaced and disappeared today about plans to beta test Battlefield: Bad Company 2. They were told by an EA spokesperson: "As for the beta, we'll have more details later this week."
Behind the scenes at “Epic Mickey” – Part One on the Cut Scene is a conversation with Warren Spector about Epic Mickey and other projects from Junction Point Studios. One of these was a whole story arc for DC comics which was not picked up, and another was a "spiritual successor" to Deus Ex, which now belongs to Disney as part of the Junction Point acquisition. An interesting aspect of this is Spector's statement that he also made an unsuccessful attempt to acquire the rights to the Deus Ex series from Eidos. "There were and still are ‘Deus Ex’ stories I would like to tell. That story is not done for me," Spector says. "[For the sci-fi game] I sort of filed the serial numbers off. ‘Deus Ex’ was very much a game of the millennium." Thanks G4tv.com.
NetEase gets China non-approval notice has news that the Chinese edition of World of Warcraft has hit yet another speed bump, as a Chinese government agency has informed operator NetEase their operation of the World of Warcraft game does not have proper approval. NetEase and Shanghai EaseNet are seeking clarification since they believe they are in full compliance with applicable Chinese laws, but for now word is: China's General Administration of Press and Publication posted a statement on its Website that the NetEase affiliate company that operates World of Warcraft should suspend charging users to play the game and not allow new account registrations, according to NetEase.
The agency is also evaluating whether to impose administrative penalties on Shanghai EaseNet, the NetEase affiliate, and that the agency was returning the affiliate's application for approval, NetEase said.
A "Harvest or Save the Little Sister" trailer for BioShock 2 is now available, recalling the dilemma from the original BioShock. The clip can be found on FileFront.
A new "extended debut" trailer for Warhammer 40.000 Dawn of War II Chaos Rising is now available, showing off some of the chaos that will rise upon the release of this expansion for Relic's real-time strategy game. The clip that runs a not-so-extended minute, is available on FileFront and GameTrailers.com.
A new "escalation" trailer for Shattered Horizon shows off some of the zero-G combat in Futuremark Game Studio's upcoming first-person shooter. The trailer can be viewed on ActionTrip. Also, here are some new Shattered Horizon screenshots.
There's an announce trailer for Magic: The Gathering- Tactics showing off the just-announced strategy game based on the collectible card game. The clip is posted on Filefront and GameTrailers.com.
The Star Trek Online Q&A on Ten Ton Hammer talks with Craig Zinkievich, Executive Producer on the upcoming Trekkie MMORPG. The conversation covers space combat, and Craig explains how they are slowing things down to avoid the dog fighting pace of so many games: "I think one of the ways that we really kind of approach the combat is really by slowing it down. I mean... we looked at a lot of games that were out there--a lot of space sim games and even a lot of Star Trek games that came before, and a lot of them tried to make it into a dogfight, or tried to make it zippy, or tried to make it really fast and action-y. And we really tried to slow the pace of combat down to the point where you could be worrying about your shields, you could be worrying about: 'Okay, I've got to go into defensive mode for a little bit to get myself back into the state where I can jump back into battle,' and allow you to play with your power levels, allow you to worry about positioning. So we did many, many iterations to kind of slow the pace of combat down to try to get that 'this one thing went wrong, how am I going to react to that one specific part of combat?'"
Link of the Day: The Sims Horror Movie. Thanks Ant.
Uforia announces the second closed beta test for Mercenary Wars will commence this evening at 8:00 pm EST, and will run between now and November 5. A couple of screenshots accompany the news, and word is those interested in grabbing a key should head to MMOsite, Onrpg.com, or the Mercenary Wars website. Word is: This new beta test will feature all new content including a new free-for-all mode which does away with teams and places players on a map to have an all out war with each other. The player with the most kills when time ends is the winner! A new map is also featured that is ideal for a multitude of different play styles introducing lots of places to hide and great sniping locations. Three new guns round out the new content; G36K, SPAS12 and a Mac10.
"The addition of a new Free-for-all mode and the additional maps and weapons available in this new beta test are a great sneak peek at the final game players will see later this fall," said JK Kim, CEO of Uforia. "As we continue the development process, the gameplay experience is getting more and more intense and we look forward to seeing our growing community challenged as they give it a try."
EA announces The Sims 3 World Adventures is gold, and the expansion for the lifestyle simulator is due in North American stores on November 17. Here's a bit: Sims can now go on the journey of a lifetime in The Sims 3 World Adventures. They can run from mummies in Al Simhara, Egypt, fill the sky with fireworks purchased from locals in Shang Simla, China and master the art of nectar-making in France. Along the way, they can capture the funny, scary and exciting moments while using the brand new photography skill. Once they have completed their quests players can bring their treasures home with them to reminisce and share. When players register their copy of the PC/Mac version of the game online, they will receive exclusive extra game content with the Explorer’s Loot Set and 1,000 SimPoints to be used in The Sims 3 Store to customize their game with additional in-game items.
Sony Online Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast announce development of Magic: The Gathering – Tactics, a turn-based strategy game based on the collectible card franchise. The game is planned for release for Windows in early 2010 and for PS3 sometime after that. The Magic: The Gathering - Tactics Website is live, promising beta sign-ups "soon," and here's part of the announcement: Magic: The Gathering - Tactics will allow players to command forces of dramatic 3D figures and powerful spell cards pulled from the Magic: The Gathering Multiverse. Players can participate in single player scenarios or jump right into PVP action against other players worldwide, 24 hours per day. Magic: The Gathering – Tactics is expected to feature regular content expansions, a robust tournament environment, an achievement and rankings program, and original stories of the Planeswalkers of Magic: The Gathering.
Turbine announces the tenth anniversary of Asheron's Call, as their fantasy-themed MMORPG launched on December 2, 1999. To celebrate they are running special events throughout the day: WESTWOOD, MA. - November 2, 2009 - Turbine, Inc. announced today that its award-winning title, Asheron’s Call® (AC) has entered its 10th year of operation. Launched on November 2, 1999, AC immediately set the standard for online immersion, storytelling, and worldwide live event capability. As one of the original Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORPG), AC is a fully developed world - complete with a deep history, committed community, and compelling ongoing storyline. Turbine will celebrate this major milestone by running live events throughout the day that will bring back some of the most loved (and feared) signature lore characters and villains of its rich 10-year history.
A Return of Alice Website is now online as home to the sequel to American McGee's Alice that was announced in February (thanks Big Download). There is not much at the site, but there's also a teaser trailer for the sequel on the YouTube where we visit Alice in the insane asylum. The sequel is in the works at Spicy Horse Games and is planned for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The trailer concludes with a 2011 release window.
Direct2Drive lists the PC edition of Manhunt 2 for release via digital distribution on Friday (thanks Big Download). The game is listed with the rare "AO" (Adults Only) rating, confirming the ERSB rating spotted over the summer. It's not clear if the rating is due to the inclusion of the content cut from the console editions, which were edited to get an "M" rating after they were originally rated "AO" as well. The listing also mentions: "Manhunt 2 PC exclusively supports 3D monitors."
Got Game Entertainment announces Wine Tycoon is now in stores, offering the chance to be a wine mogul. Word is: "Create the vineyard of your dreams in 10 of the most important wine regions of France. Commanding operations from your very own French chateau, build your winery, plant and tend your vines through all four seasons of the year, and hire staff to harvest and process your grapes. Produce 50 French wines such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Pinot Gris and Champagne from more than 40 different grape varietals, all in the ultimate goal of becoming a wealthy wine baron!" This is apparently pretty authentic, as they quote Wine Spectator Magazine saying, "the creators at Got Game Entertainment did their homework."
Valve's Writers And The Creative Process on Gamasutra is a conversation with Valve writers Marc Laidlaw and Erik Wolpaw about their work. There are anecdotes about the creation of various moments in their games, as well as a meta conversation about the process: "That's the classic writer's room thing. You just sit around and try and crack each other up, and 80 percent of it is stuff that's so foul that it could never make it in the game. [laughs] But then you're left with that 20 percent that's decent. We all did that when we were sitting in the same room. We'd be like, 'We've got to write all these lines.'"
GameSetWatch has word from Unknown Worlds that pre-sales of Natural Selection 2 have brought in about $220,000 to support development of the strategy shooter sequel. "We knew that we needed more money," Charlie Cleveland told them. "We thought, 'Hey, why aren't we pre-selling this game? We've got enough here that we can actually start showing.' So we did, and the fan response was way bigger than what we were expecting. We're hoping that they will continue to support us and that more people will be tempted to preorder as we show more, and once we give them stuff they can download and play with."
Out Of Hell is now available, offering a survival/horror modification for Unreal Tournament 2004 that's been seven years in the making. Says the author: "So this is it. This is my life in 7 years, compressed into 1 GB and ready for you to download! I hope that you all download it and give it a try. Play through it all if possible as I've worked hard on establishing a unique story, setting and atmosphere. It is my vision, the fruits of my long labor and my first triumph. I hope that it meets your expectations and you can find something worthwhile in Out Of Hell!" Thanks BeyondUnreal.
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed -- Ultimate Sith Edition on IGN.
- Tropico 3 on Games32.
Happy birthday Gunnar-man, as the world's coolest poodle turns five today.
Today is day two of our ad-free liberation, I'm not sure if the new ads will go up today or not. If you missed it yesterday, we are no longer part of the UGO network, and our goal going forward is to not see a return of the intrusive pop-up style advertising that has driven away some readers and driven others into the arms of ad blockers.
R.I.P.: Doom box art artist dies of heart attack. Thanks Kotaku via bit-tech.net.
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