Archived News:
Noting that they've seen reports of retailers claiming they have permission to sell Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 before its November 10 release date (like this and this), Activision sends along a concise refutation: "Activision has not given any retailer permission to sell Modern Warfare 2 prior to the Nov. 10 street date. The company fully supports the Nov.10 street date." There's also a Tweet from Robert Bowling repeating this, but also saying: "That said, we won't punish players for it."
The BioWare Store is no longer offering sales of premium modules for Neverwinter Nights, and the Neverwinter Nights Premium Page has been eliminated KGB style. Sorcerer's Network reached out to BioWare for comment on this, and were told that the modules were removed in August at ATARI's behest for "legal reasons," and that BioWare can no longer sell or advertise them. Modules already purchased are still legal and playable.
The COMPUTER BILD SPIELE Website for this German gaming magazine outlines what their current cover touts as an "Assassin's Creed 2 SKANDAL!" (hey look, I can read German!), saying they were told by Ubisoft they could have an early review copy of Assassin's Creed 2 only if they guaranteed a "sehr gut" (very good) review of the stealth/action sequel. They say they turned this "offer" down, and will review the game in their next issue, and it will only be deemed sehr gut if it deserves it. Thanks GameInformer.com via wearetheinternetz.
Visually impaired gamer sues Sony Online on GameSpot reports on a lawsuit filed in US District Court for the Central District of California against Sony, Sony Online Entertainment, and Sony Computer Entertainment America alleging that Sony is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to make its games accessible to visually impaired gamers. Word is: The suit also specifies the ways in which other companies have made their games accessible. For instance, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft allows the use of third-party mods in its game, which has led to the creation of several programs to include accessibility aids in the game. The suit also mentions Pin Interactive's action adventure PC game Terraformers, saying high-contrast 3D graphics modes, an audio compass, and voice-over detailing items collected in the game all serve to make the game more accessible.
Beyond the denial of entertainment, the suit also contends that Sony's actions have caused visually impaired gamers a financial loss. Because Sony runs an official auction site where gamers can sell their in-game items for real money, the suit says Stern's inability to participate in that marketplace is costing him money.
A new developer diary on the Warhammer Herald describes Mythic Entertainment's efforts at curtailing hacking (or what purists would call "cracking") in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, specifically talking about the war on third-party cheating programs. The diary, penned by WAR Development Manager John Cox, concludes with this: "To sum up, I hope this gives some insight into how we think about and approach hacking in Warhammer Online, and answers the burning question why ‘Ard ta Feed is so huge. I apologize that we can’t be more candid when situations arise, or in this developer diary, but rest assured that we are on the case, monitoring, and reacting to what’s going on out there when it comes to hacking." Thanks Massively.
Amazon.com now has a listing for a book called Assassin's Creed: Renaissance to be released on November 26. The description of the game indicates this is based on the events in the upcoming Assassin's Creed II, rather than the original game. Thanks play.tm.
Smart Speak - ESD Publishers Boycott Valve’s Steam Service. Derek Smart's 5175-word essay on the topic.
At the end of the day, stuff like this [boycott] is bad for the biz and bad for gamers; and can only lead to other problems down the road.
Steam announces the top 10 bestselling games on Steam for the week. Ten came out in a bunch, and one trickled in after. If history is an indicator, a couple of additional stragglers will follow, but here's the list for now:
- Dragon Age: Origins Digital Deluxe Edition.
- Dragon Age: Origins.
- Left 4 Dead 2.
- Borderlands.
- Torchlight.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
- Football Manager 2010.
- Mass Effect.
- Shattered Horizon.
- Aion Standard Edition and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
We had a noisy ad here earlier, which was pretty much my fault. It's gone now, apologies to any who encountered it. Also, hats off once again to Frans, who has been improving various things behind the scenes here for a while now, and along the way he has fixed how screenshots and thumbnail pages are displayed with some fixes, both practical and aesthetic.
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