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Archived News:
Atari announces a two-week open beta for Star Trek Online will commence on January 12 and that signups for the test are now being accepted for Cryptic's Trekkie MMORPG on the Star Trek Online Website on a first-come, fist served basis. "We are excited to announce the dates for the open beta phase as this is one of the final steps in launching Star Trek Online to the public," says executive producer Craig Zinkievich. "We are looking forward to the launch of our first-of-a-kind MMORPG with anticipation and excitement and we expect Star Trek Online to explode onto the scene, giving fans and gamers a Star Trek experience like no other."
NHN Corporation announces open beta testing of their fantasy-themed action MMORPG Karos Online will commence on December 4, and that a final closed beta event will run on November 27-28 allowing testers to experience some high-level content and to reserve their characters' names for the open beta. Details on the game can be found on the Karos Online Website, and here's word on how to apply: "To apply for beta participation, simply create an account at www.karosgame.com and click 'Apply Now'. If you have been accepted into a previous beta event, you will receive instructions two to three days before the event begins (there is no need to re-apply)."
The StarCraft II Website has a load of new content. There's a Short Story titled Changeling, an article on single player Storytelling and another on Multiplayer Mapmaking. They also have character biographies for Tychus, Zeratul, and Raynor. Finally, they have some new concept art and some new screenshots.
A new video developer's diary is online for James Cameron's Avatar: The Game, the upcoming shooter that ties in with the upcoming James Cameron film. The diary is available on Gamer's Hell and WorthPlaying. GameTrailers also has two gameplay movies: Game, Boss Monster Battle and Exploration & Combat. Also, in-game item preorder bonuses for the game are listed on Direct2Drive and Impulse (where they are also offering a Special Edition). Those who preorder will receive Dual Wasps (RDA faction) and a Fighting Staff (Na'vi faction).
A new "Battlefield Moments" trailer from Battlefield: Bad Company 2 showing off combat on the beta version of the Arica Harbor map in the first-person shooter sequel. Word on the Battlefield Blog is: "See ‘Destruction 2.0’ in full effect as a sniper fights his way through the war-torn streets of Arica Harbor in order to secure a valuable objective for his team." The clip is available on the YouTube and mirrored on FileFront, Gamer's Hell, Strategy Informer, and Worthplaying.
A new "He's A Killer" trailer from BioShock 2 shows off more multiplayer mayhem from 2K's upcoming waterlogged first-person shooter sequel. The clip is posted on ActionTrip, AtomicGamer, Filefront, Gamer's Hell, and WorthPlaying.
The new game on GameTap for subscribers of this gaming service is Damnation, the steampunk shooter released earlier this year by Codemasters. Their free game for non-subscribers continues to be Battlestations: Midway, the World War II action/strategy hybrid. They also announce Praetorians and Jewel Craft have joined their growing collection of 64-bit compatible offerings.
Steam News has word on a new automatic update for Killing Floor that closes off several exploits in Tripwire Interactive's co-op zombie shooter and reduces the memory footprint of the game client.
An updated version 2.5.0.5 of the PrBoom+ port of the DOOM source code is now available as well as a newer version 2.5.0.6.test. If you are not familiar, here is what it is: "Doom-plus is a patched version of the original DOS exe for Doom2 (version 1.9) with increased limits to reduce the risk of crashes, premature program exits and certain visual problems. This is done without loss of compatibility - in other respects, Doom-plus behaves exactly like the original DOS exe. Dehacked patches can be applied as normal, for instance, and any demo that plays back correctly with Doom2.exe will also play back with Doom-plus." This Change Log has word on what's new. Thanks Ant via LinuxGames.
GameStop Black Friday sales include Left 4 Dead 2 at $29.99.
- 48 Hour Madness on GoGamer.
- Aliens vs. Predator on GameStop. Preorder and get three exclusive multiplayer skins.
- Blood Bowl Dark Elves Edition on Steam. Save 10% on pre-purchases.
- Capitalism II on Impulse. Save 33%.
- Crayon Physics Deluxe on Direct2Drive. Save 50%.
- Frontlines: Fuel of War on Steam. Save 75%.
- Grand Theft Auto IV on Direct2Drive. Now $29.95.
- Hacker Evolution - Untold on Impulse.
- Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile - Alexandria on Impulse. Save 50%.
- Iron Grip Warlord on Impulse. Save 50%.
- King's Bounty: Armored Princess on Steam. Save 10%.
- King's Bounty: The Legend on GamersGate. Save 50%.
- Kingdom Elemental: Tactics on Impulse. Save 25%.
- LucasArts Premier Pack on Direct2Drive. Save 60%.
- LucasArts "There's Action, Adventure & Puzzles" Bundle on Direct2Drive. Save 50%.
- Nemesis of the Roman Empire on Impulse. Save 33%.
- Ninja Blade on Steam. Save 10%.
- Prince of Persia on Impulse. Save 25%.
- Rush for Berlin Gold on GamersGate. Save 50%.
- Sango 2 & Takeda 3 on GamersGate. Save 50%.
- Scrapland on Impulse. Save 33%.
- Shattered Horizon on Steam. Three guest passes with previous and new purchases.
- Star Wars Classics Pack on Direct2Drive. Save 50%.
- Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures on Steam. Save 50%.
- Supreme Commander Gold on Impulse. Save 25%.
- Tropico Reloaded on GamersGate. Save 50%.
- Warlords Battlecry III on Impulse. Save 33%.
Still on sale (previously reported)
- AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity on Steam. Save 50%.
- Alganon on
Direct2Drive. Preorder and get beta access and in-game items.
- Capitalism II on Impulse. Save 33%.
- Colin McRae DiRT 2 on Steam. Pre-purchase and save 80% on DiRT.
- Crayon Physics Deluxe on Direct2Drive. Save 50%.
- Dungeon Siege II Expansion Pack on GamerDeals. Only $1.99. Thanks Batman.
- Elven Legacy on GamersGate. Save 50%.
- Evochron Legends on GamersGate. Save 20%.
- Grappling Hook on SpeedRunGames. Now $14.95.
- Luxor Complete Pack on Steam. Save 50%.
- Luxor Games on Steam. Save 70%.
- Plants vs. Zombies on
PCGameStore.
Only $6.99.
- Quantz on Steam. Save 50%.
- Rogue Warrior on Steam. Save 10% on pre-purchases.
- SFI Mission 4-Pack on
the Strategy First Website. Four games for $19.99.
- Star Wars Classics Pack on Direct2Drive. Save 50%.
- Team Fortress 2 on
Best Buy and
FRYS.com.
Only $9.99. Thanks Johnny.
- THQ Classic FPS Bundle on
Impulse.
Save 25%.
- X-Com Complete Pack on
GamersGate. Save
40%.
Link of the Day: Pulp Mario. Thanks Ant via Neatorama.
Brad Pitt's Plan B and Indian media conglomerate Reliance Big Pictures have signed a deal with Capcom to develop a feature film based on Dark Void, the upcoming action game, reports Variety. According to the report, Pitt himself may star in the movie as the game's jetpack-powered hero.
Mastertronic announces some details about Divinity II - Ego Draconis, Larian's RPG sequel that will be released tomorrow in the UK. In addition Mastertronic (a new company using that game, not the original) also has released four new screenshots from the game. Word is: Mastertronic has today announced the forthcoming release of Divinity II - Ego Draconis on PC and Xbox360. The action - RPG sequel to the critically acclaimed Divine Divinity, Divinity II - Ego Draconis transports players back to the wide-open world of Rivellon, where they'll face the ultimate challenge of becoming a Dragon Knight. With up to 60 hours of gameplay, and the ability to play as either a knight or a dragon, Divinity II offers players an expansive experience packed full of lands to explore, dungeons to conquer and plenty of exhilarating ground and aerial combat.
In this new instalment in the award-winning Divinity series, you must face your destiny and know that the choices you make will determine the gameplay and inevitably, your fate. Players begin as a Dragon Slayer; hunters who roam the countryside, determined to rid the land of dragons. However, as the story unfolds, the player discovers new abilities as they evolve into a legendary Dragon Knight. Learn their secrets and use the ability to change between human and dragon forms to maximise your tactical advantage and reclaim the lands of Rivellon.
Square Enix announces a March 2, 2010 North American release date for the Windows edition of Supreme Commander 2, following yesterday's announcement of a Spring European release date for the real-time strategy sequel from Gas Powered Games. They also announce a March 16 release date for the Xbox 360 edition of the game. "The partnership with Square Enix has been a highlight of my career," says Chris Taylor, founder and Creative Director of Gas Powered Games. "I couldn't be more proud of what the team has accomplished, as the game has continually exceeded all of my expectations throughout its development."
A story on the Consumerist complains of problems running a copy of Warlords Battlecry III bought on Impulse (thanks nin). The poster attributes the problems with random items and wonky NPCs to DRM, saying Stardock is aware of the problem, but refuses to address it in spite of a patch that's available and their very public stance against intrusive DRM. We contacted Stardock and they say that Enlight has repeatedly assured them the game has no DRM, and that there's nothing preventing users from applying this third-party patch: This is nonsense. I have gone to Enlight 3 times about this and Trevor Chan himself has assured me each time (to the point of annoyance) that we have the latest version of Warlords Battlecry 3 and that is has NO DRM.
What people complain about is that there are fan patches that fix some of the bugs in the last official version (which is what we sell). We are not authorized to distribute a fan-patched version of Warlords Battlecry 3, but there’s nothing that stops customers from applying those updates themselves.
Update: We are also informed by Stardock that the author of that complaint received a 100% refund days ago, and that "Impulse is the only digital retailer that provides refunds for people who do have technical issues for whatever reason."
BioWare announces Return to Ostagar, new downloadable content to be released for Dragon Age: Origins this holiday season. Here's word on the new DLC for the recently released RPG: The DLC pack, Return to Ostagar, allows players to exact their revenge and embark on a quest for the mighty arms and armor of the once great King Cailan when they revisit Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens’ darkest hour, to reclaim the honor and learn the secrets of Ferelden’s fallen king.
…
Return to Ostagar, BioWare’s next thread in the Dragon Age: Origins tapestry, summons players to a new quest in which they will return to the fateful battleground in Ostagar where the Grey Wardens were nearly wiped out. Players will discover King Cailan’s top-secret political agenda and go behind enemy lines to revisit a place that many feared had been lost to history.
2K Games announces plans for the BioShock 2 Special Edition for Games for Windows LIVE, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, a limited release that will be restricted to a single production run. Here's a photo of the package's contents, which seem particularly aimed at audiophiles, as it includes an LP. The Windows edition will carry an MSRP of $89.99 and the console versions are ten dollars more. Here's word on the contents: The BioShock 2 Special Edition celebrates the game’s unique music and art with contents inspired by the time period and the fantastic undersea world of Rapture.
• Vinyl 180g LP with BioShock orchestral score
• Audio CD with BioShock 2 orchestral score
• Three vintage Rapture advertisement posters (rolled)
• BioShock 2 Art Book, 164 pages and hardcover
• BioShock 2 game
The Sims 3 Website announces another new patch for The Sims 3 is now available, updating the lifestyle simulation sequel to version 1.7. The patch offers a: "Fix for save file incompatibilities that result in the Error Code 16 error message while saving." The patch is mirrored on AtomicGamer, Filefront, The Patches Scrolls, and Worthplaying.
The Cyanide Studio Forum announces the release of the free Dark Elves add-on for Blood Bowl, which adds a new playable race to the fantasy-themed sports game. The add-on is part of a new version 1.1.2.1 patch, which is mirrored on AtomicGamer, FileFront, The Patches Scrolls, and Worthplaying. Also, as of today a new Blood Bowl: Dark Elves Edition is on sale in Europe including the new content.
A new patch for Field of Glory updates the just-released wargame system from Slitherine Strategies to version 1.01. A large number of changes and fixes are included in the 12 MB patch, which is available from FileFront, The Patches Scrolls, and Worthplaying.
Atari announces Nemesis Confrontation, a special event for Champions Online, Cryptic's superhero MMORPG that will kick off on November 24. The event will overlap with a free weekend that will run from November 26-30 allowing a free sample of the game, and they are also planning a developer chat tomorrow where the event will be one of the topics at hand. You can post questions to this forum thread and connect to the chat through this link tomorrow at 7:00 pm EST. This page has details on the event, and here's a bit from the announcement: "We wanted to take our unique Nemesis System to the next level and do something really awesome with it," said Bill Roper, Executive Producer of Champions Online. "So we asked ourselves, what if your Nemesis could band together with your buddy's Nemesis to take you on? Epic."
Players will learn that their uniquely handcrafted Nemeses are trying to create a rift into another dimension in a plot to take over the Champions Universe. To save the world, a band of superheroes will need to defeat their ultimate enemies, as well as a host of dangerous alien gladiators and prison guards in an all new environment. The Nemesis Confrontation event will also launch alongside a free weekend of play that takes place between November 26 and November 30.
The iEntertainment Network announces Dogfights will take off in January 2010, offering Windows and Mac gamers a single-player installment in their WarBirds series of World War II combat flight simulators. As a bonus, those who purchase the game will get a 30-day free trial of the MMOG Warbirds (though it should be pointed out a free one month Warbirds trial is available to all with no purchase necessary). Here's a bit on the game: Gamers choose one of three levels of pilot expertise: Rookie, Pilot, or the highly skilled Ace. They can select among 100 historically accurate aircraft to meet an armada of incoming aircraft in over 40 combat mission combinations. With its dynamic game engine, no two air battles will ever be the same. In each air battle the player can score points, build rank, and acquire medals to compete for the coveted title of WGFP – Worlds’ Greatest Fighter Pilot!
Players can fly over multiple historical terrains including England, Europe, and North Africa, including many of the great cities like London, Paris, and Berlin. Players can participate in Pacific battle campaigns over the Philippines and Midway terrains.
A playable demo is now available for Men of War: Red Tide, providing the chance to check out this sequel to BestWay's World War II RTS (Red Tide was announced as a standalone expansion, a distinction that seems purely cosmetic). Accompanying the demo is news that Red Tide will be released in North America on December 1 in a Men of War Gold Edition that also includes the first Men of War. The demo is available from AtomicGamer, ComputerGames.ro, Gamer's Hell, Strategy Informer, The Patches Scrolls, and Worthplaying.
A Midnight Riders teaser website is online, saying "coming soon." This may be about the Allman Brothers, but the site is owned by Valve, so it's more likely about the band from the Dark Carnival campaign in Left 4 Dead 2. DLC? Tour dates? We'll see. Thanks Destructoid.
bitComposer Games announces Alter Ego, a gothic horror-themed point-and-click adventure game planned for release in the first quarter of next year for Windows and Wii. The game is in the works at Czech developer Future Games ( Black Mirror and Nibiru). Word is: Alter Ego takes virtual gamers to the town of Plymouth in the South of England as the 19th century draws to a close. A series of gruesome murders shakes both the town and the entire region after a strange aristocrat dies who was the subject of many horrifying myths in his lifetime. Players can discover and investigate the various scenes as they alternate between two totally different heroes, the thief Timothy Moor and Police Detective Bristol, to slowly reveal a dark secret.
Slitherine Strategies now offers online sales of a digital version of the Field of Glory gaming system for Windows PCs, offering a computerized version of the Field of Glory tabletop gaming system. Word is: Field of Glory is a wargame system for PC that covers the ancient and medieval worlds. The initial release covers during the Rise of Rome from Zama in North Africa to the battles of Boudicca’s revolt in Britain. Later releases will expand to new periods and new areas of the ancient and medieval world. Based on the popular Field of Glory tabletop wargaming system from Slitherine (www.fieldofglory.com), the PC version takes care of all the calculations and measurements and just leaves you to make the important and fun decisions.
Inspired by the Field of Glory tabletop wargaming system the PC edition has an easy to use interface with a focus on having a fun game. In particular it is very easy to play multi-player against other users across the internet.
Mammoth Media offers a Adobe Acrobat-format dedicated server guide for developers and publishers based on over a decade of running game servers. Word is: "This document provides high-level information about what makes good dedicated server software, including a list of things you should do, as well as things you should definitely not do."
GameStop Corp. net income rises 12% has word that profits were up for the third quarter at GameStop, in spite of a global recession, the widely reported decline in gaming, and the even more widely reported shift to digital distribution. Word is: "third-quarter net income rose 12% to $52.2 million, or 31 cents a share, from $46.7 million, or 28 cents a share in the year-ago period. Sales at the Grapevine, Texas video game retailer rose 8% to $1.83 billion."
CNET - Online gaming's dirty little secret. Online jerks are a secret?
Fast-forward to the current generation of games, and hearing racial epithets like the "n word" or homophobic slang like the "f word" shouted online is more commonplace than you might want to believe. Meanwhile, women who play in the male-dominated world of online gaming sometimes find themselves the victims of sexually suggestive comments and gender-based taunting.
While this type of behavior and language is actively discouraged in polite society, that mindset is totally disregarded by some in the online gaming world. Odds are that if you play enough online, you'll experience it firsthand.
IncGamers - Lowest Common Denominator.
As if you hadn’t guessed already, this week we’re talking about the frankly mystifying concept of fanboyism. You see, in technical terms, fanboyism is a deeply disturbing phenomenon, exposing the dark side of capitalism. OK, another dark side of capitalism. Fanboyism goes beyond simple brand loyalty into the shady world of submission and unquestioning adoration, hinting at a mental relationship between consumer and product that verges on the obsessional. Fanboys are delusional, they are unwaveringly loyal and scarily quick to resort to abuse in order to defend their beloved console. Fanboys are Whitney Houston at the height of her crack phase.
Thanks The Crypt.
- Aion on GameSpy.
- Borderlands on Games Abyss and The Game Reviews.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on GameZone, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Tech-Out, and That VideoGame Blog.
- Cooking Dash: DinerTown Studios on Den of Geek.
- Crane Simulator 2009 on Eurogamer.
- Dragon Age: Origins on GameRevolution, Tech-Out, and Zero Punctuation. NSFW. Thanks Ant.
- Elven Legacy: Ranger on Adrenaline Vault.
- Football Manager 2010 on Boomtown and Ultra Ninjas.
- Gratuitous Space Battles on AtomicGamer and Out of Eight.
- Hero Mages on GDN.
- Hidden Expedition: Devil's Triangle on Adventure Gamers.
- Left 4 Dead 2 on AusGamers, Big Download, bit-tech.net, GameSpot, Games Radar, Giantbomb, and SmashPad.
- Left 4 Dead 2 censored Aussie version on GameSpot.
- LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues on IGN.
- Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy on GameShark.
- New Star Soccer 2010 on Unigamesity.
- Shattered Horizon on GamerNode, Games32, Gamesonice, and Test Freaks.
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed- Ultimate Sith Edition on Games32.
- The Sims 3: World Adventures on GamePro and IGN.
- Torchlight on 1UP, IGN, Kotaku, and Strategy Informer. Thanks nin.
We're having problems with one of our DirecTV DVRs that's likely a hard drive issue, as it causes recorded shows to pause and stutter. I fixed this twice by reformatting the hard drive but it eventually returns. I would gladly buy a new one with a larger hard drive, but am completely put off by the two year contract this will lock me into. I think I'm just going to crack this thing open and put a new drive in and see what happens.
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