Reader Icewind offers the solution to the mystery game from 2K Games
teased yesterday that is to be unveiled at Spike's VGAs. A post on
Adland from August by the company that created the cinematics has the same clip and says it is from a new
Spec Ops game.
The Saboteur Website announces that
The Saboteur is gold, making subtle reference to the
closure of Pandemic Studios in announcing the World War II stealth/action game is due in Europe on December 3 and in North America on December 8 for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3:
I am very proud to communicate today that The Saboteur has officially gone “GOLD” on all 3 planned platforms (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 & PC). This has been a very difficult week for Pandemic Studios, but does not change the fact that a team of amazing people worked very hard to make The Saboteur a great game that fans will be able to enjoy this holiday season. As planned, The Saboteur will be available across Europe starting December 4 and throughout North America on December 8. Vive La Resistance!
Steam News announces a new patch that will be automatically applied to
Left 4 Dead 2 the next time you start Steam. A number of bugs in the co-op zombie shooter are fixed by the new version, including a performance problem from rendering too many decals. Also, the game mode selector on the main menu now accepts keyboard input.
The Games Company announces
Ikaro, an air-racing game slated for worldwide release for Windows next year. Here are
five Ikaro screenshots, and here's word:
Berlin, November 20th 2009. TGC – The Games Company announces the release of the unique air racing game Ikaro today. Instead of squeaking wheels PC gamers expect in Ikaro turbulent neck-and-neck duels with agile microlights. TGC assigned the Italian studio Magic Dream Games with its development offering racing fans a completely new game experience. The worldwide release is scheduled for the first quarter 2010.
On as much challenging as varied air courses pilots fight against each other. Thereby you cross tremendous dusty canyons and impressive cities or pass with breakneck stunts the checkpoints over a moony island. A dynamic weather system adds even more excitement to the race. Suddenly starting snowfall or an upcoming thunderstorm can bring your certain believed pole position in great danger.
In addition to the extensive career mode Ikaro also comes up with an adrenaline loaded multiplayer. Up to 6 players start their engines either via LAN or internet and compete against each other with their microlights. Here the integrated worldwide ranking incites you to maximum performance.
Frogster Interactive announces new details about the Maya instance in
Bounty Bay Online – Beyond the Horizon, the expansion to their subscription-free seafaring MMORPG that's due for release on Wednesday.
Three new screenshots illustrate the announcement, and a new
Beyond the Horizon "microsite" is online with more on the add-on, and here's a bit on the high-level Maya group instance:
Hidden deep in the South American rainforest lies Salinas, the capital city of the Mayan civilisation. In the hinterland beyond this mysterious city, in the middle of the both beautiful and treacherous tropical landscape, impressive pyramids rise up to meet the sky. They are ancient silent witnesses to long-forgotten knowledge, unspeakable riches, but also bloody rituals. A few Mayan warriors still roam this territory today, guarding over precious relics and monuments of their culture, shrouded in legend. Players battle through this danger-ridden jungle full of viperous creatures until they finally reach the entrance to the Maya instance, right in the heart of the hinterland. This is where a daunting tropical territory awaits, in which aggressive ghost beings, predatory animals and yet more Mayan warriors lie in wait, guarding a mysterious treasure.
The
Star Wars: The Old Republic Website offers issue #20 of
Threat of Peace, the webcomic that fills in some of the back story for the upcoming Star Wars MMORPG. Word is: "The twentieth issue of Threat of Peace™ catches Lord Angral aboard his battle cruiser. After receiving a tip from his criminal partner, Angral turns back to Korriban to confront the traitorous Lord Baras. At the same time, Jedi Master Orgus Din surprises the Bounty Hunter Braden in a Nar Shaddaa cantina and demands to know who was responsible for the attack on Coruscant."
Gamasutra - Rethinking Player Death. Thanks Mike Martinez.
Death can be a good time to provide positive feedback for players, and add tutorial hints. Considering the fact that games are meant to be won, the player is essentially invincible in the grand scheme of things, requiring, again, nothing more than perseverance and the occasional GameFAQs hint. Why not try to create a game that contains similar challenges to standard games, but completely avoids death?
MCV - Good riddance to NIMF.
NIMF, headed up by psychologist David Walsh, sought to "educate parents and caregivers on our rapidly changing digital culture." Except it didn't. It sought to impose its own world view on a public with genuine concerns about their children, and a real need for sensible advice. It sought to frighten people with tall tales about cannibalism and crappy buzzwords about the pornography of violence.
It distorted the reputation of ESRB, a flawed but fair system of rating games, by pretending that the absence of Adult Only games (generally reserved for sexually explicit content) somehow revealed a sinister conspiracy by the game industry to pollute the minds of young people with gore and murder. In fact, the ratings standards of the game industry are just fine, in tune with the movie industry. Every attempt to 'sort out' the ESRB - as opposed to simply demonizing it - has found that it does a perfectly good job.
Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, I'm as old as the hills now, happy birthday to me!
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