Archived News:
A Sam & Max 2010 Teaser Website has signups for those interested in keeping up with news on the next installment in Telltale's episodic adventure series. The site says: "What's next for Sam & Max? Freelance Police Special Forces signup 2010." As a benefit for signing up, you can grab a free copy of Ice Station Santa, one of the previous episodes in the series. No further details are there, but Shacknews has transcribed the site's narration and posted a couple of pieces of concept art.
Two Trademark registrations today from superannuation, who point to this Trademark registration from High Voltage Software for "Tournament of Legends," and this one from PopCap for Robodojo.
A "fall of the Lich King" trailer from World of Warcraft follows the old "what goes up must come down" principle as it applies to World of Warcraft: Rise of the Lich King. The cinematic clip from the new version 3.3 patch is posted on the YouTube (thanks Ant via WoW Vault) as well as ActionTrip, AtomicGamer, and IncGamers.
The Telltale Games Website now offers Rise of the Pirate God, the expected final chapter in the episodic Tales of Monkey Island. "Shocking twists and unexpected turns" are promised in the conclusion of the adventure series. You can read all about it in this press release.
The Team Fortress 2 Website shows the way to this online comic with a tale of foes turned friends in the Team Fortress 2 universe. The clip ends with a tease for another episode in the future. The plot twists on the idea of having "a healthy competition" between the Soldier and the Demoman, though it's not clear if this is hinting at something coming to the game, or just classic literary conflict for their story.
The monster that is - World of Warcraft offers an "infographic" with some of startling stats about World of Warcraft, Blizzard's MMORPG. The graphic details the incredible number of items and quests in the game, and gives stats on just how many quests are completed per day (over 16 million), how many adventurers are killed every day by Onyxia (over 100,000), and more. Wow indeed. Thanks Ant.
Link of the Day: Double-0 Dynamite. Thanks Ant.
There's an interview with Josh Milligan on Edge Online exploring plans for Ubisoft's Uplay, an upcoming online service. They discuss the inspiration and reasoning behind the service, the resources Ubisoft has devoted to the project, Uplay's impact on game development, comparisons with Xbox LIVE, marketing and advertising, their plans to roll out the service next year, and more. Thanks Mike Martinez.
A new Stargate Resistance Website is online as home to an upcoming Stargate-themed, class-based third-person shooter from Firesky, developers of the financially troubled MMORPG Stargate Worlds. (thanks Ryan). The exact status of the Stargate Worlds project goes unmentioned, but there's a an interview on the site with creative consultant Chris Klug that says "I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you that here at Firesky the last year has been a little rough. The fact I’m here talking to you should tell you there’s a happy ending in sight." Chris also states: "As well as building this new exciting product, paramount to Firesky’s long-term future is restoring your confidence and trust in us. While we’ve never lied to you about our circumstances, many times we were silent while our critics had their fun at our expense. We chose to remain quiet during those times, because, honestly, we often didn’t know what our future was day-to-day, sometimes even hour-to-hour. As a group we chose to not say anything until we knew something." Back to the new project, Chris compares Stargate Resistance to Stargate Worlds, saying: "Resistance brings to our fans the kind of gameplay SGW never planned to deliver. Resistance delivers the combat, weapons and tactics seen so often on the show that many of you have been asking for." Here's more from the Game Info section: Stargate Resistance is a fast-paced and deadly 3rd person shooter for control of the entire galaxy!
The arrogant System Lords believe they are the true masters of the universe, and have begun a savage campaign to dominate and enslave the known worlds.
Stargate Command operatives are the first line of defense against this menace. Small teams of brave agents use the Stargate to travel about the galaxy and parry the thrust of these alien overlords.
Whichever side you choose, each battle will be one of wits, skill, and reflexes that can decide the fate of the entire galaxy!
Stardock announces Sins of a Solar Empire Trinity, a bundle to be released on February 9, 2010 offering Sins of a Solar Empire along with the two micro-expansions for the 4X strategy game, the previously released Entrenchment and the upcoming Diplomacy. Trinity is available for preorder through Impulse, and as an incentive, those who preorder will be granted access to the Diplomacy beta test. Here's word on the bundle: Sins of a Solar Empire - Trinity takes players through 25 years of warfare beginning with the real-time strategy game that started it all. In Sins of a Solar Empire, the independent Trader Worlds are forced to unite in order to defend themselves from the alien Vasari menace and the return of their exiled brethren, the Advent. The Entrenchment expansion jumps forward 15 years to a time of stalemate between the factions when they fortify the territories they control with powerful starbases, mine fields and advanced defenses. Diplomacy takes the player to the current day, when the constraint toil of war has taken its heavy toll. Some speak of peace, while others see such initiatives as openings to destroy their enemies through subtler means.
PC Pro has news that NVIDIA has announced 3D Blu-ray movies will start showing up in the summer of next year, saying the Blu-ray association has approved the 3D Blu-ray specification. Word is HDMI 1.3 has enough throughput to handle the 60Mbit/second 3D will require, but that current Blu-ray players probably don't have the horsepower for the task, with the possible exception of the PS3. Viewing 3D movies will also require a screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate and the use of shutter glasses. HotHardware has more details and shots of some hardware. Thanks Slashdot.
Speaking at a UBS Media investor conference in New York today, EA CEO John Riccitiello forecast an 11% decline in boxed goods sales in the United States and Western Europe this year compared with last year. Riccitiello added a comment supporting the contention of many who claim that retail declines just represent a shift to digital distribution: "That packaged goods thing is very big deal. Digital has more than made up for it, but the packaged business has been a real substantial challenge."
The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, the debut DLC for Borderlands, is now available to update Gearbox Software's role-playing shooter with new content. The DLC is available from the Gearbox Software Store, where they warn that: "If you purchased Borderlands from a digital delivery service such as Steam or D2D, contact them to upgrade your copy of Borderlands." The Steam version of the DLC is online as well, here's word from there on the DLC: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned is the first Add-On for Borderlands with new enemy types, new missions, and new ... surprises.
The Jakobs Corporation would like to invite you to experience the splendor of a corporate owned small town known as Jakobs Cove. Any rumors you may have heard about the "undead" walking our streets are completely preposterous and we officially deny them all. If those rumors turn out to be true simply purchase a firearm from the conveniently located Jakobs Brand Vending Machines and aim for the head. Also, would you mind saving our employees? (Non-union only please)
• 5 New Areas to Explore
• Dozens of New Missions
• New Enemies to Eviscerate
Steam News announces a new automatic patch is now available for Gratuitous Space Battles, updating Positech's space tactics game to version 1.27. Here are the full patch notes. Continue here to read the full story.
A Gamasutra JobSeeker message puts out a help wanted for Ubisoft Shanghai, and Blend Games makes the case for this being a hint that I am Alive, which is in development at the Chinese studio, will include multiplayer support. The listing is for a Lead Multiplayer Designer, and besides the Ubisoft Shanghai connection, evidence that this may be for I am Alive includes word that the job requires experience with the Unreal engine, and, under responsibilities, a reference to how the position "involves creating innovative multiplayer design in a non-traditional First-Person Shooter environment." A "non-traditional First-Person Shooter environment" seems like an accurate characterization of the game, which involves attempting to survive the aftermath of an earthquake.
The Avatar: The Game Website now offers downloads of a free DLC pack for the game tie-in with the new James Cameron movie. The free Avatar Weapon pack is available for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, and requires a registered Ubisoft account. The pack includes a Na'Vi Bow Pack, RDA Flamethrowers, RDA Grenade Launchers, and RDA M60 Machine Guns. Thanks The Patches Scrolls.
The EA Forums have a large number of posts from owners of ATI graphics cards having problems playing The Saboteur under Windows Vista and Windows 7. There are indications this impacts multi-core systems, and they offer a workaround that involves shutting down all but one CPU core to play the action/stealth game, saying: "This work around is entirely base [sic] upon CPU processing power & will possibly only work for certain systems." Thanks Mike Martinez via Slashdot.
An article on WSJ.com called "Electronic Games that Work for Both Novices and Pros" looks at the issues caused when players of differing skill levels play video games together. They discuss various techniques for bridging the gaming talent gap being used in recent games, including Super Mario Bros and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The article also delves into another element in this equation, which is the effort at marketing new games to an ever-broader audience.
EA and Mythic Entertainment announce the release of a new patch for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning updating the MMORPG to version 1.3.3, simultaneously revealing details on the second annual Keg End celebration, which is this year's WAR holiday live event. The WAR patch notes have details on the patch (which they indicate was released last week), which adds the Underdog system, bloom and HDR lighting, The WAR Report, and more. This page outlines the Keg End event, which gets underway on December 16 and will run trough January 4. Word on that is: During the celebration of the Dwarf New year players can earn exclusive in-game rewards, including the titles "Brew Hound" for Order and "Broo Dawg" for Destruction, a deployable Party Keg allies may interact with to increase their morale gain rate, and a Keg Tap with career-specific stats. Rare World Drop Items include the Battlebrew Backpack (one for each tier in which they are found) and your own personal keg toting servant - the Dwarf Keg Handler (Order) or Goblin Bar-Back (Destruction)!
Online game publisher GamesCampus announces plans to update Manga Fighter, the Anime-inspired subscription-free online shooting game. The new version is called Manga Fighter Season 2, and it will go live on December 14. In spite of the genre and theme, this game is designed for casual players. Details follow. Continue here to read the full story.
A new patch is now available for James Cameron's Avatar: The Game to update the action movie tie-in to version 1.01. The patch is available from AtomicGamer, ComputerGames.ro, FileFront, Fileplay, Gamer's Hell, The Patches Scrolls, and Worthplaying. The patch notes follow. Continue here to read the full story.
The ACE Team Blog offers three of the 18 tracks from the Zeno Clash soundtrack for free, hoping to inspire purchases of the whole shebang through iTunes or other outlets. The free tracks they offer from the combat game are the Main Theme, Forest of Freedom, and The Throne / The Awakening.
The Fallout wiki has a news post based on updates made some time back to their online Fallout encyclopedia with a possible hint about plans for a Fallout movie. They report the DVD commentary for the Mutant Chronicles movie apparently includes comments from Ron Perlman saying he was the narrator in an action videogame where the tagline was "War never changes," that he thought was being made into a movie.
GameSpot has details on the cost of America's Army, saying the Unreal-engine first-person shooter created by the US Army as a recruiting aid has cost taxpayers 32.8 million dollars in the decade the project has been underway. GameSpot actually filed a Freedom of Information Act request to get this info, though some aspects of the request were denied because "disclosure of this information is likely to cause substantial harm to the Department of the Army's competitive position in the gaming industry." They also include a summary of the annual expenditures on the game: America's Army year-by-year budget summary
2000--$3,500,000
2001--$5,600,000
2002--$1,862,985
2003--$2,600,000
2004--$3,866,482
2005--$1,288,552
2006--$4,050,748
2007--$2,788,137
2008--$3,887,450
2009--$3,395,702
Readers with long memories may recall the report earlier last year of a Trademark filing for Star Wars Legends. Now VideoGamer.com notes that the Australian Classification Database has a rating for a Star Wars Legends computer game from LucasArts and Activision Blizzard, which was classified in June of this year. Geoff Keighley recently tweeted about plans for a Star Wars reveal at this week's VGAs, so it's possible this is Star Wars Legends.
Big Download has a follow-up on Intel's cancellation of their Larrabee GPU, inquiring about the status of Project Offset, since Intel acquired Offset Software in early 2008 with the goal of showing off the power of Larrabee with this upcoming first-person shooter. While not negative, the reply they received is not exactly positive either, as Intel told them: "Expect an update in 2010 regarding Offset."
Staring Into The Void: The Lore of Dead Space on GameInformer.com offers details on the just announced Dead Space 2. The article discusses how the story of the sequel interfaces with that of the original game and hints at the direction the new game might take. The article includes concept art from the action/horror sequel and quotes from Visceral Games senior production designer Ben Wanat and senior designer John Calhoun.
EA honcho John Riccitiello says there are more than a billion gamers globally now in a video interview with PBS's Nightly Business Report, reports Computer and Video Games. He actually says this is a conservative estimate: "With the advent of new digital media landscape, we've seen a torrent of new consumers. Conservatively, if I add up mobile users who play games, social network people who play games, people who play PC games online in Asia, there's at least a billion people gaming today," the EA CEO says. "So we have five times the audience we've ever had, and it's growing in leaps and bounds." VG247 notes that John also says Dragon Age: Origins has sold over one million pieces of DLC since BioWare's RPG launched last month.
The QUAKE LIVE Website outlines changes to id Software's free online shooter that improves hit registration (thanks to increased server framerates), uses new cylindrical player hitboxes, and adds player position extrapolation fixes. Word is: "These changes should help reduce occurrences where you actually miss an enemies [sic] body with a shot, but actually register a hit (because the "hitbox" was larger than the body itself). In addition to these changes we have also included several new smaller features such as the impactSparks, that further assist in detecting when and where you've hit your enemy." All the changes are outlined in this Changelist. Thanks Voodoo Extreme.
An Interview with John Woo on Cinematical talks with the famed director about his current workload. When asked about Stranglehold, the video game sequel to his classic action flick Hard Boiled, he confirms there are still plans for a movie based on the game, saying: "I forgot to tell you. We are going to make that into a movie." We've seen the game referred to as a franchise, but Woo says he has not current plans to return to gaming: "No. I don't have that much time, even though I want to make one again. But for the moment, I also am producing two movies. One is shooting in Taiwan. One is shooting in Shanghai. So I am quite busy these days." Thanks Joystiq.
A second patch is now available for War in the Pacific: Admiral’s Edition to update the World War II "monster strategy game" to version 1.00.95. Changes to the War in the Pacific sequel include interface improvements, an overhauled pilot training system, performance improvements, and bug fixes. They say: "Most of these improvements and fixes can be applied to existing games in progress simply by loading the saved game and continuing play." The Matrix Games website has further details, and the patch itself is located on this page.
A trailer from Lionheart: Kings' Crusade offers a look at the just announced real-time strategy game set in the 12th century during the third crusade. There's no gameplay, just cinematics of cloned knights not doing anything, along with text describing the game's setting. The clip can be streamed on the YouTube and is available for download from FileFront, Gamer's Hell, and Worthplaying.
- Alien vs. Predator on IGN.
Well, the calendar still says it's autumn, but the weather out there obviously thinks it's winter today. We have a wet sort of snow falling around here in New York, which is heavy, but dealing with that seems like a pleasure compared with the middle of the US, where they are showing severe blizzards all over the place. Good luck (and safe travels) to those dealing with that.
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