Archived News:
The launch trailer for Divinity II – Ego Draconis is now available, showcasing the recently released RPG sequel from Larian Studios which allows the player to play in both human and dragon forms. The clip begins with some stylized cinematics with a narration to set the game's back story, and concludes with gameplay footage. The clip is available on the YouTube and embedded below. Continue here to read the full story.
Brave New Gamer has the latest story casting doubt on the fate of Duke Nukem Forever, the first-person shooter that may or may not still be in the works. This is a quote from Duke's voice Jon St. John, who had the following to say when asked about the game at a recent panel discussion: "I'm not allowed to speak on that subject, sir," St. John explained. "He's asking about Duke Nukem Forever, let me go ahead and tell you right now that I’m not allowed to talk about Duke Nukem Forever." Responding to the crowd's disappointment, he added: "No, no, don’t be disappointed. Read between the lines. Why am I not allowed to talk about it?" Thanks Kotaku.
2009 Mod of the Year Awards event on Mod DB offers the chance to vote on the best game modifications released over the past year. They share their editor's picks and are tabulating reader voting for the awards, which will be handed out on February 20. Word is: "From now until Feb 20th, we shall be sharing a year in review and showcasing the editors' picks of 2009, culminating in the announcement of this year's best mod and game as voted by you."
A post to Cliffski's Blog has an interesting outlook from the Positech developer on game development (among other things), describing "eat your own dog food" as a maxim that means use your own product: "I play my games a bit, not enough tbh, although that primarily a lack of time. I’m going to set aside a few hours today to just play through some challenges. I have found so many bugs, and had so many ideas, post-release, just from experiencing my own games with the mindset of an end user. If you are an indie dev, and there is something, anything, no matter how small that disappoints, bugs or annoys you about your game, then fix it. Fix it now."
Direct2Drive announces the 10 bestselling titles on their service for the week of December 27-January 2:
- Star Trek Online Digital Deluxe Edition (PreOrder)
- Dragon Age: Origins (Mac) version
- Torchlight
- Aion
- Civilization 4: The Complete Edition
- The Sims 3
- Dragon Age: Origins (Mac) Digital Deluxe Edition
- Mass Effect 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
- Star Trek Online
- Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 Bundle
The Dr Pepper Promotions Page is where to redeem codes from Dr Pepper bottles to earn free DLC for select EA titles. This page has the rules for the contest, which is open to US residents only. Thanks Joystiq, who have a clarification from the soda company that every bottle contains a winning code. Word (thanks Tavillion) is: "Unique Downloadable Content (DLC) for applicable EA games (games subject to change) - Mass Effect 2, Battlefield Heroes, The Sims 3, Spore, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 plus additional games may be available based on EA game release dates. Once all DLC content has been redeemed various options of other electronic downloads will be available as prizes."
Link of the Day: The lost Avatar treatment. Thanks dakslf.
EA has corrected the report from earlier today that the upcoming new Medal of Honor game would have two separate solo campaigns, clarifying this is not actually the case. They say the upcoming Medal of Honor game set in the present day "will have one seamless single player campaign." They think the confusion stems from way the game will put the player in the role of more than one character: "You will, however, play as multiple characters that partake in diverse and unique experiences from both the 'Tier 1' and 'Big Military' perspectives; hence the 'Sledgehammer' and 'Scalpel' motifs that were taken out of context."
Wolfire Games and Unknown Worlds Entertainment have put together an unusual preorder bundle for Overgrowth and Natural Selection 2, offering a bundle of both of these independently developed games at a 40% discount for the next week. This page is dedicated to the bundle, and offers a YouTube video on the topic. Word is: "What makes this bundle so awesome is that unlike other 'indie' bundles which are hosted by corporate middle men, we are actually putting this promotion on by ourselves, so all sales will directly support our game development. We both practice 'open development' which means that preordering gets you immediate access to early builds of our games and tech. Since we're building our own engines from scratch and bundling them with editor suites, people are already able to start building their own custom levels (and have already been doing so!)." If you have already purchased either game, don't despair, as word is: "If people already pre-ordered NS2, they can still get a free copy of Overgrowth here. If they pre-ordered Overgrowth, they can get a free copy of NS2 Special Edition here."
The upcoming Medal of Honor game will feature two single-player campaigns is one of the revelations in a Medal of Honor preview on The Lost Gamer looking at the next installment in the military shooter series. The preview is based on an article in GamesMaster magazine (thanks VG247). Update: EA has subsequently clarified that the game will have one seamless single-player campaign.
Steam News announces the availability of a new automatic patch for Team Fortress 2, Valve's teamplay shooter. The new version includes updates to the server browser, balance changes, other changes and fixes, achievement changes, community requests, and numerous changes to the TF Bots. The especially extensive patch notes follow. Continue here to read the full story.
We've posted the video accompanying last night's Mass Effect 2 Vanguard class profile to the YouTube. The clip is narrated by combat designer Christina Norman, and here's a bit of accompanying info: "Vanguards are outfitted with a L5n implant giving them powerful biotic capabilities and coupled with their weapons training, they become lethal at close range. Vanguards are capable of closing the distance instantly on an enemy with their unique Charge ability. Gathering immense biotic power, Vanguards will charge toward an enemy, passing over chasms and through obstacles where they can then collide with their target, sending them flying through the air. Additionally Vanguards are able to release an explosive Shockwave, tossing enemies and knocking them from cover. If Vanguards find themselves in trouble, they are also able to use their Charge ability for a quick escape to safety." The embedded clip follows. Continue here to read the full story.
Mad Catz announces four new gaming mice as part of a premium Cyborg R.A.T. line of peripherals, ranging from a $49.99 model through a rechargeable $129.99 variant. They all have 1000 Hz polling rates, with the two higher-end models boasting 5.4 m/sec acceleration. In addition to removable weights, the top three models also include various degrees of adjustment: "the key points of contact between the gamer's hand and the mouse are fully adjustable allowing it to be customized for any grip preference." The new mice are expected to come scurrying out in the spring.
Online cloud-based gaming startup Gaikai has raised $5 million in funding, reports VentureBeat, citing a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. They say: "The company declined to comment on the filing, which does not identify investors. But one of the company’s directors is Mitch Lasky, a partner at Benchmark Capital." Gaikai is headed by Shiny Entertainment founder Dave Perry, and is one of several services looking be on the cutting edge of a theoretical cloud-based gaming future.
A post on Abstract360 mongers some rumors about the next Call of Duty game in the works at Treyarch, long rumored to be set in the Vietnam War. They seem to confirm the Vietnam setting, and say "CoD: Vietnam will focus heavily on the story, specifically the struggles of each individual person in your squadron." This is attributed to "reliable sources," as they say "Speaking with reliable sources, PlanetXbox360 has been able to uncover some more interesting bits of information on the upcoming shooter." Of course PlanetXbox360 is a different site altogether, and does not contain any of this info. This was linked last night on Computer and Video Games, and our impulse is to dismiss it outright, but this week-old post is now appearing elsewhere, so we have succumbed to peer pressure.
The Steam Users' Forums offer links to download the Half-Life 2 Update Mod that updates Half-Life 2 with the improved Orange Box Source engine graphics from Half-Life 2: Episode Two (which is required), including High Dynamic Range lighting, updated models and textures, and 32 Steam Achievements. There's a trailer comparing the new graphics with the originals on the YouTube and another trailer demonstrating the game's achievements. Thanks Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
The new issue #56 of the Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) goes on sale tomorrow, but it's not too early to get hyped for OXM #57, as the OXM website highlights the cover story for the magazine's subsequent issue will be Fallout: New Vegas, Obsidian's upcoming Fallout RPG. In the meantime they have posted the magazine cover and a whimsical series of images on Vault Boy's new careers. Likewise, our old friend Jason "loonyboi" Bergman recently tweeted on the topic: "Feels good to be back in the office for actual work. 2010. Woo! Look for details on Fallout: New Vegas in the not-too-distant-future."
DePaul’s Game Development program announces Devil's Tuning Fork, a first-person shooter developed by game design students which is available as a free download on the Devil's Tuning Fork Website. Word is: "Produced by a team consisting entirely of DePaul University game dev students, Devil’s Tuning Fork (DTF) turns classic FPS mechanics and visuals inside out with fresh, echolocation-based action and ambiance guaranteed to blow your mind." As an interesting aside, Bungie cofounder Alex Seropian is one of DePaul University's "Game Designers in Residence," and was the game's Project Advisor. Here are some screenshots and a trailer is available on the YouTube.
The Gamers With Jobs Conference Call Episode 169 is online, featuring a conversation with famed designer Sid Meier. Word is: "This week, Julian sits down with Sid Meier to talk about the rise of Facebook, the future of strategy gaming, and the inevitability of co-op. Afterward, the crew expand on the future of social gaming."
Matrix Games announces a new patch is now available for WW2: Time of Wrath, updating the World War II grand strategy game to version 1.70. The patch is available on this page, and here's word on the update: "The comprehensive 1.70 update comes with the ability to do a direct amphibious assault, some new aircraft carrier assault features, and plenty of new Events along with some tweaks to the existing ones." The download is mirrored on AtomicGamer, Filefront, and Gamer's Hell.
Work continues apace on whipping up changes and improvements here, as Frans continues to add and refine features. Since a couple of these were rolled out during the holiday season, they should probably be noted again. First, to go along with the new general forums the popular threads list on the left now includes a little basement of the most popular recent threads from the non-news forums, which at this point are arguably "unpopular threads" since they are not used that much, which is why we want to highlight them. The news threads on the popular list expire after a week, but we'll give the general forums more leeway to see if that helps them gain some traction. Also, we now have a Twitter feed that delivers headlines and links to our stories here, this is very exciting as we eagerly await our first retweet. It should be noted the feed skips most of the roundup links like tech bits and such. Finally, our YouTube Channel is where to find videos we have posted. That's all for now, but there's more coming. So there!
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