Archived News:
The Steam Hardware Survey now offers its December, 2009 results, showing hardware trends collected from the users of Valve's online service. Some of the results follow. Continue here to read the full story.
The Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening Q&A on IGN talks with Fernando Melo, Online Producer of the upcoming Awakening expansion for Dragon Age: Origins, BioWare's RPG. The conversation explains the setting of the add-on, the player's experience, character importation options, the new "mid to high 30s" level cap, the entirely new story they are exploring, new party members, character respecing, the delayed Return to Ostagar DLC, and more.
Glen Schofield on Dead Space, Sledgehammer Games and the transition from EA to Activision on Joystiq is a conversation with Glen Schofield of Sledgehammer Games, discussing parting ways with Visceral Games and EA, Dead Space, why he feels his new studio is special, working with their new high command at Activision, and a bit more about Dead Space before an unsuccessful probe for details about the unannounced project they are working on.
A post on Deadline.com suggests filming of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4 is being pushed back due to script issues with the superhero movie sequel, with a subsequent update encouraging the crew to look for other work due to the movie being "unlikely" to make its previously scheduled May 11, 2011 release date. This leads to speculation on IncGamers that this may result in the Warcraft movie that is also to be directed by Raimi will begin filming earlier than expected, as it is the other of the director's projects that is in pre-production. Of course this is not a given, as a quick check of Raimi's IMDB page shows no fewer than 22 projects that he is connected to are "in development", though these include far reaching projects such as Spider-Man 5 and Evil Dead IV.
The Supreme Commander 2 interview on IGN talks with Chris Taylor of Gas Powered Games about Supreme Commander 2, the upcoming real-time strategy sequel. They discuss gameplay, and how the game will differ from the original SupCom. They also talk about the game's infrastructure, saying the sequel will do away with the GPGnet dealie and rely completely on Steam for matchmaking. The game's streamlined engine is another topic, as they say it will run more efficiently than its forebear, even on systems with lower specs than recommended for SupCom 1. This comes at the cost of mod support, however, as while the game engine is moddable, the maps are not, at least for now, as word is: "Taylor explained that the campaign maps were designed with a bevy of industrial-grade tools and programmes and simply could not be shipped or supported officially on the user-end. He was, however, adamant that you should never say never when it comes to the PC modding scene."
- AI War: Fleet Command on Direct2Drive and Direct2Drive UK. Save 50%.
- Mass Effect 2 Digital Deluxe Edition on Direct2Drive. Bonus Inferno Armor with preorders.
- The Saboteur on Direct2Drive. Save $5.00 with the code "5OFFSAB".
- Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter on Steam. Save 66%.
- Star Trek Online Digital Deluxe Edition on Direct2Drive and Steam. Beta access with preorders.
Still on sale (previously reported)
Continue here to read the full story.
FALLEN EARTH, LLC announces they've refined the virtual landscapes in Fallen Earth, their post-apocalyptic MMORPG, so now the grass is greener on both sides of the fence. Word is: "The new, full scrub enhances several environmental aspects, sharpening textures and adding more detail with improvements to the resolution and quality of the previous scrub. With the new enhancements, players who view the landscape in first-person character mode will notice more volume within the brush and grass than before." Full details are in this announcement.
The Din's Curse Website has word that Din's Curse is in alpha testing, with Soldak Entertainment saying they had hoped to have hit this stage in developing their upcoming action/RPG in November, and they "have spent the extra two months making Din a much better game." Also, there are some new screenshots from the game on the Official Website and a new preview on Co-Optimus. Word is alpha testing should last about a month, and that they are planning one of those pre-sell deals allowing early access: Right now I'm thinking my longer alpha time guess of around a month is more likely at this point. Hopefully this means we will go into beta somewhere around the end of January. We will continue our internal testing at that point in time, but we are also still planning on the preorder/beta idea (short recap: you will be able to buy the game for a reduced price and get access to the beta).
Kotaku highlights a fascinating tidbit from their Kotaku Talk Radio interview with Todd Howard of Bethesda Softworks, who describes an internal pitch the studio once entertained for an RPG set in the Star Trek universe. "Nothing was developed internally," he explained. "There was a pitch to do a big Star Trek RPG. [But] we were doing other things, we made Fallout. We can't do everything." When asked about which Trek era they were considering, Todd gave the only proper answer, saying that "we were pondering classic," pointing out that William Shatner "did voice acting in one of the games we had." Kaaaaaaaahn!
- Splinter Cell: Conviction on GameSpot. Co-Op Update.
Link of the Day: The Most Useless Machine EVER. Thanks Frans via nrc.next.
This announcement covers Dell's new offerings being shown off at CES 2010, which include the Alienware M11x, Dell's "first ultra-mobile gaming laptop," as well as a new 3D monitor and a couple of larger gaming laptops. Word on the M11x is that it "demonstrates the graphics power of a 15-inch laptop in an 11-inch form factor." The larger laptops are the Alienware M17x and M15x, described as: "The most powerful 17-inch and 15-inch Alienware gaming laptops ever created."
Steam News announces another new automatic update is now available for Team Fortress 2, Valve's teamplay shooter. The new version addresses two problems with the Force-A-Nature and updates the icon for the "May I Cut In?" Spy achievement to match its description.
Gearbox announces the Windows and PlayStation 3 editions of Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot are now available, offering the DLC which was released last week for the Xbox 360 edition of Borderlands, Gearbox's role-playing shooter. The DLC is $9.99 USD, and requires Borderlands to play. Word is: "Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot adds even more mayhem to the Borderlands experience by introducing an entirely new Riot Mode that will challenge you to face endless hordes of menacing antagonists, thirsting for carnage in tournaments where the rules of warfare are constantly changing." The Windows DLC is available for purchase on the Gearbox Software Store and Steam.
"There is a lot to hate about GameStop right now," says outspoken Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter in an update on IndustryGamers. This is based on GameStop's new fiscal reporting just a few days after he predicted this would "report solid sales in a weak environment." He says GameStop's revenue shortfall is because of increased competition from Walmart and Amazon, but maintains optimism for the future, saying they "think that GameStop will be in a position to guide to a positive comp and solid earnings growth for 2010 when it reports results in mid-March."
Computer and Video Games reports it "can confirm that Activision has pencilled in a November release for the seventh Call Of Duty - which will be set in the late 1960s, during the Vietnam War." They attribute this to a senior UK trade source, who also informs them "It's going to be November again - just as with World At War and Modern Warfare 2," adding: "Activision believes that it can own Christmas 2010, just as it has in the last two years." A seventh installment in the Call of Duty series of military shooters has not yet been officially announced, but the rumor mill seems to be heating up on this one, as this is the second unconfirmed report in as many days, following yesterday's report of rumors about the game's story structure.
As promised last week, the beta test for Love is now open, offering wider access to Quel Solaar's online procedural adventure game. As outlined here, this beta is not free, as they are still asking for three Euros for 30 days of access to offset the cost of their game servers ("their" in that figurative sense, as the game has a single developer). The client is free, and prospective testers are urged to download it to make sure it runs properly on your system.
A new Beta 3 of Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy is now available, as the micro-expansion for Ironclad's 4X space strategy game edges closer to release. Word is: "Beta 3 adds a number of refinements to Diplomacy based on feedback, along with bug fixes and some new features." Access to the beta is available to those who preorder Diplomacy. Full details on the new version are posted in this forum thread.
The Camelot Herald has word that GOA's license to run Dark Age of Camelot in Europe will soon lapse after eight years of operation of the MMORPG (thanks MMORPG.com). This is going to involve some not-yet-disclosed changes, as Mythic Entertainment indicates they are taking over operation themselves: Today, it was announced that after eight years of operating Dark Age of Camelot in Europe, GOA’s license with Mythic Entertainment will soon expire and they will no longer publish or support the game.
Over the years, GOA has fostered a vibrant and dedicated community that is passionate about the game. In the coming weeks, GOA will be entrusting Mythic with this community of players.
We are currently working with GOA to take over operation of the game and its European community, and will soon be providing details about pressing player questions such as existing subscriptions, character transfers, game versions, localization, and more. We look forward to welcoming all players from the European servers and look forward to supporting them in the years to come.
While this closes one chapter for DAoC in Europe, a new one begins with a bright future of RvR ahead.
Part three of the Beta Uplink Series on the Command & Conquer Website discusses the Defense Class in Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, the next installment in the C&C series of real-time strategy games. Word is: "If you love your base building, or want to sit back and turtle, then this is the class for you!" The article outlines how the defensive class will work, has images and descriptions of defensive units, and even some gameplay tips for playing the defense class.
Infinity Ward is not creating Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and is instead working on something "completely new" reports VG247, attributing this to "a VG247 source," but also saying, "The details come from US recruitment channels," adding they have not received a reply from Activision to a query about this. They also state "one dev source" tells them MW3 will be developed by a Canadian developer (pointing out Activision's only Canadian developer is Radical Entertainment), while "another" tells them it will be Sledgehammer Games, which was formed by ex-Visceral bosses. Back in October Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling reflected on the future, saying: "Right now we don't have a clue what our next game is going to be, and we won't know what it will be until we finish with Modern Warfare 2, which won't be for a while – once this game comes out we're going to take a little break, we're going to play with the community to see what people like and what they want more of so we can focus on the DLC for this game, and once all that's wrapped up and done then we'll start thinking about what's coming next. Right now, if we want to make another one then we might, but we've really no clue what our next game is."
The Neill Blomkamp interview part three on the Los Angeles Times talks with the director about the prospects of a prequel to District 9, the sci-fi movie he directed. The conversation also touches on the idea of a District 9 video game, which he says he'd have input on, though any decision on whether this will happen is in the hands of producer Peter Jackson. Even though Blomkamp was set to direct a Halo movie, he starts by saying "I play a lot of video games. The idea of 'District 9' as a video game stresses me out a little bit because games based on movies rarely work. And movies based on games don't work -- I don't know what's up with that." After getting that out of the way, he goes on to say: But anyway, "District 9" as a game would be fascinating. And I don't want to see it happen for any sort of corporate reason or profit thing. I used to be involved in computer graphics and I love virtual environments. That's why I like video games, really. And I think a virtual environment of the slums of Soweto is an appealing idea to me. The weapons are cool, too. I photographed the film in a way that isn't that different than video-game perspective in some parts. So a game would be interesting to me. There's nothing happening with it though.
The BioWare Blog has an update from BioWare's Christina Norman discussing how they are changing enemy power resists in Mass Effect 2, saying this is one of the areas they are looking to improve on in the RPG sequel over the original game. She describes the rock/paper/scissors nature of enemy shields, armor, and barriers, and says: "Defenses add significant tactical depth to combat. While weaker enemies can be defeated with powers alone, strong enemies require teamwork to drop their defenses so they can be finished with powers. This adds depth to character progression for you and your squad: It’s important to invest in both finishing-move powers like throw and cryo-freeze, and defense-killers like warp and overload."
The DLC for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be released on the Xbox 360 before Windows, reports Destructoid from CES 2010. Details are not supplied on the length of the release gap between platforms, who said this, or in what context. Update: This is corroborated by Xbox Live's Major Nelson (thanks kimbambaman), who writes: "This Spring, the first Modern Warfare 2 content packs will be available exclusively first on Xbox LIVE."
Kotaku has details on that Game Room dealie from Microsoft that was announced at CES but hinted at a bit earlier. Word is this will be a virtual arcade for Games for Windows LIVE and Xbox LIVE that will launch in the spring. The service will eventually allow access to "over 1000" retro titles, offering the chance to buy the games outright for between 240 and 400 of MS funny money points or 40 points for single play, harkening back to the quarter arcade days (adjusted for inflation, of course). They have a video clip showing avatars playing on virtual arcade machines, and Computer and Video Games has a fact sheet with pricing details: It is free to download "Game Room," which you can then populate with classic arcade games available for individual purchase. Buy games once and play on both an Xbox 360 system and a Windows-based PC for 400 Microsoft Points. Or, to purchase a game for only one platform, each individual Xbox 360 or Windows-based PC title is 240 Microsoft Points. You also have the option to pay to play a single game, just like dropping two quarters in the slot in the old arcades, for 40 Microsoft Points. Visit your friends' "game rooms" and try their games free before you buy.
Sony is planning on expanding the availability of "premium video offerings" from the PSN network to other Sony devices, reports G4tv from CES 2010. They say: "PlayStation Network's video database will eventually be expanded to various Sony-produced TVs, laptops, Blu-ray drives and assumedly other devices, as well. Sony is also implementing a unified ID and wallet to avoid confusion if consumers are hopping from platform to platform."
GameStop Reports 2009 Holiday Sales Results in an unusual bit of financial reporting for a nine-week period. They say: "Total sales for the period were $2.86 billion, flat from prior year sales. New stores continue to perform very well while comparable store sales for the period decreased 8.6%." As a result they have lowered their fourth quarter 2009 guidance. Here's what seems to be the oddest quote in the announcement, as we can't figure out how price cuts cause sales declines: "Hardware sales declined 8% due to recent console price cuts and a decline in unit sales on a year-over-year basis."
Well look at that, we did get or first retweet from our Twitter feed yesterday, so I guess it's ask and you shall receive in this case. We're after you Ashton... Just a million or so followers to go!
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