Archived News:
Game Mechanic Studios announces development of Nitrous Undefeated, an upcoming arcade racing game they say will offer "never-before seen gameplay features totally new to the genre" (though these are not being revealed at this time). Target platforms are not mentioned, but we have learned the game is coming to Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The Nitrous the Game Website is online with a very brief game trailer, and here's a bit from the announcement: "Nitrous Undefeated is a racing game that will flip the racing genre completely upside-down by introducing exciting new gameplay elements to a genre that has up until now been content with just adding better graphics and more cars. The game is still very early on in development but already shows great promise of being a breakaway hit and the second original title from Game Mechanic Studios."
High Voltage Software is bringing its upcoming co-op first-person shooter The Grinder to the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 in addition to the game's originally announced platform, the Wii. This is reported on IGN where they have a gameplay trailer showing the state of the game, and an interview with High Voltage's Kerry Ganofsky and Eric Nofsinger about the project. The game is currently scheduled for release on Halloween, 2011.
The Age of Conan Forums have patch notes for a new version 1.06 update for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, Funcom's MMORPG. Among all the changes in the new version is the launch of the Guild Renown system, a new leveling and reward system for guilds. This article has further details about the rankings and rewards for each of the 20 Guild Renown levels. Also included is a new tier 3 raid instance, a new raid loot token system, and more. Thanks Voodoo Extreme.
Trendy Entertainment announces VisionPlay, PC technology that uses a webcam for motion control of games, similar to Microsoft's upcoming Project Natal. They have a trailer showing the technology in action and word on their first VisionPlay game, called VisionTennis, which is currently in prototype form. Word is: "Based on Accelerond’s advanced image processing algorithms, VisionPlay knows where your head, arms, legs, and torso are, their orientation, and distance from the camera. The VisionPlay system feeds these refined calculations to the video game (via an easy-to-use API) in real-time at 30hz, and the game can then use that data for any number of purposes. Potential game applications may include a character that moves as you do in 3D, driving a car by gripping an invisible steering wheel, or even simply using your finger as a screen pointing device – all without the need for any custom peripherals!"
Nexon America announces a new update is live for Combat Arms, adding a new Last Man Standing mode to the online first-person shooter. Some new screenshots and a gameplay trailer accompany the announcement, and here's word: "Players who want to show off their combat skills will quickly engage into 'Last Man Standing,' which leaves every soldier on their own. Last Man Standing is available on 14 different maps and up to 16 soldiers can compete in games of three, five, seven or nine rounds. Each round begins with all players trying to remain the last standing and end [sic] when there is one soldier remaining." Here's the embedded HD version of the trailer. Continue here to read the full story.
Frogster Interactive and Runewaker Entertainment announce a new Fall of the Demon Lord patch for Runes of Magic that brings the MMORPG to version 2.1.6, adding a new raid instance, a new combat area for large groups, a "Flower Festival" (for Valentine's Day), and more. They have a new trailer showing off the new features, and here are some new screenshots.
GamersFirst announces the launch of a new Siege War update for War Rock in celebration of the third anniversary of the launch of this subscription-free online first-person shooter. "Our players have been patiently waiting for War Rock’s Siege War expansion," says War Rock Producer Jon-Enee Merriex. "We are thrilled to be able to offer this new game mode just in time for our 3rd Anniversary. Along with our live in-game events and our new Clan system, Siege War is sure to push War Rock into a new era of game play!"
Server merges are planned for Pirates of the Burning Sea to address low population issues in Flying Lab Software's seafaring MMORPG. Massively has details, saying the Blackbeard, Defiant, and Rackham servers will close, leaving the game population on Antigua and Roberts, the two remaining servers. They say: "Sony Online Entertainment is giving players a month to make plans and choose a new server. Beginning this Friday, February 5th, players on Blackbeard, Defiant, and Rackham will be able to transfer their characters to either of the remaining servers. Character creation on those three servers will be disabled at the same time, so start making your plans for new characters and transfers of current characters now."
A new Majesty 2: Kingmaker video interview hears from Mattias Lilja. associate producer upcoming expansion for 1C:Ino-Co's upcoming RTS sequel. Along with discussion of the game there's some new footage of gameplay from the add-on.
The System Shock Modification Archive offers a custom controls modification for System Shock, the action/RPG developed by Looking Glass Studios. The mod imbues the old school game with some modern features, including configurable keys, mouse look support, and multiple resolutions. Thanks Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
Three new automatic updates are now available on Steam. There's a new patch for Madballs in... Babo:Invasion adding community missions and a spectator cam mode to the arcade shooter. A new automatic patch is now available for Team Fortress 2 addressing a couple of bugs in the teamplay shooter. Finally, there's a new update for the Steam client itself adding DirectX 11 and DirectX 10.1 support from the in-game overlay and clearing up a few bugs.
Speaking of content not coming to the PC (see the story that follows), the Capcom-Unity Blog has word on new Survivor Missions DLC for Dark Void that only seems to be coming to the console editions of the jetpack-augmented shooter. They also reveal further details on the previously announced plan to release the game's soundtrack on February 9. Word on the DLC follows. Continue here to read the full story.
EA's Romily Broad tweets and tweets again about the promised free roster update for FIFA 10, the association football/soccer simulation. Only two platforms are mentioned, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, so PC, Wii, PS2, etc. owners will still have the same old rosters to kick around. Rom also tweets that FIFA Ultimate Team (which is also only for 360 and PS3) will be released on February 25th.
Social Games provider Zynga announces a partnership with MSN Games to free FarmVille from the FaceBook "platform" and allow the popular farming simulation to be played on MSN.com. Word is: "Today’s agreement is the first step towards bringing Zynga’s social games to Microsoft’s platform. In the coming months, additional Zynga titles will launch on MSN Games and Windows Live Messenger, which reach more than a half billion users combined each month. More than 75 million play FarmVille each month on Facebook, and millions more now have access to the popular hit through the MSN Games portal."
A new Sins of a Solar Empire - Trinity trailer depicts a starship battle in the upcoming bundle of Sins of a Solar Empire and the Entrenchment and Diplomacy micro-expansions for Ironclad's space-based RTS game. Word is: "The expansions are unique in that they do not just add content, they change the core gameplay. Sins of a Solar Empire – Trinity will be an entirely different Sins of a Solar Empire experience." This concept is explored in a new preview by Brad Wardell on the game's official website, and there's also an interview with Brad on Big Download. You can view the clip on the YouTube and the HD version is embedded below. Continue here to read the full story.
Our old comrade loonyboi tweets about the clues present in the just released trailer for Fallout New Vegas, Obsidian's upcoming post-apocalyptic RPG. Word is: "Bring on the #FalloutNewVegas speculation! Should be lots of little tidbits you can gleam from that teaser if you look carefully enough."
Dungeon Defense is now available for download from the Epic UDK Website, offering a standalone freeware Unreal-engine Tower Defense-Action/RPG hybrid created by Trendy Entertainment using the Unreal Development Kit (apparently in all of four weeks). Word is: "Supporting up to four players, Dungeon Defense challenges gamers to defend their lair against hundreds of invading enemies by summoning magical defenses."
JoWooD Entertainment announces they will be distributing the boxed retail edition of Runic games' action/RPG Torchlight in European territories (excluding France and Benelux) on March 23. "JoWooD Entertainment will utilize its highly effective distribution network to optimally position the game in stores all over Europe (excluding France and Benelux). The enormous amount of publicity this title has generated in the media so far, as well as the product’s indubitable top quality, makes us certain that this title has huge potential," explains Albert Seidl, CEO JoWooD Group. "We are enthusiastic to be able to cooperate with Runic Games on this project and are looking forward to a highly successful release."
Ubisoft tweets to clarify the localized implications of the now set in stone release date for Splinter Cell: Conviction: "And to be crystal clear, Splinter Cell Conviction will be out on April 13 (US), April 15 (Europe + Australia), April 16 (UK)." Also, a new Splinter Cell Conviction trailer on the YouTube shows off the European Collector's Edition of the upcoming stealth/action series. The contents seem to be different from the U.S. Collector's Edition, among other things it includes a Sam Fisher statuette and additional in-game content.
Edge Online follows up on the recently announced $4.6 million settlement awarded to MumboJumbo in their lawsuit against PopCap Games citing fraud, tortious interference, and breach of contract. The new report indicates that PopCap has also been saddled with Mumbo Jumbo's attorney's fees and appeal expenses, adding another $2.7 million to the tab, which takes the total that PopCap must pay Mumbo Jumbo to $7.3 million.
GamersGate announces they have migrated their game library to a more powerful Content Delivery Network (CDN) hosted by Internap Network Services Corporation. They say customers will now be able to download PC and Mac games through the service nearly 400% faster than previously. "As an online retailer, our first priority is to constantly seek technological solutions that will help us increase our quality of service to customers," said Theo Bergquist, CEO of GamersGate. "This transition to an incredible high speed CDN will greatly decrease the amount of time players must spend waiting for their favorite games to download."
The TimeGate Studios Careers Page lists several openings, including lead level designer. TimeGate is located in Sugarland, Texas, which is about 20 minutes outside of Houston.
Here's a Twitpic of the original painting (credited to "Brom") that was used for the cover art for Diablo II. Word is the painting is now hanging in the Blizzard on-campus gallery in Irvine, California.
Eidos tweets about plans for a Just Cause 2 demo, teasing plans for a sample of Avalanche Studios' action/shooter follow-up in typical terse Twitter fashion: "Just Cause 2 demo on its way, details to follow!" Thanks Strategy Informer.
Bethesda Softworks reveals a release window for Fallout New Vegas, saying the Fallout RPG is "planned for a Fall 2010 release on Games for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3." There's a new teaser trailer on the Bethesda Softworks Website with an ominous cinematic from Obsidian's take on the Fallout franchise. This is accompanied by some new information on this product page: Experience all the sights and sounds of fabulous New Vegas, brought to you by Vault-Tec, America's First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation. Explore the treacherous wastes of the Great Southwest from the safety and comfort of your very own vault: Meet new people, confront terrifying creatures, and arm yourself with the latest high-tech weaponry as you make a name for yourself on a thrilling new journey across the Mojave wasteland. A word of warning, however - while Vault-Tec engineers have prepared for every contingency,* in Vegas, fortunes can change in an instant. Enjoy your stay.
* Should not be construed as a legally-binding claim.
Battlefront.com announces Combat Mission Afghanistan, a new installment in the Combat Mission series due in Q2 of this year that represents their first collaboration with a third-party on a combat mission game. The setting is not the current Afghanistan conflict, but rather the war with the U.S.S.R. in the 1980s. Word is: "The two stock campaigns cover two periods of the Afghan wars - the beginning phase (1980-1982) and the later years of highest activity and most intense hostilities, 1985-1987. The tactics are different for these periods – during the first stage of the war, the mujahedeen forces attempted to fight against the Soviet Army and the Army of the DRA (Democratic Republic of Afghanistan) on 'equal footing'. Later on, the mujahedeen realized that these tactics would not lead to success and they turned to guerrilla actions."
A new BioShock 2 video on Computer and Video Games introduces the Siren's Alley level in the shooter sequel and showing off a new type of big daddy. If you need more spoilers, MTV Multiplayer has a BioShock guide revealing every plasma and weapon in the upcoming shooter sequel. If that leaves too much to the imagination there's a Weapons Showcase Video on IGN and they also have a Many Weapons of BioShock 2 trailer.
A post on VG247 offers what are purported to be details about F.E.A.R. 3 based on a casting call for a web promo for the unannounced (but hinted at) shooter sequel. It's not clear that the information is accurate, but it is clearly spoiler laden in case you are interested in learning more about the game before it's actually announced.
EA announces some statistics coinciding with the the tenth anniversary of The Sims series of lifestyle simulations. They say: "the unstoppable, award-winning franchise has produced three core games – The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3 – supported by dozens of expansion and stuff packs with lifetime unit sales eclipsing 125 million worldwide." They also point out the service the series will offer in the far-flung future a century hence when historians will wonder why there were so many cooking fires and unfortunate bathroom accidents in our time: "If the games were buried in a time capsule, when unearthed in 100 years, The Sims would give future generations an instant understanding of how people lived between 2000 - 2010."
European publisher burda:ic announces plans to bring their subscription-free MMOG Land of Chaos Online to North America this summer. According to the announcement: "LOCO features a roster of 30 unique characters from competing factions that include the Army of Hell and the Forces of Nature. Hulking warriors, evil magicians, giant monsters, and agile gunslingers all stand ready to join the fight, and each one brings a distinct set of strengths and weaknesses to the battlefield. Whether players are tearing through minions to reach a towering boss, destroying enemy camps to clear the map of opponents, or taking on another team in a guild battle, joining up with the right combination of characters is the key to victory in the Land of Chaos."
In the couple of days since announcing Order of War: Challenge, Wargaming.net has determined a release date for the standalone multiplayer RTS add-on, saying it will be out on Steam on February 25. Word is: "It will be exclusively available as a digital download on Steam® at the suggested price of $9.99. Those players, who own the original version of ORDER OF WAR™, will get ORDER OF WAR: CHALLENGE automatically for FREE."
Riot Games announces their debut title League of Legends has been downloaded over one million times since the launch of the subscription-free MMOG, saying: "in just three months since launch, the more than 1 million League of Legends players have logged more than 18 million hours in the game. In addition, more than 150,000 gamers in North America and Europe compete in the League of Legends each day."
Computer and Video Games has another tidbit from yesterday's THQ investor call, quoting THQ boss Brian Farrell on prospects for their upcoming Warhammer 40,000 MMOG. "The highest ranking revenue opportunity for us clearly is the Warhammer 40k MMO. Again, I encourage you to come by and see what we are seeing at E3 with that when we fully unveil it, but we think we are going to have a very competitive MMO," he said. "As you know, one of the big wins there is when you are successful with those properties, you have a long life on both revenues and cash flow, that's not just one year or two years it can go, five, six, seven years. So that's probably the biggest opportunity."
Edge Online - We Are Family. Thanks Joker961.
Mass Effect 2 works the same way. As much as the game bills itself as a fight “for the lost” and the fate of humanity, the real story is about you and your sidekicks on the Normandy: space may be vast, the future may be scary, but at least we’ve still got each other. Almost all of your time is spent making new friends and then helping them out with their petty little personal problems. And that’s what makes it so gripping. (I’ll try to keep the ME2 spoilers light, but watch out.)
- BioShock 2 on Bitmob. "Beyond the Glass." Spoiler-free screenshots.
- AMD Athlon II X4 635 2.9GHz Quad Core CPU on Legit Reviews.
- ATI Radeon HD 5450 Graphics Card on Benchmark Reviews, Guru3D, HEXUS.net, HotHardware, Legion Hardware, Legit Reviews, PC Games Hardware, Rage3D, Techgage, TechSpot, and TweakTown.
- Burson Audio HA160 Headphone Amp on OverclockersHQ.com.
- Eizo FlexScan L695 DVI 720p 18.1" Rotating LCD Monitor on Test Freaks.
- GIGABYTE H55M-S2H Motherboard on t-break.
- HIS Radeon HD 5750 Graphics Card on Tweaknews.
- Kodak Zx1 Pocket Video Digital Camera/Camcorder on iGadget Life.
- Lowepro Pro Trekker 300 AW Camera/Laptop Bag on ThinkComputers.org.
- MSI Wind U135 Netbook on MADSHRIMPS.
- NitroX iConn+ iPhone Battery Case on [OC]ModShop.
- Nitrox x835 Bluetooth Handsfree Car Kit on Big Bruin.
- Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler on OverclockersHQ.com and ProClockers.
- OCZ Reaper Triple Channel PC3 15000 6GB RAM on Ninjalane.com.
- Sapphire HD 5770 Vapor-X Graphics Card on techPowerUp.
- Sapphire Radeon HD 5450 512MB DDR3 Graphics Card on Hardware Canucks, HardwareLogic, Overclockers Club, PureOC, and TweakTown.
- Silverstone Strider Plus Series 850W Modular PSU on Bjorn3D.com.
- Synology DS210j - 2 Bay NAS on XtremeComputing.
- Technocel PowerPak on Computer & Consumer Electronic Reviews.
After Hudson the wonder dog recently picked up a small dog, I came upon a way to let her run free on the doggie trail while still protecting against a repeat incident: I got her a muzzle. This is not ideal, but until we can be more certain she's not going to get into trouble, it seems like a sensible approach. Of course she was not wild about being this (in spite of the cute blue pattern on the muzzle), and spent a lot of time trying to find a way to remove it. Then when we came to the end of our walk I found her rolling on this pile of earth and rubbing her face all over. The dog owners out there don't need to be told that anything a dog wants to roll in that badly must be gross, and sure enough, there must have been some poop involved. She's a very smart dog, and I am tempted to suspect she knew if she got the muzzle gross enough it might get thrown in the garbage. No such luck, she got a bath, the muzzle got washed, and we're ready for round two. Wee!
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