Archived News:
The Star Trek Online Forums have news that Kirk's demands that Scotty provide more power for Star Trek Online have been met, and capacity in Cryptic's Trekkie MMORPG has been increased. Word is: "This downtime is strictly server maintenance to work on performance issues. No gameplay changes," and a subsequent update declares the maintenance complete. Thanks IncGamers.
Reno, NV-based developer 3G Studios announces Brave Arms what they are calling the "first 'social shooter'," as it is a shooter that will be available through Facebook, which is synonymous with social networking. Apparently first-person shooters have previously been the province of the aristocracy, but this game looks to change all that: "Our new title, Brave Arms, will bring First-Person Shooter games to the masses," says James Kosta, 3G Studios' CEO. "It’s about fast-paced action and either competing against or forming teams with your friends. We want people to feel empowered and to share in a real video game experience." For now those masses are being invited to head over to http://www.bravearms.com to reserve a name for the upcoming Public Beta.
Mass Effect 3 & Beyond on IGN is an interview with BioWare's Ray Muzyka about the future of the Mass Effect series and other forward-looking topics. Dr. Ray comments on the reception Mass Effect 2 has met with, a reminder that the ME trilogy is now considered a franchise to progress beyond the next installment, creating original IPs, why Shepard is not offered the option of gay relationships like the protagonist in Dragon Age, what the future holds for BioWare, and more. They also ask about his thoughts on creating an MDK 3, since BioWare developed MDK 2, and he replied: "You'll have to ask Interplay, they have the license for that. MDK 2 was a fun project to work on. We learned a lot from that. In fact, a lot of the people who worked on Mass Effect 2 worked on MDK 2. Casey [Hudson], the executive producer, was an artist on MDK as well, when he started at BioWare." MDK 2 was a sequel to MDK, Shiny's third-person shooter. MDK, of course, stands for "Muzyka Don't Know."
The Neoseeker, the [OC]ModShop, and GamersInfo.net all have articles about BioShock 2 based on that conference call with 2K Marin and Digital Extremes about BioShock 2, the upcoming underwater shooter sequel. There are also a pair of articles from the call on Destructoid, one is BioShock 2 devs prepared for fan backlash and the other 2K tells us why BioShock 2's multiplayer exists. Thanks Joker961.
The PC Games Podcast Ep.7 asks the question "Who is Cliff Harris?" It then goes on to answer that question in startling detail, as the podcast includes a two-hour conversation with the former Lionhead Studios programmer who now owns and operates Positech Games. Topics include his general background, life as an independent developer, and Positech's latest release, Gratuitous Space Battles.
BusinessWeek reports that U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Sumner Redstone and former directors of Midway Games by creditors who lost money after Sumner Redstone sold the company. The ruling says Redstone and Midway's directors (including Redstone's daughter Shari), "didn’t breach their duties to stakeholders or engage in fraudulent transfers of the firm's assets." This didn't stop the judge from offering a bit of a scolding: "The decision is not an endorsement of any of the defendants' actions," wrote Judge Gross in a Jan. 29 ruling. "The defendants oversaw the ruin of a once highly successful company, only to hide behind the protective skirt of Delaware law, which the court is bound to apply." Thanks Kotaku.
The Simon & Schuster Website has details on The Needs of the Many, an upcoming novel based on Star Trek Online, the upcoming MMORPG based on Star Trek. The book is authored by Trekkie author Michael A. Martin and fictitious co-author Jake Sisko. Thanks Big Download.
27 entries so far in February. Here's how the list of bestsellers on Valve's online service currently reads:
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition
- Global Agenda
- BioShock 2
- Mass Effect 2
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Aliens vs Predator
- Mass Effect 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
- Titan Quest Gold
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Star Trek Online Digital Deluxe Edition
- Arctic Cooling Accelero XTREME 4870X2 VGA Cooler on PCShopTalk.
- ASUS P6T-SE X58 Motherboard on Vortez Hardware.
- GIGABYTE P55A-UD6 Motherboard on MADSHRIMPS. SATA 6Gbps vs SATA 3Gbps.
- Microsoft Explorer Wireless Rechargeable Mouse on TweakNews.
- Sapphire HD 5670 1 GB Graphics on Bjorn3D.com.
Super Bowl Sunday is here, one of my very favorite holidays of the year. The chili has been cooking all night, and I've been contemplating taking my first stab at making some Buffalo Wings, but I'm not sure I will work up enough motivation for that. You'd think we were planning a Super Bowl party with all that, but it is just me and MrsBlue (and the doggies, of course -- Gunnar-man actually watches portions of football games on TV). If I was a betting man I'd take the Colts and give the 5/6 points, but I'm not, so I don't have a particular rooting interest except for hoping it's a good game.
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