Archived News:
Steam News announces the promised free weekend is underway for Shattered Horizon: Moonrise, the zero-G DirectX 10 shooter from Futuremark Games Studio. The game will be free to play from now until 4:00 pm EST on Sunday. Here's a bit on the game: "This multiplayer first-person shooter is played entirely in zero gravity. A catastrophic explosion on the Moon has filled near-Earth space with billions of tons of rocky debris. You and your friends will join intense 32 player battles to control hollowed-out asteroids, huge fragments of Moon rock and the ruined remains of the International Space Station."
The America's Army Website offers a new version 3.0.7 of America's Army, the US Army's freeware military shooter. Word is: "In version 3.0.7 were [sic] taking you back to basics - Basic Combat Training. By the time you read this announcement, we'll have reset the training portion for the personnel jackets of all America's Army 3 players. We've done this to allow everyone to achieve the benefits of BCT. To challenge you and make Basic Training even more interesting, we're launching our most extensive video Mission Challenge to date. You'll be able to win cool America's Army prizes by submitting videos of your best scores in the Fit To Win obstacle course, Basic Rifle Marksmanship and MOUT training."
Konami Digital Entertainment now offers a playable demo for the Windows edition of Puzzle Chronicles, a puzzle RPG that's also available as of today for PSP and PSPgo. Here's the party line for the game: "Enter the dark and savage lands of the Ashurin Empire as you battle to avenge the atrocities the Empire brought upon your tribesmen. On your challenging quest you will fight fierce beasts and battle hardened warriors with a new puzzle combat mechanics that will test your skills. This new puzzle combat system is based on real time action so players will have to think fast and posses sound strategies to best their opponents." The demo is mirrored on AtomicGamer, ComputerGames.ro, Gamer's Hell, and WorthPlaying.
A new version 1.24 of X-Motor Racing is now available, adding some improvements and fixes to this automobile racing simulation. The full version of the game is available on this page, while the updated playable demo is available on their downloads page, where word is: "Demo version includes one track and one car with some physics profiles." The change list for the new version follows. Continue here to read the full story.
The Paradox Interactive Forums have word that the Mount&Blade Warband multiplayer beta is now open to anyone with a valid serial number for the original Mount&Blade. The beta client can be acquired through this page. Thanks Joao.
There's an account of the demonstration of the OnLive cloud gaming service at the DICE Summit on GameSpot, where they relate the presentation from OnLive CEO Steve Perlman. Much of it is familiar from previous demos, with Perlman concluding things by saying "If we don't create [an OnLive], the rest of the world will create one for us," and promising details about the service's launch "soon."
Steam News announces the release of a new automatic update for Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter, addressing some issues and adding the promised dedicated server support to the first-person shooter remake. Also, a post to the Seriously! forums has a Dedicated Server Runner that adds a GUI to make configuring a server easier. The complete change list follows. Continue here to read the full story.
A new trailer from Splinter Cell Conviction helps establish the story for the upcoming stealth action sequel. The clip includes cinematic depictions of all sorts of action and combat (most of which is not very stealthy), including use of a hand grenade as a universal key for a locked office. The clip is embedded below. Continue here to read the full story.
Activision boss Bobby Kotick gave an address today at the DICE Summit, and Kotaku has a write up of the proceedings. They describe a conciliatory speech where he jokes he's always viewed himself as part of the rebel alliance, rather than the empire, explaining some of his controversial statements by saying: "Sometimes that commitment to excellence, well, you can come across as being like a dick." Along the way he attempts to backtrack from his comment about taking "all the fun out of making video games," says they should have bought Blizzard sooner, and describes missteps in letting Harmonix go free when securing the Guitar Hero franchise. Along with the mea culpas and introspection he also took what the article describes as "barely-veiled shots at EA," criticizing them for acquiring and closing studios, but making no mention of all the recent cuts at Activision's studios. Thanks nin.
The system specifications for Supreme Commander 2 are now available on the official website for Gas Powered Games' upcoming real-time strategy sequel (thanks Big Download). The minimum configuration calls for a 2.6 GHz CPU and a 256 MB DX9-compliant graphics card with Pixel Shader 3 and the recommended specifications call for a 3.0 GHz Dual Core AMD CPU or better and the same graphics. The full specs follow. Continue here to read the full story.
WarBirds' Dogfights is landing at US retail stores today, offering the latest release in the WarBirds series of World War II aerial combat games, announces iEntertainment Networks. The game is available for both Windows and Mac, offering single-player dogfights set in both the European and Pacific theatres. They also announce that those who purchase the game at retail will get a 30-day free trial to play the MMO version of WarBirds through TotalSims.com, which seems less impressive when you note that that you can also get a 30-day free trial without purchasing anything at all. Here's a bit on the game: "Dogfights is filled with player choices. Players can choose among 100 historically accurate aircraft to battle an armada of incoming aircraft in thousands of unique combat mission combinations. With Dogfight’s dynamic game engine, no two air battles will ever be the same. Imagine a dogfight with you against 10 MeBf-109s or Fw-190s…you’re low on fuel, your ammo is running out…only your airspeed, altitude, and your steely self-control will keep you alive on the Ace level! Get in some shots and get out or you die!"
Stardock announces the launch of ImpulseTV, a new feature of their Impulse platform. Here's word: "Hosted by Jason Ocampo, formerly of IGN and GameSpot, and Brian Clair, formerly of Avault.com, ImpulseTV is designed to let people see games and software as they really are in order to get a better idea of whether they want to buy it or even try out the software. ImpulseTV features hands-on walk-throughs, game tutorials and tips, spotlights and demos on AAA and indie games alike, unbiased and outspoken expert commentary and more."
2K Games announces Sid Meier's Civilization V is now in development at Firaxis Game Studio, saying the turn-based strategy sequel is expected for release this fall, in addition to the previously announced Civilization Network for Facebook. A preliminary Civilization V Website is online with information and screenshots from the game, promising the launch of the complete website "soon." The game will use an all-new engine and introduce some gameplay changes; here's a bit: Civilization V takes this definitive strategy game series in new directions with the introduction of hexagon tiles allowing for deeper strategy, more realistic gameplay and stunning organic landscapes for players to explore as they expand their empire. The brand new engine orchestrates a spectacular visual experience that brings players closer to the Civ experience than ever, featuring fully animated leaders interacting with players from a screen-filling diplomatic scene and speaking in their native language for the first time. Wars between empires feel massive as armies dominate the landscape, and combat is more exciting and intense than ever before. The addition of ranged bombardment allows players to fire weapons from behind the front lines, challenging players to develop clever new strategies to guarantee victory on the battlefield. In addition to the new gameplay features debuting in Civilization V, an extensive suite of community, modding and multiplayer elements will also make an appearance.
GOG.com now has the promised rerelease of Interstate '76 Arsenal, offering the old school automotive combat game updated for modern computers and freed of any DRM. The release is accompanied by this retrospective article on the game, discussing the back story for Groove Champion, adapting the MechWarrior 2 engine to the game, and even touching on the game's excellent voice acting and soundtrack.
The Epic Games Forums announces the Grand Prize winners in the $1 million Intel "Make Something Unreal" contest. The grand prize winning mod team gets an Unreal Engine 3 commercial license and $50,000, with runner-up winners receiving $40,000, $30,000, $20,000 and $10,000 cash prizes (thanks Mark/Rick). Word is: "Educational category winners also received a total of $25,000 in cash, for a grand total well in excess of $1 million in cash and prizes awarded through all phases of the competition." The grand prize goes to The Haunted Mod, and the complete list follows. Continue here to read the full story.
"My kids probably won't go to college because of Demigod" Chris Taylor of Gas Powered Games semi-jokingly told Epic's Mike Capps in discussing the perils of being an independent developer during a DICE summit panel, reports 1Up. "There's a fear when doing midsize games that are new franchises," Taylor said. "You're doing the numbers on a spreadsheet and it's absolutely frightening." He also explains that he's received at least five offers to buy the studio out, and: "There are days that I really regret not having sold, and there are days when I'm really happy that we didn't." He explains the desire to remain independent is "because I'm still in it for the art," adding: "20 years from now we'll see if that was the right call or not...we'll see if that completely kicks my ass." Thanks Mike Martinez.
A Reign: Conflict of Nations Website is online as home to a "large-scale real-time historical strategy game covering three centuries of medieval Europe," that's already available in Russia. The site offers info, screenshots, and a gameplay trailer that we've posted to the YouTube. Here's a bit: "Reign: Conflict of Nations allows players to have a well thought-out and historically accurate system of building and assigning labor forces in cities, a large selection of scenario-based and random missions, an expansive and realistic technology tree, more than 150 types of military units and elaborated graphics and animations which bring the war to life." A feature list follows. Continue here to read the full story.
Cryptic says their MMORPG Star Trek Online needs a "meaningful" death penalty, so there's some consequence to those "he's dead Jim" moments in the Trekkie MMORPG. "I get that people want to feel a sense of risk when they’re fighting in battles, but if the only emotion you feel when you’re playing a game is fear that you’re going to lose some time due to an arbitrary gameplay mechanic, we’re probably not doing something right," executive producer Craig Zinkievich explains to IncGamers. "We are looking into finding a meaningful way to give players a deeper sense of loss when something bad happens. But we want it to feel right, rather than just like an arbitrary penalty." How about this: Dead players must be shot onto the surface of the planet created by the Genesis device.
GameSpot has word that they've removed their review for Global Agenda, the new MMO shooter from Hi-Rez Studios, explaining that it turns out their reviewer only spent about six hours playing the game. The review criticized the "first dozen hours or so" of gameplay and comments that it takes "10 to 15 hours" to unlock some content in spite of the author not having experienced that much of the game. GameSpot says their policy is to base review of MMOGs on at least 30 hours of gameplay, and promise another review will follow based on more game time (though not necessarily a full 30 hours).
A new version 1.0.3 of Dead Wake is now available, updating this freeware PC zombie survival/horror game. This forum thread has discussion of the new version, which is mirrored on AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell.
- Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic on SimHQ.
Have any of you been watching Modern Family? MrsBlue and I found this sitcom several episodes into its run and just recently caught up with most of the season after DVRing it. The show is a take on the traditional one-camera sitcom using the ever-more-common documentary approach, with an unexplained office-style camera following the goings-on. The cast includes Ed O'Neill and the beautiful Julie Bowen as well as the way beyond beautiful Sofía Vergara, who would make the show worth watching even if it wasn't so funny, which it is. Anyway, thinking MrsBlue and I have been the kiss of death for shows we like lately, I recently checked the ratings and see the show is a bona fide hit, and has been renewed for next season.
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