Archived News:
The Asheron's Call Website has word on the spring event for Turbine's MMORPG that's now underway. The April Release Notes have details on updated content and new functionality, new multi-slot armor, new barbers that have arrived, the new Shadow race it adds (shown in this teaser video), and more.
MTV Movies Blog has word that director Paul Verhoeven is working on a screen adaptation of an unnamed video game property set in 1914. "I am working on a movie now that is... situated in 1914. Basically, Indiana Jones-ish you could say, but also Hitchcockian," he told MTV. "We are scripting it. It's an idea that exists already... from another medium, and so we are making it now into a film narrative." When asked which medium, he replied: "A game, a video game." They make the case for why this may be The Last Express, the upcoming game from Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner.
Gamasutra interviews Jerry "Boom Boom" Bruckheimer talking with the high-powered Hollywood producer about video games, specifically discussing game development, Prince of Persia, why movie games fail, and why game movies fail, of which he says: "It's hard to say. It depends on who's involved with it and the approach they took. I had a journalist come in before you and ask the same question. He thought for a second and said, "Well, I don't think it's any harder than taking a theme park ride and turning that into a movie."
If you've ever played Dead Space and wondered how all that space died in the first place, you're in luck, as Tor Books and EA announce Dead Space: Martyr, an upcoming novel that serves as a prequel to the science fiction shooter. Word is: "Dead Space: Martyr delves into the back story of the fiction including the history of the Church of Unitology, the discovery of the enigmatic 'Black Marker' and the mysteries behind an alien artefact of unknown power. Dead Space: Martyr will be available in July 2010 at select retailers worldwide."
Direct2Drive Spring Sale Week One: "Direct2Drive will be giving gamers $15 in store credit when they spend $75 or more on any titles site-wide during the Spring Sale."
- Aliens versus Predator Classic 2000 on Steam. Save 60%.
- Zombie Driver on Steam. Save 50%.
Still on sale (previously reported)
Continue here to read the full story.
- Grand Chase announces that as of midnight PDT the Duelist role will go live in the online action/brawler…
Though it's not on the Grand Theft Auto IV Title Update Page, a new version 1.0.6.0 patch for the Games for Windows edition of Grand Theft Auto IV is now available to accompany today's release of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City. The patch is available from ActionTrip, AtomicGamer, FileFront, and WorthPlaying. Also, Steam now has an automatic update for the Steam-powered version of the open-world action game. Among other things, after applying the patch, the Rockstar Games Social Club application is no longer required to launch the game. The patch notes follow. Continue here to read the full story.
Another new trailer is now available to show off player-versus-player gameplay from Mytheon, Petroglyph's upcoming action/RPG. After posting the previous Mytheon PvP trailer last week we were informed by Petroglyph that the included footage was "somewhat outdated and not as representative of the game as we'd like." True to that this looks quite different than the previous trailer. The embedded clip follows. Continue here to read the full story.
Rockstar Games announces the availability of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City for Games for Windows LIVE and PlayStation 3. This bundle of the two expansions for the open world action sequel Grand Theft Auto IV is available on disc at retail (which does not require the original game) and individual episodes The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony are available through digital distribution (which does require ownership of the game). Here's word: "The Lost and Damned is a dark trip through Liberty City's seedy underbelly as outlaw biker, Johnny Klebitz, fights to keep his gang together as a rift in the gang's leadership threatens to tear the brotherhood apart. In The Ballad of Gay Tony, players step behind the velvet rope of Liberty City's high-end nightlife as Luis Lopez, who is struggling to balance the temptations of money and vice against loyalties to family and friends. Both episodes take place in Liberty City, the much loved, immersive world of Grand Theft Auto IV and offer a slew of new vehicles, weapons, and activities." Update: The digitally distributed version on Steam likewise does not require ownership of the original GTA4. Thanks Zyrxil.
More developers have parted ways with Infinity Ward as part of the protracted aftermath of the firing of studio heads Vince Zampella and Jason West, reports Eurogamer. Word is programmer Jon Shiring and designer Mackey McCandlish have tendered their resignations, about a week after the departures of lead designer Todd Alderman and lead software engineer Francesco Gigliotti. There's no word whether any of them have signed on with Respawn Entertainment, West and Zampella's just announced new studio. For their part, Activision tells Gamasutra: "We look forward to continuing to work with Infinity Ward’s deep bench of proven talent on exciting new projects."
A scandal alleging game fixing and other improprieties in Korea's highly competitive professional StarCraft scene is coming to light, reports GamePron. They say some of the top players, who are likened to rock stars, have been involved in match-fixing and illegal betting. They say aspects of this began brewing in 2006, and that some cheaters have been forced to retire and that blacklists have been appearing implicating sAviOr and EffOrt, who are each past BlizzCon champions.
StarCraft II will sell for less in Russia than in many other territories, will include limited multiplayer support, and will involve monthly fees, reports IncGamers, though there will also be a method to upgrade to a "full" version of the game. Word is the game will sell in Russia for 999 rubles ($34/€25), which will include a year of multiplayer access to play against other Russian players, and there will also be a version for half as much that will offer 120 days of Russian multiplayer access. Word is that owners of the Russian version will also have the opportunity to upgrade to the same version as the rest of the world to receive lifetime multiplayer access that allows play against players in other territories, though it's not clear how much this will cost. Though this confirms that Battle.net can handle subscriptions, there's no word on whether such a scheme will be enacted in other regions, and Blizzard has apparently already stated this will not be the plan in Poland, where these reports first surfaced.
A post to the Earthrise Forums has a humorous framework to announce a setback to the release of Earthrise, Masthead Studios' upcoming MMORPG. Word is: "Due to the demolition of key figures in Masthead development, it has unavoidably slowed down progress, delaying development and quite possibly resulting in a later than originally envisioned launch schedule. (Oops.) The good news is that we still have forums, and therefore an outside link to all of our caring and concerned community where will we continue to provide updates regarding development progress as we rebuild and repair operations so we may continue bringing the world of Enterra to life." They also add: "The determined survivors would also like me to mention that the combat video will not appear before the 16th of April due to this tragic circumstance." Thanks MMORPG.com.
A new post to the Warhammer Herald by Mythic Entertainment has further follow-up on billing issues in Warhammer Online, where customers were accidently repeatedly billed their monthly fee for the MMORPG. They say they are "encouraged to know that the billing issue has been fully resolved for the majority of [their] customers," and offer assistance to anyone "financially affected in a way we are not aware of or for any reason you cannot wait for the refund to clear your institution." A post to the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Forums explains the single month fee charged since this, saying: "Those impacted by this were not charged in March, this single charge is for March's subscription. This is related to the billing error which occurred; however, this was not an early charging but in fact a delayed charge for March's subscription." Also, this forum post explains possible delays in this process.
BitMob - In Defense of FarmVille.
I'm not saying that everyone should abandon "real" games and start playing FarmVille. Experienced gamers rightfully find it hard to excuse the glaring faults that casual players somehow ignore. The fact is, though, that some of its features -- like the constant free updates and the high level of player-to-player interaction -- are things that gamers may want to start asking for. Why are we paying $10 for a map pack when 12-year-old girls get new, free content every day in FarmVille? It's something to think about, at least.
Apparently yesterday marked an ignominious anniversary, as according to Wired.com it marked the 16th birthday of the first commercial spam email (thanks Ant). Of course over that time the problem has only gotten worse, as the article offers the estimate that 90% of the email traffic today is spam. Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, wonderful Spam, wonderful Spam.
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