Archived News:
The Eutechnyx interview on Gamasutra chats with Todd Eckert, North American director of driving game developer Eutechnyx (Supercar Challenge), who reveals plans for a driving MMOG called Auto Club Revolution. The game is based on an investment of over $9 million USD in cash from a Dutch VC firm, and Eckert tells them it will be based on car culture as well as racing, as they look to create "a driving-centered community." The game will feature "collaboration" with car manufacturers that they say is not advertising, and will operate on a microtransaction-supported free-to-play model. "Even the starter cars are licensed cars," Eckert says. "And if you want to kind of move your way up... and buy bigger more involved cars they cost you on a per-car basis." There's no word on when they expect to launch the game.
Steam News announces a new patch is now automatically available for Portal, to update Valve's first-person puzzle game. The list of changes follows. Continue here to read the full story.
Gazillion Entertainment announces plans for Super Hero Squad Online, an upcoming MMORPG based on Marvel comics aimed at a youthful audience. The first trailer for the game will debut in the wee hours of Saturday morning that Spike TV considers Friday night: "Gamers will be able to get their first look at Super Hero Squad Online when the teaser trailer debuts exclusively on GameTrailers TV (on SPIKE) Friday night, May 14th at 12:30am." Word is: "Based on the Super Hero Squad intellectual property that has spawned a wildly popular action figure line and smash-hit animated series, the game draws upon the 5,000-plus iconic heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe. Super Hero Squad Online offers players the chance to team up with friends as they engage in exhilarating combat, show off their decked-out squad in the game’s social spaces, collect thousands of items, and explore interactive environments based on classic and new Marvel worlds."
CodeWeavers now offers version 9.0 of CrossOver Games, their software that allows computers with the Mac and Linux operating systems to run games designed for Windows. As noted in this announcement, the game adds support for the Steam UI, the StarCraft 2 beta, and Star Trek Online; and also enables users to install games from a single screen and a single click.
The Dead Space 2 interview on VG247 talks with Steve Papoutsis about Dead Space 2, the upcoming horror-themed shooter sequel. They discuss various aspects of the game, and highlight one portion where Steve explains this is not a "run and gun" game. "What I really want to be extremely clear about with everybody, is that Dead Space 2 is a [sic] not a run-and-gun game, we’re not turning it into that," Steve tells them. "So, anybody that thinks Dead Space 2 is going to turn in to some run-and-gun space marine game where the hero is busting off one-liners is totally wrong and should not be worried about that."
A new "factions" trailer shows off some of the factions in Alpha Protocol, Obsidian's upcoming role-playing game. No stereotype goes unexplored, and the clip outlines the circular game of rock-paper-scissors of the animosities these various groups hold towards each other. The embedded version follows. Continue here to read the full story.
Sony is planning a movie adaptation of RollerCoaster Tycoon, reports Dark Horizons, relating the latest plans for a film based on a game that has no plot of which to speak. Word is: "David Ronn and Jay Scherick ("The Smurfs," "The Zookeeper") will pen a script for the live-action/CGI animated adaptation which will create a narrative out of the computer game which had the user playing the manager of a major theme park. The user was also able to design and customize unique roller coasters." Thanks Ant.
An update to the Team Fortress 2 Blog has a humorous account of joining Valve Corporation's Team Fortress 2 team. The site also has a new update pointing to some community creativity: The results of The Competitive CTF Contest on TF2maps.net as well as a promo for the upcoming Third European edition of Pros vs Pubbers. Here's a bit from the first article: Robin Walker showed me around the office and explained that Valve has a "flat management" style, meaning that nobody's in charge of anybody.
"And I'm the MOST not in charge of everybody," he said, cocking a thumb at himself. "I fired everybody at the company once. I could fire you and not even break a sweat."
I laughed at this, then looked around and saw everybody else not laughing. I trailed off.
"He really did fire everybody," Corey Peters said.
"Then he bought a horse," Dario Casali added.
Link of the Day: More Awesome Works of Art Made From Stuff on Your Desk. Thanks nin. Also, the Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Flash Game offers US residents the chance to win a POP/AC2 LE prize pack.
A rumor that Raven Software is developing an upcoming game in the Call of Duty series is reported on Kotaku, where they attribute this to a "source close" to the Activision-owned studio. This harkens back to a rumor that a third developer was involved with the series from last November, well before the Infinity Ward implosion and the announcement of Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops. This same report also says that Raven's other projects, a James Bond game and an X-Men game, are each now on hold, referring to Singularity as "complete." Thanks nin.
ISOTX, Inc. announces Iron Grip: Marauders, an upcoming continuation of a series that began with the Half-Life 2 modification Iron Grip: The Oppression, the browser-based Iron Grip: Lords of Atelia, and the standalone Iron Grip: Warlord, which is available on Steam. Marauders is another browser-based game, and its official website is already online with information, though the game is not live yet. Both closed and open beta tests are planned, and they say signups to test may begin as soon as this month and that testing is expected to begin this summer. Here are some screenshots and concept art, and here's a bit on the game: The game is set several years after Warlord and Lords of Atelia, and the world of Iron Grip is plagued by conflict. Superpowers aspire to control smaller nations, plunging the land of Iron Grip into a continent-wide war. In the tradition of the Iron Grip series, Marauders once again employs strategy elements: the medium this time is your browser window, with strategic army and base-building to make your soldiers your own. Players take up the reigns as opportunistic Marauders – bands of militaristic pirates controlling armies that serve no nation, instead seeking riches, infamy, or any other number of private goals. The objective is simple: build the strongest army and conquer. But as easy as that sounds, when your primary opponent is other clever players – nothing is ever quite as simple as words make it out to be.
Marauders is a long-term, ever-expanding project. The game will feature an intricate, detailed universe built upon steadily over time, and ISOTX is committed to updating the game regularly with new features, support and fixes. As the community grows, so too will Marauders.
A new patch for the European edition of Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic to update the EU edition of Ubisoft's submarine combat simulator to version 1.2. The download is available on AtomicGamer, The Patches Scrolls, and WorthPlaying. There's a separate patch for the EU Collector's Edition, which can be found on AtomicGamer, Gamer's Hell, The Patches Scrolls, and WorthPlaying. The change list follows. Continue here to read the full story.
The Guild Wars 2 interview on MMORPG.COM chats up ArenaNet Lead Content Designer Colin Johanson about the just announced dynamic events system in Guild Wars 2, their upcoming MMORPG sequel. Colin offers a lengthy outline of the system, how this is just one of the systems they have to replace "traditional" quests, consequences of player actions, how this method differs from similar-sounding systems in other games, dynamic content for solo players, and more.
Eurogamer has first details on a Resurgence Pack of new maps for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, saying this will add five new maps to the military shooter sequel when it is released on Xbox LIVE on June 3. They say this will be preceded and followed by double-XP weekends on May 28 and June 4. They speculate this will carry the same 1200 MS points price tag as the Stimulus Package DLC, and also guess it will be released 30 days later for PC and PS3, as was the Stimulus Package.
GamerZines has word on plans for new DLC for Mass Effect 2 called Overlord, saying this will offer "five levels set across one story on one planet" when it is released next month for BioWare's RPG sequel (thanks Computer and Video Games). They have some screenshots from the DLC, and word that it will not include any new party members. IncGamers has some follow-up on this, saying it will be priced at 560 Microsoft Points.
The Star Trek Online Website announces Undine Terradome, a new Special Task Force mission for Star Trek Online, which "presents all new challenges and introduces a new menace to Admiral-ranked players." This mission offers an appearance by an old friend from the original series: "It all starts simply enough: You're tasked with investigating a strange energy signature, but things quickly take a turn for the dangerous when you uncover an Undine terradome! As you investigate its exterior, you'll happen upon a Federation ship captained by none other than Akira Sulu, Admiral Quinn's stalwart officemate back on Earth Space Dock. Something seems off about him, though ...." The Star Trek Online Forums have a full description of the mission.
Matrix Games now offers sales of World War One: Gold Edition, a "much improved and streamlined new sequel" for World War One: La Grande Guerre. The release is accompanied by a new patch to update the original game to version 1.07, offering "all the bug fixes, AI, gameplay improvements and non-graphical improvements of World War One: Gold Edition." Owners of La Grande Guerre are also entitled to a $25.00 USD discount on a purchase of the Gold Edition by using a coupon from this page.
The Rise Of Flight Website now offers a new patch to update this World War I combat flight simulator to version 1.012. The update adds a new CTF multiplayer mode, among other things: "The main features of the current update are new multiplayer modes: Capture The Flags (CTF) and Team Death Match (TDM). They differ from one another in some key ways, but they both work in a similar manner and feature re-spawning. And both of these Multiplayer modes can be launched and managed using the DServer utility. These modes are supplied with two new special maps. They are smaller and require less computer resources than the accurate, historical map of WWI. For training and location familiarization these maps are also available in the Quick Mission Builder." This forum post has the full patch notes. Thanks ReadyMan.
Ignition Entertainment announces details about the customizable weapon system in Blacklight: Tango Down, their upcoming first-person shooter. Taking a page from Borderlands marketing, they are touting the incredible variety of weapons they will offer: "The game delivers unlimited adaptability and variety of gameplay through its staggering weapon customization system that allows for trillions of different configurations (the statisticians are still jamming at the algorithms to come up with the most accurate number). What does this mean to gamers – a never-before-seen AAA quality gaming experience that until now could only be found in retail copies." Some of this is shown off in some new Blacklight: Tango Down screenshots. There is also an interview about the game on WorthPlaying where Ignition Entertainment producer Jason Hughes discusses the project.
The Lord of the Rings Online Video Interview on GameShark catches up with Turbine's Adam Mersky at PAX East 2010 to discuss Lord of the Rings Online. They discuss the addition of new content to MMORPG over the course of time fleshing out the game with more and more Tolkien-inspired content. The clip was shot on the show floor, giving the impression you are eavesdropping during a party.
The Blood Bowl Legendary Edition Q&A on GameShark speaks with Pierre-Marie Charavel, Lead Programmer on Blood Bowl, Cyanide Studio's game where tackle football meets Warhammer. They discuss new races, stadiums, and other features being added to the game for its upcoming Legendary Edition.
OnLive is partnering with British Telecommunications to bring its cloud-based game and media service to the UK, reports CNET News. The service is planned to go live in the US on June 17, but there's no word on when to expect the UK launch.
I wonder why Thursday the 13th isn't considered bad luck? We had reports yesterday from users getting one of those horrible fake anti-virus pop-ups. We only got two accounts of this happening, so presumably it wasn't very widespread, and hopefully this has been addressed by now.
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