Archived News:
Publisher Iceberg Interactive and developer Ntronium Games announce that Armada 2526 is now available in the UK "as well as in several other European territories such as Belgium and Scandinavia." Here's a bit on the 4X strategy game: "The game consists of two sections. The Star Map is where you run your empire: manage your colonies, deploy your fleets, do research, and conduct diplomacy. It uses a turn based system, so you can take as long as you wish to plan your actions. However, once battle is joined, you switch to the battle module and fight it out in a real-time 3D system that brings to life the beauty and visceral carnage of space combat."
The Sims 3 Website has word on the latest "stuff pack" for The Sims 3, which is called Fast Lane Stuff. The pack doesn't have a release date yet, but here is what it is all about: "Shift gears and take your Sims for a spin with The Sims 3 Fast Lane Stuff. For the first time ever in a stuff pack, your Sims can get new cars along with furnishings, décor, and apparel in four distinct vehicle‐themed lifestyles. Will your Sims embody the speed demon way of life? Or cruise in classic luxury automobiles with the top down? Will they rebel against the establishment in pin‐up girl dresses and rockabilly tough guy attire? Or pursue a life of intrigue with spy‐themed, sexy apparel and automobiles? Whatever their lifestyle, The Sims 3 Fast Lane Stuff takes your Sims on the rides of their lives!"
Exclusive reveal on PC Gamer has a video to introduce The Gladiator, a new character to be added to Heroes of Newerth in a new patch due on Friday. On a related note, the Heroes of Newerth Facebook Page has word that to celebrate the new version, they are offering a free return to the game for those with beta accounts that were never upgraded top the full version. Thanks Big Download.
Joystick Labs is now open for business, calling itself "a first of its kind seed-stage accelerator program focused exclusively on identifying and launching the next generation of digitally distributed video game companies." They are accepting applications for their fall program, saying they are "looking for teams of 2-5 developers who are passionate about games and social media, have a clear vision for the type of experience they want to create, and who are entrepreneurs at heart." On a related note, there's an interview with Joystick Labs co-founder Juan Benito on Big Download to learn more of their plans.
Game gambling site Virgin Gaming announces the opportunity to pick up a bonus for use on their service. According to their Facebook Page, everyone who signs up for an account between now and 4:00 pm EDT tomorrow will receive a $10.00 USD bonus.
Thanks Acleacius and Ant.
Link of the Day: Embarrassing game magazine covers. Thanks Mike Martinez.
THQ announces the PC edition of Darksiders is to be called the Hell Book Edition, saying it is now expected on September 24, rather than this month (all that's left of it), as was previously announced. This edition will not include Hell, but it does have a book, of the comic variety. Here's word: "The Hell Book edition of Darksiders contains many items to excite both fans of Darksiders and PC gamers alike including a comic book and art cards created by legendary comic book artist, Joe Madueira and a soundtrack CD. Darksiders enthralled console gamers earlier this year, and has now been meticulously crafted for the PC to deliver the same great art style and dynamic game play to a whole new audience."
Blizzard Entertainment announces that closed beta testing of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is now underway, and that invitations are going out to players who signed up through Battle.net. "Our focus with Cataclysm has been to build on the knowledge we've gained through the previous expansions to deliver the best, most compelling World of Warcraft content for our players to date," says Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "Gathering focused feedback during the beta test will go a long way in helping us reach that goal when we launch Cataclysm later this year." Those interested in participating can still register their interest through a Battle.net account.
THQ engaged in "very serious discussions" with Jason West and Vince Zampella after the pair parted ways with Activision and Infinity Ward, reports IndustryGamers in an excerpt from their interview with THQ Core Games VP Danny Bilson. West and Zampella's new studio Respawn Entertainment ultimately signed with EA, so it should be no surprise that they were courted by other major publishers. Bilson expresses belief they would have been the best destination because of how developer-friendly they are, and coyly says they will be announcing prominent developer signings over the next six months. Interestingly, the apparent sticking point that prevented them signing Respawn is THQ's insistence on owning all intellectual property. "The only thing we have to have and insist on is ownership of the intellectual property. That’s sort of the deal breaker for me. So, we have to own the IP, but I believe in the Hollywood model, which is that, the bigger the artist, the more important, the more successful they are, the bigger share they get. Just like in Hollywood. But you know, most of the biggest talents in Hollywood don’t own their IPs. It doesn’t work that way. My job coming to this company was to build an IP library, which builds value in THQ. So that means having a developer own the IP becomes a deal-breaker," he tells them. ""That is fantastic for them if they can get away with it. They can’t come here with that. And I don’t need them if that’s the deal, and they’re not a business I want to be in."
PC gamers should expect the release of Final Fantasy XIV on September 30, 2010, reports PC Gamer, saying the PC version of the MMORPG will precede the PS3 version, in spite of Square Enix's Hiromichi Tanaka's very recent expression of hope for a simultaneous launch. They also report on plans for a Special Edition, saying it will allow early access beginning on September 22, as well as a behind-the-scenes DVD, a security token, a branded tumbler, a detailed map showing the key areas of Eorzea, a travel journal, 30 days of game time, a guest pass, and a manual.
World of Warcraft lead designer Tom Chilton answers some questions from PC Gamer about the business model for Blizzard's MMORPG, as they ask about the possibility the game would ever go subscription-free like Dungeons & Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, and many other MMOGs. "I feel like they’re doing that to compete with other games that are on a similar subscriber level to what they were at. I imagine that when one of them went free to play it cannibalized some of the other subscribers. I can definitely imagine that being the case with World of Warcraft. If another game comes along and blows us away it may not make sense for us to have a subscription fee. Or even further down the line, when we have another MMO out," he tells them, though this is all just hypothetical for now. "We’re not spending a lot of time thinking about it. It’s not something that’s a reality for us in the near future."
The next two installments in the seven-part video series showing Valve's Portal 2 presentation from E3 2010 are now available. In part four, we are introduced to the "Thermal Discouragement Beam," which de-incentivizes anything in its path with heat, and lots of it. Part five shows off the "Pneumatic Diversity Vent," which allows players to dispose of things that blow using a thing that sucks (and in a nice touch, there are no bags to empty). Both clips are embedded below. Continue here to read the full story.
High Moon Studios announce this weekend will offer double experience points to those who play Transformers: War for Cybertron, their just-released third-person shooter prequel. Things get underway on Friday at 9:00 pm EDT (6:00 pm PDT) and will run until some unannounced point on Sunday, with double-XP available to anyone playing in multiplayer matches on the PC, Xbox 360, or PS3 editions of the game.
A new Bughunt map pack for Aliens vs Predator will be released one week from today on July 7 as DLC for SEGA's first-person shooter, offering four new maps and new weather types for $6.99 USD or 560 MS Points, announces SEGA of America. Word is: "The Bughunt Map Pack contains two new multiplayer maps for the six different competitive online modes; Deathmatch, Predator Hunt, Infestation, Species Deathmatch, Mixed Species Deathmatch and Domination, as well as two new maps for the “Survival” mode in which a team of up to four Marines fight to survive against the increasing horde of Aliens. For the first time, these maps will include environmental hazards and new weather effects, detailed descriptions of these maps are available on www.sega.com/avp." We have some Bughunt screenshots and a Bughunt trailer, which is embedded below. Continue here to read the full story.
Day Seven of the Perils of Summer: Steam Sale is now underway. In addition to a boatload of games on sale (and you can fit a lot of games in a boat), they also have daily specials, and here are today's: Red Faction Guerrilla (save 75%), Left 4 Dead (save 66%), The Void (save 75%), Torchlight (save 75%), FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage (save 90%), Mass Effect 2 (save 40%), Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 (save 75%), Shatter (save 75%), and The Guild II + Pirates of the European Seas (save 75%).
Direct2Drive's The Quest For The Chosen One Scavenger Hunt is still underway, offering a sole title on sale for 40% off for those willing to figure out what it is. Okay, those willing to figure it out, or are willing to click on this link.
Steam News announces the release of a new patch to automatically update the indie real-time strategy/first-person shooter hybrid. The new version clears up some DRM issues and associates CD keys with player accounts, allowing the game to be played on different computers. They have also created a separate demo build, saying this is "to reduce file size on disk."
The long-awaited R8 client patch for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is now automatically available, announces Steam News. Updated servers for the military shooter sequel are now online, and the lengthy patch notes follow. Continue here to read the full story.
Massively has word from Frogster Asia that they will be ending support for The Chronicles of Spellborn, the MMORPG which went subscription free last August, not long after its launch. Here's part of the statement from Frogster Asia: "The 64% Frogster subsidiary Frogster Asia Co. Ltd. could yet again not reach an agreement on further cooperation with the Dutch licensor Spellborn NV regarding the intended enhancements and publishing of the free to play version of the MMO Game 'The Chronicles of Spellborn' in Asia and is thus forced to close down the development studio and to dismiss all staff who dealt with the free to play version by order of Spellborn NV." The game is still in operation in North America through Acclaim Games, but Massively notes that unaddressed bugs and other issues do not bode well for it, and have contacted Acclaim to see if more can be learned of their plans.
Battlefront.com now offers a new patch for Strategic Command WW2 Global Conflict to update the World War II strategy game to version 1.02. The patch carries a warning that old save games are not compatible with the new version, and the following description: "More than a hundred improvements, fixes and tweaks to both the game engine as well as the editor - many based on feedback from the fan community forums and email - make this one of the biggest patches for one of the biggest grand strategy games out there. The biggest changes are of course improved AI and turn speed, but there are also new Submarine and Destroyer rules for better handling of surprise enemy contact, diving and naval combat as well as new Fighter interception modeling with double intercepts of enemy Bombers and Tactical Bombers." The patch is mirrored on The Patches Scrolls.
A new patch is now available for Storm over the Pacific to update the World War II strategy game to version 1.02, announces the Matrix Games Website. They say: "The update includes a handful of new events, corrected OOBs and maps, and several AI improvements with particular attention to improving the use of naval power in the defense of coastlines and in securing Guadalcanal. The update also corrects a bug for disappearing units in the China 1941 campaign, a few CTD issues, and some other bugs." The patch is available on this page.
Closed beta testing has concluded for Martial Empires, and gamigo Games announces open beta testing is now underway for this free-to-play martial arts MMORPG is underway. Here's the pitch: "Are you ready to explore the once-separated continent Neha? Ready to meet its people and to discover its secrets? Take action and fight for the freedom of this mystic continent. Choose from three different classes. Avenge the murder of your mother as a ranger. Prevent the destruction of Neha as a mighty mage or join the troops of the emperor on their secret mission as a warrior."
GamesCampus announces closed beta testing of Heroes in the Sky will end tomorrow, when the open beta of this World War II aerial combat MMOTPS will begin. Word is: "Heroes in the Sky is the highly-anticipated aerial combat game that features hundreds of thrilling war planes and fast-paced action taking place above the battlefields of WWII. New and existing players are invited to participate in the open beta and gain access to the entire WWII third-person shooter."
A new official World of Tanks Teaser Website is now online as preliminary home to the upcoming armored combat MMOG, offering screenshots, trailers, and more. Wargaming.net has also simultaneously opened the World of Tanks Community Website as home to the game's official forum and more.
In Defense of Infinity Ward Splintering - GameZone.
The situation at Infinity Ward obviously caused a lot of stress for the employees and their families, and no one is suggesting that’s a good thing. Nobody’s defending the animosity between the developer and its parent company Activision. But while the separation between Activision and many of Infinity Ward’s key employees has been painful, the end result will ultimately be good for the industry. Regardless of what happens to the Infinity Ward name, some of the employees who remained behind will continue to develop quality Call of Duty games or other titles. Even without the key employees who created the franchise, the Infinity Ward team will be able to attract talented individuals and use their experience to continue to make compelling titles. Say what you will about Activision, but the company isn’t going to abandon a billion-dollar franchise.
We were recently in a local drugstore that's one of those places that also sells all manner of cheap oddball stuff (I always call them crapatoreums), when I spotted a display of Duncan yo-yos. Now I was never a yo-yo expert like my dad, but I enjoyed them well enough as a kid, so I picked out a Duncan Imperial for old time's sake. Since all the yo-yoing I've done in recent memory is using those cheapie models that get stamped as promotional items, I was quite surprised to see how the name-brand version of this toy works so much better than the generic versions, especially at sleeping properly. Now I need to learn a couple of new tricks.
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