Archived News:
Website findmakarov.com has a countdown timer that's currently at about four and a half days. There are indications that this is Modern Warfare related, as Vladimir R. Makarov is the head of the terrorist cell in Modern Warfare 2, and the timer is in that green CRT-style Modern Warfare typeface. This is seemingly confirmed on That VideoGame Blog, where they show off some bloody dog tags they received with a link to the website and the message "end the war," saying these came "along with the details of Sheperd, one of the villains from 2009′s Modern Warfare 2." It seems like a good guess that this is counting down to a Modern Warfare 3 unveiling at next week's Game Developers Conference. We'll find out soon enough. Update: A post on IGN seems to debunks this (thanks Dirwulf), offering the following statement from Activision: "There seems to be a great deal of speculation about the next Call of Duty project. Let me be clear that we are not revealing yet. Anything indicating otherwise is a hoax."
The9 Interactive announces Three Kingdoms Brawler, a free-to-play MMO action game for Windows expected to go live this spring. The Three Kingdoms Brawler Website is online, offering some artwork and signups for the game's closed beta testing. Here's a bit on the game itself: Three Kingdoms Brawler takes the classic side-scrolling arcade beat-em-up and updates it for a new generation of online gamers. Inspired by the events and battles of the Three Kingdoms era in China, players take control of legendary warriors fighting to determine the future of the country. By choosing their guiding spirit and hero class, players can customize their fighting experience to their own personal skills. As they progress they will upgrade their combo moves, armor, and weapons, becoming even more powerful and able to face the challenges ahead. The fight cannot be won alone, however. By joining and fighting together, the heroes will be able to face ever increasing odds and emerge victorious.
The EA Forums now offer a patch for Dead Space 2, Visceral's horror-themed third-person shooter sequel. Word is: "We are currently finalizing the patch for Steam users and will update this thread shortly when it is available." The new version offers the promised ability to remap keys and fixes suit unlocks. The download is mirrored on Big Download, and the patch notes follow. Continue here to read the full story.
New Windows and OS X demos are now available for Din's Curse, combining content from Soldak Entertainment's action/RPG and its newly released Demon War expansion. There is also a new patch for the game and expansion, as the Din's Curse Patches Page has Windows and OS X version 1.022 patches now out of beta, and the demos reflect all the changes in the new version. The demos are mirrored on AtomicGamer and Gamer's Hell.
Steam News has word that this week's Left 4 Dead 2 mutation is the return of Bleed Out, as Valve fulfils their promise to return to original mutations for their zombie shooter sequel for a while. The Left 4 Dead Blog reminds us what this is about: Your health is a ticking away!
With constant mobs chasing you, there's no time for standing around. You have no permanent health, only temporary health that is continuously ticking away. You won't find any health packs to restore your health, only pills and adrenaline. This mutation is for Campaign mode.
A patch is now available for Cities XL 2011 to update the urban planning game to version 1.5.0.725 (to be precise). The patch is available on the Cities XL Website, where they warn that it is for all versions of the game except the one sold through Steam, which will update itself automatically. The patch is mirrored on AtomicGamer, Gamer's Hell, and The Patches Scrolls. The change list follows. Continue here to read the full story.
Direct2Drive offers 15% off on all MMOGs, this weekend only.
- Arx Fatalis on GOG.com. Save 40%.
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 on Steam. Save 75%.
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Uprising on Steam. Save 75%.
- Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath on Steam. Save 75%.
- Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight on Steam. Save 75%.
- Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars on Steam. Save 75%.
- Postal: Classic and Uncut on GOG.com. Save 40%.
- Postal 2 Complete on GOG.com. Save 40%.
- Street Fighter IV on Impulse. Save 50%.
- Stronghold on GOG.com. Save 40%.
- Stronghold Crusader on GOG.com. Save 40%.
- The Incredible Machine Mega Pack on GOG.com. Save 40%.
- Trine (Mac) on Direct2Drive. Save 50%.
Still on sale (previously reported). Continue here to read the full story.
Steam News announces the release of the Serious Sam HD Fusion Pack, the promised DLC for owners of both Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter and Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter. Word is: "The Serious Sam HD Fusion DLC Pack combines all the campaign and multiplayer levels from Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter into Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter for the ultimate in classic first-person shooter mayhem. For the first time ever, players will enjoy new modes like Beast Hunt and My Burden using the classic maps from Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter!"
Steam News announces a new Magicka update adding new Mea Culpa DLC as a free gift to all owners of the action/adventure game. This follows on the latest Magicka patch, and they celebrate the news with the release of a song specially composed for the game called The Gamer and Magicka on the official website. Here's word on the new DLC, which includes the dreaded Crash to Desktop: 1 Staff - "Bugged Staff" - summons a swarm of bugs.
1 Sword - "A broken sword"
1 Robe - "Patched Robe"
1 Magick - "Crash to Desktop - Magick - zaps any foe (or friend)
A new trailer from Crysis 2 demonstrates the advantages of the stealthy invisibility capability of the nanosuit 2 in Crytek's upcoming first-person shooter sequel. The clip is also visible below. Continue here to read the full story.
Frogster and Kalydo announce they are working on a browser-based version of Runes of Magic, saying the fantasy-themed MMORPG will be entirely playable in "any browser on practically every Windows PC without any constraints," and on Facebook starting in the second quarter of this year. This will be demonstrated at next week's Game Developers Conference, and here's more on what this is all about: The initial focus of the partnership will be Facebook integration. For registration, the partners will use the social network’s user-friendly single-opt-in function, allowing every Facebook user to dive straight into the virtual world without having to complete any additional registration procedures. Once inside the social network, Runes of Magic can be played in either full screen or windowed mode without limiting any of the game’s functionality.
A new trailer from F.E.A.R. 3 offers a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming first-person shooter sequel, showing various elements that make the game so scary. The clip features gameplay footage and the developers at Day 1 Studios explaining the design of the environments, the use of music and sound, and the f.e.a.r.some Almaverse. The embedded version follows. Continue here to read the full story.
French website JeuxVideo.fr has a photo of some play testing of Thief 4 at Eidos Montreal, showing what appears to be Garrett wielding a bow from a third-person perspective. We should expect more information soon about the stealth sequel, as it is planned to be shown off at the Game Developers Conference, which kicks off in San Francisco on Monday, though the focus of that session will be "The Application of Generative Music." Thanks Strategy Informer.
Lace Mamba Global announces that Gray Matter is now available in U.K. stores, as well as via digital distribution on their website, offering this long-awaited adventure game by Jane Jensen. Here's a bit on what to expect: "In Gray Matter, players control both Dr. David Styles as well as Samantha Everett in their bid to uncover the secrets and find out the truth. Gray Matter tackles questions concerning the nature of reality and the power of the human mind in constructing the world we take for granted."
Chris Taylor on Age of Empires Online on PC Gamer is an interview with the CEO of Gas Powered Games about Age of Empires Online, as GPG has taken over development of the MMORTS game from Robot Entertainment. Chris can't confirm that the plan was to hand the game off to a new developer after 24 months all along, but does say GPG is in this for the long haul, and there are no plans to again hand the project off to a new developer. He answers questions about his love for the series and faith in the game's free-to-play business model in light of Company of Heroes Online closing before it launched. He also offers indications that the on hold RTS Kings and Castles may never see the light of day: You know, when I saw Duke Nukem Forever go to Gearbox I realised that nothing’s ever really done. Spielberg could go make ET part 2 30 years later, that’s a dumb example, but it shows that these things are not done until they’re done and we could come back to that game any time in the future, but right now it looks like we’re going to be heavily invested in Age Online, and that’s not a bad thing for anyone. I sometimes wish there were more of me, but there aren’t. This was the right thing to do right now.
Publisher Paradox Interactive and developer VSTEP announce Ferry Pack, new DLC for Ship Simulator Extremes, adding ferries (presumably extreme ones) and 10 new missions to this seafaring sim. This trailer shows off the pack, which is due on March 8. Here's a feature list:
- 5 new Ferry types (Fast, Channel, River, etc.) available in Campaign, Free Roam and Multiplayer mode.
- Ferry specific gameplay: Ferry ramp & door opening for loading/unloading, Directional switch for two-ender ferries, etc.
- New Ferry campaign featuring 10 missions all over the world
- Ferry mission functionality added to the Mission Editor, allowing for creation and sharing of Ferry specific missions
Steam News has word on a new automatic update for Team Fortress 2. The new version of the multiplayer shooter closes off an exploit, and adds three community created maps: Koth_Lakeside, PL_Frontier, and PLR_Nightfall.
Senior management and ex-staff from recently shuttered developer Bizarre Creations have formed a new studio called Lucid Games, reports GamesIndustry.biz (registration required). Peter Wallace will be the company's managing director, and they will have a staff of around 50 developers. "With the great history of Bizarre behind us, we are proud to be part of Lucid and are committed to the UK game development community," he told them. "We plan to build a studio which encourages open communication with its partners, customers and other developers."
A second closed beta test for Faxion Online is now underway. Word is: New players chosen for beta test two, along with existing closed beta players, will experience all new content, features, bug fixes, and balancing that was addressed based on valuable feedback from the community. Some of the key improvements include an all-new user experience where the Heaven class begins behind the pearly gates, and the Hell class starts their experience amongst fire and brimstone, complete with a more intuitive tutorial. The second Closed Beta also features a polished and rebalanced multi-classing system that clearly indicates how skills improve through ranks, and how attributes are distributed as a user invests more in secondary and tertiary classes. In addition to these major system adjustments, additional content, maps, and convenience features like teleportation stones have been added in the latest patch to improve the overall player experience.
The first patch for Cities in Motion updates the European mass transportation simulation to version 1.0.10, which "eliminates a language that may appear as symbols upon installation." The download is available on Gamer's Hell, Strategy Informer, and The Patches Scrolls.
The Evochron Mercenary Website now offers an updated version 1.228 of StarWraith 3D Games' space exploration and combat game. The new version is available on this page, and word is this is required for multiplayer compatibility. The patch notes follow. Continue here to read the full story.
The Might & Magic Heroes 6 Website points the way to a new trailer from the strategy sequel. The clip shows combat between a Haven army and a Necropolis army, and it is narrated to give a sense of what's happening. They note that this is from an early build of the game, so some bugs and placeholder graphics are present. Thanks Gamer's Hell.
The Games By Design Blog has another developer update on A Valley Without Wind has more on Arcen's upcoming procedurally generated action/adventure game. The post discusses multiplayer, saying: "Multiplayer is coming to AVWW through the support of servers. The plan is for mainly co-op play, but there's room for pvp content if the server administrator wants to allow it." They offer new screenshots and a new gameplay trailer showing maps, regions, and considering the game's title, an incongruous amount of wind (as well as a windmill).
Bitmob - Better living through dying: How Dead Space makes violence matter.
I noticed another effect while playing Dead Space and its sequel. Once I had accepted that these games were going to be unpleasant no matter what I did, I also became more accepting of failure. While failure in a game is very rarely satisfying, what Dead Space accomplishes with its occasionally elaborate kill animations is to infuse failure with an element of (admittedly morbid) curiosity. When I'd gotten Isaac into a situation in which he was hopelessly outnumbered, low on ammo, and trapped, the first thought I had after, "Well, shit. I'm doing this over again" was "How are they going to kill him this time?" And the answer to that question was always interesting.
We've got heavy rain and fog in the area today, a chance of a thunderstorm later along with a high wind warning, a flood advisory and flood watch, all wrapped in a hazardous weather outlook. According to Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck we have just over two weeks more of winter, and I have never been more eager for the magic of groundhog superstition to be true.
|
Twitter 
