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Archived News:
Red Redemption announces the release of Fate of the World, their global strategy game, saying it is available "for $9.99, £9.99 or €9.99, direct and through Steam, Direct2Drive, Impulse and GamersGate and with a charity donation version available through International Agency Oxfam, the global TckTckTck campaign, and TakingITGlobal." Word is: "Fate of the World has four challenging missions with over 40 hours of compelling gameplay covering 12 regions and steeped in the latest climate science."
Steam News announces the availability of BIT.TRIP RUNNER, saying they are celebrating its finalist nomination at the 2011 Independent Game Festival by offering the music/rhythm-platformer at a 10% discount through March 7th at 10:00 am PST. Here's word on the game: "Race across the Moon, kicking down crystal walls and sliding under chomping moon-slugs! Bound through the Robotic Mines and face off against the MinerMech! Dash through the Big City on a quest to find friends and defeat the final boss together!"
The PC Gaming Alliance announces the results of a study they commissioned to assess the state of PC gaming. The study attempts to encompass all data, including retail, digital distribution, and digital point cards, and their results show the PC gaming market growing, rather than shrinking as other studies have suggested. They say: "Among the key findings: the global PC games market continues to show surprisingly strong growth in 2010, reaching a record $16.2 billion. This represented overall growth of 20% over 2009. No geographical market segments tracked showed a decline in 2010 in overall PC game revenue." This evaluation also looks to the future, and they project growth through 2014: “The spotlight has definitely shifted back to the PC game market. A few of the biggest factors fueling this movement are innovative business models making games more accessible with digital distribution, free to play, and online; along with game formats embracing the shifts occurring in the evolution of the PC ecosystem to remain more profitable,” said Matt Ployhar, PCGA president and Intel analyst. "Large game publishers are looking at digital revenue on the PC game platform as one of their key areas of growth and it is clear that the performance of the PC game market in 2010 is resulting in substantial investment money flowing into the PC game business."
The report concludes that the PC game business will continue to grow at a pace of 9% CAGR to $23 billion by 2014. Most of this growth will be driven by the increasing ease of digital distribution delivery solutions and payment methods. According to DFC analyst David Cole "right now, outside of direct publisher digital distribution, Valve's Steam service dominates delivery of large client size games. However, this is likely to change as other premium players enter the market for digital distribution.”
The Elemental: Fallen Enchantress Video Developer Diary gives us details on Elemental: Fallen Enchantress, Stardock's upcoming 4X strategy game (which will be free to Elemental owners) using the setting from Elemental: War of Magic. The diary is narrated by Stardock associate producer Toby Sarnelle, who offers some details on the game, and outlines its all-new tactical combat system. We have some new artwork and screenshots, and the embedded version of the trailer follows. Continue here to read the full story.
Xbox360Achievements.org lists Portal 2 achievements, noting there's one in the first-person puzzle/platformer sequel called "Ship Overboard." There are user comments there and on Reddit, with lots of speculation that this is a reference to Aperture Laboratories' lost ship, The Borealis from Half-Life 2: Episode Two, and further speculation that there's some aspect of Portal 2 that ties in with Half-Life 2, and perhaps even Episode Three. Feel free to speculate as well, but as always, be prepared for unforeseen consequences (and remember the cake is a lie). Thanks nin via Joystiq.
gamigo announces registration for European open beta testing for Black Prophecy is now underway, calling this "an important milestone" in the development Reakktor Media's space action MMOG, and saying North American gamers will be invited to participate in closed beta testing sometime next month. Here are some new Black Prophecy screenshots, this page is where to sign up as a tester, and here's word: The new open beta client will include many new and updated features that were not available before: controls have been made more intuitive and allow the direction one is shooting in to be determined independently from the direction of the ship. Weapons have been examined carefully and their damage output has been rebalanced. The level cap has been raised to level 40 and new content has been added. A change log of all the new features can be found in the official forum.
All planned features, such as modular ship-building, the skill system, exciting single-player, group, clan and PvP missions as well as the innovative clan stations have been fully implemented. A special highlight is the voiced dialogue spoken by professional voice actors and accompanied by an orchestral soundtrack.
Valve announces their plans for this week's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, CA, indicating they have ambitions for their Steam content delivery service to make its mark in the coveted living room space. They reveal an upcoming "big picture" mode, "which will offer controller support and navigation designed for television interaction," saying this: "will enable gamers to enjoy Steam and their library of Steam games on more screens throughout the house." Details will be revealed to attendees at the GDC, and in the meantime, here's what Valve marketing VP Doug Lombardi says about this: "With big picture mode, gaming opportunities for Steam partners and customers become possible via PCs and Macs on any TV or computer display in the house."
The official Boulder Dash-XL Website is now live, as home to Catnip Games' recently announced PC and Xbox 360 reimagining of the classic puzzle game that debuted in the 1980s. The site offers newsletter signups, some screenshots and wallpapers, and the game information section reveals a Q1 release window, so presuming Boulder Dash-XL will not be released today, we should expect it sometime in March.
Paradox Interactive announces Sengoku, a PC grand strategy game set in 15th century feudal Japan where they player acts as the head of an illustrious Samurai family. This trailer accompanies the announcement, offering an flyover of the game's setting and a description of its features, though it shows no actual gameplay. Paradox's Sengoku Forum fosters discussion of the project, the game has a Facebook page and Twitter feed for your social networking needs, and it looks like the official website will be here when it's ready, which it obviously is not yet. The game does not yet have a set release date, but they offer the following overview: "In this deep character driven strategy game, you play as the head of an illustrious Samurai family. The year is 1467 and civil war has broken out. The authority of the Ashikaga Shoguns has collapsed and it is every man for himself in the provinces. Honor and duty vie with survival in the delicate dance of power, conquest and betrayal as you attempt to unite the land of the Rising Sun through a combination of deal-making with foreign powers, sending your powerful samurai armies into battle against your enemies, and unleashing shadowy Ninja clans under the cover of darkness to assassinate your rivals!" Here's a feature list:
- Control a noble family in Feudal Japan
- Rise in influence and power within your clan and go on to claim the ultimate prize
- Conquer and grow while rewarding your most valued retainers in your bid to become Shogun
- Detailed historical map of Japan during the warring states period
- Make deals with external powers, including the Portuguese and the Dutch
- Employ the aid of powerful Ninja clans when your Samurai armies are not enough
There's a Serious Sam 3 screenshot on the Serious Sam 3 Facebook Page. Here are some additional shots and there's a press release on Rock, Paper, Shotgun, where they have the promised further details on plans to release the shooter prequel this summer. This includes a quote from Devolver Digital CFO Fork Parker with a forked up take on what this game means: "Holy crap, I am going to make a boatload of cash off this game. I mean that's what this is all about, right? If this thing comes out in the summer my wife is totally getting the tit job she's been asking for." Mammary augmentation aside, here is more on what the game will bring: Trademark features such as relentless hordes of spectacular enemies and expansive outdoor battlefields return in Serious Sam 3: BFE at full force. Other features include:
Frantic Arcade-Style Action – The calling card of the Serious Sam series, hold down the trigger and lay waste to a never-ending onslaught of attackers or face being overrun by Mental’s savage beasts. No cover systems, no camping – it’s just you and them. All of them.
Mental’s Fearsome Legions – A new battalion of unforgettable minions including the rumbling Scrapjack and towering Khnum join the legendary Headless Kamikaze, Gnaar and Sirian Werebull. Your days of mowing down zombie Nazi space pirates are over.
Serious Melee Attacks – When an enemy slips by your wall of lead and pain, use one of the all-new innovative melee moves to drop an enemy right where they stand in the most violent way possible.
Pure Multiplayer Mayhem – Play through the full campaign mode with up to 16 players or drop the gauntlet and let the heavy ordinance fly in versus modes like Deathmatch and Beast Hunt. This is the next level of Serious Sam multiplayer and all hell is about to break loose.
A new Polynesia scenario pack for Civilization V is coming on Friday, March 3, according to Computer and Video Games, saying the DLC for Firaxis' turn-based strategy sequel will cost £2.99 in the U.K. They also say the release will be accompanied by a new free multiplayer map pack with three new maps: Skirmish, Ring, and Ancient Lake. Here's word on the new scenario in the DLC: In Paradise Found, players take on the role of one of the four great Polynesian kingdoms as they strive to become the dominant culture in Polynesia. All-new technology and social policy trees unlock powerful advantages to players, including the fearsome Maori Warrior and the enigmatic Moai. Special changes to the game rules allow players to build expansive kingdoms quickly without impeding their cultural growth, but the seas of the Pacific are huge and land is at a premium among the atolls and islands. Take the best islands for yourself, and prove your mana as a ruler as you build Polynesia to stand the test of time!
GFK Chart-Track has the top selling PC games in the U.K. for the week ending February 26. This week Football Manager 2011 retains its stranglehold on the number one position, Bulletstorm enters the chart at number four, and Grey/ Gray Matter enters the charts number twelve.
"Dead Island is our flagship title for 2011 and we have a number of exciting initiatives already in development that reflect that." -- Amy Namihas, head of marketing at Deep Silver.
This cinematic trailer celebrates the launch of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution, Relic's standalone sci-fi real-time strategy expansion. The embedded version follows. Continue here to read the full story.
The RIFT interview on Gamasutra talks with Lars Buttler, CEO of Trion Worlds, discussing tomorrow's launch of RIFT, their MMORPG. Buttler calls RIFT "the most social game in the history of gaming," and talks about their high expectations for the game: "If the reaction and the traction we are getting in beta already, in presales, responsiveness of game team, strength of tech is any indication, then we have a really really serious, strong and exciting product coming," he said. "We took the time to try to get it right. We built the right technology first, we built an entire new platform architecture first, we then recruited the best team on the planet, and then we took a lot of time to build a complete and polished game, and then also focused very very strongly on slightly improving the things that are already great in MMORPGs, and introducing a lot of things that we and many gamers think are missing."
Cannon Fodder 3 interview on Strategy Informer converses with Oleg Lychaniy about the upcoming Cannon Fodder sequel. They discuss the decade that's passed since the last Cannon Fodder, pleasing newcomers as well as veterans, adapting to the current market, and more. They also ask about release plans for territories outside of Russia, but there's still no word on that.
The Hegemony Gold interview on Show Me the Games hears from Rick Yorgason of Longbow Games, developers of this real-time strategy games. The conversation covers the difference between this upgraded version of Hegemony and a straight expansion, the setting in ancient Greece, creating an RTS game as an indie, how the original Hegemony: Philip of Macedon sold, and the accuracy of their game map.
Game Theory - Video Games and Money: Is Gaming Becoming Too Expensive?
We should be realistic, but in all fairness, G4′s video is lacking some perspective. People aren’t upset about dishing out $250 for a Nintendo system: They’re upset about dishing out $250 for a handheld. This is likely less of an issue in Japan where handheld and mobile gaming are far more ingrained into Japanese culture than Western culture, but in North America, we still have a tendency to think of gaming in terms of “consoles” (or PC) and “portables.” The Wii, which launched in 2006 and hooks up to a television like any traditional console, launched at $249 USD. The Nintendo DS launched in 2004 at $149.99. Going back through the generations, Nintendo has long paired its home consoles with a cheaper, albeit less powerful alternative. Now, the company is asking more for its handheld than its main console. That’s not to say the 3DS’s asking price is unfair, but there is definitely some culture shock behind our grousing. We’ll get over it.
G4tv.com - Why Video Game Music Deserves A Dedicated Grammy Award.
Much to their credit, this was very forward thinking by the Grammys, because at the time, game music was still quite young in terms of actual physical releases, especially in North America. In the decade-plus that has elapsed, game soundtracks have continued to grow, in both quality and in numbers of physical and digital releases to the point that now, more than before, game music needs it’s own Grammy category. But why you may ask?
Sure enough, I managed to escape watching the Oscars last night (thank you Anne Hathaway!). I did, of course, walk the red carpet beforehand, as I can't resist the paparazzi. If you missed it, the designer I wore was Levi Strauss.
R.I.P.: Last U.S. World War I veteran dies. Did they have a tontine like Woodhouse? Thanks Mike Martinez.
R.I.P.: Brooklyn Dodgers Star Duke Snider Dies At 84.
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