Archived News:
The Call of Duty: Elite Website is offering the opportunity to signup and express your interest in beta testing the just-announced premium first-person shooter service. They want your date of birth and your console preference (yes, PC is listed under that heading), and, of course an email address, to get on the closed beta invitation list.
The Bethesda Blog announces the release of Hunted: The Demon's Forge, saying InXile's dungeon crawler is now available in North America for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Word is: "To get in the mood for some dungeon diving, check out the launch trailer above. Also be sure to read up on our recent Hunted game guide blogs: part one and part two. Of course, for more info on Hunted, HuntedTheGame.com is also a good place to look."
The EverQuest II Website has details on the new "Children of War" update that's now live in SOE's MMORPG (thanks ML). The update adds three new heroic dungeons, three new x4 raids with all new bosses, one new x2 raid, new daily missions, and more. Here's word: The plans of Rallos Zek are beginning to come to fruition. The mighty Fortress of Drunder, which once sat within the Plane of War itself, has appeared on Norrath, and now rests high above the Kromzek city of Kael Drakkel. From Drunder, Rallos Zek plans to rally his war parties, scale the massive sheer cliffs leading to the Western Wastes, and execute his plan to steal the power of Rohen Theer. It will take bold and daring adventurers to enter the fortress itself, unlock the secrets to the salvation of Norrath, and thwart the destructive agenda of the God of War.
THQ officially announces Metro: Last Light, the previously revealed upcoming sequel to Metro 2033, the futuristic first-person shooter. The Metro: Last Light Announcement Trailer offers a look at the game using very rapid cuts and concept art, all set to the tune of Machine Gun by Portishead. There are also some new screenshots on the Metro Facebook Page, and here's a bit from the announcement, which says the game is due this year: Metro: Last Light will immerse the player in the haunting, desolate ruins of post-apocalyptic Moscow, one of the most richly detailed, and beautifully realised gaming worlds of modern times. Developer 4A Games will deliver a terrifying, atmospheric single-player adventure that fuses thrilling combat with exploration and survival horror to create a unique, memorable experience.
The Bethesda Blog announces new changes to QUAKE LIVE in the new QUAKE LIVE Premium Pak 8. The newness in id's free-to-play online shooter includes a pair of new maps, web updates and fixes, and a bunch of gameplay updates.
The Karma Online Website reveals plans for closed beta testing of this upcoming online Word War II first-person shooter. The beta is slated to run from June 7th through June 12th, and they outline various gifts for participants, so you should head over and register if you are interested in playing. Here's word on what they are calling a "virtual and historical simulation" in spite of the presence of zombies: Developed in conjunction with Dragonfly, and published by Joymax, KARMA Online: Prisoners of the Dead is the newest installment in the KARMA Online series, the top online first-person shooter series in Korea. Players go back in time to World War II, where they must choose to side with the Axis or Allied powers and join the fight for global victory - with a zombie twist. In this virtual and historical simulation, players will be up against enemy troops as well as hundreds of the walking dead from the remains of the catastrophic battle.
Games
- Broken Sword 2: Remastered + The Original Game on GOG.com.
- Cities in Motion: Tokyo on Steam.
- Cities in Motion: Tokyo on Impulse.
- Hamilton's Great Adventure on Steam.
- Hunted: The Demon's Forge on Direct2Drive.
- Hunted: The Demon's Forge on Impulse.
- Hunted: The Demon’s Forge on Steam.
- Magicka: Nippon DLC on Impulse.
- The Sims 3 Generations on Impulse.
- The Sims 3 Generations on Steam.
Patches
- Broken Sword: Director's Cut + The Original Game on GOG.com. Save 30%.
- Broken Sword Series on GOG.com. Save 50%.
- Broken Sword 2: Remastered + The Original Game on GOG.com. Save 30%.
- Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon on GOG.com. Save 30%.
- Cities XL 2011 on Steam. Save 75%.
- Dino D-Day on Steam. Save 50%.
- Hamilton's Great Adventure on Steam. Save 10%.
Still on sale (previously reported). Continue here to read the full story.
This trailer on German site PC Games Hardware shows NVIDIA at Computex demonstrating the promised DirectX 11 patch for Crysis 2, which is said to be coming to Crytek's first-person shooter sequel "very very soon." Of course there's no better way to show off high-fidelity graphics than by using a handheld camera shooting a monitor from the back of the room, so that is how this clip was shot. The narration is in English, though, so we get to hear a description of the DirectX 11 effects.
Since we still have a bunch of keys to the closed beta test of Rise of Immortals, here's another reminder for those interested in checking out this Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) in development at Petroglyph Games using the same setting as Guardians of Graxia. These instructions outline how to get a key.
The Games For Windows Marketplace now offers the promised release of the Minerva's Den DLC for the Windows edition of BioShock 2, the waterlogged first-person shooter sequel (thanks Vor). Here's word on the $9.99 USD add-on: Minerva's Den offers a brand-new, self-contained BioShock story, presenting a side of Rapture you've never seen before. Seek out the tools you'll need to unlock new goals and spaces in the order you choose. Face Rapture's full range of opposition as you increase in power---a new challenge is always right around the corner. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.
This trailer from Operation Flashpoint: Red River is titled "Unfinished Business," as it offers the perspective of a marine on the ground during the conflict in Codemasters' upcoming military shooter sequel, describing the motivation of the U.S. forces to retaliate against their Chinese opponents. Here's the embedded version of the trailer. Continue here to read the full story.
A new trailer from F.E.A.R. 3 shows off the Soul Survivor multiplayer mode in Day One Studios' upcoming multiplayer shooter. The clip describes how this mode is a multiplayer translation of the game's single-player presentation, placing one player in the role of the spectre attempting to possess members of the F.E.A.R. squad. The squad must work with limited ammo to survive, and those defeated by the spectre change sides to take on their former teammates. The embedded version of the clip follows. Continue here to read the full story.
WSJ.com and the AP have first details on Call of Duty Elite, a premium online service that will be part of the multiplayer element in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the next installment in the military shooter series. This will involve a free element, as well as a paid service, though Activision is not clear on how much this will cost, with WSJ saying: "they expect the cost to be less than fees for comparable online-entertainment services, such as a $7.99-a-month Netflix Inc. movie subscription." There's a preview of this on Gamasutra where they say this is the aspect of the game being created by Beachhead, and explain more of what it is about: "Activision's presentation aimed to enforce that users who don't subscribe won't be excluded from game features -- the intention is to provide a service that players may want. 'There's been a lot of speculation that we were going to try to turn CoD into an MMO, or that we would charge for multiplayer, so we wanted to get that out out [sic] of the way right now. The out of the box experience for Call of Duty... remains the same. We made a commitment that we will not charge for multiplayer, and we're continuing with that commitment'." There's also a walkthrough trailer about this on GameTrailers (thanks Tumbler), explaining that this "works for Black Ops and beyond, Modern Warfare 3, and everything!"
Rumors of a paid Call of Duty first surfaced in late 2009, and not long after that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said customers were "clamoring" for such a service. Since then Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter has predicted this move couple of times, though last summer Robert Bowling said: "Modern Warfare 2 subscription plan rumors going around. For the record, nobody has to pay to play COD or MW2 multiplayer, nor will they." Here's a bit from the WSJ: In an interview, Activision Chief Executive Bobby Kotick said he isn't worried about pushback from gamers about the Call of Duty Elite fee because players will still be able to compete against each other online without subscribing to the service. While he is coy about many of the offerings that will be included in the service, Mr. Kotick said Call of Duty Elite, and the customer-service operation that will be needed to support it, wouldn't be possible if the service was free. "This is an enormous investment," he said.
"Call of Duty" is in a unique position to seek a monthly fee from customers. The game's previous installment, set during the Cold War and called "Call of Duty: Black Ops," was the best-selling game last year, with global retail sales of more than $1 billion during its first six weeks on shelves.
Creative Technology announces Sound Core3D, a new multi-core sound and voice processor available in two configurations. Word is: "The Sound Core3D is a high-performance hardware audio processor, with high-quality analog playback and recording and low power consumption, all highly integrated in a low-cost solution. This unique solution is dynamic and versatile, enabling it to superbly support sound and voice algorithms. The Sound Core3D is available in two configurations: An HD audio configuration for PC products and an embedded configuration for consumer electronic products."
NVIDIA announces wired versions of their 3D Vision glasses, making their 3D experience a more affordable $99.00 USD. Word is: "NVIDIA 3D Vision wired glasses, which feature NVIDIA's advanced active-shutter technology, allow gamers and 3D enthusiasts to access the broadest selection of high-quality 3D content available today, including more than 525 full-HD 3D games, Blu-ray 3D movies, and streaming 3D video from YouTube and 3DVisionLive.com. NVIDIA 3D Vision wired glasses also support more than 65 different 3D Vision monitors, notebooks, and projectors, giving users complete flexibility in configuring their 3D Vision PCs."
Our first cookout of the season was a big success, though the asparagus was a little tough, odd as it is usually foolproof. MrsBlue dug the lamb in particular, apparently it is one of her favorite things, which has us both wondering how last night could have been the first time we've had it in close to 17 years living together. That mystery aside, it won't be so long before the next time, as one of these days I'll make us a rack of lamb, since I dig a good lamb chop.
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