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Archived News:
Hidden Path Entertainment
announces they are developing Defense Grid 2, a full sequel to their
tower defense game. The game was the subject of
a
Kickstarter in July of last year
which reached the funding goal to trigger development of Containment, an
eight-level expansion for the original game, but failed to reach the target to
fund a sequel. Now word is this all inspired an investor to come in and make it
rain: "The support and enthusiasm of the DG community got the attention of an
investor who made up the funding gap. Now we’ve got enough money to make DG2."
They say the game is being developed for Windows, OS X, and Linux for release
through Steam next year. Here's what they are revealing for now of their plans
for the game: "So much stuff. A new campaign, multiple planets, freakin’
MULTIPLAYER modes, user-created content support, new aliens, new towers and new
characters, and the ability to create—wait for it—custom levels."
Activision and Treyarch announce a May 16th release date for the Windows PC and
PlayStation 3 editions of the Uprising DLC pack for Call of Duty:
Black Ops II, their military shooter sequel. Uprising is currently an
exclusive on the Xbox 360, and as such is spending most of its time hobnobbing
with celebrities on red carpets and other exclusive activities. Here's word on
the pack: Beginning May 16, PlayStation®3 and Windows PC players will have
the opportunity to play Uprising, Activision and Treyarch's second epic DLC Map
Pack for the record-breaking Call of Duty®: Black Ops II. Uprising includes four
new multiplayer maps, plus "Mob of the Dead," a bone-chilling new Zombies
experience that takes players to the notorious prison island of Alcatraz.
Several of Hollywood's most iconic actors round out the cast of Prohibition-era
mobsters, including Ray Liotta, Michael Madsen, Chazz Palminteri, and Joe
Pantoliano to bring this horrifying adventure to life.
The Ambient Studios website
announces the studio behind Death, Inc. is closing its doors due to
financial pressures (thanks
Eurogamer). The game was being funded by
alpha sales and just was greenlit
by Steam, but they apparently continued to struggle with solvency. Word is
those who supported the alpha sales program will be getting refunds: Hi
all,
It’s time for a sad announcement: Ambient is shutting its doors. It’s been an
amazing ride and we’ve produced some amazing products like Monster Meltdown and
Death Inc. We’re super proud of what we achieved, but ultimately we didn’t
manage to make enough money to keep the wolves from the door. And so we had to
make the difficult decision that it is no longer feasible for Ambient to
continue operating.
Thank you so much for all your support and encouragement along the way, we’ve
got no regrets and have loved every minute of it.
- The Ambient team
A Note On The Death Inc. Alpha
Obviously we cannot deliver on the commitments we made in the various Death Inc.
alpha tiers. If you’re one of the alpha backers, don’t worry – we will be
issuing full refunds so you will not be in any way out of pocket.
Steam News announces
this is a free weekend for Dino D-Day that accompanies a sale on this
historically accurate game that depicts the role of dinosaurs in World War II.
Here's the deal: Play
Dino D-Day free until Sunday, April 28th at 1:00PM PDT. During the free
weekend Dino D-Day is 75%
off the regular price through Monday, April 29th at 8:00AM PDT.
Dino D-Day is a frantic, action-packed multiplayer game that transports you to a
World War II that should have been. You and your friends can battle online
choosing to serve the cause of the Allied nations or the Nazis.
Focus Home Interactive announces that preorders are now underway for Wargame
AirLand Battle, adding that Eugen Systems upcoming sequel to Wargame
European Escalation is to be released next month ( Steam
specifies May 22nd). These are being accepted on
the game's website and
on Steam, and this
advance commitment will grant immediate access to the closed beta test, and
there is a 25% discount for those who own the first installment in this
real-time strategy series. Here's the deal, which references the visuals in
this
batch of new screenshots: Wargame AirLand Battle, the sequel to the
explosive real-time strategy game Wargame European Escalation, presents through
6 new screenshots some of its new battlefields, playable right now in early
access Beta for all players who pre-order the game on
Steam and
the official website.
These screenshots show the huge gap separating the former battlefields from
European Escalation to those of AirLand Battle. The new maps have evolved a lot
since European Escalation: they are more varied, but also richer and more
detailed, displaying impressive reliefs and huge urban areas, which all increase
the strategic depth of Eugen Systems’ latest game.
The early access Beta gives an exclusive and immediate access to the
‘Destruction’ multiplayer mode, with the first 4 playable maps and pre-made army
decks for all 12 nations of the game. Enough to plunge happily into the battle
before everyone else, and participate in the last online tweaks before the
official start of the conflict next month!
Good news never come alone: a special offer has been specially prepared for
Wargame European Escalation players. For their pre-order, all owners of European
Escalation get, ontop the Beta access, an exclusive 25% discount on Wargame
AirLand Battle pre-order (on Steam and the official website)!
Wargame AirLand Battle will be available on PC in May 2013.
A news story from last week on the PES2013 website has details on a new
version 1.04 patch and data pack 5.0 to be released today for Pro Evolution
Soccer 2013. There's no corresponding news post about its release, but
several Pro Evolution Soccer tweets
indicate these are now available. Updates should work automatically, but a
manual edition of the patch is also available through
The Patches Scrolls.
The
Kickstarter page for Worlds of Magic shows that this 4X fantasy game
from Wastelands Interactive has achieved its funding goal of £30,000 with a
little under a week remaining in the campaign. Now their stretch goals are in
play, as a seventh faction will be added at £35,000 and 20 roaming creatures
(famed from the expanded version of the 12 Days of Christmas) will be
added at the £40,000 mark. They have goals every £5K beyond that up to £60,00,
but these are not revealed at this time.
Paradox Interactive announces a "call to arms" for strategy gamers looking
forward to Europa Universalis IV asking them to help spread the word
about the game "in an epic community-building campaign."
This video explains the
campaign (and also includes gameplay footage), and
this page is where to sign
up so you can collect the bonuses they are handing out to participants. Here's
the deal, though they note that for some reason the trips to Stockholm have
already been claimed: The Call to Arms Rewards for loyal fans include
bonus in-game DLC, a Developers Strategy Guide, Compendium Universalis, the
e-books The Art of War and The Prince, and a copy of Europa Universalis III
Chronicles. The “World Conqueror” rewards for the most loyal fans include
exclusive beta access to Europa Universalis IV, a mention in the game credits,
and a trip to Stockholm to play multiplayer with the developers.
Here's a new trailer
from GRID 2 called "Multiplayer Redefined Extended Cut" with an expanded
look at multiplayer support in the racing sequel, showing how the game will
allow players to develop rivalries with other racers around the world,
participate in global tournaments and rise up the leaderboards. Here's word:
"The multiplayer video gives gamers the first view of the legendary Indianapolis
Motor Speedway Circuit in-game, the iconic venue which is the world’s largest
sporting spectator facility and has been the spiritual home of American
motorsport for over a century. The trailer also reveals the game’s powerful yet
simple to use livery editor in action, which features up to six billion
different design combinations so players can stamp their own identity online.
Game modes including Checkpoint racing in Paris and street racing in Chicago are
shown alongside RaceNet’s extensive suite of social features in the
video." Continue here to read the full story.
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent on
Steam. Save 75%.
- Brutal Legend on
Steam. Save 50%.
- Rockstar Publisher Weekend on
Steam. Save up to 75%.
Link of the Day:
Michael Shannon Reads the Insane Delta Gamma Sorority Letter. NSFW. I missed
this previously. Positively Oscarworthy.
Following shortly after a rumor that EA
Partners is closing, comes an
EA Organizational Update on the Electronic Arts website announcing recent
realignments "behind priorities in new technologies and mobile" (ruh-roh) have
caused them to cut staff. They are not specific, but there's an unconfirmed
report on Kotaku
saying they've "heard from a couple of sources" that this may affect as much as
10% of EA's workforce. Here's the statement: In recent weeks, EA has
aligned all elements of its organizational structure behind priorities in new
technologies and mobile. This has led to some difficult decisions to reduce the
workforce in some locations. We are extremely grateful for the contributions
made by each of our employees – those that are leaving EA will be missed by
their colleagues and friends.
These are hard but essential changes as we focus on delivering great games and
showing players around the world why to spend their time with us.
Steam News announces
that Valve is rolling out the ability to pay for subscription-based games
through Steam via a system they have chosen to call "Subscription Plans" for
some reason.
Darkfall Unholy Wars
is the first game to use this feature and they say additional subscription-based
games will follow. Word is: "Steam customers may now sign-up for, manage, cancel
or renew game Subscription Plans at any time, online directly through Steam."
Here's hoping they're including an orderly rollback function to ease that
awkward point when so many of these games go free-to-play. More details on
Subscription Plans are posted on
Steam Support. On a related note,
Steam News also announces
the official launch of the aforementioned
Darkfall Unholy Wars, a
sandbox MMORPG with a $14.95 monthly fee that can be paid through the new
service. Word is: Darkfall Unholy Wars is an innovative, Real-Time,
fast-paced, PvP, Sandbox MMORPG. Players are called to form clans and battle for
dominance across the seamless, zoneless, uninstanced open fantasy world of Agon.
Recruit and train new warriors, conquer fortresses and clan cities, engage in
epic land and naval battles with thousands of concurrent players to build and
defend powerful empires.
The
Monaco Facebook page has news that Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine is
now available on Steam
(the post is from 20 hours ago, so forgive our flexible use of the term "now").
Here's the official rundown on the game: Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine is a
single player or co-op heist game. Assemble a crack team of thieves, case the
joint, and pull off the perfect heist.
- The Locksmith: Blue-collar infiltration expert
- The Lookout: She can see and hear everything... a
natural leader
- The Pickpocket: A hobo with a monkey and a
penchant for crime
- The Cleaner: A silent psychopath... Jack The
Ripper in pink
- The Mole: Big and dumb... likes to tunnel
- The Gentleman: He doesn't always wear a disguise,
but when he does, he looks fantastic
- The Hacker: Armies of viruses shut down
security... a modern day warlock
- The Redhead: Manipulative and murderous... a lady
always gets what she wants
Play with up to four people online or on the same screen. Compete with others
via daily leaderboards. Find out why it won the 2010 IGF and has been described
by Rev3Games's Anthony Carboni as "quite possibly the best co-op ever."
Spicy Horse Games announces Hell Invaders (working title) is the next
game from this Chinese developer founded by expatriate American developer
American McGee, saying this will be a collectible card game/RTS set in the
Underworld coming to Windows, OS X, Linux, and tablets this fall. Besides the
obvious element of the setting, here's how this will differ from similar games:
"Hell Invaders features actual card battles--rather than two cards 'fighting' on
a table, the creatures within the cards actually have 3D representations that
fight it out--as well as cards that sport upgrades and swappable skills, so even
cards for the same creature can be completely different." Here are
some
screenshots, and here's word: April 25, 2012. Shanghai. Spicy Horse
Games, developer of games including Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, BigHead BASH, and
Crazy Fairies, revealed its next project is a collectible card game/RTS set in
the Underworld with the working title Hell Invaders.
Hell Invaders features actual card battles--rather than two cards "fighting" on
a table, the creatures within the cards actually have 3D representations that
fight it out--as well as cards that sport upgrades and swappable skills, so even
cards for the same creature can be completely different.
Players can battle it out in a single player campaign or take up cards and fight
in PVP arenas. For more peacefully inclined souls, trading, card management and
other social features provide ways to enjoy eternal damnation.
Hell Invaders is currently scheduled for a Fall release and will be playable on
PC, Mac, Linux, and tablets.
Spicy Horse will reveal more on Hell Invaders, including the final title and
publisher, in the upcoming months.
A new trailer from
Zeno Clash 2 offers gameplay from ACE Team's upcoming fighting game
sequel in a clip described as a punchthrough due to the amount of punching the
walkthrough involves. Publisher ATLUS notes there's under a week remaining to
preorder Zeno Clash 2 on
Steam and provides the following description of the clip: "The ACE Team shows
off the first few minutes of Zeno Clash II in this gameplay punchthrough.
Protagonist Ghat finds himself wasting time in a bar, when some of the local
color decides to express their dismay at the new jail Golem has brought to
Halstrom. After some fancy fisticuffs, Ghat's quest to free Father-Mother is
on!" Continue here to read the full story.
The
Metro Facebook page has news that Metro: Last Light is gold, and with
development complete, 4A Games' upcoming shooter is on track for its planned
release. Here's the short and sweet update on this: "Metro: Last Light is
finally GOLD! Enter the Metro on May 14 (North America) and May 17 (Rest of the
world)!" For a look at the game, a
third Metro: Last Light
Ranger survival guide video was
released earlier this week.
The
Grand Theft Auto Facebook page tip us to Rockstar's plans to release
multiple trailers for Grand Theft Auto V next week on the
Rockstar website. It sounds like
there will be three of them, as they say "MICHAEL. FRANKLIN. TREVOR. TRAILERS
4.30." Thanks nin.
The EA Partners label is being shut down soon according to a rumor on
GameInformer they say comes to them by way of "multiple anonymous sources
close to the matter." This contract publishing service for indie developers was
involved in the release of many successful titles, including the Crysis
series, Syndicate, Brütal Legend, Rock Band, The Orange
Box, and Bulletstorm. They also note that 38 Studios' Kingdoms of
Amalur Reckoning was part of this program, adding: "Whether EA was owed
money by Curt Schilling's studio, and if so, how much, remains unknown." They
say the two high-profile games still in the works at EA Partners are Respawn
Entertainments' project ( Titan?) and
Insomiac's Fuse, and their sources tell them this move will not affect
the release of either game. They also raise the salient question of how what
they describe as a "lean operation of 50 employees" that "thrived on low
overhead" which "capitalizes on EA's core publishing competencies and
relationships" could have been a drain on company resources.
The
BlizzCon website has word that the batch of BlizzCon 2013 tickets that
went on sale last night has sold out. Your next opportunity to get a ducat
for the show will be Saturday: The first batch of BlizzCon 2013 tickets
are sold out!
If you weren't able to get tickets this time, you'll have another chance on
Saturday, April 27 at 10 a.m. PDT, when a second batch goes on sale. In
addition, tickets to a special pre-BlizzCon dinner to benefit
Children's Hospital of Orange County will go
on sale Wednesday, May 1 at 7 p.m. PDT. In-depth coverage of BlizzCon will also
be available through the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket. Keep an eye on
BlizzCon site for more details in the
near future.
Capcom Unity has a post about Lost Planet 3 multiplayer support
corresponding to the
trailer released yesterday
showing off the multiplayer support in the upcoming shooter sequel (they offer a
new version of the trailer
with the PC logo that was missing from the Japanese edition of the clip from
yesterday). Here's the accompanying explanation: The game will feature
four different multiplayer modes spanning six diverse maps. We'll have even more
info leading up to the game's release on August 27th (NA) and August 30th (EU),
but for now we're showing off the Scenario Mode and Akrid Survival Mode.
First things first: check out the new multiplayer trailer and a heap of new
screenshots and info after the jump. You can also look forward to lots more
press coverage for the game over the coming days, including a special Unity
video interview with the game's producer, Andrew Szymanski.
Scenario Mode sets each team with a series of either offensive or defensive
challenges and mixes them up with the extreme and unpredictable conditions of
E.D.N. III. Players can compete in both third-person on-foot action and in
first-person combat using Vital Suits, a futuristic staple of the LP series.
Akrid Survival sees two teams of three players compete independently of each
other in a series of encounters against waves of hostile Akrid before the teams
go head to head in a final PvP elimination round.
I make no secret, or some would say not nearly enough of a secret, of my
affection for professional tackle football, so today is a very exciting day for
me with the annual NFL draft kicking off tonight. It's hard to argue that
geeking out over the draft isn't even dorkier than following the sport during the
season, so to avoid further embarrassment I will refrain from trying to put into
words exactly how amped I am for this.
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