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Archived News:
ValveTime.net has details purportedly found during a security lapse in Jira,
Valve's internal project tracking software, which shows discussion groups for
about every project associated with Valve since its inception and more, but this
is all courtesy of an anonymous source, so we shouldn't rule out an elaborate
hoax. The site offers speculation about the significance of these entries and
whether it means they are in active development or not, but the inclusion of
groups for games from other developers makes it hard to draw such conclusions.
They found one or more groups pertaining to wish list items like Half-Life 3,
Return to Ravenholm, Episode 3/Episode 3 Movie, Left 4 Dead 3,
and Source 2; unannounced projects like Cries Unheard, Microbe
Wars, and The Grange; other developers' games like Skyrim,
Battlefield 3, and Company of Heroes; and even something called
SteamMMO/ SteamMMO Core. They have posted the data they received on
this on Pastebin. Thanks
PC Gamer.
Bethesda addressed the situation with Prey 2 to
IGN, after remaining silent about the status of the shooter sequel
conspicuously amid comments from Human Head about how the game was basically
done (missed this yesterday, thanks
GameSpot). Bethesda's Pete Hines explains the game simply still isn't up to
their standards. “We spent years and millions of dollars and a ton of effort
trying to help Human Head make a great Prey 2 game. What we said the last time
we said anything was that it’s not up to our quality standards," Hines told
them. "It’s simply not good enough. We’re not going to just proceed blindly with
something that isn’t good enough. We’ve been very specific about why, and we’ve
been very specific about the whats. When that gets addressed and changed or
whatever, at that point we can give an update. But nobody’s disappointment is
greater than ours. We spent a lot of time and money and effort trying to make
this thing happen and support folks, but at the same time, you just can’t keep
throwing money at it and saying, ‘sure, it’ll eventually work.’ You have to have
the discipline to say, ‘it’s not good enough. It’s not hitting the quality bar.
Why isn’t it? We’ve been at this for a while, and what we have is not what we
talked about.’ So that’s where we are."
Paradox Interactive announces the release of a new content update called Guns
of Burgundy for War of the
Roses, their melee combat game. Or partial melee combat game, as word is
this update allows you to bring a gun to a knife-fight: NEW YORK — June
19, 2013 — Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and a ranged combatant,
today fired the latest salvo in War of the Roses, the medieval squad combat
title from Fatshark, with a new content update. The latest addition to War of
the Roses is entitled “Guns of Burgundy,” and adds a new weapon type to turn the
tide of the endless struggle between Lancaster and York: handgonnes, the world’s
first portable firearm. Capable of cutting down fleeing foes and punching
damaging holes in a knight’s shield, handgonnes come in four types and can be
wielded by knights with a steady arm and reliable flint. A new map and new armor
pieces are also included in this update, which is now available for download in
War of the Roses.
In “Guns of Burgundy,” the new Ravenspurn map is ready for war in Conquest, Team
Deathmatch, and Pitched Battle modes, where the sounds of explosive fire from
new handgonne weapons will punctuate the ongoing chaos. Combatants will have to
rely on their wits and their armor to stay alive, making use of new items such
as Brigandine Armour, the Kettle Sallet Helmet, Hand Pavise Shield, and the
Burgundian Side Sword.
New user interface (UI) features are also included in this update, including a
popup system to alert players of in-game events and news – such as the new 500
coin bonus awarded when a round is successfully won.
- #NoDRM Summer day 2: The Witcher 2 70% off, Don't Starve 33% off
on
GOG.com.
- The Secret World on
Steam. Save 50%.
Your Feedback Matters – Update on
Xbox One has word that Microsoft is pulling a 180 on the online
requirement/DRM aspect of their upcoming Xbox One console system that alienated
the core gaming community (thanks
Giant Bomb and
whathifi via
Kotaku
and nin). Give them credit for spin, as they focus on the love in the feedback
they got on this, saying: "You told us how much you loved the flexibility you
have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell
these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also
important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time,
anywhere in the world." Here's word, where they also announce they no longer
plan on having games region locked: So, today I am announcing the
following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your
games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:
- An internet connection will not be required to
play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new
Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online
again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox
One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.
- Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc
based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to
using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.
In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games
from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will
be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be
playable on any Xbox One console -- there will be no regional restrictions.
These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox
One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the
disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today,
playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.
What was formerly The War Z website now
redirects to infestationmmo.com,
indicating the name of this zombie game has been changed to Infestation:
Survivor Stories (thanks
IGN). The game has had controversy since launch, some of which is centered
on the old name, which is easily confused with Day Z, Bohemia
Interactive's Arma II zombie modification that's in development as a standalone
game. The previous title is also quite similar to World War Z, the
apocalyptic horror novel that's soon to be a major motion picture starring Brad
Pitt, so there are two candidates for the root trademark issue mentioned in
their explanation: Effective today, The War Z has changed its name to
Infestation: Survivor Stories. This change has come about primarily as a result
of some confusion and trademark issues with a similarly titled property. While
we were reluctant to rename the game so long after launch, especially with
nearly 1 million registered players, it was ultimately decided to be in the best
interest of our existing community as well as future players in order to
eliminate confusion. Please rest assured that this will in NO WAY affect you as
players. The only difference you will see is the change in logo and website.
There will be no interruption of service or change in content.
Kotaku has an unequivocally worded denial from Bethesda saying they did not
secretly show off Fallout 4 at last week's E3, contrary to
a rumor that the game was demonstrated for some
journalists behind closed doors. Here's the statement: We showed three
games at E3 - Wolfenstein: The New Order, The Elder Scrolls Online and The Evil
Within. We did not show any of our games behind closed doors.
A thread on NeoGAF
notes some code in the new Steam beta suggesting Valve is planning to allow
Steam users to select games to share with a circle of friends. This is confirmed
on
Kotaku, where they say Valve has not yet responded to the report (not a
shock since their story went up at 3:00 am on the west coast). Here is the code
in question: "SteamUI_JoinDialog_SharedLicense_Title" "Shared game
library"
"SteamUI_JoinDialog_SharedLicenseLocked_OwnerText" "Just so you know, your games
are currently in use by %borrower%. Playing now will send %borrower% a notice
that it's time to quit."
"SteamUI_JoinDialog_SharedLicenseLocked_BorrowerText" "This shared game is
currently unavailable. Please try again later or buy this game for your own
library."
A new teaser trailer is
now available for Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, confirming a sequel is
coming to Dennaton Games' 1980s-inspired throwback action game. The clip
features a glimpse of gory gameplay, creepy music, audio and video distortion,
and a looped wrong number message, all designed to sooth the soul while
promoting the game. The game was quietly shown off at E3
last week, and there are first-hand impressions on
Eurogamer,
Joystiq,
Polygon,
Rock, Paper, Shotgun, and
TIME's Techland Blog. Update: Here's the official
announcement: MIAMI – You’re a murderer. You murder people. Again. And
again. How certain you are of your actions and what is, and what is not, real is
what you must determine in Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, due out later this
year from developer Dennaton Games and publisher Devolver Digital. The epic
finale to 2012’s blood-soaked hit follows an escalating level of violence
through multiple factions born from the events of the original game -- all
within the confines of blistering combat, the unmistakable visual style, and
another powerful and intense soundtrack that pushes you to the limit and forces
you to question your own thirst for blood.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number commands you to step into the murderous minds of
several distinct characters - each with their own motivations and methods of
execution – as storylines intersect and reality slips away into a haze of neon
and carnage. Witness hundreds of new sprites and animations in lush new areas to
clear floor-by-floor, and harness a variety of savage new weapons to satisfy
your murder lust.
Due out in 2013 for PC, Mac, and Linux from Dennaton Games and Devolver Digital.
For more information, please visit
www.devolverdigital.com or follow @HotlineMiami on Twitter.
2K Games announces free content as a preorder bonus for The Bureau: XCOM
Declassified, as well as plans for the first DLC pack to support the
XCOM shooter past its upcoming August 20th release. Word is everyone
who preorders from participating retailer will receive a bonus campaign
side-mission called "Codebreakers," and those who preorder through GameStop will
also receive an exclusive in-game Light Plasma Pistol. As for the first DLC
pack, the announcement doesn't offer details on it, but confusingly states it
will be released for all platforms, following that saying it is an Xbox 360
exclusive (and not indicating this is a "timed exclusive" in any way), so expect
a follow-up at some point to clear this up. To make up for that, here's a
Battle Focus trailer
showing off the game. Here's the contradictory word on the DLC: NEW
YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--2K and 2K Marin, makers of BioShock® 2, announced
post-launch downloadable content plans today for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified
that will see the title supported with updates beyond its August 20, 2013 North
American release date. The narrative-driven add-on content will expand the
declassified origin story of the clandestine XCOM organization and will be
available on the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft,
PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows® PC. The first DLC pack
will be available exclusively to Xbox 360 players.
“We’re excited that our stories will provide a new perspective on the war
effort, much like how our critically acclaimed Minvera’s Den DLC for BioShock 2
allowed us to present a unique perspective of Rapture.” “We take great pride in
our track record of providing high-quality post-release content for our games,”
said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “We will continue to expand the XCOM
universe by telling original stories set in the paranoia-drenched Cold War era
of The Bureau.”
Continue here to read the full story.
505 Games announces that the release of Ashes Cricket 2013 is now
scheduled for July after previously being
scheduled for release this Friday. .
The 2013 Ashes tournament will be the first of an unprecedented back-to-back
tourneys, and this sticky wicket is partly to blame: "In conjunction with CA and
the ECB, the decision has been taken to move the release date back in order to
offer cricket fans the best possible gaming experience to compliment this
historic back to back Ashes year." They also supply a quote that indicates new
features are being added as well. "505 Games has made a commitment to creating a
cricket game designed for cricket fans," commented Tim Woodley, Senior Vice
President Global Brand & Marketing at 505 Games. "Developer, Trickstar Games has
taken the time to overhaul and rebuild the game engine to offer brand new
features in batting, bowling and fielding. By pushing back our release date,
this gives us the opportunity to deliver a quality cricket title."
This trailer offers a
look at the Transistor presentation at E3 2013, including gameplay
footage of the game running on a PlayStation 4. Developer Supergiant games
recently announced their turn-based strategy game is coming to Steam and
PS4 next year, and this clip offers an idea of what to expect. Continue here to read the full story.
Here's a thank you to Frans, who corrected the problem with our Twitter feed
that I mentioned the other day, and we are now once again properly tweeting
links to the stories here. An update to the new Twitter API was required, and a
few other things got updated as well, so if you visited at some point and
encountered last week's news, that would be the reason. There was also a flood
of the older stories that were never tweeted during the problem, but I prevented
a bunch of them from processing to avoid spamming everyone with a couple of
hundred messages in a short time. Interestingly, a couple of the older posts
that went through got re-tweeted, suggesting that preventing some of them from
going through might mean some people weren't seeing them, but that horse is now
out of the barn. Apologies for the inconvenience. #whoknewpeoplereadthosetweets
R.I.P.:
Kenneth G. Wilson dies at 77; physicist won Nobel for work on phase transitions.
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