|
|
 |
Archived News:
Uncle Sam announces the open beta of America's Army: Proving Grounds is
now available on Steam,
allowing interested players to sample the latest version of this military
shooter designed by the U.S. Army. Registrations for the beta and soldier name
reservations are being accepted through
this page. Here's the
deal: “We took a back to basics approach that highlights a move, shoot,
communicate system within a fun gaming experience that echoes teamwork-based
Army training,” said Marsha Berry, Project Manager for America’s Army. “Just
like in the Army, America’s Army: Proving Grounds focuses on creating elite,
well trained Soldiers that will complete the missions as a fine-tuned team
beginning with smaller, focused exercises and advancing up to larger, more
complex exercises.”
Bringing the best features of the previous versions to a new America’s Army
environment, AA: PG stresses small unit tactical maneuvers and training that
reflects the current day Army. America’s Army: Proving Grounds (AA: PG)
showcases the Army by emphasizing Army Values, teamwork, training and completing
the objectives through gameplay that reflects the Soldier’s Creed.
Steam News announces
that BioShock Infinite is
now available for Mac OS X: Indebted to the wrong people, with his life on
the line, veteran of the U.S. Cavalry and now hired gun, Booker DeWitt has only
one opportunity to wipe his slate clean. He must rescue Elizabeth, a mysterious
girl imprisoned since childhood and locked up in the flying city of Columbia.
Forced to trust one another, Booker and Elizabeth form a powerful bond during
their daring escape. Together, they learn to harness an expanding arsenal of
weapons and abilities, as they fight on zeppelins in the clouds, along
high-speed Sky-Lines, and down in the streets of Columbia, all while surviving
the threats of the air-city and uncovering its dark secret.
Capcom announces that six additional maps for Lost Planet 3 are in the works
for the just-released shooter sequel. This early word has the names of the maps
and some screenshots, and the following explanation: "Word on the interplanetary
wire via Jim's Rig is there will be an additional six maps made available for
Lost Planet 3 in the near future. I don’t have too many details for you just but
the paid maps will soon be offered up giving you some different arenas to battle
Snow Pirates and NEVEC forces."
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces the Windows PC edition of
Guardians of Middle-earth is now available via digital distribution. Those
who own one of the console editions of this MOBA are entitled to a free copy of
the base version for PC, and
this page
has details on how to redeem this. Here are
some screenshots of the PC edition and here's the announcement: Burbank,
Calif. – August 29, 2013 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces the
launch of Guardians of Middle-earth for Windows PC, a multiplayer online battle
arena (MOBA) game developed by Monolith Productions and brought to PC by Zombie
Studios, available today through Steam and other digital retailers.
Guardians of Middle-earth for Windows PC allows gamers to team up and battle as
powerful and iconic heroes from Middle-earth. Gamers will have access to 36
original Guardians, earnable through gameplay and in-game currency, to take into
10 player competitive and five player cooperative multiplayer battle arenas.
Players also have access to three modes, including the Survival gameplay mode
previously introduced as downloadable content (DLC), and six maps including The
Shire, Goblin-town and Mirkwood. Exclusive to the PC version of the game, there
are 36 alternate Guardian skins available for purchase through the Steam store.
Offering a true MOBA experience, Guardians of Middle-earth for PC supports full
Steamworks integration, Steam Trading Cards, Big Picture full controller
compatibility and Raptr integration for live streaming matches.
In Guardians of Middle-earth for PC, player versus player (PvP) matches range
from 15 to 30 minutes and gamers can decide to play against friends, other live
opponents or artificial intelligence combatants in PvP, Co-Op vs. AI, Survival
or Training modes. Gamers will have access to a detailed online system to track
friends’ victories and defeats any time through integrated stats and leaderboard
systems, to connect with other players via in-game voice communication and more.
PC Gamer has more from their conversation with Diablo III lead
content designer Kevin Martens, who explains that the Loot 2.0 system in their
upcoming version 2.0 patch for the action/RPG, along with the enchanting and
crafting systems, is "intended to cut the legs out from the auction house."
Here's word: “It is fun to go buy something instantly, the instant
gratification feel, that sugar high,” he said, “however it’s not the core
fantasy, it’s not the most fun and by the endgame, for a variety of reasons,
they tend to check the auction house first and play the game second.”
That’s not what we intend, and we do want to address that, so the loot system
and the enchanting and crafting systems are both intended to cut the legs out
from the auction house; to make it unnecessary to go on it to some degree, where
the most fun way to play the game becomes the best way to play the
game.”
A
Kickstarter update for Takedown: Red Sabre has lots of news about
this upcoming tactical shooter, starting with a release date, which is September
20th on Steam and XBLA. Pre-orders are now underway
on Steam, which include
day one access to the Red Sabre Deadly Killhouse Unlock. They go on to recap the LAN
party that was Robert Bowling's backer reward, and they also offer
this trailer with a
look at gameplay. Continue here to read the full story.
Funcom has made the announcement they
teased for today of LEGO Minifigures Online, an upcoming multiplayer
game based on the little folk lucky enough to ride in your LEGO creations. The
game is due next year for several platforms, including two ways to play it on
Windows PCs, as a standalone client, or as a web-based version. Here's
a reveal trailer, here
are
some screenshots, and here's how this is to work: Oslo, Norway –
August 29th, 2013 – Get ready! The minifigures are coming! Funcom is excited to
finally unveil details, screenshots and the first ever trailer for its upcoming
'LEGO Minifigures Online' game to LEGO fans and gaming enthusiasts across the
world. Based on the hugely successful LEGO Minifigures brand, 'LEGO Minifigures
Online' brings the small, colorful characters to life in their own
adventure-filled online world during the second half of 2014.
While primarily geared towards kids, 'LEGO Minifigures Online' will deliver both
gameplay depth and loads of that crazy fun which makes everything LEGO such a
universally enjoyable pastime among the young at heart everywhere -- whether
they are ten, thirty or fifty years old!
Just think about it: most of us have fond memories of LEGO bricks in all the
colors of the rainbow strewn about our childhood bedroom floor. These plastic
bricks were – and still are – the building blocks of the worlds that we created
from our very own imagination. While these are but childhood memories for some,
many of us still lose ourselves in imaginary worlds; some made up by LEGO
bricks, others by bits and bytes.
In 'LEGO Minifigures Online' you once again get to visit Pirate World, Space
World, Medieval World and many others, as you play together with thousands of
other players while collecting minifigures and developing their unique and
powerful abilities. Smash, build and collect -- thousands of exciting adventures
are just a brick away in 'LEGO Minifigures Online'!
Continue here to read the full story.
Kerberos Productions announces the
planned
Kickstarter is now underway for Sword of the Stars: Ground Pounders,
their upcoming hex-based, turn-based science fiction strategy game. Here's word
on what makes this different: "The Kickstarter campaign for Ground Pounders is
unusual, with the developers seeking just $42,000 to cover the final three
months of development, rather than more typical campaigns which attempt to raise
the full budget for a full dev cycle. Instead, Kerberos has plans to take the
game from its current Alpha state (a playable Alpha Demo has already been
released) through an exclusive Beta period to release at lightning speed—with
the projected final release date being December 2013." An early playable demo is
available on Gamer's
Hell.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces a Be the Zombie mode for
Dying Light, which will be a pre-order bonus in North America for the
upcoming zombie survival game. Word is: "Reserving the game early is the only
way at launch to get the mode which allows gamers to play as deadly predators
and engage in the game’s only PvP mode." Here's more: The special “Be the
Zombie” PvP game mode provides gamers the ability to stalk other players as a
night hunter, a lethal predator with unique and deadly skills like superhuman
speed, a tendril used to grapple around the game world, special charge and
distance attacks, and more. As an extremely rare zombie mutation, the night
hunter is an agile, fast and dangerous enemy who emerges nocturnally in order to
prevent the destruction of Hives by killing humans.
By playing as a night hunter, gamers will earn experience points and develop the
character through its own special skill tree, as well as earn other exclusive
rewards and perks. This multiplayer mode gives players an entirely new way to
experience the world of Dying Light on top of the story campaign.
- The Debut 4 Bundle on Indie
Royale. Six (plus one) games for one low price.
- Greenlight One Year Anniversary Sale on
Steam.
- Paradox Interactive bundle on
Humble Weekly Sale. Pay
what you want and help charity.
Link of the Day: PRSM - The Sharing Network.
Thanks viperfour.
EA now offers the promised release of
the Mac OS X edition of SimCity, the latest installment in Maxis'
urban-planning series. This is available through Origin as
the standard edition and the
digital deluxe edition, both of which include the Windows edition, so those
who already own one of the downloadable versions of the game now own it for both
systems. All of the game's DLC is now listed for "PC/Mac Download" as well.
Rockstar Games now offers
the promised
official trailer
for Grand Theft Auto V, which looks like it may be a television
commercial. The clip runs an even one minute, showing off a bunch of cinematics
and touting the console release of the sandbox action sequel on September 17th.
Continue here to read the full story.
PC Gamer spoke with Blizzard at Gamescom, learning that a version 2.0 patch
for Diablo III is planned for release around the same time as the
newly revealed
Reaper of Souls expansion for the action/RPG sequel. Here's the explanation
of what's in the patch versus what's only found in the expansion: Lead
content designer Kevin Martens ran us through the free features of patch 2.0.
“You’re going to get all the loot, you’re going to get all the new item types,
you’re going to get all the new legendary affixes, you’re going to get our new
gem type – which is the diamond – and you’re going to get all the changes to the
rules, the smart drop system, the targeted drop system, probably you’ll get loot
runs – we haven’t figured that one out yet – probably you’ll get paragon, etc,
etc.”
Martens explains the division as being between systemic changes to the game’s
rules and new content that the player to discover. “All the content is Reaper of
Souls, like the act five stuff and the new higher level items, from sixty to
seventy – so that level cap increase, which includes the new abilities, the new
runes and the new passives for existing classes.”
Deep Silver announces sales figures for Saints Row IV, saying Volition's
open-world action sequel sold over (Dr. Evil voice) one million copies in its
first week of availability: Already hailed as a critical success, Deep
Silver & Volition’s Saints Row IV has had a breakthrough commercial achievement
as more than one million units sold through in its first week of retail
availability. In the first days of availability, the PC version of Saints Row IV
more than tripled its first week’s sale numbers over the prior release from THQ,
Saints Row: The Third.
Saints Row IV is also leading the charts in almost all major European countries
in the first week of its sale. The game has already garnered the top spot in the
UK, Germany and Benelux (on all platforms).
Kalypso media announces a new spring 2014 release window for Hegemony Rome: The
Rise of Caesar, a significant delay for Longbow Digital Arts' strategy sequel, which
was announced with the expectation that
it would launch in Spring 2012. We have no word on what set the project back as
the announcement does not acknowledge the delay: "Bracknell, UK – 29th August,
2013 – Kalypso Media Digital is pleased to announce the upcoming release of
Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar for Windows PC. Developed by Longbow Digital
Arts, Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar will challenge players’ strategic
battlefield skills as they manage huge armies through the massive historical
battles of first century BC. In this, the sequel to Hegemony Gold: Wars of
Ancient Greece, players will wage war on battlefields beautifully rendered by an
upgraded graphics engine as they strive to dominate the known world – via
conquest, or by starving out their enemies."
Wizards of the Coast announces a Magic 2014 - Duels of the Planeswalkers
expansion that's coming next month to Magic: The Gathering for all platforms on
September 18th. Details can be found on the
Magic: The Gathering
website, and here's word on what this does for the virtual card strategy
game: "With an easy to use tutorial, Duels of the Planeswalkers is the best way
for new players to learn how to play Magic: The Gathering. Players that are
already familiar with Magic will enjoy the newly introduced Sealed Play game
mode in Magic 2014, as well as the introduction of Sliver creature cards into
the Duels of the Planeswalkers franchise."
Dragons of Elanthia website
is now accepting signups from those interested in beta testing this upcoming
free-to-play online game based on dragon-back aerial combat. The game will
launch later this year, and they offer
a trailer with
almost three minutes of gameplay to show what to expect. Here's word: In
Dragons of Elanthia, players choose an elite dragon rider and mount, each with
three unique abilities, and fly into massive battles in richly detailed
environments. Together with a squadron of teammates, players use a range of
tactics to defeat the opposition in intense, fast-paced combat. As players gain
experience, their dragon and rider abilities become more powerful. Simutronics
will continually expand the roster of both dragons and riders, enabling a myriad
of combinations to suit every play style and provide endless replay value.
Continue here to read the full story.
Wargaming has launched their promised
new Unified Account System is now live, allowing players to access all their
games from a single account. They say: "Now live in World of Tanks and World of
Warplanes, the new service spares players from paying for premium status in
every project, spreading its benefits across other company’s titles and
providing players with an increased experience and credit accrual rate in-game."
Here's more from the Wargaming website: With
a single unified account, you’ll have direct access to all of Wargaming’s MMO
titles in a single portal. Logging into your Wargaming.net account will
automatically log you into all other Wargaming-related projects, including
partner and fan websites that can be reached via the secure OpenID
authentication.
Already registered with World of Tanks or World of Warplanes? Your account
automatically becomes your Wargaming.net ID. Use it to access any title you
want.
Paradox Interactive announces plans for a livestream today on their
Twitch channel at a 2:00
pm EDT showing off not one, but two of their upcoming games. The session will
feature both War of the Vikings and Magicka: Wizard Wars, with
developers of these multiplayer titles on hand to show them off. Here's word: "For the
first time War of the Vikings fans will get a sneak peak of a new lush map and
Paradox North will talk about the development of Magicka: Wizard Wars while
setting each other on fire. Both games will be showcasing their latest content,
with commentary from War of the Vikings Executive Producer Gordon Van Dyke and
Magicka: Wizard Wars Lead Designer David Nisshagen."
A playable standalone demo is now available for KarBOOM, following the
recent release of a web-based sample of this game of kar
carnage that's expected for full release in October. There are technically three
demos, as Indie DB
offers versions for Windows, OS X, and Linux. For those who need a pre-sample of
the game before committing to a download, there is a
an abridged video
showing about three minutes of basic combat and
an
extended video that runs over 20 minutes showing off additional mutators and
other features. Continue here to read the full story.
Well, I had about as good an outcome as I could have hoped for in my court case,
as the prosecutor cited my "extenuating circumstances" to the judge in
explanation of knocking my violation down to a parking ticket. So according to
the record, the impression I was speeding was erroneous, it turned out that I
was parked on the sidewalk. My infraction even occurred just before a new
surcharge went into effect, so my fine was less than it would be for the same
thing today. There was a little talk in the forums about hoping the complaining
officer would not show, which would formerly have been the most desirable
outcome here, but they have new computerized tickets they print out in the car
now with the officer's deposition, which seems to be acceptable to the court (I
certainly wasn't going to get a lawyer to challenge it).
|
Twitter 
