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Archived News:
Hotline
Miami tweets that serial killer sequel Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
is due later this year. Here's word, with loads of characters to spare: "Hotline
Miami 2: Wrong Number will launch in Q3 2014. Act accordingly. #BusinessTalk."
Thanks nin.
Rekoil is now available
on Steam, offering
Plastic Piranha's multiplayer first-person shooter built to allow the easy
creation and sharing of user-made maps. Here's the
launch trailer, and
here's word on the game, which can be had for 30% off for the next week: Set
in a world devastated by an unrelenting pandemic, Rekoil is a multiplayer
hardcore balanced arena shooter that allows mass battles of 16-24 players.
Developed by a modder for new and experienced modders, the game features full
mod tools as well as seven different game modes, 10 maps, and 40 different
weapons, all focused on infantry based combat across a number of different
locations. From the fast moving Assault class, to the heavily armed and
dangerous Heavy Gunner class, Rekoil was made for those who desire balanced FPS
gameplay with a large variety of different play styles.
Steam News announces a
sale on Duke Nukem 3D:
Megaton Edition, as 3D Realms' old-school 2.5D shooter is being offered
for 60% off. There's also surprising news of a new add-on for the game bundle almost 18
years to the day after the original Duke 3D shareware release (which was January 29, 1996,
according to Wikipedia).
Word is: "Additionally, Duke Nukem 3D has just been updated with online
multiplayer deathmatch and cooperative modes! Hundreds of maps are also now
available via Steam Workshop!" Word is the game now supports cross-platform
multiplayer in versus and co-op modes for up to 8 players. Here's
a new trailer
celebrating the news. Continue here to read the full story.
Electronic Arts Reports Q3 FY14 Financial Results, showing a GAAP net loss
of $308 million on GAAP net revenue of $808 million, $410 million of which was
digital. Looking forward, they have lowered their outlook for the fiscal year.
On a semi-related note, here's an
EA Games By The Numbers
infographic showing some game statistics. Here are some of the highlights
from the new financials:
- EA was the #1 publisher on the PlayStation 4
computer entertainment systems and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and
entertainment system from Microsoft, in the Western World in December, led
by Battlefield 4™, Madden NFL 25, FIFA 14 and Need for Speed™ Rivals.
- For the month of December, FIFA 14 and Battlefield
4 were two of the top three best-selling titles across all platforms in the
Western World, and FIFA 14 was the #1 title in Europe.
- EA titles represented 35% of the Western World
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One software sales in the third quarter.
- Third quarter digital net revenue increased by 27%
year-over-year to $517 million*, and trailing twelve month digital net
revenue was a record $1.86 billion*.
- On a year-to-date basis, FIFA Ultimate Team,
Madden NFL Ultimate Team, and NHL® Hockey Ultimate Team collectively grew
60% year-over-year and drove digital net revenue* growth.
- EA's mobile and handheld digital net revenue
generated $125 million* in Q3 fiscal 14, a 26% year-over-year increase over
Q3 fiscal 13.
- The Simpsons™ Tapped Out generated over $130
million* in digital net revenue through Q3 fiscal 14.
- Trailing twelve months operating cash flow was
$664 million, the highest trailing twelve month operating cash flow for EA
since 2005.
- Echo Prime on
Steam. Save 20% and get Orcs Must Die! 2 for free.
- The FPS Warriors 2 Bundle on
Bundle Stars.
- Game Dev Tycoon on
Steam. Save 50%.
- Kenshi on
Steam. Save 33%.
The Battlefield Blog announces that February is "Battlefield 4 Player
Appreciation Month," a chance to reward loyal Battlefield 4 players for the
growing pains they've suffered with since the launch of DICE's military shooter
sequel. Oddly, most of this seems to involve inspiring players to play more by
offering rewards that require them to play less. Or something like that. They
say: "We’re going to have more information available on each of the Battlefield
4 Player Appreciation Month activities throughout February. Check back here for
those details." Here's a bit of what they are saying in the meantime: A
Battlepack a Day
Every day that you log into the game in February, you’ll receive a Bronze or
Silver Battlepack. For those of you who haven’t started opening your earned
packs yet, these Battlepacks contain bonuses like XP Boosts and soldier camos.
Normally, it would take approximately 30 hours gameplay to earn that many packs.
Every day that you log a multiplayer game during the month of February, you will
receive a new Battlepack. During weekdays, these will be Bronze, and during
Saturdays and Sundays we will give away Silver Battlepacks. Remember to activate
your earned XP boosts in the in-game menu to accelerate your progress.
Shortcut Bundles
We are preparing two shortcut bundles for Battlefield 4 that we will make
available for download at no cost during the Player Appreciation Month. These
voluntary shortcut bundles will unlock all grenades and handguns for Battlefield
4 (the base game) so you can make up for lost time. Or if you’re new to the
game, they will help you catch up with players who have been on the Battlefield
since launch. We will get back to you with more details once we have set release
dates for these items.
For all of our Battlefield 4 Premium users, we’re adding two additional weapon
shortcuts, unlocking DMR’s and shotguns. That way, if you like, you can quickly
get your hands on a large portion of the weapons available in Battlefield 4.
Double XP Weekend
During the Player Appreciation Month, we’ll be running a double XP weekend for
all players. If you’re one of our many Battlefield 4 Premium members, you’ll
also get an additional double XP weekend during the Player Appreciation Month as
an added bonus.
Steam News announces the
release of Broken Age Act I, the crowd-funded adventure game from Tim
Schafer and Double Fine Studios. Here's word on the release, including a
reminder that Act II will be released for free to owners of the game once it is
completed: Broken Age
is Now Available on Steam!
ACT 1 IS NOW AVAILABLE, AND THE ACT 2 CONCLUSION WILL ARRIVE AS A FREE UPDATE
LATER THIS YEAR.
The first graphic adventure by Tim Schafer in sixteen years, Broken Age began
two years ago in a historic, record-breaking Kickstarter campaign. Now it's here
in all its beautiful, 2D, hand-painted glory, with an original orchestral
soundtrack and an all-star vocal cast.
Broken Age is a timeless coming-of-age story of barfing trees and talking
spoons. Vella Tartine and Shay Volta are two teenagers in strangely similar
situations, but radically different worlds. The player can freely switch between
their stories, helping them take control of their own lives, and dealing with
the unexpected adventures that follow.
They said adventure games were dead, but then Broken Age punched its hand out of
the grave and grabbed you by the wrist and you screamed just like in the end of
Carrie except what you screamed was "I love adventure games so much!" And sorry
I spoiled the end of Carrie.
Key Features:
- Pointing
- Clicking
- Original soundtrack, composed by Peter McConnell,
recorded by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
- All-star voice cast, including Elijah Wood, Jack
Black, Jennifer Hale, Wil Wheaton, and Pendleton Ward
- Dialog Trees!
- Some jokes. Unless you don't think they're funny,
in which case we totally weren't trying to be funny.
- A whole bunch of awesome PUZZLES
- This one really hard puzzle that you won't get but
you'll look it up online and not tell anybody
- All your hopes and dreams
Strike Vector is now available
on Steam,
as promised, offering
Ragequit Corporation's first- and third-person aerial shooter built on the
Unreal Engine 3. As noted on
Steam news, the game is 20% off for the next week: With a distinct old
school feel, reminiscent to games such as Crimson Skies, Quake 3 and Unreal
Tournament, Strike Vector will let you test your reflexes and skills against
your friends. Team flight and mutual assistance is required to fulfill your
missions but individual aiming and piloting skills are also mandatory.
GOG.com announces
the launch of their promised "DRM-Free Time Machine
Sale," offering "great games at great prices from 30 years of gaming history."
They have a trailer
promoting the promotion, which will offer "30 excellent titles selected from the
years 1983-2013, available up to 90% off." They note that purchasing every game
over the course of the sale will set someone back less than $65.00. Here's how
this works: There's more than just buying games incredibly cheap to our
DRM-Free Time Machine Sale! We're ready to
pass its steering wheel (or rather the control console) to YOU. Each game in the
sale is offered for a limited time only, and how long we stay in its year is up
to you! Each time you see a new game on sale you can vote to either add or
subtract 1 second from the timer. Each time you buy a game, you add 3 seconds to
the time of it being on sale. We begin with 1983's Zork, bundled with the
rest of the Zork
Anthology of 6 games in total, for only $1.79. How long will it last on
the front page? You'll be the judge. What comes next, as the game of 1984? Let's
find out!
Let's take a trip in GOG.com's DRM-Free Time
Machine Sale! 30 great games from 1983-2013 will be available up to 90%
off, and you get to decide how long each game is on sale. Ready? The
technomagical gateway to 1983 opens NOW!
Continue here to read the full story.
Pre-Purchases of NASCAR '14 are now being accepted
on Steam, three weeks in
advance of the release of the new
installment in the racing series. No discount is offered for this advance
commitment, but owners of NASCAR The Game 2013 on Steam are entitled to a
20% discount on the new game. Here's the update from
Steam News: NASCAR
'14 is Now Available for Pre-Purchase on Steam! Additionally, owners of
NASCAR The Game: 2013 on Steam will receive a 20% discount when pre-purchasing
NASCAR '14!
It’s your turn to immerse yourself in the full-throttle thrill of the world’s
most exciting motor sports racing series in NASCAR ’14. Take the wheel from your
favorite driver and participate in the race week experience complete with
practice, qualifying, and race day challenges. With your favorite personalities
and live replay, NASCAR ’14 is the authentic NASCAR experience for fans.
Paradox Interactive announces Crusader Kings II: Rajas of India, the
sixth expansion for Crusader Kings II, saying this will come to their
Holy War strategy sequel this spring. They offer
a reveal teaser trailer,
and the following first details, hopefully not invoking bad karma with all the
stereotypes: Chanting and spices waft across Europe on an easterly wind
as the all-conquering siddhas of strategy at Paradox Interactive and Paradox
Development Studio today announce Crusader Kings II: Rajas of India. Setting
their sights on the subcontinent, the fiery sixth expansion for the
universally-acclaimed strategy/RPG Crusader Kings II gets intimate with India
and its pluralistic religions; Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Karma has been
kind!
Dust off your jewelled turban and defend dharma as a mighty Indian Raja,
conquering in the name of Indra! Raise war elephant units and fight in the dense
jungle terrain. Make Siddhartha proud as a Buddhist and advance your technology
or maintain a harmonious stable realm as a Jain. Raid your neighbors as a
warlike Hindu of the Kshatriya caste!
Crusader Kings II: Rajas of India introduces a wealth of new cultural and
religious events that would appease even the ferocious goddess Kali, including
meeting yogis and sadhus, celebrating Diwali and thinking about your
reincarnation. Be careful, the Wheel of Life keeps on turning and those karmic
forces can be equally cruel!
With all eyes on Hindustan, the map has been extended far to the east to
encompass hundreds of new provinces in Central Asia as well as opening up the
ports of The Red Sea and Indian Ocean for navigation by your
fleets.
Continue here to read the full story.
Vince
Zampella tweets a response to the
leaked news of plans for a Titanfall
beta next month. He promises more details "in the coming days," but in the
meantime he does not confirm the reported February 14th launch, and while he
while he confirms the beta will come to Windows and Xbox One, he does not
mention a version for Xbox 360, saying: "#supersecret announcement time. I'm
sure no one has been able to guess from the leaks. PC and XboxOne Beta! Details
in the coming days." Thanks
GameInformer.
SOE's John
Smedley tweets a clarification about
his recent
comments about their next MMOG being "dedicated" to Star Wars Galaxies
fans. In case it wasn't obvious, he makes sure we understand he's not talking
about anything that actually carries the Star Wars license, saying: "just to
clarify a point I made in my AMAA - we have a new game that I think SWG vets
will like. It's not a new Star Wars game at all." Thanks
Ten Ton Hammer.
Harebrained Schemes is now offering preorders of Shadowrun: Dragonfall, the
promised upcoming expansion for Shadowrun Returns that will take the
post-apocalyptic RPG to Berlin when it's released on February 27th, which is a
delay from announced
plans to release the expansion this month. Preorders are
underway on Steam, and a
DRM-free edition will be offered on GOG.com as well. Here's
a new official trailer,
and here's the deal: Harebrained Schemes’ Shadowrun: Dragonfall, a major
expansion for the magic-meets-cyberpunk tactical RPG mashup Shadowrun Returns,
is just weeks away but the time to take action is now! Fans can pre-order the
expansion for $14.99 (requires the original game to play) at
http://store.steampowered.com/app/272030. Harebrained Schemes has also released new screenshots and a trailer on its
website (http://harebrained-schemes.com/shadowrun/dragonfall/)
today in anticipation of the game’s February 27, 2014 launch date.
The Shadowrun: Dragonfall expansion features a robust full-length campaign set
in the city of Berlin and contains a multitude of new features and enhancements.
The title will be available for purchase on Steam and a DRM-free version will be
available on GOG.com. Shadowrun: Dragonfall will debut on Windows, OSX and
Linux, with iPad and Android tablet versions to follow.
Continue here to read the full story.
Firefly Studios announces plans to release Stronghold Crusader 2 this
summer, a delay from their original
plan to release the castle siege sequel sometime last year. The update on the
game's official website
explains the setback: Releasing in the summer is a little later than we
had initially hoped, but once again our intention is to release a game that
lives up to the Crusader name. Whenever we meet someone who played and enjoyed
the original they always have a story to tell about the time they finally beat
that hard as nails Crusader Trail mission or when they took on seven AI
opponents at once! When people have such fond memories you can’t rush a sequel
out the door, which is why we have chosen to take our time when it comes to
feature implementation and play testing. We’re at a point now where we can dip
into skirmish mode or a multiplayer game during lunch and have fun, which is a
fantastic feeling for the team.
With the game in its current state we can spend extra time tuning and tweaking
the various new units and siege equipment that will soon be storming other
players online. It will also mean we have enough time to reduce the number of
bugs and crashes right down before launch and refine the core gameplay loops
that make it fun. We know players are eager to get their hands on the game, but
Crusader 2 must be fun, stable and complete at launch.
Indie French developer Exkee announces they will release Kill the Bad Guy
for Windows, OS X, and Linux in May, offering the chance to go all Dexter on
some evildoers with some presumably deserved retribution. The news is
accompanied by a new
gameplay trailer showing off some of the game's dynamic environmental
puzzles. Here's more on Kill the Bad Guy: Kill The Bad Guy is a
puzzle-based game with a seemingly calm, utopian atmosphere, but in actuality,
it is a veritable playground for which to serve vile evil doers their just
deserts! So players, pull up a seat and tuck in your bibs because it is about to
get messy!
In Kill the Bad Guy, players will act as a shadowy justice, manipulating the
tangible world from afar as the unsuspecting Bad Guy goes about his day. The
player will have to first dirty up the streets in order to keep them clean and
safe in the long run. Purge the city of dirty criminals, seedy mafioso, low-life
drug lords, and other Bad Guys who think that they are safe hiding as wolves in
sheep's clothing.
Continue here to read the full story.
A brand-new trailer
from BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode Two shows off more of the
next DLC for BioShock Infinite, Irrational Games' first-person shooter
prequel. And by "more," we mean possibly more than you want to see, as the clip
begins with a warning that it "contains spoilers." Here's word: "Watch this
exclusive preview clip of BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode Two. See
the world through the eyes of Elizabeth after the dramatic events of Burial at
Sea - Episode One as she continues her journey through Rapture in an effort to
rescue Sally. Explore new areas of Rapture built almost entirely from scratch in
the BioShock Infinite engine. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode Two can
be purchased as part of the BioShock Infinite Season Pass, which contains both
Burial at Sea episodes, the Clash in the Clouds add-on pack, and other free
exclusives at a significant discount." Continue here to read the full story.
There's an update on the
Gearbox Software website on "Adding a Colorblind Mode to Borderlands 2."
This is weirdly coincidental to my weekly co-op Borderlands 2 game just
last night. A couple of the other players complained that a rat had stolen cash
from them, and they were each out about a quarter of a million dollars. I
responded that this explained why I had just noticed that I had something like
$1.1 million, which was double my wallet from just minutes before, so it seemed
I had killed the rat and collected their missing cash. Abraxas pointed out that
dropped player money is orange, while regular money is yellow. I replied: "No
help to me, I'm colorblind!" I hope they don't fix this too soon... the extra
money came in handy.
R.I.P.:
Pete Seeger.
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