Archived News:
And don't call me CliffyB! Thanks nin for word that
Cliff
Bleszinski tweets about plans for a comeback, complete with an admonition
(and hashtag) not to call it that. The former Epic designer says we'll learn more
of his plans over the
coming week: I'm officially coming out of retirement to make video games
again.
Stay tuned here for details in the next 7 days!
#DontCallItAComeback
Steam News announces the
release of Divinity:
Original Sin, the latest installment in Larian's RPG series. Here's
word: Gather your party and get ready for a new, back-to-the-roots RPG
adventure! Discuss your decisions with companions; fight foes in turn-based
combat; explore an open world and interact with everything and everyone you see.
Join up with a friend to play online in co-op and make your own adventures with
the powerful RPG toolkit.
In Divinity:Original Sin you take on the role of a young Source Hunter: your job
is to rid the world of those who use the foulest of magics. When you embark on
what should have been a routine murder investigation, you suddenly find yourself
in the middle of a plot that will rattle the very fabric of time.
Divinity: Original Sin is a game that gives you a lot of freedom and plenty of
gameplay mechanics to use or abuse. The game's epic story may drive you toward
your ultimate end-goal, but how you get there is entirely up to you.
Or up to you and a friend, because Divinity: Original Sin can be played
completely cooperatively, and features both online and local drop-in/drop-out
multiplayer. Great adventures become even greater when shared with a trusted
comrade-in-arms!
A Hello
Planet update #4 on the ManiaPlanet Blog outlines plans for a new update to
the ManiaPlanet platform as Nadeo continues to work on ways to allow gamers to
sample their wares. Here's word on how this will allow players to sample
ShootMania and TrackMania: "Now, with the demo, players will be able to play for
free, on any title, on the first 48h after the registration on Maniaplanet.
After, it will be unlimited for titles with less than 100 concurrent players or
one hour per day for the others. The access includes all multiplayer servers,
all solo white maps of campaigns and all editors." Thanks Frans.
The Steam Game and Player
Statistics page shows that the Steam Summer Sale propelled Valve's service
to a new record, with the peak users counter reading 8,020,474, though mousing
over the included graph shows an even higher peak of 8,020,722. Either number
suffices to show well over eight million concurrent users around midday
yesterday. Thanks
GamesIndustry International.
PopCap Games announces they will release free content tomorrow for Plants vs.
Zombies Garden Warfare for the Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One editions of
the action game based on the tower defense series. Here's a
preview trailer for
the Tactical Taco Party Pack, and here's word on all the tactical tacos
it brings to the party: PopCap Games is taking Plants vs. Zombies™ Garden
Warfare south of the border, with the release of all-new free* content update.
Available tomorrow for Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC, the Tactical Taco Party Pack
is offering up an all-new map, called Jewel Junction, a new game mode, Vanquish
Confirmed**, all new 8v8 mixed mode playlist that spans all competitive game
modes including Gardens & Graveyards, along with several other upgrades such as
character variants and new co-op challenges.
In the Tactical Taco Party Pack, Dr. Zomboss has been mining gems from the Jewel
Junction mines in order to help finance his war efforts. The Plants have
discovered this facility and are trying to hit him in his pocket book. If
successful players can strike a major victory against Dr. Zomboss and his Zombie
army, the fiesta will commence….just watch out for that train!
Players will also get two new custom character variants – complete with new
appearances and abilities – brought to them by Aquafina® FlavorSplash®:
Berry Shooter: This blue, berry-boosted beauty, deals extra splash damage with a
slower rate of fire – perfect for vanquishing that elusive, overly ambitious
opponent.
Citrus Cactus: Slinging orange wedges with a 3-round burst, this prickly fellow
vanquishes his foes with precision shooting and perfectly timed one-liners.
*Requires Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare on applicable platform.
**New game mode launching for PC on July 8th.
Continue here to read the full story.
Publisher tinyBuild announces (*spoiler alert*) the release of the Spoiler Alert
Collector's Edition
for Windows, OS X, and Linux on Steam,
offering a 20% launch discount on MEGAFUZZ's platformer that plays backwards
from the end to the beginning. Here's the
launch trailer, and
here's word on what this includes: Spoiler Alert is out now on Steam with
a special Collector's Edition!
- 100 Levels in 4 worlds
- SpeedRun Mode
- Start playing at the end and make your way back
- Classic platformer gameplay mashed with simple
controls
- Beautiful handdrawn graphics
- Original soundtrack by Roland La Goy
- Epic boss fights, upgrades and many different and
unique enemies
Plus get the OST, a full-on level editor, and more exclusive content
Continue here to read the full story.
The
Darkfall Unholy Wars website has an update on future plans for
Aventurine's MMORPG, now that the Custom Roles patch is live. They outline two
patches they will release next month along with new service and "fluff" items
for the in-game shop before going on to follow up on their last
“immediate plans” announcement with the latest on plans for an economic
rebalance, the addition of siege engines, new quests, and more.
The message on the
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Facebook Page mentioned
earlier has since been
edited to remove the support for the Areal project. At this point they
are offering no opinion on the topic at all: While we do believe the
community of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. should remain united and strong, the previously made
statement does not represent the official stance of GSC Game World. The post has
therefore been edited. We apologize for the inconveniences.
GameInformer has a response from Uber Entertainment to a report that
appeared
on Reddit showing that the Early Access version of Planetary Annihilation
is available as a boxed retail version, a new evolution in the process of
selling admittedly incomplete games. GameInformer reached out to Uber to ask why
they were releasing the unfinished real-time strategy game this way, and "why
not?" was the response from Uber's Jan Mavor. "At Uber we've been trying really
hard to innovate on business models during the entire development of [Planetary
Annihilation]." Mavor explains, "We had planned to do a retail release all along
and the early access box came about as part of our experimental attitude. Since
early access works so well, our partners at Nordic thought that it would be
worth trying an early access retail edition and we agreed it was a cool idea."
The supplied image of the box shows a £39.99 price tag and a banner saying the
purchase "includes free upgrade to full game."
The
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Facebook Page indirectly addresses
the contoversy about Areal,
a first-person shooter intended as a spiritual successor to the
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series (thanks
DSOGaming). Though the pedigree was called into question by Vostok Games,
developers of another S.T.A.L.K.E.R. homage called Survarium, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
originators GSC Game World say they love all their children equally: As
the Official page for GSC Game World, we represent the interests and
intellectual property of GSC Game World. Since GSC Game World is not currently
producing any games, we have generously and tirelessly supported and promoted
all those Games that former GSC Employees have been involved with in the past,
currently and in the future. This includes Metro 2033, Survarium, Cradle,
Nuclear Union ( no longer in production ) and now Areal. This is nothing new. We
also have promoted the Modding Community with major titles such as Misery, The
Seed, Lost Alpha and other works. Our position is that all in the Stalker
Community benefit from such a diverse and unique variety of Games. The only
thing we are not tolerant about is one part of the Stalker Community disparaging
another. Thanks for your understanding and support.
This trailer shows
off F-15C: DCS Flaming Cliffs, an upcoming standalone release of the F-15C from
the DCS: Flaming Cliffs 3 DLC for those who don't want the full Monty. The
DCS website
has more details, and here's word from the trailer's description: "As a DCS
Flaming Cliffs title, F-15C focuses on ease of use without complicated cockpit
interaction, significantly reducing the learning curve. As such, F-15C features
keyboard and joystick cockpit commands with a focus on the most mission critical
of cockpit systems." Continue here to read the full story.
Football Manager 2014 maintains its toehold on the top position on the
GFK Chart-Track PC Entertainment Top 20 Chart for the week ending June 28th.
There are a couple of new entries, as Sniper Elite 3 picks off the number
three spot while GRID Autosport pulls in at number four. Meanwhile, on
the
All Platforms/All Prices top 40 Chart Sniper Elite 3 shot straight to the
number one. GRID Autosport debuts at number seven on that chart and
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark enters at number 12. They sum
everything up like so: Rebellion’s third installment in the Sniper Elite
franchise debuts at No1, straddling Microsoft and Sony current/previous gen
platforms, of which PS4/Xbox One make up 65% of console sales units.
It is the second in the series to be published by 505 Games and the second to
debut at No1 (Sniper Elite 2 took 2 weeks at No1 back in weeks 18/19 2012
whereas original Sniper Elite only got to No15 back in week 2 for that title,
week 40, 2005). Ubisoft remain at No2 with ‘Watch Dogs’ (-22%) and last week’s
No1 ‘EA Sports UFC’ drops to No3 (-58%).
Codemasters take the 2nd highest new entry at No7 with previous gen and PC ‘GRID
Autosport’. EA’s ‘2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil’ drops out of the Top 10 for the
first time at No11 (-13%) and right behind we have the 3rd new entry of the
week, Activision Blizzard’s ‘Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark’, in at No12.
Completing the new releases within the Top 40 is Bandai Namco’s ‘One Piece:
Unlimited World Red’ at No28.
I'm pretty sure the Steam sale added another full lifetime's worth of games to
my backlog. And that's for someone who is normal about gaming, but I am a deep
dive type who tends to stay with games longer to boot. Oh well, I can dream.
R.I.P.:
Meshach Taylor dies at 67; actor known for 'Designing Women' role.
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