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Archived News:
A message from Rob
Pardo on the World of Warcraft forums announces the Chief Creative Officer's departure from
Blizzard after 17 years. Here's a bit: Im really proud of the
contributions I was able to make to Blizzards accomplishments. From building
lasting games, to supporting the growth of eSports, to extending the Warcraft
world into a feature film, and of course to being able to celebrate our shared
passions with the Blizzard community online and at BlizzCon.
The Blizzard community is ultimately the reason why we come to work every day
and pour our souls into every world and experience we create. Blizzards players
are the most passionate in the world and your commitment and dedication are
truly awesome to behold. Creating entertainment for you has been an incredible
opportunity, and I know that you will continue to grow and become even stronger
as a community over the years to come. It has been so meaningful on a personal
level to help create joy for all of you.
Im looking forward to new challenges in my career, but I will always cherish
the time I spent with you all and the amazing and collaborative teams at
Blizzard. It was both satisfying and humbling, and it made me a better developer
and a better person. I look forward to playing Blizzard games as a player for
many years to come. Most important, now I have plenty of time to learn how to
build a competitive Hearthstone deck.
Steam News announces the
release of the Access
Granted Pack for
Watch_Dogs, which updates the hacking game with three new missions, and
more. Word is: Extend your hacking abilities in 3 new missions!
Unlock 6 additional skins and access new powerful perks to increase your control
over Chicago.
This Pack contains :
- The Signature Shot Pack
- The Cyberpunk Pack
- The Blume Agent Pack
- The Breakthrough Pack
- The Palace Pack
- The DedSec Shadow Pack
- The Club Justice Pack
Activision announces the Invasion DLC pack is now available for the
Windows and PlayStation editions of Call of Duty: Ghosts, the military
shooter sequel. The Windows version is available
on Steam, and here's
word on the four maps and addition zombie gameplay this offers: Departed:
Set in a rural Mexican town during the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
celebration, where players who complete the map's unique Field Order will unlock
the Death Mariachi killstreak. Armed with dual-wielding pistols, the Death
Mariachi settles scores, with each kill turning enemy players into another
member of the band, and a temporary squad mate.
Pharaoh: The abandoned archeological site of an ancient Egyptian palace.
Players will have to be on the lookout for collapsing monuments and urns full of
flesh-eating scarabs, among other surprises in this multi-level map. Players who
unlock this map's Field Order will be handsomely rewarded with the Blessing of
Anubis, the half jackal/half human protector of the dead.
Mutiny: A remote Caribbean island harboring an eerie pirate hideout
complete with abandoned trading posts and prison cells, where speed and stealth
are a must as players navigate the narrow and intertwining pathways. Players
that unlock "Mutiny's" Field Order will find themselves escorted by two ethereal
ghost pirates who will happily send enemy players down to Davey Jones' locker on
their behalf.
Favela: A refreshed version of the fan-favorite map from Call of Duty:
Modern Warfare 2, this Brazilian shantytown has seen substantial change since
its original release. Buildings once under construction are now complete, while
others have crumbled into a state of disrepair. Players must avoid falling to
their death as they traverse the map from one building to the next, avoiding
enemy snipers taking advantage of the map's long sightlines. Players who
complete "Favela's" Field Order can call in air support from a nearby Y-8
Gunship.
Anchoring the Call of Duty: Ghosts Invasion DLC Pack is the next installment in
the game's Extinction mode episodic narrative, "Episode 3: Awakening." In
Awakening, the team descends into the perilous alien underworld to strike at the
subterranean fortress of the Ancestors - the mysterious puppet-masters behind
the Cryptid invasion. Armed with a range of new hi-tech weapons and equipment,
the team must penetrate a series of defensive barriers to reach the Ark and
unlock the secrets of the Ancestors' psychic powers. As the final battle draws
closer, the fate of Earth and the future of the human race hang in the
balance.
Or perhaps rumours, since they concern Crytek UK, as
Kotaku reports sources tell them the staff of Crytek UK are currently on
unpaid leave, amid earlier
rumors of troubles at the German developer. They also say they hear Crytek is
negotiating with publisher Deep Silver on next moves. Thanks nin.
Sid Meier's Civilization website now offers an October 24, 2014 release date
for Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth, the new sci-fi installment in
the turn-based strategy series. They celebrate the news with a
new video with the
game's E3 presentation and by announcing the
preorder bonus for the
game is the Exoplanets Map Pack. Continue here to read the full story.
A new video trailer is
online for Cry Wolf, Episode 5 of The Wolf Among Us, the upcoming
conclusion for Telltale's latest episodic adventure. The clip warns of spoilers
from previous episodes, and
the Telltale blog
has word to expect the new episode next week, offering the following schedule:
- Tues, July 8th - PC/Mac worldwide,
PlayStation North America
- Wed, July 9th - Xbox 360 worldwide,
PlayStation Europe
- Thurs, July 10th - iOS App Store worldwide
Continue here to read the full story.
Full Control announces the release of a new content for the Early Access version
of Jagged Alliance: Flashback
on Steam. Here's what this brings to the turn-based strategy
remake: For the first big update the focus has been on improving the
combat experience, by adding more weapons and ammo types, allowing more tactical
options and making it possible to reload guns. Throwables and a destructible
environment have also been some of the first features to go in, while the whole
northern part of the island has been opened up, significantly increasing the
area for players to explore.
Jagged Alliance: Flashback update features:
- Advanced Combat (SMGs and Handguns added, Ammo
types & Reloading)
- Female Mercenaries & Mercenary Variations
- Grenades & Destructible Environment
- Day/Night Cycle, Weather System
- Northern Island unlocked - 22 New Sectors
BANDAI NAMCO Games America announces a September 16th release date for the
Windows and console versions of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM
REVOLUTION. Here's word on the day one edition and preorder bonuses: NARUTO
SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM REVOLUTION will ship on September 16, 2014 with
a Day One Edition across the Americas with the following special items while
supplies last:
- Costume DLC
- Play as Naruto dressed as Sasuke, while Sasuke
tries out Narutos iconic orange outfit.
- Itachi Uchiha with Akatsuki apron
- NARUTO SHIPPUDEN short story anime, "Sunny Side
Battle" featuring Itachi Uchiha
The following pre-order offers will also be available for NARUTO SHIPPUDEN:
Ultimate Ninja STORM REVOLUTION within the United States and Canada at
participating retailers:
- Summer Cloth Pack a collection of four summer
costumes for Sakura, Tenten, Hinata and Ino (available at Best Buy and
Future Shop while supplies last).
- Samurai Armor Pack Fight as Naruto, Sasuke, and
Sakura dressed in special Samurai Armor (available at Amazon.com while
supplies last).
- Mecha-Naruto Poster Exclusive Japanese Mecha-Naruto
poster (available at GameStop and EB Games while supplies last).
Link of the Day: Black? It's not even darker blue yet!
Digital publishers Kiss Ltd and Kavcom announce plans to rerelease Z
tomorrow for Windows PC as a modernized remake of the 1996 RTS game from Bitmap
Brothers. Here's some
artwork ( update) and there are actual screenshots and
a
gameplay trailer from the game. Here's the deal: The long-awaited 21st
Century reissue of The Bitmap Brothers classic action real-time strategy title
Z is finally unleashed Friday 4th July for the PC by digital publishers Kiss Ltd
and Kavcom. Z The Game is a faithful and thoroughly modern reworking of the
seminal Bitmap title, retaining its offbeat comedy and addictive real-time
strategy game play, but updated for the modern gaming PC.
Fans of this classic strategy title are in for a real treat. Developed by
original creators The Bitmap Brothers and Kavcom, everything from the original
version of the game is in here from the terrific comedy cut scenes to the
frantic game play making this is the definitive version of Z.
On its original release in 1996, Z: The Game was given 8/10 by EDGE Magazine,
which commented that, the computer rivals the best non-human opponents strategy
games have ever seen...the attention to detail is remarkable, while PC Zone
awarded 92% and a Classic Award, saying the game was, like Command & Conquer,
only harder, more strategic and more intense.
Its finally here, and Im pleased to say that Z: The Game on PC is everything
we wanted it to be," said Managing Director of Kavcom, Tony Kavanagh. Weve
built it from scratch for todays PCs, but have keept all of The Bitmap
Brothers unique style, humour and attitude. Im sure Z fans old and new will
just love it.
Jagex announces this weekend beta testing will commence for
Transformers Universe,
their upcoming shape-shifting MOBA. Set your alarms, because the beta opens
tomorrow at 6:00 am EDT. Here's what to expect: We are proud to announce
Transformers Universe will be throwing open its doors to the world when we go in
to Open BETA this Friday, July 4th from 6am EDT and 11am GMT.
That means from Friday well be welcoming brand new players into the game. All
you need to do is create an account and then jump straight in to battle. Were
going to be celebrating this exciting milestone all weekend long with a host of
exciting events, including a Double XP weekend, a $75,000 prize pot, and a 24
hour livestream on our official Twitch channel from 10am EDT & 3pm GMT on 5th
July through to 10am EDT & 3pm GMT on 6th July. Well be posting more details
about these exciting events over the next couple of days, so be sure to stay
tuned on the website for full details. Therell be something for new players and
experienced players to look forward to!
Want to make it more exciting? This Friday will also see the launch of the
Recruit-a-Friend system, so make sure to invite your friends into game as gaming
is always more fun with friends! And whats more, this weekend only were going
to be running a Recruit-a-Friend competition so any one of you stand the
chance to win up to $15,000 in prizes. Full details will be available on the
website this Friday.
Ubisoft offers details on Season Passes for Trials Fusion and Riders
of the Rustlands, the first DLC this will bring to RedLynx's racing game
later this month. There's a post on the topic on
the
UbiBlog with artwork, a list of Riders of the Rustlands features, and an
interview with Creative Director Antti Ilvessuo discussing DLC plans. Here's
part of the roadmap: Today, Ubisoft unveiled more details about the Season
Pass for Trials Fusion, the popular platform racer from RedLynx. Trials Fusion
downloadable content will start rolling out to players on July 29 with the first
of six packs, Riders of the Rustlands. Each pack is available for purchase on
its own for $4.99 or all six pieces can be purchased as part of the Trials
Fusion Season Pass for $19.99, a discount of more than 30 percent. Additionally,
Season Pass purchasers will also receive the Crater Hazmat Suit, a piece of
exclusive rider gear.
In Riders of the Rustlands players will venture beyond the gleaming cities of
Trials Fusion to discover and race through abandoned industrial wastelands.
Riders of the Rustlands includes 10 new tracks, 18 new track challenges, five
new trophies or achievements and dozens of new Track Editor objects, including
wrecked vehicles and the warehouses featured in the Rustlands.
The second piece of downloadable content, also coming this summer, will continue
players journeys outside of the Trials Fusion realm to compete and explore
floating islands in Empire of the Sky. Future content packs will also include
new tracks, new bike parts, rider gear, new items for the track editor and each
piece of content will let players experience a new Career Mode Event.
Trials Fusion will continue to receive free updates throughout the year that
will introduce new features for the game. The recently introduced Tournaments
feature is ongoing so players can still participate and battle for a top slot on
the leaderboards. Riders of the Rustlands tracks will be included in select
Tournaments, as will upcoming DLC tracks as they are released.
A
Steam Community announcement tells us Endless Legend is now in beta
testing, as Amplitude Studios' Early Access 4X strategy game works its way
towards an official release. A major patch accompanies the news to add factions
and features to the game. Here's word on what the new version includes:
- Two new playable major factions: the Ardent
Mages and the Roving Clans
- Multiplayer mode with up to six players out
of eight in the final game
- Enhanced Battle system (Battle Pace / City
Militia / Moral Boost / Upgraded Deployment)
- Ships and Harbours: you can now go explore
and colonize the world beyond the ocean!
- Addition of Roads and Trade Routes
- Improved Diplomacy: new Diplomatic
Treaties, AI diplomatic behaviour, Counter Proposal option
- Addition of Privateers: mercenaries bought
in the marketplace who can attack anyone without revealing exactly whose
side they are on
Developer Deconstructeam and publisher Devolver Digital announce a July 24th
release date for the standard and special editions of Gods Will Be Watching
for Windows, OS X, and Linux. Preorders are being accepted on the
Gods Will Be Watching website,
and here's a rundown on what to expect from the game: Gods Will Be
Watching is a minimalistic point and click thriller centered on despair,
commitment, and sacrifice as players face intriguing puzzles and tough decisions
that will affect their entire crews wellbeing. Set against the backdrop of an
interstellar struggle, Gods Will Be Watching follows Sgt. Burden and his crew in
six tense chapters that examine a multitude of mature themes ranging from
hostage situations and wilderness survival to biological weapon prevention and
agonizing torture scenarios. Players are faced with incredibly difficult ethical
and moral choices as their mental fortitude and personal limits are tested in
every scenario. Each decision is crucial and players will need to choose between
the lives of their team and the saving the world from genocide.
Tomorrow is July 4th, aka Independence Day here in the U.S., so today ostensibly
kicks off a holiday weekend in these parts. I plan on extending the summer hours
concept by finishing up early today, though I'm not sure exactly how much news
will be rolling out presuming others are taking the same approach to the
holiday.
R.I.P.:
WWII Hero, 'Unbroken' Subject Louis Zamperini Dies at 97.
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