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Archived News:
A week after announcing they were ending
support for The Sims 2 and upgrading all those who registered the game on
Origin to the Ultimate Collection edition of the lifestyle simulation,
EA announces they have opened this process up further, and are offering a
free copy of The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection to all Origin users. Here's how this
works: Because you’re a passionate The Sims 2 player, we’re making The
Sims 2 Ultimate Collection available free of charge to download to your Origin
library. To add the game, just follow these steps:
- Start by
downloading and
installing Origin. If you already have
Origin you can skip to step 3.
- Not an Origin member?
Create a
free Origin Account to get in the game.
- Launch Origin and log into your Origin Account.
- From the ‘Games’ tab in the Origin menu, select
‘Redeem Product Code’ and enter the code
I-LOVE-THE-SIMS
If you’re already an Origin member, you can also redeem your code online.
Just visit the
Origin code redemption page and log in to your Origin Account. Then enter
I-LOVE-THE-SIMS in the ‘Product Code’ field.
Log into Origin and download and play the game any time you want .
Thanks for being a passionate The Sims fan, and enjoy your copy of The Sims 2
Ultimate Collection.
This code will available for redemption until July 31st, 2014 at 10AM
PDT.
Boss Key Productions, the startup developer founded by Cliff Bleszinski,
announces several new hires as they staff up to develop Blue Streak, the
company's upcoming debut game. Veterans from Epic Games, Red Storm, Neversoft
Entertainment, and Irrational Games comprise the new staff.
CVG has all the details, and here's the part outlining the new additions:
Chris Mielke (Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Far Cry 4, The Division) will
fill the role of senior producer. Chris Wells (the Gears of War trilogy,
Fortnite) is the new senior character artist, while fellow former Epic Games man
Joshua Parker is Boss Key's new senior gameplay programmer.
Shane Smith (Grand Theft Auto V, Bioshock Infinite) is the IT director, David
Rose (Guitar Hero 5 and 6, and Call of Duty: Ghosts) is the so-called 'UI
Ninja', Ryan Palser (Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Ghosts) is the senior
animator, James Hawkins (Gears of War Trilogy, Unreal Tournament 3) is senior
concept artist, and Sarah Asby (Gears of War Trilogy, Unreal Tournament 3) is
the exec assistant.
Trion Worlds announces the first beta weekend for ArcheAge was a "great
success" as they unveil plans for the next round of testing for XLGames' MMORPG.
The next event is called "Setting Sail," which sets sail on Wednesday July 30th
and will run until August 4th, and they say this will be around three times
bigger than the first beta.
This blog post offers details on the concluded beta and the upcoming event.
They say invites are going out to some of those who have signed up
on their website and members of
their founder's program and
they are also holding a
Beta Raise Your Sails Contest to offer access to three winners.
German developer Piranha Bytes says they are going back to their roots with
Risen 3: Titan Lords, their RPG sequel that's due on August 15th, saying this
includes many elements they are known for from previous Risen and Gothic games.
They offer a new Back to
The Roots trailer to support this, which they describe like so: "The diverse
landscapes are handcrafted and full of life, providing the player with the same
authentic, classic experience that epitomized the Gothic series as well as the
original Risen. In their "Back to the Roots" video feature, Piranha Bytes and
Deep Silver take the player to the various locations of Risen 3: Titan Lords and
show how favorite elements of the previous Piranha Bytes games are coming back."
Continue here to read the full story.
Kalypso Media announces plans for
Omerta - City of Gangsters Gold
Edition, a boxed retail edition of the Windows crime game. This should
appear in stores on August 12th for $19.99, and those especially eager to be
made can preorder
through Amazon.com. Word is this will include the Japanese Incentive as an
incentive: "This edition includes the main game Omerta - City of Gangsters, as
well as all previously released DLC and the major expansion ‘The Japanese
Incentive’. With over 100 hours of content and a whole city to subject to your
latest law-breaking initiative, Omerta – City of Gangsters Gold Edition is the
ultimate way to experience being a shady overlord of a criminal empire."
Independent Dutch developer Monogon Games announces Interloper, an
upcoming real-time strategy game featuring a number of tribes vying for control
over a "lush, newly discovered world." The
Interloper website is live with an
announcement trailer which may or may not help understand this better. The
plan is to release this for Windows, OS X, and Linux, though a release date is
not specified at this point. Here's a rundown on the game: In the
Interloper universe a peaceful, densely vegetated land turns into a volatile
battlefield of territorial tug-of-war. Claiming domain provides strategic
advantages for the power hungry tribes. Challenge other players in competitive
online multiplayer matches to spread your tribe’s influence.
Features:
- Gameplay focused on spatial tactics.
- Competitive online multiplayer matches.
- Extensive single-player campaign.
- AI with various difficulty and behavior settings.
- Unique visual style and dynamic soundtrack based
on your tribe.
The UbiBlog
has details on a new Assassin's Creed Phantom Blade toy in the works at
McFarlane Toys as a working (though hopefully non-lethal) recreation of
the iconic weapon from the stealth/action series. They are already available
for preorder for $59.99 and it looks like the release is expected on October
28th, simultaneous with the release of Assassin's Creed Unity. The
purchase includes a code to also unlock an exclusive French cavalry pistol in
Unity. They offer a new
Assassin's Creed Unity Meets Parkour in Real Life video in 4K resolution
which includes a look at the blade toy in action as well as footage of soldiers
and assassins doing some wheel-free skitching on busses just like they did
during the French Revolution. Continue here to read the full story.
Steam News announces the
release of six new commanders for
Company of Heroes 2,
the World War II RTS sequel. There are three new US commanders and three new
German commanders, and for the next week they are all being offered for 25% off.
SteamDB
tweets an image of a redesigned Steam Controller that now sports what looks
like an analog thumbstick, another step away from the less conventional designs
Valve began with. According to
PC Gamer, the image is included in the latest beta Steam client for some
reason.
VG247 - 8
things PC gamers are always wrong about.
They are so off on the first two it makes you think number three has to be
true too.
Link of the Day:
'Galaxy
Quest'- The Oral History. By Grabthar’s Hammer, I do so love that movie.
Square Enix has revealed a December 9th release date for Lara Croft and the
Temple of Osiris, the upcoming sequel to Lara Croft and the Guardian of
Light, the co-op spin-off of the Tomb Raider series. This date applies to the
Windows and consoles editions, as noted
on IGN, where they also point to
a new feature based on hands-on time playing the game with Crystal Dynamics
executive producer Scott Amos that they show off in three new videos.
Telltale Games announces the release of Amid the Ruins, the fourth
episode in Season Two of
The Walking Dead, their episodic zombie game.
This trailer sets the
stage for the new chapter, saying: "Free of their brutal captor, the group
resumes their journey north. But hunger, violence and death have taken their
toll. Simmering conflicts and inevitable changes within the group remind
Clementine that danger can come from within, as well as without; she must choose
her allies carefully in this penultimate episode of The Walking Dead Season 2."
Continue here to read the full story.
The
Facebook page for Areal explains that the
Areal website has resumed fundraising
for West Games' proposed S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-inspired first-person shooter after
their
Kickstarter was suspended. In
discussing the suspension, they say they got no warning, and continue to make
their case that much of the criticism of their project is disinformation from a
"lot of companies that make their livelihood on STALKER." They also follow their
odd claim of support from Russian
President Vladimir Putin by saying some of the problems they've met with stem
from hostility from Russian Kickstarter campaigns as part of the current
conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Here's word: Our Kickstarter was
suspended without any warning. As per Kickstarter's policy, we cannot contact
them to find out why. Areal is the spiritual successor to STALKER, in terms of
our vision for it and in terms of the team that we have (which includes Alexey
Sytyanov, the lead game designer and screenwriter for STALKER). You can find out
more about us and our team on our website:
http://areal.west-games.com/
From the very beginning, we showed what we have accomplished, and showed the
atmosphere for what we want to accomplish (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTMtpViPhhc&list=UU7j5-kx3Mk4rtG6q_SfsOYQ).
The fact is that there are a lot of companies that make their livelihood on
STALKER, so when we showed up on the scene, they saw us as a threat and did
everything that they could to stop us.
People also need to take into account that Ukrainians and Russians are in an
information war right now, and as a Ukrainian developer, we were subject to
constant hostility from Russian Kickstarter accounts (we even got death
threats). There are over 16,000 comments on our Kickstarter, which is
unprecedented for the amount of supporters that we have, and a lot of our
comments are hate filled. Some sites, in light of this, chose to report based on
sources from direct competitors or from the myriad of comments based on lies.
Others chose a neutral ground, because of the confusing situation around us, and
still others wrote positively about us. All in all, more than a 1,000 news
results come up when you type in "Areal Kickstarter" on Google.
Continue here to read the full story.
The Robotality
website announces the release of
Halfway, a strategic turn-based RPG set aboard an invaded spaceship
where a crew of survivors look to regain control. The game is available for
Windows, OS X, and Linux on the
Humble Store
and Steam for 10% off,
and they say the release of the game will be followed by the tools used to
create the game to allow players to create their own missions. Also, the first
patch for the game is already available, updating it to version 1.0.1 to address
issues that could cause the game to crash. Details are in
this change log. Here's a feature list for the game:
- Tactical turn-based battles are at the core
of Halfway. Use cover, position, equipment and skills to your advantage in
your battles.
- Unique characters: Your team is formed of
unique characters you pick up along the way. Each one of them brings their
own story, skills and experiences to the journey.
- Find yourself in the middle of an engrossing
story-line. Step by step you’ll uncover the mysterious events that took
place and what it means for you and all of humanity.
- Mod support coming soon! Map and campaign
editor soon to be released.
Polygon - No skin thick enough- The daily harassment of women in the game
industry.
The problem with sharing these stories in broad terms is that people
think men and women receive the same harassment online. They do not. I’m not
writing this piece to evoke your sympathy. I’m writing to share with you
what prominent, successful women in the industry experience, in their own
words.
Rock,
Paper, Shotgun - Game Names Are Almost Universally Terrible.
Seriously it’s not that hard why are you all so bad at this aauuugh.
I had to deal with a few different support issues yesterday, and in one day got
bombarded with more music on hold than any man should be subjected to. I also
then got bombarded with follow-ups from Verizon, who robo-called six times in a
row, once to confirm each detail I had changed about my account. I'm actually
not complaining, I'd much rather err on the side of caution with account
security, but it sure got comical after a while.
R.I.P.:
Former Dallas Cowboys FB Robert Newhouse dies at 64, son says.
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