Archived News:

Friday, Aug 29, 2014

Total War: ROME II Emperor Edition

The Total War Facebook page announces Total War: ROME II Emperor Edition, a new edition of the RTS sequel that combines previously released free content, a new campaign, and some revisions to offer "the definitive edition" of ROME II. They also reassure owners of the game that they will receive an automatic update to the Emperor Edition upon its release absolutely free of charge. "With the Imperator Augustus Campaign Pack, we wanted to recreate the vast civil war which erupted after Julius Caesar’s murder," says Jack Lusted, who led development of the new campaign. "You can tackle the campaign as various Roman and non-Roman factions, including Armenia for the first time. Our aim was to represent the titanic power struggle that led to Octavian becoming the first Emperor of Rome. It’s a pretty epic campaign, and it’s great that we can offer this to existing ROME II players for free as a thanks for their support." Here's a bit more:
The new ‘Imperator Augustus’ Campaign Pack adds hundreds of hours of sandbox gameplay across a new campaign map reflecting the geopolitical boundaries of the Second Triumvirate War. Players will determine the outcome of a vast civil war, which saw Octavian, Marc Antony and Lepidus vying to become the very first Emperor of Rome.

Alongside all feature updates from launch (including Twitch.tv integration, touch controls, new factions, new units and now the Mac version), Emperor Edition also features an improved politics system, overhauled building chains, rebalanced battles, and improved visuals in both campaign and battle.

Strife Open Beta

S2 Games announces open beta testing is now underway for Strife, their "second-generation" MOBA. Cursing voices is a MOBA staple, and word is Strife will support this with integrated Curse Voice communications to keep player's IP addresses private, hopefully saving visits from local SWAT teams. A new trailer celebrates the news, which follows:
From PAX Prime, S2 Games today announced that their new MOBA, Strife, has entered a global Open Beta. The Strife development team is on hand in S2 Games booth, #3746, to celebrate this milestone with the gaming community and demo the game.

Strife is a free to play MOBA that features deep, collaborative gameplay and includes purchasable cosmetic upgrades. S2 focused their knowledge and industry experience on an engaging, enjoyable, team PvP game. One key design goal was to evolve the genre to create a more accessible MOBA with a high skill ceiling. Strife offers a rich experience that rewards everyone on the team for their role in victory. New features launching with Open Beta include single player content that allows players to interact with Strife's lore, a companion app that allows players to check stats, craft items, and earn free resources from anywhere, and a partnership with Curse Voice to allow players to easily connect with friends.

"Our vision for Strife can be best explained by examining the globally beloved sport of Soccer," said Marc DeForest, CEO and Co-Founder of S2 Games. "The way I'd play soccer with my kids is completely different from the way I'd play competitively in college or the way World Cup teams battle professionally. We designed Strife to be a game as accessible as soccer, to be enjoyed by players of all skill levels."
Continue here to read the full story.

DCS: Bf 109 K-4 Kurfürst Pre-Purchases

The Fighter Collection and Eagle Dynamics announce that DCS: Bf 109 K-4 Kurfürst is now available for pre-purchase from the DCS e-shop. This carries a 20% discount, a 20% discount on a future game, and access to beta testing later this year. A new teaser video celebrating the news shows some work-in-progress footage, and here's word:
Like previous DCS World titles, DCS: Bf 109 K-4 Kurfürst features a painstakingly reproduced model of the aircraft, including the external model, fully interactive cockpit, mechanical systems, and a Professional Flight Model (PFM). Along the lines of our DCS: P-51D Mustang and DCS: Fw 190 D-9 Dora titles, DCS: Bf 109K-4 Kurfürst places you behind the controls of a powerful, propeller-driven, piston engine combat aircraft. Designed long before “fly-by-wire” technology was available to assist the pilot in flight control or smart bombs and beyond visual range missiles were developed to engage targets with precision from afar, the Kurfürst is a personal and exhilarating challenge to master. Powerful and deadly, the last production model of the only single-engined German fighter to see service throughout World War II, the Kurfürst provides an exhilarating combat experience to its drivers, and a worthy challenge to all fans of DCS: P-51D Mustang.
Continue here to read the full story.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Trailer

A new "meet Ratbag" trailer introduces Ratbag, an NPC from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, the upcoming Tolkienesque adventure. Word is this isn't just any Uruk: "While Uruks are dynamically generated through the Nemesis System and unique to each player, Ratbag is a special Uruk who plays a critical role in the story as Talion goes on his journey to destroy Sauron’s army." Continue here to read the full story.

On Sale

Into the Black

Link of the Day: Vapshot Alcohol Vaporizer - The Colbert Report. "Because lungs don't vomit." Thanks nin.

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell Announced

A new standalone Saints Row IV expansion called Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell turns out to be the PAX Prime announcement teased for today, as Volition reveals they are teaming with High Voltage Software to add more sand to the sandbox game. Word is: "In Gat Out of Hell players take on the role of Johnny Gat as he is sent into hell via a nefarious spirit board incident and left to combat demons, the horrors of the underworld (including prominent historical figures) and, of course, the Devil himself." This is coming to PCs and consoles (this and last generation) on January 27th in North America and January 30th in other territories, and according to Polygon this will feature two-player Johnny Gat and Kinzie co-op support. Here's the announce trailer (NSFW), and here's word:
After the space faring antics of Saints Row IV, many fans asked what we could do next... the answer? Shoot The Devil in the face. Play as either Johnny Gat or Kinzie Kensington as you tear apart Hell in a quest to save the leader of the Saints’ soul. Historical icons, old friends, older enemies, a talking gun, a full length musical number, and a whole lot of other shenanigans all await you in the open world standalone expansion playground that is Saints Row: Gat Out Of Hell.

Gat out of Hell is the standalone expansion to the award-winning and multi-million selling Saints Row IV from Deep Silver and will launch on January 27, 2015 in the Americas and January 30, 2015 in international territories for last gen and new gen console platforms as well as PC.
Continue here to read the full story.

Call of Duty Ghosts Free Multiplayer Weekend

Steam News announces a weekend sale on the Call of Duty franchise, where everything in the military shooter series is half-off, both individually, and as part of some large bundles to cut down on your clicking. They also note that multiplayer play in Call of Duty: Ghosts is free on Steam between now and 4:00 pm EDT on Sunday, allowing a chance to sample the series.

Steam AU Refund Legal Dispute

Valve has a court date in Australia to respond to accusations from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, a watchdog group, that Steam's refund policy, or lack thereof, violates Australian consumer protection laws (thanks Darth Guybrush). Word is a "directions" hearing will take place on October 7th. Here's word from News.com.au::
ACCC chairman Rod Sims said: “The Australian Consumer Law applies to any business providing goods or services within Australia. Valve may be an American-based company with no physical presence in Australia, but it is carrying on business in Australia by selling to Australian consumers, who are protected by Australian Consumer Law.

“It is a breach of the Australian Consumer Law for businesses to state that they do not give refunds under any circumstances, including for gifts and during sales. Under the Australian Consumer Law, consumers can insist on a refund or replacement at their option if a product has a major fault.

“The consumer guarantees provided under the Australian Consumer Law cannot be excluded, restricted or modified.”

Valve chief executive Doug Lombardi told news.com.au in an email: “We are making every effort to cooperate with the Australian officials on this matter, while continuing to provide Steam services to our customers across the world, including Australian gamers.

He did not respond to more detailed questions put forward by news.com.au.

PAYDAY 2 Patch Beta

A Steam community announcement from Overkill Software has details on how to participate in beta testing some gameplay changes they are bringing to PAYDAY 2, their heist game sequel. They will be testing changes to improve stability as well as changes to how experience and cash are doled out after robberies. They offer the obvious warnings of the risks associated with beta software, including a caution to back up saved games. Thanks Shacknews.com.

Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars Trailer

A new early access trailer from Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars shows off Digital Eel's upcoming space strategy sequel, showing the latest progress on the game. Here's word: "The development of the game is trucking along at a steady pace, and a lot has changed in the last few months. All the user interfaces are much nicer, and content-wise we have already surpassed Weird Worlds in many ways. For example, we now have more types of starships than WW and are busy adding more – in the next content update you’ll see a new alien race that had no presence in the previous game aside from one random event, but will now have a full-featured fleet and signature technologies." Continue here to read the full story.

Op Ed

Gamasutra - 'Gamers' don't have to be your audience. 'Gamers' are over.
‘Games culture’ is a petri dish of people who know so little about how human social interaction and professional life works that they can concoct online ‘wars’ about social justice or ‘game journalism ethics,’ straight-faced, and cause genuine human consequences. Because of video games.

Lately, I often find myself wondering what I’m even doing here. And I know I’m not alone.

All of us should be better than this. You should be deeply questioning your life choices if this and this and this are the prominent public face your business presents to the rest of the world.

"When you decline to create or to curate a culture in your spaces, you’re responsible for what spawns in the vacuum."

This is what the rest of the world knows about your industry -- this, and headlines about billion-dollar war simulators or those junkies with the touchscreen candies. That’s it. You should absolutely be better than this.

You don’t want to ‘be divisive?’ Who’s being divided, except for people who are okay with an infantilized cultural desert of shitty behavior and people who aren’t? What is there to ‘debate’?

New Statesman - Tropes vs Anita Sarkeesian- on passing off anti-feminist nonsense as critique. Thanks Derek.
Today, we're going to be looking at some of the common ways in which Anita Sarkeesian is portrayed in the gamer community, and how to assess and critique the mistakes that are made in responding to her work. There are lies passed off as truths and meaningless non-sequiturs presented as devastating proofs by the kinds of people who like to bang on and on and on about the "marketplace of ideas" as if that justifies being a total ass. They don't send death threats, but they build and sustain the environment that means a woman like her is treated the way that she is.

Shacknews.com Opinion- Publishers too reluctant to embrace new consoles.
Wait... what?

Hardware Reviews

Out of the Blue

I planned on today being the last "summer hours" Friday here, as this is the Labor Day weekend here in the U.S., the unofficial end of summer, and way of celebrating laborers without all the communist overtones of May Day. However, today also kicks off PAX Prime, because... well I don't know. Since the festivities on the west coast won't get underway until midday here on the east coast, it doesn't seem practical to skip out right when something interesting might happen so if I actually wrap up early, it will be the late sort of early.

Links: Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play: Colorize.
Gluttonous Spider.
HELLicopter.
Link: Hodor is A DJ, And His First Game Of Thrones Rave Looked Awesome. Thanks nin.
Stories: Fall TV 2014: Your Everything Guide to the New Season, Including Premiere Dates.
Science: Marijuana compound may offer treatment for Alzheimer's disease, study suggests.
Three Things You Didn’t Know About the Arachnids That Live on Your Face.
Leading Anti-Marijuana Academics Are Paid by Painkiller Drug Companies.
Images: Star Trek: The Next Generation Reunion Selfie. Nice framing.
Star Citizen's missing something...
Media: What Happened To All the Dead Aliens At the End of The Avengers?
ELDERS REACT TO OCULUS RIFT.
Jon Stewart Rosewater Trailer.
About That Ad Blocker
We see you're using an ad blocker. While we strive to make our ads behave, we understand your desire for peace and privacy. So please consider becoming a supporter to take advantage of the no ads version of Blue's News. This will help sustain our efforts to bring you the best in gaming and tech news without requiring you to see ads or suffer a guilty conscience. You'll even get a nifty forum badge that will be the envy of the neighborhood!
Support the Site!