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Archived News:
Steam News announces a
free weekend for Tropico 5
has begun, offering the chance to try your hand at being El Presidente for a couple
of days. If you enjoy the game, you can pick it up for 75% off the regular
price. Steam News also
announces another free weekend is underway, this one for
Killing Floor, as
Tripwire's co-op survival/horror shooter is free to play through midday Sunday,
and is on sale for 75% off through Monday morning.
Allods Team, Obsidian Entertainment, and My.com announce a second round of
closed beta testing for Skyforge will begin on March 25th and run for two
weeks. Word is: "Fans who haven’t obtained keys still have an opportunity to
participate, as an additional pack of invitations will be sent to randomly
selected players who have registered on
sf.my.com by March 24."
Those who want to guarantee access to this testing of the sci-fi MMORPG can
purchase one of their Founder's
Packs. Word is: "While the first testing period lasted one week, the second
will be running for two full weeks and will let existing players continue their
immortal adventures with retained progress as well as welcome newcomers to dive
into amazing world of Aelion."
A new trailer from the
EVE Fanfest offers a look at gameplay from EVE: Valkyrie, CCP's upcoming
VR-focused multiplayer shooter spin-off of EVE Online (thanks Andreas). Word is: "This EVE:
Valkyrie gameplay trailer puts you in the cockpit of a heavily-armed starfighter
in the most realistic zero-G shooter available on any platform. Experience
intense team-based dogfights, immersive VR gaming technology, and the dark
sci-fi setting of the EVE Online universe." Continue here to read the full story.
A
thread on Reddit notes that credits for Kojima Productions are no longer
present on various games listed by studio owner Konami and that some developers
are departing, prompting speculation that Hideo Kojima is also leaving his
eponymous development studio (thanks
PSU).
GameSpot has a follow-up on this, saying an anonymous source within the
studio tells them that power struggles between Kojima Productions and Konami
have prompted drastic changes, and that some senior staff at the studio,
including Kojima himself, are now contractors, rather than employees. They say the
staff's communications have been restricted, their appearances to promote
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be limited, and that senior staff
will leave after the game ships and their contracts end in December, which their
source thinks will lead to the studio's outright closure.
Videogamer has an official statement about all this from Konami: As
we have already announced, we are shifting our production structure to a
headquarters-controlled system, in order to establish a steadfast operating base
capable of responding to the rapid market changes that surround our digital
entertainment business," read the statement. "Konami Digital Entertainment
(including Mr. Kojima), will continue to develop and support Metal Gear
products. Please look forward to future announcements."
Bohemia Interactive announces they are targeting April 8th as the official
release date for Arma 3 Marksmen, the upcoming Arma 3 DLC. Word is this
will launch along with a major patch to overhaul the base version of the
military shooter sequel with a new multiplayer mode and weapon-handling
features. Here's word: Bohemia Interactive today announced the official
release date for the upcoming Arma 3 downloadable content pack, Arma 3 Marksmen.
Flexing its guns on April 8th, the Marksmen DLC looks to build upon Arma 3‘s
infantry experience by adding new premium weapons, attachments, and gear.
Alongside the new DLC, Bohemia Interactive will also release a major platform
update, which implements a new multiplayer mode, training courses and showcase
scenario, plus several much-anticipated platform features related to weapon
handling (#bipods) and sound.
Serving as the backbone of the Marksmen DLC are the seven new weapons. Among
these are five marksman rifles, namely the Cyrus 9.3 mm, MAR-10 .338, Mk-I EMR
7.62 mm, Mk14 7.62 mm, and ASP-1 Kir. The other two weapons are the SPMG .338
and Navid 9.3 mm medium machine guns. The weapons will be complemented by the
AMS and Kahlia medium range scopes. There will also be new ghillie suits for the
NATO, CSAT, and AAF factions to provide camouflage for various terrain types.
Furthermore, the Marksmen DLC will add two Remote Designators, which can be used
to spot and laser designate targets from afar. Those who want to hone their
shooting skills can pay a visit to the shooting range for brand new firing
drills, or go on a reconnaissance mission in the Marksmen showcase scenario.
Overall, the Marksmen DLC aims to redefine what it means to fire a weapon in
Arma 3. This idea will be reinforced by a major upcoming platform update, that
will be released alongside the Marksmen DLC, and will be free to everyone who
owns Arma 3. Besides new playable content and major upgrades to weapon handling,
this update will include suppressor and bipod weapon attachments, as well as
nine new types of face paint, and three new heavy and grenadier vests designed
specifically for improved explosive shielding and ballistic protection.
In terms of playable content, the aforementioned platform update will deliver a
brand new multiplayer mode called End Game. Here, two teams compete to locate
and secure valuable schematics. On top of this new multiplayer mode, the update
will also include the Firing From Vehicles showcase scenario, as well as new VR
training courses, objects for content creators, and a brand new set of Steam
achievements.
Continue here to read the full story.
GOG.com announces the addition of more Lucasfilm (LucasArts) classics to
their lineup of DRM-free games, including a personal all-time favorite shooter,
Outlaws. Here's word: ©Disney Interactive and Lucasfilm games are
back! They say third time's the charm, we're hoping you agree. Today, we're
uncovering a true treasure trove of long-lost intrigue, action, and peril -
digital premieres, beloved adventures, (and a shooter, but that's just another
kind of adventure, isn't it?) all DRM-free and ready for your loving digital
embrace:
Outlaws +
Handful of Missions - digital distribution premiere
Zak
McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - digital distribution premiere
Indiana
Jones® and the Emperor's Tomb™ - digital distribution premiere
Monkey Island™ 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge™ - 20% off
The Dig® - 20% off
LOOM™ - 20% off
There is nothing quite as satisfying as reviving the most beloved and woefully
unavailable (until now, that is) gaming classics for you guys, and we're super
happy to have already released 24 of
Lucasfilm's greatest already. After today's big wave, even more anticipated
Lucasfilm games will gradually keep showing up on GOG.com in the far and near
future, stay tuned!
All launch discounts will last for one week, until March 26, at 1:59 PM
GMT.
The
Evolve website has details on four new hunters coming to Evolve in a
DLC release coming to the asymmetric shooter on March 31st in a pack that will
also add the
Behemoth as a fourth playable monster. Word is: The planet Shear has
gone to hell. The once-thriving border world, now overrun by Monsters. While
Cabot’s elite team of Hunters have done their damnedest to evacuate colonists,
they need help. Lots of help. The four new Hunters weren’t called from another
planet, but were already on Shear.
Now, it’s time to meet the four new Hunters coming March 31 to all platforms.
(Along with some pro-tips from TRS’ Jess Damerst for each of the new
Hunters.)"
Codemasters tweets a job opening which strongly implies they are returning
to the DiRT series of rally racing games. Here's word: "Graphics
Programmer wanted for a DiRTy little game we've been working on
blog.codemasters.com/careers/03/graphics-programmer/." Here's word from the
posting: "Codemasters’ award winning Racing Studio is expanding and looking for
developers to work on the DiRT and Grid franchises. Based at the Company HQ
Campus, just outside of Royal Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, the Racing Studio
is looking for Graphics Programmers with experience designing, implementing and
maintaining cutting edge rendering technology. Successful candidates will be
working on the studio’s in-house graphics engine and contributing to advances on
the latest hardware." Thanks
Videogamer.
Layoffs at Perfect World Entertainment have struck Cryptic Studios, reports
Massively Overpowered, noting that these were revealed in some tweets which
have since been deleted, though a
response
tweet from Matt Miller preserves the news, saying: "So I got laid off
yesterday..."
Massively Overpowered also notes that the
Twitter account of Captain Smirk
is now described as his personal account, where he had previously been listed as
community manager for Star Trek Online.
Slitherine announces the release of Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon - Vulkan's
Wrath, a new expansion for Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon adding a new
Salamanders campaign to the turn-based strategy game. They say: "Take control of
the Salamanders while they fight in 10 all new missions organized into three
Acts that follow the exploits and heroic deeds of this chapter of Space Marine
during the 2nd War for Armageddon." Complete details including screenshots and
information on where to pick this up can be found
on this page. Here's word,
where they explain this is the first of several Space Marines expansion coming
to the game this year: We are very excited to announce that this was only
the beginning! Indeed several expansions focused on the Space Marines Chapters
involved in the Second War for Armageddon are coming in 2015! Starting today
with the release of Vulkan’s Wrath, a DLC that gives pride of place to the
Salamanders - heroic warriors who fearlessly conduct suicidal missions to
protect Humanity. Through a brand new campaign featuring 10 challenging
scenarios, the players will have the chance to re-live the Vulkan’s Disciples
contribution to the bloody war against the Orks!
Furthermore, Blood Angels and Ultramarines will also soon descend from the
skies above to aid the beleaguered defenders of Hiveworld Armageddon. There
is definitely no end in sight to the brutal Second War to Armageddon!
An
article on Ars Technica attempts to sort through a legal tangle between
Llamasoft's Jeff Minter and Atari, as there's a dispute over Jeff's rights to
distribute TxK, an arcade shooter that resembles Tempest 2000, a
game released in 1994 for Atari Jaguar. The similarities can be explained by the
fact that Minter programmed both games, and now Atari is claiming TxK infringes
on their Tempest game. Minter
explains his side of the
story here, and
reproduces the legal letter he received about this last year, prompting
him to
tweet: "I think the weirdest aspect of the legal letter thing is how they
desperately try to imply I had nothing much to do with my own creation." Word is
they are tying to get the PS Vita version pulled from distribution and block
plans for ports to the PC and other platforms.
This teaser trailer
offers a brief first look at Pillars, an exploration-based puzzle game in
development at Ficus Games using the Unreal Engine 4. There are details on the
project on this page,
including screenshots and a link to this
development blog. Here's a bit on
the game: As you travel alone into an unknown land, surrounded by miles
of sprawling forest and fauna, you soon come to discover the forgotten stone
structures of an unknown and mysterious ancient civilization. Faced with green
rolling hills, dark and deep forests, dusty old ruins, and howling caves, a long
journey lays ahead. The goal is to reach the top of a central monumental tower
by discovering and solving the puzzles of six large pillar-tower structures
dotting the landscape. You will not only uncover their secrets, but discover
your own purpose in a much grander scheme.
Continue here to read the full story.
Techland highlights the success of Dying Light, saying 3.2 million unique users
have played their new zombie game since its launch. Since a picture says a
thousand words, they get all gabby with
an infographic to illustrate the point. Here's word: "As Dying Light
continues to take the top spots around the world, the Techland team pulled a few
numbers to show the fans just what they’ve helped create together. Taking a time
frame of the first 45 days of availability, 3.2 million unique users came
through the game and together ramped up some impressive numbers in terms of
zombie kills, distance travelled and in-game loot acquired. See the attached
press release for more info and the 2 infographics (one in kilometres the other
in miles)."
The
Blood Bowl website now offers a
first gameplay trailer
from Blood Bowl 2, showing off some moves from the human team in the upcoming
fantasy-themed tackle football sequel. Here's word on the clip: In this
first gameplay video, the famous Human team Reikland Reavers perform some of the
basic moves that make the core gameplay mechanics of a Blood Bowl match:
running, passing, catching, blocking, blitzing… simple actions that take a whole
new level when we take into consideration the game’s 75 different skills that
Blood Bowl players can innately have, or learn upon levelling up! Humans are
great all-rounders: they are equally at home running the ball, passing it, or
ignoring it and pounding the opposition into the turf instead. However, being
jacks-of-all-trades also means they do not excel in any domain in particular.
This video shows Blood Bowl 2’s brand new graphics engine in action, but also
reveals the meticulous work done on Blood Bowl 2 by developer Cyanide to capture
the authentic Blood Bowl experience: the cheering of the ravenous fans filling
the huge stadiums to the brink, the animations, the dynamic cameras enhancing
the brutal atmosphere of the matches, the "Cabalvision" identity and the
hilarious commenting duo, Jim Johnson and Bob Bifford. We also get a first look
at the new game’s interface and much improved visual feedback, bringing a more
modern, fresher look to Blood Bowl while improving clarity and comprehension of
the action on the field.
Continue here to read the full story.
March Madness gets underway for real today, as the preliminary games are done
and the round of 64 begins. I don't have a horse in this race, much less a
team in the tournament, as New York City is not a hotbed of college athletics,
and I've never developed a taste for it. Good luck to those of you with rooting
interests... may all your brackets remain unbusted.
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