News for "Games"
| Thursday, May 28th 2009 |
Quite possibly one of the most anticipated games of 2009, BioShock 2 has finally been given a set date from publishers 2K Games. Set for a simultaneous release on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC on October 30th 2009 internationally, while North America will have to wait another few days for their release on the 3rd November.
Source: The Cult of Rapture
Source: The Cult of Rapture
| Monday, March 23rd 2009 |
Intel Corporation today announced the release of Intel Graphics Performance Analyzers (GPA), a suite of software tools created in support of the Visual Adrenaline developer program.
Offered worldwide, GPA enables PC game developers to analyze and optimize game performance on Intel Integrated Graphics. The Visual Adrenaline program, launched at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco in August 2008, provides tools, resources and information for game developers, artists and animators.
Offered worldwide, GPA enables PC game developers to analyze and optimize game performance on Intel Integrated Graphics. The Visual Adrenaline program, launched at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco in August 2008, provides tools, resources and information for game developers, artists and animators.
| Monday, January 26th 2009 |
AMD today announced the availability of Let the Games Begin: A Toolkit 4 Making Social Issue Games, which helps nonprofit organizations to create social issue games on such topics as the environment, energy consumption, poverty and health. Produced by Games for Change with support from the AMD Foundation's AMD Changing the Game initiative, the toolkit includes examples of successful games with social content as well as in-depth presentations by key game-design experts. The toolkit is free of charge and available here.
| Tuesday, January 20th 2009 |
In celebration of THQ and Relic Entertainment's highly anticipated Warhammer 40,000T: Dawn of War II multiplayer beta, Steam is now offering Warhammer 40,000T: Dawn of War - SoulstormT for 75% off the suggested price. Anyone with an electronic or retail copy of Dawn of War - Soulstorm and a valid CD key may register their game with Steam and join the early access to the Dawn of War II beta today.
Also beginning today, the full version of Dawn of War II may be pre-purchased via Steam. And on January 28, the beta is scheduled to open to gamers around the world (free of charge via Steam).
Also beginning today, the full version of Dawn of War II may be pre-purchased via Steam. And on January 28, the beta is scheduled to open to gamers around the world (free of charge via Steam).
| Wednesday, January 14th 2009 |
Today, Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto) introduced legislation that mandates all video games with an Electronics Software Ratings Board (ESRB) rating of Teen (T) or higher be sold with a health warning label. The Video Game Health Labeling Act of 2009 creates a new rule within the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which forces games with a T rating or higher to be sold with a simple warning label, reading: "WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent video games and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior."
"The video game industry has a responsibility to parents, families, and to consumers - to inform them of the potentially damaging content that is often found in their products," said Rep. Baca. "They have repeatedly failed to live up to this responsibility. Meanwhile research continues to show a proven link between playing violent games and increased aggression in young people. American families deserve to know the truth about these potentially dangerous products."
"The video game industry has a responsibility to parents, families, and to consumers - to inform them of the potentially damaging content that is often found in their products," said Rep. Baca. "They have repeatedly failed to live up to this responsibility. Meanwhile research continues to show a proven link between playing violent games and increased aggression in young people. American families deserve to know the truth about these potentially dangerous products."
| Saturday, December 20th 2008 |
Valve today announced Spore, Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Mass Effect, Need for Speed Undercover and EA SPORTS FIFA Manager 2009 are available now to gamers in the United States and Canada via Steam, a leading platform for PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world.
In the coming weeks, Mirror's Edge, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, and Dead Space, will be added to the catalog of EA's titles available via Steam.
"EA is one of the industry's largest publishers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "The EA titles coming to Steam this holiday include some this year's top PC titles."
"We are pleased to extend our holiday titles to gamers worldwide via Steam -- a revolutionary technology that is one of the game industry's most successful digital distribution services," said John Pleasants, President, Global Publishing & Chief Operating Officer.
For more information, please visit steamgames.com
In the coming weeks, Mirror's Edge, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, and Dead Space, will be added to the catalog of EA's titles available via Steam.
"EA is one of the industry's largest publishers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "The EA titles coming to Steam this holiday include some this year's top PC titles."
"We are pleased to extend our holiday titles to gamers worldwide via Steam -- a revolutionary technology that is one of the game industry's most successful digital distribution services," said John Pleasants, President, Global Publishing & Chief Operating Officer.
For more information, please visit steamgames.com
| Friday, December 12th 2008 |
Despite many sectors of the economy now formally entering a recession after two quarters of economic downturn video games sales have increased by ten percent. Data from NPD Group showed total video games sales in November were US$2.9 billion, taking year-to-date spending on software and hardware to $16 billion, which is up 22 percent on 2007. NPD Group theorizes that Economic factors are at play given that a video game is a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment for the hours of value it provides.
| Tuesday, December 2nd 2008 |
I-Fluid is now available to gamers around the world via Steam, a leading platform for PC games with over 15 million accounts. I-Fluid allows you to explore the everyday world from a unique perspective, that of a drop of water. The title challenges "drops" to solve physics-based puzzles; avoid evaporation, absorption and thirsty insects as you move about a photo realistic environment. I-Fluid is available via Steam for just $9.99. For more information, visit Steam Games. The Steam page for the game can be found here.
Source: Steam
Source: Steam
| Monday, August 11th 2008 |
NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the Avatar high performance gaming mouse. As with all of NZXT's PC accessories, Avatar is designed to provide gamers with the ultimate crafted gaming armor to emerge victorious in the gaming arena of choice. Avatar provides extreme enhancements to gameplay with the following breakthrough features…
(Editors note: Check out our review of the mouse.)
(Editors note: Check out our review of the mouse.)
| Monday, July 14th 2008 |
Soon, you will be able to slash load-times of Xbox 360 games by a nifty feature update that allows the console to cache the game on to the hard drive. You will need the game disc in the drive to be able to play the game as a counter-piracy measure, just that the console won't read resources from the disc, but instead from the cached data on the hard drive. In a way this also means improved sales for the new 60GB variant, since hard-drive space is 'more-the-merrier' now on, you can cache as many games as your hard drive can take. This was announced by Microsoft during a press-conference at E3.
Source: Engadget
Source: Engadget
| Monday, May 26th 2008 |
It would seem as though World of Warcraft finally has some competition when it comes to the very lucrative and addicting MMORPG enterprise. Since last Tuesday, over 400,000 MMORPG gamers have signed up for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, nearly half of which come from North America. This is quite significant for a game that's been on "the development backburner" for quite some time now. Even more interesting is that this game is pay-to-play, much like Blizzard competitor World of Warcraft. Whether or not this "savage, sexy and brutal MMO(RPG)" will be a long-term contender is yet to be seen. Whether or not the very strong Age of Conan fanbase comes through with a World of Warcraft killer, only time will tell. We'll keep you posted.
Source: Neoseeker
Source: Neoseeker
| Friday, April 18th 2008 |
Metal Gear Solid fans may be pleased to hear that they can now download the beta version of Konami's Metal Gear Online via the PlayStation Store on the PS3. The download is free and weighs in at 741MB, although you'll have to wait until 21st April to play it, with the beta running until 6th May. The final version of Metal Gear Online will be bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4, which is scheduled for release on 12th June this year.
Source: Konami
The beta phase features two maps, four gameplay modes, the SOP System that encourages up to 16 players to team up and share information, and deep skill-customization. Also equipped with auto-matching and training modes, the game offers players a sneak peak of this totally new approach to console-based competitive gaming.
| Wednesday, April 16th 2008 |
Launched two years ago, TrackMania Nations became a true video game phenomenon. The free downloadable racing game attracted an unbelievable number of players around the world who were obsessed with the game's fast cars, spectacular tracks single- and multiplayer play and simple yet powerful tools for creating tracks and race videos. For the past two years, it has been installed more than 30 million times and nearly four million players have created an account to play the game online on the game's servers.
Its highly awaited sequel, TrackMania Nations Forever, is now available as a free download. TrackMania Nations Forever offers a new complete "Forever" version of the Stadium environment, a complete solo mode and 65 brand new, progressively difficult tracks. TrackMania Nations Forever will unite an even larger number of players thanks to its engaging multiplayer modes, innovative online functions and revolutionary interactivity between players.
Its highly awaited sequel, TrackMania Nations Forever, is now available as a free download. TrackMania Nations Forever offers a new complete "Forever" version of the Stadium environment, a complete solo mode and 65 brand new, progressively difficult tracks. TrackMania Nations Forever will unite an even larger number of players thanks to its engaging multiplayer modes, innovative online functions and revolutionary interactivity between players.
| Tuesday, April 1st 2008 |
Ubisoft is delivering a slate of more than 40 action-packed games to Steam, including Assassin's Creed and the Tom Clancy series. Two fan favorites are now available to customers in Canada and the United States: the acclaimed action shooter, Far Cry, and the debut game in the groundbreaking stealth action series, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Save 10% on either game when you buy before Tuesday, April 8th.
| Friday, March 28th 2008 |
Rockstar Games has uploaded what is the be the final trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV before the game's release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at the end of next month. Titled Good Lord, What Are You Doing? AKA Everyone's a Rat, you can stream the trailer from RockStar's website or download the 70MB HD trailer here.
| Thursday, March 27th 2008 |
Epic has today released a bonus pack for Unreal Tournament 3, which includes three new maps for the game. Gamers may already be familiar with Morbias and Facing Worlds, whilst Searchlight is an all-new capture-the-flag map. You can download the bonus pack from here, which is just under 160MB.
Source: FileShack
Source: FileShack
| Wednesday, March 26th 2008 |
Gears of War was among the first games to make use of the Unreal Engine 3, so Epic Games has decided to show-off how much the engine has been improved since then. At a recent press conference the company used Gears of War 2 to demonstrate various improvements such as better lighting, improved efficiency, more realistic water effects, soft body physics and destructible environments. If you want to take a look at the video, which is just over six minutes long, head over to Shacknews.
Source: Shacknews
Source: Shacknews
Game developers have been gradually trying to create more-open games over the past few years, but it looks like Bethesda is planning to take a huge leap forward with its upcoming title Fallout 3, which will feature over 200 different endings to the game. The company's executive producer, Todd Howard, said:
He explained that small changes and additions to the endings are multiplied by other factors influenced by the player's choices and decisions in the game, adding:
Being that we are Bethesda, everything gets a bit big, so as of last week we're over 200 endings. That's not an exaggeration.
He explained that small changes and additions to the endings are multiplied by other factors influenced by the player's choices and decisions in the game, adding:
Source: Shacknews
Fallout is probably twice the size that we originally had on paper. We've definitely gone overboard... It won't end up being as big as Oblivion, but it's approaching that. The game is easily a hundred hours.
Gearbox Software has reached a deal with advertising company Double Fusion to bring in-game advertisements to some of its future titles. Double Fusion will be providing the developer with dynamic advertising technology to deliver the ads and integrated sponsorships, although Gearbox has not yet disclosed which games will contain these adverts. The companies commented that they will "work together to ensure that all advertising programs are appropriate and add value to the gamers' experience." In-game ads look set to become more common over the next few years, with big names such as Microsoft and EA already having agreed to similar deals.
Source: Shacknews
Source: Shacknews
| Sunday, March 23rd 2008 |
It looks like reports that Acer is planning to make its own games console are wrong and simply the result of misinterpreted quotes. A UK spokesperson said:
The original story claimed that Acer was working on an open console format to compete with the proprietary systems from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.
Source: videogaming247
That was a major misunderstanding as JT [James T Wong, Acer's senior vice president] was wrongly interpreted. Acer is not going to release any game console but the idea is to develop a high-end PC (so not a console) targeted at the serious gamer.
The original story claimed that Acer was working on an open console format to compete with the proprietary systems from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.
Source: videogaming247
| Saturday, March 15th 2008 |
Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV is almost certain to become one of the biggest hits of 2008, and now some details about the game's online capabilities have finally been released. According to Spain's official PlayStation magazine, the game will support up to 16 players on one server, offering a choice of 15 different game modes. Each of the modes will be set in the single player maps, with options including deathmatches, races, mafia work, turf wars, cops ‘n' crooks, car jack city, bomb da base II and free mode. GTA IV is scheduled for release on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on 29th April, although the online features may vary on each console. As you would expect, options such as weapon selection, police interference and traffic density can all be modified.
Source: Neoseeker
Source: Neoseeker
Following months of disputes between Rockstar Games and the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the Video Appeals Committee has finally given the go-ahead for Manhunt 2 to go on sale in the UK. The BBFC originally refused to give the game an age rating, essentially preventing it from being sold within the UK, feeling it was too gory for children and ‘vulnerable adults'. However, having taken the matter as far as the English High Court, Rockstar has now been given permission to sell the title with an 18 certificate.
Source: Reg Hardware
Source: Reg Hardware
Following failed talks with Take-Two's management, games developer Electronic Arts has instead decided to directly approach shareholders with its takeover bid. EA has kept its offer at $26 per share, which would give the deal a total value of around $2 billion. EA's CEO, John Riccitiello, said:
Take-Two has issued a notice to all of its shareholders urging them not to accept the offer, but EA has set a deadline of 11th April - two weeks before the release of the eagerly awaited Grand Theft Auto IV.
Source: DailyTech
This is a great opportunity for Take-Two shareholders. We believe Take-Two investors will see our tender offer as the best way to maximize the value of their investment in Take-Two. This tender offer provides a clear process to complete the proposed transaction. For EA shareholders, the combination would add additional intellectual properties to our already strong portfolio and welcome Take-Two's talented creative teams to the great development organization we've built at EA.
Take-Two has issued a notice to all of its shareholders urging them not to accept the offer, but EA has set a deadline of 11th April - two weeks before the release of the eagerly awaited Grand Theft Auto IV.
Source: DailyTech
| Thursday, March 13th 2008 |
Valve has revealed that Atari has become the latest big name addition to the list of publishers distributing their games via Steam, with a number of well known titles going on sale. Nine games are now available for download; Act of War: Direct Action, Act of War: High Treason, ArmA: Combat Operations, Atari 80 Classics in 1, Death to Spies, Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge, Indigo Prophecy, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum and Tycoon City: New York. Two more major titles from Atari which will go on sale in the coming weeks are The Witcher and Neverwinter Nights 2. Nizzi Renaud, Atari's Vice President of Online Entertainment, said:
Source: Steam
Atari is excited to team up with Steam and deliver great games through a digital platform that our fans have asked for. We look forward to making an extensive collection of games, across many genres, available to Steam's extensive, globally-connected community.
| Thursday, March 6th 2008 |
According to a graph compiled by Next Generation, Sony Computer Entertainment America managed to achieve the highest average game rating for titles released during 2007, edging out Nintendo and Capcom. SCEA attained an average score of 77.9%, with Nintendo close behind on 75.1% and Capcom in third place on 74.2%. EA and Microsoft didn't do too badly, managing 71.3% and 69.2% respectively, with two of the biggest disappointments being Ubisoft and Activision, which came in with average scores of 63.1% and 61.9%. I've attached the graph of results below, along with graphs from 2005 and 2006. The graphs are based on data from Game Rankings, which collects average review scores from a number of online gaming sites.
Source: Next Generation
Source: Next Generation
| Tuesday, March 4th 2008 |
Sony Computer Entertainment's UK boss, Ray Maguire, has confirmed rumours that Sony plans to include in-game messaging in one of its upcoming PS3 firmware updates. Sony initially sparked rumours when it uploaded a "Friends & Messaging" icon onto its website, which commented about using a USB headset or Eye Camera to engage in voice and video messaging. Maguire told MCV:
Maguire also revealed that Sony has managed to sell over one million of the consoles in the UK.
Source: Reg Hardware
Our momentum will continue with the introduction of in-game communication in the summer [and] firmware update 2.4.
Maguire also revealed that Sony has managed to sell over one million of the consoles in the UK.
Source: Reg Hardware
| Tuesday, February 26th 2008 |
Given EA's somewhat criticised reputation for takeovers (Bullfrog and Westwood come to mind), Grand Theft Auto fans may not be best pleased to hear that EA is now making a bid to acquire Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two has a number of major subsidiaries, with some of the best known being developers Rockstar and Firaxis, responsible for the GTA series and Sid Meier's more recent games such as Civilization IV; along with publisher 2K Games. The company is also responsible for other well-known titles such as Manhunt and Bioshock. EA is offering $26 per share, giving the merger an approximate value of $2.5 billion. The full press release can be read here, and you can read on to see a statement posted by EA's CEO, John Riccitiello.
| Saturday, February 23rd 2008 |
The Crysis SDK, or a compilation of Crysis mods, user created content, and other goodies, was recently punted out the door of Crytek studios. If you click "read full story", there's a big letter from the president of Crytek as to why this SDK came so late. If you'd like to nab yourself a copy, head on over here.
| Thursday, February 21st 2008 |
The Nintendo Wii has become a strange source of physical exercise, with worldwide reports of gamers shedding pounds while sweating to Wii Sports. Seeing the extremely lucrative business that exercise can be, Nintendo decided to build upon previous success and make a Wii game sheerly built around exercise. The game, Wii Fit, requires a special controller. This controller, which has been redesigned for an American and European release, can hold 150KG and allows users to better interface with the system. Over one million copies of Wii Fit have been sold since it was released in Japan on December 1st. Expect to see this game in America by May 19, and in Europe by April 15.
Source: DailyTech
Source: DailyTech
| Wednesday, February 20th 2008 |
Today at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2008, Microsoft Corp. provided an exciting glimpse at what promises to be another landmark year for games and online entertainment on the Xbox 360 platform and officially announced the launch of "Gears of War 2," exclusively for Xbox 360 this November.
| Tuesday, February 12th 2008 |
After creating RPG masterpiece Mass Effect, author BioWare went on to win several awards for their work. Now, BioWare is confirming that they plan to spread the love: a PC version of the game is due out sometime in May 2008. The best part about BioWare being responsible for both writing and porting the game is that BioWare will fix many issues in porting. Among the most obvious tweaks...
Source: Neoseeker
- PC-centric controls (aiming with your mouse?), with customizable hotkeys
- Higher quality textures; PC version will be capable of higher resolutions
- New decryption mini-game (for hacking turrets, etc.)
- New GUI for the inventory system
Source: Neoseeker
| Sunday, February 10th 2008 |
While not nearly as epic as Halo 3, sales-wise, the sequel to one of the most popular Nintendo-based multiplayer games has hit it big. Super Smash Brothers: Brawl, where gamers throw famous characters from classic games at each other, sold 800 thousand copies in the first week of sales. This puts the game at the top of all current game charts, outselling Sony's Devil May Cry 4 by several hundred thousand units. Other than those two games, here are the top five games in Japan right now:
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - 819,647 units
- Devil May Cry 4 (PS3) - 205,390 units
- Tales of Destiny: Director's Cut (PS2) - 116,928 units
- Suzumiya Haruhi no Tomadoi (PS2) - 114,335 units
- Wii Fit (Wii) - 73,325 units
With violent video games such as Manhunt 2 causing controversy, the British government is reconsidering the exact rating system. At this point, games are given to the British Board of Film Classification, who slaps an appropriate rating on the game. Selling games to children under the rating's age class is grounds for arrest. However, up to 90% of games needing a high-class rating bypass this system by getting their games rated by the much more relaxed PEGI system. And so, the British government decided that it was high time to change things around. No matter how things turn out, the British government wants their citizens to know that this is being done to "protect children from damaging games". They also want you to know that their definition of a damaging game involves "gross violence towards humans or animals, human sexual or excretory activity, or scenes that would show people how to commit a crime".
Source: The Inquirer
Source: The Inquirer
| Saturday, February 9th 2008 |
A few days ago, we reported that Rockstar was in talks with a movie studio and rap star Eminem to make a movie based on Grand Theft Auto. Rockstar has a statement in regards to this. Apparently, instead of a movie being just about certain, negotiations were fouled up from nearly the start. Dan Houser, vice president of creativity at Rockstar, had this to say on the whole GTA movie idea.
Source: 1Up
Houser also emphasized that a GTA movie is of no interest to Rockstar at this point.
Some movie producers were trying to put something together to entice us to make a movie, as studios and production teams frequently have done in the past. This proposal was no more interesting than the numerous others we receive. We never entertained proceeding with the project.
Source: 1Up
| Friday, February 8th 2008 |
It's apparently the season for oddball game pitches. Except, this time, the game pitch has already been accepted and is in development. Publisher Mastiff recently took up the concept for a game that will be called "Major League Eating", based off of what some call America's favorite past time. The game itself sounds like something out of a 7-year old's dream. The contest of the "world's greatest gurgitory athletes" will play much like many other fighting games, such as Mortal Kombat. However, instead of using swords and fists, the aforementioned athletes will attack and defend using "burps, belches, and mustard gas", all while making sure that they get their fair share of munchies. Mastiff's announcement did not mention any timeframe for release, or finalize any platforms.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
2007 was an epic year for games, as over 1500 were submitted to the ESRB for rating. The ESRB recently released all the ratings they have given games in a pretty pie chart. According to the pretty pie chart, a lot more games than you'd think were actually E-rated. 59% were for "everyone", 15% were for "everyone 10+", 20% were for "teen", and only 6% were for "mature". It should be noted that this chart includes all games, not just blockbusters. It should also be noted that this chart includes all games released on all platforms, even "edutainment" platforms designed specifically around little kids.
Source: DailyTech
Source: DailyTech
| Thursday, February 7th 2008 |
As Neoseeker puts it, "even 3D Realms didn't believe" the latest rumors of an upcoming Duke Nukem Forever release. For those of you who don't know, there was a rumor going around that 3DRealms was planning on sending out a retail version of Duke Nukem Forever within 2008. While geeks and true fans of the series had warm smiles on their faces, alarm bells went off at 3DRealms HQ. 3DRealms was very quick in eliminating false hope, and says, with a hint of disgust, that Duke Nukem Forever is still on the "when it's done" release timeframe. While there are still a lot of months left in 2008, it's very unlikely that we're going to see any hint of Duke Nukem Forever for quite some time. Release platforms have not been announced or finalized.
Source: Neoseeker
Source: Neoseeker
Epic Games is well known throughout the gaming community. Most well known for their Unreal Tournament series and the Unreal engine series, Epic Games has every reason to be at the peak of their game for the PC gaming crowd. However, they are beginning to doubt their fan base. While Gears of War for the Xbox360 was an instant success for the Xbox360, the PC version of Unreal Tournament failed to take off. In an interview, Mark Rein confirms that gaming itself has begun to move away from the PC, and towards consoles. Even inside Epic Games, a sizable chunk of employees play their games on the Xbox360. Outside Epic Games, a paltry 14% of gamers game on their computer. The reason for this, despite the superior technology the PC offers, is the sheer cost of owning and maintaining a gaming habit on the PC. While an Xbox360 is $400USD including games and extra controllers, a PC is upwards of $1000USD for a game-worthy setup, not including games, and only supporting one player at a time.
Source: DailyTech
Source: DailyTech
The amazingly successful Mario Kart series, which involves driving your favorite Mario World characters around in silly go-karts, is about to get another sequel. Mario Kart Wii will, as the name suggests, arrive on the Wii. Here's a list of all the fun stuff Mario Kart Wii has to offer.
Source: 1Up
- The game will include a fancy wheel controller.
- Gamers have the option to race either classic karts or bikes. Bikes are faster and can perform wheelies, but are harder to control. Tricks performed in mid-air will give the gamer a speed boost upon landing.
- There will be 32 tracks. 16 are brand new, and the other 16 are remakes of previous favorite courses.
- Gamers can play against up to 4 people on the same Wii, and up to 16 over the internet.
Source: 1Up
Being the avid gamers you all are, I'm sure you know that there have been some pretty ridiculous game concepts that went to market, and some pretty good concepts that never went into production. Be it ridiculous or not, the Indy hit "Juno" could possibly show up at your local video game store in the near future. Considering that the movie is a moving comedy with heavy dialog and little action, whoever takes this game up is in for a whopper of a challenge. If they pull it off though, Juno could become quite the franchise. There are very little details on this idea at the moment, other than plans to turn Juno into a game for "casual gamers". How, exactly, they will turn Juno into a video game for the masses is unclear.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Tuesday, February 5th 2008 |
It would seem as though, for a while, Rockstar Games was planning on putting out a Grand Theft Auto movie. Rockstar and Take-Two wrote up a script and sent their finest men to pitch their idea out to major studios everywhere. One particular studio almost bought the idea, and everyone inside Take-Two was talking about the Grand Theft Auto movie like they were about to begin casting. Unfortunately, Take-Two and the aforementioned studio were unable to come to proper terms, and the movie is a lost dream.
Fortunately, thanks to "new management" over at Take-Two, we may yet be able to see a Grand Theft Auto movie. Until then, all we can do is wonder how awesome it would have been to see rapper Eminem spinning rhymes while popping caps in his low-rider.
Source: 1Up
Fortunately, thanks to "new management" over at Take-Two, we may yet be able to see a Grand Theft Auto movie. Until then, all we can do is wonder how awesome it would have been to see rapper Eminem spinning rhymes while popping caps in his low-rider.
Source: 1Up
| Tuesday, January 22nd 2008 |
GameSpot has managed to acquire some new Far Cry 2 screenshots as part of an article about the game. You can see all five of the new screenshots below, with all of the older screenshots available to look at here.
Source: GameSpot
Source: GameSpot
| Friday, January 18th 2008 |
The games industry managed record sales of $17.9bn in 2007, up 43% from $12.5bn in 2006. The Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 all saw their most successful sales figures in December, shifting a total of 1.4m, 1.3m and 800,000 units respectively, meaning that the Xbox 360 has now sold 8.5m units since its launch, the Wii 6.3m and the PS3 2.8m. However, the best selling console over Christmas was actually the Nintendo DS, which achieved sales figures of 2.5m in December. Meanwhile, the most successful game last year was Halo 3, which sold 4.82m copies, with Wii Play in second place on 4.12m and Call of Duty 4 in third on 3.04m.
Source: USATODAY.com
Source: USATODAY.com
| Saturday, January 12th 2008 |
N64 fans will remember GoldEye as being an instant classic, and many gamers have been calling for Nintendo or Microsoft to release it on the Virtual Console and Xbox Live Arcade respectively, which had always seemed unlikely. However, Rare has recently revealed that the game was within two months of being released on Xbox Live. According to the game's original developer, the port had been in development for several months, and would be identical to the original other than that it would feature an online multiplayer mode and several characters would have to be removed due to licensing issues. Unfortunately, just as it was nearing completion, Microsoft and Nintendo couldn't agree on the financial side of things - apparently whether Nintendo would receive a one-off payment or a cut of the revenues.
Source: 1UP.com
Source: 1UP.com
| Wednesday, January 9th 2008 |
Well if this isn't the pot calling the kettle black then I don't know what is. McDonald's UK chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, has hit out at video games claiming that they are responsible for obesity among children. Easterbrook also commented that people need to be aware of the importance of a balanced diet, saying:
Source: www.mvcuk.com
The issue of obesity is complex and is absolutely one our society is facing, there's no denial about that. But if you break it down I think there's an education piece: how can we better communicate to individuals the importance of a balanced diet and taking care of themselves? Then there's a lifestyle element: there's fewer green spaces and kids are sat home playing computer games on the TV when in the past they'd have been burning off energy outside.
| Wednesday, December 19th 2007 |
Possibly the most delayed video game in history, Duke Nukem Forever, has just had a new trailer released – over six years since the last one. The video is about a minute long, and according to George Broussard of 3D Realms, the company developing the game, it was originally created internally as a festive treat. Broussard said:
The trailer for the game, which began development in 1997, can be viewed here.
Source: Shacknews
"The release is still 'when it's done,' but you can expect more frequent media releases and we're not changing engines again and we have considerable work behind us. It's basically a restart as the tech changed and we've been on this version of the game since 2004 or so. The released media up to this point are no longer relevant other than for curiosity purposes.
The trailer for the game, which began development in 1997, can be viewed here.
Source: Shacknews
| Monday, December 17th 2007 |
Some of the most anticipated titles of the year, Unreal Tournament 3 and Crysis, have failed to sell very well. In contrast to the overly hyped Halo 3, which boosted actual Xbox 360 sales, Crysis and Unreal Tournament 3 sales were, in short, abysmal. Since last month, neither game has managed to sell even 100,000 units. To be precise, EA sold 86,633 copies of Crysis, and Epic Games sold 33,995 copies of UT3. The Inquirer claims that Crysis, despite having a beautiful graphics engine that will have benchmarkers twiddling their thumbs for years, failed to impress anyone without a very expensive gaming machine. And Unreal Tournament, despite being absolutely breathtaking, had gameplay that was uncannily similar to the previous two versions of Unreal Tournament. Hopefully, as systems get better and gamers get more money to spend on games, these sales figures will increase.
Source: The Inquirer
Source: The Inquirer
Just when we thought all the controversy surrounding Manhunt 2 was over, the UK Censoring Board decided to start it right back up. Manhunt 2, the game that almost got banned from several countries and most consoles, was recently cleared for release in the United Kingdom. However, the UK Censoring Board recently brought an appeal of the decision to sell Manhunt 2 in the UK to court. If they succeed, Manhunt 2 will be pulled off of shelves before it is even put on them. The Censoring Board cites "sustained and cumulative casual sadism, unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying, (and) the sheer lack of alternative pleasures on offer to the gamer" as reasons that this game should not be viewed by anyone...at all.
Source: Reg Hardware
Source: Reg Hardware
| Friday, December 7th 2007 |
More and more often, lately, the phrase "it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt" is holding itself true. When one 10 year old boy suffered a seizure in the middle of a game of Rayman Raving Rabbids, his mother didn't let her child become just another statistic. Instead, she's started a legal campaign to prevent more seizures like this in the future. If she succeeds, no game released in the United Kingdom can be played until the game is screened for scenes that might cause an epileptic seizure. While this screening is already required for movies, it has not happened for video games as of yet. As consolation to the boy and his family, Ubisoft is currently testing Rayman Raving Rabbids for said seizure-causing instances. Game manufacturers may deem these methods unnecessary, considering that most games and consoles come with a seizure warning on the box or in the manual.
Source: Reg Hardware
Source: Reg Hardware
| Tuesday, December 4th 2007 |
The recent merger of Activision Blizzard seems to have slowed down neither. While Blizzard announced yesterday that the only thing changing on their side of things was ownership, Activision announced that they're going to immediately begin (or continue) work on new games. Activision is proud to announce that they're hard at work on quite a few games, including "Guitar Hero IV, Call of Duty 5, James Bond, new Tony Hawk, new DreamWorks titles, new Marvel titles and (an) entry into racing with Bizarre." Thanks to the experts at Blizzard, we may see some great games coming from Activision in the future.
Source: Neoseeker
Source: Neoseeker
While new joysticks and racing wheels attempt to make you feel like you're actually in a helicopter or race car, we have yet to see a control interface that properly emulates something fanatical, like a wand for Harry Potter games, or a goat for World of Warcraft. Emotiv Systems is working on a controller that can fill in the blanks, by connecting right to your brain. In the Electronic Arts game Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, prototypes of this controller have already been used to trigger spells and move the character, based on nothing more than the thoughts of the user. With a lot of help from James Breen, who used to work for EA and Lucas Arts, the Emotiv Systems controller will find a way to retail shelves by late 2008.
Source: Neoseeker
Source: Neoseeker
| Monday, December 3rd 2007 |
Charles Martinet, the man whose voice will forever be associated with plumbing, multi-billion dollar video game franchises and "Mama Mia!", is writing an autobiography. In the autobiography, Martinet will talk about what it feels like to be the guy behind "woohooo!" Martinet is aiming the book at a 2008 release, and hopes to talk about a view of Nintendo from the inside. The main thing inspiring Martinet to writing this book is the feedback he gets for his voice talents. And really, if someone said you were the "the voice of my childhood", wouldn't you want to live up to that?
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Wednesday, November 28th 2007 |
As more and more video games come into the spotlight for their violent nature (Manhunt 2 springs to mind), a study carried out by L. Rowel Huesmann, a professor at the University of Michigan, claims to show a link between virtual and real-world violence. The study claims to show a strong correlation between on-screen violence and violent behaviour in adolescents and adults, based on more than 50 years of research on the effects of media violence. Huesmann said the following:
I haven't personally read through the publication, called the Journal of Adolescent Health, so whilst I'm not saying it's wrong, I'd be interested to see how you can prove that a video game is the cause for violence and that it isn't simply the case that violent natured people tend to play more violent video games.
Source: DailyTech
The research clearly shows that exposure to virtual violence increases the risk that both children and adults will behave aggressively. Children are also spending an increasingly large amount of time playing video games, most of which contain violence. Video game units are now present in 83 percent of homes with children.
I haven't personally read through the publication, called the Journal of Adolescent Health, so whilst I'm not saying it's wrong, I'd be interested to see how you can prove that a video game is the cause for violence and that it isn't simply the case that violent natured people tend to play more violent video games.
Source: DailyTech
| Tuesday, November 27th 2007 |
This year's 'most delayed game', S.T.A.L.K.E.R., is rumored to be making it's way over to the Xbox 360 console. GSC Gameworld, who created S.T.A.L.K.E.R, finally were able to attain a license from Microsoft to create Xbox 360 games. Instead of a pure re-coding, S.T.A.L.K.E.R on the Xbox 360 will most likely be a port. However, the license GSC Gameworld has allows them to make more than just one Xbox 360 game. When announcing the license, GSC Gameworld also hinted at a prequel-sequel, code-named "Clear Sky". You can expect to see more of Clear Sky next year, and expect to see it on the Xbox 360 around 2010.
Source: The Inquirer
Source: The Inquirer
| Monday, November 26th 2007 |
Eidos Interactive, known for such classic games as Tomb Raider, Hitman, Lego Star Wars, and the Deus Ex series, recently announced that they plan on adding a new member to the Deus Ex family: Deus Ex 3. The Deus Ex series, for those of us who have not heard of it before, pioneers mixing elements of a first-person-shooter with a role-playing game. Similar to the 2K Games hit BioShock, you can manipulate the behavior of the character and plot of the game by making ground-shaking choices at critical points in the game. You can check out files.neoseeker.com for a Deus Ex 3 teaser trailer.
Source: Neoseeker
Source: Neoseeker
| Friday, November 23rd 2007 |
It's no secret that to get many famous songs while avoiding ridiculous royalties (and to also avoid the inconvenience that half the artists included are dead anyways), the majority of Guitar Hero songs are "covers", or similar versions of the song performed by a completely different artist. 'The Romantics', a classic band that wrote such hits as "What I Like About You", recently picked up Guitar Hero 3. When they heard the rendition of one of their songs, and how it was "virtually indistinguishable" from the real version, they sued Activision. After all, nobody had asked The Romantics if they wanted their song included in Guitar Hero 3. The Romantics are seeking ridiculous amounts of money in compensation, and for Guitar Hero 3 to be pulled off the shelves.
Source: Neoseeker
Source: Neoseeker
| Wednesday, November 21st 2007 |
We all know about the controversy surrounding Manhunt 2. It got an "AO" rating, Sony and Nintendo refused to support it, Rockstar blurred out and hid the questionable content, and now Manhunt 2 is out on all platforms under an M rating. This worked fine until some hackers unlocked what seemed to be all the hidden content. As The Inquirer so eloquently puts it...
Source: GameSpot via The Inquirer
And so, the ESRB re-evaluated Manhunt 2. They did what any curious teenager would: use the power of Google and persistence to unlock the locked content. However, the ESRB noticed two things. First, the steps required to unlock content were ridiculous, and illegal in themselves. Second, even after the supposed unlock, most of the truly nasty content was still unavailable. And so, with a few giggles, the ESRB maintained Manhunt 2's M rating.
Western civilisation threatened to collapse as parents across the US feared their children would be turned into axe-wielding zombies. There were even moves in the Senate to ban such computer games and calls to cover children in bubble wrap until the emergency passed.
Source: GameSpot via The Inquirer
| Friday, November 2nd 2007 |
When Rockstar Studios decided to make their game M-rated instead of AO-rated, they didn't actually remove the gore. Instead, they merely hid it within the game. And now, hackers are beginning to find way to unlock this gore. Rockstar owner Take-Two Interactive recently confirmed that the hack works for the PSP, and there are almost certainly beta hacks in development for the other consoles. The discovery will very likely get Rockstar Studios in trouble with the ESRB, as this is not the first time Rockstar has hidden something in their games (Hot Coffee, anyone?).
Source: Reg Hardware
Source: Reg Hardware
| Tuesday, October 30th 2007 |
It's hard to find a computer game with more hype than Crysis. And so, it should come as no surprise that Electronic Arts' Crysis recently went gold. "We are extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish with Crysis," said Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli. "We wanted to push the boundaries both visually and with open-ended, non-linear gameplay and we believe the end result delivers that vision." At this point, Crytek and EA are planning to release their masterpiece on November 16th.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Thursday, October 11th 2007 |
Microsoft is extremely proud of their Halo 3 franchise, as they should be. Making $300 million in the first week of sales is no small feat. However, some analysts are predicting that Grand Theft Auto IV might have what it takes to break this record. The monetary sales figures do not give us an exact amount of Halo 3 copies sold, but analysts guess that the numbers are awfully close to 4.4 million units sold out of 5.2 million shipped. Analysts claim that Grand Theft Auto IV has all the features of Halo and more: the enormous fan-base, the high-quality graphics, and the relatively early release of a sequel. Combine this with the Grand Theft Auto IV release on the PS3 as well as the Xbox360, and sales figures are already estimated at between 3.5 and 5.3 million units in the first week. And if, for some reason, Grand Theft Auto IV was adopted at the same rate as Halo 3, then there would be approximately 9.5 million sales in that first week, which means $466 million dollars in sales.
Source: Neoseeker
Source: Neoseeker
| Sunday, October 7th 2007 |
While some people would think that the ending of the epic partnership between Microsoft and Bungie would stop Bungie from making games exclusively for the Xbox (360) and PC. Fortunately for Xbox 360 and PC fans everywhere, these rumors have been greatly exaggerated. Bungie saw a lot of previous success by making things Xbox (360) exclusive, and will continue along that path, instead of buying PS3 and Wii development kits. Bungie actually has no intentions to make anything for any other console unless something changes in the future.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Sunday, September 30th 2007 |
Unfortunately for anyone hoping to completely maul a PS3 owner via Unreal Tournament 3, cross platform play between the PC and the PS3 will not be available at launch. According to an Epic representative, "The biggest challenge in doing cross-platform play is synchronizing the builds such that the build on the PC is 100% compatible with the build on the PS3. Unfortunately (or fortunately) when you [put] games on [a] console you have a lengthy certification process to go through each time you release anything new." Hence, every time someone tweaked the UT3 build, it would have to be certified for the PS3 before it could be released for the computer. And since Epic has it's computer-owning customers closer to its heart than those owning a PS3, the PS3 was forced to lose the interoperability. On the bright side, though, PS3 owners still get access to all the UT3 mods and user-created content that PC users make.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
We've been hearing rumors about the cost of a game that includes three accessories: a guitar, a drum set, and a microphone. MTV finally has an answer for us: you can get the entire kit for the price of $169.99USD. Rock Band will arrive for the Xbox 360, PS2, and PS3 on November 23rd. Wireless controllers will become available later on.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
While manufacturing costs are cheaper than ever for Microsoft now that they are building them with the 65nm "Falcon" processor, there is no price cut in sight. Instead of detracting, Microsoft will be adding a few games for the avid gamer, gratis. A leaked Best Buy flyer revealed that we may soon be seeing the full versions of Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance with the Xbox 360 Platinum and Elite. This will probably boost holiday sales of the Xbox 360, considering most parents hate to buy a console for their children when the package does not even include any games for them to play.
Source: DailyTech
Source: DailyTech
| Sunday, September 23rd 2007 |
Some lucky Norwegians got their hands on the NTSC version of Halo 3, which will be released in just two days in the United States (three days in Europe). One Norwegian in particular, who goes by the alias "Assclown" turned Halo 3 into a file you can get off of Bit-torrent. The hacked version, once burned onto a disk properly, would obviously need a modified Xbox 360 to play it. The Halo 3 torrent is 7.3GB broken down into 154 RAR files.
Source: The Inquirer
Source: The Inquirer
| Monday, September 17th 2007 |
According to the NPD, the video game industry is now nearly a billion dollar (USD) business, and a record-breaking holiday season is now just short of expected. And now, without further ado, here are the top consoles/video games, and how well they sold.
Consoles:
Nintendo Wii - 403,600 units
Nintendo DS - 383,300 units
Microsoft Xbox 360 - 276,700 units
Sony PlayStation 2 - 202,000 units
Sony PlayStation Portable - 151,200 units
Sony PlayStation 3 - 130,600 units
Games:
Madden NFL 08 (Xbox 360) - 896,600 units
Madden NFL 08 (PS2) - 643,000 units
BioShock (Xbox 360) - 490,900 units
Madden NFL 08 (PS3) - 336,200 units
Wii Play w/ remote (Wii) - 256,800 units
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii) - 218,100 units
Mario Strikers: Charged (Wii) - 147,400 units
Guitar Hero II w/ guitar (PS2) - 145,400 units
Mario Party 8 (Wii) - 138,300 units
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80s (PS2) - 127,100 units
Source: Neoseeker
Consoles:
Nintendo Wii - 403,600 units
Nintendo DS - 383,300 units
Microsoft Xbox 360 - 276,700 units
Sony PlayStation 2 - 202,000 units
Sony PlayStation Portable - 151,200 units
Sony PlayStation 3 - 130,600 units
Games:
Madden NFL 08 (Xbox 360) - 896,600 units
Madden NFL 08 (PS2) - 643,000 units
BioShock (Xbox 360) - 490,900 units
Madden NFL 08 (PS3) - 336,200 units
Wii Play w/ remote (Wii) - 256,800 units
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii) - 218,100 units
Mario Strikers: Charged (Wii) - 147,400 units
Guitar Hero II w/ guitar (PS2) - 145,400 units
Mario Party 8 (Wii) - 138,300 units
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80s (PS2) - 127,100 units
Source: Neoseeker
With Team Fortress 2 just around the corner, some people have not yet had the pleasure of playing the original Team Fortress. Not anymore, say the makers of Fortress Forever. This free mod for Valve's famous and powerful Source engine does nothing more than bring the classic game to the Source engine, so hardcore fans can be confident that they are playing the original classic. You can download the mod here.
Source: Neoseeker
Source: Neoseeker
As we have seen in the past, one of the major franchises keeping Sony in the console race is Square Enix's Final Fantasy. In the past, Microsoft has repeatedly tried to buy out Final Fantasy. Fortunately for Sony fans everywhere, Square Enix has not yet yielded to the Microsoft. However, Square Enix recently promised Microsoft it's own RPG. Codenamed "Infinite Undiscovery", the game is "action-oriented, 'dynamic, compelling next-generation RPG' with a focus on real-time events."
Source: DailyTech
Source: DailyTech
| Thursday, September 13th 2007 |
When Rockstar studios decided that an AO rating on their gory creation Manhunt 2 wasn't going to get any sales, they had to take some of the more gratuitous gore out of their game. Hardcore Manhunt fans will be pleased to hear that the game itself remains largely untouched. However, stealth-kills were "heavily tweaked visually, adding a blur effect and darkening sequences to obscure violent viewpoints". Gamers will also not see the infamous "testicle ripping scene". Manhunt 2 is on track for a Halloween release.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Tuesday, September 11th 2007 |
The Orange Box—featuring Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal, as well as the complete Half-Life 2 experience to date—is now available for pre-purchase via Steam. Pre-purchase The Orange Box before the October 10 release to save 10% off the regular price and get exclusive access to the Team Fortress 2 beta on September 17.
The Orange Box, penned by IGN.com as "the package which could legitimately be called the deal of the century," features three highly-awaited new games by Valve: Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the second installment in the Half-Life 2 episodic trilogy; Team Fortress 2, the sequel to the game that put class-based, multiplayer team warfare on the map; and Portal, the game that blends puzzles, first person action, and adventure gaming to produce an experience like no other.
The Orange Box, penned by IGN.com as "the package which could legitimately be called the deal of the century," features three highly-awaited new games by Valve: Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the second installment in the Half-Life 2 episodic trilogy; Team Fortress 2, the sequel to the game that put class-based, multiplayer team warfare on the map; and Portal, the game that blends puzzles, first person action, and adventure gaming to produce an experience like no other.
In what he claims was a fit of boredom, an intrepid user of 1Up stumbled upon the original script for the Halo movie. The 127 page script was drafted in 2005, and was only ditched because of studio problems with making the actual movie. Anyone who is truly obsessed with Halo and wants to read what would have been the Halo movie, please follow the source link.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Saturday, September 8th 2007 |
As the title says, Valve's famous Orange Box will be coming to the PS3 a little later than it will be for the Xbox 360 and the PC. However, this is not due to difficulties with the PS3. The Valve team coding the Orange Box for the PS3 is having some internal difficulties, which will push the final version off for a few weeks in the long run. Valve will still release the Xbox 360 and PC versions as planned, on September 15th.
Edit: It seems as though there is some controversy over the release date of the Orange Box. If it does not come out on September 15th, expect to see Orange Box by October 9th in the USA and October 19th in Europe/PAL territories.
Source: 1Up
Edit: It seems as though there is some controversy over the release date of the Orange Box. If it does not come out on September 15th, expect to see Orange Box by October 9th in the USA and October 19th in Europe/PAL territories.
Source: 1Up
| Friday, September 7th 2007 |
It's no big secret in the gaming world that Vivendi studios and Monolith Productions, the two companies behind F.E.A.R., aren't working together anymore. And so, this means that there was a large battle over the F.E.A.R. franchise. Vivendi got the rights to F.E.A.R., but Monolith got all the characters. While the rest of us scratch our heads in confusion, Warner Brothers Interactive announced that Vivendi was developing a F.E.A.R. sequel. Vivendi is proudly naming it 'Project Origin', a title that gamers chose. There is no word as of yet what Vivendi plans to do with none of the rights to the original characters. We'll keep you posted.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Friday, August 31st 2007 |
While the first half of this year saw almost no interesting video games, it seems that this half of the year is seeing a new blockbuster every month. The very anticipated shooter Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, which was co-developed by id Software and Activision, has officially gone gold. In an unusual move, Europeans/Australians will get the video game before their North American counterparts. Europeans and Australians will get to play the game on September 28th, while the North Americans have to wait until October 2nd for their turn.
The PC version of this game is $49USD, and $59USD for the Limited Collectors Edition. Xbox 360 and PS3 ports are "in the works", but there is no word as to when we can see them.
Source: 1Up
The PC version of this game is $49USD, and $59USD for the Limited Collectors Edition. Xbox 360 and PS3 ports are "in the works", but there is no word as to when we can see them.
Source: 1Up
| Thursday, August 30th 2007 |
I think we would all agree that the PlayStation 2 has had a long run, with no signs of recent sales slowing down. To keep things interesting, this November Sony will release a white PS2 bundled with "SingStar Pop" and 2 USB microphones. The packaged deal will be available for $149.99USD. The new paint job is a welcome aesthetic change for those whose home decor doesn't accommodate for the "flat black" original, or anyone with a different taste in colors.
Source: DailyTech
Source: DailyTech
Nokia is bringing games to their current and future N-series cell phones. The new service entitled "N-Gage" will provide gamers with download access to applications, games, challenges and contests. Games are priced from $8-$10 and are currently compatible with N73, N81, N95 series, N93 series and more coming.
Source: IGN
Source: IGN
| Tuesday, August 28th 2007 |
The latest patch for Tom Clancy's "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2", v1.04, is now available. There have been a few fantastic changes made, including multicore support and the ability to run multiple dedicated servers on a single machine! The patch includes various minor fixes as well.
Source: WorthPlaying
Source: WorthPlaying
Today marks the official launch of the PS3 only title, Warhawk. In Warhawk, up to 32 players can battle it out in the air and on land, amidst beautifully detailed landscapes and up in the clouds. Your mission: Defend against the invading Chernovan fleet, using tanks, jeeps, transports, fighters and small arms. The SIXAXIS controller is used to pilot the aerial vehicles, sensing your movements to control roll, pitch and yaw. The retail edition costs $60 and comes with a Bluetooth headset. For more screenshots, see Source link below.
Source: WorthPlaying
Source: WorthPlaying
| Monday, August 27th 2007 |
Here's some good news for everyone who's been waiting for one of the most anticipated first person shooters of the year: Crysis. The demo of Crysis is expected to be released by September 25th, 2007. The demo throws gamers into the first level of the single player campaign, named "contact", and allows said gamers to marvel at the technological advances and eye candy Crysis has to offer.
In the meantime, check out the latest Crysis Gameplay trailer.
Source: Cryedit
In the meantime, check out the latest Crysis Gameplay trailer.
Source: Cryedit
| Friday, August 24th 2007 |
Manhunt 2 by Take-Two and Rockstar has finally been granted an "M" for Mature rating by the ESRB. The game was toned down after it originally earned an "AO" for Adults Only rating, which many stores refuse to carry. The game is now back on schedule to be released October 31st in the US on the PlayStation 2 and Wii.
Source: neoseeker
Source: neoseeker
| Thursday, August 16th 2007 |
Toys R Us must have got a memo wrong, because they started selling copies of BioShock a week before the game was supposed to be released (August 21st). While gamers were conspiring to determine which stores had goofed, 2k Games worked to stop the leak in it's entirety. Internal E-mails were fired off, and now Toys R Us does not sell BioShock (though, they do still have it in stock). It is unclear whether or not 2K Games will fine Toys R Us, and an official statement from both companies is expected shortly.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Wednesday, August 15th 2007 |
Xbox 360 got a pleasant surprise on Sunday: a working BioShock demo. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for PC users. 2K Games stated that making a working PC demo was a lot harder than a working Xbox 360 demo, because they have to make it work on a large variety of machines. While Xbox 360 customers are happily fragging each other on (a demo of) one of the most anticipated shooters of the year, PC owners need to wait until the BioShock demo goes through the final stages of QA at 2K Games.
Source: 1Up
In other news, BioShock: Breaking the Mold, a large artbook containing all sorts of information on the BioShock world (including spoilers), is now available for download.
We tried as hard as humanly possible to get it out to you guys simultaneously with the 360 demo, but we needed to make sure that it was perfect -- that all drivers were ready, and that the game looked great on a huge variety of computers
Source: 1Up
| Sunday, August 12th 2007 |
It's been eleven years since Duke Nukem was first unleashed, and with Duke Nukem Forever still in development, even the most hardcore fans are getting impatient. And so, 3DRealms' George Broussard announced plans to port the classic Duke Nukem into Xbox Live Arcade. Broussard has already discussed plans with Microsoft. He's just waiting for some paperwork to go through, and then we'll see Duke Nukem in Xbox Live soon afterwords.
Source: Shacknews
Source: Shacknews
| Thursday, August 2nd 2007 |
The wonderful people with a strange abundance of spare time over at 1Up have found a very interesting title in the German game rating system: a request to rate a certain "World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (GC-Demo)". The (GC-Demo) part could possibly stand for "Game Convention Demo", which would make perfect sense considering the upcoming Leipzig Games Convention and Blizzcon.
If this is a formal expansion, it will almost surely be announced at Blizzcon this weekend. Wrath of the Lich King is currently rumored to open up the Northrend section of the World of Warcraft, where Arthas and the Lich King were last seen in Warcraft 3.
Source: 1Up
If this is a formal expansion, it will almost surely be announced at Blizzcon this weekend. Wrath of the Lich King is currently rumored to open up the Northrend section of the World of Warcraft, where Arthas and the Lich King were last seen in Warcraft 3.
Source: 1Up
| Tuesday, July 3rd 2007 |
World in Conflict is an RTS game that is set in 1988, where economic troubles, similar to the ones that occurred in real-life, cripple the Soviet Union to the extent where it must risk nuclear Armageddon to stay in power.
Massive Entertainment, Sierra and Intel invite you to join the open beta and find out what you are made of. Registration begins on 1 July and will be open until the end of the open beta phase. The open beta will begin on 11 July and will last until 31 July.
Signup here.
Source: Intel
Massive Entertainment, Sierra and Intel invite you to join the open beta and find out what you are made of. Registration begins on 1 July and will be open until the end of the open beta phase. The open beta will begin on 11 July and will last until 31 July.
Signup here.
Source: Intel
| Monday, July 2nd 2007 |
Since America's Army was first released, people have claimed it was nothing more than a propaganda tool, designed to get kids hooked onto the idea of joining the American military. Regardless of the ulterior purpose of this game, it is massively successful. America's Army has been released 23 different times (different versions on different platforms), and the original has been in circulation for five years. The internet based game currently boasts 8.5 million registered users. Assuming that the registered users are the active users, this game is more popular than World of Warcraft. Ironically, said users are generally not from the United States. Most AA players are from over 60 different countries.
If you haven't played America's Army and would like to try it out, please get a demo off of FileFront. America's Army missions are sometimes used to train American soldiers.
Source: 1Up
If you haven't played America's Army and would like to try it out, please get a demo off of FileFront. America's Army missions are sometimes used to train American soldiers.
Source: 1Up
| Friday, June 22nd 2007 |
Intel, at its Research@Intel Day in Santa Clara, CA, announced that it is working on an anti-cheat system for games. The idea is that Intel and the PC gaming industry would build technology into gaming rigs that could detect when common cheats - such as "aimbots" that handle targeting while the player just holds down the trigger - are used in an online gaming session, said Travis Schluessler, a researcher at Intel.
PCs equipped with this technology would notify a server that someone in the game is using a cheat, and then the game administrator could set a policy of kicking the cheat offline. Intel is still working out the details; don't expect to find this in a high-end gaming PC anytime soon.
Source: News.com
PCs equipped with this technology would notify a server that someone in the game is using a cheat, and then the game administrator could set a policy of kicking the cheat offline. Intel is still working out the details; don't expect to find this in a high-end gaming PC anytime soon.
Source: News.com
| Tuesday, June 19th 2007 |
Rockstar Games' upcoming title Manhunt 2 has become the first game in over ten years to be banned in the UK. According to the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC), who decide the ratings for games, "unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying" in the game could cause harm to those playing it. David Cooke, director of the BBFC, said:
Source: vunet.com
The last game to be banned by the BBFC was Carmageddon, released in 1997 - this ban was later overturned in an appeal, so there may yet be hope for Manhunt fans, although the original game was also the subject of much criticism which is unlikely to help its cause.
Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.
Source: vunet.com
| Sunday, June 3rd 2007 |
Everyone who's ever waited for a Blizzard game to be released knows just how long "when it's ready" is. StarCraft2 is no exception to this rule. Unfortunately for anyone waiting for StarCraft2, this game is not going to be "ready" for quite some time. MSNBC scored an interview with Rob Pardo, the VP of game design at Blizzard, which explains when we can see this game.
StarCraft2 will be available for PC and Mac "when it's done".
Source: 1Up
StarCraft2 started development in 2003, and full production started a year later. The team working on this game comprises of 40 people.
I can give you the old Blizzard mantra of: 'It'll ship when it's ready,'" said Pardo, "but it's something that historically, we've learned to keep release dates really close to the vest. I think all game developers are extremely optimistic, and we used to give optimistic dates and we'd disappoint our fans when we didn't hit them. So now, I think we've just gotten more gun shy. The only thing I can give you [that's] concrete is it's not going to be this year. Some people were hoping, because of how advanced the game looks, that we'd have it out by Christmas, but that's definitely not happening.
StarCraft2 will be available for PC and Mac "when it's done".
Source: 1Up
In the past, we've seen video games dedicated to cancer victims, charities started by gamers, and other hospitable acts towards the less fortunate by gamers. Now, non-profit HopeLab and Cigna have created a PC game that's designed to make cancer patients feel better. Re-Mission is game designed around educating children about cancer. It allows players to see what cancer is, and how to properly combat it. This game is free to any cancer patient, doctor, or medical facility that wants it.
What is truly surprising though is the results of this game. Studies have shown that cancer patients actually have a much better time battling cancer after they've played this game. The game increases cancer patients "quality of life, knowledge about cancer... and their self-efficacy to communicate about cancer." Cancer patients who have played this game also have a much better prognosis.
If you'd like more information on this wonderful game, please visit Cigna for a copy.
Source: 1Up
What is truly surprising though is the results of this game. Studies have shown that cancer patients actually have a much better time battling cancer after they've played this game. The game increases cancer patients "quality of life, knowledge about cancer... and their self-efficacy to communicate about cancer." Cancer patients who have played this game also have a much better prognosis.
Even more interestingly, young patients who played the game apparently maintained higher blood levels in chemotherapy and had higher rates of success in staving off the cancer in their bodies, suggesting that the game succeeded in convincing players to stick to their therapy.
If you'd like more information on this wonderful game, please visit Cigna for a copy.
Source: 1Up
| Friday, May 25th 2007 |
The demo of Lara Croft's upcoming adventure "Tomb Raider: Anniversary" is out now. The game is a complete re-make of the first Tomb Raider game which was originally released in 1996 for the PlayStation. It's powered by an advanced version of the previous hit game's (Tomb Raider: Legend) engine and takes you on a quest to Peru where you have to find the mysterious artifact known as the Scion.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (Demo) (257MB)
techPowerUp! Mirror
Source: GameSpot
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (Demo) (257MB)
techPowerUp! Mirror
Source: GameSpot
| Thursday, May 24th 2007 |
SUNNYVALE, CA - May 23, 2007 - After warming their amps in the basement garage to rocking sold out shows at Stonehenge, fans of Activision, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: ATVI) wildly popular Guitar Hero™ franchise will now be able to shred like never before with the next iteration of the game that will be available this fall. The new game will be released on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Wii™ video game system from Nintendo.
| Wednesday, May 23rd 2007 |
Sierra's new 'Chronicles of Riddick' game, titled 'Dark Athena', will be released later this year for both the PS3 and the XBOX360. The game is both a remake of the original award winning 'Escape from Butcher Bay' that was released in 2004, and an expansion which introduces the Merc-ship Dark Athena. The ability to play online has also been added.
Source: computerandvideogames
Source: computerandvideogames
| Sunday, May 20th 2007 |
said Doug Lombardi, Valve's director of marketing. The package, which was to offer only Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2, has been officially cancelled by Valve. The Orange Box will be the only collection offered when Episode 2 releases this fall. In addition to the three new products - Portal, Team Fortress 2, and Half-Life: Episode Two - The Orange Box will also contain the full version of Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One and cost additional $10. The Orange Box, will be available on the PC (US$49.99) as well as the 360 and PS3 (US$ 59.99) game consoles.
The Black Box has been cancelled...We're going to have one package, The Orange Box
Source: IGN
| Saturday, May 19th 2007 |
Age of Empires is heading east with the introduction of Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, the second expansion pack for the top-selling strategy that arrives on Microsoft Windows XP- and Windows Vista-based PCs this fall. The expansion pack will introduce gamers to Asian civilizations, a host of new gameplay features, and a new developer that will provide a unique spin to a classic favorite. Developed for the first time by Big Huge Games, the development studio responsible for the incredibly popular real-time strategy Rise of Nations, the Asian Dynasties will provide new content and several new gameplay elements that include new ways of winning and trading, random map styles that feature remixes of classic Age of Empires game styles, and 15 new Asian Wonders. Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties will also ship as a Games for Windows title with easier installation, improved reliability and support for key Windows Vista features, including the Games Explorer and Parental Controls.
Source: Ensemble Studios
Source: Ensemble Studios
Almost ten years after the original, Blizzard officially confirmed today at the third Worldwide Invitational in Seoul, that a StarCraft sequel is in the works. Click here to watch the Starcraft 2 CGI announcement trailer, or here for the first ever posted in-game screenshots!
Visit the official Starcraft 2 website for more information.
Source: IGN
Visit the official Starcraft 2 website for more information.
Source: IGN
| Friday, May 18th 2007 |
Sony previewed an extensive software line up for its PlayStation platforms for the second half of 2007 and early 2008 at a media event in San Diego yesterday. More than 30 games for PS3 game console, including a strong first-party lineup of over ten announced titles, were shown during the event, along with a full library of games and services for PlayStation Portable handheld entertainment system, PS2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION Network. Some of the key new titles for PS3 include: Warhawk, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, Spider-Man 3, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Pirates of the Caribbean At World's End, NBA'08 and MLB 07 The Show. Additionally sixteen exclusive titles for PSP from first and third parties were also unveiled at the event, ranging from Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow to God of War: Chains of Olympus and SOCOM:U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike. The full list of games and services can be found at PlayStation.com.
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
| Thursday, May 17th 2007 |
Ubisoft has released a new trailer and five new screenshots from Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, this time showcasing the PC version of this action sequel developed by Ubisoft's Paris studio and Red Storm Studios. The game again puts you in control of the Ghosts who have to change their holiday plans to go to El Paso and put a stop to a growing rebel threat. The game is scheduled to be released this summer. Download the 2:01 min of gameplay footage from here.
Source: GamersHell
Source: GamersHell
| Saturday, May 12th 2007 |
Epic Games has finally launched a new official website for the highly anticipated Unreal Tournament 3. The website has a few in-game screen shots, as well as a trailer in HD and you can subscribe to get your hands on the latest news about the game.
Unreal Tournament 3 for XBOX360 is due to be released in September and the Playstation 3 version is scheduled for the end of year. There is no any fixed timeline for a PC version but it probably won't see the light of the day in 2007.
Visit the site here.
Source: Fudzilla
Unreal Tournament 3 for XBOX360 is due to be released in September and the Playstation 3 version is scheduled for the end of year. There is no any fixed timeline for a PC version but it probably won't see the light of the day in 2007.
Visit the site here.
Source: Fudzilla
| Friday, May 11th 2007 |
Crysis, one upcoming DirectX 10 title developed by Crytek as the first game to use their CryENGINE 2 is highly anticipated. But many gamers bemoan the fact that DirectX 10 requires spending at least $100US for a new graphics card and another $100+US for Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows Vista. And possibly more RAM since 2 gigabytes is recommended for gaming within Vista - the desirable upgrades practically form a new computer.
A streaming low-quality video of Crysis utilizing DirectX 9. High quality version is available too.
It's evident frugal gamers don't have to worry about relinquishing a couple hundred dollars to have a satisfying experience running around with a gun in a visually stunning environment for upcoming CryENGINE 2 powered games.
Crysis is vaguely slated for a "Quarter 3, 2007" release.
Source: inCrysis
A streaming low-quality video of Crysis utilizing DirectX 9. High quality version is available too.
It's evident frugal gamers don't have to worry about relinquishing a couple hundred dollars to have a satisfying experience running around with a gun in a visually stunning environment for upcoming CryENGINE 2 powered games.
Crysis is vaguely slated for a "Quarter 3, 2007" release.
Source: inCrysis
| Thursday, May 10th 2007 |
Sony's Technical Director Scott Hartsman took the opportunity and revealed some very interesting information about EverQuest 2's expansion called Rise of Kunark. As the name indicates, the continent Kunark, which was razed to the ground between the setting of EverQuest Live and EverQuest 2, will be the playground again. Together with the new, old continent the expansion will raise the level cap to 80, include a new race, the neutral Sarnak, a new mount (the Kunarkian Rhinoceros), epic weapons and much more.
There will be two options on how to obtain the expansion. You can either buy the retail box for 39.99$US, which includes the base game as well, or you can download the sole expansion for the same price.
Source: TenTonHammer
There will be two options on how to obtain the expansion. You can either buy the retail box for 39.99$US, which includes the base game as well, or you can download the sole expansion for the same price.
Source: TenTonHammer
| Wednesday, May 2nd 2007 |
You might know of Richard Garriott from his superb Ultima game series in the 1980s and 1990s and from the good old days of Origin Systems, his own publishing company. In 1992 he sold Origin Systems to Electronic Arts and coproduced some more Ultima's with them, but towards the end of the century it didn't went well with Lord British, he turned his back towards the game industry and left the company he once created. In the year 2000 he came back when founding Destination Games and later teamed up with the game publisher NCsoft to develop MMORPGs.
NCsoft today announced the start of the closed beta testing of Tabula Rasa, Garriot's actual PC game project. In Tabula Rasa you will take part in an epic, intergalactic science-fiction story on alien worlds with fast-paced action and role-playing aspects combined. The player enters the game as a rebel soldier faced with a huge war between his comrades and a xenophobic alien race.
NCsoft today announced the start of the closed beta testing of Tabula Rasa, Garriot's actual PC game project. In Tabula Rasa you will take part in an epic, intergalactic science-fiction story on alien worlds with fast-paced action and role-playing aspects combined. The player enters the game as a rebel soldier faced with a huge war between his comrades and a xenophobic alien race.
In BioShock you will walk and dive through the remains of a hidden under water city called Rapture. BioShock will be released in late August of this year for the PC and Xbox 360 and the developers now revealed spectacular footage of the water effects in the game. You will find a mid-quality video online as well as a 65MB 1280x720 HD video which does BioShock's great visual effects much more justice.
If you want to dive into the technical and gameplay aspects of the water features you will find a Question and Answer article over at 2K Games which goes into all the details.
If you want to dive into the technical and gameplay aspects of the water features you will find a Question and Answer article over at 2K Games which goes into all the details.
Source: 2K Games
Will there be a difference in the water effects if you are using DX9 or DX10?
JJ: Depending on the performance gain on DX10 hardware, there will potentially be some additional details and effects enabled on these cards.
| Tuesday, May 1st 2007 |
For over three years, dedicated Halo fans have been waiting for the next installment of the Halo series to finally hit the PC. Whether or not it is an ugly port like the last one was, here are the official system requirements for Halo 2 on the PC.
Source: Games For Windows
- Windows Vista™
- 2 Ghz Pentium 4 class processor
- 1GB RAM
- 7GB hard disk space
- DX9 graphics card: WDDM driver, PS 2.0/32BPP, At least nVidia 6000 or ATI x700 or above
- DVD-ROM drive
- Internet connection for online play
| Monday, April 30th 2007 |
Community team coordinator on the European MotorStorm forums, "Lestrade" writes that an update for the game will be coming "in the next couple of weeks." The update will be free and is required to play the game online.
The patch, which bumps up the game to version 1.2, will address several issues, including a bug that allowed racers to exploit the boost, an increase in the size of the buddy list, better online performance, audio issues, and more.
Source: GameSpot
The patch, which bumps up the game to version 1.2, will address several issues, including a bug that allowed racers to exploit the boost, an increase in the size of the buddy list, better online performance, audio issues, and more.
Source: GameSpot
Burnout Paradise is the title of the next installment in EA's destructive racing series, which will mark its PlayStation 3 debut. Burnout Paradise will come to the Xbox 360 and PS3 "this winter," which typically means a December or January release.
"We have been working towards Burnout Paradise for quite some time," said game's executive producer, Pete Hawley. He continued: "Next generation consoles have opened up a raft of new gameplay opportunities and the Criterion team has leapt at the chance to innovate."
Source: GameSpot
"We have been working towards Burnout Paradise for quite some time," said game's executive producer, Pete Hawley. He continued: "Next generation consoles have opened up a raft of new gameplay opportunities and the Criterion team has leapt at the chance to innovate."
Source: GameSpot
The success of Nintendo's two newest consoles, the Wii and the Nintendo DS, has led to Nintendo reporting record profits for the year ending 31st March. The Japanese based company managed revenue of 966.6 billion Yen (about $8 billion US) and operating profits of 266 billion Yen (about $1.9 billion). These figures show a 90% rise in revenue and 150% rise in profits compared to the same period a year ago. Nintendo sold 23 million Nintendo DS units with 123 million DS games during the year (that makes 40 million units since they started selling the handheld), whilst the Wii managed to sell 5.84 million consoles and 29 million games in the five months after its launch. Read on for Nintendo's press release.
| Saturday, April 28th 2007 |
The sequel to the very popular racing game Forza was up and running at a local cart tournament. The current build runs on a debug XBox 360, which means the game itself runs from the hard drive instead of a DVD. The game needs to be started by hand every time the console is turned on. Below you will find a few images of the launcher and of the game itself. Please remember, the product is not yet finished by a long shot. The current build has reproducable freezes when choosing certain cars and the graphics are not finished yet.
The trailer for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has been released - you can download the 720p version via FilePlanet. It looks quite impressive and is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the series. The download is a 35.3MB Quick Time Movie, with FilePlanet requiring free registration before you can download it (there may be queues). Apparently the footage is taken straight from the single player campaign so shows what gamers will actually be able to play - the game is also rumored to be PC only.
Source: Planet CallofDuty
Source: Planet CallofDuty
| Friday, April 27th 2007 |
A lot of people seem to think that Pokemon was just a fad, as was Brittney Spear's music. However, judging by the sales figures of Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, it is obvious that Pokemon is far from dead. One million copies of Pokemon Diamond/Pearl have been sold in little less than five days. This is apparently a "faster rate than any previous Pokemon games since the franchise's U.S. introduction". These sales are partially in thanks to the gigantic sales of the Nintendo DS.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Thursday, April 26th 2007 |
Infinity Ward, the driving force behind the development of the Call of Duty series (with Activision), did not do any work on the third Call of Duty installment. This is because they were too busy working on the fourth installment. Anyone who wants to see an in-depth look at Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare had better be watching ESPN 10 A.M. PDT / 1 P.M. EDT on Saturday, the 28th.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
StarCraft was by far the most popular game in Korea and the korean website thisisgame.com has some juicy information about the sequel. Apparently Blizzard will be announcing StarCraft 2 at the Blizzards World Wide Invitational which is held from May 19th to May 25th in Seoul. There will be developers of the game at the event and pictures of the 3D sequel will be shown. A new race has been added to the mix and the original units have gotten new upgrades. Teamliquid.net has a translation of the korean text here If you are able to read the language, follow the source link below for the original.
Source: Thisisgame.com (Korean)
Source: Thisisgame.com (Korean)
| Wednesday, April 25th 2007 |
Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that it is creating Tom Clancy's EndWar, a new brand in the Tom Clancy series of video games. Led by strategy veteran and Ubisoft creative director Michael de Plater, Tom Clancy's EndWar is being developed by a world-class team at Ubisoft's Shanghai studio whose members have experience developing Ubisoft's hit franchises including Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Tom Clancy's EndWar is scheduled for release on next-generation consoles in fiscal year 2007/2008.
Source: Ubisoft
Source: Ubisoft
| Tuesday, April 24th 2007 |
Fans of the Fallout series, which was recently purchased by Bethesda, will be pleased to know that Fallout 3 development has been coming along quite nicely. There is now an official Fallout 3 'teaser website', as well as official Fallout 3 forums. While things haven't really taken off with this site or the forums just yet, with Bethesda working hard on making Fallout 3 amazing, we can be sure that the final product will be well worth the wait.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
It's been eleven years since the original Tomb Raider was released. And so, the original makes of Tomb Raider have felt it necessary to make an anniversary edition. Of course, the actual production wasn't done by the original producers. A lot of franchise ownership transfer has been going on, and now Eidos Interactive is responsible for Tomb Raider: Anniversary. On June 5th, you will be able to get this game for the PS2, PC, and "shortly thereafter", the PSP.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
The latest instalment in EA's highly successful World War 2 shooter - Medal of Honor: Airborne will be available on August 28, 2007. Developed by EA Los Angeles the game will feature the major allied airborne operations of the war, including Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily in July 1943; Operation Avalanche, the invasion of mainland Italy in September 1943; Operation Neptune, the airborne element of Operation Overlord in June 1944; Operation Market Garden, the famously ill-fated attempt to cross the Rhine into Germany through Holland in September 1944; and Operation Varsity, the largest airborne operation ever undertaken, to cross the Rhine in March 1945. The game will be released on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Source: TG Daily
Source: TG Daily
| Saturday, April 21st 2007 |
Are you a fan of superhero video games? If so, I've got some good news for you! The Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Thor are all coming to various consoles. This is because Sega and Marvel have agreed to partner up to help milk the franchises to their limit make the best video games possible. With the comic genius of Marvel, and the programming prowess of Sega, we should see some seriously impressive games coming from Sega studios soon. Unfortunately, we're not going to see these games for a while. We're only at the "agree to hand over licenses of characters" stage. Actual programming of the games will happen over the course of the year, and we should start seeing new games by June 2008.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Wednesday, April 18th 2007 |
NEW YORK — April 18, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. and NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. today made video game history by announcing the first-ever Xbox 360™ “Pac-Man” World Championship, presented by Quiznos. From April 25 to May 9, fans of one of the world’s most beloved video games of all time will compete on the classic arcade game via Xbox LIVE® Arcade on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, evolving “Pac-Man” gameplay from the local pizza parlors and arcades of the ’80s to the Xbox 360 and its online gaming community with more than 6 million members. The top finalists from participating countries around the world will be flown to New York City for the finals on June 5, with the winner being crowned the Xbox 360 “Pac-Man” World Champion by Toru Iwatani, the creator of “Pac-Man.”
Since launching in 1980 in Japan and in 1981 around the world, “Pac-Man,” its host of ghosts and the famous “wakka wakka wakka” sound have become global pop culture icons. This arcade game played an instrumental role in establishing the video game industry in the ’80s, while the launch of Xbox LIVE in 2002 was a key factor behind the rapid growth in popularity of online gaming. Today, Xbox LIVE Arcade is the premier online destination for digitally distributed, high-definition games — with more than 25 million downloads — offering fans of “Pac-Man” across the globe a great opportunity to connect, compete and enjoy the fun through the Xbox 360 “Pac-Man” World Championship.
Since launching in 1980 in Japan and in 1981 around the world, “Pac-Man,” its host of ghosts and the famous “wakka wakka wakka” sound have become global pop culture icons. This arcade game played an instrumental role in establishing the video game industry in the ’80s, while the launch of Xbox LIVE in 2002 was a key factor behind the rapid growth in popularity of online gaming. Today, Xbox LIVE Arcade is the premier online destination for digitally distributed, high-definition games — with more than 25 million downloads — offering fans of “Pac-Man” across the globe a great opportunity to connect, compete and enjoy the fun through the Xbox 360 “Pac-Man” World Championship.
Have you ever played 'Ground Control', the game made by Massive Entertainment from Sweden? I didn't but the interview with Massive's lead game designer Magnus Jansén over at Shacknews immediately made me drool over the upcoming sequel 'World in Conflict'. This real time strategy game won't take place in the science-fictional past-third-world-war setting as the former Ground Control games, instead the cold war in the 1980's is the battleground now.
The game itself is comprised of three parts, one taking place in the US, the second in the European region and the third place wasn't disclosed yet.
As Jansén says the relationship to the publisher Vivendi is exceptionally good, the funding is there and even patience, it sounds like 'World in Conflict' could easily be one of the best games released in 2007 (this fall, for PC only). Just take a look at the screens and of course the rest of the interview and you will realize it yourself.
Source: Shacknews
Massive adds a lot of really cool features to enhance the visual storytelling effects, for instance if you zoom in on a map really close to your troops you will suddenly pick up the radio transmissions between the units.
"If you have war where tanks roll over white picket fences and BMX bikes, it's not just some desert town that's getting destroyed that you can't relate to. You say, 'That's a swing set on fire, I fully grasp the power of this event.' Putting it in the middle of familiar environments immediately gives people a sense of the power and the horror of the war."
The game itself is comprised of three parts, one taking place in the US, the second in the European region and the third place wasn't disclosed yet.
As Jansén says the relationship to the publisher Vivendi is exceptionally good, the funding is there and even patience, it sounds like 'World in Conflict' could easily be one of the best games released in 2007 (this fall, for PC only). Just take a look at the screens and of course the rest of the interview and you will realize it yourself.
Source: Shacknews
| Sunday, April 15th 2007 |
This is a brand new Crytek CryENGINE 2 trailer seen at Game Developers Conference 2007. The resolution is 1280x720 pixels and has no watermarks. It's another stunning trailer that really shows what CryENGINE 2 is capable of. Download the 126MB archived file from here.
Source: inCrysis
Source: inCrysis
| Thursday, April 12th 2007 |
A few days ago we reported about a demo that shows the special DirectX 10 effects the R600 will support. Now I came across a forums entry at Beyond 3D which says this demo would look like Call of Juarez, a Western-themed first-person shooter from the Polish game developer Techland. Just out of pure curiosity I looked for some reference material and it turns out to be a correct statement. Just look at the attached screenshots from IGN PC the wooden hut in Fudzillas shot (first picture) looks exactly like the one in the IGN PC shot (second picture). The fence in the tech demo looks exactly like the fence in the other IGN PC screeny. Though the lighting and the details on the stones in front and the steep hill on the far side look different because these are the enhancements made in order to show the beef-up using the DX10 routines. After all, if this is a tech demo it's made of content out of Call of Juarez.
IGN PC got the opportunity to play a few rounds of Team Fortress 2 in between two interviews with Valve's Engineer Robin Walker, Project Lead Charlie Brown, and Marketing Director Doug Lombardi. While the the interviews start with why they made substantial changes to the classes and map designs, the more interesting answers follow later. Technical things like why they used Phong Shading and the PS3 and Xbox network interaction and of course the debate about the release date (which is probably in September). 
Source: IGN PC
IGN: So you're actually playing now on Xbox 360s connected to PCs?
Doug Lombardi: Technically it's done.
...
Chances are the PS3 version will only play other PS3s. There's zero chance of them talking to 360s.
Source: IGN PC
| Monday, April 9th 2007 |
THQ has announced that the sequel to last year's Company of Heroes will be DirectX 10 ready. The proprietary Essence Engine of the original Company of Heroes series, developed in-house by Relic, will be upgraded in COH2 to support a dynamic weather system and more realistic physics, as well as the graphical joys of Shader Model 4.0. Since the game will be DirectX 10 ready, it will be playable only with Windows Vista OS. The game will be out in Q3 2007, until then enjoy the newly released Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts expansion pack.
Source: theINQ
Source: theINQ
The Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany will be held from the 23rd of August until the 26th this year. The available floor will be raised by a whooping 28 percent to 115.000m². In addition, the exterior between buildings will be used as well. Visitors will also have two additional hours to take a look at everything, as the it will be open until 8 pm on Friday the 24th of August.
Source: Hartware.net (German)
Source: Hartware.net (German)
| Saturday, April 7th 2007 |
Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs for short) have recently gained a lot of momentum. Games such as World of Warcraft and Guild Wars continue to suck in subscribers, who enjoy the games so much they sometimes lose almost all traces of a social life to play these games. The maker of Guild Wars has shown interest in getting their MMORPG onto consoles, which would greatly expand their market. However, one of the makers of Guild Wars also says that their current focus is for the PC platform, and they currently have no plans on getting the original Guild Wars onto a console. Perhaps the sequel will find it's way onto Microsoft and Sony gaming consoles.
Regardless of whether or not Guild Wars actually follows through, they do show a market trend of moving games towards consoles to tap their rather large market share.
Source: 1Up
Regardless of whether or not Guild Wars actually follows through, they do show a market trend of moving games towards consoles to tap their rather large market share.
Source: 1Up
| Thursday, April 5th 2007 |
Harmonix, known for it's adventures in making the Guitar Hero game, is making a new game. This game, called "Rock Band" hopes to cash in on people's want to become superstars, and lack of ability to. Instead of limiting the band-members to lead guitar, the members of the rock band can play drums, sing, or play the guitar (maybe just like Guitar Hero?). The "Rock Band" game is officially in development, but that's about all we know. Harmonix has recently shot down rumored prices of this new game, which you can look at here. We'll post more news on this game as it becomes more complete, but until then, it sure sounds like fun.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
New information regarding the formerly named Unreal Tournament 2007 multiplayer game are next to inexistent these days. Midway, the publisher of UT 3 which ought to come this year to PCs and consoles, revealed a single 'screenshot' this week. Rumor has it the pictures are rendered and not actual in-game shots so keep that in mind when judging on the very detailed characters and surroundings.
Source: GameStar.de and Official Website
Source: GameStar.de and Official Website
| Tuesday, April 3rd 2007 |
It took nearly ages to get finished but on this past April Fools Day the standalone version of 'World of Padman' was released at last and it's all but a lousy joke! What originally started as a series of comic strips with Padman being the main actor turned into a map project for Quake 3 Arena (that I stumbled on around six years ago) with a very rich, unique color set. As this wouldn't be enough work the team behind decided to go a step further and develop a whole modification around the Batman-like, gnomish character. And after that was done they worked hard on a standalone version in order to get away from the antique, rusty Quake 3 image. So what awaits you with 'World of Padman'?
In order to download the game head directly to the 'World of Padman' Website
If you want to take a look at the game without wanting to install it take a look at the 'World of Padman' Trailer @ YouTube. Or, if you want a high resolution version get yourself the 95MB file over here or here.
A cool fun shooter, in liliput style, that including 12 maps, along with new crazy weapons, colourful player models, and new game types. ... The “World of Padman” is a multiplayer game, in which you can fight your opponent online or have some fun at home playing with some friends and bots.
In order to download the game head directly to the 'World of Padman' Website
Piracy does have its good sides as well. Funcom, the makers of the two famous 'The Longest Journey' games, recently announced to stop producing traditional offline PC games because of too many illegal copies. Instead they are concentrating on their online game portfolio that will get another finished entry among Anarchy Online soon: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.
If you want to be one of the first in the World of Hyborian then I suggest you to apply for the soon to be started Beta Test of Age of Conan over here. The "the most brutal Massively Multiplayer Online game ever created" is scheduled for the end of October 2007 and will run on Windows XP/Vista PCs and the Xbox 360. If you want to get more information about the game and the world where it takes place I recommend to take a look at the corresponding Wikipedia entry found here.
Source: Age Of Conan Website
If you want to be one of the first in the World of Hyborian then I suggest you to apply for the soon to be started Beta Test of Age of Conan over here. The "the most brutal Massively Multiplayer Online game ever created" is scheduled for the end of October 2007 and will run on Windows XP/Vista PCs and the Xbox 360. If you want to get more information about the game and the world where it takes place I recommend to take a look at the corresponding Wikipedia entry found here.
Source: Age Of Conan Website
| Saturday, March 31st 2007 |
- Celebrated Racing Game Speeds onto PlayStation 2 system, PSP system and PC -
NEW YORK, March 29 (PRNewswire-FirstCall) -- Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), one of the world's most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher, today announced that Test Drive Unlimited has arrived in retail stores nationwide for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, and the Windows platform.
The ultimate automotive and lifestyle gaming experience, Test Drive Unlimited provides gamers with M.O.O.R.(TM): Massively Open Online Racing and the pure freedom to go wherever they choose, whenever they choose and race whoever they choose all in a spectacular, wide open tropical setting. Test Drive Unlimited is available in North America for a suggested retail price of $39.95 and is rated "E10+" for PlayStation 2 system and PSP system and rated "T for teen" for the Windows platform.
NEW YORK, March 29 (PRNewswire-FirstCall) -- Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), one of the world's most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher, today announced that Test Drive Unlimited has arrived in retail stores nationwide for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, and the Windows platform.
The ultimate automotive and lifestyle gaming experience, Test Drive Unlimited provides gamers with M.O.O.R.(TM): Massively Open Online Racing and the pure freedom to go wherever they choose, whenever they choose and race whoever they choose all in a spectacular, wide open tropical setting. Test Drive Unlimited is available in North America for a suggested retail price of $39.95 and is rated "E10+" for PlayStation 2 system and PSP system and rated "T for teen" for the Windows platform.
| Friday, March 30th 2007 |
While some hardcore fans of the Sonic series would claim that Sega has already done this several times, Sega is claiming that they will re-invent Sonic. The main reason that they are doing this is very simple. While Sega is making a ton of money off these games, they feel like they are disappointing all the hardcore Sonic fans. And so, by completely redesigning the character in accordance with their fans' desires, they hope to regain the confidence of the hardcore-Sonic-fan crowd.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
Grand Theft Auto fans will be pleased to hear that the first official screenshots for GTA IV, along with a short trailer, have been released. Although there is no specific detail on where the game will be based, something to note from the trailer is that it has the Statue of Liberty (or perhaps a mock version of it) which would suggest at least part of the game is to be set in New York. To download the high res version of the trailer you will need to visit the GTA IV site and click on "Trailer Files" (it's just under 70MB). The five screenshots available at present are below, and for anyone who is unaware, the game will be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 16th this year.
Source: Planet GTA
Source: Planet GTA
| Thursday, March 29th 2007 |
Within a couple of hours the makers of Command and Conquer 3 will come up Patch 1.2 to fix certain issues. Electronic Arts realized the launch of the latest C&C sequel hasn't "been completely smooth" so to make everyone happy they are right now working hard to address reported problems like disconnects or freezes in game lobbies, the lobby refresh time and quirks with the built-in updater. So stay tuned and check the official C&C Tiberium Wars Website.
Source: Official Command and Conquer 3 Forum
Source: Official Command and Conquer 3 Forum
Developed for the PC by the Company's world-renowned development studio Firaxis Games, Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword will be the second expansion pack for Civilization IV - the 2005 PC Game of the Year and a major commercial success, selling over 1.5 million units worldwide since its October 2005 release. The expansion will focus on the late-game time periods after the invention of gunpowder and will deliver 12 challenging and decidedly different scenarios created by the development team at Firaxis Games, as well as members of the Civilization Fan Community. Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword will also include ten new civilizations, 16 new leaders, five new wonders, and a variety of new units that will offer even more fun and exciting ways for players to expand their civilization's power as they strive for world domination. Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword will be available in July 2007.
Source: Take 2 Games
Source: Take 2 Games
| Wednesday, March 28th 2007 |
FrozenSand, LCC are proud to release Urban Terror, 4.0.
The game isn't exactly new, but it has been revamped to be just one of the best games in terms of game play. It's for that same reason that many players been hooked on it for over 5 years running. Other games like Half Life 2, Quake 4, Doom 3 are incredible games in terms of graphics, but often disappoint from a game play point of view. Now the new Urban Terror looks better than before and plays even better than before!
The game isn't exactly new, but it has been revamped to be just one of the best games in terms of game play. It's for that same reason that many players been hooked on it for over 5 years running. Other games like Half Life 2, Quake 4, Doom 3 are incredible games in terms of graphics, but often disappoint from a game play point of view. Now the new Urban Terror looks better than before and plays even better than before!
| Friday, March 23rd 2007 |
Aqua Teen Hunger Force is a popular adult television show on Cartoon Network. And so, Midway thought they could make a game that would ride the Aqua Teen Hunger Force wave. Midway formally announced the game yesterday, and descibes it as an "epic, action-adventure combat golf, cart racing" game. Considering this description and the formal title "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am", we should see this crazy game on the PS2 this fall.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Thursday, March 22nd 2007 |
Scott Miller, the founder of Apogee, and a co-owner of 3Drealms, has some interesting words to say about Duke Nukem Forever. For everyone that has been waiting extremely patiently for Duke Nukem Forever, it is my extreme displeasure to inform you that they effectively declared that the past 10 years of development have been wasted. The actual quote from Mr.Miller himself:
In short, Mr.Miller admits that 3DRealms was working too hard on Duke Nukem Forever, and is now setting much more realistic goals for the Duke Nukem Forever project. Maybe we'll start seeing beta's/products for Duke Nukem Forever this year. Or maybe we won't...time will tell.
Source: The Inquirer
Our fault is that we set the bar too high, and we tried too hard to make the game to beat all games. In the last 18 months we've taken a much more realistic look at the project, we've hired a truckload of experienced help, and I personally believe we are now on the right track…finally.
In short, Mr.Miller admits that 3DRealms was working too hard on Duke Nukem Forever, and is now setting much more realistic goals for the Duke Nukem Forever project. Maybe we'll start seeing beta's/products for Duke Nukem Forever this year. Or maybe we won't...time will tell.
Source: The Inquirer
| Saturday, March 17th 2007 |
Eidos Interactive and Valve announced an agreement to deliver dozens of new and best-selling PC titles via Steam. This first agreement includes complete franchise sets of classics such as Tomb Raider, the entire Commandos series, Battlestations: Midway, Just Cause and many of the Hitman titles. In addition, Eidos is bringing some of this year's most highly anticipated releases to Steam, including Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Championship Manager 2007, and more. Pricing information is available at Steamgames.com, and news of additional Eidos games heading to Steam will be announced in the coming weeks.
Source: Steam
Source: Steam
Microsoft and Bungie have announced the full details behind the highly anticipated Xbox 360 version of Halo 3. There will be three three-edition releases of the game. First the limited Legendary Edition, now priced at $129.99, will provide two bonus discs with the game, the first of which will include both a HD 'Making of Halo 3' documentary and an audio-visual calibration tool "custom designed by the Halo 3 graphics and audio team to make the most of fans' high-definition home theaters. The second disc, exclusive to the Legendary Edition, will include remastered cinematic material from the first two volumes in the Halo series with developer commentary, as well as some exclusive contents. Next the Limited Edition of the game, set at $69.99 will come more modestly packaged in a metal case, and will include the 'Making Of' bonus disc seen in the legendary edition, as well as a Halo fiction and art book which serves as an 'elaborate' guide to the Halo universe with new art and story elements. Finally, a Standard Edition will be made available to consumers for $59.99 that will consist simply of the Halo 3 game with no bonus discs, books, or features. No release date was revealed in the edition information, but Halo 3 is expected to launch in fall of this year.
Source: Gamasutra
Source: Gamasutra
| Friday, March 16th 2007 |
Any fan of the Final Fantasy series has probably heard of Final Fantasy Tactics by now. For anyone who didn't know, Square Enix has been planning a PSP version of the game for some time now. This game will have a feature that every Final Fantasy fan will enjoy: wireless multi-player combat. This will allow two Tactics players to link their PSP's sans cables, and duke it out with their teams of Final Fantasy characters. This PSP version of Tactics, called "Final Fantasy Tactic: The Lion War" will make it's way to Asian market next month, and possibly American market by the end of this year.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Tuesday, March 13th 2007 |
Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars for the PC has officially gone gold and will be on stores shelves Nationwide March 28. Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars will also be available in the coming months for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars has a US MSRP of $49.99. A special, numbered collector's edition will be available simultaneously and has a US MSRP of $59.99. For more information about the game or if you want to download the playable demo, please visit the official site here.
Source: EA
Source: EA
| Sunday, March 11th 2007 |
The PS3 version of uber frag-fest Unreal Tournament 3 will let you headshot your opponents using a keyboard and mouse.
Epic's dominating video game series will offer support for both the Sixaxis and a USB keyboard and mouse combination. The Sixaxis controls will work in the time-honoured GoldenEye 007 way, but with an optional twist. The motions sensor in the joypad can be used to look around rather then the right thumbstick. According to a Sony rep "it is actually very accurate once you get the hang of it".
Whether you feel like using motion sensing in such a way is "wicked sick", or if you feel "Godlike" using tried-and-tested PC controls, your needs will be catered for.
UT3 is currently slated for a late 2007 release.
Source: PSU
Epic's dominating video game series will offer support for both the Sixaxis and a USB keyboard and mouse combination. The Sixaxis controls will work in the time-honoured GoldenEye 007 way, but with an optional twist. The motions sensor in the joypad can be used to look around rather then the right thumbstick. According to a Sony rep "it is actually very accurate once you get the hang of it".
Whether you feel like using motion sensing in such a way is "wicked sick", or if you feel "Godlike" using tried-and-tested PC controls, your needs will be catered for.
UT3 is currently slated for a late 2007 release.
Source: PSU
Activision published Guitar Hero a few years ago for the PS2, which allowed people to pretend they could play real guitar. They did this by plugging in a fancy guitar controller modeled after the Gibson SG, and programming the "notes" for a bunch of songs that the player has to hit to play the note. Ubisoft is doing something very similar, with an entirely different style of guitar, and for the Nintendo DS. Gamers, by pressing the right button on the D pad and strumming with the stylus, can play a set of unannounced songs. Free play mode allows gamers to invent their own songs, which can be used to propose to the girl of your dreams in the nerdiest way possible.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Saturday, March 10th 2007 |
Peter Jackson, the director of the hugely successful Lord of the Rings film trilogy, is reported to have signed a production a deal with Microsoft for the Xbox 360. The deal should see Jackson producing two interactive series for the console in episodic format, with one possibly based on the Halo series and the other being brand new. According to the head of Microsoft Game Studios, Shane Kim, the two projects are still in the very early design stages, but he also emphasised that the company is backing episodic content on the 360. There have been rumours of a deal for some time now, with speculation that Jackson could even make the next Halo game, but this was confirmed to be untrue some months back. Jackson will be developing his game series alongside new game studio Wingnut Interactive.
Source: PC World
Source: PC World
| Thursday, March 8th 2007 |
Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games, at the Game Developer's Conference 2007, said the game Gears of War will come to the PC platform soon. Mark pointed out that Epic is a small company, and therefore it cannot work on a multitude of projects. It is a second-generation company that is developing content using the potential of the targeted platform to the maximum.
Epic is planning on working on the conversion, but there are couple of buts before we can say what will happen and in what timeframe. The game is probably done and now needs tweaking and serious QA testing, which will come into order once Unreal Tournament III hits the stores. When, where and what - will be disclosed later.
Source: The Inq
Epic is planning on working on the conversion, but there are couple of buts before we can say what will happen and in what timeframe. The game is probably done and now needs tweaking and serious QA testing, which will come into order once Unreal Tournament III hits the stores. When, where and what - will be disclosed later.
Source: The Inq
| Sunday, March 4th 2007 |
Microsoft said a while ago that they would start making more games, all of which were designed for multi-player action. According to 1Up, Worms marks the first of those games. For those of you that don't know, Worms is a multiplayer game with "funny little worms fighting it out with rocket launchers". It should become available on Xbox Live Arcade on March 7th for 800 points ($10).
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
The highly anticipated FPS/RPG S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl has gone gold. With over 6 years in development, the game is one of the highly anticipated titles due to come out this year. The game should sport mind blowing visuals and intensive gameplay.
Flock, THQ executive vice president, speaking to a crowd of about 100 journalists, said S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will "ship in March," and online retailers are listing it as having a March 20 release. The game is rated M for Mature (blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, use of alcohol), and will retail for $39.99.
Source: Gamespot
Flock, THQ executive vice president, speaking to a crowd of about 100 journalists, said S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will "ship in March," and online retailers are listing it as having a March 20 release. The game is rated M for Mature (blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, use of alcohol), and will retail for $39.99.
Source: Gamespot
| Friday, March 2nd 2007 |
The highly anticipated continuation of the Grand theft Auto series - GTA IV - is around the corner. In its financial results conference call, publisher Take Two has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto IV will be shipped simultaneously for the Xbox 360 and PS3 this October.
Take Two also announced that Rockstar will introduce exclusive episodic content downloads for the game in 2008.
It is worth mentioning that back at E3 2006, Microsoft announced a deal with Take Two's Rockstar to have exclusive episodic content for the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV.
As in the past, it is most probably going to take a while before the game is ported to PC.
Source: Team Xbox
Take Two also announced that Rockstar will introduce exclusive episodic content downloads for the game in 2008.
It is worth mentioning that back at E3 2006, Microsoft announced a deal with Take Two's Rockstar to have exclusive episodic content for the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV.
As in the past, it is most probably going to take a while before the game is ported to PC.
Source: Team Xbox
| Wednesday, February 28th 2007 |
One of the most legendary online hardware stores, Newegg, again shows that they can offer the latest products for the lowest prices. Unfortunately, it seems they are only fulfilling the "latest product" part this time. Newegg is now accepting orders for the legendary EA shooter Crysis. The game costs $57.99, plus $4.99 3-day business shipping. It is listed as a Rating-Pending game, with no word as to when it will ship. Crysis, using the CryENGINE 2, will be the first DirectX10 game...let's hope it's a good one.
Source: techPowerUp! Forums
Source: techPowerUp! Forums
SUNNYVALE, Calif - Feb. 27, 2007 - Capcom Entertainment Inc., a leading developer and publisher of video games, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to license the Unreal® Engine 3 (UE3) from Epic Games, Inc., for an unannounced project being developed in North America.
During the last week THQ announced a few titles it plans to release this or next year: Stuntman: Ignition which will be ported to the PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360 only. The player will jump into the role of a Hollywood stuntman driver which is encouraged to create breath-taking jump-rides. Besides the singleplayer career it will come with an online multiplayer mode all together this summer.
The next one in the list is MotoGP '07 which will be based on the original MotoGP motorcycle season 2007. That includes new bikes, customizations and tracks compared to it's predecessor MotoGP '06. At the time of writing it seems like only Xbox 360 owners will get the MotoGP '07 experience this fall but PC gamers usually should be addressed as well.
Early in 2008 a well known character will make it to NextGen consoles: Conan the Cimmerian. Robert E. Howards protagonist is fighting against a variety of deadly enemies and so called 'elusive power that threatens the Hyborian world' with different fighting styles having plenty of weapons at his disposal. Nihilistic Software best known for Vampire - The Masquerade, Starcraft Ghost and Marvel Nemesis is assigned to do the job (PS3 and Xbox 360).
Nearly the whole lineup of hardware (Nintendo DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP and Xbox 360) is supported by Juiced 2: Jot Import Nights. Released in the last quarter of this year gets full support from the Hot Import Nights Show be it up-to-date car customizations, race tracks and driving experience. Tuning fans will get a new drifting component which they can showcase at Hot Import Nights events.
Source: THQ
The next one in the list is MotoGP '07 which will be based on the original MotoGP motorcycle season 2007. That includes new bikes, customizations and tracks compared to it's predecessor MotoGP '06. At the time of writing it seems like only Xbox 360 owners will get the MotoGP '07 experience this fall but PC gamers usually should be addressed as well.
Early in 2008 a well known character will make it to NextGen consoles: Conan the Cimmerian. Robert E. Howards protagonist is fighting against a variety of deadly enemies and so called 'elusive power that threatens the Hyborian world' with different fighting styles having plenty of weapons at his disposal. Nihilistic Software best known for Vampire - The Masquerade, Starcraft Ghost and Marvel Nemesis is assigned to do the job (PS3 and Xbox 360).
Nearly the whole lineup of hardware (Nintendo DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP and Xbox 360) is supported by Juiced 2: Jot Import Nights. Released in the last quarter of this year gets full support from the Hot Import Nights Show be it up-to-date car customizations, race tracks and driving experience. Tuning fans will get a new drifting component which they can showcase at Hot Import Nights events.
Source: THQ
You don't like fantasy role playing games like World Of Warcraft and the graphical impression Second Life (say hello to 1992 vector graphics) gives is not to your taste? Then maybe you should get a picture of Outback Online which is not possible at the very moment because of missing screenshots or even a playable version. But the fuss it's creators at Yoick.com low down at Australia are generating at the written and online press is immense.
Anyway, if you like to you can sign up for a beta account over here.
Source: Outback Online
The Age
"We believe what Second Life did was great, but it's time for 'virtual worlds 2.0' . . . unlimited, open, scalable worlds."
Anyway, if you like to you can sign up for a beta account over here.
Source: Outback Online
| Monday, February 26th 2007 |
Many of us know the Wing Commander series, which included real actors and spawned a, not very successful, movie. Electronic Arts is bringing the classic space game, which pitted humans versus the cat-like Kilrathi, to the Xbox Live Arcade. The game will feature up to 16-player deathmatches and the best players can compete and climb up a ladder board ranking system. It will be quite different than the original games, "Wing Commander Arena" is purely focused on shoot-em-up combat rather than extensive exploring and missions. The game should be available this summer. There has been no word if Mark Hamil will return to the series.
Source: TG Daily
Source: TG Daily
| Saturday, February 24th 2007 |
Bethesda's Elder Scrolls IV is one of the most taxing RPG games in the market so far, and is one of the best RPG's ever. Fans of the Elder Scrolls series will be pleased to know that Elder Scrolls V is more than just a rumor. They are experimenting with it as you read this, and will begin full development as soon as Fallout 3 is finished.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Wednesday, February 21st 2007 |
Developed using Havok's renowned physics engine, Crackdown hits the stores today. Created exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Realtime Worlds team has pushed the hybrid action-driving genre firmly into the next generation, creating a free-roaming, interactive world where anything can be used as a weapon as you rid the streets of crime.
| Friday, February 16th 2007 |
Aqua Teen Hunger Force, that crazy "Adult Swim" show on Cartoon Network featuring a milkshake, a meatball, and a box of fries as main characters, is coming to consoles as a game. This as-of-yet unnamed game will be developed by Midway with the help of some of the creators of the actual show. 1Up hopes this game will be a lot better than other adult-themed television shows that have been turned into video games, such as the Family Guy and the Futurama game.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
Gas Powered games, who made Supreme Commander, has decided to take a small break from making legendary PC/Console RTS', and will make a console game with comedic value being it's sole purpose. Gas Powered will not unveil any details as of now, but they will tell us that it's going to be hilarious once they do release it. It will be available on consoles, and possibly PC's. A game like this has almost unlimited possibilities, we should start to see something in as soon as a year.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
Xbox Live Arcade is a very complex piece of software. And what's more complicated are the games that go in the arcade. Of course, Microsoft knows that when they sell over 10 million consoles a year, they need more than just a bunch of simple shoot-em-ups you can find at any bowling alley/bar. And so, they have set requirements for the games that get on their arcade.
Source: 1Up
- Games must be non-combatant and multi-player.
- There need to be more board games
- There needs to be a lot more original or "experimental" games.
Source: 1Up
1up got an exclusive look at Tekken 6, the sequel to Tekken 5. This version of Tekken had a brilliant trailer, however according to 1Up, it doesn't quite live up to expectations. It certainly is no "slouch" though. It is very obvious throughout the game demo that Namco really worked on making the next version of Tekken shine on the PS3. Good thing too, because that's the only console this next Tekken will work on.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Tuesday, February 13th 2007 |
Travellers Tales, the same studio that gave us a Lego Star Wars game and a Transformers movie, have announced that they are developing the Transformers game. The Transformers game will be available on just about every modern console, which translates into the Xbox360, PS3, PS2, DS, Wii, PSP, and PC. It will also allow gamers to choose between Autobots or Decepticons, for extra fun. There are no rumors as to how many Transformers will be included in this game.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Sunday, February 11th 2007 |
For a while, there have been rumors of a Battlestar Galactica game. Sierra Online confirmed this yesterday morning. The Battlestar Galactica video game will be a first-person shooter, and will be for the PC and Xbox360 in Autumn 2007.
Source: 1Up
Auran Games, an Austrian developer, is developing the Battlestar Galactica game, and will distribute it exclusively online through Sierra Online. Auran Games is working hard to try and get the voice talent from the actual show into the game.
NBC Universal is working closely with us so that players will be able immerse themselves in the Battlestar Galactica universe and re-live their favorite missions from the TV series.
Source: 1Up
Bethesda studios announced that as much as they'd love to see Elder Scrolls IV- Oblivion, it will never find itself there. The Nintendo Wii simply doesn't have enough power to run the very demanding game. Of course, this doesn't explain how they managed to stick Oblivion on the PSP, which is essentially a much smaller version of the PS2.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Thursday, February 8th 2007 |
Electronic Arts and Valve, today announced final information about Half-Life: Episode Two and Team Fortress 2, two of the most anticipated action games this year. Representing multiple platforms, the Black Box will ship for the PC and include Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2. The Orange Box will ship for the PC, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, and Xbox 360 videogame. It will include all the content of The Black Box, plus the original Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One. The Black Box and The Orange Box are targeted for release in Fall 2007. For more information, please visit steamgames.com.
Source: Shacknews
Source: Shacknews
| Thursday, February 1st 2007 |
For a while Saints Row for PS3 was considered nothing but a listing on EB Games and Gamestop. However, THQ has issued an official press release announcing Saints row for PS3. They will release it sometime this Spring, with no mention of whether or not there will be extra features. However, the PS3 version will have all the online features of the Xbox360 version (minus Xbox Live, of course), as well as some "minor transactions".
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Friday, January 26th 2007 |
The Unreal 3 engine by Epic has been getting a ton of good press, seeing as it has been included in very successful games such as Gears of War. Epic Games has confirmed two things about it's own use of Unreal 3. The first is that Unreal Tournament 2007 will be renamed Unreal Tournament 3. It is unclear as to why, considering that Unreal Tournament 2004 was technically the fourth release in the Unreal Tournament series. The second thing that Epic confirmed was that Xbox360 will also see a version of Unreal Tournament 2007.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Saturday, January 20th 2007 |
Company of Heroes, one of the best RTS games of 2006, may be the first game to be patched to use DirectX10. The patch, which can be expected sometime in March, will redo a lot of the textures. It will also add several new features, streamline the graphics engine, and generally make things look prettier. The DX10 version of Company of Heroes will actually run faster than the DX9 version, however once you add in all the additional gameplay features THQ plans on adding, the two versions of Company of Heroes will perform about the same.
Source: The Inquirer
Source: The Inquirer
| Thursday, January 18th 2007 |
The first details about EA's next expansion to the Battlefield series are beginning to leak, with the booster pack expected to be named Battlefield 2142 - Northern Strike. The most notable changes are three new European maps, two new vehicles, ten new rewards, ten new unlocks, the new Epic Titan mode for two maps and improved use of pods. The new content is generally intended to focus on infantry battles instead of using vehicles for extreme force, with the new maps tweaked to create choke-points. There isn't any word on pricing yet, although rumours that the in-game advertising could lead to free add-on packs haven't been mentioned by EA.
Source: Neowin.net
Source: Neowin.net
| Saturday, January 13th 2007 |
The people who designed Half Life must have figured that they should not call the version of Half Life going onto consoles just "Half Life: Episode Two", especially when it ccomes with so much more than that. And so, Valve will release a bundle of Half-Life 2, Episodes One and Two, Team Fortress, and Portal as one big "Half Life: Orange". It should come to at least the Xbox360 and PC, but may also come to the PS3.
Source: 1Up
Source: 1Up
| Saturday, January 6th 2007 |
The German ratings board has refused to issue a rating for "Crackdown", the Xbox360 game that will come with a free Halo 3 beta invitation. Crackdown was probably banned in Germany for being too violent. A game without a rating in Germany isn't "illegal", however it cannot be sold to a minor, advertised, or displayed in a public store. All sales of the game have to be person-to-person. Two other Xbos360 games that have been deemed unrated in Germany are Gears of War and Dead Rising.
Source: Joystiq
Source: Joystiq
When Bioshock was announced at X06 as the successor to the "System Shock" series, it was originally planned as an Xbox360 exclusive. Irrational games has decided that it would release it for both the PC and Xbox360. Hopefully, it will not be ported onto the PC like Rainbow Six: Vegas was.
Source: Joystiq
Source: Joystiq
| Tuesday, December 19th 2006 |
Daniel Pohl, an aspiring programmer in Germany, is doing some things that are simply stunning the gaming community. Daniel has taken the Quake 4 engine and effectively modified it with ray tracing effects.
Source: The Inquirer
Daniel is looking for a sponsor so he can become a game developer. If he helps design games, and ray tracing becomes mass implemented, we could see a new age of realism in games. You can see a sample of his work below, and his project website here.
Ray-tracing is a method of modeling and rendering the path of the light as it interacts with the models in a 3D scene. Overall, results in Daniel's projects show extremly good levels of shadows, enabling life-like immersion into the 3D scene.
Source: The Inquirer