The Red Faction franchise returns and abandons its FPS roots in favor of open-world mass destruction. Does the game marry high impact explosives with big bang action or whimper onto the B Team of the genre?
Article from Shacknews. Here's a list of the game you'll get in the 2K bundle.
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* Sid Meier's Pirates!
* Shattered Union
* Prey
* CivCity: Rome
* Sid Meier's Railroads!
* Railroad Tycoon 3
* Railroad Tycoon II Platinum
* X-COM: Terror From the Deep
* X-COM: Apocalypse
* BioShock
* X-COM: Interceptor
* X-COM: UFO Defense
* X-COM: Enforcer
* Freedom Force
* Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich
* Sid Meier's Civilization III Complete
* Sid Meier's Civilization IV
* Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
* Civilization IV Warlords
* Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization
Not really 20 "complete" games... a bunch of these are expansions. But a good deal, especially if you don't have most of these. BioShock alone has one of the highest meta-critic scores on Steam.
I need to let you know that you don’t need to worry about a huge influx of ads across the dashboard. One of our core principles is to enhance, not interfere with the gaming experience, and we work directly with our partners to only deliver experiences that are relevant to the LIVE community. Silverlight will help make those ads a more organic part of the dashboard, like we’ve done with some of the NXE slots in the past. No one on the team wants to turn the dashboard into something that looks like like Shibuya Crossing. That’s just not good for anyone.
Facebook, Twitter, last.FM, Netflix and advertising. I wonder if there will be any room left for GAMES on Xbox Live.
On a whim today, I headed over to see what was happening with the Game Store at Phantom Entertainment (formerly known as Infinium Labs). If you recall, a while ago they launched a section of their website with an impressive catalog of games and support. Soon after, it was taken down with a simple thank you message for people who visited.
They now have an official blog as well, which in the past couple weeks has seen some serious action. Apparently the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating Phantom Entertainment and halted trading of their stock (PHEI) on June 24th.
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“The Commission temporarily suspended trading in the securities of the foregoing companies due to a lack of current and accurate information about the companies because they have not filed certain periodic reports with the Commission. This order was entered pursuant to Section 12(k) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act).”
Additionally, it looks like at some point they had a donation website setup, and are now offering to refund money to people who donated.
Could this finally be the end of this ridiculous sham of a company? Sad to see that there are still people posting comments to their blog who really want this stupid lapboard.
Coming hot on the tail of that cancellation no one wants to really talk about (except by a low-key forum post), SEGA has a announced that Obsidian's Alpha Protocol will be shipping October 6th.
When first revealed, it looked like it may be the "spy" version of Mass Effect and I was excited... after seeing some videos from E3 though, I got unexcited. What say you all?
Universal has won the rights to produce a motion picture based on the classic video game, Asteroids.
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Astonishingly, not only is Asteroids being made into a movie, but there was an actual bidding war between four major studios for the rights. Universal Studios has emerged the winner.
As a result, Matthew Lopez is set to write the script and it will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Lopez has written the screenplays for the recent Disney films Escape to Witch Mountain and Bedtime Stories, as well as for the upcoming The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Meanwhile, di Bonaventura's latest ventures include Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the soon-to-be-released G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
Grease The Video Game, Pac-Man The Movie.... it's all been done.
WBIE has sent along a new behind the scenes video of Batman: Arkham Asylum.
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With the new Inside The Asylum behind the scenes video, Eidos Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment go deep within the walls of Arkham Asylum to showcase Batman’s most notorious enemies as well as the creators of the Batman: Arkham Asylum videogame.
The all new video features insightful interviews with Game Director Sefton Hill and Lead Narrative Designer Paul Crocker from Rocksteady Studios as well as famed Batman: The Animated Series and Batman: Arkham Asylum writer, Paul Dini.
If for whatever reason you haven't purchased Fallout 3 yet, the time is NOW. Steam's weekend deal is Fallout 3 at 50% off its normal price. Seriously, $25 for this bad boy is basically a no brainer. GO GET IT.
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Vault-Tec engineers have worked around the clock on an interactive reproduction of Wasteland life for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own vault. Included is an expansive world, unique combat, shockingly realistic visuals, tons of player choice, and an incredible cast of dynamic characters. Every minute is a fight for survival against the terrors of the outside world — radiation, Super Mutants, and hostile mutated creatures. From Vault-Tec, America's First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation.
Hey there, looks like Trine is coming out today on Steam (in about three hours). It's $30, and you can still get Shadowgrounds for free from buying it up. So, if you're gonna buy... DO IT NOW OR YOU LOSE FREE STUFF.
Battlefield 1943, the sort-of-dumbed-down and graphically updated version of Battlefield 1942, will be hitting consoles next week. Wednesday for Xbox 360, Thursday for PlayStation 3 for $15.
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Battlefield 1943 is a critically acclaimed First-Person Shooter (FPS) multiplayer game that puts players in the middle of a dogfight on land, sea or in the skies. The game introduces two thrilling new modes that can be played across four classic Battlefield tropical WWII maps: Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Coral Sea. These maps are inspired by the award winning Battlefield 1942™ game, but have been redesigned and reengineered using the DICE destructible Frostbite™ engine which takes down walls, blockades and cover spots, leaving players with almost nowhere to hide. The game delivers endless hours of social online gameplay for extraordinary value.
The Coral Sea map will be unlocked as part of a worldwide community challenge, where players will work together to reach 43million kills on both Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network. To help gamers reach that goal, up to 24 players can play together online in countless matches. They will have the freedom to compete by land, air and sea as either the US Marines or the Imperial Japanese Navy. Whether they choose to play the role of a rifleman crawling through the trenches, a steel-fisted tank commander, or a dog fighting ace pilot, gamers will have the power to rule the battlefield.
When a bunch of industry press type folks went to Blizzard HQ about a week ago, they were all supposed to be checking out the new Battle.net... Then, the were supposed to be checking out single player for StarCraft II, then, Blizz was like "eh, just play more multiplayer."
So why the change? Looks like the planned 'relaunch' of Battle.net alongside StarCraft II isn't a certainty. Spong
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Browder said, "I can't tell you a whole lot because in reality, anything I say might be a lie. We're still working on it, and it's kind of up in the air. I kind of wish it wasn't, but it kind of is."
The reason for that, it would seem, is that Blizzard's plans for the service are spinning away from what they originally had planned.
"What you saw today is not where we're going", Browder went on. "It's a version that we have that has a lot of problems that we don't like. It was never meant to be the final version, but we're getting further and further away from that being close to the final version. We're trying to do more and more stuff."
We'll put the magical rumor question mark on this one even though this seems entirely likely. The new UFC game has been a huge hit selling more than a million copies pretty sharpish. However, E3 saw the announcement (met with groans at this particular laptop) that EA would be developing EA MMA as a new franchise.
Dana White and the rest of the management at Zuffa/UFC haven't taken very kindly to assumed attempts to lure their fighters away from THQ's title and will be banning any defectors from fighting for them.
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This disheartening bit of news first came from Golden Boy at the UG
"I hear that all mma managers were informed that if any of their clients not currently under contract with the UFC..... sign to be a part of the EA game.......the will forever be banned for fighting in the UFC."
Sounds like a simple rumor right? Albeit from a pretty reputable source, but then later in the forum post, MMA Uber agent Ken Pavia of MMAAgents.com says this.
They've done stuff like this before when new promotions have sprung up. I can't blame them to be honest - they've worked hard to build up fighters as stars.
We go from a high off our last episode to this low train wreck. Joined by a special guest host, Modeps and Ruumis keep it brief with a quick summation of the new Harry Potter game and their thoughts on StarCraft II's lack of LAN support.
Games Discussed: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Left 4 Dead, Max Payne 3, Metal Gear Soild 3: Snake Eater, StarCraft II
Please feel free to leave us feedback here, to our email address at podcast@evilavatar.com, via our voicemail number (619) 573-6699, or come join us on IRC (irc.slashnet.org #evilavatar)
Industrygamers has posted some quotes from Activision Publishing chief executive Mike Griffith, where he defends Activision's Guitar Hero release blitz compared to Rock Band's more lethargic release pace.
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We specifically raised the point that Activision has been flooding the market with SKU after SKU in the Guitar Hero franchise, whereas MTV and Harmonix seem to be more focused on expanding Rock Band with downloadable content.
Griffith defended his company's approach to the music space, however, asserting that Activision's SKU strategy has actually been better for the shareholders and consumers. "First of all, the consumer has voted and we've outsold Rock Band four-to-one; we're outselling Rock Band 10-to-1 in Europe. If you listen to the analyst side of things and the Viacom earnings report, it does look like Rock Band is very successful financially. So, you'd have to conclude so far, our business model has served the consumer and shareholders better," he stated.
Lets come back and see how he feels after the release of Beatles Rock Band.
CCP Games sends along word that their main Creative Writer, Hjalti Danielsson, is set to pen an epic novel set in the EVE Online universe.
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CCP is pleased to announce a grand space opera set in the universe of EVE Online, the largest and most successful science fiction Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) today with over 300,000 subscribers worldwide. EVE: The Burning Life will be published in November 2009 via partnerships with Tor Books and Orion Books.
'The Burning Life' is the first effort of novelist Hjalti Daníelsson who has worked in different capacities on EVE Online since its 2003 release and currently serves as CCP's main creative writer for the harsh universe of New Eden, the setting for EVE Online. He is the author of more than seventy short stories and some plays set in the EVE Online universe. A visceral writer whose aggressive prose and grand operatic scope is reminiscent of Iain M. Banks and Joe Haldeman, Daníelsson's storytelling talent and familiarity with the EVE universe make him the ideal candidate for a full-length novelization for fans and newcomers alike.
"EVE is a phenomenal SF offering," said Eric Raab, Tor Editor. "The game is beyond awe-inspiring, and its intricacies deserve stories. Hjalti's storytelling skills shine in-game and in his short fiction. We at Tor are truly excited for his first foray into the novel form."
"Though the player-driven drama unfolding daily in EVE Online is the essence of our virtual world, CCP firmly believes that EVE can transcend the boundaries of a single medium to offer new ways of experiencing its richness" said Thor Gunnarsson, VP of Business Development at CCP. "We are thrilled to collaborate with the incredibly talented teams at Tor Books and Orion, two recognized giants in the science fiction world, to bring a taste of the EVE universe to sci-fi readers around the world."
A hybrid of space opera and military science fiction, EVE: The Burning Life stands on its own for science fiction readers looking for a new universe to explore. It also appeases fans by complementing the vast EVE backstory and providing a personal narrative to their enjoyment of the game similar to that given by last year's EVE: The Empyrean Age novel by Tony Gonzales.
Blizzard Entertainment has filed a new trademark named Cataclysm with the US Trademark and Patent Office. The trademark covers computer games, pen and paper games (and comics) and online games.
If you take a look back at days of yore and think of movie properties that would be best made into video games... Ghostbusters certainly comes to mind... maybe Logan's Run, even some Last Starfighter or how about Red Dawn?
505 Games however, has foregone all of those potential options and instead opted for a game that probably has no business being a game. That's right GREASE, a game based on a movie, based on a musical, is making its way to the Wii and DS.
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The Grease video game will allow players to sing and dance alongside Danny, Sandy, The Pink Ladies and the T-Birds. The game will take full advantage of the Nintendo Wii’s motion-sensing controls and microphone, and the DS’s touch screen to create exciting gameplay for casual and family gamers eager to experience Grease in a new medium.
“We are really excited about working with Paramount Digital Entertainment to turn this world famous film into a video game for the very first time. Working with such a well known and much loved brand is a great opportunity and we believe the collaboration further strengthens 505 Games’ entertainment portfolio,” commented Ian Howe, Managing Director 505 Games.
More lawsuit news with word that a former New Jersey Scarlet Knights quarterback, Ryan Hart, is attempting to sue EA for unauthorised use of his likeness in NCAA Football games. This isn't the first time this sort of lawsuit has been filed against EA for their NCAA licensed games.
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The lawsuit, filed by attorney Keith McKenna of Montclair, alleges that Hart and Taylor "never" authorized the use of their names, image or likenesses for the game.
Hart and Taylor said the use of their likenesses was an invasion of their privacy for commercial purpose. They also accuse Electronic Arts of "unjust enrichment."
The suit is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.
Is the ship finally sinking for professional wrestling games? Coming after the huge success of their new UFC game it appears that THQ aren't entirely sure about renewing the contract they hold on the WWE license. Their partner, JAKKS Pacific, has attempted to renew the license but apparently they don't have the right to. All very technical!
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JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK) announced that it has notified World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (“WWE”) that the joint venture between THQ and JAKKS intended to exercise its option to renew the WWE videogame license, which would otherwise expire on December 31, 2009, for an additional five (5) year term ending December 31, 2014. Separately, THQ commenced a lawsuit in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, claiming it was not ready to make a decision with respect to renewal of the WWE videogame license, and seeking a declaratory judgment that (i) JAKKS was not authorized under the parties’ joint venture agreement to unilaterally issue a renewal notice to WWE, (ii) THQ has no obligation to consent to a renewal of the WWE license, and (iii) the restrictive covenant in the joint venture agreement prohibiting THQ from publishing any videogames based on wrestling during the term of the joint venture agreement (expiring one year after termination of the WWE license) is unenforceable under California law. JAKKS and THQ have also initiated arbitration proceedings relating to these issues.
It's quite odd all of this. Jakks lose the action figure license come 2010 and are launching UFC lines. I'm not saying the pretend fighting/real fighting thing is the cause but this all seems rather confused.
One of those continually cycling rumors has hopefully been put to rest today as Destructoid report that EA will not be releasing a port of Brutal Legend over to Wii.
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Our sources have indicated that a Wii version was in development at Electronic Arts, just not with Double Fine at the helm. The keyword here is "was," as we've recently learned from our sources that the Wii version of the title has been canceled due to quality and technical concerns. Word has it that quality assurance testers who moved from Electronic Arts to Double Fine were recently let go, after the demise of the project left their services unnecessary.
Back in March, 1UP spoke with Double Fine's Tim Schafer about the rumored Wii title, when he hesitated while shooting a glance at his PR handler before saying: "We are making an Xbox 360 and a PS3 version of Brütal Legend." This was a true statement, but definitely didn't answer the question.
Activision have revealed the pricing for their upcoming game/peripheral combo and slapped an RRP of £108 on it. To put that in context Guitar Hero III with guitar cost around £60-£70 on release. The full Rock Band/GH World Tour set was around £150.
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DJ Hero will be $120 when it's released in the United States. Which is pricey, but not unheard of. When it's released in the UK, however, it'll follow a precedent set by Rock Band in being ridiculously expensive.
The title - which will bundle the game and a plastic turntable controller - has a recommended retail price of £108. Which in American Dollars is a whopping $177.
Legends of rap Raekwon, gave Capcom a nice little "shout out" during a recent Rock the Bells appearance. He couples it with a "shout out" to Marvel as well, so maybe he's a big fan of Marvel vs Capcom? Who knows, but the man knows how to flow.
Damnation didn't get great reviews (some would say they were genuinely abysmal), and now Shacknews is reporting that the entire development team has been given their walking papers, as well as some legal documents outlining a really troubled development process.
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23. On January 14, 2009, Codemasters sent Blue Omega a letter dated January 13, 2009, terminating the Development Agreement..
26. Blue Omega, however, has obtained documents and other evidence which proves that (i) POV is continuing to work on the Game, and (ii) POV is uploading code from the Game to a 3rd party (reasonably believed to be Codemasters). Blue Omega also has received a copy of an e-mail between POV and Scot Kramarich, the Codemasters' employee assigned to oversee the development of the Game, regarding POV's ongoing work on the Game.
Joystiq has learned that if you want to take advantage of the new Last.FM integration come this fall, you'll be able to for free... sort of. If you are a Silver member, you get 3 hours a month of listening, but if you're Gold, its free free free. There will be a third option available as a premium above what's available for Gold, that will, unfortunately, seem to include at least one of the features (Loved Tracks) you get for free currently by just going to their website.
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"Silver users will be able access what we're considering a trial period of three hours a month, which comes with video advertising. Gold users will have unlimited ad-supported access, so they can use it 24 hours a day. There will also be a premium offering on a subscription basis from Last.fm, that will be commercial free and will also have more sophisticated personalization features, like Loved Tracks."
Kind of annoying that you'll have to pay no matter what, to get Loved Tracks.
Microsoft's "create a game" game, Kodu, is now available up on Xbox Live Marketplace for the low price of 400 MSP. There's a demo available too if you want to try before you buy.
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Kodu is a new visual programming language made specifically for creating games. It is designed to be accessible for children and enjoyable for anyone. The visual programming environment allows rapid design iteration using only a game controller for input. Share your creations with friends over XBOX LIVE.
Want to play a game that features supernatural, occultist stuff? Better make sure your rig can handle the new Wolfenstein then! Here's what you need to have to make sure you can shoot those fools.
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SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS:
Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP or Windows Vista(R) (Windows 95/98/ME/2000 are unsupported)
Microsoft DirectX(R) 9.0c (included & required for Windows XP & Vista)
CNET is reporting the Recording Industry Association of America has won its copyright case against Usenet.com.
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In a brief note posted Tuesday to RIAA.com, the trade group for the music industry said: "We're pleased that the court recognized not just that Usenet.com directly infringed the record companies' copyrights but also took action against the defendants for their egregious litigation misconduct."
The RIAA filed suit against Usenet.com, a worldwide communication system, in October 2007. Usenet.com was accused of encouraging customers to pay up to $19 a month by enticing them with copyrighted music.
Update: CNET has news of another copyright lawsuit. This time Music Copyright Solutions is going after Microsoft, Yahoo and RealNetworks.
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The suit appears to have been initiated by Music Copyright Solutions (MCS), which claims to administer copyrights for more than 45,000 compositions. MCS is named as the lead plaintiff, along with a number of songwriters including Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad fame. These folks allege that Microsoft, Yahoo, and RealNetworks improperly licensed the rights to more than 200 compositions that they offered as on-demand streams or limited downloads via the Zune Marketplace, Yahoo Music, and Rhapsody.
Surely these companies paid somebody for the rights to offer these songs. But there's a catch, which TechDirt pointed out earlier Tuesday: these companies may have licensed the rights to the recordings, but that doesn't mean they licensed the rights to the compositions (also known as publishing rights).
At least that's what our favorite Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter believes.
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In a new report from Wedbush Morgan Securities, industry analyst Michael Pachter explains that the current console hardware cycle should extend through at least 2013 with an increasing focus on digital downloads and other supplemental revenue streams.
The report, entitled "Money for Nothing, How Ancillary Revenues Can Extend The Console Cycle", predicts that the Nintendo Wii will be the dominant console by the end of the present hardware cycle, based primarily on its lower price and novel input method, the Wii remote. While the Xbox 360 is currently presumed to be in second place globally, the report suggests that by 2015 the PlayStation 3 could have displaced Microsoft's console on the strength of Blu-Ray's dominance in the high-definition media market.
Volition's destruction focused open-world game will receive three different bits of DLC with the first being revealed as "Demons of the Badlands". As speculation I would point towards a further exploration of the Marauders which played a very important but vaguely explained role in the game.
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Like Saints Row and Saints Row 2 before it, Red Faction Guerrilla will be receiving plenty of post-release support from developer Volition. A trio of DLC packs were announced for the explosive open-world shooter today, starting with a single-player expansion titled "Demons of the Badlands".
Aside from its planned $9.99 (800 Microsoft points) price tag and August 13 release date, not a whole lot was revealed about Red Faction Guerrilla's introductory piece of DLC. You can expect "Demons of the Badlands" to take place in a totally new area rather than repurposing existing locations from the campaign, however.
Battlefield Heroes will receive two free character costumes pulling iconic outfits from Michael Jackson's old closet. There had been some early confusion about the cost of the outfits.
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UPDATE: Despite appearing for pay on the “Battlefield Heroes” test servers, EA has reached out to inform us that the costumes will be free upon release. Rejoice!
ORIGINAL STORY: Looking to pay tribute to Michael Jackson’s passing? Well then you should probably pay MONEY to Electronic Arts.
“Battlefield Heroes” players will be able to pony up 420 Battlefunds (about $3 in real money) for each Michael Jackson-themed costume. The good guys have access to the white suit from the “Smooth Criminal” music video, while the bad guys get the black leather getup from “Bad.”
You may not have heard of Merchants of Brooklyn. It's a pretty nifty looking FPS built using Crytek technology. It's been on Steam for quite some time but was released to almost zero fanfare due to the fact that an alpha version of the game was uploaded. Well, it looks like the devs think they name might have been partly to blame also and have instead gone for the controversy-tastic 'Drug Wars'.
A patch for the game is now available on Steam which enables team deathmatch, alters maps and so forth. The title received some pretty abysmal reviews.
Full update details.
gamesindustry.biz is reporting that popular torrent downloading site The Pirate Bay has been sold for a whopping $7.8 Million.
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Global Gaming Factory X has acquired file-sharing site The Pirate Bay for SEK 60 million (USD 7.8 million).
Along with the purchase of file-sharing tech firm Peerialism, GGF intends to turn the website legitimate, offering compensation for copyright owners whose content is featured on the site.
"We would like to introduce models which entail that content providers and copyright owners get paid for content that is downloaded via the site," said Hans Pandeya, CEO of GGF
"The Pirate Bay is a site that is among the top 100 most visited internet sites in the world. However, in order to live on, The Pirate Bay requires a new business model, which satisfies the requirements and needs of all parties, content providers, broadband operators, end users, and the judiciary.
"Content creators and providers need to control their content and get paid for it. File-sharers need faster downloads and better quality," he added.
Epic Games sends along word that a second Gears of War novel will be hitting store shelves next month.
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Blockbuster video game franchise Gears of War burst onto the book scene last year with its first official novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss. ASPHO FIELDS — spanning the story between Gears of War and Gears of War 2 — was an instant bestseller. Now the sequel, GEARS OF WAR: JACINTO’S REMNANT (Del Rey Trade Paperback, on sale July 28, 2009, $15.00) picks up from the harrowing end of the second game and follows humanity’s struggle to survive after the destruction of its last bastion on the planet Sera.
After a brutal fifteen-year war for survival, the Coalition of Ordered Governments is forced to destroy Jacinto – mankind’s last city – in a final bid to stop the Locust Horde. As the survivors flee, they're caught between the last of the Locust, bent on vengeance, and a primitive struggle to stay alive in an icy wilderness. It’s up to Marcus Fenix, Dom Santiago, and their fellow Gears to fight to get Jacinto’s refugees to a safe haven. But what they find is a new world; lawless, treacherous, with an all too familiar enemy – humans, as desperate and dangerous as any Locust grub.
“Karen Traviss has outdone herself once again,” said Rod Fergusson, executive producer, Epic Games. "JACINTO'S REMNANT not only answers the question of what happens after the events of Gears 2, it also provides greater insight into the Gears of War universe and a deeper understanding of its characters. We hope players of the games and discerning readers alike will enjoy this ongoing tale of humanity's fight for survival."
GEARS OF WAR: JACINTO’S REMNANT was written in partnership with Epic Games, Inc., developers of the 11 million-selling Gears of War video game franchise. GEARS OF WAR: JACINTO’S REMNANT will be released day and date with the latest Game Add-on for Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360). Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection includes all previously released downloadable content for the game to date in addition to Dark Corners, a substantial Add-on featuring seven new multiplayer maps and the new Road to Ruin campaign chapter. In total, the All Fronts Collection contains nineteen maps and a new campaign experience, available for 1600 Microsoft points on Xbox LIVE starting at 12:00 a.m. GMT on July 28. For more information, visit www.gearsofwar.com.
Karen Traviss is the author of four Star Wars: Republic Commando novels: Hard Contact, Triple Zero, True Colors, and Order 66; three Star Wars: Legacy of the Force novels: Bloodlines, Revelation, and Sacrifice; two Star Wars: The Clone Wars novels: The Clone Wars movie novelization and No Prisoners; as well as City of Pearl, Crossing the Line, The World Before, Matriarch, and Judge. A former defense correspondent and TV and newspaper journalist, Traviss lives in Wiltshire, England.
Blizzard has issued a statement blaming software piracy for the recent decision to cut LAN gameplay from Starcraft II. (Story)
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We don’t currently plan to support LAN play with StarCraft II, as we are building Battle.net to be the ideal destination for multiplayer gaming with StarCraft II and future Blizzard Entertainment games. While this was a difficult decision for us, we felt that moving away from LAN play and directing players to our upgraded Battle.net service was the best option to ensure a quality multiplayer experience with StarCraft II and safeguard against piracy.
Several Battle.net features like advanced communication options, achievements, stat-tracking, and more, require players to be connected to the service, so we’re encouraging everyone to use Battle.net as much as possible to get the most out of StarCraft II. We’re looking forward to sharing more details about Battle.net and online functionality for StarCraft II in the near future.
Showing up today, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a force to be reckoned with while the multiplayer beta for Uncharted 2 and the iPhone's Star Defense shine on.
While backwards compatibility has been out of the PlayStation 3 for a long time, there are a bunch of folks that would like to see it back in the system (myself included). Siliconera (by way of Ars) as unveiled a patent that outlines "Emotion Engine Emulation Technology For Cell Processors." Could this be signaling the return of the much sought after feature?
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PlayStation 3s without PS2 backwards compatibility are missing the Emotion Engine, a chip Sony designed as the PS2’s CPU. What if the PS3’s cell processor could emulate the Emotion Engine? Theoretically, all PlayStation 3s would be able to play PS2 games even if a console didn’t have the proper hardware. According to a recent patent filed by Sony Computer Entertainment in the US, Sony has the code and technology ready to do this.
[Thanks Ruumis]
Update: It has been pointed out that Emotion Engine emulation has been done before, but the Graphics Synthesizer (GS) has not.
This is a long title but a very interesting post by Dr. Karl Kapp, a teacher and author who understands that gaming does not make people do bad things. He was doing a radio program about the benefits of gaming for education when a parent called up and said that sports are better for kids than games. Being tired of this argument, he did some research on why this is not always true and states what the benefits of gaming are.
On the show one of the callers accused me of just pointing out the positive aspects of video games and ignoring the negative aspects and then he went on to explain why organized kids sports were so much better at teaching kids life skills like, teamwork, cooperation, sportsmanship, over coming adversity, etc. Then he contended that video games can't teach ethics, empathy or other important skills. The implication is that kids learn far more positive lessons in organized kids sports than playing video games.
This is a common argument and seems to have merit on the surface but it has always bothered me. Do sports always teach these laudable values? Are organized kids sports "perfect" teachers of morals and teamwork while video games are "evil."
To determine if this is right, I did some research to find out just what kids learn playing organized sports.
Dr. Kapp has long been a proponent of games (as his book Gadget, Games, and Gizmos will attest). The next time someone claims that games are bad - have them read What Sports Teach Our Kids.
'The Boy Who Lived' has started his sixth year at Hogwarts Academy for Witchcraft and Wizardry, and such Electronic Arts has brought this latest endevor to the small screen on every current platform.
Are you harder than hardcore? Word on the official Criterion Games blog is that an exclusive Diamond P12 car is available in Burnout Paradise for gamers who complete all 500 freeburn challenges.
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In the Big Surf Island Pack there are 9 cars for you to win, however not much is being said about the elusive 9th Car... so let's talk a bit about the Diamond P12!
That's right, everyone's Stunt Run favourite is back in this exclusive Diamond Edition.
Forget Gold and Platinum, the elite of the elite drivers are members of the Diamond Club. Don't believe me? Just ask Lord Noob.
So how do I get this awesome piece of vehicular bling?
Well, if you want to be the best and you want to beat the rest?
Dedication, dedication is what you need.
The Diamond P12 is awarded for completing all 500 of the Online Freeburn Challenges. That includes every challenge in the original Burnout Paradise, every new Timed and Freeburn challenge in the Cagney and Bikes Packs as well as the 10 new Freeburn Challenges released with Big Surf Island.
Have you got what it takes to be a Diamond Club member? Flash the bling in the ultimate stunt car. The Diamond P12 - Making Platinum look dull.
Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in.
Speaking with the Seattle Times, Bungie President Harold Ryan let slip that Halo: Reach may work with Microsoft's next Xbox 360, ie, Project Natal.
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Microsoft continues to distribute Bungie games, and the studio so far has chosen to make games exclusively for the Xbox platform.
Bungie also received an early look at the "Project Natal" motion-sensing controller Microsoft is developing for the Xbox. Studio President Harold Ryan said he's enthusiastic about the device and it could be used in "Reach," another version of "Halo" expected in the fall of 2010. "I absolutely think 'Reach' could be enabled with it," he said.
I honestly think Microsoft is just stupid enough (or genius enough) to require the Natal for Halo: Reach.
Media Molecule has posted word that a new Sacktue of Liberty costume will be available for your Sackboy on July 2nd.
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Last week we celebrated the Summer Solstice with the release of the Druid costume available for free, which we’re pleased to see many of you enjoyed.
To continue the celebrations, we’re marking this years Independence Day by releasing a Sacktue of Liberty costume, available once more for free!
Featuring the iconic crown and robe from the Statue of Liberty, the costume also includes the famous torch of enlightenment, complete with glowing flames of fabric.
My kids LOVE playing all the community levels and dressing up their little character. The boy likes the Killzone Hellgast soldier and the girl favors the space suit.
InformationWeek is reporting that trading virtual goods for real money has been banned in China.
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"The virtual currency, which is converted into real money at a certain exchange rate, will only be allowed to trade in virtual goods and services provided by its issuer, not real goods and services," the Ministries said.
The Chinese government estimates that trade in virtual currency exceeded several billion yuan last year, a figure that it claims has been growing at a rate of 20% annually. One billion yuan is currently equal to about $146 million.
The ruling is likely to affect many of the more than 300 million Internet users in China, as well as those in other countries involved in virtual currency trading. In the context of online role playing games like World of Warcraft, virtual currency trading is often called gold farming.
The most popular form of virtual currency in China is called "QQ coins," a form of virtual credit issued by Tencent.com.
In an interview with Ultimania (via Kotaku), creative director of the Kingdom Hearts series, Tetsuya Nomura revealed that Kingdom Hearts 3 is not yet being worked upon.
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According to Nomura, people have recently been asking him what he is planning for KH3. "KH3. Even though I'm currently busy with Final Fantasy versus XIII, I'm also thinking that it's almost time to start thinking about it seriously," he adds. "Though it's entirely possible that the next game in the series won't be KH3."
With the longer development times required for AAA products on HD consoles, can we even expect this to come out this generation?
