Download the demo to Forza Motorsport 2, the sequel to Microsoft Game Studios' award-winning, fully-customizable driving simulator Forza Motorsport. Buckle up for authentic simulation physics, bone-jarring damage, and photo-realistic graphics, as well as licensed tuning and customization options.Loaded with over 300 of the world's hottest cars for you to collect, personalize, and race, Forza Motorsport 2 gives you the complete racing experience.
It comes in at 691 megs and is available in all major regions.
GameSpy: So did you always plan to have a subscription model, or is this a response to the popularity of modern MMOs?
Bill Roper: We always knew. We might not have had every specific element planned out, but we knew from day one that we'd be doing continual content. I think the challenge for us is we knew we wanted to do both things. We knew we wanted a way to support doing continual content, and it was also equally important for us to have a way for players to play for free, because there was that expectation. How people say, "Well, you're the Diablo guys, so it's free, right?" So yes, we needed to do that. But at the same time, even at Blizzard, we couldn't just crank out continuing content and have the whole team on that without some way of sustaining it. We had to find a way to do both of those that people find exciting, and also be manageable and reasonable from a cost standpoint. That's what took us two years to figure out. But absolutely, the goal and intention was there from day one.
Still not convinced? Then check out his open letter to the community:
Gamers also want choices, and we have so many great ideas for Hellgate: London, and the concept is so extendable, that we know we can keep adding to this game for a long time. We want to continue moving Hellgate: London forward in some really exciting directions, and to support ongoing development we've created a subscription service to give players access to new content as we go along. This commitment to our gamers was also a part of our plans for Hellgate: London from the very beginning.
In short, what subscribers are getting is new content - not simply "better" things. Another way of thinking of this would be that we're delivering smaller expansions over time rather than having players wait a year or more before they finally get something new.
Demo should be live tonight on Marketplace at 2AM EST. That's what we've been told. If it's not there at exactly 2AM, please do not shoot the messenger or bring your vitriol here to the forums.
People talk about story in games as though it's a separate element, as if it's something that can be fixed by hiring a writer on the staff early on. I agree that having more writing talent in the industry will help developers churn out more meaningful products. But story isn't a feature that games either have or don't, like real-time physics or colored lighting. Using games to tell stories means discovering a whole new language for creating emotions.
If you look at the techniques listed on the previous pages, some of them are closely tied to old media. For example, pre-scripted stories told through cutscenes don't vary that much from television episodes or movies, and games that use these techniques benefit greatly by bringing in writers from other industries.
But some of the most powerful techniques represent relatively unexplored territory. Story-creation games are still shallow but glimmer with promise. Multiplayer storytelling opportunities are unique to this medium -- can they ever be as rich or fulfilling as a well-written novel? The industry has the tools to find out, and we can all motivate developers by supporting the products that reach out into these new spaces.
Once everyone is settled, the event begins. After a brief introduction the series' writers are introduced: Tim Long, Matt Selman and Matt Warburton take the stage. They talk for a few minutes about the experience of writing the original script for the game, close to an hour of original cinematics, and 8,000 lines of dialogue define the game as an extension of the show itself.
After the writers fisnish talking, the demo begins. We see the first glimpse of the game. A level entitled, "Around the World in 80 Bites," showcases Homer as he runs through the Duff Brewery, eating everything from tacos to Chinese takeout. As never before, the game looks like just the show, bringing familiar characters like Barney Gumble and The Bumblebee Man to life.
As the demo concludes, Matt Groening enters the room and speaks enthusiastically about the game alongside the writers. He tells the press about the unique experience of playing an original season of the Simpsons, and the writers speak about the title as a rebirth of Simpsons as an interactive experience. Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart, shows up as well to show her support.
Microsoft Game Studios today announced that the eagerly awaited and innovative first-person shooter (FPS) Shadowrun has gone gold and will begin hitting retailers throughout North America on May 29.
From renowned developer FASA Studio, the team that brought you the Xbox LIVE launch title MechAssault., and the lead designer behind the original Halo, Shadowrun incorporates ancient magic and advanced technology into strategic and clever teambased gameplay for an unparalled combat experience.
Utilizing both the Xbox LIVE and Games For Windows LIVE network, Shadowrun tears down the walls between friends and gamer communities on the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista-based PC by letting as many as 16 gamers play together, regardless of platform*. Not only does Shadowrun bring these communities together, it also extends the features gamers love on Xbox LIVE, such as gamertags, achievements, friends lists and integrated voice communication, onto the PC through Games for Windows LIVE. Shadowrun is optimized for a multiplayer online experience which requires an Xbox LIVE Gold account on Xbox 360 or Silver account on Games for Windows LIVE.
Shadowrun will ship with nine unique maps and an additional three map variations, showcasing dynamic environments set in a futuristic Santos, Brazil, and its neighboring, ancient Ziggurat. Shadowrun includes six training chapters, allowing gamers the opportunity to fine-tune their strategy and lethal combinations against the intuitively smart and talented A.I. bots. Gamers can also play with bots at four levels of difficulty on every map and with every game type.
After a 5,000-year absence, magic has returned to the world of Shadowrun. It is 2031 and global corporations battle a relentless ancient order to harness this reawakened power. Be a part of the RNA, a global mega-corporation, and bring order (and profit) to a world of chaos. Or join the Lineage to keep magic wild and free at all costs. Choose a side and wage war for the future of magic in the new world of Shadowrun. Players vie for supremacy in an intense FPS experience, in the Shadowrun universe, that rewards cleverness, cunning and split-second improvisation through a unique combination of modern weapons, ancient magic and advanced technology.
Humans, elves, dwarves and trolls, can pick up Shadowrun for the estimated retail price of $59.99 for Xbox 360 and $49.99 for Windows Vista. Shadowrun is rated M for Mature, for gamers 17 years old and above.
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.
Set on the battlefields of World War III, Tom Clancy's EndWar will push the standards of technology, showcasing artificial intelligence, graphics, physics and animations that were not possible prior to the launch of the new hardware systems. Tom Clancy's EndWar has been built from the ground up as a revolutionary war strategy game solely for next-generation consoles.
"Our development teams are invigorated to be creating the first 100 percent next-generation Tom Clancy brand," said Serge Hascoët, chief creative officer at Ubisoft. "Our success with Tom Clancy franchises is unparalleled in the next-generation and Tom Clancy's EndWar will be a marvelous addition to the already critically acclaimed library of games. A strategy game like no other, EndWar will allow gamers to lead their own armies against hundreds of others online in real global locations on the massive battlefields of World War III."
Ubisoft's Tom Clancy video games are consistently among the best-selling and most critically-acclaimed video game series in the industry. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon games have collectively sold more than 45 million units worldwide to date. In 2006, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas was named Best First Person Action Game of the Year by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter took home the Best Video Game of the Year award from the prestigious BAFTA awards.
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May '07 Dash Update on Live!02:09 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Consoles: Xbox 360
(9 comments)
Major Nelson brings word that the May '07 360 Dash update is now available on Xbox Live! Its another one of those "rolling" updates, so don't freak out if you don't download it the second you login. Some highlights include: Windows messenger, new achievement pop-up, new marketplace blade (or as we call them, tabs), a better friends list, some power saving stuff and oh-so much more.
In Other News...12:28 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- In-House: In Other News...
(37 comments)
I managed to get a nice tan yesterday out by the pool. Shocking, I know! I have some family from the great white north in town this week, so I figured I'd nip the "why don't you have a tan in Arizona" questions right in the bud. It's that, or tell them I'm a vampire. Either way, it does feel nice in a glowy, radioactive kinda way...
Today's question:
What was the last game you actually pre-ordered?
I can't remember the last boxed game I pre-ordered, although I do pre-load stuff on Steam and D2D.
(13 comments)
