The Hellgate Has Opened
Collector's Edition Looted
Unreal Tournament 3 Golden
In Stores Nov. 19th
Crysis Gone Gold
In Stores Nov. 16th
Crysis DX10 Detail Comparison
Merged for her pleasure
BlackSite: Area 51 gives gamers a chance to direct their living, breathing squad mates with a context-sensitive "One-Button Squad Command" control. Destructible environments can be reduced to rubble, creating interactive cover points that can be blown away with enough firepower.Blacksite: Area 51 is set to ship to stores Nov. 12 for Xbox 360 and PC, with a PlayStation 3 version expected in time for the holidays.
Gamers can still download the BlackSite teaser demo on Xbox LIVE Marketplace to take to the streets in Rachel, NV, controlling their squad and blasting through fully-realistic and interactive environments using the latest in military weaponry. Another demo for Xbox Live is scheduled to be released soon, and a PS3 demo will be released later this year.
Packaged alongside the entertaining gameplay is an impressive feature set, particularly the option for online co-operative play. To make full use of it, however, you'll need a Live gold account, which costs money. Though Gears is entertaining, we can't say it's worth signing up for yet another service when so many other titles out there offer full access to their online features with no additional cost. If you sign up for a Live Silver account, which is free, you can still play in non-ranked multiplayer games, though your experience is feature-limited. Assuming you already have an account, don't care about the additional cost, or are content with having limited access to the online functions, then there's plenty here to enjoy. You get five multiplayer modes and 19 maps, which should provide for lots of entertainment.
Not good. Not good at all.
Players choose between eight unique fighters, each with their own combat style and agendas, as they travel the globe in a series of visceral urban battlefields. In addition to a variety of single-player scenarios, The Club boasts an array of multiplayer options to satisfy even the most discerning action aficionado.
Turok, the epic, sci-fi first person shooter, will be released in spring 2008 for Windows PC, Touchstone announced today. Touchstone previously announced that Turok, one of next year’s most anticipated games, will be available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. Developed by Propaganda Games, Turok for consoles will be available at retail stores on February 8th, 2008.“First person shooters have a rich history on the Windows PC platform and are known for having enthusiastic, dedicated fans,” said Josh Holmes, vice president and general manager, Propaganda Games. “Turok will be an unforgettable experience ideal for the Windows PC platform when it becomes available in 2008.”
Turok is an epic, story-driven first-person shooter set on a dark, mysterious planet in the future. Players take on the role of Joseph Turok, a former black ops commando, now part of an elite special forces squad, known as Whiskey Company, which is on a mission to take down a war criminal – Turok’s former mentor, Roland Kane. Set on a planet inhabited by Kane and his Mendel-Gruman Corporation soldiers, Turok must use his elite military training to elude Kane’s well-trained army and the ravenous, unpredictable dinosaurs, huge insects and other massive creatures that populate the environment.
Brought to Windows PC by Aspyr Studios, Turok will feature an engaging, story-driven single player experience and multiplayer modes for up to 16 players per game.
View trailers from the console builds here.
NCsoft Europe, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, announced today that Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa, a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game for the PC where players are thrust into an exciting intergalactic struggle, has launched its commercial service in Europe and North America.“Now the fun begins! I can’t wait to join thousands of other players in this exciting galactic war,” said Richard Garriott, the game’s executive producer. “It is time for us to release Tabula Rasa to the players. I am eager to see player reaction to the game, and am ready to build on what we’ve started here. We’ve got plans for new features and expansions for the foreseeable future and I’m hoping the players will enjoy the game and get excited about what’s in store for them next!”
Tabula Rasa, one of the most anticipated PC titles of the year, is the vision of gaming legend Richard Garriott. The game combines a rich game world and deep storyline with military combat and fast paced action. Set in a near-future science fiction backdrop, players must fight to save humanity against hostile alien enemies trying to gain control of the universe.
The game introduces several innovative elements to massively multiplayer online games, including a Character Cloning System™ that allows players to explore different character classes without having to create a new character, and dynamic battlefields where players feel the frenetic action of combat in an ongoing war.
“We are all very excited about the addition of Tabula Rasa to our catalog of games,” stated Geoff Heath, CEO of NCsoft’s European operation. “One of NCsoft’s goals is to provide different types of online gaming products – both within the ‘proven’ fantasy genre and outside the genre, as well. This game is truly unique; we hope that Tabula Rasa’s science fiction background and military combat action proves to be enjoyable to many types of gamers.”
The standard edition box of Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa will be available at major retailers at an expected retail price of £29.99 / €44.99 and at the PlayNC store. Customers will be able to purchase the recently announced Limited Collector’s Edition box from major retailers at an expected retail price of £49.99 / €69.99. Both products include the first month of online game play. After the first month, players will be charged a monthly subscription fee of £8.99 / €12.99. The game is rated 16+ by PEGI.
Dead in 12 months?
MCV can exclusively reveal that this ‘compact’ PS2 will hit the US at just $99 in the New Year – a reduction of $30 from its current selling price of $129.The new version has a built-in power supply for the first time in the console’s history – allowing the platform holder to manufacture it more economically and sell it at the bargain price.
The towering, ominous Utgarde Keep is a sight impossible to miss for players arriving in Howling Fjord, and likely the first dungeon experienced in Northrend. The design process behind Utgarde Keep, and the other dungeons of Wrath of the Lich King, has evolved from years of experience developing for World of Warcraft. In this article, the World of Warcraft design team explores the goals and overall philosophies at the foundations of the five-person dungeons of Northrend, and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Utgarde Keep itself.
Graphically, the PC version looked really sharp, as one might expect. Though they weren't right next to each other, we were honestly surprised at how pretty the PS3 version was, not to mention how well it was running. The game was silky smooth on Sony's console, though granted it was only running an eight player Deathmatch on a LAN. But still, it certainly looked impressive. As far as controls go, well, do we really need to start a PC versus console debate? PC controls for UT are more precise, end of story. Hopefully that doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. That being said, the game seemed to control well enough during our brief time with the PS3 version, though we didn't like the radial menu that pops up to switch weapons. Of course it's very difficult to replicate the effectiveness of the keyboard's 0 - 9 key quick-switching, so we suppose the radial menu would serve it's purpose, it's just awkward to use after a session with the PC version.Some highly posed new screenshots included.
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Today's question:
How interested are you in Call of Duty 4?
In 2005, when Mythic signed the licensing agreement for Warhammer, I promised Games Workshop that we would create a great and glorious game. When Electronic Arts acquired us a year later, I told them the same thing. Now, a year after that acquisition, nothing has changed: we still intend to deliver the next great MMORPG. As many of you may have heard, we have extended WAR’s development cycle until the 2nd quarter of 2008. The reason is simple; we will not release Warhammer Online until it is the game we set out to create two years ago.Our goals for Warhammer Online are not easily met. The game includes many new and innovative ideas, a feature set that is going to blow players away, and, most importantly, the best RvR system in MMORPG gaming. These things take time to implement and test properly. During the last phase of beta testing, we received valuable feedback from our testers that will help make these features even better. When we looked at our options, two paths lay before us: 1) Ship the game on time with fewer features and less polish, or 2) Extend the development cycle and spend the needed time and money to make WAR great. We chose the latter path - to invest additional time and effort in implementation and polish to make WAR great. Fortunately, we have the resources and support of EA behind us to extend our development cycle; time that will be used to make sure the game is everything we want it to be. WAR is coming, and it will be glorious.
One of the “popular” topics of discussion regarding EA Mythic this past week has been the subject of layoffs within the studio. While we did let several people go from the Warhammer Online team, the number was *quite* small and their loss had no impact on our development schedule. These layoffs were part of our normal studio operations and a necessary step for EA Mythic to ensure that we have a focused and committed team working on WAR going forward.
On the Beta front, we will begin a new phase of testing in December, and we look forward to getting even more people involved in WAR by the end of the year. We are approaching a half a million registrants, and, to my knowledge, this could be the most signups ever for a Western MMORPG beta. I am very proud of this as it is a testament to the strength of the community, the popularity of the Warhammer license, and the outstanding work the team at EA Mythic is doing on the game. When we open the beta in Asia, we expect the numbers to continue to climb as we’d like to see one million players signed up to test the game. At that point, we will be well on our way to bringing about the second part of the double entendre of our motto as WAR really will be everywhere.
Over the next few months in Beta, our players will find all-new content to experience, careers to play and cities to siege. Our Capital City team continues to push the envelope by creating the next generation of living cities in MMORPGs and Altdorf is simply breathtaking. New Community systems will be in place and we look forward to getting many existing guilds into the beta to try them out.
In addition, we’ll be making changes to the RvR (open field RvR FTW!) and Server Rule Set Systems. These changes bring WAR a step closer to fulfilling the promise that “War is Everywhere” while ensuring a great play experience for those that do not choose to engage in RvR 24x7. This is another example of how EA Mythic talks to the community, listens to what they have to say, and takes action. We will continue this process over the next three quarters as we continue to develop, expand and improve WAR.
As I often quote from movies, one line particularly leaps to mind right now: “Creation is an act of sheer will,” said John Hammond in Jurassic Park. Unlike his creation in that film, however, what EA Mythic creates will be great and glorious, and nobody will get eaten by giant reptiles. That is, until we bring Lustria to life and then all bets are off.
As always, we thank you for your patronage, support and interest.
Mark Jacobs
Orcs & Elves is a deep fantasy RPG from id Software and Fountainhead Entertainment, which has been enhanced from the award-winning original to take full advantage of the Nintendo DS. The game features a new 3D engine, full 3D sound, more levels, new monsters, and much more. Players can utilize the DS touch screen to cast spells, move and attack enemies, make use of magic potions, enchanted rings, and armor, and bargain for goods as they explore a massive Dwarven kingdom riddled with ancient treasures and fierce enemies."Orcs & Elves is an addictive, dungeon-crawling, hack-n-slash RPG that will keep players glued to the DS for hours," said Katherine Anna Kang, founder and president of Fountainhead Entertainment. “We're committed to bringing fun packed games to the DS and Orcs & Elves is definitely a great start."
Also online is a map 'making of' movie, a Warpig soundtrack sampler, and a Coup soundtrack sampler.
How does a massively multiplayer version of The Elder Scrolls strike you?
In a conference call following Electronic Arts' second-quarter earnings report, executives revealed that one of its major games has been delayed yet again. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, the tabletop-inspired massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is now expected in the first half of EA's 2009 fiscal year, which begins on April 1, 2008. The game was previously slated for a March 2008 release, and now could come as late as September of that year.The delay comes just one week after a leaked e-mail from Warhammer Online developer EA Mythic revealed that EA was planning a company-wide restructuring. Today, EA CEO John Riccitiello confirmed that his organization was pondering staff cuts, but emphasized that EA Mythic was not being closed, as had been rumored. In fact, the studio isn't being downsized at all--instead, it's being expanded.
In other WAR news, GameSpot greased up a Q&A; with MJ.
Electronic Arts has announced its quarterly results, with sales led by 4.5 million copies of Madden, but revenue down by 18% to $640 million - it slipped to a $22 million loss from a $195 million profit due to accounting charges, also announcing job cuts and the shutting of the Chertsey, UK studio.Other cost cutting measures include replacing its development teams with DeVry freshman.“Our strategic priorities on quality, innovation and managing cost are showing progress,” said John Riccitiello, Chief Executive Officer. “Highly accessible new properties like Skate and MySims have broken through with consumers and EA Sports continues to deliver great experiences on every platform. We’ve also announced a restructuring as part of a plan to better align cost with revenues.”
Oh, just kidding.
Multiple edits were made to revise Manhunt 2 for its M-rated version.Hackers apparently have altered one of those edits to produce an illegally modified version of the game that can only be played on an unauthorized, modified PlayStation Portable handheld system.
All of the game material, and especially these specific edits, was submitted to and reviewed by the ESRB in accordance with requirements regarding disclosure that were enacted two years ago and any contrary suggestion is inaccurate and irresponsible.
Take-Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick said, “I stand behind the game and the ESRB ratings process. It is unfortunately the case that no one in the entertainment software industry is immune from hacking. We hope that consumers will not engage in hacking or download illegally modified copies of our games. We encourage them to enjoy our games as they are meant to be played. We would also like to emphasize that Manhunt 2 is intended for an audience aged 17 and above.”
Are RockStar and Take Two in more hot...water?
FileFront GamersHell WorthPlaying
The 26mb update improves performance, squashes bugs, and takes care of some multiplayer issues.
Ten more pics from different angles are available.
I was asked about “Assassin’s Creed” and I’ve got bad news: the book isn’t going to be published. No, there was nothing wrong with it: Marco Palmieri at Pocket Books was perfectly happy with it. But it seems that the video company got visits from descendants of the ORIGINAL ASSASSINS, members of the Ismaeli sect currently led by the Agha Khan in India. They…suggested that Ubisoft, the game company, show more respect for their ancestors, and Ubisoft went all pitter-patter. Next thing we knew, they wanted to remove all religious references from the book. I guess the Crusades were about shoe size or something. Then they hired an expert to vet the book. Curious that they hadn’t thought about that before, eh? And finally, they wanted to send the book to the Agha Khan’s people for their suggestions. By this time, Marco was thoroughly disenchanted. The book was turning into puree of bat shit, and I was no longer amused. The whole three-book project died.Thanks, Firing Squad.Wow. Strange. Still got paid for the first one, though…
Enjoy!
Unleashing the wondrously evil Overlord and his army of lethal minions for a fresh round of malicious mayhem, Codemasters today announced the forthcoming release of three downloadable content packs for Overlord, the summer’s hit action adventure from Triumph Studios.The all-new content will be available this November from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and comprise of one free and two premium download packs.
The premium downloadable content is led by Overlord: Raising Hell, an expansion pack that adds all-new single-player levels to the original game. An additional premium pack, the Overlord: Challenge Pack will deliver a set of all-new online multiplayer maps. Microsoft Points pricing for the two premium content packs will be confirmed at launch. A further downloadable content update will also be available free of charge. This will add split-screen play to all the original game’s multiplayer maps and introduce an all-new multiplayer Survival map.
Premium and Free Downloadable Content Details:
OVERLORD: RAISING HELL - Premium Downloadable content
Prepare to go deeper into the Overlord’s twisted world as this single-player expansion pack opens a series of hellish new levels. Complete with new enemies and objectives, each new level is a supernatural abyss – a hell for each of the game’s five kingdoms: Mellow Hills, Evernight, Heaven’s Peak, the Golden Halls and the Ruborian Desert.Access to each abyss is via a portal, which opens once a kingdom has been successfully conquered and the previous ruler banished to a personal hell within. However it’s not just the fallen heroes that have been dragged into the abyss: the Overlord’s newly loyal peasants have also been taken down into hell too.
With the undead denizens of each abyss on the attack and threatening the Overlord’s reign above ground, there’s only one thing for it: assemble your minion army, descend into each abyss and embark on a fresh wave of tyranny in order to return the serfs to their homelands, defeat the fallen heroes once and for all, and claim the throne of each kingdom’s underworld.
OVERLORD: CHALLENGE PACK - Premium Downloadable content.
This additional premium download content pack is ideal for Overlords who really have something to prove. There’s pillaging fun with seven new online multiplayer maps, including the competitive ‘Capture the Maiden’ map and ‘Protect Your Power’, where players must defend the Overlord’s tower against waves of enemy attack.Putting minions through their toughest workout, the Challenge pack also introduces a “Legendary” difficulty mode, which challenges players to achieve Legendary status by using their most aggressive minion managing skills to complete the game under exceptional bad-ass circumstances.
OVERLORD: SPLIT-SCREEN MULTIPLAYER PACK - Free Downloadable Content.
The free update will be available alongside the premium packs and will enable players to go head to head in an all-new split screen multiplayer mode. In addition to providing split screen play on all of the game’s original multiplayer maps, the update will also introduce a new multiplayer map, Rocky Race, which sees a pair of Overlords working cooperatively to survive the onslaught of an arch rock giant on the rampage.All three content packs are set to be available this November from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360, with Microsoft Point pricing to be announced. All three packs require players to have a full copy of Overlord for Xbox 360 in order to experience the additional content.
Additionally, a Sierra representative let slip to us that the demo will contain single-player World Domination action in the Future epoch and skirmish battles versus CPU personalities.
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Hellgate: London Pre-Ship View
Ranked among the year's most eagerly awaited releases, Flagship's action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic near future - Includes four exclusive 1680x1050 screenshots
Hellgate: London Media #4
A dark passageway in Flagship's game holds a monster called a Blade Husk that won't be hidden from view for long - An exclusive 1280x720 screenshot
Today's question:
How interested are you in the PC version of Gears of War?
Rumor has it that the game is coming out next week!