Apocalypso's Atomic Arcade: 3/28/10

2010/04/07

Digital Distribution Video Game Deals: Mass Effect 2, Cryostasis, Dead Space

I was a busy person [didn’t want to say bee] this past weekend. As you’ve probably guessed by now, I am an affiliate, or associate, with Amazon and Direct2Drive. Well, I’ve now signed up with GamersGate, too.

This likely means that I’m going to start changing the format of my posts like the weekly releases posts, and the video game deals posts to include all the outlets in them.

This week on Digital Deals, there’s some big ones, with Mass Effect 2 getting a little bit of a price drop. The Saboteur, Dead Space, Crysis Warhead, and Cryostasis as well as numerous games on D2D have price reductions.

GamersGate goes retro with some deals on Jagged Alliance 2 Gold and Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge [formerly known at one point as Jagged Alliance 3D].

Direct2Drive

Deals

Joint Operations Combined Arms is $7.50 until Friday, the 9th of April.

Crysis Warhead, the standalone expansion for Crysis, is at $19.95.

Dead Space, considered one of the best games of 2008 - $19.95

Saboteur - $29.95

Mass Effect 2 is $15 off, at $49.95 until Sunday.

Cryostasis is 75% Off, at $12.95.

Guild Wars Prophecies is now $19.95 [was $29.95 - $10 off].

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition is now $29.95 [was $39.95 - $10 off]

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes is now $19.95 [was $29.95 - $10 off]

New Releases

Mount & Blade: Warband

Silmarils Collection just $14.95

GamersGate

Deals

Hired Guns The Jagged Edge: $12.49

: $9.97

Bob Came in Pieces at 40% off on PC, at $9.95.

Bob Came in Pieces Mac at 40% off on Mac, at $9.95.

Massive Assault: 19.99

Massive Assault: Phantom Renaissance: $12.95

Massive Assault Network 2: $27.95

New Releases

Ultimate Monster Trucks

Mount & Blade Warband

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat (Loyalty Edition)

Woodcutter Simulator

Alien Dominion: The Acronian Encounter

Krypton EGG

Plain Sight

----

Sources: Direct2Drive - GamersGate

George Broussard Comments on 2010 “Official” DNF Trailer

He’s very cross

Another video clip of collected Duke Nukem Forever footage that was uploaded last year and came to our attention is purported by some to be “official”. This has created waves on the internet, and seems to have irked George Broussard of 3D Realms – the man behind the Duke.

“FYI gaming press. That "new" DNF trailer that's going around is not official. Someone used leaked footage from portfolio sites and cut their own trailer with official logos and it's fooling people. Not legit. Most of that voice in the trailer was done by whoever made the trailer. It's not Jon St. John.”

I’ve seen the trailer myself and I noticed right away. It’s not the Duke’s voice. And people are trying to fool others into thinking it’s official, even calling it an official release trailer. He also denied this when asked on Formspring:

“No. That second trailer is not official and is a low quality fan made trailer created out of some leaked footage a "fan" grabbed from a level designer portfolio site. The music and voice was all added by the video creator.”

So there you go. But I have to admit, besides the cr@ppy voice acting and sound, it was good seeing some new footage of the game. Some parts, like the one at the beginning with the gambling scene, reminded me of a scene from the E3 2001 where Duke was fiddling with a vending machine.

----
Sources: Twitter - Formspring

2010/04/06

Subscription Deals for Gaming Magazines

There’s a promotion for magazines on Amazon at the moment, which includes gaming magazines.

Basically you get 2 years for the price of 1. The deal is valid right the way through April 2010.

PCGamer

Official Xbox Magazine with Cover DVD - $24.95
PlayStation: The Official Magazine - $18.00
Nintendo Power - $19.95
PC Gamer - $19.95

Maximum PC - $14.95

Other Eligible Magazines at Amazon

Magazines: http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=599858&tag=apocalypso-20
2 For 1: http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=2276987011&tag=apoclapyso-20

----

Sources: Amazon – CAG [Cheap Ass Gamer]

More Duke Nukem Forever Footage: Leaked Video

Duke Nukem Forever has made some what of another comeback when it comes to news this month. Firstly we all discovered lately that George Broussard was on Formspring answering questions and so on, but he’s reluctant to speak on DNF.

Then on Twitter, it was said that April 1st was supposed to be the day that DNF went to gold master, and began its road to an eventual release this year, if Take-Two hadn’t messed it all up.

Now something that’s been online since December 2009 which nobody had discovered until now, has surfaced. It’s yet another video clip showing off some leaked footage of DNF.

Some of this has been seen before, and the rest hasn’t.

Some have tried to pass this off as an official trailer, but George Broussard was asked on Formspring if it was, and he replied thusly:

“No. That second trailer is not official and is a low quality fan made trailer created out of some leaked footage a "fan" grabbed from a level designer portfolio site. The music and voice was all added by the video creator.”

Too right. The Duke impression wasn’t too good. It certainly wasn’t Jon St. John, for sure. And the guns sounded pretty weak. But the video is entertaining nonetheless.

Duke Nukem Forever Leaked Footage

----

Source: Shacknews

Ninja Warrior now on iPhone

Oh, Ninja Warrior is such a scream to watch. It’s something that I happened to glance at on Animax one day, and I’ve been hooked ever since. And that led to me watching a whole host of other Japanese game shows of a similar sort – like Unbeatable Banzuke and Takeshi’s Castle.

I always thought it would make a good idea for a game, but the closest to it I’ve ever played was likely Mirror’s Edge. And that is said to be coming to the iPhone as a game as well.

Well now I was reading that Ninja Warrior, otherwise known as Sasuke in Japan, has been made into an iPhone game. Digital9, a developer of mobile games, did the honours. The game is called Sasuke Challenger, and it has worldwide leaderboards as well as English menus. Not sure if it has any of the Japanese commentary that accompanies the Japanese version of the show. Probably not. I couldn’t hear much because of the music playing.

There’s certainly a lot of moving about with that thing.

----

Source: Siliconera

2010/04/05

Video Game Deals at Amazon: Killzone 2, Rogue Warrior [VGDs]

On this day, 2005 – Swat 4 today – Easter Monday

A few good deals on Amazon just lately. You can grab Killzone 2 for the PS3 for under $30, saving more than $20. There’s also Rogue Warrior, which didn’t fare so well when it came to reviews, but the price has dropped to less than 50% for the title on PC.

There’s also Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars for the Wii, which gets a big saving of nearly $30. Never heard of it, but title sounds fun.

And there’s a deal where you can get about 33% off LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year edition for the PS3 as well.

Best Deals

Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars - $12.96 - Save $27.53 [Wii]

Killzone 2 - $27.99 - Save $22.00 [PS3]

Rogue Warrior - $14.99 - Save $17.99 [PC]

LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year - $29.98 - Save $15.01 [PS3]

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge - $19.99 - Save $12.00 [PSP]

Consoles

Xbox Arcade + Bonus Wireless Controller - $159

Rogue Warrior - $14.99 - Save $17.99
Wallace & Gromits Grand Adventure - $9.99 - Save $10.00

PS3

Killzone 2 - $27.99 - Save $22.00
LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year - $29.98 - Save $15.01
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time - $36.99 - Save $10.00

PSP

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge - $19.99 - Save $12.00
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier - $19.99 - Save $8.00

Nintendo DS

Hero's Saga: Laevatein Tactics - $12.65 - Save $7.48
YuGiOh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator World Championship Tournament 2009 - $17.98 - Save $10.01

Nintendo Wii

Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars - $12.96 - Save $27.53

----

Sources: Amazon - nowinstock

Cats That Look Like Hitler [Surfing]

This blog isn’t strictly restricted to video games, but all forms of entertainment – and that might include this thing that I’m about to post. I came across a website the other day, which isn’t new but hey, we all find out about different websites at our own pace.
This website is what the title suggests: all about cats that look like Adolf Hitler, which they call Kitlers.

These are some of my favourites below. You can see the side partings, and the moustache. Very striking similarities. It’s usually these white cats with black blotches on them that get top marks.

Not surprisingly, their names are usually Adolf, Adolph, or Hitler. The top cat on the site’s gallery is called Moose, but I don’t think he’s the best lookalike at all.
----
Cats That Look Like Hitler

Buy Mass Effect 2 at Amazon, get Mass Effect FREE [Video Game Deals]

+ = Save!

Recently at Amazon, you were able to get BioShock 1& 2 for $50.

Now a similar deal comes along just at Easter time, where you can grab another two great games for the same price: Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2 for $50. This time Mass Effect is also basically free, saving you $20. And you’re also getting $10 off Mass Effect 2 in addition to this. So all in all, it’s a saving of about $30.

Unlike in my previous post, I can say that I have played both games this time round, and apart from some lengthy sessions of talking and so on, this series is as good as they claim, and it’s well worth trying out this deal while it lasts. It ends by Midnight, on the 11th of April, which is next Sunday.

Note that this offer is for the Xbox 360 version of ME 2 only.

Get Mass Effect free with Mass Effect 2 for Xbox 360

----

Sources: Amazon - N4G

2010/04/04

Duke Nukem Forever’s Gone Gold… or Should Have Anyway

Easter Sunday

“I nearly saw the light of day… Yeah, right!”

The sob story over Duke Nukem Forever continues as some guy named Jason Bergman, formerly at publisher Take-Two, and now Bethesda Softworks, posted on twitter recently that the game should have gone gold this month if all had gone according to plan. And it should have happened on April 1st, 2010: April Fool’s Day. It wasn’t a joke either.

“MOMENT OF SILENCE PLEASE: by the 3DR/TTWO development schedule, April 1st, 2010 was supposed to be the day Duke Nukem Forever went gold.” [1]

He went on to say that the planned date was "totally intentional. It was going to be hilarious." It’s been explained that when a game goes gold, it means that “development has been completed and the game is ready to be duplicated for distribution.” [2]

And this further means that the game would have been officially released later on in the year, and possibly arrived in Q2, 2010.

Jason was later asked to confirm this tweet to which he replied:

“I wholeheartedly believe that had things gone differently, they would have made that date.”

This is assuming that Take-Two hadn’t sued 3D Realms, and hadn’t let go of the DNF development team.

“Would’a, Could’a, Should’a” – but didn’t. And even though that date was supposedly the date, you mark my words that it would have been delayed again, and again, and again. Part of me sometimes thinks that it was justified putting DNF out of its misery, even though I hate to say it.

To think it was on April Fool’s Day last year that I put up a fake news piece that talked about DNF being cancelled. And it came true a month later, in May 2009.

Some people still think that 3D Realms as a company shut down last year, but this is incorrect. The team working on DNF was let go. The company itself is still around, and is still going through a legal battle with Take-Two.

----

Source: [1] twitter [2] Variety.com

Video Games Coming out This Week [04-04 – 04-10, 2010] - Mass Effect 2: Kasumi's Stolen Memory, Borderlands: Double Game Add-On Pack

AAA’s Targets of the Week: Mass Effect 2: Kasumi's Stolen Memory, Borderlands: Double Game Add-On Pack

It’s like everyone’s saying now: March was a hell of a month, where every game that had a vague Q1 release date ended up coming out. There was Assassin’s Creed II, Metro 2033, God of War III, C&C 4 – I could go on. But April is looking to be a bit dry in terms of new games releasing.

There are actually more PC releases this week than any other consoles. That’s one definite sign that it’s a slow weak. The big titles like Splinter Cell: Conviction and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City are coming later on this month, starting next week.

This week it’s mostly the add-on packs and DLCs that will get the most interest, seeing as Mass Effect 2 gets its next DLC in Kasumi's Stolen Memory for both PC and 360. Borderlands gets a retail pack which includes two of its three DLC packs: The Zombie Island of Doctor Ned, and Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot. Sadly, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx is not in the deal.

Speaking of which, there are some deals going on with Borderlands right now that I thought I would mention. You can pick up Borderlands on Direct2Drive for $24.99, and not only that, but the Borderlands Triple Pack, which includes the above DLC packs as well as the original, is also on sale at $44.95.

Check out Borderlands deals on Direct2Drive.

Borderlands: Double Game Add-On Pack
Commandos Complete

Hamlet [Digital Distribution]

Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West [Steam]

Mass Effect 2: Kasumi's Stolen Memory [Cerberus Network]

Plain Sight [Steam]

X360

Borderlands: Double Game Add-On Pack
Mass Effect 2: Kasumi's Stolen Memory [Cerberus Network]

WII

Satisfashion

Again
Squishy Tank

----

Sources: Shacknews – Gamespot

Apocalypse Then – Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil

5 Years of Doom 3: RoE

In 2005, the sole expansion for one of 2004’s best games, Doom 3, was released. It’s name was Resurrection of Evil.

RoE, which was co-developed by id and Nerve Software, was released on PC and Xbox. The PC version was not a stand alone expansion, and needed the original game, Doom 3, to be installed. This wasn’t the case with the Xbox version, which also came with Ultimate Doom, Doom II, and the Doom II Master Levels as extras.

The game featured some new enemies, boss creatures, and weapons. The double-barrelled shotgun made famous in Doom II returned, and the Grabber, a new weapon, features as well, which people claim ripped up the Gravity Gun from Half-Life 2. Although there are claims that the weapon was supposed to appear in Doom 3.

There was also a new playable character this time instead of the marine.

You can pick this game up here for PC or Xbox.

2010/04/03

Another Developing Craze: Formspring

First it was social networking sites like Facebook. Then along came micro-blogging with Twitter. Now another developing craze seems to be coming along with something called Formspring – which I’ve seen popping up in the last week or so.

And all ready I’ve noticed two legends in the video game industry on there, answering questions. Because that’s what Formspring is about. Apparently it’s a social networking site that allows people to ask a person questions, and then they answer them. It’s like a big open interview.

Those two legends I mentioned are George Broussard of 3D Realms, whom some cite as the failure behind Duke Nukem Forever, and none other than John “The” Romero, formerly of id Software, Ion Storm, and now Slipgate Ironworks, and creator of Daikatana and other greats.

Examples of some questions for John:

Q:Of all your cars, which was your favorite?

Q:Are you and Tom Hall still friends?

Q:Steve Jobs or Bill Gates ?

Q:Do you play Quake Live?

And George:

Q:Why wasn't there a sequel to shadow warrior?

Q:What happened to LevelLord?

Q:What makes Duke such a badass? And what's your favorite Duke quote?

Q:Why don't you answer all the questions you get here?

And of course, as you can imagine, George will answer anything… that isn’t about Duke Nukem Forever.

So, if you have any questions for these guys or anyone else, then head over to Formspring. Likely some other well-known industry vets will crop up there sometime, or all ready are.

----

formspring.me

Band of Brothers is Coming Back, Soldier!

I was so glad to see the other night on an advert for M-NET Action, which is channel 106 on DSTV, that the great series called Band of Brothers, is coming back next week, starting on the 6th of April.

If you haven’t yet watched it, Band of Brothers first aired years ago, back in 2001. I remember watching it on M-NET in 2003. The series is basically inspired by, and in some ways a continuation of, Saving Private Ryan, seeing as Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg were involved in the project, like they were in the Oscar-winning film before it, as was Dale Dye, acting as military consultant.

And Band of Brothers likely went on to influence some other World War II genre FPS titles just like SPR did- like some Medal of Honor titles [I’m thinking particularly Spearhead or Airborne], Brothers in Arms [definitely], and Call of Duty.

The series tells the tale of D-Day – but not like in Saving Private Ryan, where you witness the GIs storm the beaches of Normandy. This time it’s the paratroopers who land on the 5th of June, 1944; the night before.

The main star would be Dick Winters, played by Damian Lewis in likely his most famous role, firstly a Lieutenant, as the series starts with American paratroopers going through basic training in the States, then preparing for the operation while they’re in England, right across the channel from Nazi-occupied France. And from there we see them dropping into Normandy under the cover of night, and embarking on their mission to not only soften up the Germans from the inside while the ground troops are on the beaches, but to continue on to make another drop in Eindhoven, The Netherlands to take part in the disastrous Operation Market Garden, as well as march in to Berlin, Germany.

It delves into some personal issues along the way, and the relationships that unfold between Winters and the rest of the paratroopers in his company, as he is promoted to Captain just before this invasion. And on top of that, the real stars, the actual veterans who took place in the war, appear and tell interesting little stories about their experiences in the war, and how they’ve never been able to forget the horrors they saw so many years ago.

All in all, if you’re complaining about nothing to watch just lately, then do yourself a big favour, stop whining, and tune in to watch this great WWII experience.

Band of Brothers starts on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 on Channel 106 [M-NET Action], DSTV, at 20:00. Two back to back episodes [two hours] will play for at least the first week. There are ten episodes in the mini-series all in all.

2010/04/02

Dead Space 2 Demo Confirmed, Isaac Speaks!

Dead Space 2, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed Dead Space, is going to receive a demo. And this time, they are going to make sure that it’s more punctual than the first game’s one. Supposedly the Dead Space demo arrived late, and cost the game some needed sales, which was what they really needed seeing as it was an original IP, and publishers are wary about those nowadays.

Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis:

“Last time, I just heard a lot of comments like ‘The demo was way too hard,’ or ‘It kind of came out after the fact.’ We’re really putting an emphasis on making sure that we have something there so that new people can check it out. There’s a lot of people that seem interested and we just want to give them an opportunity to check it out and get into it.”

"It's a tricky line, right? There's some games you play a demo [of] and you never wind up buying it because 'I got my fill!’. It's our goal to deliver a game that not only after every single chapter you want to keep going, but we want the demo to be the kind of event where you play it and you go 'Holy shit, I'm going out right now, I've got to get this!' That's one of the goals that we're driving towards and I think we're going to nail that."

I didn’t even know Dead Space had a demo. I went out and bought the game though.

Also interesting is that Isaac Clarke will now speak in Dead Space 2, whereas people who have played the original game would have noticed that Isaac pretty much kept quiet the whole time, and most of the other characters did the talking.

“The voice thing is really just about making the game believable. So, the first game, there really wasn’t anybody around, there wasn’t anybody for him to talk to. And in the new game, c’mon, he’s just been through this horrific experience and there might be some people around, so it would make sense that he may actually speak. It was an evolution based around what the story required, and just the fact that it’s tough to stomach that some guy’s not going to talk for another however many hours Dead Space 2 is.”

Rich Briggs:

“Isaac is going to have some reaction to this. He’s going to see a lot of very terrible things, even worse in Dead Space 2, and we’ve gotta make him feel like a believable character. If you saw somebody rip their heart [out] in front of you, you probably wouldn’t just keep walking.”

Yes, we don’t want another Gordon Freeman.

Now I know all this sounds great. But for the minority out there [PC gamers], you should take into account that Dead Space 2 might not arrive on PC, the last I heard. It’s in consideration.

----

Sources:

Dead Space 2 demo confirmed [TVGB]

Visceral explains why Isaac speaks in Dead Space 2 [TVGB]

Video Game Character Lookalikes: Dr Breen [Half-Life 2]

As you all know, and if you don’t I’ll repeat it here quickly: the voice behind Dr.Breen, actor Robert Culp, died last week.

So I’m not making fun of him here. Not at all. I just thought it would be the most appropriate time to compare the looks of some real life stars or people to Dr. Wallace Breen.

Let’s line ‘em up:

This is him: Dr. Breen from Half-Life 2, who was the Administrator of Earth, and has his headquarters in City 17 during the events of the game.

Dennis Hopper – not bad, maybe a little less hair than Breen, and wrong colour eyes, but nothing a couple of contacts can’t fix. The beard is a little wrong though too. But if you want him to play Breen in a HL film or anything, you’d better hurry. The poor guy currently has cancer.

Bill Murray – Hang on. I know what you’re thinking. But listen to this. Not only does Bill have the look… sort of, but a similar, calm sounding voice to Breen if I’m not mistaken, and not to mention he’d have no problem giving the odd laugh which Breen sometimes does too. And not to mention the charm. Just ignore the flowers on his beard here, and you’ll be more convinced.

James Coburn – Yes, I know, this guy died a few years ago now. But still, although a bit of a big chin, at least he looks better as an old guy than he did when he was young. The sort of role he played in The Nutty Professor demonstrates the sort of character that would be needed to play Breen as well.

Roger Guay – I saw this on the Half-Life wikia, and boy, if you thought that Dennis Hopper was good, then this guy is a dead ringer! That’s because Dr. Breen’s face was supposedly modelled on this guy’s.

Darksiders is Coming to the PC in June

Unusual this, but it seems as though the previously console only game called Darksiders, which was released in January, and raved about a hell of a lot this year so far, mainly because Mark Hamill form Star Wars did some of the voice acting I would guess, is coming to the PC.

I say unusual, because unless the game is released on PC at the same time as other consoles, say like Bad Company 2, the chances of a port coming to the PC is much less, in my experience.

I mean, how often do you see a hack ‘n slash title on the PC? God of War? Bayonetta? Dante’s Inferno? I rest my case. Those games are designed for some button mashing.

Well, Darksiders is reportedly getting a PC version in June this year, as was announced by THQ.

Vigil Games’ David Adams:

“We are really excited to have the opportunity to bring Darksiders to the global PC audience. We feel that the growth of digital distribution and PC online communities creates a great environment for our game. We are working really hard to make sure that key features such as user-defined resolutions, interface and both keyboard and game pad control sets are all up to the standards for today’s discerning PC consumer.”

Travis Plane of THQ:

“We are delighted to be able to bring Darksiders to the PC. THQ is focused on bringing great product to the PC gaming audience so it was vital that we allowed Vigil the time to optimize the title for the PC platform.”

The game revolves around War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, as he takes on angels and demons.

----

Source: Darksiders Decide To Side With PC [RPS]

It was Just a Joke! An April Fool’s Day Joke!

Like I has to explain last year, and will every year: the thing about Half-Life 2: Episode 3 was just a joke; an April Fool’s Day joke! HL 2: E3 is still is still in development, or development hell, as far as I know.

I just thought I’d send out a little note today after yesterday, seeing as that post got some attention – more than I thought it would.

You know, some people choose not to play April Fool’s Day jokes or pranks. They say it’s improper for a news outlet to do so. But then again a lot of other people do it. I think those who don’t and are all sour about the day should just lighten up, and actually take a look at the calendar, and realize that likely some things, or a lot of things are going to be false – all in the spirit of this fine day.

Anyway, you all know that AAA isn’t a news outlet. There are some news posts, but there is a lot of other crazy stuff as well.

2010/04/01

Linkin Park Getting Their Own Game on iPhone

Years ago, while growing up and in high school, I heard about this group called Linkin Park. Of course I was so fanatical about spelling, the one thing that came to my mind was that the name was spelled incorrectly.

But as time went by, unlike others, I started to listen to the band. They became a hit with teenagers for years, won a couple of Grammys, and at one stage even got their own shoe with DC. I like their first couple of albums, Hybrid Theory and Meteora, but the later ones like Minutes to Midnight and Road to Revolution, I haven’t even heard, seeing as I outgrew that stage I suppose, and their sound changed too.

Now I’ve read that Linkin Park is going to get their own iPhone game, called Linkin' Park 8-Bit Rebellion. It’s obviously an 8-bit game as you can tell from the title, but the object of the game is to rise up against an evil corporation called PixxelKorp and stop them from turning the 8-bit world into something prettier.

Artificial Life CEO, Eberhard Schoneburg:

"It was a unique experience to work with Linkin Park to create one of the most innovative mobile gaming experiences to date. Our close co-operation with the band has led to a cool and fun game play, a great design and a groundbreaking app that pushes the limits of the iPhone gaming experience and sets new standards for music based games. Throughout production the band worked closely with our designers intimately contributing to the creative process for character designs, in-game artwork, mission structure and, of course, the music in the game! 8-Bit Rebellion helps fans get closer to the band by drawing them into the virtual world that they have helped to create as well as providing their global fan base with an exciting community experience. It's a must for all Linkin Park fans."

Vocalist Mike Shinoda:

"The collaborative process with Artificial Life was exceptional. They were able to turn my sketches and our creative ideas into a living, breathing world that we think gamers will thoroughly enjoy. This game is not just made for Linkin Park fans--anyone will be able to play and enjoy 8-Bit Rebellion.’ My bandmates and I grew up playing games like ‘Metroid,’ ‘Donkey Kong,’ ‘Zelda,’ ‘Space Invaders,’ ‘Mega Man’ and ‘Rygar.’ We wanted this game to have the feel of a vintage game, and a big part of it was the music."

Production on the game started more than a year ago, when the band partnered with Artificial Life, who started developing it. The game will have 8-bit remixes of their greatest hits, like “One Step Closer,” “In The End,” “Crawling,” “Faint,” as well as a new song called “Blackbirds”, which is unlocked after you complete the game.

There’s a trailer and some other stuff about the game at the links below.

----

Sources:

http://www.botme.com/ref/linkinpark
http://linkinpark.com/video/linkin-park-8bit-rebellion [trailer]

Linkin Park's Video Game Doesn't Look Nearly As Bad As It Should [Kotaku]

Half-Life 2: Episode 3 has been Cancelled [Shocker]

Yes, that’s what it says, bright, wide-eyed readers. The third instalment in the Episodes for Half-Life 2, known also as Half-Life 2: Episode 3, has been cancelled. It was confirmed by Gabe Newell, head of Valve Corporation, himself recently.

Reasons as to why this has happened aren’t very clear, but Gabe Newell says that it’s not the end of Half-Life at all. The series will continue, but probably as the true sequel in the series: Half-Life 3.

“A lot has gone on in the last few years, since Episode 2 came out in 2007, and much of it we’ve kept under wraps. And it’s all for a good reason.

We here at Valve have been working on Half-Life 3 for longer than anybody else thinks, even while the episodes were in development. The episodes will end with Episode 2, but the series is far from over.”

Half-Life 2 was released in 2004, with Episode 1 following in 2006, and E2 in 2007. It’s been about two and a half years since then, and no sign of Episode 3, after many expected to see it at E3 last year. And it looks like now we’ll not see it at all.

But it’s not all doom and gloom, as the effort that has been put in to Episode 3 is not lost. It will just be incorporated into Half-Life 3… probably. Details of Episode 3 have been scarce over the years, with a news piece last year revealing details about a deaf character appearing in the game, which will be Alyx Vance’s long lost friend, and eventual lover. Apart from that and a few pieces of concept art: not much else.

Although there was talk from Gabe recently who said he wanted Half-Life to return to the days of scaring people. Mission accomplished, after you read the headline of this post I suppose.

One thing that can be said about the whole situation, is that episodic content, a great idea years ago, seems to have failed after all, especially when applied to major titles, such as Half-Life 2.

I don’t know what Valve will do about HL 3 and the Source engine. It’s aging now, and I don’t really expect they can use it for much longer, especially not with HL 3. It might be time to say goodbye, and think of switching to a new engine. Unreal Engine 3, anyone?

Source: “Gabe Confirms Episode 3 Cancelled” [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]