World destruction comes in small shrink-wrapped packages...

2010/02/27

Road in Derby Named Lara Croft Way

TRroad Do you remember at one stage that was a vote where you could actually make it so that a road in Derby would be named after the legendary Tomb Raider heroine, Lara Croft?

Well, predictably, the results came in, they were very strong in her favour, and now the road is called “Lara Croft Way”. More than 27,000 people voted, and 89% percent of the votes that came in on the website were in favour for the name. And the votes were worldwide, not just in Derby. The road cost 36.2m Pounds to make. That’s a hell of a lot of money, but imagine in Rands!

Lucy Care (Councillor):

"The vote really captured the imagination of people from across the world and, despite my lack of gaming knowledge, I accept that a majority of 89% for Lara Croft is too overwhelming to ignore."

"She was created in Derby and deserves to stand alongside some of the more traditional icons of the city."

So even though Rebellion states that Rebellion Derby, formerly known as Core Design, is on shaky ground and is likely going to be shut down, at least they can take comfort in knowing that a road will be named after their most famous creation.

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Source: MCVUK


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Codemasters’ new FPS called “Bodycount”

Recently, the creator of the game called Black, which actually had its 4th anniversary this week, Stuart Black, trashed most FPSs of today, calling them “F@cking boring”. No doubt he’s not going to be able to live down that comment for some time.

Now it seems as though a trademark filing for a game has surfaced, and Stuart Black is at the helm of it. It’s possible title is “Bodycount”. It will be reportedly be developed by Codemasters, the people behind Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising.

The game, whatever it’s called, will get exclusive coverage in the March issue of Official Playstation Magazine.

bc2 This is sort of unrelated, but does anybody remember that game called Operation Body Count, released in 1994? Could it be that this game is a sequel or remake of that game? You know reboots are all the rage nowadays…

I doubt it however. Nobody liked Operation Bodycount that much anyway. Some say it wasn’t even as good as Wolf 3D even though it used the same engine. I didn’t mind it that much.

Forget I said anything. Just rambling here.

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Source: CVG [Computer and Video Games]


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Video Game Deals at Amazon: Toy Story 3

Let’s see what we’ve got here. There’s some deals on Toy Story 3, due out in June this year. You can get $10 off the PS3, Xbox 360, PSP, and DS versions.

You can get good deals on Divinity II: Ego Draconis, Battlestations Pacific, and Infernal too. Other worthwhile games that have a slight price drop include Metro 2033 and Operation Flashpoing: Dragon Rising.

Best Deals ($10 and over):

Horsez (PS2) - $14.36 - Save $15.63
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Wii) - $25.61 - Save $15.38
Battlestations Pacific (Xbox 360) - $12.96 - Save $14.38
Build-A-Bear Workshop Welcome to Hugsville (DS) - $29.99 - Save $10.00
Toy Story 3 (PS3, Xbox 360) - $49.99 - Save $10.00
Toy Story 3 (PSP, DS) - $29.99 - Save $10.00
Divinity II: Ego Draconis (Xbox 360) - $29.99 - Save $9.97 
Infernal (PC) - $16.74 - Save $21.75

PC

Tropico 3 - $27.99 - Save $7.00
Infernal - $16.74 - Save $21.75 

PS2

NCAA March Madness 2003 - $22.15 - Save $7.84
Horsez - $14.36 - Save $15.63

PS3

Toy Story 3 The Video Game - $49.99 - Save $10.00
Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising - $36.99 - Save $8.00 
Prison Break: The Conspiracy - $52.98 - Save $7.01
DJ Hero Bundle with Turntable - $79.99 - Save $8.01

Xbox 360

Toy Story 3 The Video Game - $49.99 - Save $10.00 
Metro 2033 - $49.99 - Save $7.00 (Same Price for the PC Version)
Battlestations Pacific - $12.96 - Save $14.38
Divinity II: Ego Draconis - $29.99 - Save $9.97
Tony Hawk: Ride Skateboard Bundle - $79.99 - Save $8.01

PSP

Toy Story 3 The Video Game - $29.99 - Save $10.00

Nintendo DS

Build-A-Bear Workshop Welcome to Hugsville - $29.99 - Save $10.00
Toy Story 3 The Video Game - $29.99 - Save $10.00
Imagine: Fashion Designer World Tour - $19.99 - Save $8.00

Nintendo Wii

DJ Hero Bundle with Turntable - $79.99 - Save $8.01
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - $25.61 - Save $15.38

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Source: Nowinstock.net


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2010/02/26

Mark Beaumont of Capcom Passes Away

1166123035-00 Just the other day, Mark Beaumont, the COO (chief operating officer) of Capcom, passed way “suddenly”. He died of a heart attack.

Capcom issue the following statement:

"Our COO and dear friend, Mark Beaumont, passed away this morning. This sudden loss has left us with deep sadness.

"Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will remember him for his humor, passion and commitment to Capcom and our industry. He was a great leader and visionary and his spirit will carry on in everything that we do. Please join us in memory of Mark."

I must admit that I hadn’t heard of this man, but it seems as though he was a very respected figure in the industry, having had high positions at multiple companies like Midway, Sony, Time Warner, Activision, and Atari. Even greats like John Romero and Ed Boon left tweets on their twitter accounts showing their respect.

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Source: [1] MCUVK


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Assassin's Creed Renaissance Novel out now in the US

ACR It seems as though the long awaited novel based on Assassin’s Creed II, titled Assassin's Creed Renaissance, is out now in the US [1]. It became available this week, on the 23rd of February.

The 496 page novel is written by Oliver Bowden and it’s based on the game, Assassin’s Creed II, with Ezio Auditore da Firenze as the protagonist. Unlike the game, the novel is only set in 15th Century Italy during the Renaissance (hence the name of the book), and the modern day aspect with Desmond Miles does not come in to it.

“I will seek Vengeance upon those who betrayed my family. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I am an Assassin?? Betrayed by the ruling families of Italy, a young man embarks upon an epic quest for vengeance. To eradicate corruption and restore his family's honour, he will learn the art of the assassins. Along the way, Ezio will call upon the wisdom of such great minds as Leonardo Da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli ? knowing that survival is bound to the skills by which he must live.To his allies, he will become a force for change - fighting for freedom and justice. To his enemies, he will become a threat dedicated to the destruction of the tyrants abusing the people of Italy. So begins an epic story of power, revenge and conspiracy. TRUTH WILL BE WRITTEN IN BLOOD”

                                                                – Novel Blurb on Amazon

Of course you can pick it up at Amazon as well as other places. In addition to getting it as a paperback, you can get the Kindle edition from Amazon as well.

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Source: [1] Kotaku


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Just Cause 2 for PC Won’t Support Windows XP

JC2

I find it quite funny that although this is all over the internet just lately, it’s actually old news. Square Enix confirmed last year that Just Cause 2 wouldn’t support Windows XP [1], seeing as the game is designed to take advantage of DirectX 10 technology, and we all know XP doesn’t support DirectX 10, only up to DirectX 9. Only Vista and Windows 7 do, in addition to DirectX 11.

"Just Cause 2 is an incredible looking title with one of the most richly detailed landscapes ever seen in a computer game, and to achieve this on the PC, the minimum specification includes a DirectX 10-compatible graphics card and operating system. The DirectX 10 and 10.1 APIs have allowed us to achieve an unparalleled level of visual quality, adding features and routines that simply would not be possible under DirectX 9. As a result, the graphical and performance gains have allowed us to create a game which raises the bar significantly in PC gaming and offers the player one of the most immersive and enjoyable gaming experiences."

And I’ve also noticed how on many forums and websites, those people who support Windows XP and haven’t upgraded to either Vista or Windows 7 are getting ridiculed now, because they won’t be able to play this game.

I for one still use Windows XP, even though I can easily get both Vista and Windows 7, but I haven’t made the switch yet, seeing as I’m waiting until I upgrade this year to do so. And even then I will likely still have a hard drive with Windows XP on it. I’m not really into Just Cause anyhow. I played the demo of the first game, but skipped buying it, and I’ll likely do the same with this one. Plenty of others out there that you can play on XP.

But it just goes to show that this is another step in the demise of the Operating System. Last year Microsoft reached the end of it’s free guaranteed service period for XP. Before that they tried to kill it with Windows Vista and failed. But I think that games are where it’s going to end up dying a slow (or quick) death, seeing as there will be more games like Just Cause 2 that won’t support XP, only Vista and Windows 7 (or just Windows 7), as they move on to newer, better technology, and that will see most of us switching to Windows 7. Not much of a hassle, but there you have it.

There have of course been other titles that have gone with later OSs, but this is just the latest one, and one big game that probably many are looking forward to.

Remember when games would support XP and 2000 with Windows 9X tagging along on the System Requirements? Then Windows 9X went out, then Windows 2000, and it looks the same way for XP now.

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Sources: [1] Eurogamer


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2010/02/25

System Specifications for Metro 2033 Revealed

THQ has the system specs for Metro 2033, due for release next month. I picked up the announcement on twitter.

Minimum:

  • Dual core CPU (any Core 2 Duo or better will do)
  • DirectX 9, Shader Model 3 compliant graphics cards (GeForce 8800, GeForce GT220 and above)
  • 1GB RAM

Recommended:

  • Any Quad Core or 3.0+ GHz Dual Core CPU
  • DirectX 10 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 260 and above)
  • 2GB RAM

Optimum:

  • Core i7 CPU
  • NVIDIA DirectX 11 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 480 and 470)
  • As much RAM as possible (8GB+)
  • Fast HDD or SSD

Enabling 3D Vision
Metro 2033 utilizes NVIDIA 3D Vision with compatible cards and hardware. To play in 3D you will require:

  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 and above recommended
  • A 120Hz (or above) monitor
  • NVIDIA 3D Vision kit
  • Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7

“We also recommend the biggest and best monitor you can afford, and a home cinema kit or surround sound headphones!”

Those are some pretty steep specs. They say it’s bleeding edge tech in this game, and I believe them when I look at these.

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Sources: [1] THQ - [2] Twitter


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Medal of Honor not a Propaganda Title, Not Competing with Battlefield

Mohh

EALA is working on the reboot of the Medal of Honor series at the moment, called Medal of Honor. This isn't to be confused with the first game from 1999, seeing as this isn’t set in WW II, but in the Middle East… in Afghanistan.

As one can imagine, this is slightly dodgy to say the least, seeing as Six Days in Fallujah was pretty much shut down for failure to secure a publisher because of the content.

EA is avoiding politics, and insists that this isn’t some sort of title that’s meant for recruitment or to focus on the the causes of the war, but the people, the soldier fighting there.

Sean Decker:

“I think, again, it was trying to stay out of all the politics. There's been a lot of really good movies – the Gotham Awards just came out and Hurt Locker was the top one. It has nothing to do with the war in Iraq and why it started, or anything else – it's just about the men on the ground, what they go through on a day-to-day basis, and their emotions."

“It's not going to be a big propaganda piece where we wave the flag, or anything like that. It's literally about the people that are on the ground.”

MoH bc3

                    Medal of Honor                             Battlefield: Bad Company 2

In another story, Medal of Honor and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 are not competing in any way [1]. They share the same publisher in EA, and BC 2’s developers, DICE, are even working on Medal of Honor’s multiplayer, using their own Frostbite engine instead of the Unreal Engine 3 like the singleplayer.

Medal of Honor should be out in 2010, more or less in Q3, July to September somewhere, and it will be available on the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

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Source: [1] IncGamers


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AAA: 1000 Posts!

mushroomI know, it’s a bit of a cheat, but there it is. AAA, or Apocalypso’s Atomic Arcade, has finally reached 1000 posts after just one year. The blog was started on the 24th of January, and now it’s one month after the one year anniversary.

On year of video games, music, movies, and madness.

/\\/ |\|\


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2010/02/24

Some Delicious Gaming Deals at Makro (SA Gaming)

For some time I had a feeling that the folks at LazyGamer were South African guys. The surnames of some of the writers gave me a clue, as well as the SA in the the LazySAgamer name in some posts. And the fact that there was a “.co.za” in the URL could have had something to do with the inkling I had too.

Well, I was right, and this post I noticed on there recently talked about some deals at Makro, which is essentially one big place where you can buy in bulk at cheap prices, kind of like the equivalent of  Wal-Mart, I guess.

MakroCombo

Image courtesy of LazyGamer

At Makro you can get either Mass Effect 2 (PC) with a 4 pack of Red Bull, a Margherita oven pizza and a bar of Cadbury chocolate for R379, or BioShock 2 (PC), a 4 pack of Monster Energy Drink, a pizza and a bag of Willards cheese curls for $428. Both of these deals last until March 1, 2010, which will be next Monday.

As LG says, it’s a kind of deal that we haven’t really heard much about before when it comes to deals, but it makes sense I guess. Video games included in a combo deal including food. Can’t say I’ve seen that much before…

I mean, whole nut is my favourite kind of chocolate, and Ital pizza bases… I remember eating those years ago.

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Source: [1] Makro [2] LazyGamer


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Rebellion Happy With “Success” of Aliens vs. Predator, Considering a Sequel

avp7

Aliens vs. Predator, or AvP, was released last week this month to a mixed bunch of reactions. Some loved it, others didn’t. The highest review score I’ve seen was from Official PlayStation magazine , and that was a 9. The lowest review score I’ve seen is Giantbomb at 2/5 (or 4 out of 10). And there were obviously several others in between [1].

Despite this, the game has gone on to become the fastest selling game of 2010 (so far) [2], taking the number one position in the UK charts in one week after its release.

Rebellion has declared the game a critical success, is happy with most of the reviews, and is even considering making a sequel to the game [3]. The CEO, Jason Kingsley, even went on to trash the negative reviews as just badly written rubbish.

"We wanted Aliens vs. Predator to be a critical success as well as a commercial success, which we think we have achieved. The reviews have been mostly good. We’ve had three totally shit reviews by some Americans, which is a bit odd. Some of them were inexcusably bad. If you discount those poor reviews AvP is averaging high for us."

"We’re also in discussions with Sega about ongoing support for AvP, and also about a sequel to the game. I won’t say what stage those negotiations are in, but we would love to revisit the franchise. Fox are excited about what we’re doing, and we feel we’ve added value to the franchise."

“We would love to work with Sega again, there were a lot of things we couldn’t fit into the original. We are trying to do all the right things to make the franchise a success now and in the future.”

Some are correct in saying that the game wasn’t a critical success, because that would mean everybody loved it. A commercial success, yes, seeing as it has sold pretty well to reach number 1 in the UK. A critical success would be something like Mass Effect 2 or BioShock 2, also released this year, which to my knowledge have both only received good reviews from websites and magazines. And those said games were also commercial successes too.

I still have to play AvP, but rest assured, I will likely still get it sometime soon. Everyone knows that reviews don’t matter nowadays anyway.

By the way, Rebellion has updated the situation on Rebellion’s Derby studio, formerly known as Core Design, the people behind the original Tomb Raider games, saying that it’s on the verge of shutting down [3].

Jason Kingsley:

"It's quite likely that the Derby studio won't be kept intact in the way it did, but that individual consultancy period is not over yet.We would obviously like someone to, but no one has done so as yet."

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Sources: [1] VG247 - [2] Games Industry Biz - [3] Develop


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New 2D Worms Game, Worms Reloaded, Coming to PC via Steam [Updated]

wormsarmageddon It’s amazing how this news has taken the internet by storm just lately. But it got me excited too.

Worms was easily one of my favourite franchises growing up. I remember playing several titles in the series, like Worms, Worms 2, Worms Armageddon, and Worms World Party.

Last year it was announced that Worms: Armageddon, considered by some to be the best in the series, before it went 3D, was made available on Xbox Live as Worms 2 Armageddon (they might just share a similar name – I haven’t played it so I wouldn’t know what it’s like to play). But even better news is that a port of this game will soon be on Steam for download to your PC.

But that’s not all! In addition to this, Team 17, developers of the Worms games, says that a new title in the series will be coming out soon, and on to Steam as well. This new title will be known as Worms: Reloaded.

Team 17 announced this on their twitter account:

“We are pleased to announce a new edition of 2D Worms for PC! “Worms Reloaded” is coming soon via Steam. Details & features to follow…”

Little is known of this Worms: Reloaded title, but the developers promise details, and that the game will arrive sooner rather than later. Some speculate that the might be a remake of the first game. The clue’s in the title. Or, in my opinion it could simply just mean that they’re going back to making 2D Worms games instead of the 3D ones, which some claim to dislike. They were different, too different… let’s put it that way. In any case, these two games coming to the PC, Reloaded in particular, is the first time in nearly ten years that a new 2D Worms title has been developed specifically for the PC. The last one was World Party, in 2001. All the others that have been released since then have been for consoles and handhelds. There were those 3D ones, but….

As for my favourite in the series, Armageddon and World Party were basically just improved versions of  Worms 2, which is likely the game that I played most over the years next to Worms Plus. Worms 2 no doubt had the best soundtrack: three of the songs were from The Offspring’s oft-considered best album, Smash – namely “Come Out and Play”, “Self-Esteem”, and the bloody awesome “Killboy Powerhead”.

By the way, Team 17 also says that in addition to these two worms games, one old and one new, a PC version of Alien Breed: Evolution will be coming to Steam sometime soon as well.

Update: It turns out that after some confusion and then a later clarification, Worms Reloaded is Worms 2: Armageddon. The PC port of this console game coming to Steam just has some extra stuff that the console one doesn’t, and so it has a different name to possibly reflect this.

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Sources: [1] Team 17’s Twitter


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2010/02/23

Keen Dreams: Assassin’s Creed, and Resident Thief – Starring Samuel L. Jackson

The Keen Dreams series is all about video games in dreams.
There we were, on the first floor of a dirty, dishevelled apartment building. Me, and Samuel L. Jackson, or someone who looked and sounded just like him. We were on the run, and we headed down the stairs to the ground floor. But it was too late to make our escape that way, seeing as they had all ready driven up to the parking lot outside.
So it was back up the stairs, up to the top floor where we navigated a series of obstacles as fast as we could. Sam led the way and I followed, doing exactly what he did so to minimise the chances of screwing up and getting lost or something. Then at the worst possible moment, as Sam was climbing up a ladder or scaffolding, part of it broke, and he came crashing down on to the floor boards below, unable to get back up. He must have been seriously hurt, but he urged me to carry on.
“In here?” I asked him as I climbed up the structure.
“No, in there!” he responded, pointing to a narrow little passage way that looked like it would be difficult to get through. But I did, and as I was climbing along the platform which hung above the room on the other side, the platform gave way, and I too fell down to the floor below. What luck.
What luck indeed – seeing as during the fall, glints of gold twinkling in the darkness caught my eye, as well as the unmistakeable Nazi symbol, emblazoned on a flag in the corner.
I lay still though, although not as seriously injured as Sam was, because the group of thugs at that moment came waltzing in to the room I had been in only seconds ago. They immediately walked over to Sam, who lay on the ground. He made no effort to try and get away. He only yelled, “Happy New Year!” as the thugs got nearer. I watched them through the holes in the wall where bricks were missing, and lay still, waiting for the gunshot.
Then it came, and Sam was gone.
To be Continued?…
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Borderlands: Secret Armory of General Knoxx DLC out Today for Xbox 360

GK
The third DLC pack for Borderlands, Secret Armory of Generally Knoxx, should be out today for the Xbox 360 and available on Xbox Live Marketplace, costing at 800 MS points. A release for the Playstation 3 and PC versions are coming on Thursday, the 25th of February, and should sell for $9.99[1].

Included features in this DLC pack: level cap raised to 61 [2], new locations, about 30 new enemies, new weapons, a new weapon class, improved AI, and new vehicles.

It was previously thought that the level cap would be raised to 50, but apparently a press release from 2K has confirmed that it is 61. They were also rumours that the game might not be released today, but I read just now that the DLC is “still on” for today, despite speculation.

You can check out this info and more over at the Borderlands wikia page.

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Sources: [1] TeamXbox - [2] Joystiq

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March Issue of NAG Magazine out This Thursday

The long awaited last Thursday of the month is looming, and we all know what that means: the new NAG will be in stores!

Included in this issue is a hands-on with the Command and Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight multiplayer beta, and Heavy Rain, which is out today for the PS3, by the way. Reviews include Mass Effect 2 (playing it right now – epic game), Darksiders (everyone’s raving about this one), Army of Two: The 40th Day and Dark Void (got mixed reactions). Also advertised on the somewhat uninspired and unusual cover is something about an “uber, must-have guide to everything awesome” in 2010.

You’ll be pleased to know that this issue won’t have sand in it like the February issue did. In case you didn’t know, that was a marketing stunt that backfired pretty badly. The issue was themed around sand, you see. It was actually dubbed “The Sand Issue”, but the sand deposited in the plastic bag ended up getting in to the DVD packaging, and some people couldn’t even play the DVD, because it got scratched. They should have at least put the sand in a little bag or something.

As for the DVD’s contents, highlights include a Dark Void demo, and two demos centred around zombies, Zombie Driver and Zombilution, seeing as NAG is Zombie-mad, as is most of the world right now. There’s also the new Gamemaker 8, a 2D Half-Life game, as well as the usual hundreds of trailers and stuff.
Anyway, there’s no mention of this issue featuring two DVDs. I think it’s still under consideration and a result will probably come in later this year. The last time I checked, the poll on the NAG website was leaning more towards “Yes, give us another DVD!”.

On that note, if you haven’t yet done it for some reason, the time for your vote is coming to an end, as the 24th of February, which is tomorrow, and the day before the new issue comes out, is the last day that you can vote on this issue of whether you want another DVD bundled with the NAG, complete with a R10 price increase.

The short version: SMS “YES” or “NO” to 32541

Check here and here for more details on voting.
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Source: NAG
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2010/02/22

Command& Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight Doesn’t Have any Famous Stars, No Dedicated Servers or LAN Support Either

RA3Promo

The all-star cast of 2008’s Red Alert 3. From Left: Gemma Atkinson, Randy Couture, Peter Stormare, George Takei, Jenny McCarthy, Tim Curry, J. K. Simmons, Jonathan Pryce, Gina Carano

FMVs have been a staple of every Command& Conquer and Red Alert game. And in almost all of them there’s been someone famous or semi-famous, or famous for no reason – like Tim Curry and Jenny McCarthy in Red Alert 3 or Pro Wrestling Legend Ric Flair in Red Alert 3: Uprising, among others.

But I found it interesting and maybe even a bit perplexing that Tiberian Twilight, the next and reportedly the last title in the Tiberian saga, will not have these famous faces, although they are professional actors [1].

Sam Bass - lead designer:

"Our cinematics always get written off as sort of campy. It works really well for Red Alert where it’s kind of tongue-in-cheek. Whereas C&C 4, the story itself is pretty dark. It’s a dark grim, tale. So we wanted to have it be more believable."

"The goal was to hire actors who weren’t known, outside of Joe Kucan [Kane] of course cause I think there would be rioting if we replaced Joe. And he’d personally kill me."

"We wanted to get actors who weren’t known faces but were good actors so you could just believe them as the character as opposed to going “OH IT’S THE GUY FROM STARSKY AND HUTCH!” So we wanted to take a different approach. It’s a little risky cause you get a little less bit of mind share with unknown people but I think it actually really helps the story."

Well, as long Red Alert keeps the campiness and celebrities, that’s fine. I always thought it was more campy, and humorous, whereas Command& Conquer is more serious.

Other bad news for Tiberian Twilight is that it won’t have support for LAN or dedicated servers [2].

"If you go to another machine -- friend's house, Internet café -- whatever, you can login with your profile and all the stuff you've unlocked is accessible to you there. It all lives on a server so you can't really do dedicated servers with that."

This is yet another game other than Modern Warfare 2, that started this madness, that is doing without dedicated servers, and it’s yet another RTS title that won’t have LAN support – the other being StarCraft II. Can you believe it? Some are of the opinion that the good old LAN game is dead, or dying at least.

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Sources: [1][2] Destructoid


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Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Goes Gold, Demo Doing Well, and Exclusive Pre-order Deal Details

bc1

I read last week that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 recently went Gold[1], which applies to many, many sales or pre-orders so far – 500 000 copies I think, or does that just apply to music? Not only that but the demo of the game has been downloaded over 3.5 million times[2].

In addition to all this though, there’s a pre-order deal for the title, which does like this: pre-order Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and you get Battlefield 2142 Deluxe Edition for free. Some might argue that this isn’t the deal they wanted, seeing as BF 2142 wasn’t exactly the franchise’s best, as I recall. I think Battlefield 2 would have been better, but I don’t know.

I also read about another deal where if you order the Limited Edition of the PC version of Battlefield: Bad Company 2, you’ll get some free unlocks and two weapons from Battlefield 1943, namely the M1A1 Submachine Gun, or Thompson or Tommy gun (the one with the clip, not the drum), and the M1911 Pistol (Colt sidearm). The other unlocks include “Improved Vehicle Armor”, “Vehicle Alternate Fire”, “Vehicle Motion Sensor”, and the “Tracer Dart Pistol”[3].

Note that these deals are only available at EA’s online store at the moment. Not sure if it’ll crop up any where else later on.

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Sources: [1] Cinemablend – [2] CVG - [3] Inc Gamers


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2010/02/21

Video Games Coming out This Week (02-21 – 02-27, 2010): Heavy Rain, Napoleon: Total War

NTW  HR HR_ps3_PKG_DL_01v2

Well, I don’t particularly see anything here that I want, so there’s no pick of the week, but no doubt it’s surprisingly quite a stacked up week for game releases.

The major game this week is no doubt the PS3 exclusive, Heavy Rain, which some say is going to revolutionize gaming, and some say it isn’t even a video game at all. But say it’s just a collection of quick- time events however, and David Cage will hunt you down and kill you. I’ve heard from many people that it does look beautiful, though.

By the way, there are two box shots above – one is the European version, and the other for the American one. The one in the middle, the European one, is better in my opinion.

Besides that there’s Napoleon: Total War for the PC which is SteamWorks title. This was announced by Sega, so you’ve been told… or warned, depending on how you see it.

Links as usual go through to Amazon, Steam, etc., to each game’s detail page where you can see more info on the title and pick up the game of your choice.

PC

Achtung Panzer: Kharkov 1943 (Impulse)

Arsenal of Democracy (Direct2Drive)icon
Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny

Dawn of Discovery: Venice (Direct2Drive)
Legends of Norrath: Vengeful Gods
Napoleon: Total War (Steam)
Napoleon Total War Limited Edition 
Order of War: Challenge (Steam)
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (Steam)
WarBirds Dogfights

Xbox 360

Deadly Premonition
Greed Corp (XBLA)
Lazy Raiders (XBLA)
Risen
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (XBLA)

PlayStation 3

Greed Corp (PSN)
Heavy Rain
Hyperballoid HD (PSN)
Last Rebellion
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (PSN)

PSP

Age of Zombies (PSN)
Metal Slug XX

Nintendo Wii

Endless Ocean: Blue World
Mouse House (WiiWare)
Pony Friends 2
Sled Shred
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (WiiWare)
Winter Blast: Snow and Ice Games

Nintendo DS

Deca Sports
Flight Control (DSiWare)
Flipper (DSiWare)
Hello Kitty: Birthday Adventures
Lovely Lisa and Friends
Pony Friends 2
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (DSiWare)
Super Speed Machines
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia

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Sources: Shacknews - Gamespot


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Next Call of Duty Seems to be at Least Partially set in Vietnam After all

codv

Yes, the rumours have been going around for a long time now, but no official confirmation, apart from the fact that this game, likely developed by Treyarch, will come out sometime this year, likely in Q4.

So what is new in this whole situation that we haven’t heard before? Well, it’s been picked up that there was a casting call in Los Angeles organised by Treyarch in order to fill some roles for the game, AKA getting some voice actors involved as well as motion capture.

One of the characters supposedly involved in the game is one Frank Barnes, “a fiercely patriotic veteran of WWII. A solid leader, possessed with an excellent ability to assess and respond to any situation quickly and decisively”. He is also part of the elite SOG (Studies and Observations Group), who were allegedly involved in some deep black ops operations during Vietnam, that not many people know of, as well as some of the more well-known ones too, like the Tet Offensive.

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[Picture is actually of the Vietnam Mod for Call of Duty: World at War, a game also developed by Treyarch.]

There’s also mention of a Joseph Lewis, a athletic black man in his 20s, and Jason Hudson, a white man in his 30s with over 15 years of military experience.

But among some of the roles required to be filled, there’s one character named Kristina Ivanova, a Russian-born CIA operative and martial arts expert.

I’m glad to see that stereotypes in games are still alive and well.

But this also points to some other rumours which have suggested that the game will be set during the Cold War as a whole, and not just in Vietnam (although it would be cool if there was at least a few missions set there).

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Source: VG247 - TVGB


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What does AAA stand for?

It's not an abbreviation of anything. It just means the best of the best... 

"Well, now you know the truth: Apocalypso's Atomic Arcade!"

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