Apocalypso's Atomic Arcade: 2/28/10

2010/03/06

End-Week Video Game Deals on Amazon: Avatar, Brutal Legend

Lots of good deals these past few days. Titles you might recognise include Avatar for the PC, which is 25% off, and Brutal Legend for the Xbox 360 and PS3 which are about 40% off. There’s The Saboteur for Xbox 360, and Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes which have good deals on them as well.

I’ve rounded up everything off that’s about $10 off and more below.

Biggest Deals:

Street Racing Syndicate - $14.99 - Save $34.00 [PS2]
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes - $19.99 - Save $20.00 [Wii]
Robin Hood Defender of the Crown - $16.64 - Save $19.00 [PS2]
Brutal Legend - $19.96 - Save $17.03 [Xbox 360]
Brutal Legend - $19.96 - Save $15.13 [PS3]
Ben 10 Alien Force Vilgax Attacks - $18.96 - Save $16.01 [Wii]
The Saboteur - $37.99 - Save $12.00 [Xbox 360]
Avatar - $29.96 - Save $10.03 [PC]

Avatar - $29.96 - Save $10.03
Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships - $9.99 - Save $9.67

PS2

Street Racing Syndicate - $14.99 - Save $34.00
Robin Hood Defender of the Crown - $16.64 - Save $19.00

PS3

Brutal Legend - $19.96 - Save $15.13

Xbox 360

Brutal Legend - $19.96 - Save $17.03
Ben 10 Alien Force Vilgax Attacks - $19.35 - Save $15.00
The Saboteur - $37.99 - Save $12.00
Infernal: Hell's Vengeance - $9.99 - Save $10.00

Nintendo DS

Battle Trainer - $19.99 - Save $10.00

Nintendo Wii

Ben 10 Alien Force Vilgax Attacks - $18.96 - Save $16.01
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus - $15.96 - Save $10.63
Castlevania Judgment - $13.99 - Save $9.80
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes - $19.99 - Save $20.00

----

Source: Nowinstock.net

Lots of Crysis 2 Screenshots [Screenshots]

Everybody’s raving about these new shots showing off Crysis 2.

C2b

The fact is that these aren’t the only shots of the game on the internet. You can also find a whole lot of high-resolution ones on a page that takes ages to load over here. The ones above are just part of about sixteen shots in the gallery.

----

Source: SI [Strategy Informer] – All Games Beta

2010/03/05

New Deus Ex 3 [Human Revolution] Screenshot

Nope, I haven’t forgotten that Deus Ex 3 could potentially be named Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I for one think it’s a great title.

Anyway, a new screenshot has surfaced just recently. It originally popped up on the Eidos forums [1], and then on twitter as well as other locations thereafter.

Are you ready? Drum roll…

…Wow, simply amazing!

In related news, the game may not just be coming out for PC. There’s been some evidence that the game will make a showing on Xbox 360 and PS3 [2]. That’s to be expected, seeing as they will likely keep with the trend of releasing major titles on all major platforms. To ignore the consoles is foolish because that’s where the sales come in. To ignore the PC would be sacrilegious seeing as this is an RPG title or has RPG elements in it.

Previous Deus Ex titles, in addition the PC, were released on consoles that were popular, and available, at the time, like the Xbox and the PS2.

----

Sources: Eidos forums - Cinemablend

2010/03/04

Video Game Deals on Amazon: Buy an Xbox 360, Save on Mass Effect 2 for the Xbox 360

There is an offer on Amazon at the moment which began yesterday, and ends tomorrow. If you buy an Xbox 360 Elite bundle or Xbox 360 Arcade, then you save on Mass Effect 2. Instead of paying the normal price of $48.00 (currently) on Amazon, you’ll save about $20, and pay only $29.99.

Buy an Xbox 360 on Amazon, and save money on Mass Effect 2

----

Source: Amazon

Just Cause 2 Demo Out, Title Supports SteamWorks

“Oh, the demo should be about… that big.”

Today, the 4th of March, should see the release of the Just Cause 2 demo for all platforms [1] – namely Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. The demo is said by many to be huge, at 35 square miles, and major replayability for a demo.

On another note, just like some other major titles released last year and this year, like Modern Warfare 2 and Aliens vs. Predator, as well as Supreme Commander 2 and Napoleon: Total War, Just Cause 2 will support SteamWorks [2].

This won’t just mean that the game will likely only be available for download off of Steam, but also other features such as “matchmaking, automatic game updates, and downloadable content” will be handled by Steam. The console versions will no doubt be available off of Xbox Live and PSN.

It was also confirmed recently for the umpteenth time that the game will not support Windows XP, and therefore nor will it support DirectX 9. Just Cause 2 should be out later this month, on the 23rd of March.

----

Sources: [1] 1up - [2] Shacknews

Six Days in Fallujah Still Coming, Likely This Year

“Hold up, we lost our publisher!”

Last year there was a lot of talk going around about this title, called Six Days in Fallujah. The game was revealed in about April 2009. Then later, after Konami withdrew as the game’s publisher, interest in the title died down, and it was even said that most of the team at Atomic Games, the developers, was let go.

But development on the title continued regardless, and now several months later, the name has resurfaced, and a source told IGN recently that the game is completed, and so should come out this year, although a release date is still pending, and the game still needs to secure a publisher it seems.

“I can promise you that game is still coming out and it is finished.”

It was speculated that Konami pulled out of the publishing deal seeing as the game was considered very controversial, and many people, particularly veterans and families of soldiers fighting in the Middle East, spoke out - and against - the game. They claimed it was too soon for such a game to be released as the war was still ongoing at the time, and still is, several years after it began (in Afghanistan: 2001- ; although Iraq was 2003 onwards).

The game takes place in Fallujah, Iraq, during the early part of the second Gulf War, or War in Iraq, or War Against Terror (whichever you prefer).

My guess is they’ll also need to get the hype machine dusted off and working again, seeing as people pretty much forgot about this game, and declared it cancelled or dead in their minds months ago. It’ll be going up against other popular modern shooters like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Medal of Honor, and not to mention Treyarch’s Call of Duty, although that’s set in a different period (supposedly Vietnam or the Cold War in general). Hell, even old favourites like Modern Warfare and last year’s Modern Warfare 2 are also based in and around the ongoing war.

As for a publisher, some say that they could go the self-publishing route through digital distribution channels, as it seems getting a publisher and going retail would be a difficult and risky thing to do with this title. Seeing as the game was initially supposed to be for consoles like the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3, in addition to the PC, Xbox Live and PSN spring to mind too.

----

Source: IGN

2010/03/03

Video Game Character Lookalikes: Dr. Isaac Kleiner from Half-Life 2

You see, the model for Kleiner was originally present in Half-Life, but Kleiner only really became a character with a story and so on in the sequel, Half-Life 2.

You remember that HL2 cast picture that was on Digg months ago? I thought that putting Harold Ramis as Dr. Kleiner wasn’t the best choice, seeing as they don’t look that much alike.

Now, I don’t want a Half-Life movie, and Gabe Newell said he would only make one if there was a decent script. Until then, it’s a no-go. So, this is about a Kleiner lookalike.

Here’s Kleiner:

IK2

And here’s the lookalike:

simon_cowell SC1

Simon Cowell from Pet Rescue, Wildlife SOS.

Mid-Week Video Game Deals at Amazon: Assassin's Creed II

It’s been a few days since the last deals post, and there might be a few ones that could interest you. For the PC, there’s Space Siege, where you can save nearly $30, and pay only just over $8.

The big deal is that you can also grab Assassin's Creed II for the Xbox 360 and PS3 for less than $40.00 from Amazon if you hurry. They’re competing with Gamestop price-wise. No price drop for the PC.

Best Deals ($10 savings and more):

Space Siege - $8.15 - Save $29.34 (PC)
Assassin's Creed II - $36.00 – Save $23.99 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes - $19.99 - Save $10.01 (PS3)
SRS: Street Racing Syndicate - $38.44 - Save $11.55 (PS2)

Space Siege - $8.15 - Save $29.34

PS2

SRS: Street Racing Syndicate - $38.44 - Save $11.55
Crimson Sea 2 - $41.01 - Save $8.17

PS3

Assassin's Creed II - $36.00 – Save $23.99

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes - $19.99 - Save $10.01

Xbox 360

Assassin's Creed II - $36.00 – Save $23.99

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes - $19.99 - Save $10.00
Prison Break: The Conspiracy - $52.98 - Save $7.01
Race Pro - $16.99 - Save $17.00
Brother's in Arms: Hell's Highway Limited Edition - $26.99 - Save $20.00

----

Source: Nowinstock.net

Fan-Made King’s Quest Sequel Killed by Activision

“But why?! It’s just not fair!”

Activision has made a lot of people very angry over the past year or two, especially just in the past few days. Lately they fired two head guys from Infinity Ward, and another evil deed that the company has committed is shutting down a fan-made sequel in the legendary King’s Quest series, called King's Quest IX: Every Cloak Has A Silver Lining or just The Silver Lining later on.

King's Quest IX: Every Cloak Has A Silver Lining or King’s Quest 9 for those of you who can’t comprehend roman numerals was a fan-made, unofficial sequel to the series, whose last title was King’s Quest VIII: Mask Of Eternity, no doubt, back in about 1998; more than ten years ago.

The game was all ready in hot water a while back in 2005 when Vivendi sent the developers, Phoenix Online Studios, a COD or cease and desist order. Then later the game became known as just The Silver Lining, as Vivendi granted them a non-commercial licence after fans lashed out, which means that they were allowed to continue development, but not allowed to make any money by selling it for instance.

But now Activision are the new holders of the IP by Sierra, and they pretty much shut them down, refusing to give them a non-commercial licence or renewing the old one, and ended eight years of hard work. The project started back in 2002, possibly earlier. Some say it was as far back as 2000. The game was apparently set to see a release this year, with the first episode in a planned five episode release format (see Half-Life 2 Episodes).

A few years back, I remember playing remakes of King’s Quest I and II by Tierra, later AGD Interactive, also just a couple of fans messing around in AGS (adventure game studio) that wanted to modernise the series. After those two, Infamous Adventures remade King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human. The remake of King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella is still under development at Magic Mirror Games. King's Quest V has a remake in King's Quest V - The Text Adventure.

I even have the original King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride lying around somewhere.

It’s sad, and it might even make you angry, but it’s the law, unfortunately. Activision hold the rights to the franchise, but they’re too busy milking Call of Duty and Modern Warfare for all they’re worth to consider having someone make another game in the KQ series.

Just goes to show that you should ask beforehand, I guess. I bet all other mod-makers and devs making fan-made games belonging to another series are quaking in their boots now.

----

Source: TSL-Game.com

Activision Fires Infinity Ward Heads, Talks About Future Call of Duty Games

The big news that has swarmed all over the net lately is that there’s been a feud of sorts between Activision and Infinity Ward, the developers of Modern Warfare 2, and most other Call of Duty games.

Reportedly the President, Jason West, and CEO Vince Zampella, of the studio have been fired for "breaches of contract and insubordination”. Security guards escorted people out of the office too. The LinkedIn and Facebook pages of both guys confirms the rumours, and have left IW. Some rumours suggest that it was due to IW not being paid royalties from Activision.

Steve Pearce and Steve Ackrich are the new interim heads at the company.

The infamous Bobby Kotick of Activision has apparently also held a meeting or two with the remaining staff. People all over are not only attacking Activision, but reckon that the situation is far from resolved.

But the development of Call of Duty games goes on, as there will be two expansions or DLC packs for Modern Warfare 2, set for release this year, a Treyarch developed game supposedly set in Vietnam, and now another Call of Duty game said to be an action-adventure game, developed by Sledgehammer games, formed by the heads of Visceral Games (developers of Dead Space), Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey. And that still leaves another Call of Duty game probably coming next year, which must be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, by IW, if things settle down within the company.

----

Source: G4tv

2010/03/02

Release the Payload: Bad Company 2, Supreme Commander 2 [Major Releases]

Today marks the release in North America of the much anticipated Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Unlike the first game, this one will be making an appearance on the PC as well as the consoles, which got the first game too (lucky s@ds).

This game is also said to be ditching much of the humour seen in the first game, and taking a more serious approach.

I’ve said it time and time again: this game is looking good, and I actually can’t wait to play it. And that’s how it’s been with most other Battlefield titles. Looking at the reviews so far, it looks as though that excitement is way more than justified.

I saw something the other day which might interest you by the way. This game looks as though it’s going to be quite a gun fanatic’s paradise, not unlike Modern Warfare 2, and MTV Multiplayer had a list on their blog the other day which detailed a whole bunch of weapons and what it would take to unlock them. Just looking at this list made me salivate, seeing as all the favourites are there: the M16A2 Assault rifle, the M249 Light Machine Gun, and more.

Another game that might interest some is the sequel to Supreme Commander, Supreme Commander 2, no less. It’s an RTS title that takes place 25 years after the first expansion to the first game. I know why I don’t sound particularly enthused about this title: it’s because Command& Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight will be out this month.

I don’t know if I’ll be bothered with this one. The reviews say it’s quite good.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at Amazon

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at Direct2Drive

Supreme Commander 2 at Amazon

DSTV’s Discovery Channel’s Gone… to Channel 121

If you haven’t noticed, or don’t watch Discovery Channel on DSTV (or satellite as some call it), then you’ll be upset to know that it’s been moved from Channel 250 to Channel 121, right next to BBC Entertainment.

The move took place this week, yesterday in fact – the 1st of March, 2010. What a way to kick off Man’s Month! The way I logic it, and the way it looks now, is this:

You have BBC Entertainment at Channel 120, and BBC Knowledge at Channel 251. Then there’s the new channel for Discovery on 121, and Discovery World now sits in the place of Channel 250.

A similar move was made with National Geographic, when it spawned National Geographic Wild, as well as others. They say that Discovery was moved to form DSTV’s Entertainment bouquet.
So, when you see MythBusters on Channel 121, don’t panic; remember: “It’s just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right. Do the shuffle.”

----
Source: MediaUpdate

Video Game Comics: Hex in the City

This is just a new idea I came up with for the blog. In these posts, however rare an occurrence they are, will just have cartoons or some photoshopped images or something. I’m working on a new one at the moment for Mass Effect 2. I would love to do some for Duke Nukem 3D as well. I like this sort of recyclable art – taking textures and stuff and mixing it up into something cool. Of course the dialogue is mine.

This one below is part of a series that I did years ago, but never got around to doing anymore. I used some textures from Thief II or T2X, or some other resource, and the characters are based on this little hammerite drawing I saw at www.keepofmetalandgold.com or KOMAG, for short. I have two others that I’ll put up some time, but I don’t know if I’ll get around to doing any others in this series. I actually had a whole bunch of drawings and ideas that are still sitting on my HD.

Anyway, here’s Hex in the City: Part 1.

Spoiler: If you didn’t know, the character in the last panel is Father Jack Hackett from the British comedy series Father Ted.

Borderlands DLC Retail Pack Coming Soon: 2 out of 3

Until now, the DLC packs for Borderlands, namely The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot, and The Secret Armory of General Knoxx have only been available for download on Xbox Live, PSN, and Digital Distribution sites such as Steam and Direct2Drive for the PC, as well as Games for Windows Live Marketplace.

There are even packs which combine DLC offerings, the best of which so far is the Borderlands Triple Pack on Direct2Drive, which includes the main game, Borderlands, as well as The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, and Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot.

Well, word has it that two of these DLCs are going to be released in retail form for stores.

It will offer The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, and Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot in one retail package, and is said to be releasing in the UK soon, on April 9th, with other territories likely getting it later.

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx will not be included in the pack, although it was thought at one stage it would be, but Eurogamer claims the information supplied was incorrect. I suppose just like like Bethesda did, they’ll pack it together with a GOTY edition like they did with Mothership Zeta last year. Unless there are more DLC packs to come, which might be the case.

Apparently, so far only the PC and Xbox 360 versions of this bundle have been confirmed, with an announcement for the PS3 one still pending.

And wouldn’t you know it? You can preorder this pack from Amazon right now!

----

Sources: [1] Eurogamer

2010/03/01

Mod Watch: Duke Nukem Eternity

I’m busy playing around with EDuke32, the HRP, Duke Plus, and Polymer at the moment, so I wanted to check up on some of these mods lately. I saw this in the recently updated column on Mod DB.

I’ve known of this mod for EDuke32, called Duke Nukem Eternity, (a jab at Duke Nukem Forever) for some time now. The good news is that a release of a couple of levels should be out this month, hopefully.

Duke Nukem Eternity is a Polymer only mod for EDuke32 which also needs the latest HRP (High Resolution Pack) for the port, and if you thought that regular Duke Nukem 3D looked good with all the improvements made, then you’ll love how this mod looks. Some say it looks nearly as good as Doom 3, graphics wise.

----

Source: Mod DB

Direct2Drive Best of Indie Volume 3

Braid

Direct2Drive has done a couple of these deals before with Indie games.

This time in Volume 3, you can get Braid, Osmos, World of Goo, Cogs, Machinaruim, The Maw, Crayon Physics Deluxe, Aaaaa!, Puzzlegeddon, and Gish for $29.95.

“The Best of Indie Bundle – Volume 3 combines 10 previous finalists (and some winners!) from past Independent Games Festivals (IGF). The Independent Games Festival celebrates the best games from the indie development community, so you know these are the best of the best!!! Pick up the bundle now for $29.95 – that’s a savings of $105.55 if you were to purchase each of these games on their own.”

That’s a saving of $134.50 or so according to Big D, but $105.55 if D2D is to be believed. So you pay about 22% of the total price in this deal, or 78% off, if my calculations are correct.

The deal expires on the 12th of March, 2010.

Buy Best of Indie Bundle Vol. 3 from Direct2Drive

----

Sources: [1] D2D - [2] Big Download

It’s March, and it’s Man’s Month

Well, like I said the other day, it’s the end of February, and the end of everything lovey-dovey and slushy as “Valentine’s Month” is finally over.

I’m now going to explain why it’s Man’s Month and how it came about. Firstly, DSTV started calling March “Man’s Month” within the last couple of years, and adjusted their TV programming to reflect it with plenty of action movies. This was to make up for a whole month of those poor saps otherwise known as married men, having to sit through romantic films, otherwise known as chick flicks, bored out of their mind.

March also comes from the name Mars, which is the Roman God of War, and men are warring, vicious, and violent by nature, don’t you know.

This is also quite appropriate because March has a hell of a line-up when it comes to games, and one of them actually happens to be God of War 3. In addition to that, there’s Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Supreme Commander 2, Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition, Just Cause 2, Assassin’s Creed II for the PC, Metro 2033, and Command& Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight. There’s a whole clump of these titles arriving on the 16th of March or so, right in the middle of the month, and more or less the Ides of March (I think it’s actually the 15th, but who cares), when Julius Caesar was murdered. Very manly.

On another note, the public holidays this month are all named after males. There’s St. David’s day (today), and there’s the much more well-known St. Patrick’s Day. Not to mention this month is the male equivalent of Valentine’s Day: Steak and BJ day. If you don’t know what that is, just google it, and you’ll see.

And hell, while we’re at it, my birthday is in this month. And it’s the beginning of Fall or Autumn, one of the best seasons of the year.

So, there’s a lot of reasons why March is one of the best months of the year, especially if you’re a man.

2010/02/28

Video Games Coming out This Week (02-28 – 03-06, 2010): Bad Company 2, Supreme Commander 2

AAA’s Targets of the Week - Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Supreme Commander 2

It’s all ready the last day of the month; the end of February. Unreal, as my brother would say. But February saw some good games released, and now it looks as though March might be even better.

This week, there’s a possible Modern Warfare 2 killer being released: Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Dedicated servers, more support for the PC, and the limited edition is available on the PC. So we all know who’s going to love this game: PC Gamers! Yeah! It does look awesome, when I see all these trailers and such on the game.

Then another big title that’s coming out this week is Supreme Commander 2 for the PC. I’ve read from the impressions of people who have plaid it that it’s different from the first game, but not bad. That’s all I know, and that it’s an RTS title.

Links where available go to game detail pages at Amazon, Direct2Drive, etc.

Alganon [Digital Distribution]
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Clover: A Curious Tale
Crazy Garage
Ella's Hope
Hunted
House M.D.
Major League Baseball 2K10
N.E.O. Online
Royal Envoy
Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic
Supreme Commander 2
Theatre of War II – Kursk

Mac

House M.D.

Xbox 360

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Dust Devils
Lips: Party Classics
Major League Baseball 2K10
Toy Soldiers [Xbox Live Arcade]

PlayStation 2

MLB 10: The Show
Major League Baseball 2K10

PlayStation 3

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
MLB 10: The Show
Major League Baseball 2K10

PSP

Dante's Inferno
Gunbird 2 Remix [PSN]
Halfbrick Rocket Racing [PSN]
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony - Lunar: Silver Star Harmony Limited Edition
MLB 10: The Show
Major League Baseball 2K10

Nintendo Wii

Alice in Wonderland
Build-a-Bear Workshop: Friendship Valley
City Builder
Crazy Garage
Mega Man 10 [WiiWare]
Major League Baseball 2K10
Project Runway
SpongeBob's Boating Bash
Zooloretto

Nintendo DS

Alice in Wonderland
Aztec Treasure Hunt
Battle of Giants: Mutant Insects
Build-A-Bear Workshop: Welcome to Hugsville
Crazy Garage
Deca Sports
Major League Baseball 2K10
Party Designer
So nic Classic Collection
SpongeBob's Boating Bash

----

Sources: Shacknews - Gamespot

Medal of Honor to Bring in the Big Guns

Doesn’t that guy standing on the left remind you of how the guys used to stand in Allied Assault? Like he just sh!t his pants…

Medal of Honor, for most of the franchise, has involved a lot of espionage, secrecy, infiltration, and other covert operations, with the exception of a few moments in some games like Allied Assault (remember the horrors of the Normandy landings on Omaha Beach?). But this is set to change, as EA says that the “Big military” is going to play more of a role in this latest title.

“The Tier 1 Operator has really come into their own in this conflict and we're honoured to have had the access to the people we've had access to, and we're really focusing our character story, our narrative, on them and on the soldier, and the respect for the soldier, and honouring the soldier, and really going deep into that.”

“It's about that. It's about small-unit tactics; it's about small-unit methods and procedures, but we also have big army.”

“Big military, I should say, is also in the game. The two units – the two sides - the sledgehammer and the scalpel, cannot work independently of each other. They require each other and depend on each other, and we're showcasing both of those in Medal of Honor.”

-----

Source: [1] IncGamers

Gearbox Talks About Aliens: Colonial Marines

“I’m back!”

Now that the first Aliens title of the year, Aliens vs. Predator, has come out this month (and to a bit of a mixed reaction, too), it’s time to dig up that other Aliens title that was supposed to come out first in the first place: Aliens: Colonial Marines.

The title is still in development at Gearbox, the makers of the majorly successful Borderlands, which has seen its third DLC pack, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, come out this week for all major consoles and the PC (and it’s done quite well too.).

Gearbox CEO, Randy Pitchford:

“We have an Aliens game with Sega and 20th Century Fox which we’re really excited about. It’s the thing I’ve been stealing from all my career. Now I’m really working on it, but we’ve been quiet about that so far.”

----

Source: [1] MCVUK