Apocalypso's Atomic Arcade

2010/06/01

The Sims Could be Getting Medieval on Your @ss

Couldn’t resists the heading, the saying made famous in Pulp Fiction years ago. But Superannuation spotted some domains that were registered by EA recently, which seem to indicate that there will soon be yet another expansion or add-on pack for The Sims 3 that has something to do with anything and everything medieval – as in back in the Middle Ages, which by looking at the names could be something like The Sims Get Medieval, or something to that effect.

These domains include simsmedieval.com, simsmedieval.net, thesimsmedieval.com, thesimsmedieval.net, thesimsgetmedieval.com, and thesimsgetmedieval.net.

I have to say that this is the expansion for The Sims that I have waited for for ten years. I think a few other add-ons may have dabbled in it a bit, but I mean, I want to build castles, and moats, have jousting tournaments, and so on.

I’ve yet to buy any of the expansions for the game, namely World Adventures and Ambitions, but this one just got my attention. If it is an expansion, that is. It might not be. It could be something else entirely.

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Source: superannuation

2010/05/31

Gaming Magazine Subscriptions for $5 at Amazon

Amazon has had a few deals on magazine subscriptions and so on over the past couple of months. Now they’ve got a deal exclusive to gaming mags.

For the next few days, until June 5th, you can subscribe to Official Xbox Magazine, PlayStation: The Official Magazine, Nintendo Power, and PC Gamer for $5 each.

This saves you over $100 on a 1 year subscription in the case of PC Gamer or Official Xbox Magazine, which comes with a DVD. You can also take advantage of this deal to renew subscriptions too. In all cases, you’re saving more than 90% on the price.

So head on over there and get a good deal on gaming magazines before it ends.

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Source: Amazon

Dennis Hopper, of Easy Rider fame, Passes Away

We said farewell to one of the 80’s biggest child stars, in Gary Coleman, last week. He died on Friday afternoon in Utah, in the US. The next day also saw one of the greatest and most recognisable stars of the last half-century pass away: Dennis Hopper.

Dennis Hopper battled prostate cancer for a long while before eventually succumbing to it on Saturday. He was 74 years old. He had his last birthday on May 17.

Dennis was mainly known for movies, especially Westerns and the like, but also played the role of King Koopa in Super Mario Bros.: The Movie back in 1993. He also dabbled in photography as well.

And on a personal note related to gaming, Dennis Hopper was considered one of the greatest Dr. Wallace Breen [from Half-Life 2] lookalikes as well, if they ever made a film – which they haven’t. To think that now both he and the voice actor behind Breen, Robert Culp, are dead – in the same year. That’s a big shame.
Rest in Peace, Dennis.

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Source: Dennis Hopper Dead At 74 [Kotaku]

Mass Effect Possibly had a Prequel: Unreal II

Even the box covers look similar…

Mass Effect and Unreal. What’s the connection here? Mass Effect 1& 2 used more than just the Unreal Engine, you see. Mass Effect is also somewhat similar to Unreal II: The Awakening.

I bought the Unreal Anthology the other day, which had Unreal II bundled along with three or four other games in the series. This got me thinking back to the days when I played Unreal II. Okay, so it didn't continue the story of Unreal, but it wasn’t a bad game.

What does all that have to do with Mass Effect? Look at Unreal II, and then look at Mass Effect.

Both featured one man out to save the world, along with his crew, on his ship. You argue that those two men aren’t the same rank, and that with Shepard you could at least customize what he [or she] looks like.

Fair enough, but then look at the how the game plays – you have those dialogue options and so on. Yeah, Unreal II had those, and could also be one of those talky games as well at times.

Okay, so you argue that the dialogue options weren’t as in depth, and didn’t feature Paragon and Renegade and so on. I know you’re probably getting cross now, but have a look at this next one.

Unreal II also saw you travelling to different planets and so on to stop threats: one which included a trip to the snow-covered planet known as Hell, where John Dalton [you] ended up battling these huge spidery looking things called Araknids, and the Heavy Araknid -essentially the Queen. Sound familiar? Mass Effect also had a snowy level, Noveria, where you drove up to this building, where you faced the Rachni - which were big spidery looking things, with a Queen Rachni…

Mass Effect 2 also had that suicide mission at the end of the main storyline, but if you played it carefully, most of the crew if not all came out alive. In Unreal II, there was also a bit a of a suicide mission, but this time the crew ended up sacrificing themselves by plunging their ship into the sun.

Not to mention that Mass Effect 2 had your Cerberus officer, Miranda – the eye candy of the game – and Unreal II had Aida.

I’m not saying that BioWare copied Unreal II, and it could all just be coincidence, but I just happened to notice a few similarities. Perhaps, spiritually, even though they are now working on Mass Effect 3, the Mass Effect series all ready has a trilogy… in a way.

2010/05/30

Video Games Coming out This Week [May 30-June 05, 2010]: Alpha Protocol

AAA’s Targets of the Week: Alpha Protocol, The Sims 3: Ambitions

This week sees the release of Alpha Protocol, an RPG that has so far received mixed reactions from critics. There’s also The Sims 3: Ambitions expansion for PC and Mac. Then there’s a truckload of Sega Genesis Classics arriving on Steam for the PC, hence the larger than usual number of PC releases.

Available Links go to game detail pages at retail and digital distribution outlets like Amazon and Steam, etc. You can also check out my Amazon aStore for the latest and greatest games released this year.

[PC]

Alpha Protocol [Direct2Drive – Digital]
Altered Beast [Steam]
Crack Down [Steam]
Deadtime Stories
Ecco the Dolphin [Steam]
Tropico 3: Absolute Power [Expansion] [Direct2Drive – Digital]
Gain Ground [Steam]
Golden Axe [Steam]
Hearts of Iron 3: Semper Fi [Digital]
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi [Steam]
Shinobi III [Steam]
Sonic 3D Blast [Steam]
Space Harrier II [Steam]
The Sims 3 Ambitions [Expansion]
Vampireville
Vectorman [Steam]
Wizardology

[Mac]

The Sims 3 Ambitions [Expansion]

[Xbox 360]

Alpha Protocol
Backbreaker
Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Resurgence Pack
Pure Futbol
Snoopy Flying Ace

[PlayStation 2]

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow

[PlayStation 3]

Alpha Protocol
Backbreaker
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Resurgence Pack
GundeadliGne
Hitogata Happa
Planet MiniGolf [PSN]
Pure Futbol
Telegraph Crosswords [PSN]

[PSP]

Hexyz Force
Telegraph Crosswords [PSN]

[Wii]

America's Next Top Model
Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt [with Precision Pointer]
City Builder
Get Moving Family Fitness - Sports Edition
Let's Paint
Tetris Party Deluxe
Voodoo Dice [WiiWare]
Wizardology

[Nintendo DS]

America's Next Top Model
Diamond Trust of London
Farm Frenzy: Animal Country
Hero of Sparta [DSiWare]
Mind Over Matter
Telegraph Sudoku & Kakuro
Tetris Party Deluxe
Wizardology
X-Scape [DSiWare]

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Sources:

The Video Game Release List of 5/30 - 6/5 [Shacknews]
New Releases Week of May 30, 2010 [Gamespot]

Classic Game Collecting: Unreal Anthology

I went over to Makro for the first time in quite a while today and naturally went over to the section where all the games are. I was quite impressed with their selection of classic games, particularly from the early 2000’s and even some from the nineties – stuff that you don’t often see in some of the other shops. They had a shelf dedicated to classic PC games, as well as a bargain bin just filled with the usual rubbish and a few gems.

It was here that I stumbled upon something that caught my eye. There was a box that read Unreal Anthology.

Originally released in 2006, in it are several games in the Unreal series, namely: Unreal, Unreal: Return to Na Pali [the expansion, both collectively known as Unreal Gold], Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition, Unreal II: The Awakening, and Unreal Tournament 2004. It’s also got a bonus soundtrack CD with music from the series.

This is a welcome addition to my collection, seeing as I do have the original Unreal, which I bought brand new years ago, back in 1998, but even though I’ve played all the others, I haven’t really owned them myself. The only one I haven’t played at all would be Unreal: Return to Na Pali.

I also all ready own Unreal Tournament III. So I’m missing what? Unreal Tournament 2003, Unreal Championship and Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict.

There were some other games there that I had a look at like some games in the Hitman series, but I settled for the Unreal Anthology, which has 4 or 5 games in one box for about R99. And it was the only copy in the store.

If you want to get a hold of Unreal Anthology yourself, you can grab it from Amazon, and even Direct2Drive.

Classic Game Collecting is a AAA original, where I talk about my shopping outings, where I usually pick up one or two games that appeal to my interest. The more games in the box, the better value, I say.

Gary Coleman Passes Away at 42

Last year and this year saw some of the greatest eighties icons pass away. Last year we had Michael Jackson, and earlier this year it was Corey Haim.
Now another one in Gary Coleman, passed away on Friday in the past week, after sustaining a fall, hitting his head and suffering from a intracranial haemorrhage on Wednesday. He then spent a couple of days in the hospital, apparently on life support before dying.

Gary Coleman was mainly known for his television and movie roles, but he also had a couple of appearances in video games too. He played himself in Postal 2 and the Apocalypse Weekend expansion, and also voiced a character in The Curse of Monkey Island. He also at one time owned a video game arcade in Santa Monica, and often attended E3 and other gaming events.
Running With Scissors, the developers of the Postal series, had this to say about this:

“NO!! Gary Coleman died?! He can't be dead! He was our little buddy! That's f*cked up! According to the reports he died of intracranial haemorrhage after falling and hitting his head. He was only 42. Damn.
Running With Scissors sends it's deepest condolences out to Gary's family, friends and fans. We still can't believe this is real! You will be immortalized in POSTAL history forever Gary! We had a lot fun times together! You were an awesome dude with a great sense of humor! Rest in peace Gary, we love you and we will remember you always. You will be greatly missed little Buddy!”

Read the comments on the website, and the comments suggest that there should be a tribute to Gary in Postal 3, perhaps a statue.

Rest in Peace, Gary.

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Source: Postal 2's Gary Coleman passes away [Big Download]