Assasin's Creed & BiA3 Delayed 06:14 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Action
(15 comments)
Ah, crap. According to Ubi's latest financials, Assasin's Creed and Brothers in Arms 3 have been delayed: The company said holding Assassins and Brothers back "will now strengthen fiscal year 2007-08" -- which for the rest of us means the games will now arrive sometime between April 2007 and March 2008. Both titles were tentatively scheduled to be released in the first part of 2007 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
In other Ubi news, they are making GRAW 2 and are working on a cubic-assload of Wii games.
Top 10 Best Selling US PC Games 06:10 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Real-Time Strategy
(11 comments)
Here are the top-10 best selling PC games in the US ending the week of Oct. 14th:
1) World of WarCraft - Blizzard
2) Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade - THQ
3) The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff - EA
4) Company of Heroes - THQ
5) The Sims 2 - EA
6) Desperate Housewives: The Game - BVG
7) Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - LucasArts
8) Reel Deal Slots: Mystic Forest - Parlor Games
9) Age of Empires III - Microsoft
10) Quake IV - Activision
F.E.A.R. Extraction Point Ships to Stores 03:30 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Action
(6 comments)
Vivendi sends word that F.E.A.R. Extraction Point ($29.95) is shipping out to stores today and F.E.A.R. 360 ($59.95) will be released on Oct. 31st: Shipping today, October 24th, F.E.A.R. Extraction Point kicks off where the original game ended - with a bang. Once the hunter, now the hunted, your new mission is simple…escape. The Replicas are no longer your only nemeses, as powerful supernatural entities are wreaking havoc on everything and anything that crosses their path. You are trapped in a desolate city and your road to freedom hinges on the ability to destroy all that gets in your way. All new locations, weaponry and enemies combine to take the F.E.A.R. franchise to new levels of action and suspense in this first expansion pack for F.E.A.R. PC.
Appropriately shipping October 31st, F.E.A.R for Xbox 360 is THE paranormal action thriller. An unprecedented adrenaline rush of close quarters combat seamlessly melded with the spine-tingling, shocking intensity of the supernatural. F.E.A.R. for Xbox 360 is bound to be that Halloween treat all gamers will be wanting. Game Informer has a review up giving it two 8/10s.
Gears of War: Not a Goofy Little Platform Game 03:06 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Consoles: Xbox 360
(16 comments)
Next-Gen has an interview with Epic's CliffyB who talks about (take a wild guess) Gears of War: Why do you think Microsoft has gotten so heavily behind this game?
It's an extremely solid, fun shooter; everything feels tight and snug and heavy and badass. That's exactly what we were going for. Plus it looks great and it plays great over live. It's the kind of game that I think your average Xbox gamer or console gamer wants to play. It's not a goofy little platform game, it's something that you would like to show of on your nice plasma screen TV and you're like, 'check this shit out, man'.
Tiger Woods 07 Multiplayer No Worky 02:22 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Consoles: Xbox 360
(18 comments)
Funny how few reviews mention this, but Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 doesn't work worth a rat's ass online. The guys at Penny-Arcade couldn't get it to run either. Gamers across various Internet forums are reporting major problems with the Xbox 360 version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07—specifically, its online functionality.
Most seem to be reporting problems when trying to get into the lobby or entering ranked and unranked games. In some cases, the screen starts flashing and users are forced to reset their Xbox 360s.
If you experienced these problems…well, you are not the only one. Update: - EA said they fixed the 50 person lobby problemo.
Update 2: - Evil_Homer tried it a couple times and it still doesn't work...
Dark Messiah Ships Out 12:34 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Action / Roleplaying
(21 comments)
Ubisoft announced today that Dark Messiah of Might & Magic has shipped off to stores:
"Dark Messiah of Might and Magic successfully blurs traditional lines and defines a new approach to action-RPGs for the modern PC gaming audience," said Tony Key, vice president of marketing at Ubisoft. "Dark Messiah of Might and Magic's breakthrough game design, combined with the technology and graphic capability the Source Engine brings, signals an exciting new direction for the Might and Magic brand."
Developed in conjunction with Ubisoft, Arkane Studios (for single-player), and Kuju Entertainment (for multiplayer), Dark Messiah of Might and Magic puts players in a first-person perspective, allowing them to encounter ferocious combat within a dark and expansive fantasy environment.
Powered by an enhanced version of the award-winning Source™ Engine created by Valve to power its Half-Life�2 video game, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic allows players to immerse themselves in an environment that responds and envelops them like never before, thanks to the Source Engine's exceptional technological enhancements in areas such as character animation, advanced AI, real-world physics and shader-based rendering.
Dark Messiah Might and Magic ships with an ESRB rating of "M" (Mature). The game is available for PC at the manufacturer's suggested retail price of $49.99 for the standard edition, and $59.99 for the Limited Edition.
Star Wars Forces of Corruption Released 12:30 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Real-Time Strategy
(3 comments)
LucasArts informed us that Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption should be showing up at a store near you very soon: In the award-winning and best-selling Star Wars: Empire at War, players controlled an entire war for the Star Wars galaxy as the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire. Now, they will face off against both of them in Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption as a brand new third faction. As Tyber Zann, players will stop at nothing as they seek to further the sinister agenda of the Zann Consortium and become the most notorious criminal leader since Jabba the Hutt. With all new tactics like piracy, kidnapping, and bribery, players can control the shadowy forces of corruption in their attempt to rule the Star Wars underworld.
"Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption allows fans to experience the Star Wars universe in an entirely new way," said Nancy MacIntyre, vice president global sales and marketing for LucasArts. "People have always wanted to peek inside the shady underground of the galaxy - home to the spies, bounty hunters and smugglers - and Forces of Corruption finally gives them the chance to do so. The illicit technologies, black-market goods, and underhanded tactics in Forces of Corruption allow players to become gangsters in the wretched hives of Star Wars scum and villainy."
"Creating a completely new faction in Forces of Corruption gave us the opportunity to add a remarkable amount of new content and gameplay to the Empire at War story," said Mike Legg, president of Petroglyph. "In addition, the decision to add to the Star Wars lore gave us the freedom to create unique and fantastic units and characters. We believe that all Empire at War players, and Star Wars fans alike, will find something new and exciting in Forces of Corruption."
2K's Games Getting Steamed 11:41 am
- Andrew Burnes
- Games: General News
(2 comments)
2K Games has signed a deal with Valve that will see a number of their titles digitally distributed on Steam:
2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., and Valve today announced an agreement to bring a collection of 2K PC games to Steam.
"With titles from legendary designer Sid Meier and 2K's world renowned developer, Firaxis Games, 2K is one of today's foremost publishers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "Through this initial agreement with 2K, Steam's game library expands to include four great strategy games. We look forward to delivering more from 2K in the future."
2K develops and publishes front line PC, console and handheld entertainment software, with a strong presence in strategy, sports and high profile licensed titles. Steam is the only full-featured broadband platform for the delivery and management of games and digital content, and has pioneered its broadband services to over 10 million customers with core and casual games from today's leading publishers and developers.
"We are excited to add Valve to our roster of partners in the digital distribution area," said Paul Crockett, Strategic Sales and Licensing, 2K. "Being included in their vast network will assist us in expanding the reach of our products to a much larger audience."
PC versions of Sid Meier's Civilization IV, Sid Meier's Civilization III, Shattered Union and Sid Meier's Pirates! will be available later this week via Steam. Details regarding future 2K titles available via Steam will be announced at a later date.
It's worth noting that 2KG already distribute their wares via Direct2Drive.
Lik-Sang Forced Out Of Business By Sony 08:21 am
- Andrew Burnes
- Games: General News
(55 comments)
Respected import company Lik Sang has been forced out of business by a malicious Sony seeking to block their sales of consoles to Europe:
Lik-Sang.com, the popular gaming retailer from Hong Kong, has today announced that it is forced to close down due to multiple legal actions brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sony claimed that Lik-Sang infringed its trade marks, copyright and registered design rights by selling Sony PSP consoles from Asia to European customers, and have recently obtained a judgment in the High Court of London (England) rendering Lik-Sang's sales of PSP consoles unlawful.
As of today, Lik-Sang.com will not be in the position to accept any new orders and will cancel and refund all existing orders that have already been placed. Furthermore, Lik-Sang is working closely with banks and PayPal to refund any store credits held by the company, and the customer support department is taking care of any open transactions such as pending RMAs or repairs and shipping related matters. The staff of Lik-Sang will make sure that nobody will get hurt in the crossfire of this ordeal.
A Sony spokesperson declined to comment directly on the lawsuit against Lik-Sang, but recently went on to tell Gamesindustry.biz that "ultimately, we're trying to protect consumers from being sold hardware that does not conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards, due to voltage supply differences et cetera; is not - in PS3's case - backwards compatible with either PS1 or PS2 software; will not play European Blu-Ray movies or DVDs; and will not be covered by warranty".
Lik Sang strongly disagrees with Sony's opinion that their customers need this kind of protection and pointed out that PSP consoles shipped from Lik-Sang contained genuine Sony 100V-240V AC Adapters that carry CE and other safety marks and are compatible world wide. All PSP consoles were in conformity with all EU and UK consumer safety regulations.
Furthermore, Sony have failed to disclose to the London High Court that not only the world wide gaming community in more than 100 countries relied on Lik-Sang for their gaming needs, but also Sony Europe's very own top directors repeatedly got their Sony PSP hard or software imports in nicely packed Lik-Sang parcels with free Lik-Sang Mugs or Lik-Sang Badge Holders, starting just two days after Japan's official release, as early as 14th of December 2004 (more than nine months earlier than the legal action). The list of PSP related Sony Europe orders reads like the who's who of the videogames industry, and includes Ray Maguire (Managing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Alan Duncan (UK Marketing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Chris Sorrell (Creative Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Rob Parkin (Development Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited), just to name a few.
"Today is Sony Europe victory about PSP, tomorrow is Sony Europe's ongoing pressure about PlayStation 3. With this precedent set, next week could already be the stage for complaints from Sony America about the same thing, or from other console manufacturers about other consoles to other regions, or even from any publisher about any specific software title to any country they don't see fit. It's the beginning of the end... of the World as we know it", stated Pascal Clarysse, formerly known as the Marketing Manager of Lik-Sang.com.
"Blame it on Sony. That's the latest dark spot in their shameful track record as gaming industry leader. The Empire finally 'won', few dominating retailers from the UK probably will rejoice the news, but everybody else in the gaming world lost something today."
Damn mother frackers.
Update: Sony has a different take on this story.
The Burning Crusade Delayed Until January 2007 06:31 am
- Elia 'Mithan' Doulia
- Games: MMOG
(27 comments)
In a move sure to cause much gnashing of teeth, Blizzard today announced that The Burning Crusade expansion pack for World of Warcraft, is being delayed until January of 2007.
IRVINE, Calif. -- Blizzard Entertainment� today announced that the release date for World of Warcraft�: The Burning Crusade™, the highly anticipated expansion for World of Warcraft, will be in January 2007. By adding a few extra weeks to the development cycle beyond its original target date, Blizzard will be able to extend the closed beta test and further refine the new content that will ship with the game.
"We appreciate the enthusiasm surrounding World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, and we're excited about putting the finishing touches on all of the new content," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We feel confident that the extra time spent polishing the game will result in the high-quality experience that our players expect and deserve."
Blizzard began the closed-beta phase of testing on World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade earlier this month. The January 2007 release window will allow extra time for current beta testers to participate in the final stages of development and continue providing valuable feedback.
Further information on specific worldwide release dates, pricing, and other details will be announced in the near future.
While it always sucks to have to wait longer, if this means a higher quality release, I am all for it. Honestly, in the long run, an extra 4-6 weeks is nothing.
Hardware & Tech Nuggets 01:48 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- hardware: General News
(0 comments)
Previews Aplenty 01:39 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(0 comments)
Interviewage 01:32 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(0 comments)
Assorted Downloads 01:26 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(0 comments)
RPG Vault Goodness 01:18 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Role-Playing
(0 comments)
RPG Roundtable #6 - Part 1
We invite a group of developers to comment on a very familiar phrase, "They don't make RPGs like they used to"
Game Reviews 12:54 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(1 comment)
In Other News... 12:45 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- In-House: In Other News...
(39 comments)
I was going to download Dark Messiah from Steam, but then saw it was a 10+ gig download. Not that 10 gigs is too bad, but the speed I typically get from Steam leaves much to be desired. Walmart has it advertised online 17 cents cheaper too, so there's another excuse!
Today's question:
Do you think overall prices for digitally distributed games is too high?
P.S. - The idea of playing the Supreme Commander beta makes me feel very happy in the pants.
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