Ubisoft DRM
Wreaks Havoc Over Weekend
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Weekend Issues
Steam and Valve Source
Heading To Mac
Apple iPad
Coming In April
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Controversial games streaming service OnLive will launch in the US on June 17th backed by Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, THQ and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, MCV can reveal.Details for the cloud-based gaming service, which was unveiled amidst much attention at GDC last year, are to be given in a Wednesday keynote this morning at the GamesBeat one-day event at the 2010 Game Developers Conference.
The serivce launches on PC and Mac, and costs $14.95 a month, the firm told MCV.
That price "provides access to an ever-increasing library of high-end, new release game content and a host of exclusive community feature such as Brag Clips and massive spectating," said COO Mike McGarvey
"Individual titles will be available for purchase or rental on an a la carte basis. Specific game pricing, including rentals,purchases and loyalty programs, will be announced prior to the consumer launch event at E3. We’ll also be announcing additional loyalty and discount programs for consumers in the coming months."
Major publishers have already backed the service - and while specific titles, pricing and revenue share models will be made public closer to the E3 launch, McGarvey told us that a few of the launch games include Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II and Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, as well as THQ’s Metro 2033.
OnLive effectively streams game content direct to computers, without the need for a game download, and effectively cuts down the digital distribution process to its simplest essence.The service launched in a closed beta late last year.
But what about the Micro Console - a small unit which plugs into a TV for those who don't just want to play on computers - which the firm touted at GDC last year.
The MicroConsole hasn't been forgotten, said McGarvey - but the firm is focusing on the PC and Mac version first: "For the initial rollout of the consumer service, we are focusing on delivering high-performance games to PCs and Macs and we will be making an announcement regarding our plans for the MicroConsole rollout later on in the year."
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The Napoleon: Total War demo will take you through the new and playable "War on Land" tutorial as well as the epic land Battle of Ligny, one of the many historical scenarios included in the full version of the game.War on Land tutorial - Set during the Siege of Toulon, you will be given command of the French artillery battery. Aided by Napoleon's most trusted aide, you will learn the art of warfare in the defeat of the British army. Historical scenario - Battle of Ligny - The Battle of Ligny (16th June 1815) effectiveky determined the outcome of Napoleon's 100 day return to power. Although victory was achieved here, the Prussian General Gebhard Von Blucher was allowed to escape, something which very soon proved to be a fatal mistake. Play as the French or the Prussian faction Note: This demo is presented in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish languages only. However, the full game contains English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Czech and Polish languages.
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Purchase here.
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A new generation of FORMULA ONE games will come to high definition consoles and PC later this year as Codemasters today announced that F1 2010 will be released this September for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and PC Games For Windows.As the official game of the 2010 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, F1 2010 will include all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the coming season. F1 2010 will feature the return of seven times FORMULA 1 Drivers’ World Champion Michael Schumacher, the introduction of several new teams, and the brand new Korean International Circuit that will host the 2010 FORMULA 1 KOREAN GRAND PRIX.
The September launch will see F1 2010 become the first official FORMULA ONE game to appear for Xbox 360 and marks the return of FORMULA ONE to PC after an eight year absence. The arrival of the HD editions of FORMULA ONE follows Codemasters’ extremely successful launch of F1 2009 for Wii and PSP, which became a top five best seller throughout the past holiday period.
In F1 2010 gamers will take on the full, expanded grid in a variety of game modes including GRAND PRIX, Championship, Time Trial and an extensive, innovative Career mode. F1 2010 will also feature a highly advanced damage model, fully dynamic weather system and extensive competitive multiplayer options.
In production at Codemasters Studios Birmingham, F1 2010 is being developed using the EGO Game Technology Platform, Codemasters’ proprietary tech that powered the critically acclaimed, million-plus selling Colin McRae: DiRT 2 and Race Driver: GRID. The award-winning technology has been further developed to accurately recreate the unique aerodynamics and handling of 200MPH+ FORMULA ONE cars. The tech combined with Codemasters’ unprecedented access to FORMULA ONE teams and drivers will ensure that F1 2010 delivers the most authentic FORMULA ONE racing experience yet. F1 2010 will be released September 2010 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Games for Windows.
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The duo will do a 20-minute live-action film for the latest installment of Ubisoft’s big-ticket shooter video game “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon," titled "Future Soldier,” due out for the Christmas holidays.The WME-repped Alaux and de Crecy are working with Tim Sexton, one of the writers of “Children of Men,” on what will act as a prequel of sorts, setting up the story about a squad of U.S. Special Forces.
Ubisoft has budgeted $8 million-$10 million for the project. Ridley and Tony Scott’s commercial and music video shingle RSA is producing.
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The mobile companion application, described by early reviewers as "game changing," allows Fallen Earth players in-game and real-time access to several key features of the MMOG from their mobile phone. Similar to the upcoming iPhone application, the app will enable players on other mobile devices to log in to the live Fallen Earth server and interact with their character(s) and other players via several different modules such as Chat, Crafting and the Auction House."People have been talking about interconnectivity between MMOGs and mobile devices for a long time, but until now, no one has gone so far as to build an app that provides real-time interaction to this level," said Jim Hettinger, CEO of Icarus Studios. "Just the ability to chat with members of your clan in-game from your mobile phone is a huge benefit, but this product does so much more than that."
In addition to providing the ability to chat and send and receive in-game mail, the app allows users to perform a number of other tasks, such as:
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About Thomas "Tom" Paxton
Tom Paxton is a top-drawer agent for the Company with an impeccable resume. His extraordinary physical strength and agility as well as his talent for disappearing seamlessly into any environment make him the ideal candidate for the job.
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What's for lunch today?
Fictoids
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No further details are provided.
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Players will be able to choose to play as Cylons or humans in a constant struggle to control the universe or just survive its perils. A blend of tactical space combat, exploration, and mission-based gameplay will provide a diverse experience. The dramatic missions will define the game's overall storyline, enabling the player to delve into mysteries of the Battlestar universe. Battlestar Galactica Online will create a new standard for web games, with beautiful 3d graphics and innovative game mechanics bringing a new level of game play to browser based MMOG. Assets from the television production will be integrated into the game to deliver an even more authentic experience.Battlestar Galactica Online is the first game inspired by a blockbuster Hollywood franchise to be fully developed on Unity technology for MMOG audiences. This platform independent engine makes it possible to produce real-time 3D applications such as MMO games with exceptionally high quality graphics without having to download a client.
“We are excited to work with Bigpoint – and our partners at Universal Cable Productions and Syfy – to bring an epic, accessible, and ‘always on’ BSG experience to fans of the franchise and online gamers alike.” Battlestar Galactica is the gripping saga of humanity's last remnants and their struggle to find a new home while fleeing from their deadly Cylon enemies. Redefining the space opera with its gritty realism, Galactica's intensity, issues-driven topicality, and command performances have garnered it numerous awards, including three Emmy® Awards and the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. The show was recognized by the American Film Institute (AFI) as one of the most outstanding programs of the year two years running. The series was produced by Universal Cable Productions and executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. The outstanding ensemble cast was led by Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park.
"Battlestar Galactica is a supremely gameable intellectual property, with compelling character classes, a fantastic array of ships and weaponry, multiple worlds, and a dramatic storyline," said Bill Kispert, VP & GM, Digital Platforms, Universal Partnerships & Licensing. " We are excited to work with Bigpoint – and our partners at Universal Cable Productions and Syfy – to bring an epic, accessible, and ‘always on’ BSG experience to fans of the franchise and online gamers alike."
"Cooperation between Bigpoint and NBC Universal is a very important strategic step for us," explains Heiko Hubertz, CEO and founder of Bigpoint. "Battlestar Galactica has a huge and passionate fan base. We are proud to be able to publish such an internationally famous title as one of our online games. For the first time ever, we're relying completely on Unity in order to offer our users fantastic game graphics right in their browsers."
Further info is available in a LA Times article.
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Today, Ubisoft announces that the Public Beta Test for R.U.S.E., a one-of-a-kind real-time strategy (RTS) game developed by Eugen Systems, is now supported through and available for download and installation on Steam. Set to reinvigorate the strategy genre, R.U.S.E. allows players to use their brains as the ultimate weapon to fight a war of perception where the ability to deceive and mislead the enemy determines success.In the public beta, players will have the opportunity to choose one of the 6 unique factions available in the game (US, UK, GER, USSR, FRANCE, IT) and train themselves against the artificial intelligence on the "Blitz" map before entering the multiplayer challenge.
With 7 multiplayer maps (from 1 vs. 1 to 4 vs. 4...or free for all) players will be able to test their strategist skills against enemies combining up to 10 different ruses to lure their opponents in one of the 3 multiplayer game modes (1939, 1942, 1945).
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Purchase here.
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The 4MB Arc Projector can be downloaded here.
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‘Battlefield: Bad Company 2’ explodes into the All Formats Chart at No1 this week, honouring EA with the accolade of being the fastest selling game of the year so far.‘Battlefield: Bad Company 2’ has an excellent performance, outselling the launch week of the original ‘Bad Company’ by almost 3 to 1. It also records the best ever launch for any game released this early in the year. 53% of sales went to the Xbox 360 version with 31% for PS3 and 16% for PC, topping each individual chart. Last week’s No1 ‘Heavy Rain’ slips to No4 with sales down 69% and with ‘Aliens Vs Predator’ (-61%) falling one place to No3, ‘Just Dance’ (-15%) finds itself back at No2. Sales of ‘Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing’ (+28%) speed up in their second week, propelling it from No8 to No5, ahead of ‘Wii Fit Plus’ (-5%), which drops 2 places to No6. The usual suspects fill the remaining positions in the Top 10 with ‘Modern Warfare 2’ (-11%) and ‘Wii Sports Resort’ (-15%) both down 2 places to No’s 7 and 8 respectively.
‘FIFA 10’ (-13%) has never been out of the Top 10 since its release and it does not look like it wants this to change, gaining one place this week, up from No10 to No9. ‘New Super Mario Bros. Wii’ (-41%) manages to hold onto a Top 10 finish, despite falling 3 places to No10. The launch of the PC version of ‘Assassin’s Creed II’ (+73%) sees it jump from No31 to No14, while there is a new entry at No23 for Square-Enix’s PC strategy title ‘Supreme Commander 2’.
As noted above, Bad Company 2 is now the fastest selling game of the year, taking the crown away from Aliens vs. Predator.
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Newness:Latent abilities known as emotes have surfaced and are now available to all players who own the advanced combat packs. To utilize these new emotes, select a class that you own the advanced combat pack for and press the b key in game to taunt your enemies into submission! Taunt-on! (There is currently no option in the key bindings for emotes, for now all emotes are on the b key) Due to popular demand, the options screen can now be accessed from in game, feel free to stand still playing with settings while we steal your crystals, capture your command posts and just flat out kill you! Players can now view their current rank in game, which just so happens to be placed right above their weapon selection on the user interface. Bug Fixes:
Piramess:
Taking flags in to the newer spawn room areas will no longer be allowed. Entering the newer spawn room areas as an enemy will also no longer be allowed.
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As you probably noticed, we have experienced an outage across EA servers today, this was caused by a routing issue outside of EA's control but it has been solved and things are back up and running again.Tomorrow at 8:00 GMT/9:00 CET and 12:00 (midnight) PST the EA servers will be brought down for maintenance. There is no current time for when the servers will return so keep an eye on our Twitter for more up to date information as we get it.
On a more positive note, we have released the R6 server to server providers today which should stop the PB INIT FAILURE messages that have been causing problems recently, as well as releasing new server versions, we are still investigating and fixing connectivity and stability problems that are being reported.
Public servers (accounting for around 40,000 slots) may be brought back online this week. New clan servers will also be started at the same time.
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Electronic Arts Inc. today announced an agreement with 38 Studios, LLC to publish the company’s first video game, an epic single-player role-playing game codenamed ‘Project Mercury’. 38 Studios is the creative enterprise of World Series MVP and avid gamer Curt Schilling. ‘Project Mercury’ is being developed at Big Huge Games, a wholly-owned subsidiary of 38 Studios, under the leadership of Ken Rolston, former lead designer of the critically acclaimed hits, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The game marks the first entry into the company’s vast universe created by New York Times best-selling fantasy author R. A. Salvatore, with artistic direction by Todd McFarlane, renowned artist and creator of Spawn.“From day one, 38 Studios has been focused on creating the next generation of entertainment experiences that embrace all mediums, including film, television, comics, novels, toys and, of course, games,” said Curt Schilling, Founder and Chairman of 38 Studios. “We are creating an enormous world, with heroes and villains and a rich back story from the brilliant minds of R. A., Todd and Ken at its heart, and I can think of no finer partner than the global powerhouse that is EA Partners. Being able to leverage the expertise of EA's publishing organization to bring our first product to market is a dream come true for 38 Studios."
“We are thrilled to be working with 38 Studios. The world of RPG gaming is so rich and it is a perfect complement to our partners and title portfolio in EAP,” said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA Partners. “Project Mercury is bursting with first-rate talent, with passion that spans across the board, from Curt to R. A. to Todd and Ken. We look forward to collaborating with them to create an amazing game set in this incredible new world.”
R. A. Salvatore, who has sold over 15 million books worldwide, will be at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco this week speaking about the creative process of building fantasy worlds. His lecture, entitled “From Fantasy to Franchise: How to Build a Universe Worthy of Devotion”, will take place on Thursday, March 11th from 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM in Room 306 in South Hall at the Moscone Center. Salvatore will discuss his past experiences in writing and games, as well as touch upon his role at 38 Studios as Executive Creator of Worlds.
Project Mercury will be available for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, and PC.
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Preliminary development work has started on Jagged Alliance 3, the new episode in the internationally successful Jagged Alliance series. The German publisher bitComposer Games has secured the full rights to the license from Strategy First, and will publish this famous strategy brand with roleplay elements worldwide. The aim is to preserve the popular basic concept of the previous versions and place it in a contemporary setting. A specific release date for Jagged Alliance 3 has not yet been confirmed, but a 2011 release is anticipated.“Although Jagged Alliance 2 was published over ten years ago now, the game still represents a milestone in the genre and boasts a huge following of loyal fans,” says Wolfgang Duhr, Managing Director of bitComposer Games. “We are delighted to acquire this classic game for bitComposer, and want to continue the success of the previous titles in the series, while giving the new version a contemporary look, bearing in mind the strong features of its predecessors”.
The Jagged Alliance series has received numerous national and international awards since its first appearance in 1994. The second part in particular, Jagged Alliance 2, released in 1999, won a host of accolades and gained the highest plaudits from the global games media. Jagged Alliance 3 will build on the strengths of its famous predecessors and, set against the backdrop of a gripping story, will again deliver the much-loved combo of turn-based strategy gameplay with roleplay elements.
Recently there has been conflicting information about further planned releases in the Jagged Alliance series. Apart from a Social Network based game under development by Strategy First, the acquisition of the full IP rights by bitComposer Games will now serve to clarify the situation and will lay the foundations for future development work under the license.
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The first downloadable content for Aliens vs Predator will shortly be available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC platforms. Featuring 4 new maps for different multiplayer modes, previously only available in the Special Editions, this downloadable content will challenge all three species for the fight of their existence.Two new Multiplayer maps for six different online modes (Deathmatch, Predator Hunt, Infestation, Species Deathmatch, Mixed Species Deathmatch and Domination) :
Docks: The caustic alkali waters of BG-386 put an end to Weyland-Yutani’s planned shipping activities. Machine: As well as processing exotic ores, the BG-386 Refinery provided electrical power to the colonists at Freya’s Prospect. Two new Survivor maps in which up to four Marines battle to stay alive against increasing swarms of Aliens:
Outpost: The site of the original Weyland-Yutani colony on BG-386 was abandoned, and soon reclaimed by the planet’s voracious jungle plant life. Hive: Deep in the heart of the Freya’s Prospect Refinery lays the Xenomorph Hive. The “Swarm Map Pack” will be available on 18 March for €5.99/£4.79/560 Microsoft Points.
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Motherboards and CPUs
Cooling and Cases
Storage
Power Supplies
Other
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Fictoids
Thanks corrandk. Before you gross out, think about it... people eat honey glazed ham, and maple bacon. Maple bacon is yum.
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