Lot of detail about Diablo 3 was picked up in the Q&A session at Blizzard Worldwide Invitational - the gameplay appears to stay mostly true to the original with isometric viewpoint with familiar solo and cooperative play modes, but with a lot of incremental improvements.
One detail that came up during the Q&A was an inquiry about the Diablo 3 system requirements. While the system requirements are not yet set, Blizzard's goal is to support a broad set of systems (as they have always done). They couldn't say if the game would run on any system that can run World of Warcraft today (my guess is "most likely not"), but they did confirm that Diablo 3 would not require DirectX 10. As Blizzard has never aimed for the cutting edge technologies, it's not really a surprise, but a definite word is always nice.
Blizzard still has Starcraft 2 and Wrath of the Lich King in the pipeline before Diablo 3, and some of the answers in the Q&A indicated that Diablo 3 is still very much work in progress, so it may be a while before we see Diablo 3. As there is no release date yet, even if D3 would end up requiring a solid DX9 card, something like a GeForce 7900GT or Radeon X1900 series, that would be almost nothing as a requirement if the game won't come out until late 2009 or early 2010. Even the cheapest budget video cards on the market by then would surpass such a requirement - even on laptops.
Giving us a peek behind-the-scenes tonight, the guys over at Gearbox Software have thrown together a new video developer diary for their upcoming World War 2-based first person shooter, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. Running just under six minutes long, the video takes an in-depth look at the game's setting, storyline and their focus on historical detail. Very interesting watch!
Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. Hit-up any of the following mirrors for a manual download:
GamersHellFileFrontFileShackWorthPlaying
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is scheduled for release on August 26th, 2008.
Less than two weeks ago, data showed that Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures was the U.S.'s favorite PC game. If nothing else, consumers were obviously curious enough about the hype to pick up a copy and put Age of Conan at number one. In fact, AoC recently hit 700,000 subscribers, which is quite an achievement (despite WoW's ten million).
As of this last week, with June 21 as the cut off point, the Spore Creature Creator is now at the top of U.S. PC game sales, with Sims 2 comfortably camping second. EA must be so pleased with themselves.
It isn't all that surprising, with EA announcing last week that the Creature Creator's popularity spawned over a million Spore creatures within the first week of the feature's availability.
The complete list, compliments of GamesIndustry.biz, is as follows:
Spore Creature Creator (EA)The Sims 2 Double Deluxe (EA)Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (Eidos)World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack (Vivendi)World Of Warcraft (Vivendi)World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest (Vivendi)The Sims 2 FreeTime Expansion Pack (EA)The Sims 2 Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff Expansion Pack (EA)Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision)Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (LucasArts)
No actual sales figures were provided, but based on the Spore Creature Creator's popularity, EA is probably expecting the game to do exceptionally well upon release. If Sims is any indication, Will Wright obviously knows what he's doing.
As some of you know, Europe is currently in the midst of a game rating systems war of sorts. Some support the Pan European Game Information (PEGI), some support the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC - formerly known as the British Board of Film Censors). What to do?
The BBFC's Director David Cooke is firm on his stance, today rejecting criticisms some (like EA) are giving the Byron Report and its proposals for the game industry:
“We are disappointed and concerned about attempts by one or two video games publishers to pre-empt, through recent press statements, the forthcoming public consultation on video games classification. Their statements are misleading in several respects: The BBFC’s current average turnaround time for games classifications is eight calendar days. In terms of international comparisons, this is notably quick. There is no reason why the increased role for the BBFC envisaged by Dr Byron should lead to delays."
Interestingly, Cooke goes on to say the BBFC rating system is already cheaper than PEGI's due to its method of dealing "mainly with the most problematic games"; Cook says costs will fall further if they follow the Byron Report and deal with games, physical and online, rated '12' and above (though notably the Byron Report cost the government £275,000). Continuing:
"It is absurd to imply that the BBFC could not cope, or would need “a building the size of Milton Keynes”. The BBFC is a larger and better resourced organisation than PEGI, and is well used to gearing up, and to providing fast-track services where appropriate.
We reject any suggestions that the Byron proposals for dealing with online games are not future-proof. Countries such as the USA and Germany already classify such games in a way which reflects national cultural sensibilities. The BBFC has made clear that we are prepared to work through PEGI Online, which already recognizes BBFC symbols. But, with online games, the real need is not a pan-national grouping of markets, but rather soundly based and independent initial classification, full information provision, and responsible self-regulation of online game-play backed by properly resourced independent monitoring and complaints mechanisms.
The games industry really does have nothing to fear from a set of proposals which would provide more robust, and fully independent, decisions, and detailed content advice, for the British public, and especially parents. The Byron proposals, far from envisaging the collapse of PEGI, specifically provide for a continuing PEGI presence in UK games classification. They also provide significant opportunities to reduce duplication of effort and costs. And they would make wider use of a system, the BBFC’s, which British parents recognize, trust and have confidence in.”
This is a rather complex issue and frankly I'm not decided on it. But I think Cook makes a good case and certainly seems to know what he's talking about and is passionate about it. I wonder though if since PEGI has been around for years and is familiar to the public (and is a body dedicated solely to games) if they should work with BBFC and not the other way around - just adopt the Byron Report's suggestions (some of them at least) and work from that end.
Keeping the Diablo 3 content coming tonight, the guys over at Blizzard Entertainment have released a lengthy gameplay trailer for their highly anticipated Action-RPG. Running just over 19 minutes long, the video gives us a quick look at the game's custom-built engine, the Barbarian and Witch Doctor classes, various new skills and abilities, items, enemies and a ton of other awesome features. Enjoy:
Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. Mirrors are also available from the following websites:
GamersHellFileShackFilePlanet
Looks like they've stayed true to the old Diablo formula. Pretty hot stuff! :D
Hitting the web today is a brand new trailer for Volition's upcoming open-world Action title, Saints Row 2. Running just under two minutes long, the trailer gives us a quick run-down on the game's storyline and main characters. Enjoy:
Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. Mirrors are also available at the following websites:
At long last, the rumor and speculation turned out to be true yesterday, and Diablo III was officially announced and previewed, to much applause from gamers and industry folk alike. Today we have some interviews, screenshots, and high quality gameplay videos for you, scoured up from various bits of the net.
Firstly, a video interview with executive producer Rob Pardo in which he discusses why they chose to announce it now, how progress is going (very well!), and the goals they have in mind:
Funny that in mentioning its influences, God of War is brought up, because before it was mentioned I couldn't help but think how weird it was the gameplay featured looked astonishingly like the GoW titles. Not a bad thing at all, though. Pardo said to IGN the idea has been to expand the game beyond its previous standards:
"[...] this is the game we ultimately wanted to make. Obviously I love MMOs, I think it's a great genre, but that doesn't mean that other genres aren't great too. I actually see a huge opportunity in the action-RPG genre because nobody's really doing a lot of games in that genres and I don't understand why, personally."
The Diablo III team currently consists of about 50 people, who originally had the game looking a lot more like its prequels.
"We probably did three rev[ision]s on the visual direction until we got to this and now we're really happy with it," said Pardo.
They seem fully aware of what (believe it or not) has prevented the series from being even better. In discussing the period of time from Starcraft to Warcraft 3, Pardo says the games were not as involving as they could have been, or were too point, click, build up your base-fare:
"A lot of people in that time period were doing RTS missions where you just build up your base, slug it out against another base, do that 30 times and you're done with the campaign. With War 3 we tried to come up with interesting scenarios and I think that's the same thing with Diablo III. You guys may have been used to Diablo and Diablo II being really just kind of a point and click game…fun but not really immersive."
"We had bosses in Diablo II but, again, they weren't really involved. We really want to try to implement bosses that are much more epic, there's much more gameplay to actually defeating them. We're taking cues from games like Zelda, God of War, games like that, bring that to the action-RPG genre. We want to have side quests and scenarios that are much more involved…like defend the town from attack or something like that."
But don't let this think it'll be completely different, as stated in the interview, they know what makes the series great and a lot of it will be kept intact, like the acts, overground and underground maps, and randomization of items, monsters and dungeons (less so for the outdoor environment, though). Pardo commented on the approach they took on what to add and what to remove:
"With any sort of sequel, and I'm going to go ahead and use Sid Meier's rule because we use something similar…The way he approaches sequels is one-third proven, one-third improved, and one-third new. That's pretty much how we approached StarCraft 2…some of the old units came in, some of the old units got improvements, we brought in some new units, and we also got rid of some units. I think you'll see something similar [in Diablo III]. The barbarian as you saw has a ton of abilities that are totally new but we had to bring over things like whirlwind."
Now, here are a few gameplay videos to whet your appetite a bit:
This is one game I'll be playing on launch day, me and at least a few hundred thousand others.
Rob Zacny appears to be a new writer over at The Escapist, and he jumped right into the fray earlier this week, charging the progression of gaming issue head-on. How is progression in the video game realm an 'issue'? Well, Zacny feels we accelerate far too fast, and leave behind the great games like trash:
"For games to be considered a worthwhile craft, classic works need to be kept alive as reference points for developers and audiences."
Well, certainly, the Wii's Virtual Console (VC) has provided an effective method of keeping classics alive while also sidestepping the taboos associated with free emulation. As well, Xbox Live Arcade has rejuvenated some old classics to the enthusiasm of gamers (Sony should really get more in on all of this). Now while VC isn't perfect, it's pretty good at what it does, and so I've compiled a list of classics I feel should be released for it, titles I feel never go completely out of style, and can still hold their own today. Note that some were not included because they've been announced for future release already (Shining Force II), or due to legalities, their release is unlikely if not impossible (Perfect Dark). Feel free to comment and add your own, and say why you feel it should be re-released.
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber
This game is beautiful and wonderful in every aspect I can think of. I'm extremely picky with my RPGs, but this one hits the nail on the head every which way. Gorgeous, warm looking graphics, intuitive controls that make things easy for the beginner but with a huge enough variety of options to satisfy the hardest of the hardcore, a great story, multiple paths and endings (tons of replay value), customization up the wazoo, tons of classes, great music, and..oh, I could go on. Since, as is usually the case with Atlus, the game received a limited release, this makes it a perfect fit for VC. As well, an online multiplayer feature added would make one of my all-time favourites almost too good to be true.
The Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse
This one represents the pinnacle of dreamlike 90's gaming gold for me. Don't believe me? The plot runs a lot like Alice in Wonderland, and I suppose the look of it does a bit too. You go about traversing different worlds as Mickey, acquiring different powers, sorta Mega Man style. It all sounds borrowed and trite, maybe, but as a sum of its parts, it's a terribly unique package. Here's one of my favourite parts of the game, fighting the level 5 boss:
Faceball 2000
Originally called MIDI Maze when it was released in 1987, it was retitled Faceball 2000 and released on the Game Boy and Super Nintendo in the early 90's. This is one of those so simple yet entrancing titles; basically you're this..face thing that goes around in a maze shooting other face things. I can't explain why very well with just words, but trust me, Faceball + VC + online play = loads of fun.
Remote Control
Easily one of the most bizarre games I've ever played, but definitely one of the most fun. Remote Control is based on an old MTV game show which was more than just a little out of sorts. The NES version has its own charm, featuring a bizarre host who says all sorts of inappropriate things, a weird sort of graphical humour, and tons of useless trivia. This one's best illustrated with video though, so here you go:
Phantasy Star IV
Admittedly, I've never played much of this game, but I've always wanted to. Nevertheless, what I did play I absolutely loved. I can think of very few RPGs like PS IV; what it does it does so uniquely and stylishly it's a wonder there aren't more titles like it today. Kick ass music, great graphics and animation style (even today it's all nice to look at), fun battles, hilarious dialogue, and a solid story add up to one fine title. We've already seen PS II and the often-abhorred PS III, so this one seems likely for a future release.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles In Time
Do I really need to explain this one? Just look at the box cover! Look at iiiiiiiit! You play as the Ninja Turtles, and you go through time. Through time, man! All that's really necessary to say beyond that is the game is well made in every respect; this was every Turtle fan's wet dream back when we were just discovering what wet dreams were.
San Francisco Rush 2049
Generally, I'm not a racing game kind of guy, but something about Rush 2049 really does it for me. Maybe it's the magical car wings, or the stunt mode that rewards you for flipping your car 8000 times in 50 different directions in under a minute, or the Battle Mode, but this game is just great. I found the difficulty got impossible not far into Circuit Mode, but maybe that's just because I suck with racers. Either way, tons of customization options for your vehicle, those classic arcade physics, and collectible coins littered throughout each track that unlock all kinds of cool stuff make for one of my favourite racers ever. Release it!
So, I could probably go on and on with this, but I'll leave it here, as that's a pretty decent selection. Again, feel free to add your own!
Blizzard Worldwide Invitational is about to kick off in Paris, France and anyone can watch the action via official video streams provided by Blizzard. You need to install the Octoshape plugin for streaming - Peer to Peer streaming is the only way a massive video stream like this could be realistically provided.
There are two separate streams covering Main Stage and Tournament Stage. Once you have the plugin installed, you can hit the following links;
The Opening Ceremonies begin at 11:45 CET and the program then continues with Starcraft and WoW Arena tournaments on the Tournament Stage and a series of developer panels on the Main Stage. See the full schedule.
Assuming the Octoshape streaming software holds up, it should be the next best thing to actually being on location.
Getting our adrenaline pumping today, the guys over at Crytek have released a hot new teaser trailer for their upcoming first person shooter, Crysis Warhead. Running exactly 40 seconds long, the video offers us some of the first actual gameplay footage. Pretty tasty stuff! Enjoy:
Thanks to FileFront for the above stream. Prefer a manual download? We have you covered:
*note this image isn't from DIablo III, it just looked nice to include for a news shot.
For those following information on Diablo III lately it was recently pitched that WWI would be the grounds where info on the game would break. Well for those that were hoping for it, that has come true to the extreme with not only an announcement but a demo has already been made for the public showing that the game is well into development at this point and is way more than just an idea on paper.
Execution like this also tips off that there's a good chance that those assaulting Blizzcon this year will be able to catch some Diablo III hands on time if they're lucky.
With this said lets go onto the videos for the game currently out, I'll be working to relocate these to be hosted through us in the event of youtube pulling these.
Havok is the leading provider of physics engines to the game and movie industries alike, with its toolset featured in over 200 games currently on shelves, including BioShock and Guitar Hero III, and tons of movies like Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and 10000 BC. Formed in 1998, the company has just now extended its arm further, signing a licensing deal with California-based 2K Games.
2K has recently worked on the Top Spin games, NHL 2K8, and will be releasing Mafia II and Major League Baseball 2K8 sometime this year. These titles won't make use of the Havok physics engine though, but rather some Wii titles, as written in the agreement. The only confirmed title under this deal is Carnival Games: Mini-Golf, though some as of yet unnamed titles are planned.
David O’Meara, Managing Director of Havok, explains how the engine will be used in the sequel to the popular Carnival Games:
“Havok physics engines allow game developers to realistically depict motion and the effects the game character has on their environment. Havok technology communicates with physical elements in the game and loads them with intelligence, allowing them to react to the players’ actions in a realistic way. Of course, anyone who has used the Wii will recognise how important accurate movement is for the players’ enjoyment of the game. Fans of Carnival Games: Mini- Golf won’t be disappointed with the final results!”
An even more recent announcement confirms the availability of the tools for free download for PC-game developers, as sponored by Intel. They can be found here.
Kicking off a weekend of Blizzard-related news, Blizzard Entertainment announced today the introduction of an optional account security device for players of World of Warcraft.
Designed to attach to a keychain, the lightweight and waterproof Blizzard® Authenticator is an electronic device that generates a six-digit security code at the press of a button. This code is unique, valid only once, and active for a limited time; it must be provided along with the account name and password when signing in to the World of Warcraft account linked to it.
"It's important to us that World of Warcraft offers a safe and enjoyable game environment," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "One aspect of that is helping players avoid account compromise, so we're pleased to make this additional layer of security available to them."
To learn more about the Blizzard Authenticator, please visit http://www.blizzard.com/security-token.
The device will cost $6.50 and can be associated with multiple accounts. The FAQ describes the functionality pretty well - it's similar to a security token used by some banks. Initially it can be purchased at the Worldwide Invitational event held in Paris this weekend.
As account compromises due to keyloggers, plishing and social engineering have risen to epidemic levels, it's a good move. Personally I like the "low tech" method of single-use password lists used by Finnish banks, but this system is the other obvious way of adding a layer of security that defeats keyloggers. The only potential drawback is that should you lose the token, you are locked out until you can verify the ownership of the account to Blizzard. Inconvenient, but I guess that beats the prospect of getting your account stripped of all valuables by some criminals involved in gold selling.
GSC Game World has published a press release and three new screenshots of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky: Welcome back to the Zone!
Basingstoke, England - 26th of June 2008 - S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl was one of the best-selling first-person shooters of 2007. In late August, the Ukrainian developers from GSC Game World and the publisher Deep Silver will invite gamers to join them on a new foray into the nuclear zone: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky is set one year before the events of part 1 – at a time when the Zone is changed forever by a massive eruption of anomalous energy.
War of factions
In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, the player assumes the role of Scar, a mercenary s.t.a.l.k.e.r. In a unique mixture of first-person shooter and complex role-playing game, Scar fights for survival within the Zone and its hostile sectors. The new Zone territories are explored by s.t.a.l.k.e.r.s scattered in to groups – and these individual factions soon engage in relentless battle. As a mercenary, Scar quickly finds himself in the middle of a war of factions over territory, artifacts, and power. It is up to the player to discover which faction offers Scar the greatest chance of survival.
Clever adversaries, luscious graphics
Just like its predecessor, Clear Sky perfectly captures the sinister atmosphere within the death Zone. Special attention was given to realistic, independent thinking and actions of the NPCs. The artificial intelligence from the predecessor game was strongly improved, so that foes and allies now make their own situation-based decisions that impact the further course of the game. For instance, the outcome of battles is not predetermined. Only in the last few levels is the player guided towards the end of the story, which leads to the events described in Shadow of Chernobyl. Also DirectX 10 support enables spectacular graphics, including dynamic transitions between day and night with realistic light effects, as well as very detailed landscapes and lifelike animations. At the same time, the developers saw to it that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky also works with DirectX 8 and DirectX 9.
Key featuresUnique mix of action-laden first-person shooter and complex role-playing gameGigantic scope: many new levels are available, plus some completely overhauled levels from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and many side quests with motivating rewardsRealistic simulation of the extensive S.T.A.L.K.E.R. world: enemy factions fight each other, mutants hunt of their own accord.Intermediate movie-quality cutscenes complement the thrilling backstory leading up to the events of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of ChernobylNumerous new in game features, such as fast travel, extensive modification and repairs of armour and weaponsGreatly improved artificial intelligenceComplete DirectX 10 support for state-of-the-art graphic effects (God rays, soft particles, SSAO, dynamic volumetric smoke, dynamically wetting surface (rain effect) etc.)Dynamic transitions between day and night with realistic weather effectsDetailed graphics, including an all-new animation engineHugely expanded multiplayer with many varied game modes and up to 32 players online or over LAN.
Sounds good. Clear Sky is currently scheduled for late August, and I'm sure we'll get a lot more footage and images of the game when it's shown in E3 and Leipzig Games Convention.
There seems to be a bunch of sweet games on the horizion. Here is a few trailers released today concerning some of these upcoming titles.
First up we have Crysis Warhead. Zero-g alien mothership levels seemed to be one thing they left out of Crysis this time around, so with the added optimizations to the engine (that will actually allow the game to run on mid-range machine, unlike Crysis) this game might not be that bad.
The Warhead story takes place from the Pyscho character's perspective. (He was the silly cliche-Aussie guy in Crysis.)
Next up, we have Command and Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath. In this expansion to the popular RTS series, Kane has turned into some sort of cyborg warlord jerk, with an unsatiable appetite for destruction, laser beams, and space-crystals.
The game also has added support for in-game webcam streaming -- which is kind of cool; but so much for playing games in your pink boxer shorts now.
That brings us to Saint's Row 2. This is the 'Story Trailer' released today. I haven't played Saints Row 1, but I might jump into this sequel. It is an open sandbox world, sort of similar to GTA games, where you get into gangs, beat people up, and induldge in other fantastic and humorous criminal activites. This game is coming for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.
The video below is not a game trailer. It is a promo video that AMD released a few days ago in conjunction with the 4800 series launch. In it, two people talk about their hopes for graphics in gaming. One person is a teen pro-gamer dude. I'm not sure of his win/lose record, but his shifty eyes seem well-suited for picking out targets. The second person is dudette from the FragDolls. She looks a lot like this waitress I used to know and she talks about appreciating power efficiency in video cards -- while in the background, a four card CrossFireX system setup mocks her.
Blizzard seems to be dominating industry news today with rumors of a Diablo III announcement (again) and new security measures for its MMO World of Warcraft.
Team Xbox announced as of June 26 (that would be today), gamers can download a free World of Warcraft track for Guitar Hero III, titled "I am Murloc." The song debuted a few years back at BlizzCon 2005, at the Anaheim convention center in California, and was performed by Blizzard's house band, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain. Players can see their in-game incarnates, The Tauren Chieftains, on a balcony in Silvermoon City, and I am not ashamed to say that I did.
This WoW-meets-GH content will be available for download through both Xbox LIVE Marketplace and the PlayStationStore, depending on your console of choice.
Having merged with Activision just last year to form Activision Blizzard, this latest tidbit shouldn't come as a huge surprise. If I owned Guitar Hero III, I would totally check into this. Sadly, I was never born to rock.
Treating us to a little eyecandy today, the guys over at Bethesda Softworks have released three new screenshots from their upcoming post-apocalyptic RPG, Fallout 3. These latest shots feature your faithful sidekick "dogmeat", a nasty mutant and an amusing character stat description. Enjoy:
Wrapping things up tonight, the fine folks over at Garage Games have announced that they've launched an Open Beta test for their upcoming first person shooter, Fallen Empire: Legions. Unfamiliar with the game? No worries! Here's a brief description from the official website:
Legions is bringing speed back to First Person Shooters. Jet through wide open maps as you battle it out with up to 16 players - all in your web browser. Weapons like the Chaingun and Laser Rifle help you on your path of destruction.
Sound good? Then head over to InstantAction.com to sign-up! :D
It is looking a bit more than likely that next installment in one of the most influential PC games, Diablo, will be announced this weekend at Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational.
Here, in brief, are the reasons why people suspect this is the case:
1] Blizz has been rumored to be announcing a game at this weekend's event for sometime, and June 29th would be the anniversary of Diablo II's release.
2] Last month Blizzard bought out the Diablo3.com website from a fansite.
3] Blizzard has been releasing mysterious teaser images. In these images have been visual clues, like rune stones from Diablo II. (Although, the images also contain some WoW Lich King imagery.)
4] Fansite diablo2.net reports that an "insider" has told them that Diablo III's announcement was coming this weekend.
5] Some job ads posted at Blizzard over the last year suggets that they were making a game set in the Diablo universe.
So, Saturday seems like the big day.
One of the more enticing rumors is that this time around, Diablo is going to be a MMORPG.
This game might rain on the parade of the upcoming Mythos game from Flagship, which is pretty much a Diablo III in many respects, and is even being worked on by many of the original Blizzard Diablo team. If Diablo III is announced, I'd expect it to make Mythos look more like a Diablo 2.5.
Although the original Diablo was made off of the shoulders of other influential games, Blizzard definitely nailed a specific gameplay formula in this series that remains well-played and loved. Game mechanics from Diablo have been copied in a plethora of games. Off the time the head, Titan's Quest, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Loki, Mythos, Too Human, and Hellgate: London, and the entire orange/white/blue/maroon rarity loot system popularized by World Of Warcraft, and then copied by pretty much every MMORPG, was influenced by Diablo.
So sharpen your swords...it seems like you just can't keep a strong demon down. Although if the game is announced -- as I really think it will be, this time around -- it probably won't come out for a fairly long time to come.
MMO players knows that account security is always an issue, especially when login screens and in-game tips often remind us not to give out our login information to anyone. When accounts do become compromised, the company is rarely able to compensate players for lost content.
Well, Blizzard is taking extra measures with its MMO World of Warcraft with the release of a Blizzard Authenticator, a keychain that also acts as a code generator. According to Gamasutra, this device will give users a six digit code in addition to their login and password to "help prevent unauthorized account access." The keychain costs 6.50 USD and generate a unique code per user valid only once for a limited time. This code would then be required to access a WoW account once linked to it.
The code isn't meant to replace the player's existing login and password, but add extra security in case players feel they need to take this precaution. If the code is ever lost, Blizzard's account services team can help retrieve it by verifying some secure information. Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime explains, “It’s important to us that World of Warcraft offers a safe and enjoyable game environment. One aspect of that is helping players avoid account compromise, so we’re pleased to make this additional layer of security available to them.”
For now, the Blizzard Authenticator will only be available at the Paris Blizzard Invitational between June 28-29, but it should soon be available for purchase from Blizzard's online store.
Giving us a peek behind the scenes today, the guys over at Volition have whipped up a new video developer diary for their upcoming 3rd person shooter, Red Faction: Guerrilla. Running just under three minutes long, the video focuses the game's storyline, the switch to 3rd person, open world gameplay, and destructible environments. Enjoy:
Thanks to the FileFront for the above stream. Mirrors are available at the following websites:
GamersHellFileShackStrategyInformerWorthPlaying
Should be interesting to see how this one turns out. :)
Spreading the good news today, Konami has officially announced the development of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, the next installment in their popular sports series. Due out this Autumn, the game will feature improved visuals, brand new moves, innovative new controls, and a whole lot more! Here's the official word:
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced that it will release PES 2009 for PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360, PC-DVD, PlayStation®2, and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) this Autumn in Europe.
PES 2009 is the latest installment of the award-winning Pro Evolution Soccer Series, which is known by millions of fans for its superior gameplay and incredible realism. For PES 2009, Konami is already planning a raft of extensive new additions that will further bridge the gap between PES and the real thing. The new game has undergone a stunning graphical update to ensure its players look and move even more like their real-life counterparts. Similarly, all-new options allow users to tailor the game to their own tastes, while new moves, innovative new control elements and key online elements will further the realism of the new game.
“The announcement of a new PES game is always a highlight for Konami, but PES 2009 looks set to reaffirm the series’ utter superiority,” commented Jon Murphy, PES Project Leader for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “We are committed to extending the realism of the new game with a wealth of key gameplay additions, and will produce a football title that truly embodies all the skill and pace that is good about the modern game.”
PES 2009 will be released for PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360, PC-DVD, PlayStation 2, and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) in Autumn.
Electronic Arts studio Maxis proudly announced that in the first week of its availibility, the Spore Creature Creator has produced more than one million creatures at the hands of its users.
The Spore Creature Creator is a stand-alone product that includes about 25 per cent of the creature-building features from the actual Spore game, and is currently available for purchase or as a free online trial.
Lucy Bradshaw, executive producer of Spore at Maxis, was pleasantly surprised by the figures:
"Maxis is excited, humbled and inspired by the explosion of creativity that we've seen with the Spore Creature Creator online. I'm amazed at the creations I see getting uploaded to the Sporepedia - whether it's a realistic looking bird or animal, a 10-eyed alien, or something completely bizarre and unexpected like a creature that looks like a motorcycle, it's clear that people have an innate desire to be creative, and we're thrilled to help them express themselves."
No mention of how they're handling the more "adult" creations, but GamesIndustry.biz cites another source that claims EA has been cracking down on these naughty creatures of the overactive imagination.
Creatures made from the Spore Creature Creator can be imported to the game later. Spore will be shipped worldwide in September for PC, Mac, and the Nintendo DS.
In the meantime, if anyone has had a chance to try out the Creature Creator, feel free to share your experiences with the rest of us.
Last week, rumors of a lawsuit over an Alone in the Dark review filed by Atari against German website 4Players.de found their way to a number of news sites such as this. However, today Atari has debunked the gossip in a response to SPOnG.com's earlier inquiries into the matter.
An company representative has stated, "Atari is not and will not be taking legal action of any kind against anyone relating to the reviews of Alone In The Dark. We are happy to clarify the situation in response to current inaccurate and misleading speculation."
All this talk of legal action started when 4Players.de posted an editorial last Thursday saying they had received a fax from Atari's lawyers telling the site that by running a review before the embargo set to end that Friday, they were "breaking the law and violate the rights of [Atari's] client."
The 4Player website, roughly translated by Google, confirms the conflict has been resolved peaceably:
"The dispute between 4Players.de and Atari was settled today. In a personal conversation between the two parties, Atari Germany's accusations against 4Players.de in all respects withdrawn. In addition, the legal action against 4Players.de. Thus, the differences in the case of Alone in the Dark overcome by mutual agreement. Atari and 4Players.de looking forward to the future cooperation."
Alone in the Dark has been released in North America, but the PlayStation 3 version has been delayed until Fall 2008.
Moving right along, the guys over at Electronic Arts have cooked up a new batch of screenshots from their upcoming Strategy title, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. These latest shots show off the game's environments and various units in action. Hope you have a drool rag handy!
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is scheduled for release in October 2008.
Giving us a peek behind the scenes today, the guys over at Shaba Games have thrown together a new video developer diary for their upcoming Action title, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. Running just under two mintes long, the video gives us a quick look at the game's combat system and how they "married" ground, air and wall attacks. Pretty slick stuff! Check it out:
Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. Prefer a manual download? We have you covered:
Some may recall awhile back Madonna departing music industry giant Warner Bros. Records in favor of a ten year deal with live events company Live Nation. This marked one of the first major moves away from the traditional artist-as-slave-to-record-company model we've come to know so well. Well, things like these tend to have a ripple effect, and it seems in this case it is not just so within the music industry. UK game distributor Pinnacle Software is expanding its own model to essentially eliminate the need for a publisher in the industry, which, for many reasons, is one of the biggest obstacles developers face today.
So, while going about business as usual, the company will also be offering studios funding, as well as marketing and manufacturing prowress (Doodle Hex is the latest example, and there are many forthcoming). But what's the difference between this and a traditional publisher? Pinnacle's Managing Director Peter Sleeman had this to say about it in an MCV interview:
"We make sure that the entry point gets easier for developers. We ensure they don’t have to use a publisher, but equally that doesn’t mean they have to go: “Oh my God, we were a developer, now we’re a publisher.” If this works, it will definitely be something we invest in more. And we are making sure we are giving the all-important kudos to those that deserve it – namely the developers – by putting them on the front of the box, not us."
To be clear, the company's name will be on the back where it'll say 'Distributed worldwide by Pinnacle Software,' which is entirely reasonable I think. But yeah, I really dig his modesty and his recognition that the developer is really the only thing directly relevant to the game. I mean, am I going to go on a site like Facebook because this or this venture capitalist invested in it? No, and it's essentially the same thing. I don't care about the money put behind it really (not in a direct sense, at least), just how it works or plays. Honestly I have no idea why publishers are as prominently known as they are, and I hope this new model works and improves two situations at once. And none of this is to say publishers don't do admirable work, it's just I think their association with the game should be pretty much irrelevant to the game player.
On the specifics of the model, Sleeman says he wants a relationship with developers that offers more than just setting his company up as a money-provider:
"People have traditionally known Pinnacle for pick, pack, ship, sales – they wouldn’t have associated us with marketing, PR or financing products. What we don’t want is a load of people saying, “Give us a load of money and we’ll make you a great game.” We’re not interested in that. We’re interested in people who need assistance to get over the line without conceding control. We’ll obviously use Pinnacle for distribution, because you have to use the best now, don’t you?"
The goal seems to be more or less to just free up the industry and make things easier on everyone. I imagine with a company like this, the transition from a WiiWare developer to a "real" developer would be relatively smooth if the portfolio was strong enough.
While currently they're only working with UK developers, plans and talks are happening for other parts of the world. I think Pinnacle deserve to succeed and pioneer with this. Anyone else feel the same?
Bored? Like FPS games? You might want to head here and sign up for the open beta of Fallen Empires: Legions.
The game has been made by a group of folks who identify themselves GarageGames. Much of this team was at one time part of a previous game-making dynasty, known as Dynamix, that was a vertibale game-making powerhouse through most of '90s, often putting out three or more games a year. Much of the GarageGames team worked on Starseige: Tribes and Tribes 2. Some people might imagine, that if they owned the rights to the name, it is possible that Fallen Empires: Legions would be named Tribes 3.
Perhaps you never played Tribes, so let me sum it up. Big maps. Two bases. FPS game with jetpacks and flying. That's pretty much all you need to know; those are the essentials.
Different classes include different specilizations in the following (standard FPS fare) weapons: sniper rifle, grenade launcher, rocket launcher, chain gun, and I believe: that's it.
The game was a whole bunch of fun back in the days of Tribes 2... but does the game still have legs? Check it out for yourselves and let us know. The game has been in development for a long time, so the open beta is probably in good shape.
Treating us to a little Monday-morning eyecandy, the fine folks over at 2K Czech have released a new batch of concept art from their upcoming free-roaming Action title, Mafia 2. The latest images give us a small taste of the game's general art direction. Enjoy:
Always cool to see how these amazing game worlds start out. :)
Keeping us entertained today, the guys over at Pandemic Studios have released a new teaser trailer for their upcoming Tolkien-inspired Action title, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest. Running just over a minute long, the video gives us a sneak peek at the game's combat system and some intense siege warfare. Enjoy:
Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. Hit-up any of the following mirrors for a manual download:
FileShackWorthPlayingStrategyInformer
The Lord of the Rings: Conquest is scheduled for release this Fall.
With Treyarch now back at the controls, many are curious about where the future of Call of Duty will lead. There is no doubt that Infinity Ward achieved something amazing with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, but now CoD returns to World War II with Worlds at War.
In an interview with VideoGamer.com, Treyarch's senior producer Noah Heller and creative lead Rich Farrelly offer insight on the upcoming CoD game, as well as the history of CoD. Both men are keenly aware of how old repitition can get, and are assuring gamers that Worlds at War, while set in WWII yet again, will bring something new to the table. Farrelly explains their mentality on the subject:
"For instance, with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, arguably there were a lot of modern warfare games out there when they came out, but what they did was they came out to market and they redefined it. They said: 'OK, we know what the content is, we're going to restructure what is expected from this genre.' And that's what we want to do with the WW2 genre. We wanted to press the reset button. We want to say: 'OK, this is not the WW2 game you're used to seeing. This is something new. Yes you may have seen some of these locations before but this is nothing like you've ever played.'"
Worlds at War will include four player online co-op and two player split screen for offline co-op. Heller praises the multiplayer in CoD4, stating that instead of changing it (why fix what ain't broke?), they will be adding more to an already great system:
"What I'll say now is we recognise that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is great multiplayer. It's a great game but the multiplayer is stand out phenomenal. We would not want to take that engine and remove things from it. We're not going to keep any game types for instance that don't fit with our setting or we're not particularly passionate about. But the philosophy of map building, the way the perk system works, these are great foundation points. And then on top of that we've built things like area of effect perks, speciality perks that feel like they fit really well with WW2 and vehicles of course. We can't get away with delivering tight multiplayer and then turn around and deliver sloppy vehicle support...
We feel that the team gameplay is a great thing to support. There will also be LVT vehicles for instance that go through the water. Water and fire on maps will be a new feature of multiplayer and we'll see how that plays out. We don't add to great multiplayer lightly but the team is really passionate about it."
As for the titles of upcoming CoD games, Heller says they've dropped the number sequences:
"We're getting rid of the number in Call of Duty for a very specific reason. It's because we want you to know that when you're playing Call of Duty: World at War you're playing the best shooter, the best WW2 game ever. Likewise when you're playing Modern Warfare, likewise when you play any game that will be called Call of Duty."
Heller and Farrelly also reflect on CoD3 in the interview, talking about the game's production and its shortcomings despite overwhelming success. An overall enlightening discussion, and especially enjoyable if you happen to be a Call of Duty fan. Unfortunately, no release date for Worlds at War has been confirmed, though Heller has set the general time frame in Fall.
Keeping our modems warm tonight, the guys over at Gearbox Software have released a hot new gameplay trailer for their upcoming first person shooter, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. Running just under a minute long, the video shows off the game's destructible cover system. Check it out:
Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. Mirrors are also available at the following websites:
Creating a little buzz this weekend, Treyarch Studios has released a short teaser trailer for their upcoming World War 2-based first person shooter, Call of Duty: World at War. Running just over a minute long, the video gives us a small taste of the game's new setting (the Pacific Theater) and gritty combat. Check it out:
Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. The video is also available for download at GamersHell and the FileShack.
Spicing up this slow news day, the 1C Company have released a hot new batch of screenshots from their upcoming World War 2-based Strategy title, Men of War. These latest shots show off a handful of the Soviet tank units. Enjoy:
Men of War is scheduled for release in September 2008.
Wrapping things up tonight, 2K Games have announced that they've removed all activation restrictions from their popular first person shooter, BioShock. Basically, this means you can install the game as many times as you like now. Here's the scoop:
Good news! As promised, all activation restrictions, including install limits, have been removed from BioShock PC as of today. You don’t have to patch or install anything for this to go into effect for your copy of BioShock – it’s already done!
Enjoy your time in Rapture, and thank you for supporting BioShock and the 2K teams.
Metal Gear Solid 4 is barely off the shelves and they're already discussing a fifth installment in the main series - good news for Metal Gear freaks.
Regarding what would be left to tell in the Metal Gear saga, MGS4 producer Ryan Payton says there's "still a lot of room for filling in the gaps as far as Big Boss is concerned." And on the specific topic of a fifth game, he says "There are some misunderstandings that this is the final Metal Gear game. But it's really the final chapter of the Solid Snake story. That's all."
Indeed, director Kojima himself has stated (after many contradictions) the series will always be around. Which, in an often volatile industry, is kind of nice to hear. Now, while he has confirmed his involvement with the next title, he won't be in charge of it as he has been up until now. More or less, he feels it's time to "pass it down." Should be interesting to see how it turns out without Kojima at the helm.
Payton discussed the realism that would be involved in the next title, stating someone else will be the star:
"I'm happy we could wrap up Snake's story in MGS4 because it gets to the point where if we continue on with Metal Gear Solid 5 with more Solid Snake adventures, we'll get to the point where the game has absolutely no basis in reality. I do like the idea that this character has had four or five big missions and then that's when it ended, rather than have 20 missions where there's no chance in hell a secret agent could ever survive. He's had four or five really big missions, and that seems a little more realistic to me."
Spreading the good news tonight, CD Projekt RED has announced that the upcoming Enhanced Edition of The Witcher will be landing on store shelves this September. The game was officially delayed back in April, but a new launch date wasn't revealed until now. Here's the official word:
CD Projekt RED would like to announce that the release date of The Witcher Enhanced Edition has been finally set. Consequently, the vastly improved edition of the acclaimed CD Projekt RED’s magnum opus has been set for the first half of September 2008. Setting the release date for September results from the requirement of polishing all ten language versions and releasing The Witcher Enhanced Edition in all languages at the same time. The Enhanced Edition by itself will be a deluxe one, containing a lot of additional content not available in the basic version of the game.
The exclusive edition of The Witcher apart from the game dvd will also consist of a video dvd, a bonus materials dvd (among all D’jinni the adventure editor and 2 official adventures “The price of neutrality” and “Side effect”), the game soundtrack as well as a music cd with music inspired by the game. The new content and improvements will be available to registered users of the game free-of-charge.
Finally tonight, the guys over at NDOORS have released a new teaser trailer for their upcoming turn-based strategy MMO, Atlantica Online. The minute-long trailer doesn't offer any actual gameplay footage, but the CG stuff does look pretty sweet. Check it out:
Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. The video is also available for download at WorthPlaying. Stay tuned for more mirrors!
The restrictive DRM found in Bioware's PC version of Mass Effect is making many owners of the game angry, and is probably turning off a great many of others from buying the game. Over a 130 pages of posts from angry users complaining and protesting the game's DRM have been piling up on Bioware's forums. Forum moderators have been quick to lock down or delete threads on the topic, unless they are in the non-Mass Effect, 'Off Topic' forum. Some would suggest that posts about the host of problems caused by the DRM should rightly be in Mass Effect PC Technical Support or Mass Effect PC General Discussion forums, but apparently, this Bioware does not agree.
Mass Effect features a similar sort of DRM as the SecuROM system in Bioshock -- but even more restrictive. For Bioshock, the game had a total of 5 allowed activations. You could not originally gain back a re-installation 'credit' without having to call telephone number and plead your case. After substantial backlash from the gaming community, Take Two responded by released a program that could reissue you more installations of the game.
With Mass Effect, the game can be only be activated three times. While you can install and then re-install the game multiple times on your computer, if your hardware changes, this costs an additional 'activation.' This can lead to heart-ache and ulcers.
Let's consider an example. Say you had unlucky week: you had a bad virus, had to reformat your hard drive , and had to re-install the game -- this would be your second activation. To cheer yourself up, you then bought a new video card, and some new RAM. The DRM guesses that this means the game has been installed on a new machine, and takes another activation. From this point in, you'd be walking on glass: want to upgrade your OS? Your out of luck. Hard drive crash? Sorry, buy another copy. Sold the game to someone? They'd be upset because they would not be able to install it.
A real kick in the face also occurs once you reach the three activation limit. A screen pops up telling you that you've reached the activation limit, and it recommends that you buy another copy of the game.
For many, this seems to be going far to far. A few recent games, and especially Mass Effect, mark a precedent: in the history of PC gaming you bought, and then owned, a singe-player PC game. With DRM such as this, this is no longer the case. When you buy Mass Effect, you need an Internet connection to play this single-player game, and you are at the whims of EA still supporting the activation servers (which they've shutdown in the past, for other games.) With Mass Effect, you are no longer paying to purchase the game; you are paying for a temporary license to play the game. This is a very important distinction.
Personally, I've being playing on games on a PC since ... well, since PC's were even around -- and in my lifetime experience of playing PC games, the anti-piracy measures found in Mass Effect are the most limiting, and the most extreme, that I've ever seen. And the thing that bothers me the most about this DRM isn't the problems it has caused me personally -- the real shame here is that although Mass Effect is one of the best PC games I've played in years, I can't recommend to anyone that they play it. This ill-conceived and asinine, drastic DRM should not be supported by anyone who wants to own full access to a game that they purchase.
A social network for developers called ZeroCrunch has been launched. The service was created by game audio specialist Lee Banyard and Fran Mulhern, the founder of Recruit3D, a tool which helps game studios find the perfect employee for a job.
What's the purpose of the network exactly? Well, here's what founder Mulhern had to say:
"ZeroCrunch is aimed at providing a tool for those in the industry to keep in touch with each other socially in an environment that’s a bit more industry focused than facebook. [...] It is, and will remain, free and not supported by adverts. ZeroCrunch is my attempt to give something back to an industry that not only provides me with an income, but has also provided me with thousands of hours of entertainment."
More than that, event information is posted, like who's going to what, and groups and forums allow freeform discussion. Why wait for the next conference to make industry progress when you can have even more to bring to the table by fostering discussions now? Honestly, it's a wonder something like this hasn't been around for a lot longer. The need for it is certainly apparent, as over 200 members of the industry have signed up already.
In spite of the site's ties to Recruit3D, there is a strict no recruiting policy. And of course, members are validated at sign-up to ensure their career is what they say it is.
Currently they're running a competition for a network logo. Presumably this is open to anyone, as three games of the winner's choice or a copy of Rock Band are up for prizes.
