Heute
Battlestar Galactica is over, but that doesn't mean NBC is done cashing in. They're teaming up with Bigpoint to launching Battlestar Galactica Online, a browser-based massively multiplayer game set in the popular universe.
"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 vice president and general manager of digital platforms for Universal Partnerships & Licensing Bill Kispert.
"We are excited to work with Bigpoint - and...
Jagged Alliance is about to pick up its first true sequel in more than a decade. German publisher bitComposer games has acquired the license from Strategy First, and hopes to release a new game sometime next year (via Gamasutra).
"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," said bitComposer Games CEO Wolfgang Duhr.
"We are delighted to acquire this classic game for bitComposer, and want to continue the success of the previous titles in the series, while...
Gestern
For those of you still tromping around the galaxy in Mass Effect 2, BioWare is giving you a helping hand with a new toy. The Arc Projector has been released over the Cerberus Network, the latest piece of free DLC for those who purchased a new copy of the game.
This new heavy weapon apparently "ionizes targets with a non-visible laser to ready them for a high-voltage electrical attack."
The description continues, "As the lightning-like bolt hits its first target, a sophisticated auto-targeting system paints succeeding targets with the ionization laser, allowing the...
We all knew it was coming at some point, but Harmonix has officially confirmed Rock Band 3. The studio published an update on their Facebook page with the official announcement.
The studio wrote, "Harmonix is developing Rock Band 3 for worldwide release this holiday season! The game, which will be published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts, will innovate and revolutionize the music genre once again, just as Harmonix did with the original Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and The Beatles: Rock Band. Stay tuned for more details!"
We've heard hints that Rock Band 3 is...
Could this be the voice of the the Boy Wonder? The IMDb listing for Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 has kicked up rumors of Robin appearing in the game. Actor Vincent Martella (above) is credited to play the role. IMDb isn't always reliable for casting notes, but surrounding information suggests this one could be accurate. Martella has experience in game voice acting, having lent his voice to Hope in Final Fantasy XIII. He's also listed to play "Young Jason Todd / Robin" in the upcoming direct-to-DVD movie Batman: Under the Red Hood.
If the rumor does pan out, it makes one...
As they've established previously, Blizzard isn't anti-console and plans on making another console game -- eventually. World of Warcraft might seem like the natural choice for what game to bring to consoles, given its incredible success, and as producer J. Allen Brack told G4tv, it's certainly something that Blizzard thinks about often.
Asked why MMOs haven't made much of an impact on consoles, Brack explained, "I think there's a lot of reasons. There's not one thing. One is, it takes a long time to develop an MMO. The lifecycle of consoles being what they are, you...
Sega has officially announced the first round of downloadable content for Aliens vs. Predator. The pack will contain four maps that were previously only available for special edition purchasers.
The multiplayer maps are Docks and Machine, which are set in Weyland-Yutani's abandoned shipping complex and the BG-386 Refinery respectively. The Survivor mode maps include Hive and Outpost.
Look for them on March 18 for $6.99 on the PlayStation 3, and 560 Microsoft Points on the Xbox 360.
08.03.
Ah, the 1950s -- an era when Elvis Presley ruled the radio waves, Senator Joseph McCarthy helped fuel Cold War paranoia, and the internet hadn't yet made Playboy magazine totally irrelevant. That's precisely the point in American history that 2K Games hopes to capture with Mafia II, and they're partnering with Playboy to help lend a little authenticity to the game's '50s mobster atmosphere.
The licensing deal allows developer 2K Czech to place more than 50 vintage covers and centerfolds from the magazine's early history throughout the world of Mafia II. According to the...
Following a span of a number of hours yesterday when owners of the PC version of Assassin's Creed 2 and Silent Hunter 5 couldn't play due to problems with Ubisoft's DRM authentication servers, the company now says the server problems were the result of hacker attacks -- attacks that are evidently still ongoing. As of this writing, Ubisoft's official Twitter account reports the DRM authentication servers are once again under attack, locking some gamers out of their perfectly legally owned games.
An earlier tweet on their account attributed yesterday's outage to hackers as...
After weeks of speculation and a series of less-than-subtle hints from Valve, it's finally official: Steam is coming to Mac. The folks behind the popular digital distribution service confirmed this morning that they'll be releasing a version of Steam for Mac OS X sometime in April.
Now, what about all the obvious questions raised by this announcement? Which games are launching with the service? Does Valve plan on using software emulation to run their games on Mac? Will a customer who owns the PC version of a game on Steam automatically unlock the game in the Mac client?...
With the World Cup just around the corner, now is apparently the time to cash in on the hype with a soccer video game. The latest publisher to join the party is Ubisoft, which recently announced their answer to EA's FIFA and Konami's Pro Evo series.
Similar to last year's Madden Arcade, the newly announced Pure Football will attempt to carve out a niche as a more action-oriented arcade title. The gameplay will be five-on-five with no referees, and will support an over-the-shoulder camera that brings the game closer to the field. In addition, it will support four player...
07.03.
Portal 2's existence was only just recently confirmed a few days ago, but details out of Game Informer's cover story continue to make their way online. Now the entire cover story itself has evidently been scanned, and VG247 pulled a few of the major details.
Portal 2 will, reportedly, take place hundreds of years after the first Portal (pictured), resulting in the Aperture Science labs looking like "a jungle." Despite this significant time shift, Portal 2 will still somehow once again star Chell, the first game's protagonist, as the playable character in the single-player...
If you're a Monkey Island fan, there might be good news in your very near future. According to anonymous sources, Kotaku reports that LucasArts is ready to announce a remake of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, possibly as soon as at GDC next week.
This would of course be a follow up to last year's The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition. Like that remake, this Monkey Island 2 special edition reportedly would also have updated graphics and "audio" (which we assume would probably mean voice-overs will be added, like with the first game's remake). The Monkey Island 2...
06.03.
Sometimes, stories about video game addiction are alarmist malarkey to bump up ratings. Other times, they're just flat-out tragic: The Next Web reports that a couple in South Korea has been arrested for allegedly allowing their prematurely born baby to starve to death while they were busy tending to a virtual kid at an Internet café.
The couple reportedly fed their baby only once a day between 12-hour stretches of play-time with a popular role-playing game called Prius Online, in which they were busy raising a virtual kid. The autopsy report of their baby showed the death was...
Even though Valve's intention to make a Portal sequel has been known for some time, it was still exciting to see Portal 2 officially revealed earlier this week...even if the reveal came with almost no details to speak of. Thankfully, some of those details are already being filled in, as Game Informer reports the game will have a cooperative multiplayer mode, and GameStop's product listing shows it'll be a full-priced release.
The co-op mode will evidently be its own stand-alone campaign separate from the single-player mode, featuring two new characters who have to work...
Enjoying Battlefield: Bad Company 2's multiplayer mode? Would you still be enjoying it if suddenly all the stats you've accrued and weapons and ranks you unlocked disappeared? That seems to be happening to wide swaths of players, as complaints are flooding Electronic Arts' official Bad Company 2 forums (not to mention a number of other popular gaming forums across the Internet).
Just a quick bit of browsing on the Feedback and Help page for the game shows a number of threads complaining about stats and unlocks being erased. We can also attest to this apparent bug ourselves,...
05.03.
How does Microsoft follow up last weekend's Batman: Arkham Asylum sale on Games for Windows Live Games on Demand? With another tempting weekend deal on Street Fighter IV, that's how.
Bargain hunters can hit up the Games for Windows Live client to download Capcom's fighting franchise revival for just $19.99. Get it while it's hot, though, because the sale expires at 5 p.m. on Monday, March 5. Then it's back to $39.99 for Ryu and the crew.
If, for whatever reason, you'd rather not use Microsoft's online store, then you'll find a similar deal on Stardock's Impulse...
GameInformer has dropped word of its next magazine cover story, and it's none other than Portal 2. The teaser promises new gameplay and story details to come, which we'll be sure to check up on when the magazine starts to make the rounds. This comes with interesting timing, so shortly after Portal fans noticed morse code messages hidden in the patches for the first game. Now it seems that Valve may have been sending the messages to reignite awareness of the game in preparation for the cover story.
We've known for quite a while that the bite-sized Valve game that set...
UPDATE - Valve has told Eurogamer that the game is due out this holiday season, for Xbox 360 and PC. So that's one question down, and many more to be answered in the coming months.
ORIGINAL STORY - GameInformer has dropped word of its next magazine cover story, and it's none other than Portal 2. The teaser promises new gameplay and story details to come, which we'll be sure to check up on when the magazine starts to make the rounds. This comes with interesting timing, so shortly after Portal fans noticed morse code messages hidden in the patches for the first game....
UPDATE - Valve has told Eurogamer that the game is due out this holiday season, for Xbox 360 and PC. So that's one question down, and many more to be answered in the coming months.
ORIGINAL STORY - GameInformer has dropped word of its next magazine cover story, and it's none other than Portal 2. The teaser promises new gameplay and story details to come, which we'll be sure to check up on when the magazine starts to make the rounds. This comes with interesting timing, so shortly after Portal fans noticed morse code messages hidden in the patches for the first game....
The Sims are finally going to work for real. Electronic Arts has announced The Sims 3: Ambitions, the second expansion in what will undoubtedly be a long line of them.
Rather than simply having Sims go to the office and disappear for the day, Ambitions fleshes out what happens in the workplace. New careers will include ghost hunter, firefighter and others, all of which will apparently contain a variety of activities, such as breaking down doors and rescuing other Sims.
"The variety of careers to choose from is unmatched and we've never given players the opportunity to...
04.03.
Following word that former Infinity Ward studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella have filed suit against Activision, the publisher has issued a statement of its own. Activision expressed "disappointment" over the lawsuit, noting their role in providing the capital needed to get the studio off the ground (via G4).
"Over eight years, Activision shareholders provided these executives with the capital they needed to start Infinity Ward, as well as the financial support, resources and creative independence that helped them flourish and achieve enormous professional success...
The EA Partners initiative has been quiet lately, but today two new publishing deals were announced, both from the critically-acclaimed indie circuit. EAP will be publishing Hothead Games' Deathspank (above) and Klei Entertainment's Shank (below). Both games are set for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade this year, and Shank will come to the PC as well.
EA has had its eye on digital distribution, and these Partners deals are a step towards increasing their portfolio. "Battlefield 1943 was highly instructive to us as a company," said Jamil Moledina of the EA...
The Infinity Ward situation has just gotten even uglier, if that's possible. Joystiq is reporting that former studio heads Vince Zampella and Jason West having filed suit against Activision, seeking compensation as well as contractual rights to the Modern Warfare brand for what they claim to be wrongful termination.
"Instead of thanking, lauding, or just plain paying Jason and Vince for giving Activision the most successful entertainment product ever offered to the public," attorney Robert Schwartz said in a statement, "last month Activision hired lawyers to conduct a...
We've thought that Six Days in Fallujah, the controversial game based on the Iraq War, was dead in the water. But IGN reports that the game is more than just alive; it's finished and set to come out. "I can promise you that game is still coming out and it is finished," said an anonymous source. No release date or publisher was announced, but the source seems confident that the game is still on track to release eventually.
After controversy erupted over its real-world themes, Konami dropped the game last April. Atomic Games was confident about finding a new publisher...
Gearbox cranked out three downloadable add-ons for Borderlands in the four months or so since the game's release, and if publisher Take-Two has their way, there should be plenty more Borderlands DLC to look forward to. Take-Two president and CEO Ben Feder revealed as much during their quarterly earnings call today (via Kotaku).
Many had assumed that "The Secret Armory of General Knoxx" would be the final download released for the game, but Take-Two has other plans. "Borderlands continues to build on its success in the market," Feder said during the conference call,...
03.03.
With Supreme Commander 2 now on the market, a close sibling is making its return as well. Impulse has picked up Total Annihilation, which is now available for $9.99.
First launched back in 1997, Total Annihilation was one of the first real-time strategy titles to incorporate 3D graphics and regular downloadable content. It was considered a major rival of Blizzard's StarCraft, and it certainly had its share of fans.
The original developer Cavedog is long gone, and designer Chris Taylor has moved on to develop the Supreme Commander titles, but Total Annihilation still has a...
Ever since the recent beta version of Steam went public, Valve fans have been buzzing over the possibility of Mac OS X support for the digital distribution service. Users have discovered numerous signs within the new client's files that suggest a Mac version could be on the way, but Valve has thus far remained silent on the matter -- until now, that is.
The Half-Life developer sent out a series of six teaser images to enthusiast sites all over the net this morning, including Shacknews, Mac Rumors, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, and several others. Included in the pictures are sly...
Following the dismissal of Infinity Ward studio heads Vince Zampella and Jason West, Activision has officially announced a new Call of Duty title to be developed by Sledgehammer Games. In addition, they have formed a new business unit dedicated to publishing an annual Call of Duty game.
Sledgehammer is being lead by Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, both of whom worked on Dead Space, and their new game will "extend the franchise into the action-adventure genre." 1UP's sources tell us that Infinity Ward will continue handling the recently announced Modern Warfare 2 map...
02.03.
A strange situation is reportedly unfolding at Infinity Ward's offices. G4 is reporting that "a bunch of bouncer-types" recently appeared outside of the Modern Warfare 2 developer's offices, and were unwilling to disclose why they were there.
According to a source within the studio, Infinity Ward studio heads Vince Zampella and Jason West met with Activision this morning and haven't been seen by staff members since. Word is that the relationship between the developer...
UPDATE: It appears that Jason West has been let go from Infinity Ward. West's LinkedIn account now lists his position as "past," and shows that the position ended in March 2010. In addition, one of our own sources inside Infinity Ward has said that Activision is "flexing their muscles" against the studio, attempting to "push back against change." More as we hear it.
ORIGINAL: A strange situation is reportedly unfolding at Infinity Ward's offices. G4 is reporting...
A new expansion has been announced for Tropico 3, the sim that lets you lord your influence over a small banana republic. Titled Absolute Power, it'll be introducing a number of tweaks to the original game.
In addition to ten new missions, "megalomania edicts," new landmarks and several new buildings, Absolute Power will introduce the Loyalist Faction, which will always stand by your decisions. There will also be new radio announcements and a revamped interface that...
Could we be witnessing the rebirth of GLaDOS? That would seem to be what's happening, as a mysterious Portal update has brought with it a sudden surplus of cryptic morse code messages.
Portal received the update earlier today via Steam. Valve's only comment in the patch notes was that the update "changed radio transmission frequency to comply with federal and state spectrum management regulations."
As it happens, it also added a new achievement titled...
01.03.
Novels based on video games are nothing new, but Random House wants to do more than novelize existing games -- they want to have an active hand in creating them. Hence the creation of a new group responsible for creating story content for media including "video games, social networks on the web, mobile platforms, in print and on film," which was announced today.
The new group will work in conjunction with other media companies in creating their content. Their first deal...
U.K. gamers will soon be able to pick up all three DLC expansions for Borderlands in one convenient package. Publisher 2K Games confirmed to Eurogamer that "The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned," "Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot," and "The Secret Armory of General Knoxx" are all headed for store shelves on a single compilation disc this April 9.
2K has only made mention of PC and Xbox 360 versions of the DLC bundle so far, and a Stateside release remains unconfirmed. We'll...
28.02.
Square Enix's "VanaFest 2010" is taking place today (where they've already announced three new add-ons for Final Fantasy XI), and while its name suggests it's all about celebrating their current MMO, they still slipped some exciting Final Fantasy XIV news in as well: They've announced the beta test will begin on March 11.
It'll be a closed beta test available to only a small number of invitees at first (Square Enix took applications back in December), but the beta...
Square Enix may already be hard at work on their next massively multiplayer RPG, Final Fantasy XIV, but their current MMO Final Fantasy XI is still alive and kicking. And today, Square Enix announced three new battle scenario add-ons that'll all release throughout 2010.
The first add-on will be Vision of Abyssea, which is set to launch in early summer. This will be followed by Scars of Abyssea and Heroes of Abyssea (Abyssea will be kind of important, in case you didn't...
27.02.
During the latest episode of their "BlizzCast" podcast, StarCraft 2 producer Chris Sigaty revealed some good news for long-patient StarCraft fans: It's still Blizzard's intention to release StarCraft 2 in the first half of 2010...even if that means shortening the beta more than they originally planned.
"We were targeting three to five months for the beta, we're really at a three month period of time for the beta at this point. We are still targeting the first half of...
If you haven't tried out Dragon Age: Origins yet, Electronic Arts has a nice new deal running at their official store. The publisher has launched a pre-order incentive for the upcoming expansion, offering deep cuts on the full game in exchange for plunking down your digital dollars early.
Pre-ordering the PC version of Dragon Age: Awakening will get you 40 percent off on Origins. That's about $70.00 for the whole package.
Dragon Age Awakening is a full-scale...
The Assassin's Creed II PC DRM sparked controversy last week when it was revealed that a constant connection to the Ubisoft servers are required to play. Ubisoft is forging ahead though, with a representative confirming that the system will be present in Splinter Cell: Conviction as well.
The representative told PC Gamer, "It's hard for us to say, yes, from now until the day that we all die all of our games are going to include this, but most will."
The system was...
26.02.
Judging by the most recent trailers and previews for the game, Just Cause 2 looks to offer some ridiculously over-the-top action -- but will it be any fun? You'll be able to find out for yourself soon enough, as publisher Square Enix just announced a demo for the Eidos-developed open-world sequel.
Available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, PlayStation Store, and Steam next Thursday, March 4, the Just Cause 2 demo will drop you somewhere in the middle of the game's Lautan...
The Brits really love Lara Croft. The Tomb Raider heroine recently had a new road named for her in the city of Derby, creating "Lara Croft Way."
"The vote really captured the imagination of people from across the world and, despite my lack of gaming knowledge, I accept that a majority of 89% for Lara Croft is too overwhelming to ignore," Councilor Lucy Care told the BBC.
"She was created in Derby and deserves to stand alongside some of the more traditional icons...
If there's one advantage services like Steam, Impulse, and Direct2Drive have always had over Games on Demand for Windows, it's that they all frequently offer deep discounts on their downloadable PC games. Microsoft's a little closer to narrowing that gap, however, as the publisher just announced a series of weekend sales on their Games for Windows Live store.
Starting tomorrow, February 26, you can download the PC version of Batman: Arkham Asylum from the Games for...
If you're looking to kill a few hours around the office, Atari has the answer for you. They're commemorating the 30th anniversary of Missile Command with a flash-based remake, available free of charge.
Available over at OMGPOP, the remake adds in online cooperative multiplayer, bosses and unit upgrades. Not a bad way to celebrate a classic game, all things considered.
The remake is available now.
25.02.
Live TV by Ustream
Time: Friday, February 26, 2010, 5 p.m. PST
Location: Watch the embedded video player above.
Questions: Submit your question(s) in our Game Night message board thread.
This is a special edition of Game Night with Starcraft 2 -- and Alan Feng and Sherwin Mahbod. You may recognize Alan's name as the UC Berkeley student who taught the Starcraft DeCal class, a course that taught micro and macro theory, attention and resource...
Live TV by Ustream
Time: Friday, February 26, 2010, 5 p.m. PST
Location: Watch the embedded video player above.
Questions: Submit your question(s) in our Game Night message board thread.
This is a special edition of Game Night with Starcraft 2 -- and Alan Feng and Sherwin Mahbod. You may recognize Alan's name as the UC Berkeley student who taught the Starcraft DeCal class, a course that taught micro and macro theory, attention and resource...
Live TV by Ustream
Time: Friday, February 26, 2010, 5 p.m. PST
Location: Watch the embedded video player above.
Questions: Submit your question(s) in our Game Night message board thread.
This is a special edition of Game Night with Starcraft 2 -- and Alan Feng and Sherwin Mahbod. You may recognize Alan's name as the UC Berkeley student who taught the Starcraft DeCal class, a course that taught micro and macro theory, attention and resource...
Quake Live is still chugging along after one year, and id is apparently in the mood to celebrate. The studio is bringing back a level that was previously removed, and will soon be hosting an event to mark the occasion.
The map is Fallout Bunker, which was removed around the end of the beta last year due to various issues. Going forward, id promised to continue supporting the browsed-based shooter with new arenas as well as "nostalgic works from the community."
In...
Alpha Protocol has been delayed multiple times now, so we're going to treat any release date with a grain of salt. Sega and Obsidian seem to have finally nailed down an actual date though, saying that we can expect their Spy RPG in June (via IGN).
Purporting to be equal parts Bond, Bourne and Bauer, Alpha Protocol seeks to add ever elusive "RPG elements" to the standard action game formula. It was supposed to be released last year, but it was delayed into Spring 2010,...
24.02.
In an interview with GamingUnion.net, former DICE CEO Fredrik Liliegren gave his thoughts on the upcoming sequel to one of 2005's most popular titles, Battlefield 2. And while the spotlight is currently focused on the console-centric Battlefield Bad Company 2, Liliegren reminded PC gamers that there's a lot to look forward to in the near future.
Though Liliegren now runs Canadian-based Antic Entertainment, he was around for the inception and development of 3. "I know what...