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PC Gaming Alive and Thriving, No Slowdowns in Sight
Posted by Donster on: 2009-11-20 17:10:15 in category: Game News [ Print ]
By Paul Lilly @ Maximum PC
It's been a little while since anyone has pronounced the PC a dead platform for gaming, and the next time someone does, you can help that person remove their cranium from their hind quarters with some hard figures. Not only is the PC doing well, it's doing exceptionally well, suggests data put together by Jon Peddie Research (JPR).
JPR's latest report predicts that PC gaming hardware sales will reach $21.26 billion by the end of the year, which is an increase of nearly $1.2 billion over 2008. But that's nothing compared to how much hardware the research firm predicts will fly off the shelves in 2010. According to JPR, PC gamers will spend $27.62 billion next year investing in gaming systems, accessories, and upgrades.
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Developer Pirates Its Own Game
Posted by Donster on: 2009-11-06 17:26:27 in category: Game News [ Print ]
RedLynx: We put Trials PC game on torrent sites
Trials developer RedLynx has admitted that in order to market its PC title it leaked it to torrent sites for pirates on the same day it was released to paying consumers.
The pirated version of the game does not include support for leaderboards, said company CEO Tero Virtala, a crucial feature that is the "soul" of the game. Without it, he hoped users of the hacked version would want to upgrade to the legitimate copy once they began enjoying the game.
"Piracy is here, so how can we take advantage of that? What we did actually, on day one, we put that game immediately on all the torrent networks ourselves," revealed Virtala, during a panel discussion at Develop Liverpool yesterday.
"That game relies really heavily on the server side – the leaderboards are the soul of the game. I don't know if it's helped, I'd assume so because even though the version that we put on the torrent networks wasn't the full version, it's the version of the game without the actual soul, without the leaderboards to play against other players."
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EA: "Singleplayer is no longer the future"
Posted by Donster on: 2009-11-06 17:08:04 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Author: Joe Martin @ Bit-Tech
Speaking at an EA Winter Games Showcase earlier this week and EA spokesperson said that the company strongly believed that multiplayer games were the most exciting place to be developing and that singleplayer experiences may well be on the way out.
"Singleplayer games are no longer the future," said a spokesperson who introduced the event which had playable segments from Left 4 Dead 2, Mass Effect 2 and C&C 4 on show.
"Multiplayer games are becoming increasingly exciting...Online functionality is a key way of extending the player experience."
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Flight1 Release the P51 Mustang!
Posted by Donster on: 2009-11-05 16:49:55 in category: Game News [ Print ]
With extensive research and help from a P51D owner-pilot, this is probably the most realistic development yet of the iconic WWII fighter for Flight Simulator X.
“Like the Indian braves of the old southwest whose favourite in battle was the small speedy Mustang, young fighter pilots today, with their newly won wings, almost without exception want to the fly the namesake of that sleek and powerful warhorse. And no wonder. For the P51 is truly a pilot’s airplane. It ranks with any fighter in the world.” P-51D Pilot Training Manual, 1945
Specifically developed from the ground up for Flight Simulator X, Aeroplane Heaven has made no compromises with the modelling of this wonderful warbird, which represents the actual aircraft ‘factory-fresh’ as in 1945.
Real-life pilots have been involved from the start of the development to ensure accuracy inside and out. WWII-era flight manuals have been followed to ensure that everything works as it should, from start-up to shut down.
Once in the air the help of restorer and experienced P51D owner-pilot Maurice Hammond has ensured this P51 flies just as good as she looks. Choose to fly Maurice’s own aircraft – ‘Marinell’ and ‘Janie’ – and you’ll even get to see Maurice in his distinctive helmet at the controls. Don’t forget to give him a wave when he taxis past!
Available to download now at Flight1.com for just $34.95, see for yourself what it is like to take to the air in this magnificent aircraft.
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Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War launches Leaderboards!
Posted by Donster on: 2009-10-16 17:27:53 in category: Game News [ Print ]
The new Red Baron of the 21st century is perhaps already flying with us, and virtual pilots and guests of ‘Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War’ can now know his or her modern-day name!
A new system of global statistics (the Leaderboard) will be in operation at the ‘Community’ section of the official website of the game. Using universally-collated pilot statistics, neoqb plans to organise cyber competitions all over the World: with both valuable prizes and awards for the best virtual pilots.
Click Here to visit the news page at the official ‘Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War’ website for more information.
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Crytek Releases CryENGINE 3
Posted by Donster on: 2009-10-14 20:49:58 in category: Game News [ Print ]
All-in-one multiplatform development solution now available for licensees.
Crytek GmbH ("Crytek") is excited to announce that their latest all-in-one development solution CryENGINE 3 is now available for all developers. CryENGINE 3 is the first game development platform for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, MMO, DX9/DX10 that also is truly Next-Gen-Ready - with scalable computation and graphics for all major upcoming platforms. It provides the complete game engine to create AAA quality next generation games, and includes the redesigned CryENGINE 3 Sandbox level editor, a production-proven, 3rd generation "What you see is what you play" (WYSIWYP) - tool designed by and for professional developers.
CryENGINE 3 also introduces CryENGINE 3 Live Create. It allows developers to work with a single editor, but see and play the results in real-time on PC, PS3 and Xbox360, hooked up to a single dev PC. The engine takes care of the conversion and optimization of assets in real-time; enables instant, cross-platform changes to any part of game creation and as a result materially increases the speed, quality and significantly reduces the risk of multiplatform development.
PRESS RELEASE
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Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Patch Plans
Posted by Donster on: 2009-10-14 20:40:01 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Source: Blue's News
A post to the Codemasters Forum notes reports of online connectivity issues for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising players on all platforms. Word is: "Early analysis this morning (UK time) suggests that the situation is improving and we are now seeing considerably less dropouts. Working closely with our partners has enabled us to identify some of the root causes and we continue to work to address and fix them." They also note that a PC patch is in development as they monitor this PC bugs/game issues thread, and an Xbox360 & PS3 game update is in development.
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Cascade Game Foundry Forges Ahead, Opens New Simulation Game Development Studio
Posted by Donster on: 2009-10-13 18:09:42 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Cascade Game Foundry Forges Ahead, Opens New Simulation Game Development Studio - Founded By Former Microsoft Aces Studio Veterans
Cascade Game Foundry, a new game development studio in Washington, today announced their entry into the simulation marketplace with an experienced team of industry pros poised to create a portfolio of innovative and engaging products which will appeal to both aficionados and people new to the genre.
The two founders, Creative Director Rick Selby and Managing Director Kathie Flood, are no strangers to simulations - both are former "Microsoft Aces Studio" leaders and industry veterans. Not only will Cascade Game Foundry address the significant hole in the simulation market left by Microsoft’s recent departure, it will push new boundaries with the latest in cutting-edge graphics, simulation and web technology.
PRESS RELEASE (Hosted by Cascade Game Foundry)
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Feature: Is Single-Player Gaming In Danger Of Extinction?
Posted by Donster on: 2009-10-08 18:19:26 in category: Game News [ Print ]
By Michael McWhertor @ Kotaku
It's in danger of becoming a lost art. Video game developers, increasingly focused on community building, cooperative play and massive online interactions, seem to have forgotten the satisfaction of the solo experience.
As once singular experiences give way to more multiplayer, more cooperative gaming, we can't help but wonder: Is the single-player-only game in danger of becoming extinct? And if it is, who's really to blame?
Read on...
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Venezuela to Outlaw Violent Video Games, Toys
Posted by Donster on: 2009-10-05 18:10:42 in category: Game News [ Print ]
By Christopher Toothaker @ Associated Press
Shouts of "Kill him! Kill him!" ring out as the preteens train their virtual assault rifles on the last remaining terrorist and spray him with bullets. Blood splatters. The enemy collapses. And they cheerfully wrap up another game of "Counter-Strike."
The most popular video games among kids often imitate life outside this Internet cafe in San Augustin — one of the many crime-ridden slums in Venezuela's capital, where residents say too many of the young players easily trade joysticks for guns.
In a bid to curb that trend, Venezuela's National Assembly is on track to prohibit violent video games and toys. The proposed legislation, which received initial approval in September, is expected to get a final vote in the coming weeks.
Parents applaud the proposed ban. But critics argue the bill is little more than a public relations stunt by supporters of President Hugo Chavez to camouflage his government's inability to deal with Venezuela's rampant violent crime — the country's most pressing problem according to public opinion polls.
Read on...
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New Maddox Games Sims
Posted by Donster on: 2009-10-05 17:40:55 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Source: Blue's News
The Oleg Maddox On IL-2 Interview on IncGamers talks with the designer about IL-2 1946, IL-2: Birds of Prey, and other flight simulators from Maddox Games. Along the way he reveals they are working on an unannounced series based on the Battle of Britain:
"There are not many people in the team, but every one of them is very talented. Often we will work very late into night. Right now we are working full steam on a new simulator series, and the opening release will be dedicated to the Battle of Britain in 1940. The guys are using state-of-the-art technologies to achieve the highest realism possible starting with the visual side and ending up with a real feeling of flight. We are developing the engine with an eye to the future. It will be capable of much more than will appear in the first release of the series. And you will see this gradual development coinciding with the improvement of PC performance and capabilities."
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cdv Software Entertainment and Matrix Games Sign Publishing Deal
Posted by Donster on: 2009-10-01 17:26:33 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Matrix Games and cdv Software Entertainment USA have signed a publishing agreement to bring multiple acclaimed cdv Software Entertainment titles to the Matrix Games community. The deal marks the fruition of cooperation between the two publishing companies and stands as a tremendous opportunity for both companies to offer high-quality strategy games to fans of the genre.
PRESS RELEASE
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Study: Gamers "More Aggressive to Strangers"
Posted by Donster on: 2009-09-29 16:16:47 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Thanks Blue's News
New Scientist reports on a study that pitted male gamers against groups of friends or groups of strangers in Unreal Tournament 2004, and measured their testosterone levels, learning:
"Victorious gamers enjoy a surge of testosterone – but only if their vanquished foe is a stranger. When male gamers beat friends in a shoot-em-up video game, levels of the potent sex hormone plummeted." This jibes with previous research involving dominos players, and helps them reach this conclusion: "This suggests that multiplayer video games tap into the same mechanisms as warfare, where testosterone's effect on aggression is advantageous."
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Chilean PS3 Ads Show Gamer Giving Blood Tranfusion to a Nazi
Posted by Donster on: 2009-09-29 15:54:11 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Source: Engadget
You'd think Sony's ad teams would have learned to stay away from needlessly controversial imagery after that whole "White is coming" PSP debacle or even those "Take a Running Jump Here" ads, but... they haven't. Check out these Chilean PlayStation 3 ads, which show a modern-day gamer giving a heart transplant to Joan of Arc and a blood transfusion to a Nazi. Yes, Sony has Godwin'd its own advertising. The Nazi in question is supposed to be Erwin Rommel, a highly decorated and respected German field marshal, but it's not like Sony's really riffing on that here, and making an ad with a swastika in it that relies on your audience to know the subtle nuances of WWII history just isn't the smartest move in the world. It's a pretty simple rule: if you make a video game ad with Nazis in it and it's not about shooting the Nazis, you've screwed up. Let's just stick with those creeptastic Japanese PS3 spots, okay?
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Tactical Intervention - The Next Counterstrike
Posted by Donster on: 2009-09-28 17:51:30 in category: Game News [ Print ]
A conversation with Minh Le and a look at Tactical Intervention.
By Ben Min, IGN
On any given weekend in South Korea you're likely to run across a video game tournament, and the most popular game is Blizzard's StarCraft from 1998. But as if that isn't odd enough, the fact that an 11-year old game is the biggest thing in one of most video game-crazed nations in the world, then it's really no surprise that the second-most popular game is almost as old, Counter-Strike. But for Counter-Strike creator, Minh Le, it doesn't seem to phase him. Actually, he's more focused on his current project than his past accomplishments, and now the new project is almost finished. I sat down with Minh at a little Italian restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul's popular nightlife area, to chat with him about what he's been doing since he left Valve, his thoughts on the current gaming circuit, and his new project: Tactical Intervention.
Read on...
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Game Reviews & Previews - (25 September 2009)
Posted by Donster on: 2009-09-25 19:41:13 in category: Game News [ Print ]
I gathered up a few of the latest game reviews and previews and dumped them in one convenient spot because I just feel like being lazy today. Who knows, maybe posting reviews and previews this way will start a trend. Heh heh heh.
News Source: Email
Microsoft Denies EA Buyout Claims
Posted by Donster on: 2009-09-24 18:50:32 in category: Game News [ Print ]
EA shares dip as a Microsoft spokesperson refutes Wall Street gossip
By Rob Crossley @ MCV
Microsoft has refuted Wall Street speculation that the global software giant is preparing to launch a takeover bid for publisher EA.
"We have no plans to acquire EA," a Microsoft spokesman said, as quoted in MarketWatch.
Shares in EA climbed 7 per cent to $19.36 on Wednesday as speculation over a possible takeover intensified. Shares in EA dipped 1 per cent in after-hour trading.
News Source: Email
EA, THQ Takeover Rumors Spur Stock
Posted by Donster on: 2009-09-23 17:30:28 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Rumors of bids by Microsoft, Warner send Madden and UFC Undisputed publishers' share prices skyward.
By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot
A new wave of consolidation has hit the game industry since the economic downturn began last year, with Square Enix picking up Eidos, Tecmo merging with Koei, Warner Bros. snagging Midway out of bankruptcy, Namco Bandai buying D3Publisher, and most recently, ZeniMax purchasing id Software.
The wave may not have broken just yet, as rumors of takeovers of THQ and Electronic Arts are pushing the publishers' share prices higher this week, Reuters reports. According to the wire service, rumors are circulating that Microsoft is pondering an acquisition of Electronic Arts, and a major media company is preparing a takeover bid for THQ. Last year, EA was in the suitor's seat, as it spent months pursuing an ultimately unsuccessful hostile takeover of Take-Two Interactive.
Read on...
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Game Reviews & Previews
Posted by Donster on: 2009-09-16 19:06:30 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Today I gathered up a few of the latest game reviews and previews and dumped them in one convenient spot just because I am running a bit low on time today, or maybe just being lazy.
News Source: Email
Red Baron Lands at Mad Otter
Posted by Donster on: 2009-09-10 17:50:13 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Mad Otter Games is very proud to announce that it has acquired all rights to Red Baron, Red Baron II, and Red Baron 3D. Many of the otters worked on the award winning game back in 1989! It was named #4 on the Best Games of All Time (PC) by Computer Gaming World in 1996.
In an effort to bring these games back to life, Mad Otter is offering a finder’s fee of $1500 to the first person who can deliver the complete source code to any of these games. Note: complete source code does *not* mean assembly. Original C or C++ please!
Red Baron, Red Baron II, and Red Baron 3D are registered trademarks of Mad Otter Games, Inc.
MAD OTTER GAMES WEBSITE
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EA’s Chief Creative Officer Describes Game Industry’s Re-Engineering
Posted by Donster on: 2009-08-27 18:11:14 in category: Game News [ Print ]
EA: Marketing = 66-75% of a Game's Budget
By Dean Takahashi @ VentureBeat
The world of video games is changing and the companies involved in it have to adapt to a broader and less hardcore market, said Rich Hilleman, the chief creative officer of Electronic Arts.
While Hilleman covered familiar territory, he did so with more candor than most corporate executives and he offered interesting insights into how to deal with the “re-engineering” of the video game business. He thinks, for instance, that Korea offers more lessons for the future of games than Japan, that used games have cut off the long tail for game sales, and that the democratization of gaming through the iPhone will ultimately be a good thing for the video game industry.
Read on...
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Wednesday Movie Theatre (26 August 2009)
Posted by Donster on: 2009-08-26 18:23:23 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Another batch of new game movies are now loaded up on the projector and ready to go. Get yourself a cold one and watch via the links listed below. (All Gamers Hell trailers in HD.)
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Tuesday Movie Theatre (25 August 2009)
Posted by Donster on: 2009-08-25 17:39:46 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Time for a batch of the most recently released game movies from over the past few days. Grab some popcorn and check 'em out at the links below.
News Source: Email
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising LAN Lives
Posted by Donster on: 2009-08-14 17:49:41 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Source: Blue's News
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising will include LAN support, contrary to a report here yesterday. The quote from Sion Lenton in an interview on Fragland yesterday did not seem ambiguous, as he said: "There will be no offline multiplayer, nor an offline co-op mode. Online you can play the co-op mode with up to four friends." However, now Codemasters clarifies what was not clear from that statement, saying: "Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising does indeed feature LAN play and system link, and the offline MP play Sion Lenton is referring to is splitscreen."
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Lionhead Studios Website Overthrown by Che Guevara
Posted by Donster on: 2009-08-14 17:39:48 in category: Game News [ Print ]
Source: Joystiq
Don't you just hate it when your website gets overthrown by a long-dead South American revolutionary? Happens all the time! Well, okay, we're embellishing a bit, but it seems as though that's happened to Fable 2 developer Lionhead Studios' website. As you can see in the image (to the right), Che Guevara's questioning gaze posits, "At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love," accompanied by a massive six.
Sure, that could be six years or six celestial bodies orbiting around Lionhead prez Peter Molyneux's head at any given time, but we're thinking it pertains to a "special announcement" at next week's Euro convention, Gamescom, by the (in)famous developer. The email from Microsoft says, "Peter Molyneux, visionary developer and Creative Director of MGS Europe, will make a special announcement, so be sure to join us for this reveal." In the meantime, we'll be busily clicking between the thumbs up or down choice below Che's silhouette, watching as the sidebars change.
Update: It would appear as though Lionhead Studios' website has been overthrown by not one revolutionary but a series of them, as the site has updated today with a numeral five (countdown!) and an image of Maximilien Robespierre. Oh, you don't know who he is? He's one of those copycat French revolutionaries. A famous one, we promise. Now we're just hoping that at the end of the countdown, Lionhead doesn't overthrow the Internet.
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