ChubbySection

New Hitman Absolution E3 2011 Teaser Trailer.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:50:00 +0000

Dungeon Siege III demo released for PS3 and PC via Steam.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 04:49:00 +0000

The downloadable demo was first available on the Xbox 360, and a week later on the other platforms.

Dungeon Siege III is an action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and soon to be published by Square Enix on Ps3, Xbox 360, PC and OnLive. Part 3 will be released in Europe - 17 June, North America - 21 June and Japan - 28 July. Original creator of Dungeon Siege, Chris Taylor served as an advisor during the development of the game. This will be the first in the series to be published by Square Enix, after it acquired full ownership of the Dungeon Siege franchise .

The demo is available through Steam (Valve Corporation platform) . All you need to do is download Steam, create a free account and browse the demo section of the platform for the game.

Dungeon siege III demo is playable with 2 out of the 4 available characters in the retail version. It has 3 difficulty levels: Casual, Normal and Hardcore, the last difficulty level being "not for the feint heart, or those prone to throwing controllers", which is kinda like saying don`t hate us for driving you mad, we warned you in a funny way about it, tee hee.

On a personal note, i found the voice acting a bit poor, just to be mended by nice graphics once the game started. I really find the "Player Menu" weird but i do like the equipment comparison system, they kept it sweet and simple. I`ve noticed 3 skill Tiers, probably level-based unlockables and also recieving "Proficiency Points" along side the usual talent point, upon leveling up. Enjoy the game!

Cataclysm Video Update: Twin Peaks Battleground

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:40:00 +0000

Located within the Twilight Highlands, the Twin Peaks remains a crucial point of high ground for staging effective and debilitating attacks against the black dragonflight and the Twilight's Hammer, who dominate this foreboding environment. And now, two previous occupants of the nearby city of Grim Batol vie once again for control of the peaks' defenses. The Wildhammer clan, architects and original owners of the once-great fortress city, maintains some operations in forested outposts of the highlands. The Wildhammers now call upon heroes of the Alliance to help claim the peaks and fend off the Dragonmaw orcs. The Dragonmaw clan, having spent years working to enslave red dragons, once again provides strategic importance to the Horde. As the Dragonmaw and Wildhammers fight for territory they once called home, the Alliance and Horde carry out the struggle to control the Twin Peaks.

Capture the Flag

Twin Peaks is a new 10 vs. 10, capture-the-flag-style battleground. Much like in Warsong Gulch, players must work to dominate variable terrain, infiltrate the enemy base, and steal the enemy flag, returning it to their fortress while remaining in control of their own flag. The first faction to capture three enemy flags before time expires will win the battle.

Dominating the Terrain

Although the Wildhammer and Dragonmaw bases are virtually identical, the terrain surrounding each base is not. Players will need to work to control an asymmetrical field where the mountain peaks are divided by a valley river. A single bridge over the river serves as a choke point in the center of the map; although deep, the river can be crossed. On either side of the river sits an outpost where temporary character enhancements can be claimed. In addition, tree stumps and rocks throughout the valley create strategic points for you to use line of sight to your advantage. To prevent absolute domination by one faction through its control of the enemy graveyard, the Horde and Alliance players resurrected in Twin Peaks will spawn from one of two graveyards per faction.

Wildhammer Longhouse

Serving as the Alliance stronghold in the north, the Wildhammer Longhouse hovers above the valley, atop a series of plateaus. With three entrances to the complex, players have two primary means of reaching the longhouse: scaling the plateaus to the northwest, or using the stairwell up the middle in order to access any of the three openings. Be careful, though! Falling or being knocked off the cliff can not only cause damage, but it can also hinder a successful offensive against or defense of the base.

Dragonmaw Clan Compound

Acting as the Horde base in the south, the Dragonmaw Clan Compound sits over a body of water into which the valley's river feeds. With three entrances to the compound, players have a few means of getting inside. One entrance on the southeast side requires riding up an incline and crossing a knee-deep river. A second entrance is through a water pipeline leading from the surrounding lake, while the main entrance can be accessed via a bridge over the waterfront. You'll want to be aware of your surroundings when you use the main entrance, though, because players can be knocked down into the water, slowing their advance or crippling their defense.

Those who seek to control Twin Peaks will face an intense battle. The lands surrounding this ever-troubled location are key strategic strongholds of Deathwing and all of his followers. The Twilight Highlands are as rich with history as they are fraught with disaster and tragedy. Will the Dragonmaw clan, reinforced by Garrosh's Horde, take control? Or will it be the Wildhammer dwarves, reunited with their Ironforge brethren and accepted into the Alliance, who seize the peaks?

Man Spends Six Months Plotting Murder Of Counter-Strike Rival

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:32:00 +0000

A Counter-Strike player in France has spent six months plotting a revenge attack against a man who beat him in an in-game knife fight. His eventual revenge was not in-game.

20 year-old Julien Barreaux, from Cambrai, had his Counter-Strike character "knifed" in a game late last year against another man, known only as "Mikhael". Enraged at this blight against his talents, Barreaux spent six months tracking him down in the real world.

When he eventually found the victim, Barreaux knocked on the guy's front door, then "plunged a kitchen knife into his chest" when Mikhael opened it to greet him. He missed his heart by an inch.

A local police officer told the courts "Barreaux was arrested within the hour and told us he had wanted to see his rival wiped out for killing off his character."

The judge, who locked him up for two years on a charge of causing grievous bodily harm, says of Barreaux, "You are a menace to society. I am frankly terrified of the disproportionate reaction you could have if someone looked at you the wrong way in the street."

source: Kotaku

Killzone 3 Teaser!

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 23:45:00 +0000

Release date to be announced at E3 2010. Enjoy.

Ubisoft fails again. And we all just love it .

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 03:24:00 +0000

The $200 million movie production of Ubisoft`s Prince of Persia, takes in only $37.8 million over the weekend.

The big-screen version of Prince of Persia, being a film with an estimated $200 million budget, hardly pulled in $37.8 million in the US and Canada.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan, the film approximately follows Ubisoft`s action adventure game with the same name. The script is coauthored by Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mehner and directed by Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Donnie Brasco) .

Noted by the LA Times, Prince of Persia`s opening, is the worst for a big-budget picture on Memorial Day, since the animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, in 2002.

However, across the 19 international territories the movie played during the weekend, it managed to gross $87.5 million.

In November, CEO Yves Guillemot estimated that the film franchise could be more successful than Bruckheimer`s Pirates of the Caribbean films, the first three of them bringing in $2.7 billion at the time.

As a personal opinion, i am glad Ubisoft`s attempt to cash in, apparently fails, because their greed constantly expands,just like the universe, but giving birth to nothing "celestial".Attempting to fight piracy, Ubisoft mocked the people who actually acknowledged their work, implementing the stupidest idea in gaming history.

And for Mr. Yves Guillemot - not every movie starring a guy with a sword is a huge success.The one with the little ships and guys with wooden legs has a small, insignificant difference - a brilliant actor, story and Jack Sparrow. Stick to video games, but rename Ubi into Noobiesoft.

One step further - EA Online Pass required to play online .

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Tue, 11 May 2010 16:23:00 +0000

Electronics Arts` aggressive promotion campaign, offering customers bonus content when buying shrink-wrapped copies of games like Dragon age: Origins, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 or Mass Effect 2, has proven in recent months to be a success. Due to the facts, the publisher plans to extend that initiative to their sport games business,taking it further with a new Online Pass .

Arriving by way of a packed-in, game-specific registration code, the Online Pass includes all new copies of Xbox 360 and PS3 releases from EA Sports and facilitates access to "online services, features and bonus content." Those who rent or buy a second hand EA Sports title can gain access to the Online Pass through a seven-day trial or buy a registration code right away for only $10.

The Online Pass initiative will debut on June 8 with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11.The publishing label has updated the website with a detailed and easy to understand FAQ about the Online Pass:

"Activate your exclusive Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 Online pass to unlock the following: Online Team Play…[and] Online multiplayer modes," reads the pass (emphasis added). EA Sports reps later confirmed to GameSpot the pass would be required for any online play, with EA Sports senior vice president Andrew Wilson elaborating in the aforementioned FAQ.

"We've made a significant investment to offer the most immersive online experience available," said the executive. "We want to reserve EA Sports online services for people who pay EA to access them."

Andrew Wilson explained the decision thusly: "First, it's important to be clear that all users have access to premium content. … When we see how many people are playing all of our games online, consumers are telling us that competition is endemic to sports in a way that most people don't get just by playing a game alone on their couch."

Wilson's answer was a bit more slippery when asked about whether or not the move was to combat used game sales. "We actually view the second sale market as an opportunity to develop a direct relationship with our consumers, and with Online Pass everyone has access to the same premium online services and content regardless of how and where you buy the game," he explained.

Wilson continued, "In order to continue to enhance the online experiences that are attracting nearly five million connected game sessions a day, again, we think it's fair to get paid for the services we provide and to reserve these online services for people who pay EA to access them."

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 focuses on it`s online modes.Console players (PS3 and Xbox 360) can compete in an online version of the prestigious Ryder Cup tournament. The PS3 and 360 editions of the game (which is also due out on Wii and iPhone) will let up to 24 players play in four-person teams in the biennial tournament`s signature events, which alternates shots, fourballs and singles. The Ps3 edition will also support Sony Move motion-sensing peripheral, due out this fall.

GTA IV add-on discounted for Xbox Live gold members.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:58:00 +0000

Grand Theft Auto add-on discounted for gold members next week.

GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony will be available for gold members at a 1200 points discount rate, while regular users must pay 1600 for it .

To get a better idea, here are a few ratings and a trailer:

TeamXbox **	9.8 / 10
IGN **	9.2 / 10
Extreme Gamer **	9.4 / 10
Thunderbolt **	8 / 10
GameZone **	9.2 / 10

Cataclysm Update: Halls of Origination

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:49:00 +0000

As with Uldaman and Ulduar, Uldum houses one of only a few of the known titan constructions, the existence of which predates that of mortal life on Azeroth. For years historians have explored southern Kalimdor for a means of entry into this ancient titan land, searching for more evidence of Azeroth's origins. But the Cataclysm will change everything, for the façade behind which Uldum has been tucked for millennia will be ruptured, leaving powerful mysteries vulnerable to discovery by the bravest, smartest, or perhaps even most brutal explorers.

The Halls of Origination in Uldum is a level-85 five-player dungeon available in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, featuring an unparalleled journey through the timeless titan construction and seven unique boss fights. Hidden deep within its halls lies an ancient treasure that, if placed in the wrong hands, could endanger all life on Azeroth. Should players survive the perils of Uldum, they will be called to help Brann Bronzebeard unlock the mysteries within these treacherous titan halls and protect the titans' ancient secrets.

Entering the Halls

You will immediately learn the gravity of your situation in the Maker's Overlook when stumbling over the bodies of those who have entered the Halls of Origination before you, seeking power... and failing. Those who survive beyond the entrance of these ancient corridors will be greeted by Brann Bronzebeard just outside the dungeon's transport system to the upper reaches. It will require more than the guidance of Brann to advance upward, however, as the secrets of these halls must first be unlocked.

Chamber of Prophecy

The column-strewn Chamber of Prophecy is truly a testament of time. In a room adorned with the relics of an ancient culture, two arks await investigation, protected by ever-faithful servants. Those who meddle with the titan relics must answer to Temple Guardian Anhuur, the overseer of this chamber and a master of holy magic and devastating hymns.

Tomb of the Earthrager

Across from the Chamber of Prophecy and just outside the dungeon's walls lies the Tomb of the Earthrager, entrenched within a pyramid sun-scorched and bombarded with sandstorms. Littered with the bones of the long deceased, the tomb waits to collect more unprepared victims. It is, after all, the resting place of Earthrager Ptah. Those who disturb his tomb disrupt an eerily quiet place before Ptah shakes the ground beneath you in a Tumultuous Earthstorm, bringing to life the weathered bones of the deceased and unearthing vile Scarabs.

The Vault of Lights

With walls weighted by priceless titan artifacts, the Vault of Lights will serve as a chamber of punishment for your intrusion. Anraphet, a haunting statue of titan composition, awakens to serve his fellow keepers and eradicate all mortals who enter. Make no mistake: his long slumber will not prevent him from showing absolute wrath.

Seats of the Keepers

Survivors of the halls' depths will gain access to the upper reaches. With help from Brann Bronzebeard, you must uncover the mysteries of Uldum. Your journey will lead you to areas of ultimate consequence: the Seats of Magic, Life, Chaos, and Radiance. Here you will be confronted by the construct of magic Isiset, construct of life Ammunae, construct of chaos Setesh, and construct of radiance Rajh. You will be tested by these constructs of Uldum, who will not easily give up their thrones or the secrets of the titans.

Only by exploring Uldum's Halls of Origination in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will you have a chance to uncover their dangerous powers, and perhaps even the mysteries behind the origins of life on Azeroth.

Medal of Honor on PC and consoles starting October.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:54:00 +0000

The gaming market seems to look more and more like a battlefield, as "troops" prepare for the end of the year - the ultimate FPS war.

Medal of Honor and Call of Duty will release two titles on the market this autumn, while Xbox owners also are waiting for a new Halo release. In these conditions, Electronic Arts and Activision set the release dates of their titles relatively close. Activision`s Black Ops will see the light of day on the 9th of November, while Medal of Honor was announced for mid-October. Because of the two being "rival" titles and the prices (at least for the console versions) being a little high, it`s likely that players will buy only one title...who will be the winner?

The new Medal of Honor is staged in Afghanistan, where, in single-player mode, you will write the story of multiple characters. Electronic Arts turned to military experts for assistance in offering gamers as much realism possible.

Mafia 2 `s main storyline,15 hours long .

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:11:00 +0000

'Critical path' will take over half a day to complete, says 2K

In an interview for Xbox World 360 Magazine, Alex Cox from 2k said the main story of Mafia 2 will take 15 hours to walk through:

"I'd say the critical path is about 15 hours, maybe a bit longer. It's a nice length, big enough to feel epic without overstaying its welcome."

In it`s previous peek at Mafia 2 the magazine said that the in-game "dynamite shootouts" make Take-Two or GTA IV look "dated".

"We were blown away by both the visual fidelity and intricacy of the level design," the mag said. "As Vito, Steve, Joey and troops poured forward to bout the Brylcreemed baddies, GTA IV seemed very dated indeed."

Diablo II `s 1.13 patch coming March 23.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:57:00 +0000

Patch 1.13 will support largest 4:3 resolution.

Patch notes:

A new Mystery has been revealed!

- Adventurers of Sanctuary are hereby warned once again, that a new challenge
awaits you. Within Diablo's Bosses, spanning across the world from the
ancient Monastery Catacombs to the Throne of Destruction, is where you'll
find what you seek...

Major Bugs

- Fixed an item dupe bug.
- Video improvements for Intel Mac machines with OS 10.5 or greater.
- Fixed an issue where some players could kill other players while in town
("TPPK").
- Fixed an issue where some players could disconnect other players when
they had too many active states.
- Fixed two issues where players could stack auras in an unintended way.

Minor Bugs

- Uber Mephisto now checks for both Uber Baal and Uber Diablo to be killed
before spawning summoned minions (Before he would only check for Uber Baal).
- The game will no longer stop and then restart the game music after the
window loses and then regains focus.
- Fixed an issue where the game window would minimize when running in
windowed mode when it lost focus.
- Fixed an issue where the game window wouldn't center properly when it
was created.
- Fangskin should now properly drop loot in Hell difficulty.
- Fixed an issue where auras were not re-applied to your mercenary after
it was resurrected.
- Fixed an issue where if you had two items which provided two auras to
a mercenary and you unequipped one, the aura from the remaining
item never became active.
- Fixed an issue where the Paladin class runeword 'Principle' wasn't
having all of its stats applied properly.

Specific changes/improvements

- Respecialization is now possible! Completing the 'Den of Evil' quest
will now additionally reward 1 free respec which can be saved. Players
who have already completed this quest should receive 1 free respec in
Hell difficulty.
- Increased the drop rate of high runes.
- Support for blit scaling in windowed mode. The game can now be
maximized to the largest 4:3 resolution supported (hooray widescreen users).
- Some rare drop items now have an orange color. i.e. Runes and items
required for Uber Tristam.
- Modified the gold bank limit to be a flat cap not bound by level.
- Removed the requirements to create a hardcore character.
- Greatly reduced the explosion damage dealt by Fire Enchanted monsters.
- Uber Mephisto and Uber Baal's summoned minions no longer give experience.
- Removed Oblivion Knight's Iron Maiden curse.
- Hellfire Torch Firestorm proc rate has been reduced to 5%.
- Users can now toggle the display of text over the Health and Mana
globes by clicking on the bottom area of each orb.
- When creating a single player game, pressing the 'Enter' key now
automatically creates a Hell difficulty game if possible.
- When creating a game, each difficulty button is now bound to a unique
key: Normal 'R', Nightmare 'N', and Hell 'H'.
- The 'Enter Chat' Button in the battle.net waiting room is now
bound to the 'Enter' key.
- Added the windows system buttons to the game window (MIN, MAX, CLOSE).
- Added new command line parameter '-nofixaspect' which allows users to
not fix the aspect ratio to 4:3 when maximizing windowed mode.
This lets the game 'stretch' to fill your monitor.
- Added support for '-sndbkg' command line switch. This enables sound
in background.
- Added the following aliases for pre-existing command line options,
'-nosound', '-window', and '-windowed'.

Revised Skill balance for Player Character classes

Amazon

- Immolation Arrow - Increased radius of Explosion effect by 33% and
Immolation effect by 50%.
- Immolation Arrow - Explosion effect damage increased by 20%.
- Immolation Arrow - Increased base duration by 33%.

Assassin

- Dragon Claw - Synergy receives 4% additional damage per point of Claw Mastery.
- Dragon Talon - The bonus to Attack Rating per point has been increased to 35.
- Shadow Master - Increased resistance range per point from 5-80 to 5-90.
- Combo points awarded by combo moves now last 15 seconds, up from 9.

Barbarian

- Whirlwind - Reduced initial mana cost by 50%.
- Masteries - Changed critical strike chance from 0-25 to 0-35.

Paladin

- Blessed Hammer - No longer ignores resistances of undead and demons.

Druid

- Werebear - Damage bonus increased by 15% across all ranks.
- Werebear - Increased health by 25% and armor by 1% per point.
- Shockwave - Synergy from Maul adds 5% damage per point.

Necromancer

- Blood Golem - Removed negative shared life effect (player no longer
loses life when golem takes damage).
- Corpse Explosion - Increased base damage dealt from 60% - 100%
to 70% - 120% of corpses health.
- Poison Nova - Increased base damage by 15%.

Sorceress

- Firewall - Synergy receives 1% damage per point of Inferno and
4% per point of Warmth.
- Blaze - Synergy receives 1% damage per point of Firewall
and 4% per point of Warmth.
- Hydra - Increased base damage by 15% per rank.
- Hydra - Increased base speed of Hydra projectile.
- Hydra - Reduced cooldown by 25%.

NFS: World Online Beta opt-in.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:25:00 +0000

Electronic Arts gives players an early chance to try out massively multiplayer online racer, full release set for summer.

Gamers looking to kick the tires on Electronic Arts' massively multiplayer online racing game Need for Speed: World are about to get their chance. Electronic Arts today announced a new round of closed beta testing for the game, inviting would-be players to sign up for a testing slot at the game's official Web site.

While the game will let players compete online in standard Need for Speed drag, drift, and checkpoint races, it also adds a few tweaks to the series' formula. For example, a new power-up system will give players access to a number of new abilities, from turbo boosts to a "traffic magnet" that draws racers into a tight pack. There's even a power-up to add a lap to a race so lagging players have some extra time to catch up. The other big addition to the series is a stat-progression feature that lets players level up their cars as well as their drivers.

Blizzard may license Battle.net .

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:10:00 +0000

Blizzard's Rob Pardo has said the company could make its upcoming Battle.Net publishing and multiplayer platform available to third parties.

"It's something that we've definitely always talked about," Pardo said. "The problem for us is that it takes a lot of work from our other teams."

"Every time we have the discussion, we try to figure out what's going to happen if let's say a Blizzard game was coming out and a third party game was coming out at the same time. Could we be agnostic in that way? Could we offer the same level of support that we offer our games to third parties? We just never know. It just seems like a big job for us."

Last year, Gearbox's Randy Pitchford offered up criticism for Valve's distribution platform, Steam, around the same question of remaining "agnostic" to game releases.

"There's so much conflict of interest there that it's horrid. It's actually really, really dangerous for the rest of the industry to allow Valve to win," Pitchford said.

Metro 2033 to be released March 16th .

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:08:00 +0000

The whole world lies in ruins. Humanity is almost annihilated. Due to the high-level of radiation cities became unsuitable for living. Outside cities, as rumours say, there are endless burned out deserts and wilds of mutated forests. The survived still remember about the past greatness of human. But the remnants of the civilization gradually become just memories, spin with stories and turn into legends.

Since the last plane took off the land more than twenty year has passed. The corroded railroads lead to nowhere. The air is silent, and the radiomen hear only the cheerless howls while million times tuning in frequencies on which broadcasted New-York, Paris, Tokyo and Buenos Aires before. Only twenty years has passed since IT happened. But human yielded the supremacy on Earth to new species. The mutated by radiation and other consequences of the happened creatures are more adapted to the changed world.

The human epoch elapsed. But they do not want to believe in that. There are only some tens of thousand of them, and they do not know whether somebody else survived, or they are the last people in this world. They live in Moscow metro – the largest anti-nuclear shelter whenever constructed by a human and the last shelter of humanity.

Almost all of them were in metro THIS day, and this fact helped them to survive. The hermetic locks protect them from radiation and monstrous creatures on surface, the worn out filters purify water and air. The assembled by skilled craftsmen dynamos produce electricity, in underground farms champignons are cultivated and pigs are raised, but the poorer people do not bother eating rats.

The central control system collapsed long age, and the stations turned into diminutive states, where people are grouped by ideas, religion and water filter or by the basic necessity to defence from enemies.

The VDNH is the extreme northern populated metro station in its line. It is the northern outpost of humanity and civilization. Here live some hundred of strong, friendly people, who treat the station as their sweet home. It was one of the best in metro while it was safe. But now the station is attacked by hordes of mysterious animals, descending from the top and named “Darkness” by the citizens of VDNH. The citizens, for the moment, succeed in countering the offence, but it becomes more and more difficult If the station is seized, the avalanche may overflow the whole metro.

Artem, a young guy, who lives in VDNH, is given a task – to reach the heart of the metro, the legendary Polis, in order to warn all people about the terrible danger and to ask for help. In hands of one man appears the destiny of VDNH, the destiny of the whole metro, and may be, the destiny of the whole humanity…

In this world an extremely dynamic gameplay awaits players. They will have to face different political regimes (democracy with market economy, totalitarian sects, military communism, primitive society with proper culture and beliefs); to fight with dangerous enemies and new intelligent life forms, born by catastrophe and mutations; to explore the enigmatic and at the same time quite known world and its laws (groupings and their interrelations, fractions animosity and trade, anomalies and enemies with extraordinary abilities); to handle various types of weapons, as common, as assembled from variety of well-know to modern people types, which posses some properties of their prototypes; to drive unique peoples’ machines in the new world: hand cars assembled in armoured personnel carrier manner etc..

Location – post-apocalyptic Moscow, the life of humanity gleams in metro (subway) tunnels, and the stations turned into small states with different political regimes.

Variety of gameplay styles – possibility to play as a heavy strike fighter, as an inconspicuous killer.

A player, who attentively follows the events in the game world, will find out ways to influence the advance of the plot and may reach the non-standard end. Besides the basic plot, there is a variety of non-obligatory tasks.

In station-cities it is possible to meet as fighters, as peaceful citizens and the station lives its own life independent from player. Children run and play among dwellings, adults are busy with different businesses – women cook meals, sew; men have discussions, clean weapons, drink tea or home-brew, read books; old people seat near tents.

The high-level AI empowered to model the NPC behaviour in close combat similar to real people actions. The enemies may conduct simple and aimed fire, avoid line of fire, hide in covers, ambush and attack suddenly, call for help, and mention a character hidden in shadow.

A number of various anomalies: gravitation distortion, energy clot (looking at some of which the character may perish), intelligent immaterial images, which punish with death for any aggression at their presence and many other, the role of which will be discovered only before the game release.

Ammo-money. Fire off money or be economic, use tactics.

Variety of mini games.

Stimulus Package - Modern Warfare 2 map pack coming.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:32:00 +0000

The map pack will first arrive for Xbox on March 31. The PlayStation Network and PC versions of the pack will arrive later,date yet to be announced.

The Stimulus Package will be available for purchase at the price of 1200 Microsoft Points or $15, that`s $5 more than the map packs released last year for Call of Duty: World at War.

A description of the package was available on Xbox Live Marketplace, but was later on removed:

The Stimulus Package delivers 5 additional action-packed multiplayer maps featuring a variety of locations: "Bailout," a multi-level apartment complex; "Storm," an open industrial park littered with heavy machinery; "Salvage," a snowy junkyard fortified by stacked debris and crushed cars. Two legendary fan favorites from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare return, including "Crash," a war-torn urban environment; and "Overgrown," which features a massive dry creek bed.

Stock up on junk food: Expansion for the best RPG of 2009 almost here.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:19:00 +0000

From the Makers of the Best RPG of 2009, Dragon Age: Origins, comes the first official expansion pack - Awakening:

Release date: March 16th 2010.

For centuries, the Grey Wardens—the ancient order of guardians, sworn to unite and defend the lands—have been battling the darkspawn forces. Legend spoke that slaying the Archdemon would have put an end to the darkspawn threat for centuries to come, but somehow they remain.

You are the Grey Warden Commander and have been entrusted with the duty of rebuilding the order of Grey Wardens and uncovering the secrets of the darkspawn and how they managed to remain.

How you choose to rebuild your order, how you resolve the conflict with "The Architect", and how you determine the fate of the darkspawn will be but some of the many complex choices that await and shape your journey as you venture to the new land of Amaranthine.

A Stunning World Expanded: BioWare's deepest universe to date just got bigger with an all new area of the world to explore, Amaranthine

Unlock the secrets of the Darkspawn and their true motivations
Rebuild the Grey Warden order and establish their base of operations at Vigil's Keep
All-new Complex Moral Choices: Embark on an epic story that is completely defined and reactive to your play style
Shape your entire experience based on the choices you make and how your handle complex situations
New Ways to Customize your Hero: Experience additional spells, abilities, specializations, and items to further personalize and customize your hero and party
Import your character from Dragon Age: Origins or start anew as a Grey Warden from the neighboring land of Orlais
Encounter five all-new party members and an old favorite from Dragon Age: Origins
Even more Bone-Crushing, Visceral Combat: Battle against a new range of horrific and terrifying creatures
Put your skills to the test against an evolved, intelligent breed of Darkspawn and other menacing creatures including the Inferno Golem and Spectral Dragon!

Michael Schumacher to feature Codemasters` F1 2010.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:14:00 +0000

Codemasters` F1 2010 will come out September, available on PC, Xbox and PS3.

Fans of the F1 will be happy to hear that besides the "natural" database update on teams,drivers and circuits, the 2010 release will include the introduction of several teams, the new International Korean Circuit and the return of legend Michael Schumacher.All in HD!

Game modes and features to come in this year`s September release are Grand Prix, Championship, Time Trial and an extended Career Mode.F1 2010 will also feature car damage, a dynamic weather system and multiplayer.

The game was developed at Codemasters Studios Birmingham, using the EGO Game Technology Platform.

GoW III - $44m production costs.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:26:00 +0000

With a team of 130 people, God of War III is right within the $44m budget (low, huh?) according to John Hight, Product Development Director:

"We are stamping discs now, so we're effectively done. Just got a couple of countries that we're finishing up on this week and we spent $44 million to make God of War III," explained Hight in an interview with Giant Bomb. "Believe it or not, that's right within budget."

A lot of that budget went towards growing the development team to more than four times that which worked on the original God of War.

"We finished up God of War II with roughly 60 people which was more than double God of War I and now we've finished off God of War III with 132 people," Hight said, adding: "The biggest area that we grew was graphics on the art side."

Sony preparing PS3 firmware update for 3D.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:05:00 +0000

Sony announced preparations for a PS3 firmware update which enables 3D media.

The update will be available for free and requires no hardware.

"PS3 users worldwide will only need to upgrade the PS3 system software via the internet and there is no need to repurchase the system to enjoy 3D games," stated Nainan Shah, vice-president of new platform, planning and development, SCEE.

Sony is diving heavily into the 3D entertainment business,planning to re-release a number of titles this year for compatibility,as well as a 3D TV.

So boys and girls,i myself find it funny that you do not need a new PS3 to run games in 3D but you do need a new TV.

Steam debuts on Mac with Portal 2 .

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:18:00 +0000

Valve's press release confirms Steam and Source engine on Mac.

Press release follows:

Valve announced today it will bring Steam, Valve's gaming service on Mac.

Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life are but a few titles available from April.

"As we transition from entertainment as a product to entertainment as a service, customers and developers need open, high-quality Internet clients," said Gabe Newell, President of Valve. "The Mac is a great platform for entertainment services."

"Our Steam partners, who are delivering over a thousand games to 25 million Steam clients, are very excited about adding support for the Mac," said Jason Holtman, Director of Business Development at Valve. "Steamworks for the Mac supports all of the Steamworks APIs, and we have added a new feature, called Steam Play, which allows customers who purchase the product for the Mac or Windows to play on the other platform free of charge. For example, Steam Play, in combination with the Steam Cloud, allows a gamer playing on their work PC to go home and pick up playing the same game at the same point on their home Mac. We expect most developers and publishers to take advantage of Steam Play."

"We looked at a variety of methods to get our games onto the Mac and in the end decided to go with native versions rather than emulation," said John Cook, Director of Steam Development. "The inclusion of WebKit into Steam, and of OpenGL into Source gives us a lot of flexibility in how we move these technologies forward. We are treating the Mac as a tier-1 platform so all of our future games will release simultaneously on Windows, Mac, and the Xbox 360. Updates for the Mac will be available simultaneously with the Windows updates. Furthermore, Mac and Windows players will be part of the same multiplayer universe, sharing servers, lobbies, and so forth. We fully support a heterogeneous mix of servers and clients. The first Mac Steam client will be the new generation currently in beta testing on Windows."

Portal 2 will be Valve's first simultaneous release for Mac and Windows. "Checking in code produces a PC build and Mac build at the same time, automatically, so the two platforms are perfectly in lock-step," said Josh Weier, Portal 2 Project Lead. "We're always playing a native version on the Mac right alongside the PC. This makes it very easy for us and for anyone using Source to do game development for the Mac."

Bad news for girlfriends.Mafia II and Playboy together.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:53:00 +0000

2K announced that it's teamed up with Playboy to include more than 50 "vintage covers and centrefolds" in Mafia II.

2K`s open-world effort will allow players to collect virtual 50s copies of the iconic jazz mag.

"While most mob-inspired games' emphasis is solely on action, Mafia II features a deep and compelling narrative that is embellished with a sophisticated, era-evoking atmosphere," 2K president Christoph Hartmann said of the deal.

"In partnering with Playboy, we are able to add a unique element of authenticity to the game by using vintage images from the magazine that illustrate the power of Playboy's influence on the attitudes and culture of that generation."

So,at the end of this year,when the game is expected for release,we will feast our eyes on the 50s centerfold beauties.As if it wasn`t already hard enough for some girlfriends to get their men off the video games = )

Ubisoft says "sorry" for DRM issues.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:11:00 +0000

The publishers claim that the problem that affected 1 in 20 users was caused by attacks on the PC server.

Ubisoft sent out apologies to PC customers that were 'frozen out' of their games over the weekend due to DRM problems - and blamed a hack of its servers for the issue.

Gamers found themselves unable to play Assassin's Creed II and Silent Hunter due to the DRM requirement that users' online connection remains unbroken.

Ubisoft said on its official Twitter account today:

'Apologies to anyone who couldn't play ACII or SH5 yesterday. Servers were attacked which limited service from 2:30pm to 9pm Paris time.

'95% of players were not affected, but a small group of players attempting to open a game session did receive denial of service errors.'

...so this "brilliant" new protection system designed for fighting pirates (with little success) is actually punishing the people who do recognize their hard work.Nice Ubisoft, really nice.

Test successful. Portal 2 will be a full-fledged game.

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:19:00 +0000

Developer putting more capital and more risks into follow-up.

Valve's VP of marketing Doug Lombardi says the success of the first game has allowed it to go further in number two :

"Portal was so short because it was a trial," Lombardi told the mag. "We paired it with [Half-Life 2] Episode 2 and Team Fortress 2, which were successful and safe. Then we had this Portal thing, and we had no idea if people would dig it, even though we thought it was a cool idea.

"So it was put out their safely in The Orange Box, and the result came back wilder than we could have ever imagined," he added, referencing the huge cult following that followed Portal's 2007 release.

"We knew we had to double down and give them more. Portal was a test bed. Portal 2 is a game."

Valve's investing more time, more capital,team enlarged to 28 people (from 8) and more risk into the stand alone, full price retail release.

South Korean Couple Lets Baby Die While Nurturing Virtual Child

noreply@blogger.com (Xander M.) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:15:00 +0000

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 cafe.

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 a result of a long period of malnutrition.

"The couple seemed to have lost their will to live a normal life, because they didn't have jobs and gave birth to a premature baby," said South Korean police officer Chung Jin-won. "They indulged themselves in the online game of raising a virtual character so as to escape from reality, which led to the death of their real baby."

This of course isn't the first report of online and game addiction leading to tragic results in South Korea - back in 2005, a gamer who played StarCraft for 50 hours straight died after suffering cardiac arrest. They even opened the "Jump Up Internet Addiction" school -- a boot camp of sorts for people suffering online and gaming addiction -- in South Korea in 2007.