NBC Universal today announced the development of a Massive Multiplayer online game based on the popular SyFy series Battlestar Galactica. Battlestar Galactica Online will be an in-browser game developed on Unity, a non-client engine which allows advanced 3D graphics streaming over the web. The game will mark the first major MMO release using Unity, and so will also serve as a test of the viability of the platform.

The game is being developed by Artplant and published by Bigpoint, both 3D MMO specialists. It will be available on syfy.com exclusively for the first thirty days after release, details of where the game will be available after that have not yet been released.

The gameplay will consist of exploration and mission-based, tactical space combat. Players will choose to join either the Humans or the Cylons, and follow a changing story-line based around plot-heavy missions.

“Battlestar Galactica is a supremely gameable intellectual property, with compelling character classes, a fantastic array of ships and weaponry, multiple worlds, and a dramatic storyline,” said Bill Kispert, VP & GM, Digital Platforms, Universal Partnerships & Licensing. ” We are excited to work with Bigpoint – and our partners at Universal Cable Productions and Syfy – to bring an epic, accessible, and ‘always on’ BSG experience to fans of the franchise and online gamers alike.”

“Cooperation between Bigpoint and NBC Universal is a very important strategic step for us,” explains Heiko Hubertz, CEO and founder of Bigpoint. “Battlestar Galactica has a huge and passionate fan base. We are proud to be able to publish such an internationally famous title as one of our online games. For the first time ever, we’re relying completely on Unity in order to offer our users fantastic game graphics right in their browsers.”

An “oil wrestler from Turkey”, as the press release states, Hakan uses… hold on while I force myself to not smile while writing this—he uses lubricants to assist him in battle.

… okay, I’m good.

At any rate, Hakan was revealed last night in San Francisco… *breathe* … at the Fight Club in San Francisco, to what we can only assume was a rapt audience. Capcom claims he has some of the most insane moves and ultra combos in the game. I mean, why wouldn’t an oiled-up Turk have some insane moves. Logic dictates that he must.

Hakan represents the final character reveal for the April 27th launch of Super Street Fighter IV, and is a brand new character to the SF universe.

Rise of Prussia

For the PC, Rise of Prussia is a new turn-based battle game for fans of in-depth strategy and tactics along the lines of the Hearts of Iron franchise. Players take the side of Prussia in the 7 Years War. The Germanic states are broken up into over a thousand different regions for greater flexibility and detail of tactical decisions. Player will run through 6 minor campaigns for each year of the war, resulting in 42 total campaigns spanning the seven years of the overarching scenario. Replayability is ensured by a series of multi-outcome events which change the course of the war, making it a slightly different challenge each time.

Scrap Metal

Coming to Xbox Live Arcade this week, Scrap Metal is being called a cross between R/C Pro Am, and Carmageddon. Pick a car, customize it to your liking, and then compete against the AI or your friends in several different race and demolition modes. It’s all top down controls, and smashing up the cars is a big part of the game. Each vehicle is mounted with weapons for extra destruction. In the single-player mode, defeat challenging Bosses to take their pink-slips, and add their cars to your garage.

Max & the Magic Marker

For WiiWare, Max & the Magic Marker is a drawing physics platformer. The evil Mustacho has invaded Max’s illustrated world, and Max must fight back, using his wits and his giant magic marker. Max runs and jumps, collecting items from the environment, and avoiding enemies and other obstacles. When needed, Max uses his marker to draw new objects on the screen, which become real, and allow his environment to change. Draw bridges to cross gaps, and pendulums to crash through barricades. Take Max and his marker through fifteen challenging levels to defeat Mustasho.

Final Fantasy XIII

Icrontic’s Spotlight Release this week is Final Fantasy XIII. This new entry in the franchise marks the beginning of new adventures in a new world. After nearly ten years of stories in the world of Ivalice, Final Fantasy fans will be moving on to the utopia of Cocoon, where mankind has known peace and prosperity for time unknown under their benevolent protectors, the fal’Cie. This prosperity has finally been broken by the revelation of a single fal’Cie of great evil, who has come awake in the lower world. The protagonist of this new story is a young woman known only as Lightning. Along with her fellow chosen fighters, she must become the champion of humanity, free them from their new servitude, and set right the failures of the fal’Cie guardians. As with past Final Fantasy games, this entry will have all new battle and advancement systems. Thankfully, the “programming” concept from Final Fantasy XII has been retained in at least some form, allowing the Active Time Battle system to have a certain level of autonomy. Keep an eye on Icrontic, as we’ll have a review of this title within the next few weeks.

Following is a list of this weeks announce North American releases:

PC

• Assassin’s Creed II
• Battle of the Immortals
• BioShock 2: Sinclair Solutions Test Pack
• Memory Clinic
• Order of War: Challenge
• Rise of Prussia
• Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising

Wii

• Calling
• Dracula: Undead Awakening
• Max & the Magic Marker
• Racquet Sports
• Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space
• Final Fantasy II (Virtual Console – NES)

DS

• 4 Travellers: Play Spanish
• 50 Classic Games
• Dracula: Undead Awakening
• Elemental Masters
• Flips: The Bubonic Builders
• Foto Showdown
• Spectral Force Genesis

Xbox360

• BioShock 2: Sinclair Solutions Test Pack
• Final Fantasy XIII
• Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition
• Scrap Metal
• Supreme Commander 2

PS3

• BioShock 2: Sinclair Solutions Test Pack
• Final Fantasy XIII
• Mega Man 10
• Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition
• Yakuza 3

PSP

• Blazblue: Calamity Trigger Portable

“This is Street Fighter IV in all its glory… uncompromised and awesome,” said General Manager of Mobile Content Development, Takeshi Tezuka. “We’re particularly proud of the multiplayer feature as it remains true to the series arcade roots by allowing players to go head-to-head over Bluetooth in spectacular fashion.”

Well, I guess it's going to have to do...

Controls for the game will use conventional virtual d-pad and will play just like the console versions and bring a new level of flexibility to the controls we’ve seen in similar game interfaces on the iPhone thus far. Players will be able to move the d-pad and buttons anywhere on the screen for comfort and precision and adjust the transparency of the controls to preference as well.

Considering how much emphasis the franchise has put on tactile physical controls and how much time and money gamers have been willing to spend on getting custom equipment to play the game we’re a little skeptical that the virtual pad is going to be exceptionally satisfying experience.  However, we’re still excited to see how the game will run on this platform regardless of the limitations.

Too early to call

Players will be able to get a good feel for the game in the single player Dojo mode but the real action will take place in the Bluetooth multiplayer championship. It’s a good start but we would have been much more excited to see online multiplayer competitions or at least the ability to play with specific friends over WI-Fi or 3G. Hopefully this is a feature they will consider adding sometime after the release if the game proves as popular as they are hoping.

Owners of Assassins Creed 2 on the PC were denied the ability to play the game Sunday when Ubisoft’s DRM (Digital Rights Management) servers went offline, making it the latest example of DRM technology screwing legitimate consumers. This issue solidified fears with Ubisoft’s new ‘always connected’ DRM approach, as it seems the the outage was caused by an attack on the servers.

Assassins Creed 2 is one of the first games released by Ubisoft to utilize their new method of DRM protection. Players must be connected to the internet at all times while playing the game, or else the DRM will prevent them from running the game. Such a method has raised many concerns from gamers, as little was known about what would happen if Ubisoft’s DRM servers went down or were compromised. Sunday afternoon, the world had its answer.

Early Sunday, the DRM servers went down, and gamers were not able to play Assassins Creed 2, regardless of their internet connectivity. The outages lasted for the remainder of the day. According to a report by Eurogamer, Ubisoft claimed that the outage was a result of an attack on the Ubisoft DRM servers. Furthermore, Ubi.Vigil, community manager on the Ubisoft forums, made this statement on the matter:

I don’t have any clear information on what the issue is since I’m not in the office, but clearly the extended downtime and lengthy login issues are unacceptable, particularly as I’ve been told these servers are constantly monitored.

Reports from Ubisoft state that the DRM servers were back online by Monday afternoon, and gamers could once more play the games that they legitimately purchased. Multiple accounts on Twitter suggested otherwise, as it appeared some gamers are still having troubles playing the game at the time of this writing.

To make matters worse, the Ubisoft community forums were experiencing intermittent down time early Monday. Though no official statement has been released, one might assume that the forum downtime could be related to the DRM server attack and downtime. It seems as if a hacker or a group is trying to make a very bold point about DRM and fairness to consumers with a DoS attack.

While legitimate consumers of Assassins Creed 2 have been denied the ability to play the game, pirates who obtained the game illegally were able to play. This is a very clear example of one of the major problems with DRM in games today: Pirates often have the superior gaming experience. Until game developers stop implementing such asinine DRM protection methods, this case will not be the end of the DRM story.

I want your rock band, to touch your guitar

Harmonix and MTV games announced today that they are releasing a four pack of Lady Gaga songs for Rock Band. The pack will contain “Poker Face,” “Just Dance,” “Bad Romance,” and “Monster.”

Also available for download will be the South Park version of “Poker Face,” and several individual tracks. The four pack will be available on the Xbox 360 and PS3, but only individual tracks will be up for purchase on the Wii.

The four pack will retail for $6.99, with individual tracks being an additional $1.99 on the Xbox 360 and $2.00 on the Wii.

MTV is helping to celebrate the release with some special on-air content, including:

• MTV: “Bad Romance” video rotation during music hours, 30-minute Lady Gaga video blocks on MTV Hits, the debut of Lady Gaga’s new video “Telephone,” a collaboration with Beyonce, and an airing of the Lady Gaga episode of America’s Best Dance Crew March 16 (also on MTV2)
• Palladia: Airings of Lady Gaga performance specials including, London Live (airing March 10, 13, 16, 21 and 24), VFest (March 20 and 26) and the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards(March 19 and 20)
• Logo: An airing of London Live and NewNowNext PopLab Lady Gaga Edition (March 16)

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said during a speech at the University of Washington that his company may release new Xbox 360s with form factors and components designed for different price points and usage models.

“In the case of the TV we’ve got both strategies. We actually have a TV implementation in some senses built into Windows. It works really well for small screen TVs that you might call a PC, but for that big screen device here’s a piece of hardware that we build, there’s no diversity,” Ballmer said, according to the Gearlog website. “You get exactly the Xboxes that we build for you. We may have more form-factors in the future that are designed for various price points and options, but we think it’s going to [be] important.”

Though the executive did not elaborate further on what those plans might entail, distinct possibilities include a slimmer/smaller Xbox 360, or an Xbox 360 armed with a Blu-ray drive.

Practically speaking, new form factors are something of an inevitability for the company. Aside from core hardware revisions to improve margins, add HDMI and resolve the famous RRoD issue, the Xbox 360 design has not changed much since inception. As the console stretches into the second half of its 10-year lifecycle, new and improved designs could ignite fresh demand as the new Slim design has done for Sony’s PlayStation 3.

New features include a level editor and an “adjective system” that increases the variety of objects available, and thus the number of possible solutions, and the complexity of those solutions. Adjectives can change the color, size, elements, behaviors and many other aspects of the object they are describing. Multiple adjectives can be combined together to produce even more complex objects.

The game, under development at 5th Cell, is slated to be available in Fall of 2010.

“The Scribblenauts sequel gives all players an enhanced game experience they will love and new challenges where they can use their imaginations even more,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Development and Production, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “5TH Cell is a very talented and creative developer and we are excited to add to the Scribblenauts franchise with this new game.”

“The next Scribblenauts broadens the players’ experience from the first Scribblenauts through more creativity, innovation and in-depth gameplay,” said Jeremiah Slaczka, Creative Director and Co-Founder of 5TH Cell. “All of these enhancements give players even greater control over how they want to play the game.”

You’re an aspiring game developer. You think you have everything it takes to make a spectacular game. You’ve got the vision, the idea, the passion. Your game design document is nearly perfect, and has everything from a compelling storyline to addictive gameplay. The only chink in your game’s development… Is your budget.

That’s where Nexon America is offering to step up and hand out up to—say it with us everyone, in that famed Dr. Evil voice—one meeellion dollars for the most spectacular game design ideas.

Nexon has launched what they have dubbed “The Nexon iNitiative.” They are looking for original, unique and promising independent game projects to sponsor, co-develop, and publish through their online distribution network. Those who attract Nexon’s attention will earn a portion of the $1 million to drive their game design to the finish line, including the possibility of a publishing contract with Nexon.

Nexon is definitely looking for games that would mesh well with their current lineup, but will give everything serious consideration. Games that will likely get the most attention will be PC-based games with a broad appeal, encourage community and social interaction and have strong online elements. Flash, client-based games or even ports from other platforms will also be welcomed for consideration.

The Nexon iNitiative is already underway. Submissions can be entered up till the deadline of 6 PM (PST), April 30, 2010. After a session of intense judging, winners will be announced and contacted by June, 2010. The clock’s ticking, so if you’re an amateur game designer, don’t miss out on this great opportunity.

It’s official. Valve issued a press release just now stating what we already knew: Steam is coming to Mac OS X. Along with it, some select Valve-created games:

March 8, 2010 – Valve announced today it will bring Steam, Valve’s gaming service, and Source, Valve’s gaming engine, to the Mac.

Steam and Valve’s library of games including Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life series will be available in 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.”

Capcom has just released their latest installment in the Resident Evil series, a second downloadable content episode for the horror survival game Resident Evil 5, entitled Desperate Escape. The DLC is can be found on both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

Jill and Josh survey the Tricell facility

The story picks up with our combat-savvy heroine Jill Valentine as well as Josh Stone, and continues from the previous events in the Resident Evil 5 story. Having been recently freed from a mind-enslaving machine, Jill awakens to find BSAA agent Josh Stone. Under the cover of night, they must work together in order to escape a dark fate inside the Tricell facility. Barring their path are waves of fiends hell-bent on preventing Jill and Josh from re-uniting with Chris and Sheva, with a climatic encounter against Albert Wesker to punctuate the experience.

Added features also bring a little extra sparkle to the DLC. Shiny extras include new costumes for the original Resident Evil 5 campaign—Costume Pack 2, as it’s called, includes Chris’ “Heavy Metal” costume as well as Sheva’s “Business” attire. Also included are the remaining four of eight characters available for the challenging Mercenaries Reunion minigame, each with their own unique weapon sets.

Those who don’t already own a copy of Resident Evil 5 may want to consider picking up Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition. Retailing for $49.99, it will get you the original Resident Evil 5 game as well as all available DLC, including Desperate Escape. PS3 owners will get it all on a single Blu-Ray disc, while 360 folks will get the original RE5 DVD and a token to download the additional content. Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition launches tomorrow on March 9th.

However, there is more mystery afoot. Valve has been exceptionally cryptic with their announcements, and today’s news is no exception. If you go to the news page on their website, certain letters in the announcement are underlined. Extracting the underlined letters brings us:

D R A T T M A N N H 0 N E E

Shenanigans are afoot.

Obsidian today released a developer diary video for their upcoming game Alpha Protocol, which they call an Espionage RPG. In the video, Obsidian devs talk about some of the gadgets and toys that the protagonist will have available to solve the myriad of puzzles and situations that the game presents. Additionally, they discuss the weapon system, which focuses on customization and multiple ammunition types.

Alpha Protocol is scheduled for release in North America on June 1st on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Think you’ve got what it takes to be a member of an all-star rock band, touring the countryside and going on stage live for your millions of fans? Yeah—probably not, but there’s still a niche for rock star wannabes through the Rock Band games—and you very well may get your chance to perform on stage.

Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (of Cedar Point fame) and MTV Games have teamed up to put on a summer-long Rock Band experience, touted as “Rock Band, Live”. A tour bus will travel to nine of Cedar Fair’s parks, including Canada’s Wonderland near Toronto, as well as the world-famous Cedar Point theme park in Sandusky, Ohio. Park guests will have the opportunity to play Rock Band, including the guitar, bass, and drums gaming accessories. Those talented few who achieve the highest scores will be invited to play live on stage along with talented singers from across North America – using the Rock Band instruments, of course.

“We’re extremely excited to merge the popular Rock Band video game with a unique, interactive live show for our guests this summer,” said Jack Falfas, chief operating officer for Cedar Fair. “Rock Band is a pop culture phenomenon and we know families have enjoyed playing the game together at home. But now it’s time for them to take it to the next level – on stage at one of our parks in front of a live audience.”

Christina Glorioso, vice president of marketing partnerships for MTV Games adds, “We are very excited for Rock Band to contribute to the fun at Cedar Fair parks this summer.  Music fans of all ages will have an opportunity to either rock out themselves or sit back and enjoy watching other park-goers transform into rock stars on stage!”

The “Rock Band, Live” tour will launch Memorial Day weekend (May 31st) at Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania. From there it will travel to Cedar Fair’s other various parks throughout the summer, with the shows in Canada’s Wonderland and Cedar Point kicking off in May and June, respectively.

Come for the coasters, stay for the music—for who knows? Perhaps it will be you on stage, rocking it hard for all to see.