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Friday , February 02, 2007 |
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Universe at War Screenshots 06:02 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Real-Time Strategy
(2 comments)
Here are six new screenshots of Universe at War, Petroglyph's next real-time strategy game:
(Click to Enlarge!)
     
Bungie Weekly Update 05:52 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Consoles: Xbox 360
(0 comments)
It's about time for a new Bungie Weekly Update. Topics include: the Halo Pentathlon, the Halo 3 two-on-two contest, action figures and more. Here's a crunchy excerpt: Oh, one item on Multiplayer. Chris Carney was showing off new, vastly improved graphics on a big indoor level. Well, for an indoor level it's enormous, but I'd forgotten about it because I am such a graphics whore, that its old combination of lego texture floors, and unlit spaces, had me bored out of my mind. The newly finished graphics, however, turned me back onto it. And I love it.
It's not like any other Halo level. Really. I keep wanting to compare it to Ivory Tower, but then I see some element of Zanzibar, and really, it's neither of those. This is going to be a unique map. You can fit vehicles in it with ease, but the warrens and tortuous passages will make them sitting ducks. And besides, everyone will get killed the first couple of matches staring up through the milky, dirty glass tiles on the ceiling… Anyway. It's a lovely map. Joe Tung hates the chainlink fence on it - because it causes a moiré pattern that freaks him out. But we just point and laugh at him. HAHAHAH!
Red Faction 3? 05:33 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Action
(16 comments)
THQ is hinting that Red Faction 3 is in the works:
In a conference call with investors, THQ CEO Brian Farrell revealed a number of previously unannounced sequels.
When asked to list the six key franchises would be the focus of THQ's 2008 fiscal year, Farrell stated: "Saints Row, Stuntman, which will be released this year, Juiced, which is a sequel to the product we launched a couple years ago, Destroy All Humans, MX, and my favorite, Red Faction."
The first game was pretty awesome. Well, I thought it was fun...
Vanguard: It's Core, Not Hardcore 05:03 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: MMOG
(6 comments)
The Vanguard Vault conjured up an interview with Sigil's Jeff Butler about the live debut of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Here's a lick: Vanguard Vault: Do you like the game being known as the "hardcore MMO"?
Jeff Butler: I don't like it at all. If we were a hardcore MMO we wouldn't be getting my $14.95. OK, that's a simple thing--I'll say this to everyone: I do not have time to make one of every character class, I do not have the time to invest. I would love to but I don't. I have level-sixties in World of Warcraft, I have a Jedi in Star Wars Galaxies. I was able to play these games and reach a level I was proud of. But come on, I'm not going to beat my head against a wall. I don't want to cause people to lose their jobs or bomb out of school. I want them to have a lot of fun--with replayability and a strong feeling of achievement, but that's got to be graspable. You have to feel that you can see the end game, even if its going to be some work to get there.
Core, not hardcore. For sure. If there are hardcore elements in the game, then we want to get past them. Those are design imbalances right now. We want everyone to have fun. We want people to really sink their teeth into the game, and after they reach the pinnacle of their career, they can say they have more memories playing Vanguard, more amazingly fun times, than any other MMO they played.
Generation XP: Top 20 Games of the Last Generation 06:00 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(79 comments)
Headlining February is a new VE feature called Generation XP: Top 20 Games of the Last Generation. In it, we count down the top 20 PC games released during the Windows XP era. Sure, XP is likely to stay strong for at least the next couple years, but here's to hoping Vista delivers on DirectX 10.
While the next generation of PC gaming seemingly lies with DirectX 10 and Vista, Microsoft's previous OS, Windows XP was no slouch when it came to gaming. Here are our top 20 PC games released during the Windows XP era, from Oct 25, 2001, to today.
Enjoy!
Hardware & Tech Nuggets 01:30 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- hardware: General News
(0 comments)
Assorted Downloads 01:20 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(0 comments)
RPG Vault Goodness 01:15 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Role-Playing
(0 comments)
Game Reviews 01:05 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(4 comments)
Slow one today!
In Other News... 12:59 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- In-House: In Other News...
(30 comments)
Woo, it's Friday.
Today's question:
Which "high-profile" 2007 game do you think will miss the mark?
Maybe it won't be as good as the hype, sales fall short, or ends up being consolized into nothingness...
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Thursday , February 01, 2007 |
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Universe at War Revealed 07:04 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Real-Time Strategy
(0 comments)
Interesting! PC.IGN has the first details on Universe at War, the new game from Petroglyph (the folks who brought us Empire at War). Here's the poop: IGNPC: Glad to hear you guys are working on another persistent RTS. What's the deal with the setting and fiction this time around? How much of the universe is at war?
Adam Isgreen: At the beginning of the first chapter, "Earth Assault", the universe is primed for a war, but there's a problem. The Hierarchy, our heavy-handed alien faction, hasn't had any real competition in terms of combat prowess in a long, long time. They've been rolling over every other race they've encountered in this part of the galaxy for centuries, usually to the point of complete genocide. Some other races however have fled or survived through different means, and would love a chance to get even… but we're getting ahead of ourselves a bit here!
This first game centers around the conflict that erupts on Earth in 2012. The Hierarchy has landed on Earth with the intent to strip-mine the precious and organic material on the planet… and we mean everything organic. Humanity had a little bit of warning from their observatories and scientists, but clearly didn't believe that they'd be fighting against an alien force. They're disorganized and bickering amongst themselves as they try to present a unified military front. Frankly, they're also completely out-classed. The Hierarchy do this for a living, and they're good at it. Humanity isn't without its drive however, and they fight back with all they've got, but it's a hopeless battle in the long run if they don't get help. Fortunately for them, there are others who get involved.
Earth is the catalyst that will launch the factions you'll meet in Universe at War into a colossal battle across the stars. We've taken great care in making some very unique factions with their own motivations that make for some very compelling game play experiences and storytelling possibilities.
EA to Publish Mercenaries 2 06:48 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Action
(6 comments)
EA let us know that it signed a deal with Pandemic to publish Mercenaries 2.
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), the world's leading interactive entertainment company and Pandemic Studios, one of the world's leading independent game developers, today announced a worldwide co-publishing deal for Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, the sequel to the best-selling* new intellectual property of 2005, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"We're thrilled to partner with Pandemic Studios and to be working together to make Mercenaries 2: World in Flames a global blockbuster," said EA Partners vice president and general manager, David DeMartini. "EA Partners is committed to providing the world's best development studios with access to EA's unrivaled global publishing resources, helping gamemakers reach the widest possible audience."
Hellgate London DX9 vs DX10 06:42 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Action / Roleplaying
(1 comment)
Firing Squad interviewed Bill Roper about (you guessed it) Hellgate London. Here's how he compared the DX9 and 10 versions of the game: FiringSquad: In terms of comparing the DirectX9 and DirectX10 version, what extra and improved graphical features will the DirectX10 version have?
Bill Roper: DirectX 10 not only means faster hardware and more sophisticated shaders, but a more flexible and generalized pipeline which allows us to use the high-end DX9 artwork as a basis for creating even better graphics for the DX10. We have particle systems that live and operate entirely on the GPU. They spawn off of the actual mesh geometry. We have volumetric fluid smoke that responds to objects that pass through it. We have fancy soft shadows that get softer with distance from the caster. We've worked very closely with both NVidia and Microsoft to integrate the newest technology into Hellgate: London so that those gamers that live on the cutting edge will get something special from their experience.
EA Sports Predicts Superbowl Score 01:25 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Sports
(22 comments)
The guys over at EA loaded up a game of Madden 07 that featured the Bears and the Colts in an attempt to emulate the Super Bowl that's coming up this weekend. The result?
Indianapolis Colts 38, Chicago Bears 27
More stats in the comments.
Microsoft on Vista Gaming Problems 01:14 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(21 comments)
Rich Wickham, director of Games for Windows business division over at Microsoft, posted an open letter addressing some early problems Vista is having with games:
Some of you may have heard about some incompatibilities with games running on Windows Vista. I'd like to clear up some misconceptions.
With any launch of a platform of this magnitude there will be growing pains. A large part of our development time was spent ensuring game compatibility on Windows Vista, and we've tested over 1000 games so far. The vast majority of games work great on Windows Vista. Obviously we haven't been able to test every single game that exists, but we will continue to work on ensuring all your favorite games will work with Windows Vista.
We're not the only ones who are excited about gaming improvements in Windows Vista. Developers and publishers, like Electronic Arts, PopCap Games, Vivendi Universal, THQ, Slam Games, WildTangent and others have taken the SDKs and information we've shared with them over the years and are delivering great games experiences on Windows Vista. Clearly folks see the value and opportunity in supporting Windows Vista, and we're thrilled to see their games take advantage of great features like the games explorer, Direct X10 and parental controls.
I think if NVIDIA did its homework on time and had quality, signed drivers at release, all of this trouble (and bad press) could've been avoided.
FlatOut Ultimate Carnage Announced 03:41 am
- Andrew Burnes
- Consoles: Xbox 360
(17 comments)
Updated version of previous two titles set to be released this coming June, exclusively on the 360.
(Click to Enlarge!)
Silent Hunter IV Preview 03:40 am
- Andrew Burnes
- Games: Simulation
(3 comments)
There's a pretty happenin' Silent Hunter IV hands-on preview over at Subsim. Here's a snip:
Silent Hunter 4 makes a strong first impression. The graphics, shading, and lifelike movement of the water, clouds, and ships surpasses SH3. Ships have an incredible amount of detail. The dev team had two guys assigned to improving the water definition and coloring, including translucent sun rays beneath the waves. The ships now have a "3D wake effect", and when you dive, you can see the shape of the sub just beneath the waves. Things are looking better at the bottom, too. The sea floor is included in the graphics upgrade, with rocks, vegetation, and possibly wreckage scattered about.
Indeed, Ubisoft says they want SH4 to appeal to the serious subsim skipper and causal gamer and with "Hollywood Blockbuster" graphics, SH4 should get the attention of the guy strolling through a Wal-Mart with some fishing lures and a sixpack. "One of the aims of the game is to present it like a movie," said Dan. "A historical movie where even the menus are inspired by films such as "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers. The game uses DX9 but probably will be upgraded to take advantage of DX10 in a patch." Ioan pointed out that the graphic card requirement is the same as SH3, calling for a 128MB card, and there are settings that allow players with minimal specs to enjoy the game without suffering framerate hits.
Hardware & Tech Nuggets 01:29 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- hardware: General News
(3 comments)
RPG Vault Goodness 01:25 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Role-Playing
(0 comments)
Shining Force EXA Interview - Part 2
The conclusion to our extensive examination of the upcoming PS2 action RPG from Neverland and publisher Sega - Includes four exclusive screenshots and two exclusive concept images
Game Reviews 01:10 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(2 comments)
In Other News... 12:45 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- In-House: In Other News...
(41 comments)
The push by Microsoft for Vista to gamers is overwhelming! I haven't seen them put this much effort into a product launch since the Zune! Sarcasm aside, I really don't think they have anything to push until the DX10 games start coming out. It's hard to get excited about a 3D scrolling taskbar or whatever. Regardless, I still want to upgrade my system this month. Before I order stuff online, I'm going to head down to my local Fry's to see if they have any tasty hardware goodness I can pick up off the shelf. Going there for PC stuff is a crap-shoot. Sometimes, they have everything you could ever possibly need, other times, its a wasteland.
Today's question:
Has the state of Vista (bad drivers, especially) turned you off to the idea of upgrading your system to run it?
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