Archive for November, 2007:
Warmonger Released for Free
The official website for Warmonger: Operation Downtown Destruction notes that the free full version of the game is now available. It was originally intended as a demo for AGEIA PhysX processor, allowing gamers to take full advantage of the physics-pushing card. Although having one is recommended, it is not required, letting other gamers join in on the fun.
It’s a 437MB download from the official website. This Unreal Engine 3-powered free shooter can also be downloaded from FileFront, Gamer’s Hell and any other reputable game download site.
Corrrosion Announced
A new adventure game dubbed Corrosion: Cold Winter Waiting has been announced to be in the works at UK developer Viperante for release in August 2008. Here’s a bit:
Corrosion: Cold Winter Waiting is a dark, shocking, uncompromising, and fear charged horror adventure game, that casts the player in the role of Sheriff Alex Truman as he attempts to break the monotony of life by piecing together the history and origins of a disturbed and unidentified car crash victim.
Set entirely underneath an idyllic country farmhouse, in the deserted and claustrophobic confines of a mysterious and secret underground complex, players will explore a place nobody knew existed, and uncover a twisted past that gets more and more terrifying with every corner turned, every door opened, and every note read.
What happened beneath Cold Winter Farm? What does it have to do with the stranger, who survived a terrible crash, only to sit and mutter the farm’s name? And if the place is supposed to be deserted, what do you keep seeing out of the corner of your eye?
The game features pre-rendered 3D scenes, a “chilling yet beautiful” score, and more. Its official website has gone up, offering details and media from the game.
Stranglehold PS3 Released in Europe
Coming almost two months late to Europe, Midway today announced that the PS3 version of Stranglehold has finally gone gold for the region. It is now available in the continent on the PS3 as well as PC and Xbox 360.
Stranglehold is the sequel to an action film by John Woo that starred Chow Yun Fat as a hard-boiled police officer. Demos of the game can be found on all consoles.
Race Driver GRID Announced
Codemasters today announced Race Driver: GRID, a new racing franchise from the creators of the Colin McRae: DIRT and Race Driver series. The game is said to bring “excitement” back to racing and is set for release sometime in the middle of next year for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
“Race Driver: GRID is all about the race.” said Gavin Raeburn, Executive Producer at Codemasters Studios. “The next iteration of our DiRT engine combined with a decade of experience in developing driving games enables us to put the player at the centre of the action like never before. Damage, packed grids, intelligent opposition and unprecedented race day atmosphere will combine to deliver an experience like no other.
Says Ralph Fulton, Chief Game Designer: “GRID focuses on everything that happens between the start grid and the chequered flag: the drama, the rivalries, the aggression and the crashes. This is not a game about collecting cars or spending all of your time in the front-end tuning suspension settings or designing liveries. We want to make racing exciting again.”
Race tracks will be spread out over three continents and will offer a wide variety of events. It will feature both new and classic race cars, including circuit and drift ones. Cities included in the game include Washington DC, San Fransisco, and Detroit. European and Asian cities will also be present.
Imperium Romanum Announced
Imperium Romanum is the latest title from Kalypso Media and Haemimont Games. It is a historical strategy game that is due for release during February 2008, having the player take the role of a governor of a Roman province and strive to build a well organized, prosperous and commanding settlement.
Staying true to the time period, the game features a history mode with timeline, where missions are based on real events and locations. Players can construct bridges, fortifications, walls, towers and gates; there is also currency, crime and other factors to be taken into account while playing the game. It also features an improved battle system and more.
Last of the Patriots Prototype Released
What do you do when a developer whose past credits include GTA San Andreas, GTA 4, Manhunt and Manhunt 2 releases an indie game prototype? You download and check it out of course. Last of the Patriots is one such game released by games veteran Paul Davis who has worked on the aforementioned games; the game was worked on using a development process based on a movie script, rather than a traditional game design document, in order to get a cinematic feel and theme to the game.
It is a base for future games that revolve around plot and character and less on action. The game is presented in a retro theme that enables it to run on any PC; there are no setup headaches and the title uses only one button to perform all actions, making it appealing to casual gamers.
Check it out on its official website.
GripShift on Xbox Live
Previously PlayStation-exclusive action-racing game GripShift will now make its way to Xbox Live Arcade, as announced by Sidhe Interactive, its developer. The game will be available on the rival service with additional new content, including upgraded graphics, Deathmatch mode and new race courses. Additionally, there will be unlockable achievements and TrueSkill leaderboard functionality for Xbox gamers.
“Veteran players and newcomers to the game will both find something to love in this definitive version of GripShift,” said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive. “We’ve added a substantial amount of new content, including new single player courses and a multiplayer Deathmatch mode for players bent on dominating their friends or climbing to the top of the leaderboards.”
No exact release date was given.
Stranglehold Film Content Launched in Europe
Midway Games announced the start of the European Stranglehold short film contest powered by Eurogamer. As of now, amateur directors can share their own short films based on the game at this website and enter their creation into weekly competitions to win exclusive prizes.
The competition will run over eight weeks, with winners selected and voting reset every week. The weekly winners will receive a limited edition game console with a Stranglehold design, with the overall winner enjoying a luxury trip for two to Hong Kong. Additionally, they will also be giving away games signed by acclaimed director John Woo to lucky users who participate in the voting.
“The European Stranglehold short film contest powered by Eurogamer is a fantastic way for us speak directly to game fans from the three largest European markets and challenge them to participate,” says Leonie Manshanden, European Marketing Director for Midway Games Europe. “This activity is an elemental component of our pan-European, multi-million Euro campaign supporting the launch of Stranglehold, and is the largest that Midway Europe has ever implemented.”
Wii Download Channel Launches in Japan
A new Wii channel called Minna no Nintendo (”Everybody’s Nintendo” in English) has been launched in Japan, offering gamers the chance to check out videos and interviews of Nintendo games for various systems as well as send game demos to DS via local wi-fi. Unfortunately, it is exclusive to Japan right now and the company is yet to reveal any plans for a worldwide release.
According to hands-on reports from posters on the NeoGAF forums, the channel currently features an interview with noted Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who talks about the company’s upcoming Wii Fit game, video previews of Wii games, demos of DS titles including Brain Age 2 and even more. There is also a feedback service allowing gamers to rate the games they own in various categories.
Guitar Hero 3 Goes Gold on Mac
If you’re one of those rare breed of Mac gamers, then there’s news for you: the Mac version of Guitar Hero 3 has gone gold and is scheduled to ship on December 10 as a PC/Mac hybrid bundle. It is being released in partnership with Activision and will feature the same content as its console counterparts, including the various multiplayer modes.
The PC/Mac versions have been developed by Aspyr and will include an expansive online multiplayer mode allowing plastic axe-shredders the chance to know who’s best as they go head-to-head.
Group Wants Online Games to be Moderated
The world of video games is slowly attracting attention from major forums and whatnot, and this time it managed to lure the eyes of French lobbying group the Internet Rights Forum, who has issued guidelines for publishers and legislators.
Some of those recommendations take online games into account, asking publishers to control in-game advertising by showing appropriate advertising to the age group to which the game is marketed to. Additionally, the group wishes the inclusion of an on-screen timers to make players aware of how long they spend online.
The group also focuses the nature of online games, bringing up the complex issue of publisher vs. user-generated content via VoIP and modifications. This lengthy IDG article has more on the matter.
Australia Gets Payback
Kotaku Australia reports that the country will indeed see its share of Payback from Soldier of Fortune, despite it being initially banned from release in the region. The governing body OFLC initially refused the title classification due to gore and excessive violence. A reworked version submitted to the body has been granted a MA 15+ rating, allowing it to be sold in the country, though no exact release date was provided.
According to Activision, the tweaked version has reduced ragdoll physics and blood effects; it also does not have dismemberments, the series’ biggest feature. The game will be out on PS3 and Xbox 360.
Ramayan and More Games Coming from Virgin
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Comics has announced plans to team up with Perspective Studios to create new intellectual properties for multiple media, including games. Though there are few details, they do offer word that one of the projects will be an MMOG for SOE based on the Ramayan 3392 AD series of comics.
Perspective is noted for providing quality animation to top-tier titles including the Grand Theft Auto series and Ghost Recon. “Perspective is bringing a great deal of experience and versatility to the table,” said Sharad Devarajan, Virgin Comics’ CEO. “With Perspective’s growing animation capabilities and particular expertise with video game animation, we have full confidence that they’ll go above and beyond when it comes to fully realizing a unique creative vision.”
Additional announcements regarding the specific franchises resulting from the collaboration will be made in the near future.
Sudden Strike Engint to be Released
Fireglow Publishing sent out word that it plans on using Sudden Strike Next7, the engine behind the upcoming Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory game. The engine will be used to create a variety of titles, though no further details were provided.
Next7 is a generic RTS engine that has been used to power the Sudden Strike series. It will be released soon for third-parties as documentation is being given the finishing touches. A public version of the editor is also being prepared and will be released with add-ons.
More information on the engine itself can be found on its own website.
NBA Ballers… The “Chosen One”
The NBA Ballers franchise continues with Midway’s “Chosen One”, the next installment in the top-selling basketball franchise. It is in development for the PS3 and Xbox 360 for release in Spring 2008.
“NBA Ballers: Chosen One will allow players to live the life of an NBA superstar,” said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. “Featuring new competitive combo and super-move systems, the NBA Ballers Franchise returns with the amazing realistic graphics for which the franchise is known as players take part in the ultimate challenge to become the next ‘Chosen One.”
The game features fast-paced one-on-one and two-on-two action and sees the inclusion of more than 65 NBA stars to be the next “Chosen One”. As expected, real-life athletes will have their likenesses go up in the game. The official website for the game is already up, offering further details and media.