Archive for the ‘PC Gaming’ Category

Final Fantasy XIV was announced at last year’s E3 shocking the crowd at hand. I would know since I’m probably one of the people you can hear yelling “What!” when they announced it. I was shocked that they were announcing XIV before the release of XIII. Then it all made sense to me when it was announced that this game would be the followup to Final Fantasy XI, and a MMO as well.

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When it comes to FPSs, I want them realistic. I am a long time fan of the Tom Clancy’s close quarter (Rainbow Six) and open range (Ghost Recon) series. In fact, the only “arcadey” FPSs I have ever enjoyed were Quake and Unreal Tournament (I am still a fan of the prior to this day). What makes those two games stand out? These are games where skill really prosper. Recently, FPSs and shooters in general are really popular. This had led to them becoming increasingly appealing to the casual market. What do I mean by this? There are lots of shooters on the market where the “Rambo” approach is not only a viable option, but is even encouraged. The weapons will bear the names of real weapons, but work nothing like they do in real life. Gun recoil is imaginary. In fact, guns apparently have no weight at all.
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SEGA and Obsidians upcoming spy action-RPG, Alpha Protocol, is all about choices and the way you play the game. Your choices will not only affect story, but your appearance and the type of spy you are. Many have compared their choice system to what we see in the Mass Effect franchise.

Well in possible future installments of the game they will be also having your decisions in the original Alpha Protocol have an impact on the future games stories. Think of what Bioware did with Mass Effect 1 and importing your player to the sequel. The choices you will make will carry over throughout the franchise.

Read more for quotes from a producer of Alpha Protocol

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I think EA just took Modern Warfare’s thunder.

[edit] Here’s the REAL extended trailer. EA made a mistake.

Batman is back and this time in full 3D, glasses and all. When people used to talk about a Batman game, most of the hardcore gamers would cringe at the thought. Then we get Batman: Arkham Asylum for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC, making us all fall back into love with the video game franchise.

John Gay – Engine Programmer at Rocksteady:

Hopefully the additional novelty of the 3D mode will entice some players to experience a great game that they might have otherwise overlooked!

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These new screenshots came in last night from EA. Ding dong embargo dead. As you can see EA is clearly moving to take the Modern Warfare crown…again. A modern day Medal Of Honor. If this game lives up to the legacy of the series, you can count on a lot of happy gamers.

Just got this press release from Activision announcing the first map pack for Modern Warfare 2 called “Stimulus Package”. No details were included on how many maps this would include or the PS3/PC launch of these maps. Check out the press release for all the details.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 10, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ — Begin the countdown to a new infusion of Call of Duty! The Call of Duty(R): Modern Warfare(R) 2 Stimulus Package will strike worldwide on March 30. Representing the first new multiplayer maps from the biggest entertainment launch in history, Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package will release first on Xbox LIVE(R), Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today.

Additionally, Silver Xbox LIVE members who have not yet experienced the exciting adrenaline rush of “Modern Warfare 2″ will be able to try it with a Multiplayer Unlock event running from March 12 to March 15.

Developed by Infinity Ward, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 became a cultural phenomenon when it launched to the world in November. The epic title set new entertainment records for the greatest one-day and five-day openings in history* on the way to topping $1 billion in sales and becoming the best selling title ever on the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Additionally, Xbox LIVE celebrates having the largest Call of Duty community than any other entertainment system.

The Call of Duty(R): Modern Warfare(R) 2 Stimulus Package is rated “M” (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Language. For more information, visit www.modernwarfare2.com.

Final Fantasy XIII is considered by many game reviews a good game. Though many gamers out there will consider a mid-8 metacritic score below average. For Final Fantasy, it is below average. While Square has tried to revamp the series and make it more appealing to Western audiences, they still have a ways to go.

With XIV expected to come out later this year, will the upcoming MMO be a bigger critical success than XIII? Will the game appeal better to Western fans? And will XIV be a much better title than XI?

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This is what I’m talking about when talking about a mafia-like game. As someone who is part Italian, and a fan of all things Italian it always aggravates me when people misrepresent the culture (Hi, Jersey Shore). While this is a glamorized version of mob-life I prefer to see games like this over games like Godfather II.

This game is one of my sleepers for 2010. The original Mafia released on the PC over 5 years ago was a smash hit, and so far the media for Mafia II has been nothing short of spectacular. Watch out for this game as it should drop before Fall 2010.

We talked about this yesterday and during the discussion I said, “I hope IW sues Activision for the royalties”. Well low and behold folks, the law suit has been filed. This could get interesting. I’m wondering if Activision made up some stuff to fire them so they WOULDN’T have to pay them. They were supposedly due to receive the royalties for MW2 in the next couple of weeks. Now this is the type of industry drama that makes me hit the *popcorn*.

SOURCE: Bigdownload.com

In a world where MMOs continuously borrow from the same formula as their online peers, rarely are we able to witness a work as mold-breaking as Eskil Steenberg’s LOVE. Being labeled as “the most ambitious video game ever made by a single person”, LOVE will be released on March 25th for the PC. Players will be able to immerse themselves in the first person world where controls have been simplified, not to make the game easy, but so that the player can focus more on the actual story itself. If you feel the need to dive into the pools of a refreshing new MMO experience, then I urge you to hit the jump for the press release and more info. Read the rest of this entry »

Gearbox Software’s sleeper hit Borderlands was released in late 2009 and was well received. To date, I have put countless hours into this game and loved every minute of it. If I were to make a list of games this generation that I was a fan of and consider staple games, Borderlands would make said list with no problems. I then checked email last Tuesday to find 2 redeem codes for the latest Borderlands DLC; The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (What shall I do with the extra I wonder?). This DLC includes a lot and takes up the hard disk drive space to show it (clocking in at about 1.7 GB). Here are the contents of this DLC: Read the rest of this entry »

Just received this press release from Activision talking about the future of Call of Duty, plans for 2010 and 2011, and confirmed that Jason West and Vince Zampella are no longer employees of Infinity Ward.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 2, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ — Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced new strategic plans for the Call of Duty(R) franchise, one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time.

The plans include the formation of a dedicated business unit that will bring together its various new brand initiatives with focused, dedicated resources around the world. The company intends to expand the Call of Duty brand with the same focus seen in its Blizzard(R) Entertainment business unit. This will include a focus on high-margin digital online content and further the brand as the leading action entertainment franchise in new geographies, new genres and with new digital business models.
“2010 will be another important year for the Call of Duty franchise,” stated Mike Griffith, President and CEO of Activision Publishing. “In addition to continued catalog sales, new downloadable content from Infinity Ward and a new Call of Duty release, we are excited about the opportunity to bring the franchise to new geographies, genres and players.”

The company expects to release a new Call of Duty game from Treyarch this fall. In addition, Infinity Ward is in development on the first two downloadable map packs for Modern Warfare(R) 2 for release in 2010.

The company is also for the first time announcing that a new game in the Call of Duty series is expected to be released in 2011 and that Sledgehammer Games, a newly formed, wholly owned studio, is in development on a Call of Duty game that will extend the franchise into the action-adventure genre. Sledgehammer is helmed by industry veterans Glen A. Schofield and Michael Condrey. Prior to joining Activision Publishing, Schofield was the Executive Producer of the award-winning game, Dead Space and Michael Condrey was the Sr. Development Director on the game. The Dead Space franchise has won more than 80 industry awards worldwide including the prestigious A.I.A.S. Action Game of the Year and two B.A.F.T.A.S.

The Call of Duty business unit will be led by Philip Earl, who currently runs Activision Publishing’s Asia Pacific region and previously served in senior executive positions with Procter & Gamble and Nestle. Activision Publishing veterans Steve Pearce, chief technology officer and Steve Ackrich, head of production, will lead Infinity Ward on an interim basis. Jason West and Vince Zampella are no longer with Infinity Ward.

Lastly, Activision Publishing announced that the company is in discussions with a select number of partners to bring the franchise to Asia, one of the fastest growing regions for online multiplayer games in the world.

I found this and figured I’d share it with the bitbag community. Play and share your results and findings.