The Red Faction franchise returns and abandons its FPS roots in favor of open-world mass destruction. Does the game marry high impact explosives with big bang action or whimper onto the B Team of the genre?
GameSpot has posted a hands-on preview of Valve's next zombie slaughterfest, Left 4 Dead 2.
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The game was at its most tense during the gauntlet run--a term Valve used to explain the bridge section at the end of the level we played. Basically, a never-ending mass of zombies stand between you and the escape helicopter, so you have to work with your teammates to fend off the horde while slowly making your way across the bridge. Despite a liberal amount of gun turrets and ammo stockpiles, it's incredibly difficult to make it across, and if one of your team members die, there's no way to bring him back into the game. No wonder we died a few times trying to make it across here, but we loved the difference this made to the end of the level, as well as the tension it created.
Stardock has 14 items on sale during its 4th of July Weekend Impulse Sale, running until July 6th. You can find the full list of sale items at the Impulse Store.
Hello Americans! Just wanted to wish all of you a very happy 4th of July. Hopefully you get to stay inside and play a ton of video games, or if you desire, head outside and eat some dogs, burgers, brats, ribs, chips, dips, salads or whatever else I missed.
Don't forget also that at 12pm Eastern time the yearly Hot Dog Eating contest is going to be televised on ESPN, so if you want to see some disgusting competitive eating of Nathan's franks, tune in!
After the closure of Black Box this sequel wasn't exactly guaranteed but it looks like EA will, after all, be following up Skate 2...maybe. It depends on whether or not you want to believe Twitter.
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Apparently EA is working on a sequel to Skate 2, if the Epicly Trife twitter is to be believed. Epicly Trife (NSFW) is a site dedicated to skating, and its twitter account said the following: "I just got told 'tonight we gotta celebrate,' one of the bro's got offered to be in SKATE 3." By no means a confirmation, we're still excited, as Skate 2 was not only a great sequel, but pretty much the best skating sim around. Plus, it's much easier to get up after falling down four flights of stairs in a video game, as gravity is a much more harsh mistress in real life.
Hopefully they crawl out of the pit of average that was the second game. The game is tumbling down the Tony Hawk trap faster than that series ever did. Back to the standards of the first one please!
In an interview with CVG, Valve's Doug Lombardi (a Hell of a nice guy) hinted that Valve might not have left Left 4 Dead... um... left for dead and there may be more DLC in the works for Left 4 Dead 1.
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CVG: The boycott. Did they change your plans for L4D 1 DLC at all?
Lombardi: It really didn't change our plans at all. As I mentioned we had plans to keep releasing stuff. We put the Survival Pack out for free which I thought was pretty cool on 360 as well as PC - it's sort of uncommon to be able to get new stuff out that way.
We're already released the authoring tools and the matchmaking to get that content out to people, because the problem with mods and stuff like that is people make great stuff but then it doesn't really get propagated to the whole community properly.
So we're doing that. And then there's more new content that we're working on that we'll be announcing as I mentioned at the end of the summer.
I think there was just some confusion. When you go to E3 and make a big splash on a new product you're trying to get the retailer's attention and the press attention.
It's not really the venue for announcing DLC and whatnot. I think folks took our announcement as a sign that we were dropping Left 4 Dead 1 and that's just not the case.
BBC News is reporting the most recent in-game saga from EVE Online. This time a virtual banker made off with Billions in ISK and traded it for a few thousand real dollars.
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"Basically this character was one of the people who had been running EBank for a while. He took a bunch of (virtual) money out of the bank, and traded it away for real money," Ned Coker, of Icelandic company CCP which runs Eve, told the Reuters news agency.
Eve Online has about 300,000 players all of whom inhabit the same online universe. The game revolves around trade, mining asteroids and the efforts of different player-controlled corporations to take control of swathes of virtual space.
It has now emerged that Ricdic used the cash to put down a deposit on a house and to pay medical bills.
"I'm not proud of it at all, that's why I didn't brag about it," Ricdic told Reuters. "But you know, if I had to do it again, I probably would've chosen the same path based on the same situation."
Ricdic has now been thrown out of the game as trading in-game cash for real money is against Eve Online's terms and conditions.
Still my favorite MMORPG. I'm on most nights mining and crafting, building my one-man star empire.
Shocktillyoudrop.com is reporting that a 4th Resident Evil movie is in the works for a 2010 release.
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In spite of what any of the talent involved in Resident Evil: Extinction told us during the press tour (mostly, "this is the final chapter"), the film left the door wide - and we mean WIDE open - for a fourth installment.
Late last year, Paul W.S. Anderson revealed he was indeed writing another film. Capcom was getting involved. Everyone, as he said, was "excited." Well, we've just learned from a studio insider that Sony is looking to get Resident Evil: Afterlife into theaters by September 17, 2010. That's according to an internal memo circulating through the offices there.
Forsooth, there will be a new sequel to Two Worlds. Two. Two Worlds II.
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In the coming winter, the role-playing world of Antaloor will once again open its portals to PC, Mac and Next-Gen consoles. Following the fantastic worldwide sales success of the game’s famous predecessor, TopWare Interactive will once again open a radically new chapter in the fantasy world of Reality Pump.
“Two Worlds II” presents a totally new gamer experience, one in which 2 years of intensive development has enabled quantum leaps in all spheres: completely overhauled AI and balancing standards, experienced authors, the active combat system and the brand-new engine all combine to provide an unforgettable experience where excitement, sheer enjoyment and graphics rule. “Two Worlds II” simply sets new technical benchmarks in the RPG genre, thanks not least to its seemingly unlimited number of dynamic light sources, micro-detail Parallax Mapping, 24 Bit HDR Post Processing, Space Ambient Occlusion and Human Eye Accommodation.
The story of “Two Worlds II” is staged a couple of years after Part 1 - and it will lead you into hitherto unexplored parts of Eastern Antaloor where you'll find many brand-new locations packed full of atmosphere - from dusty deserts to awe-inspiring temples.
Alexandra Constandache, the Executive Producer of TWII commented, “We intentionally opted for a completely independent game with radical new technology. This was the only way to ensure that we harness the enormous potential and experience gained from the making of the first “Two Worlds” project - and make full use of the further technical development of internal Reality Pump tools that has been on-going since the first “Two Worlds” was developed. This new release window gives us enough time to systematically implement both our own requirements and the feedback of the “Two World” fans, enabling us to create a breathtaking RPG experience.”
AND - we'll shortly be bringing out the next version of your hotly-awaited ““Two Worlds” magazine, the “Antaloor Post” - and in it we'll tell you all about the latest developments direct from the developers at Reality Pump! If you want to be on the inside track when it comes to having inside info about Antaloor, go to www.twoworlds2.com and register for the newsletter - you won't regret it!
Journalist John Pender has returned to his home town of Whiteshead to rekindle his marriage. Ex-British Intelligence Officer Dave Johnson has arrived to isolate himself after his fiancée is murdered during a mission that went terribly wrong. But excavations for the new shopping centre unearth a mysterious contagion that threatens to throw their lives into chaos. Now the residents of Whiteshead are trapped within a quarantine zone with the military on one side and ravenous hordes on the other. Escape is no longer an option. Far out in the mouth of the estuary a small keep sits forlornly surrounded by an apron of jagged rocks. This refuge has always been unassailable, a place of myth and legend that has grown in folklore through the years. Now, it's the survivors' only hope of sanctuary. But there are thousands of flesh-eating infected between them and the keep and time is running out ...
"Almost fifteen thousand men, women and children turned into flesh eating zombies by a long-forgotten Nazi chemical weapon… sound like your thing?"
--David Moody, author of HATER
Happy 4th of July! I have an extra day off, and besides doing painting, I am planning on playing some of the Steam 2k bundle that I bought yesterday. Not sure what games yet but I know I will have fun. I will also hit the city's firework show with the kids and take them to a waterpark. What will you be doing? What games will you be playing this long weekend?
At about the halfway mark in the trailer you'll find after the break, you'll get to see a fair bit of gameplay from Electronic Arts' new game inspired by the first book to the Divine Comedy. Not only is there what seems to be a dramatic reading of said written work, but you get to see for yourself just how much it looks like God of War.
The winners HAVE BEEN CHOSEN by a random number generator! The three copies of Wizards of the Coast's new Xbox Live Arcade game Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers are:
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Originally Posted by Mysterio
Big money! No whammy!
STOP!
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Originally Posted by Rajio
the magic is gathering and I wasn't even invited?!
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Originally Posted by Mr. Lake
Clearly, fate has kept me from winning all the previous contests so that I would be victorious in this one.
I'll be sending your codes via PM very soon. Congrats to all!
GI.biz is reporting that a new mod has been released, uniting the MMO juggernaught World of Warcraft with Twitter, the strangely popular spamming (microblogging) service. Titled 'TweetCraft' its got a host of stuff you can do if you're into that kind of thing.
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The full list of functions for 'TweetCraft', which has been made available through CodePlex, include not only sending and receiving Tweets but also queuing Tweets to send when convenient, uploading in-game screenshots using TwitPic, sending an AutoTweet when you log in, enter an instance or get an achievement, and the ability to register messages and events to AutoTweet.
This has got to be a blow for Atari as news breaks that Namco Bandai have acquired the exclusive rights to Dragon Ball across all platforms.
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In fiscal 2008, the Dragon Ball franchise accounted for roughly half of Atari's sales. Beginning next year, that percentage will drop to zero.
Namco Bandai Games America today announced that it has obtained the exclusive North American rights to publish Dragon Ball games on all major consoles and handhelds, starting in January 2010. The deal--struck with rights-holders Toei Animation and FUNimation--will run for a five-year term.
This is not the first indication that Atari's tenure with the license was coming to an end. Last month, Namco Bandai announced that it would be publishing a trio of games based on the Dragon Ball series this fall. The first, Dragon Ball: Raging Blast, will see release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, while Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo will be available exclusively for the Wii, and Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans will head to the DS. At the time, neither Atari nor Namco Bandai answered GameSpot's questions about publishing rights to the series.
Suda 51, eccentric developer extraordinaire, has revealed that following the release of No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle he will be looking to move the franchise to a new platform. He has voiced support for NATAL which suggests a possible 360 game.
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“I really want to make NMH a big franchise,” he told us on a recent trip to see No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, “and with this second episode have bigger success. I’m putting a lot of care into developing this IP, as I feel there’s a lot of potential.
“I think this is the last NMH that is going to be developed on Wii,” he added. “To expand NMH to new possibilities, we need a new platform. Wii is a great platform, but we’ve done everything we can with it now.”
GoGamer has really outdone themselves this time with a list of sale items longer than my... I don't actually have anything that long. Anyway, you'll definitely want to check out the Madness Sale page if you're in the market for some games on the cheap. A small sample from the 70+ sale items:
Article from Shacknews. Here's a list of the game you'll get in the 2K bundle.
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* Sid Meier's Pirates!
* Shattered Union
* Prey
* CivCity: Rome
* Sid Meier's Railroads!
* Railroad Tycoon 3
* Railroad Tycoon II Platinum
* X-COM: Terror From the Deep
* X-COM: Apocalypse
* BioShock
* X-COM: Interceptor
* X-COM: UFO Defense
* X-COM: Enforcer
* Freedom Force
* Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich
* Sid Meier's Civilization III Complete
* Sid Meier's Civilization IV
* Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
* Civilization IV Warlords
* Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization
Not really 20 "complete" games... a bunch of these are expansions. But a good deal, especially if you don't have most of these. BioShock alone has one of the highest meta-critic scores on Steam.
I need to let you know that you don’t need to worry about a huge influx of ads across the dashboard. One of our core principles is to enhance, not interfere with the gaming experience, and we work directly with our partners to only deliver experiences that are relevant to the LIVE community. Silverlight will help make those ads a more organic part of the dashboard, like we’ve done with some of the NXE slots in the past. No one on the team wants to turn the dashboard into something that looks like like Shibuya Crossing. That’s just not good for anyone.
Facebook, Twitter, last.FM, Netflix and advertising. I wonder if there will be any room left for GAMES on Xbox Live.
On a whim today, I headed over to see what was happening with the Game Store at Phantom Entertainment (formerly known as Infinium Labs). If you recall, a while ago they launched a section of their website with an impressive catalog of games and support. Soon after, it was taken down with a simple thank you message for people who visited.
They now have an official blog as well, which in the past couple weeks has seen some serious action. Apparently the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating Phantom Entertainment and halted trading of their stock (PHEI) on June 24th.
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“The Commission temporarily suspended trading in the securities of the foregoing companies due to a lack of current and accurate information about the companies because they have not filed certain periodic reports with the Commission. This order was entered pursuant to Section 12(k) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act).”
Additionally, it looks like at some point they had a donation website setup, and are now offering to refund money to people who donated.
Could this finally be the end of this ridiculous sham of a company? Sad to see that there are still people posting comments to their blog who really want this stupid lapboard.
Coming hot on the tail of that cancellation no one wants to really talk about (except by a low-key forum post), SEGA has a announced that Obsidian's Alpha Protocol will be shipping October 6th.
When first revealed, it looked like it may be the "spy" version of Mass Effect and I was excited... after seeing some videos from E3 though, I got unexcited. What say you all?
Universal has won the rights to produce a motion picture based on the classic video game, Asteroids.
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Astonishingly, not only is Asteroids being made into a movie, but there was an actual bidding war between four major studios for the rights. Universal Studios has emerged the winner.
As a result, Matthew Lopez is set to write the script and it will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Lopez has written the screenplays for the recent Disney films Escape to Witch Mountain and Bedtime Stories, as well as for the upcoming The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Meanwhile, di Bonaventura's latest ventures include Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the soon-to-be-released G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
Grease The Video Game, Pac-Man The Movie.... it's all been done.
WBIE has sent along a new behind the scenes video of Batman: Arkham Asylum.
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With the new Inside The Asylum behind the scenes video, Eidos Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment go deep within the walls of Arkham Asylum to showcase Batman’s most notorious enemies as well as the creators of the Batman: Arkham Asylum videogame.
The all new video features insightful interviews with Game Director Sefton Hill and Lead Narrative Designer Paul Crocker from Rocksteady Studios as well as famed Batman: The Animated Series and Batman: Arkham Asylum writer, Paul Dini.
If for whatever reason you haven't purchased Fallout 3 yet, the time is NOW. Steam's weekend deal is Fallout 3 at 50% off its normal price. Seriously, $25 for this bad boy is basically a no brainer. GO GET IT.
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Vault-Tec engineers have worked around the clock on an interactive reproduction of Wasteland life for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own vault. Included is an expansive world, unique combat, shockingly realistic visuals, tons of player choice, and an incredible cast of dynamic characters. Every minute is a fight for survival against the terrors of the outside world — radiation, Super Mutants, and hostile mutated creatures. From Vault-Tec, America's First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation.
Hey there, looks like Trine is coming out today on Steam (in about three hours). It's $30, and you can still get Shadowgrounds for free from buying it up. So, if you're gonna buy... DO IT NOW OR YOU LOSE FREE STUFF.
Battlefield 1943, the sort-of-dumbed-down and graphically updated version of Battlefield 1942, will be hitting consoles next week. Wednesday for Xbox 360, Thursday for PlayStation 3 for $15.
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Battlefield 1943 is a critically acclaimed First-Person Shooter (FPS) multiplayer game that puts players in the middle of a dogfight on land, sea or in the skies. The game introduces two thrilling new modes that can be played across four classic Battlefield tropical WWII maps: Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Coral Sea. These maps are inspired by the award winning Battlefield 1942™ game, but have been redesigned and reengineered using the DICE destructible Frostbite™ engine which takes down walls, blockades and cover spots, leaving players with almost nowhere to hide. The game delivers endless hours of social online gameplay for extraordinary value.
The Coral Sea map will be unlocked as part of a worldwide community challenge, where players will work together to reach 43million kills on both Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network. To help gamers reach that goal, up to 24 players can play together online in countless matches. They will have the freedom to compete by land, air and sea as either the US Marines or the Imperial Japanese Navy. Whether they choose to play the role of a rifleman crawling through the trenches, a steel-fisted tank commander, or a dog fighting ace pilot, gamers will have the power to rule the battlefield.
When a bunch of industry press type folks went to Blizzard HQ about a week ago, they were all supposed to be checking out the new Battle.net... Then, the were supposed to be checking out single player for StarCraft II, then, Blizz was like "eh, just play more multiplayer."
So why the change? Looks like the planned 'relaunch' of Battle.net alongside StarCraft II isn't a certainty. Spong
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Browder said, "I can't tell you a whole lot because in reality, anything I say might be a lie. We're still working on it, and it's kind of up in the air. I kind of wish it wasn't, but it kind of is."
The reason for that, it would seem, is that Blizzard's plans for the service are spinning away from what they originally had planned.
"What you saw today is not where we're going", Browder went on. "It's a version that we have that has a lot of problems that we don't like. It was never meant to be the final version, but we're getting further and further away from that being close to the final version. We're trying to do more and more stuff."
We'll put the magical rumor question mark on this one even though this seems entirely likely. The new UFC game has been a huge hit selling more than a million copies pretty sharpish. However, E3 saw the announcement (met with groans at this particular laptop) that EA would be developing EA MMA as a new franchise.
Dana White and the rest of the management at Zuffa/UFC haven't taken very kindly to assumed attempts to lure their fighters away from THQ's title and will be banning any defectors from fighting for them.
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This disheartening bit of news first came from Golden Boy at the UG
"I hear that all mma managers were informed that if any of their clients not currently under contract with the UFC..... sign to be a part of the EA game.......the will forever be banned for fighting in the UFC."
Sounds like a simple rumor right? Albeit from a pretty reputable source, but then later in the forum post, MMA Uber agent Ken Pavia of MMAAgents.com says this.
They've done stuff like this before when new promotions have sprung up. I can't blame them to be honest - they've worked hard to build up fighters as stars.
We go from a high off our last episode to this low train wreck. Joined by a special guest host, Modeps and Ruumis keep it brief with a quick summation of the new Harry Potter game and their thoughts on StarCraft II's lack of LAN support.
Games Discussed: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Left 4 Dead, Max Payne 3, Metal Gear Soild 3: Snake Eater, StarCraft II
Please feel free to leave us feedback here, to our email address at podcast@evilavatar.com, via our voicemail number (619) 573-6699, or come join us on IRC (irc.slashnet.org #evilavatar)
Industrygamers has posted some quotes from Activision Publishing chief executive Mike Griffith, where he defends Activision's Guitar Hero release blitz compared to Rock Band's more lethargic release pace.
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We specifically raised the point that Activision has been flooding the market with SKU after SKU in the Guitar Hero franchise, whereas MTV and Harmonix seem to be more focused on expanding Rock Band with downloadable content.
Griffith defended his company's approach to the music space, however, asserting that Activision's SKU strategy has actually been better for the shareholders and consumers. "First of all, the consumer has voted and we've outsold Rock Band four-to-one; we're outselling Rock Band 10-to-1 in Europe. If you listen to the analyst side of things and the Viacom earnings report, it does look like Rock Band is very successful financially. So, you'd have to conclude so far, our business model has served the consumer and shareholders better," he stated.
Lets come back and see how he feels after the release of Beatles Rock Band.
CCP Games sends along word that their main Creative Writer, Hjalti Danielsson, is set to pen an epic novel set in the EVE Online universe.
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CCP is pleased to announce a grand space opera set in the universe of EVE Online, the largest and most successful science fiction Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) today with over 300,000 subscribers worldwide. EVE: The Burning Life will be published in November 2009 via partnerships with Tor Books and Orion Books.
'The Burning Life' is the first effort of novelist Hjalti Daníelsson who has worked in different capacities on EVE Online since its 2003 release and currently serves as CCP's main creative writer for the harsh universe of New Eden, the setting for EVE Online. He is the author of more than seventy short stories and some plays set in the EVE Online universe. A visceral writer whose aggressive prose and grand operatic scope is reminiscent of Iain M. Banks and Joe Haldeman, Daníelsson's storytelling talent and familiarity with the EVE universe make him the ideal candidate for a full-length novelization for fans and newcomers alike.
"EVE is a phenomenal SF offering," said Eric Raab, Tor Editor. "The game is beyond awe-inspiring, and its intricacies deserve stories. Hjalti's storytelling skills shine in-game and in his short fiction. We at Tor are truly excited for his first foray into the novel form."
"Though the player-driven drama unfolding daily in EVE Online is the essence of our virtual world, CCP firmly believes that EVE can transcend the boundaries of a single medium to offer new ways of experiencing its richness" said Thor Gunnarsson, VP of Business Development at CCP. "We are thrilled to collaborate with the incredibly talented teams at Tor Books and Orion, two recognized giants in the science fiction world, to bring a taste of the EVE universe to sci-fi readers around the world."
A hybrid of space opera and military science fiction, EVE: The Burning Life stands on its own for science fiction readers looking for a new universe to explore. It also appeases fans by complementing the vast EVE backstory and providing a personal narrative to their enjoyment of the game similar to that given by last year's EVE: The Empyrean Age novel by Tony Gonzales.
Blizzard Entertainment has filed a new trademark named Cataclysm with the US Trademark and Patent Office. The trademark covers computer games, pen and paper games (and comics) and online games.
If you take a look back at days of yore and think of movie properties that would be best made into video games... Ghostbusters certainly comes to mind... maybe Logan's Run, even some Last Starfighter or how about Red Dawn?
505 Games however, has foregone all of those potential options and instead opted for a game that probably has no business being a game. That's right GREASE, a game based on a movie, based on a musical, is making its way to the Wii and DS.
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The Grease video game will allow players to sing and dance alongside Danny, Sandy, The Pink Ladies and the T-Birds. The game will take full advantage of the Nintendo Wii’s motion-sensing controls and microphone, and the DS’s touch screen to create exciting gameplay for casual and family gamers eager to experience Grease in a new medium.
“We are really excited about working with Paramount Digital Entertainment to turn this world famous film into a video game for the very first time. Working with such a well known and much loved brand is a great opportunity and we believe the collaboration further strengthens 505 Games’ entertainment portfolio,” commented Ian Howe, Managing Director 505 Games.
More lawsuit news with word that a former New Jersey Scarlet Knights quarterback, Ryan Hart, is attempting to sue EA for unauthorised use of his likeness in NCAA Football games. This isn't the first time this sort of lawsuit has been filed against EA for their NCAA licensed games.
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The lawsuit, filed by attorney Keith McKenna of Montclair, alleges that Hart and Taylor "never" authorized the use of their names, image or likenesses for the game.
Hart and Taylor said the use of their likenesses was an invasion of their privacy for commercial purpose. They also accuse Electronic Arts of "unjust enrichment."
The suit is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.
Is the ship finally sinking for professional wrestling games? Coming after the huge success of their new UFC game it appears that THQ aren't entirely sure about renewing the contract they hold on the WWE license. Their partner, JAKKS Pacific, has attempted to renew the license but apparently they don't have the right to. All very technical!
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JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK) announced that it has notified World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (“WWE”) that the joint venture between THQ and JAKKS intended to exercise its option to renew the WWE videogame license, which would otherwise expire on December 31, 2009, for an additional five (5) year term ending December 31, 2014. Separately, THQ commenced a lawsuit in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, claiming it was not ready to make a decision with respect to renewal of the WWE videogame license, and seeking a declaratory judgment that (i) JAKKS was not authorized under the parties’ joint venture agreement to unilaterally issue a renewal notice to WWE, (ii) THQ has no obligation to consent to a renewal of the WWE license, and (iii) the restrictive covenant in the joint venture agreement prohibiting THQ from publishing any videogames based on wrestling during the term of the joint venture agreement (expiring one year after termination of the WWE license) is unenforceable under California law. JAKKS and THQ have also initiated arbitration proceedings relating to these issues.
It's quite odd all of this. Jakks lose the action figure license come 2010 and are launching UFC lines. I'm not saying the pretend fighting/real fighting thing is the cause but this all seems rather confused.
One of those continually cycling rumors has hopefully been put to rest today as Destructoid report that EA will not be releasing a port of Brutal Legend over to Wii.
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Our sources have indicated that a Wii version was in development at Electronic Arts, just not with Double Fine at the helm. The keyword here is "was," as we've recently learned from our sources that the Wii version of the title has been canceled due to quality and technical concerns. Word has it that quality assurance testers who moved from Electronic Arts to Double Fine were recently let go, after the demise of the project left their services unnecessary.
Back in March, 1UP spoke with Double Fine's Tim Schafer about the rumored Wii title, when he hesitated while shooting a glance at his PR handler before saying: "We are making an Xbox 360 and a PS3 version of Brütal Legend." This was a true statement, but definitely didn't answer the question.
Activision have revealed the pricing for their upcoming game/peripheral combo and slapped an RRP of £108 on it. To put that in context Guitar Hero III with guitar cost around £60-£70 on release. The full Rock Band/GH World Tour set was around £150.
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DJ Hero will be $120 when it's released in the United States. Which is pricey, but not unheard of. When it's released in the UK, however, it'll follow a precedent set by Rock Band in being ridiculously expensive.
The title - which will bundle the game and a plastic turntable controller - has a recommended retail price of £108. Which in American Dollars is a whopping $177.
Legends of rap Raekwon, gave Capcom a nice little "shout out" during a recent Rock the Bells appearance. He couples it with a "shout out" to Marvel as well, so maybe he's a big fan of Marvel vs Capcom? Who knows, but the man knows how to flow.
Damnation didn't get great reviews (some would say they were genuinely abysmal), and now Shacknews is reporting that the entire development team has been given their walking papers, as well as some legal documents outlining a really troubled development process.
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23. On January 14, 2009, Codemasters sent Blue Omega a letter dated January 13, 2009, terminating the Development Agreement..
26. Blue Omega, however, has obtained documents and other evidence which proves that (i) POV is continuing to work on the Game, and (ii) POV is uploading code from the Game to a 3rd party (reasonably believed to be Codemasters). Blue Omega also has received a copy of an e-mail between POV and Scot Kramarich, the Codemasters' employee assigned to oversee the development of the Game, regarding POV's ongoing work on the Game.
Joystiq has learned that if you want to take advantage of the new Last.FM integration come this fall, you'll be able to for free... sort of. If you are a Silver member, you get 3 hours a month of listening, but if you're Gold, its free free free. There will be a third option available as a premium above what's available for Gold, that will, unfortunately, seem to include at least one of the features (Loved Tracks) you get for free currently by just going to their website.
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"Silver users will be able access what we're considering a trial period of three hours a month, which comes with video advertising. Gold users will have unlimited ad-supported access, so they can use it 24 hours a day. There will also be a premium offering on a subscription basis from Last.fm, that will be commercial free and will also have more sophisticated personalization features, like Loved Tracks."
Kind of annoying that you'll have to pay no matter what, to get Loved Tracks.
Microsoft's "create a game" game, Kodu, is now available up on Xbox Live Marketplace for the low price of 400 MSP. There's a demo available too if you want to try before you buy.
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Kodu is a new visual programming language made specifically for creating games. It is designed to be accessible for children and enjoyable for anyone. The visual programming environment allows rapid design iteration using only a game controller for input. Share your creations with friends over XBOX LIVE.
Want to play a game that features supernatural, occultist stuff? Better make sure your rig can handle the new Wolfenstein then! Here's what you need to have to make sure you can shoot those fools.
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SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS:
Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP or Windows Vista(R) (Windows 95/98/ME/2000 are unsupported)
Microsoft DirectX(R) 9.0c (included & required for Windows XP & Vista)
CNET is reporting the Recording Industry Association of America has won its copyright case against Usenet.com.
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In a brief note posted Tuesday to RIAA.com, the trade group for the music industry said: "We're pleased that the court recognized not just that Usenet.com directly infringed the record companies' copyrights but also took action against the defendants for their egregious litigation misconduct."
The RIAA filed suit against Usenet.com, a worldwide communication system, in October 2007. Usenet.com was accused of encouraging customers to pay up to $19 a month by enticing them with copyrighted music.
Update: CNET has news of another copyright lawsuit. This time Music Copyright Solutions is going after Microsoft, Yahoo and RealNetworks.
Quote:
The suit appears to have been initiated by Music Copyright Solutions (MCS), which claims to administer copyrights for more than 45,000 compositions. MCS is named as the lead plaintiff, along with a number of songwriters including Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad fame. These folks allege that Microsoft, Yahoo, and RealNetworks improperly licensed the rights to more than 200 compositions that they offered as on-demand streams or limited downloads via the Zune Marketplace, Yahoo Music, and Rhapsody.
Surely these companies paid somebody for the rights to offer these songs. But there's a catch, which TechDirt pointed out earlier Tuesday: these companies may have licensed the rights to the recordings, but that doesn't mean they licensed the rights to the compositions (also known as publishing rights).
